10 Things, Finals Preview

by Gant on Jun 4, 2008 5:32 AM EDT in Humor

1) LA's Run

Chances are you've heard of the Lakers 12-3 record in the playoffs. No doubt you've also heard that the Celtics went 12-8. Trouble for Boston? Nope.

Atlanta was not the worst team in the playoffs. Denver was, and by far. Whereas the Hawks play furiously on both ends, the Nuggets are the most obscenely indifferent defensive team the NBA has seen since Paul Westhead's one-way-only Nuggets of 90-91. Yes the current Nugs had that fine regular season record, but faced with intense playoff basketball they were pure lottery.

Utah was great this year but any Jazz fan will tell you the Lakers were the one match up they simply could not handle. The Jazz needed to be in the opposite bracket from LA. They could have taken anyone else in the West. Not Los Angeles. The first two rounds were gifts for the SoCal team.

The five game victory over the defending champs was more impressive. Yes the Lakers caught a late game break from the refs. Still, they came back from some huge deficits to arrive at the Finals. It was a very strong showing for them.

2) West

Everyone knows as a whole the West is better than the East. In some corners people are taking the depth of the Western Conference as proof the Lakers just ran off some sort of historical feat. Not true. Do not confuse overall depth with the strength of the top teams. There were seven good teams in the Western playoffs; not one is a top two team on this side of the big river.

For the purposes of degree-of-difficulty, reaching the finals from the East is a greater accomplishment. Why? Because the two best teams in basketball just played and Boston beat Detroit 4-2. The Pistons are better than San Antonio.

3) Level Of Play

Look, the Celtics ran away with the conference. They coasted in, giving lots of play to their bench. By the time the playoffs arrived they had lost a bit of their edge. They beat the Hawks despite playing poorly. They beat the Cavs despite playing only decently. They got their groove back a few games into the Detroit series, and that was that.

4) New Guys

There's another thing: It took some time for PJ Brown to reclaim his legs and game again. PJ seems to be fine now.

On the downside, Sam Cassell still hasn't made the adjustment. We'll see if that costs Boston.

5) Bench

I keep hearing about how great the LA bench is. Really? When did Luke become his Dad and Turiaf become Rodman? I mean they're good but not nearly great. The bench vs bench battle is up for grabs.

6) What Will Win It

Chances are this series comes down to one factor: Can the Lakers shred the best defense in the league the way they did the best defenses in the West? If they can, hats off, they win. But if the Celtics do to Los Angeles what they did to Detroit in the fourth quarter of game 6, what they did to LeBron for much of the Cleveland series, and frankly what they've done to everybody since Estaban Batista was yelling out "ubuntu" in Rome -which is SHUT PEOPLE DOWN- then Boston raises the banner.

7) Heard It Before

Since that game in Rome, through the preseason, before the first game against Washington, and through the whole season, all we've heard is how the Celtics can't win the next one.

They won't be able to play together.

They can't play defense (sheesh).

They haven't won on the road, against this team or that team, faced pressure; advanced in the past, with this coach, with these players; and on and on and on. It's a numbing buzz of nonsense that has not once let up.

Well let me tell you world, and let me tell you LA: THE CELTICS ARE HERE. They're here because they keep winning. They've overcome every obstacle. They've beaten every team. They have the best defense in the game. The Celtics are alive. They're dangerous. They're ready.

8) Frontcourt

Wherever you look, there's an interesting match up in this series. Perkins is playing fantastic ball recently. He's a wildcard.

I imagine defensive assignments will change but if Gasol and KG cover one another, that means Perkins and Odom face off. That prospect is very intriguing. Power vs. finesse. It's a mini contest between two players who've been prone to mistakes in the past. Who imposes their will in this one?

9) Points

In looking at the point guards you only get more questions. Experience against havoc. If Rondo pushes the jets all series long, this will be trouble for Los Angeles.

10) Stars

No need for me to comment much on the marquis guys. There's some great players for both sides in this series. No doubt you've already thought and read more than enough about them.

It's time. Good luck to one side. May the CELTICS WIN

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good job gant. you are being positive and realistic. what worries me the most is doc vs. phil.

by nazzbo on Jun 4, 2008 6:05 AM EDT reply actions

1) L[/b]akers would have swept Atlanta and Denver would have even squeaked by them. A 7 game series against 37 win Atlanta is pathetic.
2) [b]A[/b] Utah, San Antonio and definitely the Laker’s team are all better than Detroit. I guess it was nice to finally not have to go 7 games, so soak it up.
3) [b]K[/b]obe would never have let the level of play in the regular season make him complacent or over confident in the playoffs. The fact that they did so well, just makes the Celtics playoff run even more disappointing. To be a champion you need killer instinct.
4) [b]E[/b]very acquisition of the Lakers this year has been more productive than Cassell who is over the hill. I do like PJ.
5) [b]R[/b]evenge is on the Lakers mind and the bench battle is not up for grabs. Lakers have the best in the NBA and will prove so nightly.
6) [b]S[/b]o most would agree that you are Right on this point, I have to give it to you, but I think the Lakers have a much better offense than Detroit, Cleveland and you will not be able to shut down our closer.
7) [b]W[/b]hining about this under dog nonsense is pretty ridiculous. I, like everyone else, picked the C’s to go to the Finals since the preseason and then they had best regular season record…but it does appear that they lack the next gear required to win a ring, the gear that Kobe uses to finish off a game or for example win 3 titles in a row.
8) [b]I[/b] do have to agree that thee front court match ups will be very interesting.
9) [b]N[/b]ow Rondo is faster than Fisher, but Farmar and Sasha are much quicker than Cassell and House; not to mention LA’s point guards are far superior shooters.
10) [b]!Garnett is great, but Kobe is better…

I couldn’t resist copying the style of your post….LAKERS IN 6!!!

Should be a great series, sorry to be so biased, just felt like ripping into a

by S. Nicholson on Jun 4, 2008 6:56 AM EDT reply actions

nice piece of writing.

by S. Nicholson on Jun 4, 2008 6:59 AM EDT reply actions

l think vegas is Hustling people money to the Faker 8)

by eddietours on Jun 4, 2008 7:36 AM EDT reply actions

very clever guys

by Jeff Clark on Jun 4, 2008 7:42 AM EDT reply actions

Wow.. Not even CelticsBlog comments are free of the vomit-inducing Kobe love-affair.

Wow.. Not even CelticsBlog comments are free of the vomit-inducing Kobe love-affair.What I don’t understand is how everyone can will themselves to forget that he is such a whiny pompous #$. Even if he could match all the individual professional achievements that Michael Jordan has, he will never be his equal in my mind because Jordan had class.

by GreenBalls on Jun 4, 2008 9:05 AM EDT reply actions

I wanted to do a Finals preview without mentioning Pierce, His Majestic Kobiness, Garnett, Gasol, or Ray Allen. Almost. I don’t know why, but the thought of that tickled me.

by Gant on Jun 4, 2008 9:10 AM EDT reply actions

First, Denver was a souless team. They didn’t even try in the playoffs. No way do they win more than one game against Atlanta. Second, Utah never won on the road all year and were a terrible matchup against the Lakers. I would much rather play them than Clevland; a team with the best all around player in the league who single handedly can beat a team. Before the playoffs I thought the West this year was the best conference ever. Then after I saw how pathetic, Pheonix, Dallas and Denver played I reconsidered. The West was overrated this year.

As far as Boston against the Lakers, what people are not talking about is how badly the Celtics beat the Pistons on the frontline. Without Bynum, I don’t see how the Lakers matchup with the Celtics upfront. The Pistons, with Rasheed, McDyss, Prince, Ratliff and Maxiell, are a much tougher and athletic frontcourt than the Lakers. If Perkins looked good going up against McDyss and Maxiell, wait until you see him against Turief and Radmanovic.

Then there is the Kobe issue. Kobe played terrible against Boston this year. The Celtics used help defense to keep him from getting to the basket and then dared him to jump shoot. Kobe can never turn down a jump shot. But, he tends to miss those shots and even when he makes them, him jump shooting doesn’t creat shots for his teammates. The Celtics are going to use their size and quickness down low to cut off the lane, dominate the boards and make the Lakers into a jump shooting team.

Celtics in 6.

by JohnK70 on Jun 4, 2008 10:41 AM EDT reply actions

Can Fisher stay with Rondo in the open court? I hope the game is about 10 seconds old when Perk slams an elbow into Gasol’s
sternum. I know Kobe will be very tough to guard, but who guards Pierce? Who guards Garnett?

by Greg37 on Jun 4, 2008 11:52 AM EDT reply actions