Celtics, Lakers on paths to NBA Finals
April 24th, 2008 | by admin |NBA Finals Tickets on Sale at www.Official-Tickets.com
Between the two, 30 Larry O’Brien Championship Trophies are spoken for, 16 in the Celtics’ possession and 14 for the Lakers. The two franchises have squared off 10 times in the NBA Finals, with a 21-year drought since the last such meeting in 1987. From Russell and Chamberlain to Bird and Magic, it’s been an intense rivalry, and now it will be renewed between Garnett and Kobe.
At the risk of revealing my age, let me just say one thing: Lakers-Celtics.
We are on the road to what could be the long-awaited revival of the NBA. The league has marketed individual stars over teams for much of the past 20 years. But even with the current star-studded lineups in Los Angeles and Boston, the names on the front of their uniforms are still more important than the names on the back.
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There’s always electricity in the air when storied franchises return to glory. But what would the Red Sox be without the Yankees? In a season when the Celtics are making one of the greatest turnarounds in NBA history, it’s only fitting that the Lakers should be rising once again in the Western Conference to meet their challenge. So it probably won’t happen.
Really, it probably won’t – not with so many good teams out there, especially in the West. But out of the many possible Finals matchups, this is the one that makes the most sense from a handicapping standpoint that’s independent (I hope) of nostalgia for the days of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. These are, after all, the top two favorites on the futures market at 2-1 apiece to win the NBA championship.
Boston Celtics
55-14 SU
42-25-2 ATS
Under: 37-31-1
Offense: 107.5 points per 100 possessions (No. 10 in NBA)
Defense: 96.1 points per 100 possessions (No. 1)
Coming out of the East gives Boston the path of less resistance to the NBA Finals. The Celtics are six games ahead of the Detroit Pistons for the No. 1 conference seed with 13 games remaining in the regular season. The current No. 8 seed: the 30-39 Atlanta Hawks. There won’t be any more gimmies after that, but Boston should be favored in every round.
The Pistons are the most dangerous opponents in Boston’s path. But it’s hard to support Detroit right now, not after a 14-22 ATS skid that includes a pair of losses to the C’s. Orlando’s Dwight Howard could pose a problem in the middle, while Cleveland has a fighting chance if LeBron James’ supporting cast can get healthy in time.
The problem for all three teams is that the Celtics have been adding talent throughout the season. The talk in the days following the draft centered on how Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen wouldn’t be enough to push Paul Pierce and his remaining teammates over the hump. Signing Eddie House (plus-1.1 Roland Rating) to support Rajon Rondo panned out, and James Posey (14 Win Shares, zero Loss Shares) has been useful as a “glue guy” on the wing. But the later acquisitions of Sam Cassell and P.J. Brown give Boston the depth and veteran leadership of a true champion.
Los Angeles Lakers
48-22 SU
42-26-1 ATS
Under: 36-33
Offense: 109.7 points per 100 possessions (No. 3)
Defense: 102.3 points per 100 possessions (No. 5)
The Lakers have also been piling on the talent. Derek Fisher returned to his old stomping grounds and began putting up numbers that were even better than during his championship years in purple and gold. Then there was the Trevor Ariza trade, which was followed by the much bigger Pau Gasol trade. Put Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom on that team, and you have something special.
And it’s going to get even better – presumably. Andrew Bynum is now targeting Apr. 6 as his return date from a dislocated left kneecap. That would give the rising star a few games before the playoffs to get as close to game shape as possible. How he’ll blend with Gasol remains to be seen, as both are low-post scorers. At the very least, having Bynum (plus-8.8 Roland) gives Los Angeles another elite-level player to put on the floor.
Getting out of the West won’t be easy for anyone. There are still the same nine quality teams battling for eight playoff berths, and the ninth-place Denver Nuggets are only six games behind the Lakers, the same six games that separate Boston from Detroit. The Lakers could finish anywhere in this soup. But with San Antonio getting older, and Phoenix and Dallas trying to make new styles work in a short turnaround time, I’ll stick with Los Angeles to win the West.
And then what happens? Boston beat L.A. twice this season, grabbing the cash home and away – but that was in 2007. Ancient history now that Gasol is a Laker.
~Story from: sbrforum.com
