Weather Celtics. Lakers. NBA Finals.

Direckshun · 05-24-2010, 12:13 AM

The 2008 NBA Finals were fantastic. This year's finals are shaping up to be even better:

The Lakers have gotten bigger and tougher in the interior.
Rondo's emergence gives the Celtics the ability to do so much more than they were able to do in 2008.
The Lakers have a shutdown defender in Artest who will be 110% dedicated to shutting down Pierce.
Rasheed Wallace gives the Celtics the depth necessary down low. The Celtics and Lakers both have very deep benches.
The Celtics just want to win every single game they play more than the other team. The Lakers just want to get the Celtics back.

This series is going to come down to the paint. The Lakers score about 50% of their points by being bigger and taller than the other team. But the Celtics rotation of Garnett/Perkins/Baby/Wallace is deep enough to play them. I guarantee you Doc Rivers' #1 priority will be to push the Lakers out of the paint just like they've done with the Cavs and the Magic.

If they're successful, this means the Lakers will need to come up with at least 40 points a game somewhere other than the paint. Which they can do, of course, especially with Kobe on hand. But it's not going to come from Fisher, who was equals with Rondo in 2008 but now will be completely outclassed by him. And I imagine Artest will be a defensive force this year, focusing just on shutting down Pierce with little attention to the offensive end.

That pretty much leaves things up to Kobe to drive the offense against Ray Allen's savvy and Tony Allen's doggedness. He struggled against a combination of Allen and Posey in 2008. Time will tell if he can finally crack that Celtics defense.

Gasol vs. Garnett when Gasol's will be downright fascinating. Whoever gets the best of this matchup when Gasol's got the ball will determine the series. If Gasol can reliable keep racking up points against Garnett's defense, the Celtics defense will have to clench up to help and open up LA's bombers. If Garnett can keep Gasol under wraps, the Lakers will have no interior game (Bynum stands no chance against Perkins, and Odom will be facing a Garnett/Wallace combination that won't bode well for him), and they're going to struggle to put up points.

On the other end of the court, certainly Phil Jackson's main goal will be to (a.) keep Pierce under wraps with Artest, and (b.) play incredibly soft off Rondo like they did in 2008 to cut off his penetration and forcing him into jump shots. If Rondo hits his shots, this series is blown wide open in the Celtics favor. But he'll probably be iffy, as is his usual way.

Pierce will be shut down, but Garnett will pose problems for Gasol. Garnett's range extends farther than Gasol's ability to defend. If Garnett's hitting, Gasol will have to play tight, and that will open up tons of drives.

With Rondo mostly neutralized, Allen will pose problems for the Lakers' starting backcourt. I imagine they'll try to shut him down with Fisher since he's a ferocious screen-fighter and you simply don't want Kobe fighting through three screens when he needs to be carrying your offense on the other end. Fisher, however, tries to literally fight back against screens and that will slow him down, opening up Allen. Putting in Brown or Farmar will stand a better chance in tracking him down, but they both are turnover prone.

So we get to the bench. The Lakers have the most talented bench, but the Celtics bench outplayed them anyway when that was also the case in 2008. The big difference is that the Celtics do not have a deadeye bomber coming off the bench this year, but they do have a deeper frontcourt and a great hustle-defender in Tony Allen. The Lakers meanwhile will be giving Odom every chance to contribute, with typically mixed results. Intensity will be on Boston's side, which was enough in 2008. It's uncertain if that's the case in 2010.

And that cuts to the heart of the issue. There is no quit in this Celtics team, which is as mentally tough and impregnable as the NBA's seen since the stone cold Spurs of the early 2000s. You can blow them out in one game, only for them to meet you stride for stride in the next game. Mentally, they will not be vanquished. The Lakers have a couple players who are similar in Kobe, Fisher, and Gasol. But the rest of the team is awfully moody, much like they were in 2008, and can thus be demoralized like they were that year. But they are extremely hungry to beat this Celtics team.

I'm a Celtics fan, but I think it's a Lakers-friendly series, since the 2-3-2 format works extremely well for the home team.

Lakers in 6. But this Celtics team is as unpredictably good as it gets, so who knows.

Ebolapox · 05-24-2010, 12:20 AM

not that I believe the suns have any prayer of getting past the lakers, but isn't this a bit premature?

Direckshun · 05-24-2010, 12:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by H5N1

not that I believe the suns have any prayer of getting past the lakers, but isn't this a bit premature?

No.

Ebolapox · 05-24-2010, 12:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Direckshun

No.

I'm going to laugh hysterically at you if the lakers somehow don't make it to the finals.

KC_Connection · 05-24-2010, 01:26 AM

I thought LeBron was a lock to make the NBA Finals this year, in fact...most people did. It didn't quite turn out that way.

**kysirsoze** · 05-24-2010, 02:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by H5N1

not that I believe the suns have any prayer of getting past the lakers, but isn't this a bit premature?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Direckshun

No.

AAAAAAAAAnd that's why the NBA sucks.

**YayMike** · 05-24-2010, 06:37 AM

The Suns looked good last night. If A'mare plays like last night, the series could go deep. Be it only one game, but any time the Lakers have to attempt over 30 3-pt attempts, i don't like their chances of winning. Kobe had to play practically the entire game (I think he played the entire 2nd half) to keep them in the game. The first two games in the series the Lakers were shooting lights out, we knew that wouldn't last. The Suns still aren't really shooting all that well from the field. Frye hasn't made a 3 pointer yet, and eventually he has to get hot...right? The Lakers will win the series, (though it will piss me off) but the Suns aren't done fighting yet.

**luv** · 05-24-2010, 06:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by H5N1

I'm going to laugh hysterically at you if the lakers somehow don't make it to the finals.

I'll be delighted if that happens. I'm not counting on it, but it would be so nice.

**Bugeater** · 05-24-2010, 06:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kysirsoze

AAAAAAAAAnd that's why the NBA sucks.

Yep, nothing compelling about knowing who's going to win a series 2-3 games in.

Amnorix · 05-24-2010, 06:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by H5N1

I'm going to laugh hysterically at the Fakers if the lakers somehow don't make it to the finals.

FYP, kinda...

Amnorix · 05-24-2010, 07:11 AM

Good analysis Direckshun. Mine is much simpler.

The Celtics are obviously healthy and highly motivated, and have simply crushed the two teams in the NBA with the best record in the regular season, embarassing them in the process. They are tougher, both mentally and physically, than the Lakers (in my opinion), and the Lakers haven't dealt with a team that plays anywhere near the type of defense that the Celtics play, which simply drains their opponent's will to live.

Celtics in six.

**The Bad Guy** · 05-24-2010, 08:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amnorix

They are tougher, both mentally and physically, than the Lakers (in my opinion).

Celtics in six.

Based on what are they tougher mentally and physically?

The problem you have is you keep talking about the 2008 playoffs like it has absolutely any barring on this series coming up. The Celtics were tougher then. The Lakers have toughened up a lot since then. As someone who says they haven't watched really any Laker basketball, you sure like to throw out declaratives like you are completely well versed on the team.

Gasol isn't the same. Artest wasn't here. Odom is even a lot more physical than he was.

The Celtics have a fine team that is hot right now and it should be a good series.

However, there's no way the Celtics are going to push around the Lakers like they did 2 years ago.

Bump · 05-24-2010, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YayMike

The Suns looked good last night. If Amar'e plays like last night, the series could go deep. Be it only one game, but any time the Lakers have to attempt over 30 3-pt attempts, i don't like their chances of winning. Kobe had to play practically the entire game (I think he played the entire 2nd half) to keep them in the game. The first two games in the series the Lakers were shooting lights out, we knew that wouldn't last. The Suns still aren't really shooting all that well from the field. Frye hasn't made a 3 pointer yet, and eventually he has to get hot...right? The Lakers will win the series, (though it will piss me off) but the Suns aren't done fighting yet.

PFYP

**The Bad Guy** · 05-24-2010, 08:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bump

PFYP

What a tool you are.

Mr. Arrowhead · 05-24-2010, 08:36 AM

I wont watch if its the Celtics/Lakers, I am so sick of both of these teams

05-24-2010, 12:13 AM
Direckshun __ Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Springpatch Casino cash: $2063447	Celtics. Lakers. NBA Finals. The 2008 NBA Finals were fantastic. This year's finals are shaping up to be even better: The Lakers have gotten bigger and tougher in the interior. Rondo's emergence gives the Celtics the ability to do so much more than they were able to do in 2008. The Lakers have a shutdown defender in Artest who will be 110% dedicated to shutting down Pierce. Rasheed Wallace gives the Celtics the depth necessary down low. The Celtics and Lakers both have very deep benches. The Celtics just want to win every single game they play more than the other team. The Lakers just want to get the Celtics back. This series is going to come down to the paint. The Lakers score about 50% of their points by being bigger and taller than the other team. But the Celtics rotation of Garnett/Perkins/Baby/Wallace is deep enough to play them. I guarantee you Doc Rivers' #1 priority will be to push the Lakers out of the paint just like they've done with the Cavs and the Magic. If they're successful, this means the Lakers will need to come up with at least 40 points a game somewhere other than the paint. Which they can do, of course, especially with Kobe on hand. But it's not going to come from Fisher, who was equals with Rondo in 2008 but now will be completely outclassed by him. And I imagine Artest will be a defensive force this year, focusing just on shutting down Pierce with little attention to the offensive end. That pretty much leaves things up to Kobe to drive the offense against Ray Allen's savvy and Tony Allen's doggedness. He struggled against a combination of Allen and Posey in 2008. Time will tell if he can finally crack that Celtics defense. Gasol vs. Garnett when Gasol's will be downright fascinating. Whoever gets the best of this matchup when Gasol's got the ball will determine the series. If Gasol can reliable keep racking up points against Garnett's defense, the Celtics defense will have to clench up to help and open up LA's bombers. If Garnett can keep Gasol under wraps, the Lakers will have no interior game (Bynum stands no chance against Perkins, and Odom will be facing a Garnett/Wallace combination that won't bode well for him), and they're going to struggle to put up points. On the other end of the court, certainly Phil Jackson's main goal will be to (a.) keep Pierce under wraps with Artest, and (b.) play incredibly soft off Rondo like they did in 2008 to cut off his penetration and forcing him into jump shots. If Rondo hits his shots, this series is blown wide open in the Celtics favor. But he'll probably be iffy, as is his usual way. Pierce will be shut down, but Garnett will pose problems for Gasol. Garnett's range extends farther than Gasol's ability to defend. If Garnett's hitting, Gasol will have to play tight, and that will open up tons of drives. With Rondo mostly neutralized, Allen will pose problems for the Lakers' starting backcourt. I imagine they'll try to shut him down with Fisher since he's a ferocious screen-fighter and you simply don't want Kobe fighting through three screens when he needs to be carrying your offense on the other end. Fisher, however, tries to literally fight back against screens and that will slow him down, opening up Allen. Putting in Brown or Farmar will stand a better chance in tracking him down, but they both are turnover prone. So we get to the bench. The Lakers have the most talented bench, but the Celtics bench outplayed them anyway when that was also the case in 2008. The big difference is that the Celtics do not have a deadeye bomber coming off the bench this year, but they do have a deeper frontcourt and a great hustle-defender in Tony Allen. The Lakers meanwhile will be giving Odom every chance to contribute, with typically mixed results. Intensity will be on Boston's side, which was enough in 2008. It's uncertain if that's the case in 2010. And that cuts to the heart of the issue. There is no quit in this Celtics team, which is as mentally tough and impregnable as the NBA's seen since the stone cold Spurs of the early 2000s. You can blow them out in one game, only for them to meet you stride for stride in the next game. Mentally, they will not be vanquished. The Lakers have a couple players who are similar in Kobe, Fisher, and Gasol. But the rest of the team is awfully moody, much like they were in 2008, and can thus be demoralized like they were that year. But they are extremely hungry to beat this Celtics team. I'm a Celtics fan, but I think it's a Lakers-friendly series, since the 2-3-2 format works extremely well for the home team. Lakers in 6. But this Celtics team is as unpredictably good as it gets, so who knows.
Posts: 59,693

05-24-2010, 12:20 AM	#2
Ebolapox remember, remember Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: como Casino cash: $-1660097	not that I believe the suns have any prayer of getting past the lakers, but isn't this a bit premature?
Posts: 26,518

05-24-2010, 01:26 AM	#5
KC_Connection Perpetual Mediocrity Join Date: Jan 2006 Casino cash: $1642783	I thought LeBron was a lock to make the NBA Finals this year, in fact...most people did. It didn't quite turn out that way.
Posts: 57,816

05-24-2010, 06:37 AM	#7
YayMike Supporter Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Baltimore Casino cash: $-1244783	The Suns looked good last night. If A'mare plays like last night, the series could go deep. Be it only one game, but any time the Lakers have to attempt over 30 3-pt attempts, i don't like their chances of winning. Kobe had to play practically the entire game (I think he played the entire 2nd half) to keep them in the game. The first two games in the series the Lakers were shooting lights out, we knew that wouldn't last. The Suns still aren't really shooting all that well from the field. Frye hasn't made a 3 pointer yet, and eventually he has to get hot...right? The Lakers will win the series, (though it will piss me off) but the Suns aren't done fighting yet.
Posts: 1,186

05-24-2010, 07:11 AM	#11
Amnorix In BB I trust Join Date: May 2003 Location: Boston, Mass. Casino cash: $10029808	Good analysis Direckshun. Mine is much simpler. The Celtics are obviously healthy and highly motivated, and have simply crushed the two teams in the NBA with the best record in the regular season, embarassing them in the process. They are tougher, both mentally and physically, than the Lakers (in my opinion), and the Lakers haven't dealt with a team that plays anywhere near the type of defense that the Celtics play, which simply drains their opponent's will to live. Celtics in six.
Posts: 43,125

05-24-2010, 08:36 AM	#15
Mr. Arrowhead MVP Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Wichita Casino cash: $10015708	I wont watch if its the Celtics/Lakers, I am so sick of both of these teams
Posts: 7,763