Lakers vs. Celtics!! Who Wins?!?

Game 1 kicks off tonight and I'm looking for one great game. After 21 year hiatus, the NBA has finally gotten its best rivalry back. I'm looking for hustle, passion, and excitement on the court tonight. I expect the Lakers to come out and try and get the momentum on their side since home court goes to the Celtics. Even though I'm rooting for the Lakers, I don't expect the Celtics to just let the Lakers come in and just win. This should be really interesting. Let's breakdown the teams.

The Celtics are going to have a hard time containing Kobe Bryant. He's not LeBron James, he's way better. Also, they can't try and double team him all the time since the Lakers actually have offensive weapons outside of Bryant. Bryant should have his way with Celtics and score at will like he did with another great defensive team in the Spurs. Pau Gasol has to step up on the glass and get his rebounds. Lamar Odom is probably going to have defensive assignment of defending Garnett and he has the length and size to be successful at it. Kobe Bryant and Sasha Vujacic are most likely defending Ray Allen and they can't let him get into a groove. The "bench mob" for Los Angeles has got to step up. They know their the more talented bench and should take advantage of that. With the offensive firepower of the Lakers and a pretty good defense, they should win this series hands down. Yes, Boston has the "Big Three" with Garnett, Allen, and Pierce, but the Lakers have Overall offense which the Celtics do not have.

I have to go for the Los Angeles Lakers in 6 games. Besides the fact that they have the best player in the NBA, they also have a solid supporting cast. They are going to overwhelm the Celtics because they don't have much outside the "Big Three." They can't double Bryant and stop the other role players. Too much for the Celtics. Go Lakers!!

Detroit Pistons, What Happened?!?Early Offseason...Again

After watching the Detroit Pistons get a lost that is going to sting for awhile, I was truly disappointed. I mean, the Pistons were doing pretty good all night thanks to the backcourt play of Billups and Hamilton, but Rasheed Wallace never showed up just like he hasn't the whole series. Sheed is the difference maker for this team and he just took them back to Detroit. In the first half, Sheed was playing great defense on Garnett, holding him to only 4 points. Wallace on the other hand had ZERO!? That's not going to cut it in the playoffs.

I'm still trying to grasp how the Pistons, who had an amazing 3rd quarter lose this game. They had the Celtics right where they needed them coming into the 4th 70-60. All of a sudden, the Celtics start to come back with Garnett getting off and Paul Pierce, who scored 27 points making plays for the C's. You would think the Pistons would have at least forced a game 7 just based on the experience they have. This is the third straight year in which the Pistons have lost the conference finals in 6 games (Heat, Cavaliers, and Celtics).

A lot of people think that Flip Saunders might be on the plank, but in his defense it wasn't entirely his fault. Yes, he could have made some better coaching decisions but i think more of the blame should dealt to the Pistons players, particularly Rasheed Wallace. Rasheed should be worried about his job in Detroit after not showing up again. Sheed is the most expendable player since he is in the final year of his contract. Then again, he is possibly the best big man on the court when he wants to. If we trade him away, we would need a big man that can bang down low and play defense. They own the 29th pick in the draft so maybe they could package that with Sheed and move up in the draft. Joe Dumars has a lot on his plate, but as one of the best GM's out there, he will make the necessary moves, even if that means breaking up the nucleus.

NBA Conference Finals!

The NBA Playoffs are really getting exciting. With the Lakers ahead of the Spurs 2-1, I still expect the series to go into 7 games since the Spurs are so experienced. I look at the Pistons-Celtics series, and I see the Pistons overwhelming the Celtics with their defense and experience also. Lets breakdown the both series.


Los Angeles Lakers-San Antonio Spurs (2-1)

The Lakers expected the Spurs to eventually breakout of their slump and play like the champions they are. In game 3, Spurs showed why they are the champs winning 103-84. The key to them winning of course was Manu Ginobili, who scored 30 points on 9-15 shooting (5-7 3pt). Manu went from struggling to make a layup in games 1 and 2, to scoring at will against the Lakers. Tim Duncan also showed why he is the best power forward in the league with 21 points and 22 rebounds. All in all, the Spurs were too much for the Lakers. I still expect the Lakers to win the series in 7 though. Kobe Bryant was his usual self with 30 points, but he can't be the only one scoring for them. Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom combined for 22 points on 9-29 shooting, which is horrendous. Gasol has got to get it together and score consistently. Same goes for Odom, who went from 20 points and 12 rebounds in game 2 to 7 points and 11 rebounds. The bench has to step up also, particularly Jordan Farmar and Sasha Vujacic and play defense and hit those perimeter shots. I still expect the Lakers to win this series.



Detroit Pistons-Boston Celtics (1-2)

The Pistons-Celtics series has just gotten interesting. The Pistons looked absolutely awful at home. Richard Hamilton did his best with 26 points, but he can't be the only player showing up to play. Rodney Stuckey has also picked up the slack with Chauncey Billups still trying to get over his hamstring injury. Rasheed Wallace still hasn't had the breakout game we are all waiting for. The Pistons are only going to go as far as Rasheed goes. Tayshaun Prince, where are you?!? When are you going to start showing up on the offensive end of the court. We all know your a defensive supremacist, but man you have to score more than 4 points! I still think the Pistons will win the series, but if they play like they did in game 3, it could be harder than they think.