Welcome to the greatest thing to happen to the NBA in years.
The conspiracy theorists got their wish as the #1 seed Lakers and the #1 seed Celtics clinched into the finals to make for the perfect storm of playoff basketball. Two of the most storied franchises in sports meeting in the finals for the first time since 1987. A lot of things have changed since 1987 (gasoline sold for around $1.15 a gallon... that's enough evidence), but the rivalry remains the same. Back in 2000, ESPN ranked it the the #2 "rivalry we wish still existed." Well, It's back. The importance of this rivalry spans generations, going back to their first meeting in 1959, and the subsequent six meetings in the 1960s.
This rivalry is so huge, that even I know a detailed history of it. I was -2 when the Lakers and Celtics last met in the finals, though thanks to some keen storytelling from my father and seemingly endless hours of programming on ESPN Classic, I know the history... I know the pageantry. I think it's the pageantry that puts it over the top. With the rivalry on the brink of dormancy in 1989, Electronic Arts released one of the greatest video games of all time--'Lakers versus Celtics and the NBA Playoffs.' What other rivalry has an entire video game devoted to it?
Enough about the past. Though history is there, these are two completely different teams trying to write their own page in the book.
The Celtics had a much tougher route to the finals, requiring seven games with both Atlanta and Cleveland. However, after not winning a single road game in the first or second round, the Celtics managed to grab two in Detroit... Something that closes the door to the "they can't win on the road in the playoffs" thoughts. The Lakers did away with a sluggish Spurs team in five, much to the surprise of some.
The Lakers got back a key piece to the puzzle in that Spurs series; Trevor Ariza. While Trevor didn't get much action in the conference finals (four points in around nine minutes total), the week of rest was the best possible thing for Trevor's return. “I hope he’s going to have an opportunity to play,’’ Phil Jackson said. “He can help us.’’ Ariza then stated “I can’t say what the situation is or will be, but I know when the time comes, I’ll be ready.’’
The matchups are going to be what makes or breaks this series for either team. The Lakers main concern is going to be containing the Celtics big three. No surprise there. The LA Times is reporting:
Derek Fisher will guard second-year point guard Rajon Rondo and Kobe Bryant will start out on Ray Allen, but the frontcourt is somewhat unsettled.
Lamar Odom said he expected to match up against physical Boston center Kendrick Perkins, who outweighs Odom by 34 pounds.
“I’ll try to meet him as far out on the court as possible,” Odom said. “I’ll have my hands out, be like an offensive lineman coming right off the line and jam him early. I guess I’ll be Orlando Pace out there.”
Pau Gasol probably will start out on Kevin Garnett, and Vladimir Radmanovic probably will draw Paul Pierce, though this is the type of series where defense-minded forward Trevor Ariza could get more playing time, presumably against Pierce. [LA Times]
I know it won't happen, but I figure the Lakers would be better off sliding Kobe to the three to defend Pierce, bringing Sasha Vujacic into the lineup to guard Ray Allen. Having Vlad Rad guard Pierce doesn't seem too productive... unless, like the story suggested, they can get Trevor Ariza involved at that level.
Time for all the fun stuff:
The Celtics have won both matchups with the Lakers in the regular season. One being the "short-shorts" misstep, and the other being a 13 Lakers loss in late November. Since I've made the "post-Gasol acquisition era" a bit of a trend, I'll add that the Lakers have not seen the Celtics since the acquisition of Pau . Pau, however did see the Celtics on January 4 as a member of the Grizz. Pau got contained rather well, only scoring 12 points and pulling down eight rebounds.
In the
regular season, the Lakers scored 108.6 points per game and allowed
101.3 points per game with an offensive rating at 3rd of 30 and a
defensive rating at 5th of 30. The Celtics scored 100.5 points per game
and allowed 90.3 points per game with an offensive rating at 9th of 30
and a defensive rating at 1st of 30.
Series Schedule: (2-3-2) Game One Thursday - 6/5 Lakers @ Celtics 6:00pm - ABC Mike Breen, Mark Jackson, and Jeff Van Gundy
Game Two Sunday - 6/8 Lakers @ Celtics 6:00pm - ABC Mike Breen, Mark Jackson, and Jeff Van Gundy
Game Three Tuesday - 6/10 Celtics @ Lakers 6:00pm - ABC Mike Breen, Mark Jackson, and Jeff Van Gundy
Game Four Thursday - 6/12 Celtics @ Lakers 6:00pm - ABC Mike Breen, Mark Jackson, and Jeff Van Gundy
*Game Five Sunday - 6/15 Celtics @ Lakers 6:00pm - ABC Mike Breen, Mark Jackson, and Jeff Van Gundy
*Game Six Tuesday - 6/17 Lakers @ Celtics 6:00 - ABC Mike Breen, Mark Jackson, and Jeff Van Gundy
*Game Seven Thursday - 6/19 Lakers @ Celtics 6:00pm - ABC Mike Breen, Mark Jackson, and Jeff Van Gundy
Player Playoff Averages:
(LAL) Derek Fisher - 10 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 2.2 APG Kobe Bryant - 31.9 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 5.8 APG Vladimir Radmanovic - 8.3 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 1.5 APG Lamar Odom - 14.7 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 2.9 APG Pau Gasol - 17.7 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 4.2 APG
(BOS) Rajon Rondo - 10.5 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 6.6 APG Ray Allen - 14.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 2.8 APG Paul Pierce - 19 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 4.1 APG Kevin Garnett - 21.1 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 3.5 APG Kendrick Perkins - 7.2 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 0.6 APG
I'm a realistic observer of the vast world that surrounds the Los Angeles Lakers. You can thank Nick Van Exel, Eddie Jones, Elden Campbell, Cedric Ceballos, and Vlade Divac for making that possible. The greatest person of all time is Francis Dayle "Chick" Hearn. There's no getting around that. Me? I'm eighteen years old and working my way to a journalism degree.
