NBA Finals: Celtics vs. Lakers - Game 5

It was a close Game 5, but the Lakers played well enough to force a Game 6 as they beat the Celtics 103-98, and be down 3-2 going back to Boston. The Celtics had their chances to finish off the Western Conference Champions, but the Lakers showed some pride and heart last night when they could have thrown in the towel after their embarrassing loss in Game 4.

Boston played a good game with Paul Pierce's impressive 38 points and Ray Allen's 16, but they needed the third player of the Boston PGA (Pierce, Garnett, Allen) Tour to play well to win the World Championship last night. Although Garnett did score 13 points and got 14 rebounds, he had one of his worst games in the playoffs this year on the defensive end of the court only playing 33 minutes because of foul trouble. He also missed three key free throws at the end of the game that may have helped win Game 5.

Boston really needed Garnett on defense with Kendrick Perkins out of the game because of an injured shoulder, and the Lakers took advantage of the situation getting Garnett five fouls in the game. Los Angeles' other two stars took advantage of Perkins' absence getting 20 points and 11 rebounds from Lamar Odom along with 19 points and 13 rebounds from Pau Gasol as they dominated the paint. I believe that Kobe Bryant is probably the best player on the planet, but he can't win a World Championship all by himself and with Gasol and Odom's performance last night, Bryant only needed 25 points to win Game 5.

The thing is, the Lakers know they barely got by with two close wins at home in the series that could have gone in the Celtics favor, and will not win on the road no matter what Bryant does. In the three games that Boston played at Los Angeles in the NBA Finals, Boston fell behind really early in the game and had to have great third-quarters to catch up. If the Celtics can have a lead going into halftime next game at home and continue to have another great third-quarter, Boston will not only win the World Championship but they will blow out the Lakers too.

So now it's off to Boston, where I predicted that the Celtics would beat the Lakers in Game 6 and I'm sticking by it. There is no way that Boston's trio will lose Game 6 because they not only know they are one game from winning the NBA Finals, but they also know they don't want to go to a Game 7 when anything could happen with Bryant in the game. Boston is 12-1 at home in the playoffs and will win a playoff record 13th home game with their excellent defense and an MVP effort from Pierce to become World Champions for the 17th time in franchise history. I'd like to say good luck to Boston, but they don't need it because on Tuesday the Celtics will show the world they are the best team in the NBA this season.

NBA Finals: Celtics vs. Lakers - Game 4

Last night was a game to remember as Boston made the biggest comeback in NBA Finals history after being down 24 points to beat Los Angeles on their home court 97-91, and put the Lakers on the brink of elimination down 3-1 to the Celtics in the series. No team in NBA Finals history has come back from being down 3-1 and with the devastating loss for Los Angeles in Game 4, the Celtics may bring back a World Championship to Boston as early as Game 5 on Sunday.

I have never seen such a game in my life that had two completely different halves from a team after the Lakers had their best first half in the 2008 playoffs and their worst half of the year in the second. Everything was going the Lakers' way in the first-quarter with a score of 35-14, as they embarrassed the Celtics' best defense in the playoffs by scoring 58 points going into the half and a 18-point lead. I know I have not had much faith in Lamar Odom after his first 3 games in the series, but even he shot 7-7 in the first half with 15 points.

I don't know if Los Angeles thought Game 4 was over and were looking on to Game 5, or if Boston was more hungry to win but the Lakers got dominated in the third-quarter as Boston went on a 21-3 run to end of the fourth-quarter with the score 73-71. In doing so, the Lakers 18 point lead at halftime was cut down to 2 points and when Eddie House put the Celtics up 84-83 with four minutes left in the game, Boston never looked back. The Celtics' tough defense locked down on Kobe Bryant, limiting him to a playoff-low 17 points as the Lakers' crowd was left speechless. They had just witnessed a nightmare that will always be remembered as one of the most devastating losses in their team's franchise history.

It took the Boston's entire team to come back from such a huge 24-poit lead with coach Doc Rivers' motivation to never give up, the excellent play of the Boston PGA (Pierce, Garnett, Allen) Tour and the production off the bench from House, James Posey and P.J. Brown. Pierce did lead the game with 20 points, Garnett was a factor in the second half with a total of 16 but Allen was the player of the game hitting 3-pointers and blowing by the Lakers' Sasha Vujacic at will. Even though I hadn't thought it would that big of a factor in the series, the team that won each game in the 2008 NBA Finals has gotten more production from their bench than their opponent. That was definitely the case in Game 4 as Boston's bench dominated the Los Angeles' bench 35-15, with 18 major points from Posey and another 11 points from House.

I know I predicted that the Celtics would win the NBA Finals in six games, but the way the Lakers lost Game 4, I would not be surprised if Boston wins it all in five games. The Lakers are a young team and I don't know if they can get over such a huge loss by Sunday. I'm not going to guarantee that Boston will win Game 5 because no team is out of the NBA Finals with Bryant on their team, but if the Lakers don't play their 'A' game the Celtics will win the World Championship for the first time in 21 years.

NBA Finals: Celtics vs. Lakers - Game 3

Even though it was an ugly Game 3 for both teams, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers came out with a 87-81 win over the Celtics putting Los Angeles just one game behind Boston in the series 2-1. Los Angeles is undefeated at home in the 2008 playoffs with a 9-0 record and with a win last night, the Lakers now have some confidence going into Game 4 knowing that they can beat Boston on their home court.

I don't know if it was the jet lag from Boston to Los Angeles or if it was Los Angeles' defense in Game 3, but two of the three Boston PGA (Pierce, Garnett, Allen) Tour's players had one of the worst games of their careers. Garnett tied his playoff-low scoring 13 points and shooting 6-21 from the field while Pierce played even worse shooting 2-14 from the field to score an embarassing 6 points. Luckily Allen had his best game of the NBA Finals scoring 25 points, or the Celtics' 81 points could have been even lower.

I said that if Los Angeles was going to win Game 3, they needed to get more production off the bench and get to the free throw line more, especially Bryant. Well if Leon Powe was Boston's spark off bench in Game 2, Los Angeles' spark last night was Sasha Vujacic as he scored 20 points and helped the Lakers' bench outscore the Celtics' bench 29-21. As for only putting up 10 free throws in Game 2, the Lakers attempted 24 more free throws in Game 3 and Bryant got to the line much more making 11 out of 18.

Los Angeles should not be satisfied with their win last night because Garnett and Pierce played terrible games and yet Boston only lost by six points. Bryant played his heart out in Game 3, scoring 36 points and almost single handedly won the game because the Lakers' other two stars once again did not play well. With Pau Gasol scoring just nine points and Lamar Odom playing even worse with four points and five turnovers, Los Angeles needs those two guys to play better because I guarantee you Boston will come back in Game 4 with a better performance.

I believe that if Boston can lose by only six points on Los Angeles' home court after playing one of their worst games in the playoffs, imagine what could happen for the Celtics in Game 4 if Garnett and Pierce played the way they did in Game 1 and 2. I'm going to say that Boston will win the next game because I have lost hope of Odom becoming Los Angeles' x-factor after his poor performances so far in the NBA Finals and I don't believe that Bryant can continue to score 36 points every game against Boston's tough defense. As for the Celtics, Pierce grew up in Inglewood, CA, just a few miles from Los Angeles and I don't think he will disappoint his friends and family like he did in Game 3 when he scored 6 points. Pierce will do whatever it takes in Game 4 whether it means slowing down Bryant on defense one-on-one and/or score around 40 points, just as long as Boston wins to put them one win away from a World Championship.

NBA Finals: Celtics vs. Lakers - Game 2

After almost blowing a 24-point lead last night, the Celtics held on to win Game 2, 108-102 putting Boston comfortably up 2-0 in the series over Los Angeles. The Celtics are a record-tieing 12-1 at home in the 2008 playoffs and know they are just two wins away from bringing back a World Championship to Boston for the first time since 1987.

Los Angeles was having problems against Boston's tough defense like in Game 1, but the Lakers biggest problems in Game 2 were free throws and Leon Powe. That's right, not Kevin Garnett, not Ray Allen, but Leon Powe. Boston attempted 28 more free throws (27-38) than Los Angeles did last night (10-10) and Powe was a huge spark off the bench to score an unexpected 21 points in just 15 minutes. In each game of this series Boston's bench has outplayed Los Angeles' bench like in Game 2, when Powe helped the Celtics outscore the Lakers' bench, 35-23.

The Celtics dominated the Lakers in every faze of the game for the first 40 minutes leading Los Angeles 95-71, looking like Game 2 was going to be a blow-out. Then the Lakers went on a shocking 31-9 run knocking down seven 3-pointers and getting as close as two points, 104-102 with 38.4 seconds left. Luckily Boston made some stops on defense and some clutch free throws to win the game, but the Celtics need to finish off the Lakers much better if they want to win a World Championship.

The loss last night may have put Los Angeles down 0-2 in the series, but after scoring 41 points in the 4th quarter, the Lakers now have something they didn't have in the first three quarters of Game 2: Hope. It looked like the Celtics had the game in the bag but after almost pulling off what would have the greatest comback in NBA Finals history, the Lakers can go back home for three straight games with a game plan and a little hope to make this series an interesting one.

Kobe Bryant had a better game in Game 2 knocking 30 points and dropping 8 assists, but even the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player cannot beat Boston alone. I expect the Lakers to find a way to win Game 3, because no team in NBA Finals history has come back to win the series after being down 0-3 and I don't see Los Angeles losing three games in a row with Bryant on their team. The Lakers should win Game 3, but if Los Angeles doesn't get something from their bench and get to the free throw line more there will be no more home games in Boston until next season.

NBA Finals: Celtics vs. Lakers - Game 1

The Celtics' hopes of winning their 17th World Championship seemed in jeopardy when Paul Pierce was escorted off the court in a wheelchair, but when Pierce came back in the game the Celtics fought back to beat the Lakers, 98-88. The Lakers struggled against the Celtics' tough team defense in Game 1 to go down 0-1 in the series as Boston held Los Angeles to their second lowest score of the 2008 playoffs with just 88 points.

The Boston PGA (Pierce, Garnett, Allen) Tour played excellent as Garnett scored a team-high 24 points, Pierce knocked in another 22 and Allen added 19 to combine for 65 of the Celtics' 98 points. The veterans coming off Boston's bench (Posey, Cassell, Brown) were a pleasant surprise as they outplayed the Lakers' bench with excellent defense, limiting Gasol to just 15 points and Odom with 14 while Perkins was on the bench most of the game with foul trouble.

Although Pierce's return back to the game with a strained knee and score 22 points in 31 minutes was impressive, what really impressed me in Game 1 was how Boston slowed Kobe Bryant down to 24 points and shoot just 9-26 (34.6%) from the field. In the Lakers last round against San Antonio, Bryant only had to worry about one defender the entire series (Bruce Bowen) and when Bryant has to worry about just one defender, nobody can stop him one-on-one.

The difference with Boston's defense is they can throw three different styles of defenders at Bryant, with the quickness of Allen, the strength of Pierce and the defensive intensity of Posey off the bench. Bryant was uncomfortable the entire night with the Celtics tough defense because throwing those three guys at Bryant really affected him during Game 1. Bryant got the shots he can usually make, but Boston's tough, physical play got to his mind a little.

Expect Game 2 to be a closer game because Boston knows Bryant is going to put on quite a show and do whatever it takes to get a win after not playing well in Game 1. I still think Boston will win the next game with another great performance by their defense and the Boston PGA Tour, but the Celtics have to focus even more on Bryant. There is a good chance he might drop 40 points and go back to Los Angeles for three straight home games tied up 1-1, so Boston better come ready to play in Game 2.

NBA Finals: Celtics vs. Lakers - Prediction

The NBA Finals is finally here, where people across the world watch the best team in the Western Conference play against the best team in the Eastern Conference for an eventful two weeks and compete for a World Championship. Every NBA Finals is unique in its own way, but this year it's extra special because it brings back the best rivalry in basketball history: The Boston Celtics vs. The Los Angeles Lakers. Russell vs. Chamberlain. Magic vs. Bird. Kobe vs. Garnett? If that doesn't cause goosebumps just hearing those names, I don't know what will. These two teams will meet for the 11th time in NBA Finals history, so you better buckle your seat belt folks because we are in for another exciting series.

I have discussed about both teams' starters, benches and coaches and am ready to predict who will win the 2008 NBA Finals. I believe the Boston Celtics will be World Champions in six games for five reasons...

1. Home Court Advantage - The Celtics had the best record in the NBA this season, leaving Boston with home court advantage throughout the entire playoffs. The Celtics were 35-6 at home during the regular season and 10-1 at home in the playoffs, so as long as Boston wins all their home games in this series and they will be World Champions.

2. The NBA Finals Schedule - In the first three rounds, the 7-game series schedule is 2-2-1-1-1, but for the NBA Finals the schedule is switched to 2-3-2. Now some NBA analysts think this is not fair to Boston's home court advantage because all Los Angeles needs to do is win one of the first two games on the road and win the next three games at home but I think differently. I believe that Boston will win their first two games at home because the Celtics are 10-1 at home in the playoffs. I also believe since Boston beat the Detroit Pistons twice on the road in the Eastern Conference Finals, they will beat Los Angeles at least one game on the road. In doing so, that will leave the Celtics ahead of the Lakers at the worst 3-2, with two games back at home (if needed) to win just one game for a World Championship.

3. Defense Wins Championships - During the 2008 regular season, Boston's defense allowed the second fewest points per game with 90.3 points while Los Angeles' offense scored the fourth most points per game with 108.6 points. Although the Lakers have the 2008 Most Valuable Player with Kobe Bryant and the Celtics have the 2008 Defensive Player of the Year with Kevin Garnett, Bryant has not played against the best defense in the playoffs yet. The Lakers have to continue to score over 100 points every game if they are going to beat the Celtics, but Boston has only allowed 100 or more points just five times in their 20 games during the playoffs. It has been proven time and time again in the NBA Finals that defense wins championships, just ask the defensive-minded San Antonio Spurs who have won four championships in the last nine seasons.

4. History Repeats Itself - Prior to this series, Boston and Los Angeles have met each other in the NBA Finals 10 times and the Celtics have dominated the Lakers, 8-2. Going back to the 1969 NBA Finals, the Celtics were starting to age and the (69-13) Lakers were the favorites to beat Boston with the best player in the NBA, Wilt Chamberlain on their team. Boston ruined Los Angeles' remarkable season as they upset the Lakers with a strong defensive plan lead by Bill Russell to slow down Chamberlain. Almost 40 years later, Boston and Los Angeles are in a similar situation. The Celtics are starting to age and most NBA analysts believe the Lakers are the favorites to win the NBA Finals this year with the best player in the NBA, Bryant on their team. So if history repeats itself, the Celtics will go at the Lakers with a strong defensive plan lead by Garnett to slow down Bryant and win Boston their 17th World Championship.

5. Experience - Besides Bryant and Derek Fisher's 3 championships, the farthest the rest of Los Angeles' players have gone in the playoffs is the first round. Boston's Sam Cassell and James Posey already have won a world championship, and P.J. Brown and the Boston PGA (Paul Pierce, Garnett, Ray Allen) Tour have made it to a Conference Finals series at least once. I think Los Angeles will win World Championships in the near future because they are a young, talented team with Bryant as their leader, but right now the Lakers' youth may be more of a weakness than a strength when they play an experienced team like Boston. Experience overcomes youth any day because when it comes to the NBA Finals, all the little things like making clutch free throws, playing team defense and limit turning the ball over can determine whether a team will win or lose a championship.

This series is the beginning of an old rivalry between the Celtics and Lakers in the NBA Finals, so you better get your popcorn ready because its time to watch the show.

My Overall Prediction: Boston Celtics

NBA Finals: Celtics vs. Lakers - Coaches

Every day following up to the NBA Finals on June 5th between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, I am going to focus on 3 key matchups, compare those matchups to each team to help make an overall decision to who will win the 2008 NBA Finals.

Today, I am going to compare the match-ups between the Celtics and Lakers' Coaches. I am going to determine which team has a better coaching staff by their coach's regular season and playoff career records and two overlooked x-factors.

Head Coach match-up: Phil Jackson vs. Doc Rivers

Phil Jackson's Coaching Career Records:(Los Angeles & Chicago)

17 Regular Seasons: 975 wins, 418 losses (.700)

17 Playoffs: 191 wins, 81 losses (.704)

NBA Finals: 11th appearance

World Championships: 9 rings (Bulls - 6, Lakers - 3)

Doc Rivers' Coaching Career Records:(Boston & Orlando)

9 Regular Seasons: 339 wins, 328 losses (.508)

5 Playoffs: 21 wins, 22 losses (.488)

NBA Finals: 1st appearance

World Championships: 0 rings

Phil Jackson has the higher winning percentage over Doc Rivers in the regular season (.700 - .508) and playoffs (.704 - .488), has been to the NBA Finals more than Rivers (11 - 1) and if Jackson wins another World Championship this year, he will be 10 out of 11 (.909) in his NBA Finals appearances. Rivers is a good NBA coach, but Jackson is just one championship away from being the all-time leader in championships as head coach over former Celtic coach Red Auerbach (9).

Mainly, when it comes down to careers and experience, Jackson by far has the advantage over Rivers. Advantage: Lakers (1-0)

X-Factor #1: The 2007 - 2008 Regular Season

Phil Jackson: Coming into the 2007-2008 regular season, Jackson and the Lakers organization was falling apart. Los Angeles had been knocked out of the first round in the playoffs for the third-straight year after being in the NBA Finals for four-straight years, Kobe Bryant was demanding to be traded and Jackson wasn't getting the most out of his players because his team had no chemistry. With the addition of Derek Fisher in the off-season, the mid-season gift from the Memphis Grizzlies acquiring Pau Gasol in a trade and a solid bench that he hadn't had in years, the Lakers went from a playoff team to championship contenders. It was not easy, but Jackson figured out a way for his players to play as a team and the Lakers became the #1 team in the Western Conference with a 57-25 record.

Doc Rivers: Coming into the 2007-2008 regular season, Rivers and the Celtics organization had the best offseason in their franchise history. Boston had one of their worst seasons ever, missed the playoffs for the second year in a row, there were serious rumors about trading Paul Pierce and Rivers' job was definitely on the line. Then in the 2007 NBA Draft, the Celtics got Ray Allen in a trade with the Seattle Supersonics and within a month later Boston got one of the best players in the NBA acquiring Kevin Garnett in a trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves. In those two trades, the Celtics went from one of the worst teams in the NBA to World Championship contenders. Rivers did an excellent job living up to the expectations by getting the Boston PGA (Pierce, Garnett, Allen) Tour to bond together so quickly and were the #1 team in the NBA with a 66-16 record.

After getting key players from trades, both Jackson and Rivers got their players to believe in each other, got the most out of them, coached their teams to the NBA Finals and turned their average NBA teams' into title contenders within one season. I believe that Rivers has a slight advantage here over Jackson for two reasons...

1. Rivers' team broke an NBA record this season for the differential of wins for a team in one year (2007: 24-58, 2008: 66-16) with 42 more wins than last season. Jackson's differential of wins for the Lakers was impressive with 15 wins (2007: 42-40, 2008: 57-25), but nothing close to what Rivers did with the Celtics.

2. In the season of 2007-2008, based on regular season records the Western Conference was the closest it has ever been in NBA history. The win differential in the Western Conference between the #1 and #8 seed going into the playoffs was just 7 games while the Eastern Conference's win differential was 29 games. So if the Western Conference was so much better than the Eastern Conference this season, you would think that the Lakers would have an easier time against the Eastern Conference than the Celtics would against the Western Conference. That was not the case for Rivers as his Celtics dominated the Western Conference with a 25-5 record while Jackson and his Lakers were 20-10 against the Eastern Conference. Advantage: Celtics (1-1)

X-Factor #2: The 2008 Playoffs

Phil Jackson's 2008 Playoff Rounds:

1st Round: Denver (4-0)

2nd Round: Utah (4-2)

Western Conference Finals: San Antonio (4-1)

Doc Rivers' 2008 Playoff Rounds:

1st Round: Atlanta (4-3)

2nd Round: Cleveland (4-3)

Eastern Conference Finals: Detroit (4-2)

Phil Jackson: The Lakers have pretty much coasted through the playoffs with a 12-3 record, which is impressive for how competitive the Western Conference was during the regular season. I predicted that Los Angeles were going to beat the San Antonio Spurs, but not in 5 games. Jackson was brilliant to focus on stopping the Spurs' Manu Ginobili instead of Tim Duncan because Ginobili is San Antonio's best one-on-one scorer and their much needed spark off the bench. Jackson has a very young, confident Lakers team that has proven they can beat anyone in the west and have a chance against the Celtics if they continue to play the way they have so far in the playoffs.

Doc Rivers: Although the Celtics have made it to NBA Finals with a 12-8 record, Boston has had a much longer journey to get there than expected. It was confusing that the best team in the regular season was forced to Game 7's against Atlanta and Cleveland in their first 2 rounds, causing a lot of doubts if Boston really was the best team in the NBA. Rivers kept the Celtics composed under all the pressure and beat their biggest rival in the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons, by shutting down Rasheed Wallace and Tayshaun Prince. Rivers has a veteran, experienced Celtics team that has proven Boston does deserve to be in the NBA Finals and have a chance against the Celtics if they play the way they did against Detroit.

This is hard to determine which coach has an advantage for the 2008 playoffs, but I have to favor Jackson here. The Lakers knocked off the defending champions in only 5 games and made it look easy. The Celtics beat the Pistons in 6 games, but each game was a true battle and Boston had to win 2 games on the road to win the series. Another thing is Rivers has an older Celtics team and having playing 20 games already in the playoffs, I'm not sure how much energy they will have left going against Jackson's younger, high-scoring Lakers team to win a championship. Advantage: Lakers (2-1)

Coaches overall advantage: Los Angeles Lakers

NBA Finals: Celtics vs. Lakers - Benches

Every day following up to the NBA Finals on June 5th between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, I am going to focus on 3 key matchups and compare those matchups to each team to help make an overall decision to who will win the 2008 NBA Finals.

Today, I am going to compare the matchups between the Celtics and Lakers' Benches. I will determine which team has the better bench by each teams best 4 bench players, those players' regualr season and playoffs stats, who was been playing the best for their team so far in the playoffs and how important those players are to their team when they come off the bench.

Los Angeles Lakers Key Bench Players

Jordan Farmar: 2008 Season - 9.1 points, 2.7 assists/2008 Playoffs - 5.1 points, 1.3 assists

Farmar lead the Lakers' bench in minutes and scoring in the regular season and was a major factor in the series against San Antonio when he helped contain Tony Parker. He is a spark of the bench for Los Angeles and because of his speed and up-tempo play, he could see some minutes in this series filling in for Derek Fisher to match Rajon Rondo's quickness just like he did against Parker.

Sasha Vujacic: 2008 Season - 8.8 points, 2.1 rebounds/2008 Playoffs - 8.1 points, 2.3 rebounds

Vujacic has lead the Lakers' bench in minutes and points so far in the playoffs, and with his ability to knock down 3-pointers he will probably continue to play many minutes in the NBA Finals. He has shot 23-56 (41%) from the 3-point line and could come in for Vladimir Radmonovic when Los Angeles desides to play small and/or stretch out Boston's defense.

Luke Walton: 2008 Season - 7.2 points, 3.2 rebounds/2008 Playoffs - 7.3 points, 3.9 rebounds

Walton is probably the Lakers' most versatile player coming off the bench because he can guard the small forward or power forward position on defense. He is also a threat on offense because he can post-up and knock down 3-point shots consistently, shooting 9-20 (45%) so far in the playoffs. Because Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce will attack Los Angeles' front court getting Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol in foul trouble, expect Walton to play a lot in this series.

Ronny Turiaf: 2008 Season - 6.6 points, 3.9 rebounds/2008 Playoffs - 2.1 points, 1.8 rebounds

Turiaf played a good amount of minutes in the regular season (18.7) for the Lakers, but has not played as much (9.5) in the playoffs. Turiaf usually comes in games when 2 or more of Los Angeles' starters are in foul trouble, but throughout the playoffs the starters haven't had too much foul trouble leaving him with less minutes. I see Turiaf playing more in the NBA Finals because he will have the same role as Walton on defense, except Turiaf will be guarding power forwards or centers.

Boston Celtics Key Bench Players

James Posey: 2008 Season - 7.4 points, 4.4 rebounds/2008 Playoffs - 6.1 points, 3.5 rebounds

Posey has lead the Celtics' bench in minutes, points and rebounds during the playoffs this year and is clearly Boston's 6th man. His role is to come into the game for Ray Allen or Paul Pierce when they need some rest and play shut-down defense. He has consistently been Boston's leading 3-point shooter throughout the playoffs (35.9%) and always knocks them down when the Celtics need a basket. Besides Garnett, Posey is Boston's best defender and will play a lot in the NBA Finals as the Celtics try to slow down the Lakers' Kobe Bryant.

Sam Cassell(w/celtics): 2008 Season - 7.6 points, 2.1 assists/2008 Playoffs - 4.7 points, 1.2 assists

Although Cassell only played for Boston for the last 17 games of the year, he was one of the Celtics' regular season leading scorers off the bench and a veteran that has lots of experience in the playoffs. The Celtics haven't use him that much in the playoffs because he has been playing poor defense and turning the ball over too much. The only reason Boston signed Cassell to their team is for right now in the NBA Finals, where experience and clutch baskets can determine whether a team wins or loses a World Championship. I don't see Cassell playing many minutes in this series because he hasn't been playing well, but if its a close game and late in the 4th quarter, don't be surprised if Cassell is on the court to make a big shot.

P.J. Brown: 2008 Season - 2.2 points, 3.8 rebounds/2008 Playoffs - 2.6 points, 2.1 rebounds

Brown came out of retirement to play for Boston for the last 18 games of the regular season, and like Cassell he is a veteran that comes off the bench with lots of experience in the playoffs. The Celtics played Brown 16.8 minutes against Detroit in Boston's last series and expect him to play even more in the NBA Finals because of his defense and inside presence. Los Angeles' Bryant will probably get Boston's Kendrick Perkins in foul trouble because he has taken 9.7 free throws per game in the playoffs, so expect Brown to get a good amount of playing time in the NBA Finals.

Leon Powe: 2008 Season - 7.9 points, 4.1 rebounds/2008 Playoffs - 4.6 points, 2.5 rebounds

Powe was Boston's leading scorer off the bench during the regular season and is the Celtics' spark off the bench with his hustle and rebounding. Although Powe didn't play many minutes against Detroit in Boston's last series, with the Lakers' up-tempo style of play he could be a factor for Boston in the NBA Finals. Powe could give Los Angeles problems coming off the bench because he is an excellent offensive rebounder, and when you give the Boston PGA (Pierce, Garnett, Allen) Tour second chances to score they will make the you pay.

For three reasons, I predict that neither of the Celtics or Lakers' Benches have an advantage over each other in the NBA Finals. The thing is, this prediction is based on which team has an advantage over the other bench and that doesn't always mean the team that has the better stats will be more productive in the NBA Finals.

1. I believe that if you compared each teams' four key players by their stats and offense, Los Angeles has the better bench because they have scored more than Boston's in the playoffs (22.6 pts.-18.0 pts.) and the besides Turiaf, the Lakers depend on them to be a spark off the bench on the offense end of the court when Bryant is out of the game.

2. I also believe that if you compared each teams' four key players by their experience and defense, Boston has the better bench because they have been to the playoffs many more times in their careers since they are older (32.8 years-24.5 years) and besides Cassell, the Celtics depend on them to be a spark off the bench on the defensive end of the court when Garnett is out of the game.

3. The advantage can only go to Los Angeles' bench if they continue to put up lots of points like Vujacic and Walton to help out their starters, but I don't know if that will happen against the 2008 Defensive Player of the Year (Garnett) and the tough defense of the Celtics. The advantage can only go to Boston's bench if they continue to contain great players to help out their starters, but I don't know if that will happen against the 2008 Most Valuable Player (Bryant) and the high scoring offense of the Lakers.

Benches overall advantage: Draw

NBA Finals: Celtics vs. Lakers - Starters

Every day following up to the NBA Finals on June 5th between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, I am going to focus on 3 key matchups and compare those matchups to each team to help make an overall decision to who will win the 2008 NBA Finals.

Today, I am going to compare the matchups between the Celtics and Lakers' Starters. Just to remind you, Boston played the Lakers only twice this year and beat them twice, 2-0, but that was before Pau Gasol was traded to the Lakers. I will determine whichever team has the better starting line-up by their matchups in each position, their regular season stats, their playoffs stats, how well they have been playing in the playoffs, their talent and importance to their team.

Point Guard: Derek Fisher (LA) vs. Rajon Rondo (Boston)

Fisher: 2008 Season - 11.7 points, 2.9 assists/2008 Playoffs - 10.0 points, 2.2 assists
Rondo: 2008 Season - 10.6 points, 5.1 assists/2008 Playoffs - 10.5 points, 6.6 assists

Fisher (33) and Rondo (22) both had similar stats in the regular season and playoffs with Rondo averaging a few more assists. Both players have big roles for similar reasons because Fisher and Rondo are their teams' only true point guards. Throughout the playoffs they have managed their games very well and got the ball to their scorers. Although Fisher is a veteran that has more experience since this will be in his 5th NBA Finals with the Lakers, Rondo just being in his second season is a very mature player for his age and with his speed he can get by Fisher and penetrate the ball to his teammates. Advantage: EVEN (0-0)

Shooting Guard: Kobe Bryant (LA) vs. Ray Allen (Boston)

Bryant: 2008 Season - 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds/2008 Playoffs - 31.9 points, 6.1 rebounds
Allen: 2008 Season - 17.4 points, 3.7 rebounds/2008 Playoffs - 14.2 points, 3.4 rebounds

Although Bryant (29) and Allen (32) are All-Stars and future Hall-of-Famers, Bryant is the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player and has been better than Allen in the regular season and playoffs by far. Allen will get assitance from his teammates to help guard Bryant since Boston had the best team defense in the NBA during the regular season and playoffs, but nobody has been able to slow down Bryant and I don't know if anyone will. Their importance to their teams are very high since Allen will be Boston's x-factor in the series, but he is not the most important player to the Celtics and Bryant is to the Lakers to win a championship. Allen is a very good player, but he is not as good as Bryant because Bryant is arguably the best player in the NBA and was the best player this season. Advantage: LAKERS (0-1)

Small Forward: V. Radmonovic (LA)vs. Paul Pierce (Boston)

Radmonovic: 2008 Season - 8.4 points, 3.3 rebounds/2008 Playoffs - 8.3 points, 3.4 rebounds

Pierce: 2008 Season - 19.6 points, 5.1 rebounds/2008 Playoffs - 19.0 points, 5.1 rebounds

This matchup between Radmonovic (27) and Pierce (30) is already over and the NBA Finals hasn't even started yet. I don't need to talk about the stats of each player because Pierce is an All-Star, a future Hall-of-Famer and the captain of his team while Radmonovic is an average, NBA role-player that will never come close to becoming as good as Pierce. Pierce is Boston's best one-on-one offensive player that take his defender to the basket and/or can knock down the jump-shot will cause defensive problems for the Lakers. Expect Pierce to dominate this match-up over Radmonovic because there is no comparison, Pierce overall is just a better player. Advantage: CELTICS (1-1)

Power Forward: Lamar Odom (LA) vs. Kevin Garnett (Boston)

Odom: 2008 Season - 14.2 points, 10.6 rebounds/2008 Playoffs - 14.7 points, 10.3 rebounds
Garnett: 2008 Season - 18.8 points, 9.2 rebounds/2008 Playoffs - 21.1 points, 9.8 rebounds

The matchup between Garnett (32) and Odom (28) will probably be the best matchup in the series for many reasons. Garnett did average more points than Odom during the regular season and playoffs, but since Bryant takes so many each game for the Lakers, Odom doesn't shoot as many shots to score as much as Garnett. Their importance to their teams are very high since Odom will have be Los Angeles' x-factor in the series, but he is not the most important player to the Lakers and Garnett is to the Celtics to win a championship. Throughout the playoffs, when the Celtics have needed a big game from Garnett, he comes through with a big game. Since this may be the last time Garnett will make it to the NBA Finals, each game is huge to him and he will not go through this series without being a factor. Advantage: CELTICS (2-1)

Center: Pau Gasol (LA) vs. Kendrick Perkins (Boston)

Gasol: 2008 Season - 18.9 points, 8.4 rebounds/2008 Playoffs - 17.7 points, 18.9 rebounds
Perkins: 2008 Season - 6.9 points, 6.1 rebounds/2008 Playoffs - 7.2 points, 6.8 rebounds

I know that Pau Gasol (27) is the Lakers' secret weapon to win the NBA Finals because they lost those two games to the Celtics before Gasol was added to their team, but this matchup against Perkins (23) will be much closer than most people think. Gasol had much better stats than Perkins did during the regulas season and the playoffs, but they way Perkins held his own against Detroit in the last round really impressed me. If Perkins can keep himself from getting into foul trouble and play the way he played against the Pistons, that would be huge for the Celtics. I have no doubt that Gasol will outplay Perkins, but don't think for once that Gasol will dominate Perkins in the NBA Finals. Advantage: LAKERS (2-2)

Even though at the end of the player matchups it was tied 2-2, I picked the Celtics for three reasons...

1. If Perkins did get into foul trouble Boston can bring in veteran P.J. Brown (38) off the bench to play defense against Gasol. Also, if Los Angeles went small the way they like to do, the Celtics could go small too and let Garnett play center. Garnett is the Defensive Player of the Year and could shut down Gasol until Perkins could come back into the game. If Odom got into foul trouble, Los Angeles could bring in Ronny Turiaf (25) off the bench but if Boston went small too, Gasol would have to play defense against Garnett. Gasol's biggest weakness is he doesn't play good defense for a center and Garnett would get him in foul trouble pretty fast. The Celtics can win the NBA Finals with Perkins on the bench, but the Lakers can not win the NBA Finals with Gasol on the bench.
2. Now don't think I'm going to forget what Bryant could do to the Celtics and give them lots of troubles. I just believe that since Boston has the best team defense in the NBA this year and has the 2008 Defensive Player of the Year (Garnett), they could slow down Bryant and keep him from taking over a game. You can't stop Bryant, but if any team could slow down Bryant it would be the Celtics.

3. Even when Boston and Los Angeles played against each other twice during the year, the Lakers got blown out in both of the games. In the first game, they played in Boston and the Celtics beat the Lakers by 13 points, 107 -94. The second game that was in Los Angeles, the Celtics beat the Lakers by 19 points, 110-91. I know Pau Gasol is a good player, but can he make that big a of a difference when the Lakers lost by an average of 16 points in those two games? Sorry Los Angeles, I don't think so.

Starters overall advantage: Boston Celtics