The Los Angeles Lakers will play the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the 2008 NBA Finals tonight in Boston. The matchup consists of two historic teams who have combined to win 30 of the 61 championships in the history of the league.
The Lakers are led by MVP Kobe Bryant, with three NBA titles. The Celtics are anchored by the "Boston Three Party," also known as Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen. Both teams were No. 1 seeds heading into the postseason but it seems as if the Lakers are playing better as the Finals approach.
Bryant led his team to a 12-3 postseason record and an 8-0 record at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The Lakers also proved strong on the road with a respectable 4-3 record. On the other side, the Celtics are 12-8 in the postseason with a 10-1 home record and a miserable 2-7 record on the road.
Boston has not been to the Finals since 1987 and its last title was in 1986 when Larry Bird and Robert Parish wore the Celtic green.
The Celtics missed the playoffs last season and ended up overhauling their roster to acquire Allen and Garnett to put the Celtics in position with Pierce, to make it to the Finals. In addition to the Big Three, Boston acquired veterans Sam Cassel and P.J. Brown midseason.
The Lakers get back to the Finals for the first time since 2004 when the Detroit Pistons won the title. The Lakers have 14 titles in their history and three since 2000. This will be the first Finals Bryant will play without Shaquille O’Neal, who is now in Phoenix.
Midseason All-Star acquisition Pau Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies will be Bryant’s No. 2 man if the Lakers look to win the title. Gasol and guard Derek Fisher are two starters that were not on the Lakers team a season ago when Bryant seemingly wanted a trade out of Los Angeles, but the pieces fell together for the Lakers as they breezed through the postseason.
The questions for both teams are who will guard Bryant and who will guard Pierce. Both lead their respective teams in scoring this postseason. The MVP will see a lot of Pierce and some of Allen on him, but the most likely candidate will be defensive guru and bench player James Posey, who won a title in 2006 with the Miami Heat.
Posey is in his first season with Boston and his defensive presence will give him extra minutes off the bench to guard and our hopes frustrate the best player in the world. The Lakers will have Bryant, their best, on Pierce and Allen. Pierce will also see some defense from Vladimir Radmonovic and Luke Walton.
The key matchup will be Boston’s Garnett against LA’s Lamar Odom. Both players can shoot the three and put the ball on the floor. Garnett, the NBA Defensive Player of the Year, may have to play away from the key more often with the versatility of Odom.
The key in this series will be the bench production from Lakers guard Sasha Vujacic, who is always looking to shoot the ball. Vujacic will come in for starter Radmonovic and will be a pesky defender against streak-shooter Allen. Vujacic will score points and knock down threes when the double team comes on Bryant.
Boston needs production from young point guard Rajon Rondo who continues to be a hot and cold player all postseason long.
Pierce, Garnett, Allen and head coach Doc Rivers will all make their Finals debut tonight in hopes of bringing a 17th title to Boston, but the Lakers have other plans.
LA head coach Phil Jackson has nine championships as a coach, winning six with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls and three in his first stint as coach of the Lakers with Bryant, O’Neal and Fisher.
The Finals will be great and my prediction is the Lakers in six games, which will be number 10 for head coach and future Hall of Fame member Jackson.
