The Finals!

So the Finals matchup that everyone (well not everyone) wanted is going to happen. The Los Angeles Lakers versus The Boston Celtics. I can't imagine how happy David Stern is right now. These two teams are the marquee NBA franchises as they have 30 of the 61 NBA titles - Boston with 16 and Los Angeles with 14. They have had some classic battles in the playoffs and boast some of the greatest players of all-time - Russell, Bird, Chamberlain, Magic, Kareem, West, McHale...the list could go on and on. But none of that history matters now. The only things that matter are how the teams have played so far in the playoffs and how they match up against each other.

Los Angeles Lakers (12-3 in the playoffs, +6.4 differential)

The Lakers have simply been dominant these playoffs. They have only lost 3 games in rolling through what was supposed to be one of the toughest Western Conferences ever. They swept Denver easily, took Utah's best shot and closed them out in 6, and finished off the defending champs in 5. They have won in many different fashions. They have come back from big early deficits, they have led wire-to-wire in solid victories, they have blown teams out, and they have held off teams. They have won the high-scoring up and down games and they have won the slow-down slug fests. Although they are a young team they do have veteran championship leadership and a coach with 9 rings. They also have the best player in basketball. Kobe is on a mission and playing some of the best basketball of his career. The Lakers have had the best and most diverse offense in the playoffs. And their large frontline and overall team length and quickness has allowed them to play solid defense. The only thing the team seems to be lacking is a physical 5 man who's job is to rebound and play defense (and no DJ Mbenga doesn't count).


Boston Celtics (12-8, +4.3)

The Boston Celtics have been an enigma these playoffs. They looked very vulnerable in their first two series - dragged to 7 games by both Atlanta and Cleveland. Then after they lost Game 2 at home to Detroit they looked very vulnerable because their home dominance had ended and they still had yet to win a game on the road. Then they went a played their best game of the playoffs and won Game 3 in Detroit and ended up winning Game 6 there as well to finish the series. They looked a lot better against Detroit than they did the first two series but I still think they have a lot of flaws. Simply put, they are an average offense at best. It is rare when the Big 3 click at the same time and they have some offensive droughts at time. Also, it seems that Doc still doesn't know what his best rotation said. All in all, they only need 4 more wins for a title and they have home-court advantage to try to do it.

Match-Ups

PG - Fisher vs Rondo

I think the old man gets the advantage over the young guy. Fisher has championship experience and is very smart. Rondo has an obvious quickness advantage but if Fish can do a decent job on Tony P I'm sure Rondo won't cause too many problems. Also, Rondo likes to roam on defense sometimes which can be problematic b/c Fisher can and will knock down open jumpers

Solid Edge - Lakers

SG - Kobe vs Ray Ray

Even with Ray Allen starting to come back to life this match-up still isn't close. Kobe is MVP and the best player in the league and Allen hasn't played at an all-star level in these playoffs. Allen is going to need a lot of help to guard him. As long as Kobe doesn't roam too much he should be able to do a decent job on Allen.

Significant Edge - Lakers

SF - Vlad Rad vs Pierce

Another easy match-up to call. Pierce is an all-star and Vlad wouldn't even be starting if the Lakers were healthy. Pierce has gone off at times in the playoffs but Vlad's length (6'10) and decent quickness should allow him to not get abused too badly as long as he has some help. If Pierce loses focus Vlad will knock down open shots.

Significant Edge - Celtics

PF - LO (Dey Know Dey Know) vs The Big Ticket

It's good that KG doesn't like to dominate down low a lot because I'm not sure if Odom could handle him down there consistently. Still KG is a fierce competitor who is a great defender and rebounder and he could cause some problems for Odom.

Significant Edge - Celtics



C - Pauuuu vs Perkins

Perkins has played better recently but it's clear he's no Gasol. This is another match-up that's not close. KG might have to switch onto Gasol because he might be too quick and long for KP. I'm not sure if Perkins is going to be able to handle all the things Gasol can do out of the high post. Perkins should able to have some decent rebounding games as he is more physical than Gasol.

Significant Edge - Lakers



Bench - Farmar, The Machine, Turiaf, Luuuuke vs Posey, PJ Brown, Eddie House, Sam I Am

The Lakers' superior depth is one of the primary reasons a lot of people are picking them over the Celtics. IMO their bench is significantly stronger. They have much better guards coming off the bench and they have comparable big men.

Significant Edge - Lakers



Coach - Phil vs Doc

9 rings versus 1st finals appearance. Calmness and strength vs not having a set playoff rotation. I don't think I need to delve into this match-up much.

Significant Edge - Lakers

Given that the Lakers have edges at 3 out of the 5 positions, the bench, and the coach I would be surprised if they didn't win this series. Given that they have the best player in the league in Kobe I would be surprised if this series went 7. Lakers in 6

Lakers Back to the Finals!

The Los Angeles Lakers are back in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2004. They beat the Spurs 100-92 to win the series in 5 games. It was a pretty entertaining game with the Lakers coming back from a 17 point deficit in the 2nd quarter and pulling away from the Spurs late in the fourth quarter. Kobe was the hero of the game with 39 points including 17 in the 4th. He now has a chance to win a title as the unquestioned best player on the Lakers and to give the Lakers their 15th title in 29 finals appearances.

Their opponent has yet TBD as the Celtics lead the Pistons 3-2. I would much rather face the Celtics because of the history between the franchises but more importantly the matchup. The Celtics don't have anyone to slow down Kobe and don't have enough offensive weapons to keep up with the LakeShow. IMO the Pistons would pose more problems but the Lakers would still win.

Right now the opponent doesn't matter, it's a time for celebration for all fellow my laker fans.

Cardiac Arrest...

That's what the Lakers almost gave Laker fans all over the country tonight. After racing out to a 22-8 lead early the Lakers managed to hold off the Spurs for a 93-91 victory to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.

In case you missed the ending and haven't seen highlights here's what happened in the final minute.

- Lakers are up 93-86 and Pau Gasol grabs a rebound and gets fouled. Game seems basically over
- Gasol misses BOTH free throws
- Manu hits a 3 and cuts the lead to 93-89
- Kobe loses his mind momentarily and takes a rushed shot when the Lakers just needed to milk the clock and wait to be fouled and misses
- Spurs rebound and Parker gets out on the break and LO goaltends his lay-up attempt. 93-91
- With about a 5 second differential between the shot clock and the game clock the Spurs decide not to foul and Fisher and Kobe miss jumpers and the Spurs get the rebound with 2 secs left
- They inbound the ball to BRENT BARRY?! and he goes one-on-one against Fisher beyond the 3 point line. He pump fakes, gets Fisher to jump in the air and come down on him but dribbles to the side and takes a deep 3 that misses badly. Game Over

There's some controversy because Fisher looked like he fouled Barry. But Barry didn't sell the foul at all which is especially important at the end of games where refs swallow their whistles. Anyway Fisher's shot with 5 seconds left looked like it grazed the rim which would have reset the shot clock and led to the Spurs having to foul the Lakers and Kobe making free throws to ice the game. And when it comes down to it when you run the most important play of the season so far for Brent Barry you deserve to lose

Western Conference Finals

Los Angeles Lakers (4-2 over Jazz) vs San Antonio Spurs (4-3 over Hornets)

A Rivalry Renewed....

These two franchises have locked horns more than a few times in the playoffs over the past 10 years. The Spurs swept the Lakers before the Lakers went on their three-peat run where they beat the Spurs in their last two championship runs. The Spurs then ended the Lakers three-peat and then Lakers returned the favor and prevented the Spurs from repeating the following year. Although many of the faces have changed the teams still know each other very well and it should be a great great series. I get chills thinking about all the memorable moments between these teams

The Lakers have yet to be seriously challenged in the playoffs. They swept a Denver team who didn't really show up and then took Utah's best shot without being seriously challenged. I think the physicality and offensive precision of Utah will have the Lakers ready for the tough veteran Spurs.

The Spurs dispatched the Suns rather easily in the 1st round and then were dragged to the limit by the pesky young Hornets. The Spurs have showed they can win high-scoring or low-scoring games which the Lakers have not shown yet. The Hornets' quickness and athleticism will prepare them for the Lakers.

Key Questions
- will Kobe continue to trust his teammates after they go through some struggles against a good defensive team? Bowen and Udoka are solid individual defenders and Duncan is still a great help defender. Kobe has to play very smart this series. He has had a great playoff run so far but he can't get stubborn especially if his back flares up

- will the Lakers be able to rebound better? The Jazz pushed around the Lakers a little bit but they were able to overcome that because of great offense and solid defense. They shouldn't count on the same happening against the Spurs if they don't rebound better

- will the Spurs be able to score enough points? The Spurs are not a great offensive team especially if you can run them off the 3 point line. The Lakers are not a great defensive team but they are quick and long which can cause the Spurs problems. Vlad, Odom, and Gasol is a very long frontline. Also if the Spurs let the Lakers speed it up at all then this will be a quick series

Prediction
This should be a wonderful and entertaining series. With what has happened the first two rounds I think everyone would agree these are the two best teams in the West. The Spurs may have the pedigree and experience but I think the Lakers will ultimately take this series because they are more versatile offensively, they have the MVP and most talented player in the league, and a better bench. Kobe is so determined to show he can win without Shaq and now that he has legit weapons around him he is nearly unstoppable. Lakers in 7

Hell Yeah!

The Lakers ended their postseason drought with their 1st series victory since 2004. Denver fought hard in Game 4 but they still got swept aside. Even with Boston and Detroit playing supposed pushovers Atlanta and Philly, the Lakers will be the only team to sweep a team this 1st round. Very impressive performance from the Lakers this series and Kobe showed why he's a MVP candidate. He shrugged off missed FT's and some silly fouls to completely take over the end of Game 4.

In the other games....

The Celtics lost again to Atlanta. I assumed after what happened at the end of Game 3, that the Celtics would come out and handle Atlanta. Instead they let Joe Johnson torch them for 20 pts in the 4th quarter and now the series is 2-2. I am really surprised by these turn of events. I'm glad to see fans go crazy in Atlanta even if they might be bandwagoners. Boston seems bothered by the Hawks' athleticism.

The Magic ended the NBA-TV invitational (3 of the 5 games have been on that channel) in 5 games. Dwight Howard is a beast. Had his 3rd 20-20 game of the series which hasn't been done since 1971 by Wilt Chamberlain. I underestimated the Magic and they look to be a formidable foe for Detroit (they will beat Philly) in the 2nd round.

In non-playoff news...

Pat Riley stepped down as the Miami Heat coach and was replaced by assistant Erik Spolestra. He remains the team's President.

Larry Brown is back coaching as the coach of Charlotte Bobcats. He should be able to get that team to the playoffs in a weak Eastern conference.

entire playoffs predictions

Who will be holding the trophy like the man above? Detailed analysis will come before these series start. I just want to get my predictions on record.

Conference Semis

EAST

1. Celtics vs 4. Cavs

I expect a highly entertaining series but the Celts are too dominant. Celtics in 6

2. Pistons vs 6. Raptors

The Raptors ain't ready for the big boys. Pistons win easily. Pistons in 5

WEST

1. Lakers vs 4. Jazz

Should be a high scoring well played series. The Lakers are better so they win lol. Lakers in 7

6. Suns vs 7. Mavs

Another great match-up. No way the Mavs can handle Shaq and STAT. Suns in 6

Conference Finals

1. Celtics vs 2. Pistons
The Eastern showdown everyone has been waiting for. This is a tough call for me but Celtics in 6

1. Lakers vs 6. Suns
Kobe vs Shaq! Kobe vs Shaq! Kobe vs Shaq! MOST HYPED CONFERENCE FINALS EVER! Kobe vs Shaq! lol Lakers in 7

Finals
1. Celtics vs 1. Lakers
The two most storied NBA franchises face off in the finals for the first time in over 20 years. Does KG finally win a ring? Does Kobe win a ring without Shaq? As much as it pains me to say Celtics in 6

LakeShow!

The Lakers already have clinched the Pacific Division and with tonight's victory over the Queens they have clinched #1 in the West and homecourt advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs with a 57-25 record. It's their first division title in the Post-Shaq era and their first #1 seed since the 1999-2000 season. Their 1st round opponent and possible second round opponents have yet to be determined. Needless to say things are looking good for the Lakers but the West is going to be very very tough.