How the Celtics Defeat the Lakers (and other thoughts East)

Let me start by saying, Kobe scares the F outta me. He is a killer, plain and simple. Now that he has some running mates who can play, stopping him from grabbing the ring is a tall, tall order.

KG is a tall, tall order. . . but I will get to that in a moment.

Despite the prowess of this Laker jugernaut, I see two areas where the C's can (and must) make hay. The offensive boards, and a defense geared to make Kobe shoot early and often.

As good as Pau is in the paint, he has a consistent knack of missing his box out. Further, rumor has it that Odom will start out on Perkins. That gives both of the Celtic bigs a huge advantage on the offensive glass. The Lakers are going to put up some points on the board. Getting some cheapies off rebounds will be needed to off-set the Laker explosiveness.

As crazy as Ray Allen guarding Kobe might sound, there is method to the madness. Shutting down those dunk alley-oops to Gasol is more important than stopping Kobe from dunking himself. Letting the Kob-ster get happy with his jumper may mean he drops 50 and beats you. But removing the impact of Kobe's running mates is the key to the series. Whatever advantage the C's bigs may have on the offensive glass, stopping Gasol and Odom will be major under-taking. Unlike Kobe, stopping those two is at least possible. KG, Perk and PJ are up for the task.

Beyond (and behind) the on-court dynamics, the series will likely be decided by which team wants it more. What defines greatness is always about the will to win. These are two evenly matched teams. The reason the Lakers are the favorite is Kobe's well established will to be the best. What so many overlook is those cats in green known as KG, Pauly P and Jesus Shuttleworth
have got their own score to settle. Gasol, Odom and all those sucker Lakers are gonna fold when the Celtics bring the heat. The series will be tough, maybe even going 7 games. But with Ray Allen playing well and Celtics having rediscovered themselves on the road, the time for Banner #17 is nigh.

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Since I'm rambling, couple notes on the East: I can see where Flip had to go, but I hope Joe D doesn't break up that nucleus quite yet. . . Ray Allen has a hilarious line in his explanation of why he started wearing a protective sleave: "I wore it because I had all these scratches on my arm from Rip," said Allen. "His nickname is appropriate". . . Collins to the Bulls is good news for NBA fans tired of listening to that groveling Kobe lover. Can you imagine how sucky it will be as a Bull to listen to Doug gush over Kobe in the prep sessions for next years LA-Chicago games? . . . Trading Dwyane Wade would be Super Stupid. . . If Boston beats LA, can we start talking abut the end of the East-West imbalance?