Lakers

I like the Lakers simply because they are very deep, have Kobe, and are to me better both on the road and defending their home court than the Celtics. I don't see anyone stopping Kobe but I think the Lakers can do enough to slow down Garnett. If Pierce, Allen and Co. can get going, it will be close, but I don't see that happening.

i like Rondo on Kobe for a change of pace too

people think it's crazy but I'm glad it's been pointed out here that Rondo (and Pierce) can guard Kobe. nobody is going to shut him down but Rondo has some of the quickest hands in the league and should be able to prevent Kobe from getting to his "spots." Now, Kobe can elevate and shoot over anyone in the league so I think height is overrated when defending kb24. all that being said, I expect Kobe to average 25-30 points this series but the question is going to be on how many shots? Celtics in 6 and you can write that down! they'll take the first 2 at home, steal 1 in LA, and seal it in game 6 in front of their home fans..-bB

get pumped

ive been kind of sad lately coming home and not being able to watch any nba basketball..i am really pumped up for the nba finals though.. i am rooting for the celtics to win, and i think if they do they're going to win in seven, however i really think that this is the lakers year and that they're going to win in six, KOBE BRYANT IS UNSTOPPABLE..celtics can only hope to contain him..celtics do have the luck of the irish though

Lakers in six

LB: Doc Rivers can't beat Phil Jackson. But we'll see. You're right on with the matchup problems, but be careful with just sticking Ray Allen on random SF. I'd love to Walton and Radmonovic get some open looks on him. Also, don't count on Pierce "shutting down" Odom. As far as I can tell, there are only two players who I think can shut Lamar down: KG and Lamar Odom. Good call on House getting more minutes. He can shoot the three.

re:

Thus far the matchups look like this: Rondo on Fisher, Allen on random SF, Pierce on Kobe, Garnett on Odom, and Perkins on Gasol. I think the Celtics are playing a zone or something because I have yet to see Perkins guard Gasol or Odom consistently, Garnett is always on them when they get the ball. __________ LB23

It's going to be tough

The Celtics need to keep feeding Garnett, let's go!!!!

Celtics look like they'll win game 1

up by 6. one min to go!

Lakers Down 2-0

Wow things look tough for L.A. right now. Lets hope they can still pull this series through in seven games.

i would simply like to point out that i was probably right!

in true gloating fashion i will quote myself "I expect Kobe to average 25-30 points this series but the question is going to be on how many shots? Celtics in 6 and you can write that down! they'll take the first 2 at home, steal 1 in LA, and seal it in game 6 in front of their home fans." having said that, it would suck if the lakers won in 7. -bB

Lakers look ugly once again despite win

everything is falling in Boston's favor right now because all they needed to do was steal a game in L.A. it surprised me that so many people were high on the Lakers and picked them over the Celtics when it was obvious the Celtics have all the pieces necessary to give the western conference champs trouble: #1 defense in the league, pick-and-roll offense with an all-star power forward and all-star small-forward or guard (pick between allen and pierce, although pierce has been near unstoppable), and strength inside, not to mention a much better bench than anyone gave them credit for. but the real issue here is the Lakers' inability to close-out games, which should be disturbing to L.A. fans considering these last three games were at home. boston came back from big deficits in the last two games, one they won and the other not won, this on top of almost beating the Lakers in game 3 despite terrible outings from KG and Paul Pierce. Even when Lamar Odom woke up and started scoring in this series, the Celtics have weathered the storm. Were it not for 2 missed free throws by KG and a couple of great steals by Kobe Bryant at the end of game 5, the boys from beantown might be setting up for a parade right now. Pau Gasol has looked soft inside, and it's not like KG is the strongest guy there (not to mention Kendrick Perkins is hurt). This was the same knock on the Spaniard when he was in the playoffs a few years ago with Memphis, and he doesn't seem to have gotten the memo. His numbers may look alright, but he doesn't intimidate like an Amare Stoudamire or Dwight Howard (unfair as those comparisons may be), and that is a good reason why the Lakers miss Andrew Bynum. One thing we've learned in all the years since Shaq left L.A. is that Kobe can't do this by himself; no one can. i suspect Boston will take game 6 at home in a close contest, then it will be back to a summer of speculation around the Lakers: how will Kobe react (play the blame game?) and will Phil stick around to try again next season with a healthy Bynum and Gasol as his front line? should be interesting. --the inseidman

re:

I believe a number of people picked the Lakers in six or seven because they convincingly beat three good teams in the playoffs. Utah and San Antonio have better benches than the Celtics. Denver has an excellent small forward on whom the Lakers played good team D. Utah's toughness was overmatched through Kobe's will power (free throws) and the team's unbelieveable ability to score. The Spurs were then defeated in five games. San Antonio is, we all know, an excellent defensive team with a very good (though not fantastic) pick and roll combo with Parker/Duncan. So, I think there was a decent block of evidence to predict a Lakers' series win, particularly when one considers the two series in which the Celtics played putrid road basketball. Now to the present: the Boston Celtics are good at basketball. Better, it seems, than the Lakers. Before the first two rounds of the Playoffs, I didn't see how Boston wouldn't win the Finals. Then, I changed my mind. Shame. Predict the future: Kobe won't play the blame game. He's not that stupid (though I don't think I'd like him as a friend). Vujacic, Farmar, Ariza, and Bynum will all get better or healthy next year. With Gasol and that crew, LA are the preseason favorites to win it all.

Celtics in six!

Yeah, I'm a little late to the party, but this is one good Celtics team.
- Freddie Footballer

re:

The Lakers did not beat 3 good teams in the playoffs. They beat the worst team in the playoffs with the worst chemistry I've ever seen (Denver), a team with no shot at the title (Utah), and a washed up veteran team (San Antonio. The Celtics beat Detroit in 6, which is a better team than the Lakers faced all of the playoffs.


What have we learned from this series? The Lakers are soft. Very very soft. Odom and Gasol play like scared girls and don't crash the board, not to mention the Lakers lack of perimeter D. Vujacic is instant offense but he's also a black hole and a constant gamble when he's in the game. The Lakers will be tested quite a bit if they face the Hornets in the playoffs next year. Personally, I believe the Hornets would have beat the Lakers.


For all the Lakers fans saying that Bynum's return cements the Lakers as the next great dynasty, wait a few days because I will be writing a blog entry on this.