LakeShow
06-05-2008, 11:50 AM
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Lakers vs. Celtics: Who has the edge?
By KEVIN DING
The Orange County Register
Comments 9 (http://www.ocregister.com/articles/lakers-bryant-nba-2059766-boston-season#slComments)| Recommend (javascript:recommendReview('OCRArticle2059766'))5
Position-by-position breakdown of the 2008 NBA Finals between the Lakers (http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=ocregister&page=nba/teams/102/team.aspx?id=102) and Celtics:
CENTER
The world stage of the NBA Finals should not affect the skilful Pau Gasol (http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=ocregister&page=nba/teams/102/playerstats.aspx?id=190,T=2) as much as other relative playoff novices because the MVP of the 2006 FIBA World Championships (leading Spain to the gold medal) has that other experience. That's one reason the Lakers are a little more confident with Gasol over Lamar Odom (http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=ocregister&page=nba/teams/102/playerstats.aspx?id=201,T=2) defending Kevin Garnett. With Memphis, Gasol used his length pretty well head to head vs. KG. Kendrick Perkins can deliver hustle plays and finish at the rim but is likely to get into foul trouble — meaning P.J. Brown's experience will come into play.
Edge: LAKERS
POWER FORWARD
Garnett has followed up being NBA Defensive Player of the Year for the first time with his first NBA Finals. His intensity is so high that one of Phil Jackson's strategies in the 2004 Western Conference finals vs. Garnett's Timberwolves was to wear him out in pick-and-roll defense, which kept him out of the paint, too. Odom, who plays guard much of the time in the triangle offense, will have to be efficient with and without the ball for the Lakers to fare well doing that now. Both Odom (10.6 rebounds per game) and Garnett (9.2) are versatile board monsters, but Garnett is a far better shooter.
Edge: CELTICS
SMALL FORWARD
Paul Pierce is the second-most explosive player in this series, and Boston will need a couple of epic games like the 41-pointer he laid on Cleveland in Game 7 of Round 2. But Pierce often dribbles into trouble; his 4.1-to-3 assist-to-turnover ratio in the playoffs isn't far off what he did in the regular season. Vladimir Radmanovic (http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=ocregister&page=nba/teams/102/playerstats.aspx?id=427,T=2) has been trying much harder this postseason to execute game plans and will start opposite Pierce but is unlikely to finish. Radmanovic's 18-point, zero-turnover effort in Boston was one of his best this season.
Edge: CELTICS
SHOOTING GUARD
Kobe Bryant (http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=ocregister&page=nba/teams/102/playerstats.aspx?id=316,T=2), the NBA MVP, is up from 45.9 percent shooting in the regular season to 50.9 percent in the postseason. Celtics coach Doc Rivers said about slowing Bryant: "The key is giving him different looks." The look that worked in the regular season for Boston against Bryant was Garnett playing a semi-zone toward Bryant's area — and Bryant just missing shots. Bryant and Ray Allen, usually a brilliant shooter who has slumped this postseason, have exchanged words in the past. Allen's quick release also has plagued Bryant before, so Allen will see a lot of pesky Sasha Vujacic (http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=ocregister&page=nba/teams/102/playerstats.aspx?id=908,T=2).
Edge: LAKERS
POINT GUARD
All postseason, opponents have ignored Rajon Rondo and lured him to shoot; he has sunk from 49.2 percent regular-season shooting to 41.4. His rarely achieved real job is to get Boston a good shot in the first six shot-clock seconds, and the Lakers will unleash some press defense in hopes of Rondo getting careless. Neither Rondo nor Derek Fisher (http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=ocregister&page=nba/teams/102/playerstats.aspx?id=315,T=2) is prone to turnovers, though. With the way Rondo drifted away from Delonte West and Chauncey Billups recently, Fisher could have a big series. No. 4 in NBA Finals history in 3-pointers, Fisher is at 55.9 percent on long balls this postseason.
Edge: LAKERS
BENCH
In sharp contrast to Boston's slow, veteran bench, Vujacic, Jordan Farmar (http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=ocregister&page=nba/teams/102/playerstats.aspx?id=1090,T=2), Luke Walton (http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=ocregister&page=nba/teams/102/playerstats.aspx?id=733,T=2) and Ronny Turiaf (http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=ocregister&page=nba/teams/102/playerstats.aspx?id=1004,T=2) are vibrant for the Lakers. Offensively limited Trevor Ariza (http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=ocregister&page=nba/teams/102/playerstats.aspx?id=843,T=2) offers a backup option to guard Pierce. Rivers has been all over the board lately in allocating his reserves' minutes. Sam Cassell and Eddie House are streak shooters; James Posey is a step slow to be a real Kobe-stopper; Brown signed on Feb. 27 and is a useful big man. Two USC products (Brian Scalabrine and Gabe Pruitt) rarely play, and athletic Tony Allen (Achilles') might not be available.
Edge: LAKERS
COACH
In his rookie year as a coach (1999-2000), Rivers was the NBA Coach of the Year for leading Orlando to a 41-41 record — even though Jackson went 56-26 in his first Lakers season. Rivers' diligence and defensive emphasis this season got Boston to the NBA's best record: 66-16. Associate head coach Tom Thibodeau, a longtime Jeff Van Gundy sidekick, does the defensive scheming. Jackson (191-80 in the postseason) has the most playoff victories in league history. He is 47-1 in playoff series after he holds a lead. He is 9-1 in NBA Finals.
Edge: LAKERS
PREDICTION: LAKERS, 4-1.
Jackson's format for peaking late in the regular has gotten the Lakers hot — and thus well rested — at the best time. Boston exerted too much juice proving itself before we even hit 2008 and now has slogged through 20 of the maximum 21 playoff games. The Celtics rely on defensive activity — something that just isn't there when the tank is nearing empty. The teams that already pushed Boston (Atlanta, Cleveland and Detroit) ran little-engine offenses that couldn't do much. The Lakers — with a dazzling passing game keyed by Bryant's unrivaled efficiency — are the big engine that could ... and will.
Contact the writer: [email protected] ([email protected])
Lakers vs. Celtics: Who has the edge?
By KEVIN DING
The Orange County Register
Comments 9 (http://www.ocregister.com/articles/lakers-bryant-nba-2059766-boston-season#slComments)| Recommend (javascript:recommendReview('OCRArticle2059766'))5
Position-by-position breakdown of the 2008 NBA Finals between the Lakers (http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=ocregister&page=nba/teams/102/team.aspx?id=102) and Celtics:
CENTER
The world stage of the NBA Finals should not affect the skilful Pau Gasol (http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=ocregister&page=nba/teams/102/playerstats.aspx?id=190,T=2) as much as other relative playoff novices because the MVP of the 2006 FIBA World Championships (leading Spain to the gold medal) has that other experience. That's one reason the Lakers are a little more confident with Gasol over Lamar Odom (http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=ocregister&page=nba/teams/102/playerstats.aspx?id=201,T=2) defending Kevin Garnett. With Memphis, Gasol used his length pretty well head to head vs. KG. Kendrick Perkins can deliver hustle plays and finish at the rim but is likely to get into foul trouble — meaning P.J. Brown's experience will come into play.
Edge: LAKERS
POWER FORWARD
Garnett has followed up being NBA Defensive Player of the Year for the first time with his first NBA Finals. His intensity is so high that one of Phil Jackson's strategies in the 2004 Western Conference finals vs. Garnett's Timberwolves was to wear him out in pick-and-roll defense, which kept him out of the paint, too. Odom, who plays guard much of the time in the triangle offense, will have to be efficient with and without the ball for the Lakers to fare well doing that now. Both Odom (10.6 rebounds per game) and Garnett (9.2) are versatile board monsters, but Garnett is a far better shooter.
Edge: CELTICS
SMALL FORWARD
Paul Pierce is the second-most explosive player in this series, and Boston will need a couple of epic games like the 41-pointer he laid on Cleveland in Game 7 of Round 2. But Pierce often dribbles into trouble; his 4.1-to-3 assist-to-turnover ratio in the playoffs isn't far off what he did in the regular season. Vladimir Radmanovic (http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=ocregister&page=nba/teams/102/playerstats.aspx?id=427,T=2) has been trying much harder this postseason to execute game plans and will start opposite Pierce but is unlikely to finish. Radmanovic's 18-point, zero-turnover effort in Boston was one of his best this season.
Edge: CELTICS
SHOOTING GUARD
Kobe Bryant (http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=ocregister&page=nba/teams/102/playerstats.aspx?id=316,T=2), the NBA MVP, is up from 45.9 percent shooting in the regular season to 50.9 percent in the postseason. Celtics coach Doc Rivers said about slowing Bryant: "The key is giving him different looks." The look that worked in the regular season for Boston against Bryant was Garnett playing a semi-zone toward Bryant's area — and Bryant just missing shots. Bryant and Ray Allen, usually a brilliant shooter who has slumped this postseason, have exchanged words in the past. Allen's quick release also has plagued Bryant before, so Allen will see a lot of pesky Sasha Vujacic (http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=ocregister&page=nba/teams/102/playerstats.aspx?id=908,T=2).
Edge: LAKERS
POINT GUARD
All postseason, opponents have ignored Rajon Rondo and lured him to shoot; he has sunk from 49.2 percent regular-season shooting to 41.4. His rarely achieved real job is to get Boston a good shot in the first six shot-clock seconds, and the Lakers will unleash some press defense in hopes of Rondo getting careless. Neither Rondo nor Derek Fisher (http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=ocregister&page=nba/teams/102/playerstats.aspx?id=315,T=2) is prone to turnovers, though. With the way Rondo drifted away from Delonte West and Chauncey Billups recently, Fisher could have a big series. No. 4 in NBA Finals history in 3-pointers, Fisher is at 55.9 percent on long balls this postseason.
Edge: LAKERS
BENCH
In sharp contrast to Boston's slow, veteran bench, Vujacic, Jordan Farmar (http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=ocregister&page=nba/teams/102/playerstats.aspx?id=1090,T=2), Luke Walton (http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=ocregister&page=nba/teams/102/playerstats.aspx?id=733,T=2) and Ronny Turiaf (http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=ocregister&page=nba/teams/102/playerstats.aspx?id=1004,T=2) are vibrant for the Lakers. Offensively limited Trevor Ariza (http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=ocregister&page=nba/teams/102/playerstats.aspx?id=843,T=2) offers a backup option to guard Pierce. Rivers has been all over the board lately in allocating his reserves' minutes. Sam Cassell and Eddie House are streak shooters; James Posey is a step slow to be a real Kobe-stopper; Brown signed on Feb. 27 and is a useful big man. Two USC products (Brian Scalabrine and Gabe Pruitt) rarely play, and athletic Tony Allen (Achilles') might not be available.
Edge: LAKERS
COACH
In his rookie year as a coach (1999-2000), Rivers was the NBA Coach of the Year for leading Orlando to a 41-41 record — even though Jackson went 56-26 in his first Lakers season. Rivers' diligence and defensive emphasis this season got Boston to the NBA's best record: 66-16. Associate head coach Tom Thibodeau, a longtime Jeff Van Gundy sidekick, does the defensive scheming. Jackson (191-80 in the postseason) has the most playoff victories in league history. He is 47-1 in playoff series after he holds a lead. He is 9-1 in NBA Finals.
Edge: LAKERS
PREDICTION: LAKERS, 4-1.
Jackson's format for peaking late in the regular has gotten the Lakers hot — and thus well rested — at the best time. Boston exerted too much juice proving itself before we even hit 2008 and now has slogged through 20 of the maximum 21 playoff games. The Celtics rely on defensive activity — something that just isn't there when the tank is nearing empty. The teams that already pushed Boston (Atlanta, Cleveland and Detroit) ran little-engine offenses that couldn't do much. The Lakers — with a dazzling passing game keyed by Bryant's unrivaled efficiency — are the big engine that could ... and will.
Contact the writer: [email protected] ([email protected])