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Sports InsiderNBA Finals Preview
June 6th 2008 00:42
The greatest two weeks of the year has arrived as the NBA Finals are just about to begin. I guess I've made it obvious that basketball is my favourite sport; to me, nothing comes close to the excitement provided by the National Basketball Association. The past few Finals have not been the greatest in my opinion. Having the Spurs win last year and the Heat win the year before were probably two of my biggest nightmares. But an LA-Boston match-up? That's probably my dream come true. I would have rather seen Detroit beat Boston, but the rivalry between Boston and LA is unrivaled. It's probably the best match-up the NBA could ask for...
In this Finals, we have the top MVP candidate from each conference going head-to-head. Bryant wins his first MVP award and in the same season, makes his first Finals appearance of the post-Shaq era. Kevin Garnett helps turn around a dismal Boston franchise, and in one season, brings them from the bottom of the league to make his first NBA Finals appearance. Without the historic rivalry between these two franchises, there is already a pretty good storyline to back this series. But when you take into consideration that fact that these two teams have met in the Finals 10 times, it just magnifies the significance of this series by that much. The Celtics and Lakers are the top two most storied franchises in NBA history. Boston has taken 8 of the 10 series between the two teams and have more championships, but the Lakers are the more successful franchise in terms of wins.
The Lakers come into this series losing only three games throughout the first three rounds of the playoffs. They swept Denver, beat Utah in six and defeated the Spurs in five. That's a pretty impressive line; beating three 50-win teams and only losing three games in the process is a feat in itself. The Celtics on the other hand struggled with the Hawks and took all seven games to decide that series. LeBron and the Cavs also took the Celts to seven, but the Celtics bounced back in Detroit to take that series in six games. Personally, I think the Celtics had a bit of an easier road to the finals, but somehow, they managed to lose 8 games in the process. That's quite a bit when you consider the fact that they only lost 16 games during the regular season. I think the Celtics have lost a step in the playoffs; maybe their starters are getting tired?
The Celtics were no doubt the best team in the league during the regular season, but after watching the Lakers towards the end of the season and throughout the playoffs, many (including myself) are now saying that the Lakers are the better team. Kobe will have his way with anyone the Celtics throw at him. I'd assume that Allen will take the primary duty of guarding Bryant, and I also expect to see Posey getting some extended minutes to help out in that respect. You can affect how he plays, but you can't stop Kobe Bryant. I can also see Gasol having his way with Perkins on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. Pau's challenge will not be guarding Perkins, it will be providing the help defense on Garnett and Pierce. KG should be able to handle Odom on the defensive end, as he is one of few PFs who can guard the post as well as the rest of the floor. His speed and reach will allow him to keep up with Odom, something that many other big men have trouble doing. Odom will still get his rebounds as he has been doing these past few weeks, but I expect his scoring to be very limited in this series unless he decides to polish off his long-range shot and bring it out of the closet.
Paul Pierce will mop the floor with Radmonovic on both ends of the court. I don't expect to see much of Radmon during the series though. Look for Vujacic to take his place and either switch to the SG spot with Kobe or try to hold off Pierce on his own. Rondo and Fisher will be an interesting match-up. Fisher has had to go up against Williams and Tony Parker in these playoffs, so I think he is ready to take on Rondo... it's a bit of an easier challenge, but at the same time, Rondo is still a young, quick PG and Fisher will have to be at the top of his game to keep up.
I'm going to give the Lakers the advantage when it comes to the bench. Vujacic, Walton, Turiaf and Farmar should be able to hold their own while on the court. I don't see Sam Cassell doing much during this series. I'll give Leon Powe and Posey a bit of credit though; if they are used in the right capacity, I think they can do some damage on the floor. With that said, I think the Lakers have the upperhand going in this series. When you have Kobe Bryant leading a young squad that has shown no signs of slowing down, it's hard to bet against them. I think the Lakers are going to win it in six. I think they can take game one in Boston; we'll see how it goes from there.
The Lakers come into this series losing only three games throughout the first three rounds of the playoffs. They swept Denver, beat Utah in six and defeated the Spurs in five. That's a pretty impressive line; beating three 50-win teams and only losing three games in the process is a feat in itself. The Celtics on the other hand struggled with the Hawks and took all seven games to decide that series. LeBron and the Cavs also took the Celts to seven, but the Celtics bounced back in Detroit to take that series in six games. Personally, I think the Celtics had a bit of an easier road to the finals, but somehow, they managed to lose 8 games in the process. That's quite a bit when you consider the fact that they only lost 16 games during the regular season. I think the Celtics have lost a step in the playoffs; maybe their starters are getting tired?
The Celtics were no doubt the best team in the league during the regular season, but after watching the Lakers towards the end of the season and throughout the playoffs, many (including myself) are now saying that the Lakers are the better team. Kobe will have his way with anyone the Celtics throw at him. I'd assume that Allen will take the primary duty of guarding Bryant, and I also expect to see Posey getting some extended minutes to help out in that respect. You can affect how he plays, but you can't stop Kobe Bryant. I can also see Gasol having his way with Perkins on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. Pau's challenge will not be guarding Perkins, it will be providing the help defense on Garnett and Pierce. KG should be able to handle Odom on the defensive end, as he is one of few PFs who can guard the post as well as the rest of the floor. His speed and reach will allow him to keep up with Odom, something that many other big men have trouble doing. Odom will still get his rebounds as he has been doing these past few weeks, but I expect his scoring to be very limited in this series unless he decides to polish off his long-range shot and bring it out of the closet.
I'm going to give the Lakers the advantage when it comes to the bench. Vujacic, Walton, Turiaf and Farmar should be able to hold their own while on the court. I don't see Sam Cassell doing much during this series. I'll give Leon Powe and Posey a bit of credit though; if they are used in the right capacity, I think they can do some damage on the floor. With that said, I think the Lakers have the upperhand going in this series. When you have Kobe Bryant leading a young squad that has shown no signs of slowing down, it's hard to bet against them. I think the Lakers are going to win it in six. I think they can take game one in Boston; we'll see how it goes from there.
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