Celtics-Lakers Preview
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Who will win the NBA's version of the Hatfields and the McCoys? There is a lot of history between the NBA’s two most storied franchises adding to the drama of this year’s NBA Finals. But what happened in the past between Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlin in 1969 or between Larry Bird and Magic Johnson in the mid 80’s doesn’t matter starting Thursday night. What matters is how the 2009-2010 Boston Celtics match-up against the 2009-2010 Los Angeles Lakers. Here is a look at how things break down:
Point Guard: Until he was slowed by injury late in the Eastern Conference Finals, Rajon Rondo showed the world that he was ready for primetime. His quickness, play-making ability, transition game and defense have all been outstanding. His only weakness is his consistency from the perimeter and he has even improved dramatically in that area. For the Lakers, Derek Fisher is solid but certainly not spectacular. Heck! Even Magic Johnson calls Rondo, “the best point guard in the game today!” Edge: Boston
Shooting Guard: Ray Allen is one of the best shooters in NBA history and should be destined for the hall of fame. Still, the Lakers Kobe Bryant may be the best player in the NBA. LeBron James is outstanding be he is not nearly the threat to score from anywhere on the floor like Bryant is. The Celtics have done a good job defensively on some great players thus far like James, DeWayne Wade and Dwight Howard. And they are likely to have Tony Allen spend some time on Bryant trying to frustrate the Lakers star. But is you watched Grant Hill defend Bryant in the Western Conference Finals you saw that no matter how hard you may try, Kobe can still get his when he wants to. Edge: Los Angeles
Small Forward: Paul Pierce is a Los Angeles native who idolized the Lakers as a child. But he has established himself as one of the greatest Celtics in franchise history. Some call Pierce the greatest scorer in Celtics history which isn’t a stretch. For my money, I would put him behind only Russell and Bird on the list of all-time greatest Celtics. Ron Artest is strong and will try to frustrate Pierce with his tenacious defense. Still, he is nowhere near the offensive threat that Pierce is. Edge: Boston
championship
Power Forward: Pau Gasol, or the “llama,” is a very skilled big man who could make life difficult for KG. Garnett was fabulous in the opening two series against Miami and Cleveland but showed his age in the Eastern Conference Finals against Orlando. You wonder if the knee is bothering him as the playoffs wear on? He frustrated Gasol two years ago in the Finals but that was when he was younger and healthier. Edge: Los Angeles
Center: For Kendrick Perkins it’s very simple – stay out of foul trouble! Easier said than done. Perkins gets whistled for a foul when he sneezes and those types of reputations are tough to shake. Still, when he is on the floor he clearly rates the edge over Andrew Bynum. Add to that the fact that Bynum suffered a torn meniscus against the Thunder which has limited his effectiveness in the postseason. He had to have that injured knee drained on Monday. Edge: Boston
Bench: If healthy, Rasheed Wallace, Glen “Big Baby” Davis and Tony Allen may give Boston the slight edge over the Lakers. But former URI star Lamar Odom, Shannon Brown and Jordan Farmar give the Lakers a dangerous trio that Boston will have to deal with. Edge: Los Angeles
Coaching: Doc Rivers is the perfect coach for this Boston Celtics team. He purposely rested his veteran players down the stretch during the regular season with an eye toward the postseason and it has paid huge dividends. Add to Doc’s arsenal defensive guru Tom Thibodeau and it’s hard to pick against them. But, Phil Jackson may be the best coach in NBA history. He has won more NBA championships than any coach in NBA history with ten. Is he simply the product of having great players like Jordan, Pippen, Shaq and Kobe, or is it more than that? You have to give him the benefit of the doubt. Edge: Los Angeles
There are so many “ifs” that can effect the outcome of this series. For instance, if Rajon Rondo is healthy and plays like he did against Cleveland, the Celtics will win. Or if Ron Artest can lock up Paul Pierce the way LeBron James did in the Eastern Conference semis, the Lakers will rate the edge because Garnett and Rondo may not be healthy enough to carry the load offensively as they did against the Cavs.
In the end, this will come down to which team imposes its will on the other. If the Celtics make this a physical series and play lock-down defense on the Lakers, they will win their record 18thNBA Championship. If not, the Lakers will grab their 16th. You also have to believe that for the Celtics to win, they will have to grab not one, but two games in Los Angeles. Why? Because of the 2-3-2 format. It will be very hard for any team to win 3 in a row in this series which means we could have a 7-game classic. Prediction: Boston in 7
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