By Matt Rochinski
bobcats.com
June 5, 2008

Conference Finals Predictions | Second Round Predictions | First Round Predictions

Tonight is the night.
The rivalry will be renewed.
History will repeat itself.
And more than likely, Malinda Murray will pick another series right.
When the Los Angeles Lakers step on the court at the T.D. Banknorth Garden (that still doesn't sound right to me, by the way) and tip things off against the Boston Celtics somewhere around 9 p.m. (EST), the Dream Finals will begin. It's going to be two of the NBA's most-storied franchises going at it for the Larry O'Brien NBA Championship Trophy. So who is going to win?
I'd suggest asking Ms. Murray, who is an unbelievable 13-1 through the first 14 series on the 2008 NBA Playoffs. Let me repeat that - 13-1! That's insane.
The way I figure it, if anyone should know, she should know.
If anyone will be able to talk you into your pick, Bobcats Television Play-By-Play Announcer Steve Martin will be able to do so. And at 10-4 overall, Steve would probably give you a pretty good shot.
If anyone should flip a coin... well, that would be me. At 7-7, it's painfully obvious that I have no idea what I'm doing - especially after picking a Pistons-Spurs Finals.
With that being said, here are our picks for who will take the hardware home this season:

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2008 NBA FINALS
BOSTON CELTICS (1-EAST) vs. LOS ANGELES LAKERS (1-WEST)

MURRAY: When the playoffs began, a Lakers-Celtics matchup was many people’s dream Finals. Not only were the Lakers and the Celtics the two top seeds in the playoffs, but theirs is a rivalry steeped in tradition. The Lakers and Celtics have faced each other 10 times in the Finals and the two teams have accounted for 30 championships.
While the history between these two teams is unquestionable, it’s not the past that’s going to decide the outcome of this Finals series. That will come down to the players that step on the court tonight.
The Lakers have been impressive throughout the playoffs, sweeping Denver in the First Round, getting by the Jazz in six games in the Second Round and taking care of the defending champion Spurs in the Western Conference Finals. Everything just seems to be clicking for the Lakers as they try to capture their first title since 2002. A large part of L.A.’s success can be attributed to Kobe Bryant. Arguably the best player in the NBA, Bryant has been phenomenal in the playoffs averaging 31.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.8 assists.
He has the ability to take over games and the Lakers will need big performances from him if they hope to take the series. The load can’t only fall on Kobe’s shoulders though. Throughout the playoffs, Kobe has received tremendous support from his teammates. The Lakers have averaged 105.9 points in the playoffs and the Lakers, as a team, need to continue to produce at that rate to give them a chance.
The Celtics though may be the team to trip up the Lakers. Boston has had a tougher road to get to the Finals than the Lakers. It took the Celtics seven games to advance in both the first and second round and six games to get by the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals, but each time they found a way to advance. Paul Pierce has stepped up when Boston has needed him the most averaging 30 points over the three deciding games. Like Bryant, Pierce has the ability to take over a game and he will have to do that again for the Celtics.
Boston will also need its other veterans – Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen – to perform at their highest level. Helping the Celtics capture an NBA Championship was the reason Allen and Garnett were brought to Boston and this is their chance to deliver. Boston has been a tough defensive team throughout the playoffs, holding their opponent to 87.3 points and they will need to get the same type of effort to win this series.
It should be a great Finals. Boston though with its group of veterans and the homecourt advantage will find a way to get it done and win its first NBA Championship since 1986.
PREDICTION: Celtics in seven.

MARTIN:By now you’ve had enough stirring the echoes of Celtics-Lakers series gone by. When they tip it off Thursday in Boston, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won’t be coming out of the tunnel at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston. It’ll be Kobe Bryant, Paul Pierce, Lamar Odom, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. Springfield hasn’t put the salutatory lockers together for these guys yet-although a couple could find themselves welcome in about 10 years.
If the coming Celtics-Lakers matchup for the 2008 NBA Finals wasn’t pre-ordained before the season began, then the plan fell into place when Pau Gasol became a Laker in February. With Gasol, the Lakers have the ultimate compliment to Kobe Bryant from an offensive standpoint.
But it’s defense that wins championships. We’ve had that ingrained into our minds and Celtics backers dearly want us to believe it. There’s very little to go on in this series from a comparative standpoint. They played twice before the end of 2007 with Boston winning both. They’ve not seen the Lakers with Pau Gasol. But they’ve seen Kobe Bryant and that may be enough for the Celtics to prevail.
The Celtics kept Kobe to a pedestrian 28 and 22 points, respectively, in their two meetings, both wins by the men in Green. I believe the Celtics will be very good a keeping Kobe where he likes to operate - on the perimeter. There’s no player in the league that can be goaded into taking more outside shots than Kobe. Henry Abbott, writing for True Hoop lobbed this statistic into the fray: Kobe was a combined 4-25 in two-point shots taken in the two-game series. While Tony Allen won’t be around to chase Bryant, Boston is a good team defense group, which is why they finished second in the NBA in scoring defense this season. They are also among the best in three-point field goal defense and my guess is that they’ll be tested from that distance a lot this series. That’s why I think the Celtics will take a 17th NBA Championship, beating the Lakers for the ninth time in 12 Finals matchups.
PREDICTION: Celtics in six

ROCHINSKI: What can I say? Not much with any justification when it comes to these playoffs apparently. If you only believe half of what I say, then believe this - the Los Angeles Lakers will win the 2008 NBA Championship... with at least half of that sure to be right, I can guarantee that somebody will indeed win this series.
So why am I taking Showtime over Beantown? Because this beat up old penny sitting here on my desk just told me so. Tails never fails, and - if you've read any of our past predictions, you know how much this pains me to say - neither will Kobe and the Lakers.
PREDICTION: Lakers in six

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