It's not a dream anymore !!

Celtics v/s Lakers

Yes, it's true !

All the die-hard fans of NBA that soaked the Celtics Lakers rivalry in the 80s were praying for this dream to come true this year the moment they saw rejuvenated Celtics with the presence of KG and Ray Allen and they saw Kobe working it out with his teammates. But the Celtics didn't live up to their 66-16 record in the Playoffs. Minnows Atlanta stretched them to the limit, Cavs almost got the better of them, but Celtics survived. They hung in there, exhausted and old yet with a grit not to give up.


Personally, i never saw them going past the Pistons. For Pistons were well rested and Celtics had played 14 games in 28 days going into Game 1 against Pistons. Pistons are playoff seasoned, having made it to the East finals 6 years in a row. Pistons are smart, they know how to make adjustments playing on road, they have unarguably the best bench in the league, their leader Chauncey Billups is a supercool guy and a great 3-point shooter. Prince had found ominous touch against 6ers and Rip was looking as dependable as ever. But the Celtics despite blunders in giving away handful turnovers, missing easy shots, came over Pistons much better than against Hawks or Cavs. Hmm ......

I saw a different Celtics in game 6 v/s Pistons. They managed to bounce back in 4th Q on road which they hadn't done before. The most important thing i saw there was, that their big 3, all of them lived upto expectation in the clutch. In game 5 i saw Kevin Garnett passing the ball while wide open and well inside his normal shooting range. That wasn't acceptable, not from KG. Yes he had scored consistently in the first half, but that doesn't condone the no-shot in the 4th Q. What makes you 'big' is how you perform under pressure, how you put everything on line so your team can get home. You are the one who the teams looks up to. Game 6, KG was in foul trouble and he had made only 4 of his 13 shots. But in 4th, when it mattered, KG stood up and made 2 crucial baskets. Despite his poor shot%, he did not pass. Paul Pierce was firing with all the gun-power he had, very much similar to game 7 v/s Cavs. Ray Allen had found his smooth touch very early into the game. This is what everyone wanted from Celtics. Finally they looked like the 66-16 team. Rajon Rondo was playing his usual share of mistakes, giving away fouls on Chauncey, missing shots, KG and Paul also missed free throws but that was not enough to let down their undying spirit. They were running hard, they were forcing steals and turnovers. They wanted to win.
Winning East isn't a job done.


Lakers - are looking better than they ever looked beyond the Shaq-Kobe era. If i would like them to be the champions is for the one and only Kobe Bryant. I mean you just can't imagine them winning w/o Kobe. He can draw 2 or even 3 defenders and create easy basket for you. He can hit basket out of nowhere, irrespective of double teams. He is THE man to pass the ball to when the clock is dying and pressure is mounting. That's the difference between Pistons and Lakers. All 5 starters of Pistons could be all stars but none of them is a superstar. And does that matter? YES of course, how many times you've seen Kobe bailing out Lakers single handedly. The most recent being game 1 against Spurs and even the game 5.

What happens against Celtics. The historic rivalry is revived yet again. If not for the game 6 between Celtics and Pistons, i had no doubt that it's going to be Lakers. They wouldn't have home court advantage for the first time this Playoffs, against Celtics. But they know what it takes to win on road. They smashed Nuggets twice in Denver and they silenced the mighty Spurs in their backyard. Moreover, Pistons showed in game 2 that Celtics are beatable at home. And if they can't find an answer to tie up Kobe (remember how Utah kept rotating 3 players against Kobe?) , Celtics absolutely do not stand a chance. With Fisher playing great in crunch time and Odom and Sasha and Radmanovic all capable of scoring, Gasol getting offensive boards creating 2nd chances, they have better line up than Celtics. Their young players have come out big under the wing of Kobe and look ready to take on the biggest stage of their careers. Celtics on the other hand still heavily rely on their Big 3, none of which, if i daresay, is as good as Kobe. KG would be close but only as long as he takes enough shots in the clutch. I have great respect for him and i want Celtics to win so KG can get a ring. Paul Pierce is a great player and he will have to have be le game 7 vs Cavs or game 6 vs Pistons in every game. Ray Allen will have to continue his clean hits. It's not easy to take the pace off the game when playing against Lakers who consistently score in 3 digits. Their best in the league defense will have to prove it yet again. Perkins and KG will need to control boards and stop Lakers from taking 2nd shots. They will have to work 150% on their offense, cos you can't miss shots and fancy winning against Lakers only of defense. If that were possible, Celtics would be playing Spurs and not Lakers. Talk about road games, and winning in LA would be the biggest test for the green team. But do they have to win there if they have home court adv ? Well YES, cos you never know when Lakers can steal the game from inside your pockets at your own home.

One good thing now is Celtics have time to rest and regroup or as KG said, to sleep ! But not without the upcoming face off against the MVP Kobe and his young brigade of Lakers at the back of their mind.