The Lakers and Celtics are tied at one game apiece after two games at Staples Center in LA, and we could not have asked for a better start to the series. We have had it all, from fantastic performances (Kobe in game one, Rondo and Ray Allen in game two), goat performances (too many to mention, headlined by Ron Artest in game two), coaching adjustments, trash-talking, celebrity sightings, you name it and the NBA Finals have had it so far.
As the series shifts to Boston it has also gone much the way I thought it would so far with the Lakers being pushed by a strong crowd and a great Kobe performance in game one to the Celtics being fueled by the Rondo-Allen backcourt in game two, their biggest advantage in this series. These are not the same two teams from 2008. The Celtics were the bigger, stronger team in ’08 who had a huge advantage in the front court while the Fisher-Kobe backcourt was superior to the Celtics’ with a young and overwhelmed Rondo at the point. This year, it has been the Lakers’ frontcourt with the advantage having Pau Gasol as the best player among the bigs and what looks to be a healthy Andrew Bynum patrolling the paint. If the Celtics are going to win this series they are going to need more, a lot more, from Kevin Garnett and Glen Perkins. Luckily for the C’s, Rasheed Wallace and Glen “Big Baby” Davis have helped fill the void and the Lakers have refused to pound the ball into Gasol and Bynum extensively.
Gasol did not attempt a shot in the 4th quarter of game two, this despite finishing the first three quarters with 25 points on 70% shooting and going 11-13 from the free throw line. The talk of Kobe being the best player in the league is once again ridiculous; if he was so great and unselfish he would understand that his team’s biggest mismatch is pounding the ball down low. Yes, Kobe wants to win, but he only wants to win on his terms, hence his eight shots in the fourth quarter to Gasol’s none. Kobe may just be great enough to win this series on his own, or more realistically, with great performances from the rest of his team through three quarters and him taking over in the fourth but it would be much easier on him and his team if they were to attack the Celtics with their strength against Boston’s weakness to this point in the series.
Funny, however, that this has been a fantastic series so far (at least to me) and yet neither team has been clicking on all cylinders. As I mentioned, Boston needs more from their starting frontcourt and definitely needs more from Paul Pierce, who only had 10 points in game two. Los Angeles needs more from Derek Fisher, Lamar Odom and the rest of their bench who were brutal in game two. Odom, in particular, has been a complete no-show so far in this series and is very key to the Lakers’ rotation and flexibility. Ron Artest also went from a great game one to an absolutely awful game two. Whether these guys are able to pick it up or not I think we are in for an incredible series. There are too many stars on the court and too much pride at stake for each of these former champions and I expect a fantastic finish to the series.
As for what happens, I am thinking that the Celtics take two of three from the Lakers at home and we head back to Los Angeles a week from Tuesday with the C’s enjoying a 3-2 series lead. At that point, I would not be surprised by anything that happens with the Lakers having home court for the final two games. I am holding tight with my pre-series prediction of Boston in six, but at this point nothing would surprise me. It is time to sit back, relax, and watch a great series from this point forward.
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