Shhhhhhhh... quiet.
If you listen very carefully you can still hear the echo of a forceful high five or the wind cutting after numerous energetic fist pumps.
Yes, that’s David Stern acting like an eight-year-old after learning school has been cancelled because of snow.
The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers have the most entrenched rivalry in the history of the NBA. Paul Pierce against Kobe Bryant is just the latest in the long list of superstar players on opposite coasts going head-to-head.
Let’s get to the breakdown of this series and ultimately how it should play out. Oddsmakers have the Lakers set as -200 favorites.
Frontcourt:
The Celtics appear to have the edge here since they boast two perennial All-Stars in Pierce and Kevin Garnett. The two are accompanied by the improving, but still inexperienced, Kendrick Perkins.
Boston’s defense has been the foundation of its success all season. Garnett (the league’s Defensive Player of the Year) instilled a responsibility on the other end of the floor that infected his teammates.
The Lakers present some serious troubles for Boston. Perkins is not mobile enough to cover Los Angeles’ new pivot Pau Gasol. The Spaniard has adjusted almost seamlessly to the Lakers’ Triangle Offense.
Gasol’s quick feet and face-up game will present huge challenges for Perkins. Look for Celtics’ coach Doc Rivers to rely more heavily on veteran P.J. Brown.
Garnett should make life miserable for Odom on the offense end but Odom is no slouch defender either. Vladimir Radmanovic starts at small forward but Bryant will be guarding Pierce in late-game situations.
Edge: Boston
Backcourt:
Gasol gets a lot of credit for the Lakers’ resurgence to the league’s elite but the return of Derek Fisher should not be discounted. Bryant trusts Fisher more than any other of his teammates after already going through battles with the cagey vet.
Fisher provides leadership, solid defense and effective shooting from the perimeter to keep defenses honest – something his opponent is still struggling to do.
Rajon Rondo, the Celtics second-year point guard, has made tremendous strides in his game since leaving Kentucky, however, he still lacks a jump shot to complete his skill set.
Too often Rondo’s defender is able to roam and double team frequently because of Rondo’s limited offensive game. This puts the C’s in a bind because he is still their best ball handler and distributor. Sam Cassell has proved to be a shell of his former clutch self and a poor fit for a team with a glut of superstars.
Ray Allen’s shooting slump nearly pushed the Cleveland Cavaliers into the Eastern Conference Finals rather than Boston. If Allen thought the Cavs’ defensive game plan was disruptive, wait until he has to try shooting over Bryant every other night.
Edge: Los Angeles
Bench:
After the Celtics traded for Garnett last summer, many hoop heads questioned how Danny Ainge could fill out the roster with so much of the team’s cap dedicated to the Big Three. Ainge did a heck of a job putting together a cheap cast of ballers.
I’d almost say Boston’s bench is even to the deep Lakers, but coach Doc Rivers’ inability to find a consistency with playing time gives the advantage to Los Angeles. Too frequently players on the Celtics bench are left scratching their heads because of a day-to-day philosophy regarding the team’s rotation.
If Rivers could just settle on eight or nine men to play each and every game I’d feel much more confident in Boston’s bench being able to equal the success of the Lakers. But Rivers’ sporadic behavior scares the bejesus out of me.
What to bet on:
Although both sides have an abundance of firepower, I’d say the under is the better total play in this series. Phil Jackson has always placed a premium on defensive effort and the only thing the Celtics have done with consistency this postseason is play suffocating defense.
Prediction:
More weaknesses than strengths were exposed during Boston’s playoff run. The regular season juggernauts struggled to score and close out teams in pivotal fourth quarter situations. At the same time the experience of going through two game sevens along the way has only helped the club’s cohesiveness.
The Lakers ran through what was supposed to be an extremely tough Western Conference. Bryant, the league’s MVP, seems focused to prove he can win one without the help of the Shaq Diesel.
The Celtics have the home-court advantage but that doesn’t help as much in the Finals 2-3-2 format.
Lakers in six games.
Think you have what it takes to write about sports betting for Covers.com? Drop us a line via e-mail and tell us why we need you as a freelance contributor.