Los Angeles at Boston (06/05/2008)

Lakers vs. Celtics: Who's got the edge?

POINT GUARD

The midseason acquisition of Pau Gasol has been credited with the Lakers becoming the best team in the West for obvious reasons, but the offseason signing of Derek Fisher was just as important. Fisher provides veteran leadership, clutch shooting and solid on-the-ball defense. Rajon Rondo is the "X" factor for the Celtics. For Boston to win, the second-year guard must play at a high level.

Edge: Lakers.

SHOOTING GUARD

A year ago, Kobe Bryant was frustrated after the Lakers suffered another early playoff exit and asked to be traded. Now, he's backing up his MVP regular season with an MVP run in the playoffs in leading L.A. to a 12-3 postseason mark. Ray Allen shook off his shooting woes late in the conference finals against the Detroit Pistons, and he must continue to shoot well for the Celtics to have a chance.

Edge: Lakers.

SMALL FORWARD

Paul Pierce is averaging 19 points per game in the playoffs (second on the team) and has been the Celtics' top offensive option in key possessions. In tough times, the Celtics have put the ball in Pierce's hands and let him make plays. Vladimir Radmanovic is averaging just 8.3 points in 23.5 minutes, but has hit some key first-half 3-pointers to help the Lakers get off to

fast starts.

Edge: Celtics.

POWER FORWARD

The acquisition of Kevin Garnett was the key offseason addition for the Celtics, and he has stepped up his production in the playoffs - he's tops in

scoring at 21.1 points - because that's what the team has needed to advance. He's also averaging 9.8 rebounds. The arrival of Gasol to the Lakers has allowed Lamar Odom to focus on playing an all-around game without worrying about scoring as much.

Edge: Celtics.

CENTER

Gasol has been the perfect compliment to Bryant, averaging 17.7 points on 52.9 percent shooting in the playoffs. He's done a great job taking advantage of defenses focused too much on Bryant and has provided shot-blocking on the defensive end. Kendrick Perkins is another young player that must perform well for the Celtics to win the series. He's been up and down in the playoffs, but had a monster 18-point, 16-rebound effort in a game in the East finals against the Pistons.

Edge: Lakers.

BENCH

The most surprising aspect of the Lakers' playoff run has been the contributions of the young reserves. Sasha Vujacic has played big minutes in the fourth quarter and hit a host of big shots. Luke Walton, Jordan Farmar and Ronny Turiaf also have played big minutes. Trevor Ariza could see key minutes in this series against Pierce. The Celtics will need either Sam Cassell or Eddie House to provide solid minutes at the point. Former Bull P.J. Brown also will see time up front.

Edge: Lakers.

COACH

Incredibly, some folks still believe Phil Jackson's remarkable success (9 championships) has more to do with good fortune than ability, but he might have done his best coaching this season. All of the Lakers' young players have improved and Gasol's integration was seamless. A year after Doc Rivers was nearly fired, he has his team in the Finals. He did a solid job of helping a team with so many new faces come together quickly.

Edge: Lakers.

PREDICTION

Before the playoffs began, I picked the Celtics to defeat the Lakers in six games. The feeling then was Boston had an easier road to the Finals. But the Celtics needed 20 games to advance, which is five more than their opponent had to play. The Lakers have the best player, a coach with a lot of bling and a better bench, so they must be considered the favorite.