It’s an election year featuring an old Republican and a possible female Vice-Presidential candidate. Apple electronic products are all the rage. Folks are worried about invasion of privacy. My wife is pregnant, so I’m currently not getting laid. The Lakers and the Celtics are playing for the NBA championship. Wow. It’s 1984 all over again.
So, I guess all is right in the NBA world now. We’ve got the premier match-up in the rich history of the NBA. Let’s just hope it’s a competitive series. How will it all transpire? Glad you asked. After all, I’m the same guy who picked the Lakers & 6 last round. That wasn’t a typo. I picked the Lakers to win, and the Pistons to win in 6, so I got a little bit of both the conference final match-ups right. Anyhoo, this is how I see the NBA Finals going. Let’s start position by position.
PG- Derek Fisher (Lakers) vs. Rajon Rando (Celtics)
Fisher is the perfect “point guard” in the Phil Jackson Triangle Offense, if in a point guard you’re looking for a guy who can handle the ball reasonably well, limit turnovers, hit the open jumper, and basically stay the hell out of Kobe Bryant’s way. John Paxson, BJ Armstrong, and Steve Kerr all fit this role well. Fisher’s a team guy, defends fairly well, and has a propensity to knock down more big shots than a “Tila Tequila”, “Flavor of Love”, and “Rock of Love” cast mixer. As if you couldn’t tell, I’m a fan. Guy’s solid.
Rajon Rando clearly has the edge talent-wise, but he’s still learning the game. He can beat his man off the bounce fairly well, but his jump shot is so streaky, he makes mine look money. He has above average court vision, but makes too many passes that would end up on the “And 1 Mix Tape” cutting room floor. (That must also be where the film of guys not traveling and playing defense are, but I digress.). If Rondo can grow up in a hurry, he could actually have the edge in this match-up. He’s not ready yet. Advantage- Fisher
SG- Kobe Bryant (Lakers) vs. Ray Allen (Celtics)
Probably the best compliment you can give to Kobe Bryant right now is that if you compared him to Michael Jordan, some people wouldn’t immediately question your sanity. That’s saying a lot. He’s he MVP of the league, and deserves an Emmy for his portrayal of “A Semi-Amiable Guy.” Sure, he’s all buddy-buddy now, but what’s he gonna do when his teammates throw up a “7 for 37 from the field game”? He’ll probably just friggin’ take over and dominate; that’s what he’ll do.
Ray Allen is a long way from the phenom Jesus Shuttlesworth. Age and mileage have morphed him from one of the best scoring two guards in the league to Wally Szczerbiak on a really good day. If he can just be the 3rd leading scorer on the team, and make the Lakers pay for leaving him open, then he’ll be doing everything the Celtics are asking him to do. Though it may be enough to help Boston win a few games, it won’t be enough to win this match-up. Advantage- Bryant
SF- Lamar Odom (Lakers) vs. Paul Pierce (Celtics)
Interesting match-up here, though Odom seems to play more of a power forward. Lamar Odom can look like the best all around player on the court at times, and at other times look like the only thing he could do well is change the light bulbs in your house. He can do it all, just not all the time. If he plays up to his potential when his teammates are having good games, the Lakers cannot be beaten.
Paul Pierce, regardless of the Garnett and Allen hype, is this generations Boston Celtic. He has stayed with the team through thick and thin, and has matured from just another chucker with an attitude to a Celtic lifer. If the Celtics have a chance to win this series, he’s got to be the one to step up and take the big shot, since he seems to be the only one on the team with the cajones to want to take the responsibility. Advantage- Pierce
PF- Vladimir Radmanovic (Lakers) vs. Kevin Garnett (Celtics)
Radmonovic is listed as the PF, but, again, he really plays the SF role. No matter. On with the analysis! I had to look the “Rad-man’s” stats because I wasn’t quite sure what he brings to the table. I’m still not quite sure. He brings around 8 points, 3 boards to the table in around 23 minutes per game. He’s a pretty good 3 pt shooter, at around 36%. So basically, he does little more but validate many guy’s belief that if they were a foot taller, they could play in “The League.” I guess that somehow helps the team win. I’m not sure.
Kevin Garnett is the reigning defensive player of the year, the guy that ignited a 40 game turnaround for the NBA’s most storied franchise, a double-double machine, and the guy who absolutely does not want the ball in his hands in crunch time. Interesting. Garnett has a freakish combination of size and athletic ability. If he wanted, he could dominate the game inside and out. His post-up, turnaround jumper is the most unstoppable shot since Kareem’s skyhook. Instead, it seems as if he is content to shoot 20 foot jumpers all night. That may be enough to help him dominate his match up with this Laker team’s incarnation of “Vlade”, but it won’t help the Celtics win the series. Advantage- Garnett
C- Pau Gasol (Lakers) vs. Kendrick Perkins (Celtics)
Gasol was never a good fit as “the guy” even on a bad team. However, he might be the best #2 option in the league. He’s gifted around the basket offensively, has a consistent short range jumper, and runs the floor well. He’s basically the human pacifier that has stopped Kobe’s whining.
If Perkins does have an advantage over Gasol, it’s his ability to rebound. Perkins has a limited offensive game, but collects garbage buckets at crucial times. (I’ve never understood the term “garbage buckets,” which are usually buckets coming off of offensive rebounds or steals. They seem to be the hardest to get. You don’t work so hard for a piece of crab claw meat, hold it up, and go “Mmm. Garbage!"). Anyway, Advantage- Gasol
Short Bench- Vujacic, Walton, Farmar, Turiaf (Lakers) vs. House, Posey, Davis, Brown, Cassell (Celtics)
Googling Sasha to correctly spell his last name, I came across his Wikipedia entry, which stated he was known for his “pesky defense, good looks, and excellent three-point shooting abilities.” Hmm. I would have just written “he’s the guy on the team who calls himself “The Machine” and wears a hair-net. Whatever. He is a good defender and can hit the threes. Walton does all the little things. Farmar shows flashes, but is inconsistent as a solid guard. Turiaf is the only legit enforcer type on the Lakers team. He likes to mix it up and gets the tough rebounds.
House will forever stick in my mind as “the guy who scored 60 in a college game,” so it’s hard for me to look him without being a little biased. He is a streaky shooter, and can light it up if he’s feeling it. Posey was the unsung hero of Miami’s ’06 championship team. He’s a good defender with a decent stroke. Davis is like Mini-Shaq, right down to the college and faintly crossed eyes. Everybody knows by now what Brown can do for you. If Wilford Brimley jumped into the youth pool in “Cocoon,” Cassell is the poor near-sighted kid who jumped about 10 feet too early and splattered on the cement in the e-mail that’s been passed around to everybody. Still, I think he’s got one good game in this series. Advantage- Push
Coaching- Phil Jackson (Lakers) vs. Doc Rivers (Knicks)
Phil Jackson has won 9 NBA titles. He has done it by effectively managing the egos of the greatest talents of our generation. He has shown the ability to relate to players, and forge them into a single minded, purpose driven team. A master motivator, he exudes a Zen-like calmness and confidence. Guys eagerly accept the roles given to them, knowing it is for the good of the team.
Doc River’s own son wants to transfer out of one of the greatest college basketball programs in the best conference in college basketball. Not because he wasn’t getting playing time, but because he didn’t want to be known as “only a defensive specialist.” Hmm. Gotta go Advantage- Jackson
Intangibles
Kobe is on a mission to validate himself and shut up the critics who have been dogging him for years by winning an NBA title without Shaq. He is the best player in the NBA, an unstoppable threat who thrives in the spotlight unlike any player we’ve seen since Jordan. After watching the Celtics celebrate the series win over the Pistons, I wasn’t sure if they were aware that there was still another series to go. Well, at least they got home court. I think that will be enough to take it to 6 games. Lakers in 6
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