I wouldn't exactly call that article a "fair analysis"; more of a "blind ignorance" report and alot of assumptions.

Everyone knows that Kobe, Pau and Lamar are going to be the money-makers for the Lakers; just as everyone can guess that Rondo is going to destroy Fisher for 3 quarters.

Throw in the usual "Fisher MAY sink a clutch 3 at the best possible time" and you've essentially outlined what's been blatantly obvious all season.

The only analysis worth mentioning is whether Pierce and Allen are going to come to the party.

If Ray-Ray catches fire and nails a few 3's, he can average 20+ppg this finals series. It's all up to the Defence surpressing Rondo and blocking his passing lanes when he goes for the drive.

The biggest X Factor in this series is Pierce and Rondo. Rondo needs to rely on the assist more than the bucket and Pierce needs to get points early in the game to get him in rythmn.

I see the Kobe v Pierce matchup as being crucial. Pierce has done a decent job on him in the past whilst still remaining a scorer.

Lots of little personal battles and sub-plots here as well.

If Celts win and Garnett has a great series, he gets talked about as one of the best PF's of all time.

If Lakers win, Kobe gets his 5th ring. One behind Jordan, two as the undisputed star of the team. A couple of game winners thrown in and he enters the discussion of the greatest closer of all time.

Hopefully, this goes to 7.

Kobe won't be on Pierce defensively. They signed Artest in the off-season specifically for this series. Artest will be on Pierce. And depending on how Fisher goes against Rondo, Kobe will be on Allen.

Everyone says that Fisher is too slow and can't handle the point guards defensively any more. Well they said that in regards to Westbrook, said it in regards to Deron, said it in regards to Nash, and now they're saying it about Rondo.

Lakers in 6.

Yeah, I didn't really like that article, not sure how much support he'd get with his assertion that the Artest Pierce matchup is "lopsided" in favour of the Lakers. Also not too sure about insight that even though Gasol is listed at 7-1 from personal experience he's at least 7-3, has this guy ever seen him next to Bynum who's clearly got a few inches on him? This would make Bynum at least 7-5.

Also I didn't like his writing style, apparently he's written 15 books on the NBA, I've already made a mental note to avoid reading any of them.

Chewy - I meant Pierce guarding Kobe.

In regard to Fisher, he did an OK job on Nash, but Westbrook and Deron did burn him for pace during those series.

Regardless, in the context of the current Lakers team, Fisher plays his role perfectly. He doesn't need to shut Rondo down completely, just limit his effect.

It is probably a bit hard to compare WNBA players to NBA players.

"A couple of game winners thrown in and he enters the discussion of the greatest closer of all time."

Just on Kobe vs Bryant, 1 ring behind him, but according to the game last week they brough up the stats of playoff with over 30 points. Kobe joined Wilt Chamberlain on 75 games, Jordan has 107..theres a big gap for an aging Bryant to close.

Kobe vs Bryant??


Sorry Skud, I call that one evens...

Ah.. Kobe vs. Bryant: The eternal struggle within one man =P

Fair stat Skud, but you may want to suggest the number of finals appearances as well. If Kobe wins more rings in less finals appearances, it balances out.

The "who got the most 30ppg games in the finals" stat is just for showboating.

Lakers in 6.

MJ won 6 rings from 6 Finals Marty, not sure how Kobe wins more in less Finals appearances, he has already lost more NBA Finals than MJ ever did.

Should be another good Celtics-Lakers series. I think the keys to the series are:

Does KG still have enough left to keep Gasol and Odom in check? I think he does, but the matchup there is critical for the outcome of the series.

Can the Lakers provide good enough defensive help to Fisher to slow Rondo down and put a major crimp in Boston's offence? If they can't, Rondo will be MVP of the finals and the Lakers will get hammered.

Can Artest nullify Pierce? If he can, a lot more pressure will fall on Ray Allen to carry the scoring load as well as defend Kobe. I think Artest makes it a lot more difficult for Pierce to play his iso mid-range game, so he won't dominate like he did against the Magic, but good ball movement will allow him to get open looks and draw enough fouls to still be effective.

Can the Lakers role players make enough shots to take the pressure off Kobe and Gasol? Two years ago, the Celtics shut down the supporting cast and the Lakers lead acts didn't have enough firepower to get over the line. Do the 2010 Lakers have a better offensive plan than they did last time? I don't think they do.

I'm going to say Celtics in 6, because in the end I think they will be able to shut the Lakers offence down more consistently than vice-versa.

Does anyone know where the games will be shown in Adelaide??

On Foxtel on Friday morning.

I truly now hope the C's win purely due to the fact I despise the Lakers.

Celtics in 6 is my guess..7 would be great though..

Tough call though. I just think the Celtics can stop Kobe scoring, and Ron Artest is due to implode.

Gasol is 7'0, this is from personal experience too

Gasol looked about 5'6 when Amare dunked on him last game.

Just so long as the CELTICS win , I couldn't give a B.R.A.

As a Lakers fan, I'm a bit worried about this series. Hopefully Kobe doesn't do the: Not going to shot for a half or the opposite and try to win by himself. I can see him having a big series but he needs to remain a part of the team - can't have the me against the world/ vengence will be mine attitude of the Lakers are in trouble. That said, Lakers in 5 on the Celtics home floor!

Also, don't forget, pouty Perkins is 1 tech from an automatic suspension. That's pretty big.

Bring out the wheelchair.

anon, that kind of post is why people can't stand lakers fans....This will be a tough series, Boston have been the best team this postseason, but i still think the lakers will get them in 7...just barely.

Lakers fans like anon are in for a nasty shock if they think the Celtics are washed up. KG a has been? Check out this blog breaking down KG's defensive impact on his direct opponents during the playoffs:
http://www.celticsblog.com/2010/6/1/1495867/garnetts-shutouts#storyjump

Gasol is going to have his work cut out for him!

Also, while Kobe is the best player in this series, Ray Allen always plays well against him on both ends of the court. Kobe will find it a lot tougher matchup than he did J-Rich.

Artest is tough, but Pierce is smart, tough and very determined. He will find ways to score enough points and when he isn't scoring, Pierce rebounds and plays defence very well, even on quicker opponents like Kobe.

Boston's bench is better than 08 and its better than the Lakers, who may as well only suit 6 players. And I'm no Nate fan, but he could flat out embarass Fisher, who is a starter for the Lakers!

Kobe had Hill on him last series, not J Rich..But agreed, Allen does pretty well defending him, although this may affect Ray Ray's shot if he is chasing Kobe all game..

Anon, I'm not saying Nate will play much, just that if he does, he will give Fisher fits. As for Fisher's clutch shooting, I agree that he regularly makes the big shots, but that is not going to make up for how often his inability to defend will be exploited by the Celtics on the other end.

Re Gasol, my point was not to denigrate him, but to show that KG is NOT past it and has been dominant against all comers in the playoffs this year. Everyone is focussed on Rondo's play, but the #1 reason the Celtics are back is because KG is quarterbacking the Celtics defence once again. You only have to look at last season's playoffs to understand how KG transforms his team.

We will see how Gasol goes this time - if he can score consistently against KG the entire series, the Lakers win. But in 2008, KG was able to keep him under control and I think he will do so again.

Artest does defend Pierce better than most, but he doesn't shut Pierce down. Check his stats v Artest here:
http://forums.celticsblog.com/index.php?topic=38285.0

The post from Spicoli on that page pretty much sums up what I think about Pierce v Artest: that Pierce will be a bit less efficient than usual, but will still be effective. Boston will primarily look to exploit backcourt mismatches in this series, so Ray and Rondo should be their highest scorers.

As far as the bench goes, it'll primarily be Davis, Sheed and Allen v Odom, Farmar and Brown. Odom is the best all around player of that bunch, but his achilles heel is that he can't shoot. So if you shut him down at the basket as KG has consistently done, Odom's impact falls away a lot. Farmar has always struggled agains the Celtics and while Brown looks to have some athletic ability, he has been inconsistent when I've seen him.

On the flip-side Davis and Tony Allen have both played their roles very well in the post-season and even Sheed has woken up and played well. Davis has consistently shown he can knock down the open jumpshot, as well as play good D, so he is very valuable off the bench. Tony has cut down on the bone-headed plays and is a constant threat to make a steal, score on the break, or score on a smaller player like Fisher. Sheed is the only question mark, because he hurt his back against Orlando, so he may revert to regular season Sheed, which would be bad for Boston.

Just put Artest on Rasheed one on one for 7 games, now that would be a series!

Or an advertisement for the US' mental health system.... ; )

The main points for me in this series is how aggressive Rondo plays, who wins the KG/Gasol match up and what contributions each team get from their bench.

Boston in 6.

Series now locked at 1-1 following a triple double by Rondo and Ray Allen knocking down 8 three's!

Boston can win the title by winning all three of their next home games!