Celtics will be hard to beat

The Celtics took the hard route to the NBA Finals, needing twenty out of a possible twenty-one games to square off against the Lakers. With Boston now up 3-2 and heading back to Beantown, it's suddenly very hard to foresee anything but the Celtics hoisting the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy later this week.

Through the first three playoff rounds the C's struggled on the road and their celebrated defense, headed by Defensive Player of the Year Kevin Garnett, wore down under the physical play of big men like the Hawks' Al Horford and the Pistons' Antonio McDyess. But now the Celtics are the bigger and badder team and they've dominated the Lakers front court of Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol, players who are more finesse than physical. Even the expected loss of center Kendric Perkins shouldn't slow down the Celtics too much when the rest of the squad is playing exemplary team defense.

Anybody in doubt of Boston's defensive prowess need only look at Lakers guard and league MVP Kobe Bryant's numbers, which are down across the board. Bryant shot 51% from the field during the first three rounds of the playoffs. But against KG and Co.? A dismal 42% thanks to stifling individual D from Ray Allen and Paul Pierce and timely help defense. The Lakers offense is a finely tuned machine and the Celtics managed to rip out the ignition when they shut down KB24.

The Lakers did gut out two close victories and almost squeaked by with a third win on their own home court, but they'll find their work cut out for them when they head back to the TD Banknorth Garden for Game 6 and, if they're very lucky, Game 7. The Boston crowd will be loud and obnoxious and young teams like the Lakers are notoriously inconsistent on the road. The Lakers' bench has provided stellar play at times, most notably Sasha Vujacic's twenty-point outburst in Game 3, but they struggled in Games 1 and 2 -- both played in Boston -- and that was before the Lakers faced elimination.

This series will only go to a Game 7 if the Lakers can disrupt Ray Allen's newly-rediscovered shooting touch and plant themselves in front of Paul Pierce's newly-healed body. If Kobe and friends can get some stops on the defensive end then they'll have chances to run, which is the true strength of the Lakers offense. Shutting down L.A. will be hard work, but the Celtics have had plenty of practice this post-season and they know exactly what to do.

Lakers down 3-1 in NBA Finals

Sweet, sweet heartache. Game 4 of the NBA Finals was a game of bests and worsts. The first quarter saw the Lakers commit to their defensive schemes on every possession and run the floor with ease for an NBA Finals record first quarter onslaught of points. During the remaining three quarters, however, the Lakers set a different type of record as they allowed the Celtics to overcome the largest deficit in Finals history -- 24 points -- to steal a win in L.A.

The easy criticism is to say that the Lakers failed to play defense in the second half. Without the stops on one end, they were unable to push the ball as they did in the first twenty-four minutes and attack before the Celts could set up their defense, often freeing up open drives to the basket or uncontested three-pointers.

The Lakers revealed their youth and inexperience in losing Game 4 after they found themselves in a blowout situation within minutes of the opening tip-off and, most importantly, with most of the game yet to be played. The Lakers did have wide margins of victories in previous playoff games, including a thrashing of the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals. But in none of those contests did the Lakers reach a twenty-four point lead during the first quarter. It was an outstanding display of ball movement and unselfishness and it completely threw the Celtics off their game plan. Unfortunately, it also threw the Lakers off theirs.

It's unlikely the Lakers will find themselves with such a generous lead in the remaining game(s) of this year's Finals. Chances are they'll trudge through the grind-it-out style seen in earlier games and we'll see how quickly these young Lakers learn their lessons. They'd better learn fast if they don't want to suffer more heartache.

What to Look for in Game 3

Before Game 2, I laid out four things the Lakers needed to fall their way for them to win. They lost and, surprise, surprise, they failed to make headway on my key points. I'll briefly recap.

1) Paul Pierce's Health - Pierce was hitting his jumpers and rarely needed to beat his man off the dribble. If he's not 100% then he's close to it.

2) Celtics' Defense - The boys in green shut down the lane for Kobe and relegated him to tough jumpers all night - and they didn't fall for him.

3) Lakers' Shooters - Game 2 was a strong shooting night for the Lakers, but they didn't start hitting until the contest was too far out of reach.

4) Keeping the Score Close - The Lakers trailed by halftime and let the game slip further and further away until the final minutes of the game. Nobody is good enough to rely on that kind of comeback.

All four points must fall the Lakers' way for them to pull out a win in Game 3 and begin climbing out of their ever-deepening hole. And I add one more requirement.

5) Lakers Must Run - It's easy to say, but the Lakers must get more points in transition. They'll only manage this if they can get some stops on the defense end and limit the "C"s offensive rebounds.

Good luck Lakers.

What to Look for In Game 2

I still have the bloody fingernail stubs to show how much I enjoyed Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Fortunately, Game 2 offers the Lakers an opportunity for redemption after letting the last game slip through their fingers. Here are a few things I'll be looking at.

1) Paul Pierce's Health - I don't believe Pierce faked his injury, but I do believe he and the Celtics' trainers overreacted in the extreme. His return didn't inspire the Celtics so much as throw the Lakers off balance. How are you supposed to guard an injured player who doesn't play as if he's injured? Assuming The Truth is not at 100%, the Lakers should challenge him to put the ball on the floor instead of giving him open looks that led to back to back three pointers in Game 1.

2) Celtics Defense - Kobe and Paul Gasol have run the pick and roll to near perfection throughout the series. The Spurs were the only team to adjust and begin guarding against it, but that didn't happen until late in their series when it was too little too late. But KG and Co. made adjustments after the first half of Game 1 and anticipated several of Kobe's passes, which led to repeated turnovers in the final minutes of the game and stalled any comeback attempt. I'll be checking to see if the Celtics continue to defend the pick and roll and whether Kobe and the Lakers can make the adjustments.

3) Lakers Shooters - What killed me in that first game was how many open shots the Lakers missed. Kobe, Sasha, Walton, and Fisher all repeatedly rimmed out their shots. If the Lakers can drill their unguarded looks then I expect them to come out on top.

4) Keeping the Score Close - The early Lakers deficit in Game 1 forced Phil Jackson to shuffle his normal bench rotation. Kobe stayed on the court longer than usual and the lack of rest limited his and the Lakers ability to make a run in the second half. Look for the Lakers to come out with energy and keep the score close so they can rest their starters and finish Game 2 with a flourish.