Lakers Versus Celtics: Boston SportZ’s Take

With the upcoming Lakers versus Celtics finals, we here at SoCal Sports Hub thought it would be interesting to see what our opponents have to say about the upcoming series. Therefore, we have asked Boston SportZ, a member of the Behind Enemy Lines sports blog alliance and dedicated to covering sports in Massachusetts, some questions about the upcoming series. Thanks to Boston SportZ for their participation.

SoCal Sports Hub:It’s been twenty-one years since the last Lakers-Celtics finals. What is your favorite memory of this historic rivalry?

Boston SportZ: The 1984 NBA Finals are, by far, my favorite moment in the Celtics-Lakers rivalry. This was the season where Larry Bird elevated his game to “Legend” status, winning his first of 3 consecutive MVP awards. This was also the first time Magic and Larry faced off in the Finals, and it turned into one of the greatest 7 Game Series in all of sports history. The Lakers stole Game 1 in Boston, and looked to have Game 2 (and probably the series) locked up. Up by 2 with under 20 seconds to go, Boston’s Gerald Henderson stole an errant Magic Johnson pass, tied the game, and sent it into overtime (where Boston prevailed). Game 3 was an embarrassing blowout by the Lakers, who literally ran all over Boston, winning by more than 30 — leading to the greatest Larry Bird quote of all time, calling his teammates, “… a bunch of sissies”. Game 4 proved to be one of the most intense games in NBA history, and singlehandedly turned these two teams into bitter rivals. Highlighted by the Kevin McHale closeline of Kurt Rambis, Boston’s best defense for the Laker’s Showtime speed and athleticism was to knock anybody in yellow on their butt. For the second time in the series, the Lakers blew a lead with less than a minute to play, as Boston sent the game into Overtime, and held on for a 4-point win. Back at the Garden for Game 5, the teams had to deal with 95+ degree temperatures due to lack of air conditioning. With the aging Kareem unable to handle the heat (pun intended), Boston easily won the game, taking a 3-2 advantage in the series. Game 6 was back in LA, where the Lakers took care of business, forcing a Game 7 back in Boston. Cedric Maxwell proved to be the hero for Boston, scoring 24 points and knocking the ball away from Magic in the last minute, sealing the victory.

To summarize, the series was the most intense Finals matchup up to that point and really ignited the Celtics-Lakers rivalry that we have today.

SCSH: Due to having the league’s top record during the regular season, the Celtics have earned home court advantage. How much of a difference does this make?

BS: To this Celtics team, home court advantage makes a gigantic difference. It’s a well-known fact that we’ve struggled on the road this postseason (losing our first 6 road games), but after taking 2 in Detroit (including the clinching game), the away-from-home jitters may be gone. What makes it important, however, isn’t how poorly we play on the road, but how great we are at home. Boston is 10-1 at home during the playoffs, only allowing one opponent to reach 100 points (Detroit in the game we lost). The offense flows better, the defense becomes impenetrable, and the new Garden is rocking from tip-off to the final buzzer. There is an air of invincibility surrounding the Celtics at home that just isn’t there on the road.

SCSH: The Celtics Big Three is relatively inexperienced in the playoffs and none of them have ever appeared in the NBA Finals. How much does experience and inexperience factor in this matchup?

BS: Experience means nothing in this matchup. Games 5 & 6 against Detroit were the tests to see whether our Big 3 were going to rise up or shrink on the big stage, and needless to say, they rose to the occasion. More than anything, I think the lack of rings on our fingers puts us at an advantage. There is a good chance that neither Pierce, Allen or Garnett are going to get this far again. While Allen looked used and worthless through the first two series, he finally got his act together to help put down Detroit. Pierce and KG have been lights-out this entire postseason. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that all three will bring their “A” games.

SCSH: At times Rajon Rondo has looked brilliant, attacking the basket and creating shots for his teammates. However, he has also appeared to be lost on the court at times. Which Rondo will show up?

BS: I wish I knew that myself! Rondo is my favorite player on this Celtics team. There are times when he reeks absolute havoc on the Celtic’s opponents, knocking down corner jumpers, getting to the hoop, shutting down his man on D, racking up steals and coming away with monster offensive rebounds. Unfortunately, there are just as many times where he goes for too many steals, leaving his man wide open, or throws a completely silly pass turning into 2 the other way. Lately, he’s seemed to lose his confidence in his jumper and isn’t looking to score with the ball, allowing his man to roam free and disrupt our offense. My theory is that the Atlanta Hawks are still inside Rondo’s head — they blocked about 10 of his layup attempts, and now when he penetrates, he’s looking 100% to pass, not to get his shot. I think the time off is going to do him good, allow him to hit the gym, get his jumper back and clear his mind. I’m hoping that Rondo the catalyst will show up, because if he gets his confidence back, he is going to light up Derek Fisher.

SCSH. How can Boston slow down Kobe Bryant?

BS: It’s going to take our entire team to stop Kobe from dominating the game. Our help defense is tops in the league, and we almost never miss a rotation. However, “slow down” is the key phrase here. We were able to keep LeBron James in check by stopping his penetrations and turning him into a jump shooter. We can do this to Kobe, too, although Kobe is much better from mid-range than LeBron, so that won’t be as effective. We can’t stick Ray Allen on him, so it’ll most likely end up being a Pierce-Posey rotation on Bryant. I see them getting physical with Kobe, muscling him into our help defense, hopefully forcing him to give up the ball. I think we’re just going to have to knock him to the ground a few times and try to frustrate him. He’s playing out of his mind right now, so our best hope is the old cliche “You can’t stop him, you can only hope to contain him”.

SCSH: During the 4th quarter of Game Six against the Pistons, Ray Allen was sitting on the bench for various periods of time. Is this a typical substation pattern? What’s the deal here?

BS: This sounds eerily like you’re baiting me to bash Doc… well, I’ll bite! It’s no secret that Doc Rivers rotation management has been suspect at best. We don’t have substitution patters in Boston, we have Doc reacting to his opponents. Doc coaches “by feel”, meaning that any player, at any time, could either be put into the game, or yanked out. It’s because of this that Rondo’s confidence has taken a dive over the past couple of series… he’s constantly looking over his shoulder to see if Cassell is hanging out by the scorer’s table. It’s also because of this that our bench (which was once a strength), now plays frantic and is unable to put points on the board. In Doc’s defense, the Ray Allen – James Posey conundrum is a tough one to figure out. Posey is a far superior defender, but doesn’t bring much on offense (besides knocking down the occasional open 3). Ray, when he’s on, brings a ton of offense, but spotty on D. This is where Doc’s “feel” comes in and he determines if we’re better being stronger on defense, or if we need some points.

SCSH:Kendrick Perkins was very effective in terms of rebounding against the Pistons. How much of a problem will he pose for the Lakers big men, Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol?

BS: If you plan on playing Odom on Perkins, he will get eaten alive. There’s a reason that Perkins is constantly referred to as a “Beast” — he is strong, he is tenacious and he is fearless. What I love about Perkins is that he has a high basketball IQ, and he is an insanely underrated defender. You can worry about his rebounding (as you should), and how he’ll clear out under the rim, but you should mostly be worried about his help defense. Due to our defensive rotations, there are going to be multiple times when Perk has to guard one of your quicker guys (Kobe included) — you’ll get excited, thinking it’s an easy two or a trip to the foul line — only to watch Perk knock the ball away, reject a layup attempt, or gobble his man up, forcing him to pass. His biggest issue is staying on the court — he’s a large, lumbering man who often gets called for ticky-tack fouls, battling away from the ball. If he starts picking up fouls early, he gets frustrated, out of rhythm and takes himself out of the game. If things are working for him, however, he can shut down your best low-post scorer and get a handful of easy buckets due to defenses over-guarding KG. He’s been elevating his play each game this postseason, and I’m thrilled to see him battle with Gasol.

SCSH: Boston Sports Guy Bill Simmons wrote this week that the Celtics are no match for the Lakers because LA has a hall of fame player Kobe Bryant and a hall of fame coach in Phil Jackson. Is he on the money or is he falling off his rocker? Who do you have taking home the title?

BS: I don’t fall in line with all those Boston fans/bloggers calling for Simmon’s traitorous head. While his timing was a little off, he has some good arguments, and in no way was his article “anti-Boston”. He basically said that we’re watching a special player at the top of his game, playing for a 9-time champion head coach, surrounded by a excellent supporting cast and they’re all coming together at the perfect time. While some of his arguments were silly (like the fan’s income and arena entertainment), he had some valid points. We’re going to have to play near-flawless basketball to win banner 17… but that doesn’t mean we can’t do it. I think Boston is taking this series in 6 or 7 games, with KG and Paul Pierce willing their teams to victory. We are too hungry to let this series slip through our fingers. I have all the respect in the world for the Lakers, but there’s no way in hell we’re letting Phil Jackson overtake Red Auerbach as the coach with the most titles. Sorry LA — with your team you’ll have plenty of opportunities, but not this year.