By my estimation, it very well could be the best rivalry in all of sports. Red Sox-Yankees? They play about 20 times a year, plus how different are those fan bases, really? Patriots-Colts? It's been great this decade, but there's no history to it. Duke-North Carolina and Michigan-Ohio States? That's college my friend.
Here we get East Coast vs. West Coast, Larry Legend vs. Showtime, One Bandwagon Fan Base vs. Another Bandwagon Fan Base. Most importantly, you get not only bitter rivals, but the two most storied franchises in the history of the NBA; the Celtics with 17 banners and the Lakers with 15.
This is truly the cream of the professional basketball crop, and tonight, it all tips off. How will it play out? How will the matchups play between various players? And ultimately, who will come out on top?
In true H & V fashion, we will be taking each matchup and giving the edge in each, Lakers or Celtics, all the way down to the last guy on the bench. Three different picks will come from three different angles: myself, Frost, and Rene.
Point Guard: Rajon Rondo vs. Derek Fisher
I really don't see this as the mismatch that everyone else does. Is Rondo an electrifying player? Absolutely, he's arguably one of the best point guards in the NBA. But I don't completely buy him being the best player on a championship team, he's way too inconsistent of a player. I'm not trying to diss the guy; he's a fellow Meyzeek Middle School alum, but I'm just saying this isn't a blowout of a matchup. Derek Fisher, old and limited as he may be, is still a guy who plays his best when the lights are the brightest. The stage doesn't get much bigger than the Finals, and I expect D-Fish to have a good series. Just not a good enough one to be able to match the speed and play-making ability of Rondo.
Edge: Rondo
Shooting Guard: Ray Allen vs. Kobe Bryant
It's not exactly a secret that these two guys don't like each other; in fact, they hate each other. This is a big reason why I've never liked Kobe. Ray may have proved himself as a horrible actor in "He Got Game", but he's widely regarded as the nicest guy in the NBA.
How can you be in an intense feud with the nicest guy in the NBA, especially one who can so emphatically and persuasively deliver a line like, "I don't have a father!"
Anyhow, this is a pretty easy call. Ray Allen's a future Hall of Famer, but he's limited in the Celtics offense and he's slower on defense than he used to be. Expect him to run around screens looking for an open three that he'll usually drain. But we've got to remember that he's going to be facing not only the man who I consider to be the best player in the NBA, but also a man possessed in Bryant.
Big Edge: Bryant
Small Forward: Paul Pierce vs. Ron Artest
Of all the starting spots, this may very well be the hardest call. Pierce will always be remembered as the guy who absolutely tore the Lakers apart back in 2008, but let's remember that was against Vlad Radmonovic. Let's just say those times are over as Pierce will face off against one of the league's elite defenders in Artest. Will he be able to handle a more physical matchup against a better player? We'll see, but so long as Pierce doesn't settle for too many outside jumpers and attacks the basket, Artest could get into foul trouble. And Pierce is far more integral to his team's offense than Artest is with his.
We do know one thing for sure: Artest won't be taking any charges. When asked about the Lakers being paid $50 for every charge they took, Artest wasn't exactly on board. He responded with the following gem:
"I don't even know how to take a charge. To get a charge you'd have to fall. I'd rather not fall. You call an offensive foul, possibly be a fight. That's just how we grew up playing basketball."
Queensbridge FTW.
Slightest of All Edges: Pierce
Power Forward: Kevin Garnett vs. Pau Gasol
Another really tough call. Fans like myself remember Garnett absolutely owning Gasol a few years back. He was just a much tougher, harder-nosed player and he physically overpowered him down low and outclassed him in virtually every imaginable aspect of the game. But just as 2010 KG isn't the same player that 2008 KG was (largely due to knee problems), the 2010 NBA Finals will be featuring a very different Pau Gasol, a guy who has emerged as one of the top 10-15 players in the league and a guy who can handle physical intensity a lot better than he was able to a couple years ago. Gasol is undoubtedly a better player right now, but if KG can hold him in check, the Celtics have a great shot at winning this series.
Edge: Gasol
Center: Kendrick Perkins vs. Andrew Bynum
A far cry from Robert Parish vs. Kareem to be sure, but an interesting matchup nonetheless. As far as I'm concerned Perkins is a solid player who benefits a lot from playing with a group of future Hall of Famers. He's a great defensive player, but he's a technical foul or two away from facing a suspension. Perkins was a straight to the NBA guy, but was originally committed to play at Memphis, so this headcase thing really shouldn't be too surprising. Bynum is another interesing case study. When healthy, this guy has the potential to be an elite center in this league. Problem is, this guy's never healthy and hasn't been since he entered the league as a teenager. The Lakers have put a lot of faith in Bynum, turning down blockbuster trades involving him, and he simply hasn't been able to be a consistent producer. His injury problems have continued with having to have his knee drained, and many expect him to play limited minutes and have a similarly limited contribution.
Edge: Perkins
6th Man: Rasheed Wallace vs. Lamar Odom
This actually works out pretty well for comparisons sake because these two will actually be facing off against each other when they come in. Odom will likely get a lot more minutes than Rasheed and the guy has proven himself to not only be an absolute matchup nightmare, but also an effective player who comes up big in big moments (when need be). Odom's a force on the boards, and it's always likely that Rasheed reverts to his old ways by chucking up contested threes.
Edge: Odom
Bench: Celtics Bench vs. Lakers Bench
It's critical to realize that not everyone on the bench is going to be playing, so the 11th and 12th guys on the team don't really have much of a place in the context of this argument. This is The Finals: your best players play, simple as that. We'll assume that each team goes with a nine man rotation, so having already covered the sixth men, here are the top three subs on each team:
Boston: Glen Davis, Nate Robinson, Tony Allen
Los Angeles: Shannon Brown, Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic
If you can't see the immense advantage that the Celtics have with depth just based on that, it's time to get your basketball IQ checked.
Big Edge: Celtics
Coach: Doc Rivers vs. Phil Jackson
I'll preface this by saying that I love Doc Rivers. I can guarantee you that I love him more than most Celtics fans because even when the Celtics were headed for the a high spot back in the Greg Oden lottery back in 2007, I maintained that this guy is a great coach when people up in Boston wanted to run him out of town. When you give Rivers talent, by my estimation, there's probably only one active coach who can do more with that talent. It just so happens that's the man that Rivers is facing in this series, the Zen Master himself, Jackson. The man can handle egos and talent and maximize that talent and potential of a team in a way that no other coach in the history of basketball has been able to (yes Boston fans, even more so than Red). That's why the man has ten championship rings and that's why he's in position to win another one in these coming weeks.
Edge: Jackson
Prediction Time
Let's just say this much: if the Lakers win tonight, this thing is over. Jackson is a million and zero when he wins the first game of a playoff series. I'm actually not kidding or exaggerating here. He has won every single series he's coached in which his team captured Game One. The man can close better than anyone ever has, at least partially due to the likes of players that he's coached: MJ, Scottie, Shaq, Kobe.
It's not exactly Earth-shattering to say that these are two very different teams from the ones to that faced off against each other two years ago.
Let's take a look at Boston. Rondo's gone from complimentary piece to a full-blown star. Allen's lost a step or so, but he's still the same dead-eye shooter. Pierce has maybe aged a bit, but not too drastic of a change. Garnett's aged considerably, especially from a physical health standpoint. Game Two '08 Finals hero Leon Powe's gone. As is PJ Brown. In are Robinson, Wallace, and Marquis Daniels.
Then look at the Lakers. Kobe's still arguably the best player in the league. Gasol's toughened up and become an elite big man. Artest has been added as a defensive juggernaut. Bynum is actually playing.
This isn't quite a toss-up, but I can assure you, this will be a great series, better than the one in 2008. NBA Finals tend to be anti-climactic, but this one will defy that; I can assure you of that much.
The difference here is inspiration. The Celtics are looking for that last hurrah, but they've already proven themselves as a champion and did so against the Lakers. They've conquered that obstacle. There's still something to be had for LA, though. Sure they won a title last year, but that was against a Magic team that it was much, much better than, a team in which they matched up incredibly well against. This is different. This is a chance for Bryant to prove himself as a winner yet again, for Gasol to shed his soft image, a chance for Artest to prove he can be a key piece on a championship team. Most importantly, they want to make people forget that they blew a 20-plus point lead in Game Four, that they lost by 39 in the series-ending Game Six that in a game that wasn't even that close.
Revenge is on their mind, and in a series like this, instilling that sort of mindset in a player like Kobe Bryant and a team as talented as the Lakers, and that can be all the edge that you need.
The Final Pick: Lakers in Seven
-CM
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