This NBA Fan's Dream! by MP

You wanna know some of the reasons why the Celtics are gonna beat the Lakers again? Here are a few: guile, guts, seasoning, veteran toughness, experience and savvy. The Celts have all of 'em and these are the fabric of a Championship team and exactly why I like Boston to win all the beans and the 2010 NBA Championship! More than that I am just totally geeked to watch the Lakers and Celtics again in Finals! How can someone not be?

Oh wait a second you forgot about Boston because they weren't the prohibitive favorite? Let me guess you like what teams look like on paper, not what comprises a team and the qualities of a champion? You are surprised the Celts are in the Finals, the Cavs and LeBron were the team right? Wrong! The Celts did what all savvy vets do, they paced themselves. They came into the playoffs as a 4 seed. They didn't kill themselves to get a top seed and not have the juice to finish it off. They handled LeBron and the boys with ease and took care of the heartless Magic in 6. Who do they remind you of? Well how about the aging Spurs who came in the playoffs as a 7 seed and beat number 2 Dallas. The same Spurs have done it in years past, resting Duncan, Ginobili and squad in the meaningless regular season for a deep run in the playoffs. A little mix of Rajon Rondo and no matchup for him, some good health, plenty of Ben Gay, some time in the whirlpool and the Boston Celtics are positioned right where they need to be to win this whole shootin' match.

Let's talk about matchups. Ask anyone who knows anything about the Association and they will tell you that is the key to any series. Who exactly is going to check Rajon Rondo? Derek Fisher? I hope not Laker fans. You saw him get shredded by Russell Westbrook and Deron Williams. I would argue that Rondo is an even tougher cover than those two. That means you have to use Kobe on him which does what? It frees up Ray Ray and Pierce to wreak havoc on the Laker D. I am talkin lots of 3 balls if Pierce continues the way he played in the Magic series. Further
on matchups, the Lakers have benefited as well by basically outsizing their opponents in the playoffs. LA has gone over the top all playoffs long to Gasol and his ridiculous wingspan. LA now has to deal with comparable size in Boston. Gasol is tough and very long, but Bynum is just pathetic. Outside of size what does Andrew Bynum give you besides the reason to carry extra trainers on your staff? KG and Pierce are healthy from nagging knee troubles and Perkins is a wide body that can match up with the Laker bigs. Kobe is Kobe and he may average 35 in the series, but he is slowly moving past it. Has anyone noticed he is not getting off the ground like he used to? Honestly it really it is tough to argue with Kobe or Gasol, they are both great players and Kobe is an all-timer. The J's Kobe reigned on Phoenix in Game 6 tells you all you need to know about that guy! The supporting cast and matchup trouble is where the issue lies. Artest is a great defender but doesn't know how to run the triangle and you can't depend on his J. He won't be making a living on garbage hoops in this series! Odom is THE most inconsistent player in the NBA period. Fisher is old and Bynum is a waste of time.

Age is obviously the knock on this Boston team but they may have the best YOUNG player in the playoffs in Rondo. He has brought youth and spirit to the elderly Big 3. Big Baby is a nice role player, who hopefully recovers from the bell ringing he got at the hands of Dwight Howard, and Doc can get em to play one more series. A relatively easy series with Orlando helps the legs and that goes a long way for a group of vets. Speaking of Orlando, has anyone seen a weaker playoff player than Vince Carter? He is tissue soft and had one of the worst performances I have ever seen for a guy that is talked about as good.

My main man VC will probably take the Lake Show, and probably for no better reason than the fact he hates the Jayhawks and Paul Pierce. I think he likes arguing with me too. He certainly won't be able to argue with what I have here. The Lakers will be favored, but weren't Cleveland and "Mr. Hype" Lebron James favored too? Both Boston and LA had conference finals go 6 games, but Phoenix was much tougher than the disappointing Magic. Don't forget a little internal strife on my side as their man at the helm Phil Jackson is being courted by other teams in the league most notably Chicago. I really can't say I blame him as Dr. Buss has asked the winningest Coach ever to take a pay cut? Wow, bad play LA!

This is the 12th time the Celts and Lakers meet in the Finals with Boston having a stranglehold on the series lead at 9-2. This is what it is all about! I love it, take me back to the 80's with Magic and Bird dominating the NBA. You are talkin about two of the starters on the All-Time All-Anything squad. And those supporting casts? The Slippery eel Kevin McHale, and the Chief Robert Parish? Big Game James Worthy and Kareem? Throw in DJ and Cooper? Forget about it! This is a rare opportunity to view the beauty of pro hoop and the world's greatest athletes. You get to watch two of the most storied franchises in sports history and it is the second time since 2008 you get to see it!

Hoop fans sit back and enjoy this one. And for the record you can put it in the books, you read it here first, the Boston Celtics in a great 7 gamer and another all-time classic! And if you are a gambler, the Celtics as an underdog is as good as it gets!