This NBA Finals will be the most watched Finals in a couple years. I myself have not watched any in quite a few years since the Spurs and Pistons were so frequently in them. No offense to them but they are just not exciting teams to watch. I would much rather watch Kobe light up the Celts great D for 50 points or the Big Three of Boston. Tim Duncan is just not an exciting player to watch. Not only are the teams fun to watch but each of the matchups are interesting:
Point Guard (Fisher vs. Rondo) - Both point guards are not top of the line but are important to their teams success. Rondo is a key defender and puts tons of pressure on the ball to help mess with opposing PG's. He has quick hands helping him get some steals. Sometimes he will make bad decisions like every young player. The biggest problem is his jump shot. Fisher is a battle tested point guard. He has been to the Finals multiple times already and will not be rattled by the pressure. His speed does not compare to Rondo's but he has the mental edge. Edge: slightly Fisher due to experience
Shooting Guard (Bryant vs. Allen) - Two high level future Hall of Fame shooting guards. These two go back to Ray's days in Seattle. Ray correctly predicted Kobe would be unhappy and want out after Shaq was gone. They say its all good now but who are they kidding. Kobe still hates Ray and Ray still hates Kobe. Bryant is the premier superstar in the NBA. MVP of the year and arguably the best of his era. Ray has caught fire a little bit after he had the worst stretch of basketball in his career. Defensively Ray will not be able to handle Kobe so the Celts will be forced to put Pierce on Kobe. Edge: Kobe
Small Forward (Radmanovic vs. Pierce) - This is not a very close battle. Radamovic is good for a few 3's a game not much more. He is a good fit for this Lakers team but is nothing more than a role player. Most likely the worst of the starting 5 for the Lakers. Pierce on the other hand is the captain of his team. After years of misery and torture with the young and rebuilding Celtics, he finally can win the big one. He had always been an offensive threat but this year has really improved on the defensive side. Pierce was able to shut down King James for all but the end of the series and Tayshaun Prince in the Eastern Conference Finals. When the Celtics need points the ball will be in Pierce's hands. Edge: Pierce
Power Forward (Odom vs. Garnett) - Odom is a player who had one of his best seasons this year. After Bynum went down and Gasol was brought in, Odom began to improve. He posted the best numbers of his career. He might be able to slow down Garnett a bit on defense. Offensively, Odom should have trouble against the Defensive Player of the Year, Garnett. The last of the Big Three, Garnett is the most important. He brought a huge change in the way the Celtics represented themselves. He made them into a defensive team centered around himself. The only chance Odom has of slowing the Big Ticket down is if he can make KG catch the ball near the perimeter. But, once KG catches the ball in the post Odom can do nothing but yell for help. Edge: Garnett
Center (Gasol vs. Perkins)- Gasol was brought to the Lakers right before the trade deadline in February this year after Bynum went down. He gave the Lakers life and helped them win the Western Conference. Also by bringing in Gasol, Mitch Kupchak was able to satisfy Kobe. Gasol is a good fit into the triangle offense. I believe he is on his way to becoming a top 3 center in the NBA. Perkins is a nice role player for the Celtics. He is developing well and has had a better playoffs than most would have expected. In Game 5 against the Pistons, Perk had one of his best performances earning himself the nickname KP43. Edge: Gasol
Coach (Jackson vs. Rivers) - Do I need to even say anything? Nine titles for Phil Jackson against the first time out of the first round for Doc Rivers. Edge: Jackson
Prediction: It goes against my heart but my gut is saying Lakers in 6. With the messed up 2-3-3 format the Lakers will win the pivotal game 5 and then take game 6 at the Garden. GO CELTS!
