The Matchup Celtics vs Lakers

Well here we are again. History continues to repeat itself and now we have our dream matchup. These two teams are tied together unlike any other teams in all of sports. Redsox/Yankees? No way. This is a rival of champions. For decades these two teams have competed against one another except during the 90's when Boston hit a few bad patches. This is what it is all about. Respect and dislike, white collar with feathers and blue collar with jeans. It is the we can out score you team against the we can stop you from scoring team.

Let's examine the matchup

LA is averaging 105.7 ppg and they have the ability to play against a team like the Thunder or the Suns that like to run. They have given up 101.7 ppg. There is not a lot of tough defense being played in LA these days. La rebounds the ball well (43.1 pg) and they also like to put up a lot of 3 point shots (21.9 PG on .348 shooting) The Lakers also get to the line 24.8 times per game with kobe 7.7 and Gasol 6.1, getting most of the freebies.

If you take a look at the 3 series that they have played, there are only two guys on that team that present any real offensive punch. Through 16 games Kobe has lead the team in scoring 12 times followed by Gasol with 4 including na game where he and bynum each scored 13 to lead the team.

la has pretty much been relying on 2 guys to carry the team. This team top to bottom is ripe for the pickings. Yea I know supposedly they are tougher now and added Artest. Have you seen Artest lately? he is slow and fat and not near the defensive player that he was in Indiana.

In 17 games the Celtics have 6 players that have led them in scoring thus the first noticeable difference in the two teams is apparent. The Celtics can beat you with different players leading the way but LA can only rely on Kobe or Gasol to carry the load. Interesting.

Boston is averaging 96.6 ppg and holding opponents to 91.4 ppg. Kobe bryant is better than lebron James and Wade but he is not that much better than they are. And we beat their teams.

The Matchups

Bryant vs Ray Allen - kobe wins this matchup because he will rebound the ball and get assists. Allen has shot the 3 ball well and will certainly be an impact player in the series, Kobe leads the lakers in assists with 5 per game. That means LA has no one running the point.

KG vs Gasol - Gasol is probably playing the best basketball of his career. KG has stuggled on offense in the Magic series .389 but I expect that he will pick it up. Gasol cannot check KG - overall this could be a wash or a slight edge to gasol on the glass.

Paul Pierce vs Ron Artest (malee) - Paul is coming off of a series where he averaged 24 ppg and 8 rebounds, shot .512 and .488 from 3 and .839 from the line. Paul Pierce is hot! Advantage Pierce.

Perkins against Bynum - Even since bynum is hurting and LA seems to play better when Bynum is on the bench. Perk played good defense so far in the playoffs but needs to pick things up on the offensive end. At the end of this series both of them will be bloodied.

Rondo vs Fisher or whomever. Clear advantage for Rondo. Midway through game # 1 they will have Kobe trying to check Rondo and put fish on Allen. The lack of a top flight PG on the lakers is one of the reasons why they will NOT beat Boston.

LA bench Odom, brown, Farmar and Vujacis. Celtics Sheed, baby TA and Nat Robinson (that's right) Advantage Celtic because we have 2 bigs coming of the bench, a defensive stopper and a backup PG. La Has Odom who is good but not unstoppable and a bunch of shooters that are afraid to play defense and no PG.

The coaches.

Taking Doc over Phil. I do not care how many rings Phil has. Doc is proving to be an outstanding coach. Phil just is too smug for me. thinks he is so f..ing intellectually superior. Can't pronounce a guys name POW..and will have no answer on how to keep his guys from being beat up and beat down by the Celtics.

This game is all about BEAT LA

Celtics win game 1 and take the sereis in 6

dboss

We will only need 1 trip to LA!

Not only is the 2010 NBA titles is at stake here but also our teams legacy (17 wins) vs theirs (15 wins)!

This is a must win for the franchise! And I believe, being again the underdogs, the Celtics will bring home banner 18!

BocC nice article.

Bynum is an enigma. At times he looks like the best young center in the NBA and at other times he just looks lost. His rash of injuries have turned him into the wild card.

However even with a heathy Bynum I think the Celtics bring a stronger rotation of bigs to the table unless LA is counting on Powell to contribute. In fact the Lakers will need to expand their rotation of bigs in this series in order to win.

After playing against the best defensive center in the NBA (Dwight Howard) the Celtics should be able to pound LA in the post and drive the ball to the rim without the fear of getting their shots blocked or altered.

This is where Bynum becomes a key for LA. dboss

bob and dboss

And if that happens there goes the Laker bench too.

beat

beat wrote:We will only need 1 trip to LA!

That's right. LA in 5! Celebration on the Garden Floor 25 years after the first time. Silver anniversary for Lakers to close it out in Boston.


beat-

just kidding. I think LA will win, but I think it's LA in 6 and I wouldn't be surprised to see it go 7.

these teams are VERY evenly matched. Last 3 games have all been decided by one point. Pretty incredible.


May the best team win.

BSK

I was thinking that after I posted .....................opps!

Really think the C's have a chance to win it in 5 but they need game 1 (not 2) although that would be nice. Heck BOTH would be nice and should that happen the Lakers would fold (I saw this somewhere but will adapt it for Jeb) quicker than Jeb playing Texas hold um with an off suited 4 and 2.

beat

bobheckler wrote:

I believe, however, we will see Kobe on Rondo a lot and not Fisher at all, except in the instances of mismatches. I don't think anybody thinks D-Fish has the speed to stay with Rondo and they won't even wait to find out that's true before changing assignments.

Bob-

You're absolutely right about the matchup. Kobe on Rondo and Fish on Ray is how it will go. It actually works out well for LA to switch them, as Fish can run through screens all day to keep up with Ray, and will draw at least one moving screen offensive foul per game. Running through those screens is something Fisher's body is better built for then Kobe's, and it takes a lot of energy that I'd rather not see Kobe expending. Kobe can stay in front of Rondo b/c he will lay off him a bit and dare him to shoot, as he did in the "08 Finals and as he recently did with Westbrook. Kobe's length will cause Rondo some problems too. Rondo will have a good series, but he won't run wild vs Kobe the way he would vs Fish.

bobheckler wrote:
We should use team movement to help Pierce against Artest. One-on-one, Artest is a physically punishing defender and Pierce is a little slower than he used to be. Breaking Pierce loose, even for a beat or two, with picks will increase Pierce's efficiency greatly over giving him the ball on top and iso-ing him on Artest. Artest feeds on that stuff, so we should starve him by making him fight through multiple screens.

Bob- once again, you're right on the money. I am hoping Doc isn't reading your posts, because I am hoping they will try to let Pierce iso on Ron, which IMO will be advantage Lakers. I think several other posters here seriously underestimate Artest and the kind of condition he's in. He is both bigger and slightly quicker than Pierce at this point in their careers, and his reputation as a great defender allows him to play physical. Pierce killed the Lakers in '08 as he shredded Vlad Rad and Walton. Artest will slow him down, and if they go into iso action, it plays right to Ron's strength. Ron on Pierce is the single biggest difference between '08 and '10, and it's the entire reason LA signed him last summer- for this type of matchup.

bobheckler wrote:
Odom's range and mobility could be a problem for us. The good news is: which Candy Man will show up? Will it be Trick or Treat for the Lakers? Sheed should take him into the low post as often as his back can stand it. Odom has great length, but I don't think he can handle Sheed in the paint. Make LA help Odom with doubles. Sheed has excellent court vision and will hit the open man. On defense, of course, if Odom hits a few 3s and then puts the ball on the floor, Sheed will be in deep doodoo.

Odom will be, as he always is for LA, the big X factor. If he's putting up 15 and 12, LA will be in great shape. If he disappears like he did in '08, LA is in trouble. Having watched the four games between the Cs and Lakers since the Finals very closely, I am certain that LA learned the hard lessons that the Cs taught them in '08 very well. Odom and Gasol have both gotten physically stronger and more aggressive, and the entire team plays (when motivated) with much more of an edge- they are much tougher mentally than they were in '08, which is why they lost that series ultimately. LO's increased toughness is a big part of it. the way he deals with KG now vs the way he dealt with him in the Finals is a night and day difference. We really saw it come to light last year in the game in the Garden that went to OT. Odom is def a key for LA.

bobheckler wrote:
I agree, advantage to Gasol over KG on the glass. Some of that advantage comes due to Bynum's ineffectiveness, so it's a double-edged sword for the Lakers. The silver lining for Celtic fans is that KG's length will bother Gasol's outlet pass more than he's seen in the playoffs to-date and that will slow them down and that's good for our older veterans and transition defense.

I agree. This is going to be a great matchup, but I give Gasol a slight edge at this point, which is a big change from '08.


I can't help it, but I keep looking at the series as '08 vs '10. To me, the key differences are as follows:


Rondo has blown up and is really blossoming. Advantage Cs vs '08.

Perk has matured and is playing well. Ad Cs vs '08.

KG playing well again, but not at '08 level. Advantage lakers vs '08.

Davis and Tony Allen playing great, solid contributions from Sheed and (potentially) Nate, but BBD, TA and Sheed have some health issues, while Posey, House, Powe, Brown, Cassell all had huge moments in '08. Posey and House were great throughout the '08 series. Wash vs '08 or advantage LA.

Ron Ron on Pierce instead of Vlad Rad/ Luke. The single biggest difference vs '08 and huge advantage LA vs '08.

Bynum (limited, but better than not playing, as was the case in '08). Adv LA vs '08.

Pau and LO's increased physicality and toughness, which has been on display every time they've played the Cs since '08 Finals. Adv LA vs '08.

Kobe trusts his teammates more now and will get more of his shots in the flow of the offense than he did in '08. Adv LA vs '08.

Pau is much more familiar with the triangle than in '08. Adv LA vs '08.

Home Court Advantage, which is even more important in the 2-3-2 format. Adv LA.

Burning desire for revenge. This might be as important as anything else on this list. The Lakers will be very fired up to win a ring and get payback vs the Cs at the same time. LA didn't have the right mindset in '08. They do now. Advantage LA vs '08.


The Cs showed the Lakers in '08 what it take to win a title. The Lakers approached the first two games in Boston without the necessary intensity to win it all. The Cs were tougher and fought harder in '08. The Cs were not going to be denied, and they humiliated the Lakers in Game 6. That bitter taste drove the Lakers all last year, and it has not been forgotten. They will come at the Cs with the type of intensity the Cs play with, and which makes most teams ultimately wilt. Neither will wilt this year.

It's going to be a knock down, drag out heavyweight brawl, with an emphasis on tough D for both sides. Contrary to media depictions, or the points that PHX was running up in the Con Finals, the Lakers have become a defensive oriented team now. They depend on that more than their offense. This is just one more lesson they learned from the Cs in '08. Think of the last 5-7 minutes of the Lakers-Cs game in LA this year. Neither side was giving an inch, and baskets were very hard to come by for both teams. I expect this series will consist of a lot of games like that, with all of the games being close.

The Cs were the better team in '08 and had some clear advantages. Since '08, Rondo's development is obviously huge, but I think replacing Vlad Rad with Ron Ron is the biggest difference of all. Pierce killed the Lakers in '08 and was the Finals MVP. Going up vs Artest is going to be much more challenging for him. Most of the rest of the differences since '08 fall in the Lakers favor in my opinion, and that has really evened things out vs where they were in '08.

Throw in the fact that homecourt advantage matters, and I see the Lakers winning this series.

I called LA-OKC, LA-Utah, LA-PHX, Bos- Mia, Bos-CLe and Bos-Orl correctly.


I'm calling this one Lakers in 6.


Although it wouldn't surprise me to see it go 7, given how well the teams match up with each other.


Either way, perhaps not surprisingly, I see the Lakers coming out on top this time. May the best team win.

beat wrote:BSK

I was thinking that after I posted .....................opps!

Really think the C's have a chance to win it in 5 but they need game 1 (not 2) although that would be nice. Heck BOTH would be nice and should that happen the Lakers would fold (I saw this somewhere but will adapt it for Jeb) quicker than Jeb playing Texas hold um with an off suited 4 and 2.

beat

beat- lol. Nice one.


I think the Cs will actually have a better chance at winning game 2 than game 1. LA will come out guns blazing in game 1. I'm sure Phil will be showing them highlights of Game 6 from '08 and the Lakers intensity level will be through the roof.

It might even take the Cs by surprise a little, as subconsciously, they've got to be feeling on some level that these are the same lakers from '08 whom they handled.

I'm more worried about game 2, as the Lakers might not be able to bring as much intensity for that one, and if the Cs lose game 1, they will dial their intensity up a notch.

I think LA will win both at home, but game 2 makes me more nervous than game 1.

BSK

Is there a chance that this all seeking revenge motive might cause the Lakers to be too emotional thus play far below what they can?

They could come out tighter than a g-string on Jeb's banjo!
Esp playing at home.

beat

beat-

as long as they don't come out as tight as any of Jeb's other G-strings I think they'll be fine.


Seriously, I think it will help LA because they sometimes have a tendency to be too nonchalant about things. even in the playoffs, as we saw in the first two games in '08, or vs Houston last year, or vs PHX in games 3 and 4 this year.

Having that extra motivation will, I think be a good thing for them, because it will raise their intensity to the highest level, which is where the Cs (occasional clunker excepted) seem to always play in the playoffs.

That was one of the reasons I picked the Cs over the Cavs and Magic. I just don't think those teams can bring it the way the Cs do. (I also liked the Cs matchups vs those teams.)


Anyway, an extra kick in the ass is always a good thing for the lakers- and they'll need to sustain it for 6 or 7 games, because I know the cs aren't going to back down, no matter what happens in game 1.

Baby, Good breakdown. I disagree about home court. I think that the 2-3-2 makes it less of an issue...That cross country flight for game 5 is a killer for the road team. Also, I think Jackson may have picked the wrong year to worry about homecourt...Normally I would agree with him, but this year the C's have no need for home court...and neither do the Lakers. It's all on how they are executing as a team. So it's a wash. I actually think this C's team is more focused on the road than at home and tend to play better.
I see it a little differently than you. I think that I'm pretty sure which Laker team will show up....The NBA champions....I'm not sure which Celtic team will show up. If it is the tough as nails, move the ball around team, the Lakers will be in for the fight of the year. If it is the space cadet, half speed team, the Lakers will repeat on Boston's floor. You can guess which team I'm hoping shows. If the Celtics play lock down D and can get LA out of their comfort zone, well..... who knows...anythings possible....

LA- I'm expecting a dogfight. I'm thinking we're going to see the Lakers and Cs at their best.

As for the 2-3-2, the reason I think HCA matters more is b/c it's so hard to win 3 in a row at home. It's only happened twice in 25 years.

Having lived with the old Celtics at home and on the road, I believe the advantage of being on the road involves the element of control.

At home, a good player on a good team invariably has demands on his time...not the least of which (if he has a significant other) are family needs. A player goes through moods and periods when he wants solitude. He often struggles for control of his time at home, but he can much more easily withdraw from distractions on the road because he has nearly unfettered control over his time expenditure.

I believe that's why the Celtics could go through a zany practice session before the championship final in '69 and, by game time, attain the most incredible intensity zone I've ever witnessed. Their segue from one extreme to the other differed from player to player...naps, cards, solitary walks, whatever. The important thing in each case was that they were able to do exactly what they wished without any misgivings about burning bridges, hurting feelings, avoiding responsibilities, etc.

Home cooking is nice. But, when it comes to the mental aspects of game preparation, I'll take the road any time. Especially if they're safely ensconced in the foreign city a couple of days early, as the Celtics are in L.A.

Sam

As for the 2-3-2 schedule, there are sorts of theories about which team it favors. Personally, I subscribe to the theory widely held by a lot of basketball people that Game 5 has the statistically greatest chance to be pivotal—not necessarily the series-ending contest, but the game most likely to turn the tide in one direction or another.

A frequent scenario is for the two teams to split the first four games. A win in Game 5 puts one team in the position of winning with .500 ball and the other team needs to bat 1.000. The best recent example was the importance of Artest's putback in Game 5 AT LA. The Celts-Magic series was thrown out of whack because the Celtics won the first two at Orlando and the Magic made a nice little comeback; and Game 6 assumed the pivotal importance usually represented by Game 5. But, more often than not, the conventional wisdom is that Game 5 is the most pivotal game.

And, in this series, Game 5 (if there is one) will be in Boston.

Sam

Since 2008 is being used to compare to 2010, I had this thought. This includes the "As Rondo goes, so goes the Celtics" theory as well. Without looking back specifically to all 26 2008 playoff games, I'm willing to bet that for one reason or another, Rondo no-showed 2 games per series. By that I mean he had lots of turnovers, short rebounds, assists or bonehead passes out of bounds at critical times. Yes, he averaged a near triple double but in approx 2 games per series he came up short. Fast forward 2 years. Now Rondo is only dialing in about 1 game per series.

How does this translate? Celtics almost played the max number of games you can play in the playoffs in 2008. If you throw in a buzzer beater or a game that falls within the margin of error, count this as a loss for the Celtics. Hence if Rondo dials in 2 per series add one for the margin of error, you have the Celtics winning 4-3. Just what happened in the first 2 rounds of 2008.

In 2010, we see things have gotten a little easier. Celtics are closing out in 6, not 7. The difference...Rondo. Whatever his reason, he's showing up for one more game than he did in 2008. Throw in 1 game the margin of error, (refs) Celtics win this series 4-2.

Would someone please tell me why the Celtics, per ESPN, are undisputed underdogs in this series after knocking off the top two teams in the league without home court? At least Legler has Starting 5, Bench and Coach going to the Celtics. Is the press once again going into the Finals with no Plan B? Have we not made it brutally, honestly clear by taking out Wade, LeBron and Howard, that Kobe is the coup de gras?

The Lakers are on trial for their lives here. Please tell me Phil hasn't pinned their hopes to a phone bill.

Hi Dbrown,
Can you provide the link to that ESPN page please.
Thanks,
AK

Also, answer me this. Why does it feel like we aren't the favorites, yet clearly we are, but we're not this time around? Is there a remote chance LAL can pull this out? I'm trying to take off the green tinted glasses here.

Certainly and clearly, LAL has every advantage. Bynum's back. They have home court, Kobe, revenge, motive, length, defending champs, Phil, Jack, Artest, etc. Is all of that enough to take us out? Please explain.

Confused in NC

Sorry, here's the link.

http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/nba/columns/story?columnist=may_peter&id=5234082

dbrown4 wrote:Also, answer me this. Why does it feel like we aren't the favorites, yet clearly we are, but we're not this time around? Is there a remote chance LAL can pull this out? I'm trying to take off the green tinted glasses here.

Certainly and clearly, LAL has every advantage. Bynum's back. They have home court, Kobe, revenge, motive, length, defending champs, Phil, Jack, Artest, etc. Is all of that enough to take us out? Please explain.

Confused in NC

Are you looking for supportive comments from fellow Celtics fans or why a Lakers fan thinks the Lakers will win the series?
If you want to keep this more of a focus on the Celtics strengths and why you guys think Boston will win, I am ok with not contributing during this discussion.
Whatever we feel, if someone thinks it will go 4 or 5 games for either team, I think they are crazy.