And they said the Celtics had no chance

Posted by Randolph Charlotin June 18, 2008 at 9:44 am

The Lakers vs. The Celtics. The Rivalry renewed. Overwhelmingly experts picked the Lakers to win the championship. And who could blame them? Just compare all the elements and it’s easy to understand why LA won the popular vote.

Just look at what they did in the playoffs. The Lakers cruised through the tougher Western Conference, sweeping Denver, convincingly defeated Utah 4-2, then crushing the defending champions San Antonio 4-1 in the Western Conference Finals. The Celtics needed seven games to dispatch the lowly Atlanta Hawks and seven more to eliminate a one-man team in Cleveland.

Style points mattered as well. LA had the best offense during the playoffs. They averaged well over 100 points because they were the best passing team in the playoffs. Boston’s offense was inconsistent at best. They had to rely on their defense to bail them out in every round. Somehow they advanced two rounds with a slumping Ray Allen. Known for his impeccable jumper as a Milwaukee Buck and Seattle Supersonic, Allen slumped through the playoffs. Two good games at the end of the Detroit series didn’t make up for three bad rounds.

How can anyone not like LA in this series? They have the league MVP leading the team. Kobe Bryant is the best closer in the league. Check that, best player in the world! The guy is so good he gave himself a nickname of Black Mamba, one of the deadliest snakes on the planet. He can take over games and win practically all by himself. There’s only one ball between Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Allen. Sure they shared during the regular season. But they’ve been the man before. Will they compete for the chance to be the hero?

Not that Kobeis alone. The Lakers pulled off the crime of the season when they acquired Pau Gasol from Memphis. Without him, LA probably doesn’t reach the Finals. There’s also the young and energetic bench. The self-titled Bench Mob has been instrumental in the Lakers’ success during the playoffs. All Boston has to offer is a collection of unwanted veterans, a second-year point guard and a offensively challenged foul-prone center.

And the ringmaster of this team is the owner of nine championship rings. He is the one and only Zen Master, Big Chief Triangle, head coach Phil Jackson. He matches his mind against Doc Rivers who never won a playoff series until this year. I repeat: Nine Championships to zero series wins pre-2007.

Well opinions don’t win games. Past accomplishments don’t ensure future success. Three stars are greater than one supernova. Looks aren’t everything as no one can see the toughness learned through experience.

The Lakers were the trendy pick. But trends come and go. The Celtics were based on a less than glamorous foundation of defense and team play, tried and true practices that often lead to success.

A lot of opinions changed when the Celtics came back from a 24-point deficit to win game four and took a commanding 3-1 lead. The players knew that meant nothing. Four wins made all the opinions worthless and made the Boston Celtics champions.

And that’s a fact.