It’s an NBA finals that not many predicted but perhaps many were hoping for—a tipoff between two of the most storied franchises and a rematch of the 2008 finals.
Starting Thursday night, the once underdog Boston Celtics are set to make a run for their second championship in three years against the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers.
This will be the 12th final between the two teams, and Boston has won nine of them.
Sure, it would have been great to see back-to-back MVP LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers finally get their shot at basketball glory and take on Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.
But the No. 4 seed Celtics surprised everyone and just plain cleaned up against the King and his subjects before plowing through the seemingly untouchable “Superman” Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic. Boston deserves to be in the finals.
Boston’s playoff run this year was a playbook example of a team picking up the pieces of a broken end of the season by focusing on the fundamentals of basketball—good hustle, tough defense, selfless offense, and solid foul shooting.
And out of this run has risen a new leader in Rajon Rondo, who adds youthful exuberance to the ranks of Boston’s aging “Big 3” in Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce.
The Lakers on the other hand were nearly a sure bet for the finals, coming into the postseason with the second best record in the league and the best in the West.
They were and continue to be led by a tag-team in superstar Bryant, who is playing at the top of his game and eyeing the status of his Airness Michael Jordon, and arguably the best center/power-forward in the league Pau Gasol.
Now we get to sit back and watch the old rivalry renew.
Boston’s 4–2 defeat of the Lakers in 2008 came down to tough defense and the shutting down of Bryant.
“They definitely were the best defense I’ve seen in the entire playoffs,” the then MVP said.
“They challenged us extremely well in the finals a couple years ago. Now is a chance to see how much we’ve grown.”
Kobe was a different player back then, still coming out of the giant shadow of Shaquille O’Neal, and Gasol was a newby on the team with big shoes to fill.
Now with a championship behind them and Bryant playing healthy and at the top of his game, the Lakers are ready for a rematch.
Look for Boston to repeat their defensive strategy this year—defense is what has got them to this point in the playoffs after all—and utilize Rondo’s quickness to try to wear Bryant out on the other end of the court.
Look for the tough armed Kendrick Perkins to come out hard against the Lakers Andrew Bynum and Gasol. The big man struck fear into the hearts of centers everywhere in his dealing with Dwight Howard in the first three games of the Eastern Conference finals.
Look for the sixth men of both teams in Rasheed Wallace and Lamar Odom to make big contributions, and the Lakers Ron Artest to try to put the screws to Boston’s offensive leader Paul Pierce.
Look for both teams to be equally well coached, and equally well rested coming off their Game 6 wins over Orlando and Phoenix, that will result in a well-matched series that could easily go seven games.
Let the 2010 NBA finals begin!
Starting Thursday night, the once underdog Boston Celtics are set to make a run for their second championship in three years against the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers.
This will be the 12th final between the two teams, and Boston has won nine of them.
Sure, it would have been great to see back-to-back MVP LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers finally get their shot at basketball glory and take on Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.
But the No. 4 seed Celtics surprised everyone and just plain cleaned up against the King and his subjects before plowing through the seemingly untouchable “Superman” Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic. Boston deserves to be in the finals.
Boston’s playoff run this year was a playbook example of a team picking up the pieces of a broken end of the season by focusing on the fundamentals of basketball—good hustle, tough defense, selfless offense, and solid foul shooting.
And out of this run has risen a new leader in Rajon Rondo, who adds youthful exuberance to the ranks of Boston’s aging “Big 3” in Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce.
The Lakers on the other hand were nearly a sure bet for the finals, coming into the postseason with the second best record in the league and the best in the West.
They were and continue to be led by a tag-team in superstar Bryant, who is playing at the top of his game and eyeing the status of his Airness Michael Jordon, and arguably the best center/power-forward in the league Pau Gasol.
Now we get to sit back and watch the old rivalry renew.
Boston’s 4–2 defeat of the Lakers in 2008 came down to tough defense and the shutting down of Bryant.
“They definitely were the best defense I’ve seen in the entire playoffs,” the then MVP said.
“They challenged us extremely well in the finals a couple years ago. Now is a chance to see how much we’ve grown.”
Kobe was a different player back then, still coming out of the giant shadow of Shaquille O’Neal, and Gasol was a newby on the team with big shoes to fill.
Now with a championship behind them and Bryant playing healthy and at the top of his game, the Lakers are ready for a rematch.
Look for Boston to repeat their defensive strategy this year—defense is what has got them to this point in the playoffs after all—and utilize Rondo’s quickness to try to wear Bryant out on the other end of the court.
Look for the tough armed Kendrick Perkins to come out hard against the Lakers Andrew Bynum and Gasol. The big man struck fear into the hearts of centers everywhere in his dealing with Dwight Howard in the first three games of the Eastern Conference finals.
Look for the sixth men of both teams in Rasheed Wallace and Lamar Odom to make big contributions, and the Lakers Ron Artest to try to put the screws to Boston’s offensive leader Paul Pierce.
Look for both teams to be equally well coached, and equally well rested coming off their Game 6 wins over Orlando and Phoenix, that will result in a well-matched series that could easily go seven games.
Let the 2010 NBA finals begin!
