If ESPN.com or Yahoo.com paid me, I would be able to develop my articles whenever I wanted and wouldn’t be scooped by other writers for other sites. Unfortunately, I work 40 hours a week and don’t quite have that freedom yet. So as I was working on this over the past day, Bill Simmons came out with an article talking about the 13 myths of the Lakers-Celtics series. I immediately looked at what I was typing out and low and behold, I had 13 Topics of the NBA Finals. So as much as it looks like I’m blatantly copying something that my mentor did for ESPN.com, I swear to you that I’ve been working on this and it’s all original.
With that said, I don’t know that I’m prepared for the media coverage and the over-saturation that will happen over potentially the next 16 days when Game 7 happens on June 19th. This is exactly what I was afraid of. Actually, let me re-phrase that. Other than a potential LeBron vs. Kobe NBA Finals that would have sent me into hibernation from the media blizzard that would’ve inundated my TiVo, a Celtics-Lakers Finals seems like the media’s version of a wet dream. I don’t know that I’ll even watch PTI, SportsCenter or any pre-game/halftime/post-game pieces because they will be constant and the only way to keep my sanity is to avoid them at all costs. I’ll do you a favor so you can avoid them too and still be tuned into the series by laying out the topics that will be beaten to death in the next couple of weeks.
1. How did these teams get put together?
We all know that Jerry West apparently made the Grizzlies’ front office deal Pau Gasol to the Lakers for something called a Javaris Crittenton, Pau’s little brother, a few first round picks, Aaron McKie’s expiring corpse, and someone that Michael Jordan routinely referred to as a “faggot” who is also the same person that Phil Jackson routinely referred to as the exit point of a woman’s birth canal. But what a lot of people forget is that the Celtics were given Kevin Garnett, gift-wrapped with a nice little Shamrock in return for a bunch of marginal players and Al Jefferson. Both of these teams took advantage of weak GMs that possibly were influenced to help other teams more than they were to help their own franchises.
Also, remember that KG wasn’t coming to Boston until the Celtics made a trade for Ray Allen. The fact that the Celtics gave up the #5 pick in the 2007 draft and some contract fillers for Ray Allen was also a huge coup de maitre for Danny Ainge. Without that deal, KG isn’t convinced to come to Boston.
But that wasn’t all. The Celtics were basically given James Posey, Sam Cassell, Eddie House, and P.J. Brown without having to make any cunning moves or spend much of anything over the veteran’s minimum. These 4 guys have been key components of their bench during the stretch run of the regular season to wrap up the #1 seed in the playoffs and help get them to the NBA Finals. For the Lakers, they greatly benefited from Derek Fisher being out-right released from the Utah Jazz so he could live in a city that had the proper medical treatment for his daughter. Without the Jazz working so nicely with the Fisher family, the Lakers don’t have the veteran presence at the point guard position and aren’t in the Finals right now. So you can also thank Larry Miller of the Utah Jazz organization for accommodating a team that they would lose to nearly a year later in the playoffs.
2. This is the greatest rivalry in basketball...really?
This may be the biggest load of crap that the media will feed you this series. Don’t get me wrong; this was the greatest rivalry in sports (other than Yanks-Sox) for the better part of 30 years at one point. But this hasn’t been a rivalry for the last 20 years. You can’t tell me that when Antoine Walker and Walter McCarty were blowing assignments in Rick Pitino’s full court press that Lakers’ fans were reveling in Nick Van Exel picking the Celtics apart. It wasn’t a national crisis when Rick Fox ended up on the Lakers after starting his career with the Boston Celtics like Johnny Damon leaving the Red Sox for the Yankees (I swear that is last reference to the Yanks-Sox).
This simply isn’t a rivalry right now. Now, with these two teams probably destined to be back in the Finals a couple of times in the next 3 years, it may turn back into a rivalry, but as of right now, it isn’t there. It’s like saying the Kings and Lakers have a rivalry. It’s like saying the 49ers and Packers still have a rivalry. It’s like saying the Suns and Spurs have a rivalry (just because the Suns’ fans are jealous of a team that can close out mentally weak teams and the Spurs dominate the Suns every post-season, doesn’t mean this qualifies as a rivalry). Let’s wait to see if this series gets a little chippy before we call it a rivalry again.
3. Is Kobe Bryant comparable to Michael Jordan?
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, everybody. What Kobe has done over the past year has been remarkable and is Jordanesque. However, Michael Jordan did that and then some from day one that he was in this league. He was an unrelenting force that never got caught up in internal crap and was a leader no matter who was on the court or who his teammates were. This was most evident with the 1992 Dream Team. The team was flush with Hall of Fame superstars. Jordan never once backed down from anybody and never once let anybody run the show but him.
With Kobe, it took him so long to become that player that it shows the difference between him and MJ. MJ and Kobe share similar traits but that could be because Kobe grew up watching and idolizing Jordan like millions of people also did. Kobe emulates Jordan as a sign of respect. But he isn’t comparable to Jordan at all. His battles that he had to persevere through were completely internal. When Jordan had to get past roadblocks, they were all challenges that came externally. He had to get past the Pistons and the Celtics to gain team success. He had a will that never let up no matter what the situation was. Unfortunately for Kobe, he had to get past teammates hating him because he couldn’t lead and he has sacrificed games to prove a point about how important he is to the Lakers. MJ would never do that. Let’s end this discussion. Forever.
4. Validation for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce
As a Kevin Garnett fan, it’s been very frustrating trying to convince people that KG is a franchise, go-to guy no matter what the argument is against him. Also, it’s been very frustrating trying to convince myself that the criticism against him isn’t legit. KG needs a championship more than anybody in this league, maybe more than anybody in NBA history. He’s beyond Karl Malone and he’s beyond Charles Barkley in terms of desperate for success. Malone and Barkley made it to plenty of playoffs where they played in multiple series. Kevin Garnett has done that twice. KG needs a ring and needs to lead his team to that ring to validate his place in NBA history as one of the best players of all time (top 20).
For Paul Pierce, he’s been equally as enigmatic and frustrating. He’s been clutch through some of the biggest moments for his career. But he’s also disappeared at some of the most inopportune times for the Celtics franchise. He’s the definition of a ball stopper. He simply doesn’t swing the ball around often enough to be trustworthy on offense. He takes terrible 20-footers instead of using his incredible ability to get to the basket against just about anybody. However, if he leads the Celtics past Kobe Bryant to win the Larry O’Brien trophy then he immediately gets put into an upper echelon area of small forwards in this league’s history. He wouldn’t be in the top 15 of all time small forwards, but he could easily be considered top 25.
5. Ronny Turiaf Entertainment Co.
Watch this and tell me that this isn’t the most entertaining player to ever play in the NBA.
6. Can Pau Gasol defend Kimbo Slice in the post?
Okay, I’m just trying to see if you’re still paying attention here. I’m getting really frustrated with the stories that get shoved down our throats. I don’t care if Kimbo Slice is an overrated, undeserving brawler or an unsuccessful flavor of soda. I don’t care if Eight Belles or Barbaro or Sarah Jessica Parker is getting put down on a horse track. I don’t care if Joba Chamberlain is starting his first game at Yankee Stadium or valet parking my car in a week. I don’t care if Big Brown has a cramp or if it’s just gas. I don’t care if Michelle Wie is playing a men’s or women’s tournament. I don’t care if Danica Patrick can win a race or parallel park. Quit force-feeding me this crap like I’m the gluttony victim in Se7en.
7. Coaching Discrepancy
There’s no secret that this match-up of the minds is about as even as Eric Murdock going against Oscar Robertson. Doc Rivers has won 339 games in his career and coached 5 winning seasons. Phil Jackson has won 976 games and never had a losing season as a head coach. Phil Jackson is arguably the best coach of all time. Doc Rivers may not be the best coach on his coaching staff. However, this may not end up being that big of a deal in the Finals. The players are so experienced and so motivated that coaching is only going to matter with how rotations are used. By the way, they both have the same number of Coach of the Year awards. One.
8. Potential Lakers Dynasty?
I hope nobody is trying to say that a win gives the Lakers a dynasty because they have a completely new team. But they are nicely set up for the next 5 to 8 years to be a force in the NBA that could easily turn into a dynasty. The Lakers are attempting to be the youngest team to win a title since Magic Johnson led the Lakers to a title in his rookie season. Kobe Bryant is only 29 years old and even though he has a lot of miles on his odometer, he’s truly in his prime right now. Pau Gasol is 27 years old and in a system that maximizes his strengths. Trevor Ariza is 22, Jordan Farmar is 21, and Sasha Vujacic is 24. Lamar Odom is only 28 years old along with Luke Walton. Oh by the way, Andrew Bynum is 20 years old. This team is set up for long-term success and unless the Hornets can obtain a great scorer to go with Chris Paul or Portland is taken to an entirely different level with Greg Oden, the Lakers are the team to beat for the better part of a decade.
9. Intensity Bonanza!!!!
The two most intense people that I’ve seen on the basketball court this season are Kevin Garnett and Chris Paul. These guys never take a play off and seem intent on intimidating whoever gets in their way. Well, Kobe Bryant is the third guy on that list but he does it in a very cool way. KG will scream and intently stare into the souls of his opponents like Ray Lewis. But Kobe Bryant has a very intimidating intensity by flashing a cocky smile. When play gets physical or someone is dumb enough to get ahead of themselves and talk some trash to Kobe, he flashes that smile that you imagine a cereal killer gets as he’s picking out his next victim. He has the smile of I’m going to destroy your basketball team and there isn’t anything that you can do to stop me. When Kobe gets upset with the refs, his intensity shoots through the roof. When young Lakers’ players screw up a basic part of the offense or blow a defensive assignment, Kobe rips into them. If seeing Garnett and Kobe on the same court, fighting for the trophy that will legitimize their place in NBA history doesn’t get you excited, then turn on Steel Magnolias and call it a day. My TV may explode.
10. Can the Celtics win on the road?
This was the best road in the NBA this year with 31 wins. Then they completely crapped the bed and turned into the Charlotte Bobcats on the road in the their first round series with Atlanta. They couldn’t play any defense and guys like Zaza Pachulia and Josh Smith were out working them. They never figured out how to beat the youthful Hawks in Atlanta in front of a bandwagon crowd and let that seep into the second round when Cleveland shut them out at Quicken/Adobe Photoshop/Norton Anti-Virus/Snood Arena. The Celtics looked like a team that was the exact opposite of the road team they showed in 41 regular season games and would have to rely on winning at home EVERY time out. Then the Pistons came in and upset them in Game 2 of the ECF.
This loss forced the Celtics to stop being so comfortable at home and man-up to take back a road game and home court advantage for the rest of the series. So they ended up taking 2 of 3 in Detroit and actually closed out the series against one of the top teams in the league in Detroit. That was a major victory for the Celtics in exercising the road demons that plagued them in the first two rounds. At this point in the playoffs, they’ve made it to the Finals and the first two rounds mean about as much as Dennis Kucinich’s campaign for the 2012 U.S. Presidency. Once a team gets to the Finals, the only series that matter are the one at hand and the Conference Finals that got them there. The Lakers have the confidence of beating the defending champs and a very good defensive team. The Celtics have the confidence of beating a team that has made 6 straight conference Finals and been the measuring stick for all Eastern Conference hopefuls. Who cares if you struggled in Atlanta or played tough games in Utah?
11. Youth vs. Experience on both sides
This is a big theme of this series for the simple fact that most people figure the youth of the Lakers bench is a huge advantage over the age of the Boston key reserves. I hate to break it to you, but the key reserves for the Celtics aren’t that old. Clearly P.J. Brown represents the AARP sect for a few NBA players, but Sam Cassell isn’t really apart of the rotation so much anymore as he’s a member of the coaching staff. James Posey is in his prime at 31 years old. Eddie House is 30 years old. Leon Powe and Glen Davis are 24 and 22, respectively. They aren’t exactly a bunch of guys that remember Elgin Baylor for being a great player instead of an atrocious GM. Granted the Lakers’ team is significantly younger than the Celtics’ team but it’s not this night and day comparison that seems to being permeating the discussion.
However, on the flip side, the youth of Rajon Rondo versus the experience of Derek Fisher may prove to be the key in this series. Rajon Rondo is at times one of the best if not the best point guard prospect in the NBA. At other times, he makes some of the dumbest mistakes this side of DerMarr Johnson. Rondo being effective against someone as savvy and good as Derek Fisher will be quite a task. However, it’s one that he can definitely accomplish. He dominated Mike Bibby who used to be a good player. He also held his own against Chauncey Billups in the ECF. Rondo isn’t completely overmatched here but he can't make look away, cross-court, bounce passes through a zone defense. This is the only youth versus experience aspect of this series that matters.
12. How long does the newest Charlie Sheen marriage last?
Once again, just making sure you’re paying attention. Plus we all know it has a shelf life of about 5 months at the most. While we’re talking about legends (and I’m using that word loosely with Charlie Sheen), you can guarantee that with the two most storied and successful franchises in NBA history, that there will be a cornucopia of former players that will attend these games in hopes of inspiring the players from their franchise and intimidating the opposing team.
Guys to expect for the Celtics to Show Up – Larry Bird, Kevin McHale (he’s probably still on salary), Robert Parish, Bill Russell, John Havlicek, Dave Cowens, Nate Archibald, Tommy Heinsohn, Bill Walton, Jo Jo White, Bob Cousy, Sam and KC Jones, Cedric Maxwell and M.L. Carr.
Guys to expect for the Lakers to Show Up – Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, Jerry West, Gail Goodrich, Norm Nixon, Byron Scott, Bob McAdoo, Rick Fox, Michael Cooper, Elgin Baylor, Mychal Thompson, Connie Hawkins, A.C. Green, and Jamaal Wilkes.
Guys to NOT expect for the Celtics to Show Up – Eric Montross, Walter McCarty, Antoine Walker, Alaa Abdelnaby, Ron Mercer, Jerome Moiso, Milt Palacio, JR Bremer, Ricky Davis, Chris Herren, Dontae’ Jones, Marlon Garnett, Danny Fortson, Pervis Ellison, Marty “Freakin” Conlon, Frank Brickowski, Dino Radja, Andrew DeClerq and Vin Baker.
Guys to NOT expect for the Lakers to Show Up – Benoit Benjamin, Smush Parker, Sedale Threatt, Tierre Brown, Jelani McCoy, Isaiah Rider, Laron Profit (although his calves can come), Larry Drew, John Celestand, Joe Crispin, Mike Penberthy, Slava Medvedenko, Tony Bobbitt, Elden Campbell, Gary Payton, Terry Teagle, Ruben Patterson, Mario Bennett, Mitch Richmond, Shea Seals, Doug Christie, Travis Knight, Corie Blount, Samaki Walker, Dennis Rodman, and Kwame Brown.
13. Prediction for the Series
My prediction as some have already seen towards the bottom of the series page is Celtics in 7 games and let me explain why. The Celtics were by far the best team in the NBA from day 1 to game 82. They were a defensive force that reminded us of the Spurs, the Pistons' team coached by Larry Brown, and the Knicks/Heat teams that nearly killed the NBA. Not only were the Celtics great defensively but also once they stopped the ball and got it back, they ran it down your throats. You wouldn't confuse them with Baron’s Warriors, Nash’s Suns, or Alex English’s Nuggets teams by any means, but they still ran the ball down your throat after defensive stops.
This was a team that was challenging the Bulls’ record for biggest margin of victory in NBA history all year long. They were the best road team and the best home team other than Utah. They had a three-headed monster that meshed perfectly with each other and added key veterans to round out their bench. They received great play from Kendrick Perkins and Rajon Rondo as they fully stepped into their roles as starters and complimented KG, Pierce, and Ray. These are things that I can’t forget just because of 6 bad road games against teams that didn’t make the Eastern Conference Finals. This doesn’t take anything away from the Lakers team. And whatever the Lakers have done SHOULD NOT take away from anything the Celtics did this year.
This isn’t a matter of the West is better and the Eastern Conference team will just bow to them. This isn’t Lakers-Nets, Spurs-Nets, or Spurs-Cavs. This is the best team in the West going against the best team in the league. The 2-3-2 format is the only advantage that I see the Lakers outright owning over Boston. Sure, Kobe is going to score 40 points per game and remind us of great performances by great players before him. But LeBron was supposed to be too much for the Celtics to handle and they did a fine job. The Lakers are a much better team than the Cavs, but they can be taken out of their games just as easily as the Cleveland franchise. This is still a team game and the team defense of Boston is the best in the league. Kobe will not see many one-on-one opportunities unless James Posey is in the game and James Posey is the new and improved Bruce Bowen.
This is still a basketball game and not an And 1 tour stop. Lakers will be great. But the Celtics will win in the greatest Game 7 of the past 20 years.