Obsessedsportsnut's Blog

Taking a page out of Bill Simmon’s book, I decided to write my own game diary.

With a computer on my lap and the DVR recording, I could simultaneously enjoy games and comment on the action.

Pregame entrance:

Jeff Osborne singing amazed my Dad. Afterwards, a cool pregame entrance for the Lakers.

My favorite anthem singing person? Beyonce’s 2004 Superbowl: Patriots vs. Panthers.

I liked the “singing” 😉

Pregame Commercial

I always like the pre-game show where they show all the history of the NBA finals.

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE A HEART OF A CHAMPION.

(Rudy Tomadiayaydavich’s 1995 championship run)

WHAT A SPECTAKULAR MOVE! (MJ’s 2 hand switch)

WELCOME TO THE NBA FINALS. (Fin)

Wow that was cool.

1^st quarter

12:00

Tip off and here we go! And we already get a score by rondo…

This can’t be a bad start already…?

11:33

So Artest and Paul Pierce do a weird, butt- to butt wrestle move on a box out. Double technicals?

Yeah, Crawford gives the technicals. At this point, I’d say yes the Artest-Ariza switch was worth it. Ariza could not guard Paul Pierce. But Artest has the body to defend Pierce. He is essentially our Rodman wannabe with his crazy hair and personality. We’ll make do with it.

11:21

Gasol throws it away after being bodied up and pushed by Garnett.

Garnett is very good at up close contact, but can get a little carried away sometimes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYqCMN8dVAU

Not a very good start. Please Artest be smart; and Gasol, please be tougher than that.

Don’t be Garnett’s _________.

10:46

Fisher makes a 2. Then has to body up against Ray Allen.

The other matchup I fear; so many unknowns, gah!

9:58

No way. Fisher picks up 2^nd foul and Phil Jackson goes to…. “the Machine”????

This guy who’s a shooter and plays terrible defense? This guy who Ray Allen tore up from 2 years ago and made Sasha lose his job for 2 years? Sigh.

Too many unknowns for me right now. Will Artest be smart? Can Gasol be tough?

And now we have to bring in Vujacic? Mr. “I Cry at Contact”?

Ray Allen drains a jumper over Vujacic. >.< They clearly don’t teach defense in Slovenia.

8:41

Basically, the ugliest fast break ever occured, according to Mark Jackson and I. Artest steals the ball, loses control, ,butgets bailed out by Pau Gasol‘s rebound and Garnett gets called for the foul. However, I like the aggressiveness on defense for the Lakers, especially our deflections have stopped the passes into the interior low post.

8:03

All 5 starters have scored for the Lakers. Balance? That’s good. If this actually keeps up, Lakers win this easily. Meanwhile Rondo makes a jump- shot and a back door cut. Kobe! Stop double teaming!

Rondo‘s is as smart as he is physically strong as a ball player.

6:01

Ray Allen gets 2^nd foul. Thank God. To me, Ray Allen is the 2^nd most dangerous Celtics to the Lakers. Perhaps more than Rondo even. I’m serious when I say I get chills when Allen gets on a roll. Let’s hope Lakers attack Ray Allen to get him in foul trouble, because you make sure a shooter stays cold.

Lakers 16-10.

2 minutes pass by

Artest has 2 fouls now. Jordan Farmar comes in now. Like I said, the bench needs to step up.

3:05

Mostly, bench players out there now. We’ll see who steps up more.

Apparently, Jeff Van Gundy really loves In- N- Out Burgers.

“Why are you talking about food?”

“It’s dinner time! It’s 6:30”

How can you not love Jeff Van Gundy? Probably my favorite commentator.

2:10

Bryant has a 2006- flash appearance of himself, as he goes 1 on 2 despite having Shannon Brown for the dunk. Odom bails him out with a follow up. Purely attacking the basket, the Lakers are forcing Celtic bigs to challenge, which leads to more offensive rebounding and points in the paint. Good plan, Phil, good plan.

1:00

Bryant picks up the 2^nd foul. Man, these refs are playing it tight. That’s 4 starters out because of foul trouble.

45 seconds down

Farmar drive.

Brown drive.

Farmar steal!!!

Awesome sequence that could have been capitalized with an Odom score, but we’ll take it.

Meanwhile, in the life of Howard, it’s 6:45 and he drives to church and misses the 2^nd quarter. Thank God for DVR. After an awesome worship practice, I quickly drove home (late too… yikes) and went to the T.V. Forget about my game diary until the 3^rd quarter. Besides 2^nd quarter was alright: Ray Allen gets 4 fouls, Kobe scores; eh I forgot. Oh the Kobe Shot of course. I love how other opponents are even amazed by his shot. (Paul Pierce drops head). Good teamwork by the Lakers. I love their passing. Wallace is stupid. That was the 2^nd quarter.

Halftime:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2010/columns/story?columnist=macmullan_jackie&page=kobefilmstudy-100604

Kobe is the student of the game.

I’d like to say I learned all my post moves from watching Shaq and C-Booz.

You can see my low post dominance if you ‘d like, just call me up and we’ll schedule a one on one.

3^rd quarter

10:16

Rondo hasn’t been making his usual game layups. Not as aggressive to me than before.

Meanwhile, Bynum sneaks in a few more points. He’s been making a great contribution with his presence and size on both ends of the floor.

Meanwhile, Rondo responds with a left-hand sky hook; thanks for making me look stupid Rondo.

9:15

Ray Allen gets another foul. Jeff Van Gundy puts it best: There are no shooters on the floor with Rondo, Perkins and Tony Allen. Basically the offense is put on KG and Pierce’s shoulders and neither have gotten it going.

8:36

Rondo has big hands? That’s why he can’t shoot free throws? That’s the biggest excuse ever. C’mon it’s called practice, Rondo.

2 things are preventing him from being the best point guard: his shot and his free throws. As aggressive as he is, he shoots like a center and now you can’t trust him in crunch time if the game is close.

Hack-a- Rondo?

6:28

Fisher shoots with the highest arc ever. It results in very pretty shots or really bad misses.

Today, its the primer.

6:10

Interesting sequence:

On a Kobe fast break, I had seen the great defense by Artest, but I’m notice at the lack of hustle from the Celtics. What’s different from 2008 is age and intensity.

When you saw Kobe ran a similar fast break in Game 5 in 2008, you would see Celtics would run him down and even though Kobe still made the dunk, they (James Posey) would still mess with him by hitting his legs on the way up. This time? Garnett can’t even cross the 3 point line because 1) his legs and 2) the security wall provided by Artest and Fisher.

Things are different in 2010.

5:20 –

It really perplexes me that Rondo has such limited range; I mean you’re 12 feet away from the basket! I know you’re not a good shooter but can’t you throw a floater. Instead, passes to Kendrick Perkins for the 2. Hmmm, fine that works too, but you could be dominant if you had a shot, Rondo!

4:48

Gasol Flops. And that’s a foul? What? I mean cmon! No, I do not agree with the comentators, flopping is not a foul. You just look stupid and you’re costing your team. Stupid. 2 pts for garnett 58-67 Lakers

4:30

I just witnessed Pau Gasol own the Celtics on the boards single-handedly; you can’t doubt his toughness anymore or you say the Celtics are not as physical. Either way, it’s not 2008.

3:03

Paul Pierce called for a loose ball foul. Man, this game is being called so tight. Well, it’s helping the Lakers mostly since it’s keeping Allen on the bench. Yay?

2:11

The exclamation mark. The javelin perhaps? I see sloppy basketball from the Celtics and stellar athleticism by Kobe Bryant as he swats away Tony Allen’s shot and runs for an alley-oop. Kevin Garnett takes a bad shot, Artest makes a good decision in pushing the ball: everything is going the Laker’s way so far. But to be a devil’s advocate, there only up 13. o.O

2:00

Rondo… you drive so much yet you refuse to go against the bigs. You need to score, but you’re being passive. MARK JACKSON AGREES WITH ME. YOU GOTTA SCORE! You can’t be scared of length!

1:39

Wow…. Ray Allen picks up his 5^th foul. That wasn’t a foul and it wasn’t even on Allen. Well, the refs are really helping out the Lakers by taking out Allen. Wallace checks Fisher. Never liked Wallace, did I ever mention that? He looks like Scooby Doo.

1:00 and down

Wow. Celtics cannot shoot. The Lakers are crisp in passing, attacking the basket, and making plays. You can argue the refs hurt the Celtics, but the Lakers are just being more aggressive than the Celtics. Plain and simple. Kobe checks out for Shannon Brown. Wallace gets a technical and that’s his 5^th technical.

Rondo charges straight into Gasol, instead of dishing it to Allen. Here’s the perfect explanation from Jeff Van Gundy:

“And Rondo takes the drive instead, because of the limited range of Tony Allen, which leads to the charge”

Sigh… such a good commentator. One of my favorites alongside (in no ranking or order) Hubie Brown, Doug Collins (will miss him), Mark Jackson (MAMA there goes that man!), and Charles Barkley (haha I’m kidding).

End of 3^rd quarter

Artest with another 3??? Is this Christmas or what?

4^th quarter:

I’m sad. No more Phil Jackson and Craig Saiger interviews. Damn you ABC!!! Hire Craig Saiger for the NBA finals and lets make more fun of his suits! You’ll get more viewers, I swear!!!

11:20

Hahaha, Wallace unnecessarily hops over some fans, which is basically 2-3 feet, so congrats Wallace? Haha, if you get the chance look at the Laker fans giving him a “That was completely stupid” look. I laughed when Mike Breen said, “Good hustle from Wallace.”

Hustle and Wallace should never occur in the same sentence.

And, now another check at Gasol from Wallace. Jeez, I hate how he stole the 2004 ring from the Lakers. THIS GUY? SERIOUSLY? THIS GUY TOOK OUR CHAMPIONSHIP? THIS FATTY TOOK OUR TITLE.

10:54

You know who Nate Robinson reminds me of? Stephon Marbury. Just an idea. You’ll see.

Side note:

Bad Romance was just aired in Staples Center. Whoever thought of this idea was stupid.

9:35

And look who proves me wrong. Nate makes a good pass and rallies the troops. 5’9 warrior!

8:45

Uh oh, this isn’t looking very good. Momentum has shifted; lead is down to 13, and we’re making stupid plays. >.< (God, please not let this be Game 4 2008.)

Chris Rock’s interview:

Weirdest interview as Chris Rock is more focused on the game than the interview.

Meanwhile, Farmar saves the Lakers with a momentum stopping layup. And Ray Allen is back in. I expected that, since the momentum was shifting to the Celtics, but now Gasol adds 2 more points with his pretty Abdul-Jabbar hook. Lakers up 15. It’s all good for now.

7:17

My DVR stopped recording the game segment. Luckliy, I’m smart to record the next segment after the game. I hate that, I mean seriously can’t the DVR be smart enough to like extend the recording?

I was robbed earlier this year when I watched the NFC championship from 1^st quarter to 4^th quarter. That game went to OT and I’m rooting for Favre as they drive down the field, and then that annoying message pops up:

YOUR RECORDING IS OVER.

It might as well just have said:

YOUR ENTIRE DAY GOT SCREWED OVER. THANKS FOR WATCHING.

I had to watch the highlights just to see what happened. And the Vikings lost.

Bad day in general.

Oh shoot. Back to the action:

Gasol has an awesome left hand dunk off the Ron Artest wrestle steal from Glen Davis, and Ron Artest screams the Kevin Garnett-like scream: ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!

Artest has played so well; I just hope he keeps it up for 6 more games.

6:00

Doc River finally puts in the right person: Glen Davis. Kendrick Perkins is basically a boot for this Celtic’s Car; hahaha like the analogy? Seriously, Perkins is such a liability on offense, the Celtics are playing 4 on 5, as Bynum or Gasol can play off Perkins and help on Rondo Drives or Ray Allen shots.

Yeah he’s your defensive stopper, but Davis has shown he can do that as well.

Woah two defining plays happened: Kevin Garnett’s airball put back and the Gasol to Lamar alleyoop

Basically, Garnett’s failed attempt at a dunk could mean 1) his aging and 2) summarizes the entire Celtic night. I mean Kevin Garnett 2 years ago would have easily downed that ball. Now? Barely got above the rim. A night full of lackluster intensity and no flow.

At the same time, the Lakers showed they are unstoppable when all the starters are in rhythm. You can’t stop two 7 footers and Kobe and Artest. The surprise was Artest shooting, but the Celtics can live with that. They can’t live with 8 offensive boards for Pau Gasol. If this low post domination continues, don’t even think about Game 6 or 7 at Staples. Lakers could easily end this in Boston.

4:30

Kobe grabs another offensive rebound. That’s just desire. Like Pat Riley said, No rebounds no Championships. Another example of Kevin Garnett’s gradual decline as a player. 2008: would he have let Kobe take that board from him? Heck no. 2010: My knees are too old!

Side note:

Wow. Did they just play “Baseball Tonight’s theme music” for a Spelling Bee competition?

(Did I just recognize the theme music for an analyst segment of a sport I don’t even like that much? Wow, I watch too much t.v.)

3:50

Nice Dish. Kobe’s on fire.

3:02

Kevin Garnett’s passive. Rondo’s passive. He’s way too intimidated by the length of the Lakers and settling for jump shots.

2:29

Turnover for Celtics. 82-95 Lakers.

2:07

Phil Jackson is 47-0 when he wins Game 1.

LAKERS NBA CHAMPIONS in 2010!

I hope it’s not 47-1.

1:49

Artest another 3. This is just too much. It’s like my birthday combined with Easter.

48 seconds

Haha, Kobe wanted the 30 points when he went for the 3 pointer.

45 seconds later….

Kobe gets his 30 points with a 3 pointer.

Kobe gets what he wants. That is the world today.

Things are looking good

102-89 Lakers.

Overall summary:

Lakers played great despite some turnovers and the referee calls.

Big story: Ray Allen’s non-existence because of the foul calls.

Not too sure if the Lakers will get that same officiating in the future.

Lakers have game one in the books, now it’s time for Game 2. This is crucial for the Lakers to secure home-court. Boston will be fresher and more intense in Game 2, so the Lakers will have to respond.

The 2 days rest will be good for both teams, but I look for Ray Allen, Rondo, and Pierce to pick it up for the Celtics. But I’m glad that the Lakers showed how tough they were.

Side notes I also learned:

• I kinda want to watch Get Him to the Greek after all these commercials
• Grown Ups looks really funny.
• And my taste in movies has gone down a little.

Also glad I got my first game diary out of the way.

Whew. I must say Bill Simmons does a good job. But then again this is his only job.

Anyways, enjoy the NBA finals as the Lakers wrap up Game 1.

“This will be the 12th Finals meeting between the league’s two storied franchises. When they’re done, the Lakers and Celtics will have accounted for 33 of the NBA’s 64 championships” (via Yahoo! Sports)

As my friend said, “Damn!”

Indeed.

You’re talking about the two most famous franchises in the NBA’s history that have had the biggest stars in league history: Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Bill Russell, Bob Cousey, Jerry West, Kevin McHale, Bill Walton, etc.

The list goes on and on.

Now, this year’s NBA Finals will add another chapter to this historic series, including a lot of subplots, as both the Lakers and the Celtics have a lot to prove.

For the Celtics:

Ray Allen is almost 35. Kevin Garnett is 34. Paul Pierce is almost 33.

People were talking about how old the Celtics were in 2008; now they’re back, but 2 years older, yet they have been able to play at an intense level to return to the NBA finals. However, the new addition is of course, Rajon Rondo. If he could shoot normally, I personally think Rajon Rondo would be one of the NBA’s best point guards ever.

(It’s ridiculous to think that the Phoenix could have kept him; instead they traded him away for 3 million dollars… Sigh. The Phoenix Suns could have had Rajon Rondo and Steve Nash on the same team; it’s already hard to guard Steve Nash and his accurate passes, just imagine how much the Suns would score if you had two point guards with that much talent! Stat lines would be 18-4-18 for Nash and 20-10-15 for Rondo. Howard, the chemistry would not work at all, Nash and Rondo are ball-handlers; hey, I can dream ok. Just imagine this was NBA Live and you had both guys on your team. That would be a freaking ridiculous combo. Howard, they would get killed defensively, Steve Nash is already a liability and now you want to put Rondo as your 2 guard on a Kobe or a Vince Carter? SHUDDUP! It was just a dream scenario ok? Anyways… )

My main point, the Celtics are old. The Big Three won’t be playing at this level for much longer. In fact, most people disregarded them during the 2^nd half of the season for the Celtic’s “legs” or their health factors. The time is now for the Celtics with everyone healthy and a bench that has been responsible as much as Rondo’s superiority. The Celtics basically have one last shot at a title, and unfortunately this could be it before a big swing in the NBA of 2010 free agency. Orlando couldn’t get it together, Cleveland went from champs to beggars, pleading for Lebron to stay, and other teams tanked for 2010, leaving Celtics with an easier path to the title.

What could happen in 2010 if D-Wade and Lebron and Bosh collaborate to form a super team. No one, including the Celtics could keep up, and maybe the Lakers would have a shot, but if that happens, Lebron gets another 3 rings, perhaps. (Heck no Howard, not after that weak stuff I saw from Lebron, he needs a lot of help. I know, the main idea is that 2010 is a crazy year. Win one before the chaos ensues. Hey Howard, whatcha think about Delonte West sleeping with James’ mom? If it’s true…, but if it’s true?, West, one she doesn’t look that hot…, and you’re stupidity just cost Cleveland another title and perhaps the greatest player they will ever have. Hope it was worth it. :P)

So what does this 64^th Championship mean for both sides?

A lot.

This NBA title would impact 4 of the Celtic’s careers forever.

For the Big 3, it cements their legacy as hall of famers and the idea that ubuntu is real, (that 3 guys were Superstars on their own teams, yet champions together for the Celtics). Ray Allen would not be Reggie Miller. Kevin Garnett would not be Karl Malone. Paul Pierce would not be Shawn Kemp. Shawn Kemp….? Really? Couldn’t think of a better example? Fine, Tracy McGrady if that example fits more. There we go. Shawn Kemp seriously?? Alright alright.

Simply put, these guys were already hall of famers, and this ring can put them in higher levels in the hall of fame ring, and in Celtics history.

For Rajon Rondo, this signifies the beginning, the making of a superstar. Similar to Kobe’s situation in 2009, Rondo will have the chance to win a championship as the leader of the team. Danny Ainge is now lucky and can now build around Rondo once the Big 3 are gone. Remember, last year when the rumor was floating around that Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo were being traded for Ben Gordon and Rodney Stuckey? At that time, it was already one sided, but now the idea is completely ludicrous. Rondo can “write his own future” and certify himself as the new point guard of the league above Deron Williams and Chris Paul, become an All Star for next 8 years, and hopefully win more titles.

Well where does he rank now? Hrm, probably top 3. I don’t like discounting Chris Paul since he was injured, but I must say Rondo already beat a lot of point guards. Well a list… perhaps?  Fine.

Deron Williams, Rondo/CP3, Nash, Derek Rose. What??How do you put Deron Williams above him? He got bumped out already!!! By a good Laker’s team. Deron Williams has the strongest build and speed, dishes as good as anyone, and has range. I’m knocking rondo for that. Anyways…

On the flip side, the Lakers also have a lot to gain:

Kobe Bryant‘s Legacy

I don’t care what the haters say, but if you win 5 titles, you’re pretty legit.

Kobe Bryant has a lot of things to assert himself as the most dominant player of this era, and the comparisons to Michael Jordan are no longer that far-fetched. Even Kobe has followed the Michael Jordan blue prints of how to succeed, developing a fallaway jumper and an offensive game that no longer relies on young legs to spring for a 540 dunk anymore.

(Kobe Bryant only won 1on his own! I hate that statement, I mean Scottie Pippin won 6 titles. He’s as much of a factor to Michael Jordan’s Success as MJ was to him! I mean yeah if you’re Sun Yin on last year’s Lakers, then yes, you did not win the championship on your own, but stop this whole “Those are Shaq’s titles!” comments.

Kobe Bryant would pass Tim Duncan and Shaq on the active players’ rings with 5, and basically reasserts his dominance in the league. 5 rings. One Hand. I really like Kobe’s game now, you basically witnessed an offensive masterpiece in Game 6, as Kobe silenced the crowd with repeatedly difficult jumpers and even lovetapped Alvin Gentry. You can do that if you’re that good and Kobe is that good. MJ good? We’ll see.

Bill Simmons wrote in his book, The Book of Basketball, (It’s a long book… but very entertaining, though not recommended for anyone under age 13), that Kobe Bryant “wins one more championship…. he quickly jumps Oscar and West to become the third-best guard of all time” (Simmons 529) ß Yeah 529 pages… that’s only ¾ of the book.

Well, this was written in early 2009. What about now? What if Kobe wins another title “on his own”? Where does this put him in the “greatest category”? I never thought there would be another Michael Jordan, and I probably still think that today. But watching Kobe is eerily similar to watching Michael Jordan. We’ll see in 5 years.

The other Lakers? They get rings?

I don’t really care, I mean they’re there for Kobe and they get more famous?

Honestly, it’s not like Farmar and Walton can say HEY I want to go now, because I’m on the best team in the NBA, but I’m not getting enough recognition. You’re the backup pointguard and perhaps the future after Derek Fisher. Quiet now.

As for Phil Jackson?

I dunno, I hope he stays; I think he’ll ride Kobe for one more year and get 12 rings and be on 4 3-peat teams (that’s definitely a record), being a part of MJ, Scottie, Shaq, and Kobe’s ride. Crazy.

Anyways, the reason I’m cutting short is I just realized I have typed nearly a 1000 words, and I have yet to talk about the prompt Jon gave me. The actual finals… Hmmm. Oops, guess thats what they teach you in school, “Address the prompt.”

Anyways here it goes, my opinion is Lakers in 6 or 7.

Rondo is the new bonus, but so is the Laker’s front court.

Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol are already a formidable front court with Odom waiting in the wings. Yes, Bynum is not as effective with that knee drained and limited mobility, but his presence is already enough. He’s basically Kendrick Perkins with a better offensive game. Look for him to try to score early in the 1^st half, before Phil Jackson takes him out for Lamar.

That’s the key to this series- How well the front court plays because Celtics have the advantage unfortunately with the back court. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen can keep pace with Kobe and Rondo has everything on Fisher. (Ray Allen scares me. Yeah, don’t worry, he scares me too. I get nightmares of his off-ball screens and basically he runs around and gets off a 3. Then I wake up in a cold sweat and realize, wait… crap! That actually happened today. I know, me too L.

 

This means either Pau Gasol is going to take off some of the pressure on Kobe or the bench or Fisher will have to provide some scoring. In the Suns series, it was more Kobe and whoever can help him out that day.

That can’t happen in the Celtic Series.

Kobe and Pau have to be consistent and with the added play of the bench or Odom/Artest, and the Lakers can take it easily in 6.

Yet, this is not a perfect world. I can only hope Artest doesn’t blow a brain-fart and shoot and have the entire Staples Center yell at him. You can’t be that lucky, especially in two series. The Lakers can pull out this series victory if Ron Artest does his job and shuts down Paul Pierce; Artest is perfect for defending Pierce with his upper body strength; (Artest is the master of bodying, which I will write another article explaining the art of bodying up), however the question remains, who guards Ray Allen? (He scares me! Is he even human? No one can be that bald! So early!) At least he’s not like DJ Mbenga.

Kobe would guard Ray Allen, then Fisher would guard…. Rondo. >.<

Kobe would guard Ray Allen, then Fisher would guard…. Rondo.

Kobe guards Rondo, and Fisher guards…. Ray Allen?

Picture in my head: Ray Allen runs around the base line with Derek Fisher chasing him, getting clocked by Kevin Garnett, flopping into the stands, yet the refs don’t call anything, and Ray shoots a 3.  Yeah?  Well imagine that for 48 minutes… Oh…. Yikes.

Kobe guards Rondo, and Fisher guards…. Ray Allen

I don’t know if they have an answer for it. I truly don’t know. Maybe we can call on the Machine?

For Boston, the key is shutting down Kobe, which they have done before and establishing front court dominance, to force Gasol and Odom into foul trouble, which leaves Josh Powell and DJ Mbenga as backups. Pierce and Allen can get hot whenever, but if Kevin Garnett gets hot? That would be too much for the Lakers to handle.

Here’s my take on the series:

The 2-3-2 format favors the away team, putting more pressure on the home team to secure home court advantage.

Whoever wins the first 2 games will win the series.

Lakers have to win Game 1. They’re just better and Phil Jackson is unbeaten if they win game 1.

It’d be great if Lakers win both, putting them in a great position to steal a game at Boston before returning home.
If Boston wins 1 out of the 2, this sets them up for a 4-1 closeout at home possibly.

Essentially, Kobe will not allow his team to cough up a game at home and certainly has the capability to steal one at Boston. If they do, Boston’s done.

However, I think Boston is too jaded and worn down by the East Conference.

Wallace and Davis who are the heroes for the Celtics run are a little banged up and we’ll see if they can be the effective role players they were before.

The Laker’s length will help, but the bench will be a nice bonus. So far the Laker’s starters have had to pick up the slack for the bench play (Sasha…. Slovenia lives in terror!)and if the bench picks it up alongside the starters play, Celtics would not be able to compete.

Result:

Lakers in 5-6. (If bench plays well, and starters are consistent)

Celtics in 6-7 (If bench, Big 4 play well, and Lakers bench plays worse)

Let’s just hope Farmar, Walton, Shannon Brown, came ready to play.

Overall: 

Sigh… a year ago, Paul Pierce tweeted about his opinion of the NBA Finals in 2009.

“Looked like a German shepherd vs. a poodle. That’s OK the Rottweiler Celtics will b back in 2010”

And who would have thought that Mr. Pierce would have held up on his own guarantee.

The Celtics are back indeed and will have the chance to reassert themselves against the Lakers.

So much on the line including history, legacies, and of course the NBA championship.

It’ll be fun, just ask Magic Johnson:

Magic Johnson’s reaction: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=5235503

 Like Mr. Johnson says, get ready this is Christmas for all NBA fans. Just enjoy it. I can even though I’m a Lakers fan, I can enjoy good basketball when I see it. This will be great basketball; no more shallackings that we’ve been seeing in the NBA playoffs. I expect super close games and hopefully a 3OT game 7 with Kobe game winner. But then again? ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!

 

Enjoy.