I know it is early. But since this matchup is being billed as the ultimate match between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers, I thought I would start the thread. Since this match is so big it deserves its own thread.
It is well known that the Bost Celtics currently have beaten the Lakers 8 times in NBA Finals history while the Lakers have beaten the Celtics just once (correct me if I messed up that stat). It is also well known that these teams are the two best NBA teams playing at the moment.
Lets look at the Lakers. They have Kobe Bryant, the best player in the NBA by far since Michael Jordan. He plays through pain, he puts up numbers consistently and despite his past problems does help the Lakers when they need him to down the stretch. He has helped deliver the Lakers to 3 NBA titles and to 5 NBA finals overall (losses to Detroit in 04 and Boston in 08). Then you have the supporting cast, with pau Gasol being the great outside scoring threat (by outside, I mean outside the key). He puts up numbers consistently and provides a great Power Forward for the Lakers. Then, you have Andrew Bynum, the center who is the key component in my opinion on whether the Lakers will go back to the Finals and have a chance against Boston. These threehelp the Lakers score a lot of points as the Lakers are one of the best scoring teams at the moment. But then lies the problem, while it has not affected them yet (losses to Detroit and Indiana only), they do have a problem with defense. Their defense lacks toughness at the moment and they do not generally put teams away when they should defensively.
Now lets look at the Boston Celtics. The Celtics have the big three. Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. Garnett provides the rebounding and the top tier scoring and the defensive stats. Allen and Pierce defend the backcourt very well and each man is very capable of scoring 30 a night. The Celtics do not have many weaknesses as they like to keep the games low scoring. Their one fault would be the same as the Lakers, their depth in the bench. Tony Allen, Leon Powe and Glen davis are all good backups but they must mature to replace the loss of James Posey to give the Celtics the same great sixt man power that they had last year.
The matchup is interesting. The Celtics have dominated recently. If the Lakers can buckle down and play defense, they will win. If the Celtics can contain the Lakers scorers and take an early lead, the they will win.
What are your opinions on this very intriuging match? This is not an Xfearbefore baiting thread though I do want his analysis.
It is well known that the Bost Celtics currently have beaten the Lakers 8 times in NBA Finals history while the Lakers have beaten the Celtics just once (correct me if I messed up that stat). It is also well known that these teams are the two best NBA teams playing at the moment.
Lets look at the Lakers. They have Kobe Bryant, the best player in the NBA by far since Michael Jordan. He plays through pain, he puts up numbers consistently and despite his past problems does help the Lakers when they need him to down the stretch. He has helped deliver the Lakers to 3 NBA titles and to 5 NBA finals overall (losses to Detroit in 04 and Boston in 08). Then you have the supporting cast, with pau Gasol being the great outside scoring threat (by outside, I mean outside the key). He puts up numbers consistently and provides a great Power Forward for the Lakers. Then, you have Andrew Bynum, the center who is the key component in my opinion on whether the Lakers will go back to the Finals and have a chance against Boston. These threehelp the Lakers score a lot of points as the Lakers are one of the best scoring teams at the moment. But then lies the problem, while it has not affected them yet (losses to Detroit and Indiana only), they do have a problem with defense. Their defense lacks toughness at the moment and they do not generally put teams away when they should defensively.
Now lets look at the Boston Celtics. The Celtics have the big three. Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. Garnett provides the rebounding and the top tier scoring and the defensive stats. Allen and Pierce defend the backcourt very well and each man is very capable of scoring 30 a night. The Celtics do not have many weaknesses as they like to keep the games low scoring. Their one fault would be the same as the Lakers, their depth in the bench. Tony Allen, Leon Powe and Glen davis are all good backups but they must mature to replace the loss of James Posey to give the Celtics the same great sixt man power that they had last year.
The matchup is interesting. The Celtics have dominated recently. If the Lakers can buckle down and play defense, they will win. If the Celtics can contain the Lakers scorers and take an early lead, the they will win.
What are your opinions on this very intriuging match? This is not an Xfearbefore baiting thread though I do want his analysis.