Celtics VS Lakers: Championship Bout 2010!

Meeting for the 12th time to decide the National Basketball Associations championship, for the year 2010...

In this corner...The BOSTON CELTICS! :

The Boston Celtics are a professional basketball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, playing in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners L.L.C. and coached by Doc Rivers, with Danny Ainge as the President of Basketball Operations. The Celtics' 17 NBA Championships are the most for any NBA franchise. The Celtics' greatest domination came from 1957 to 1969, with 11 championships in 13 years, and eight in a row (1959-1966), the longest consecutive championship winning streak of any North American professional sports team. They currently play their home games at TD Garden. (from Wikipedia)

And, in this corner...the LOS ANGELES LAKERS! :

The Los Angeles Lakers are a National Basketball Association (NBA) team based in Los Angeles, California. The Lakers play their home games at Staples Center, which they share with their fellow NBA rival, the Los Angeles Clippers, and their sister team, the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA.[1] The Lakers are the current NBA champions after defeating the Orlando Magic in the Finals 4 games to 1. In June 2009, basketball analyst and writer John Hollinger ranked the Lakers as the greatest NBA franchise of all time.[2]

The Lakers' franchise was founded in 1946 in Detroit, Michigan before moving to Minneapolis, where the team got its official title from the state's nickname, "Land of 10,000 Lakes."[3] The Lakers won five championships before relocating to Los Angeles in the 1960–61 season. The Lakers lost all of their eight appearances in the NBA Finals in the 1960s, despite having help from Elgin Baylor and Jerry West. In 1972, the Lakers won their sixth title, first in Los Angeles, under coach Bill Sharman. The Lakers' popularity soared in the 1980s when they won five additional championships during a nine-year span with the leadership of Hall of Famers Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy and coach Pat Riley, the franchise's all-time leader in regular season game wins and playoff games coached and wins. Two of those championships during that span were against their arch-rivals, the Boston Celtics. From 2000 to 2002, the Lakers won three titles consecutively with the help of Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, and Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson. After losing both the 2004 and 2008 NBA Finals, the Lakers captured the championship for the 15th time in 2009, defeating the Orlando Magic four games to one. (wikipedia)


The history of the rivalry...basically:


The Lakers and the Celtics have met a total of 11 times (will meet twelth time) in the NBA Finals, with Boston winning the first eight meetings, and Los Angeles winning the next two. After the Celtics won the series against the Lakers in the 2008 NBA Finals, both will meet again two years later in the 2010 NBA Finals.

This is one of, if not the most, storied rivalry in professional sports. The setting for this years championship couldn't be more awesome....Celtics won the championship by beating the Lakers 2 years ago, Lakers won it last year, but didn't get to face the Celtics for revenge.

(Here is the entire Wikipedia entry describing the historic rivalry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakers_celtics)

Now is the Lakers chance for revenge, and a chance at back to back championships. But, this Celtics team isn't seeing it that way. Not at all. All the Celtics can see is the number 18 !!!!!

The next couple of weeks is going to be hoops heaven.

Let me just make a suggestion here, regarding the vehement emotions that arise in fandom....before posting a heated comment regarding the flagrant foul you just saw committed, or how bad the refs are treating your team...

I'm going to post some team info for the Celts in this post.

edit: Damn! What I thought would fit into this box turns out to get all jumbled up and unreadable when it actually gets here.

So, until I find something suitable and informative....here are some pics of cheerleaders...

I'm going to post some team info for the lakers in this post

More cheerleaders....

I don't mind if you leave the cheerleader pics up for a while.

Lakers win games 1,2,4,& 6. They will lose by 30 in game 3.

Rajon Rondo gets dunk of the year- a two hand power slam over greasy Pau Gasoil.

oh yay the celtics vs. the lakers never would of expected this not even watching one game of that garbage just had this finals in 08 nba is getting played out. always the same fucking teams.

go lakers!

danimarie193 said:

go lakers!

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Go Celts!!!

trichosaurus said:

Go Celts!!!

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For the longest time when I was skid I thought that mascot was the penguin from the Batman TV show.

Symbols In The Garden...

Symbols In The Garden...

Blank banner says it all for Celtics
By Jessica Camerato
Created 05/30/2010 - 2:15am

It’s been there the entire season, quietly hanging above the practice court as a constant reminder of the ultimate goal.

There are no words on it. No pictures, either. But the empty canvas tells the story of a team on a quest for greatness.

“I look at it every day,” Paul Pierce [1] told WEEI.com. “Every day.”

At the start of the season, 18 banners hung above the court at the Boston Celtics [2]’ practice facility. All but one had world championships printed on them. But the last one, the one placed on a wall to itself next to the 2008 banner, was blank.

Yet the message on it was clear.

It represented the Celtics’ championship mission and served as a reminder the entire season.

“Just going to the gym, you know what you’re playing for,” said Ray Allen [3]. “Based on our ability to be together and do our jobs, we can put writing on it. That banner’s going to sit there but the better we are, we can stamp that banner.”

The Celtics were introduced to the banner before the start of the 2009-2010 season. They were coming off a postseason cut short by injuries, both disappointing and frustrating as the window of opportunity began to shrink on a veteran team.

But with the return of Kevin Garnett [4], the continued development of Rajon Rondo [5] and the revamped bench, among other factors, the Celtics believed they had the potential to attain the ultimate title for the second time in three years. That confidence was addressed from day one.

“I think Doc (Rivers [6]) from the first day brought the team in and said this is why we’re here, this is what we’re trying to achieve, and we’re not a team that’s trying to feel its way throughout the season and see what happens,” one player recalled. “This is our goal and that’s going to make us different from any other teams.”

Rivers wanted his team to understand the significance of the banner, although it was not meant to be a part of everyday discussion. The point was to become inspired, not infatuated.

“It’s there, they know it’s there,” Rivers said. “We’ll look up there every once and a while. I want them to know it’s there. But other than that, I don’t talk about it that much.”

Rivers didn’t need to say much because the Celtics are no strangers to silent reminders. In 2008, a spotlight shined in a vacant space next to the 1986 world championship banner. That spot is no longer empty, just as the players hope the banner will not be empty after June.

“It means a lot to us,” said Glen Davis [7]. “I think especially to the whole team, just knowing that we can write our own banner. There’s something special about that.”

The Celtics seemed to be on that path at the beginning of the season when they got off to a 23-5 start. The team was thriving with Garnett back from knee surgery and the starting five seemed stronger than ever. The reserves were also deep with the additions of Rasheed Wallace [8] and Marquis Daniels [9].

But then injuries hit and one-by-one key players were sidelined. The momentum began to slow down, communication wavered and domination was lost. The group that once looked poised to reclaim the Eastern Conference [10] lost to the worst team in the NBA [11] and finished the regular season with an uninspired 27-27 stretch.

As the Celtics battled through inconsistencies, the banner remained. It was one of the only constants throughout the season.

“At certain points [we talked about it]. We had to continue to remind ourselves this is why we’re here, this is what we’re trying to achieve,” said Shelden Williams [12]. “The conversations we had with the team, a lot of the veteran guys kind of brought it up and said, ’This is what we’re trying to do, this is what we’re trying to accomplish, and we’re not doing it right now. Our head is somewhere else and we have to go ahead and everybody get on the same page,’ and that’s something we weren’t doing at those times.”

That all changed when the Celtics entered the playoffs with a blank slate. They have tabulated a 12-5 record through the first three rounds and are headed to the NBA Finals [13] playing their best basketball of the season. Now there are only four wins separating them from their 18th banner, and its significance has been magnified in the final stretch.

“It means that there’s a lot of work left to do.” said Pierce. “Our goal at the beginning of the year was to put some writing in there. So we’ve still got some work left to do.”

As the Celtics hit the practice court to map out their game plan to win it all, the banner that hangs high above the floor doesn’t seem so far away anymore.

“I looked at it like [wow], we’re close to it,” said Kendrick Perkins [14]. “That’s how I looked at it, we’re close to it.”

Hal said:

I'm going to post some team info for the Celts in this post.

edit: Damn! What I thought would fit into this box turns out to get all jumbled up and unreadable when it actually gets here.

So, until I find something suitable and informative....here are some pics of cheerleaders...

Click to expand...

Go Celts!!! We have sexier cheerleader too. 18 here we come,go green!
I grew up hating the lakers and still do,although I respect the hell out of Phil Jackson.
Here we go celtics here we go,stomp stomp!!!

All the way baby!!

GreatLakes THC

I've not been a fan of the NBA since the Jordan era, but the last year or so I find myself watching games and appreciating the plethora of good young talent in the league.
I think this Celts-Lakers series will be one for the ages: two historic franchises; a squad of vets (Celtics) trying to claim one more ring before time passes them by; an all-time great player (Kobe) trying to cement his legacy while still in his prime.
I expect this series to be more evenly matched and competitive than the '08 Finals. And I expect Boston to win in 7.

I saw this on the Onion today. Pretty funny... and applicable.

http://www.theonion.com/articles/report-celtics-lakers-finals-to-allow-sportscaster,17518/

I'm still in rest mode for the next 24 hours, but I will resume my shit talking tomorrow night. It may or may not spill into this thread.

NBA playoffs are so exhausting. I love it

Matchups...

Matchups...

Here is a piece written on a Celtics blog called Red's Army. You Lakers fans should post something similar from a Lakers blog.

Match-ups:

PG: Rajon Rondo vs Derek Fisher

Chuck: While Rondo should have his way with Fisher on offense, he also needs to dominate this match-up with defense. Wear down Fisher by pressuring him full-court and stick to him on the perimeter. If you minimize Fisher's clutch jump-shooting, you take a big weapon away from LA. EDGE: Rondo

John: The one thing Fisher can do is nail the open jumper. Rondo can destroy Fisher at the point of attack on both ends of the floor... which will be the first domino to fall in this matchup. Fisher will have some serious problems initiating the offense against Rondo. If Rajon can come up with a couple of straight-up steals per game, then the C's are going to be in a very good place. EDGE: Rondo

SG: Ray Allen vs Kobe Bryant

Chuck: Kobe scared the hell out of me with his closing performance in Game 6 vs the Suns. But the more shots Kobe takes, the greater the chance his teammates begin to stand around and watch. If Kobe spends time guarding Rondo, Ray needs to make them pay. EDGE: Kobe

John: Ray just needs to stay in front of Kobe and force him to be a jump shooter. It's the best he can hope for... then maybe what Chuck said will take effect. EDGE: Kobe

Wild Card: Kobe vs. Rondo, Fisher vs. Allen

Chuck: Ain't it funny how Kobe guarded Rondo in 2008 so he could stray and help out against other players and now he's the only Laker with a shot at stopping him? While Kobe is not as quick as Rondo, his length will help make up for the lost step. On the flip side, if Rondo gets caught guarding Bryant, expect Kobe to methodically back him down and shoot his patented fade-away jumper. EDGE: Kobe

Like I referenced above, Ray has a decided advantage versus Fisher. Even if Fish can stick with Ray through all the baseline sprints and screens, Ray will be able to shoot right over the top of him. EDGE: Allen

John: Kobe will automatically get the edge on anyone he's up against, but the edge gets a lot smaller when he's facing Rondo. Rondo is clearly a lot quicker than anyone on the floor, so he can, if he bears down, actually prevent Kobe from getting to the hoop. Meanwhile, Kobe can't play off Rondo like he did a couple of years ago. That would lead to Rondo having a repeat of the Cavs series. And if you want to take Rondo out of the half-court offense and let the Big 3 go up against Fisher, Artest and Gasol... I say go for it. Kobe gets the edge here because he's Kobe, but it's not as big a spread. EDGE: Kobe

Meanwhile, Ray will decimate Fisher in this matchup. He'll be able to shoot straight over Fisher every time he touches the ball. Fisher would get picked left and right and would get run down pretty quickly. Ray is still the best catch-and-shoot guy around... and there's no way Fish can keep up. I'm salivating over this matchup. So much so... I'm begging Phil to put Kobe on Rondo. EDGE: Allen

SF: Paul Pierce vs Ron Artest

Chuck: Remember how hard Pierce had to work to get shots vs LeBron? He's going to have to work even harder against Artest. Expect Ron-Ron to play super-physical and try to rattle and frustrate Pierce. Pierce can counter this by not forcing the action. He also must continue his superb rebounding. EDGE: Even

John: Pierce's offense will definitely take a bit of a hit against Ron Ron. Mr. Queensbridge is looking forward to this matchup and he'll do what he can to shut Pierce down. A couple of years ago, Paul will still get some of his shots off, but he won't be able to upfake and draw fouls on Ron the way he did against Matt Barnes. Ron might hit a couple of shots as Pierce helps on D... enough to even this out. EDGE: Even

PF: Kevin Garnett vs Pau Gasol

Chuck: Gasol has played great this post-season, but he's faced under-sized and finesse opponents... until now. Gasol's passing skills are also neutralized because the Celtics won't need to double-team. If Pau cheats to help on penetration, it would be nice to see Garnett find his jumper. EDGE: Even

John: Gasol is mentally weak, and he will disappear against KG's defense. He might show flashes, but so will KG... since we all know Gasol isn't exactly a defensive menace out there. KG has stepped up his D throughout the post-season... so all this talk about how great Gasol is will not continue. KG ain't who he use to be... but he can still cut Pau down to size. EDGE: Even

C: Kendrick Perkins vs Andrew Bynum

Chuck: How long can Perk go without collecting a technical foul and the one game suspension that comes with it? How effective can Bynum be with a bad knee? I expect these giants to battle to a standstill. EDGE: Even

John: Bynum is a more polished offensive game than Dwight Howard, but he wont' be able to flash it with his knee being the problem that it is. Cue Lakers fans bitching again because this injury, combined with Perk's D, will limit Bynum to a point where he's completely ineffective. Perk isn't really part of the Celtics offense, but he'll make sure Bynum isn't part of LA's offense either. EDGE: Even

Bench: Wallace, Davis, Allen & Robinson vs Odom, Farmar, Vujacic and Brown

Chuck: While Odom is the best of all the bench players (when he shows up), the Celtics have more depth. Sheed can also hold his own defensively with either of the Lakers starting big men. EDGE: Celtics

John: Look at all of the players who've made significant contributions in the playoffs for each team. Odom is the only guy for LA who has done anything of note. And while he's a starter-quality player... you can't rely much on the other guys. Meanwhile, the Celtics have gotten significant contributions out of Sheed, Baby, Tony Allen and, now, Nate Robinson. The Celtics have more guys who can do more things. EDGE: Celtics

Coach: Doc Rivers vs Phil Jackson

Chuck: I drew the ire of many Lakers fans when I predicted Doc would match wits with the Zen master in 2008 (For those with foggy memories who refuse to believe Phil screwed up, click here). While Doc is on a roll with his moves, I just can't give him the edge over a guy with 10 rings. Edge: Even

John: I get it. Phil's the "Zen Master." And the fact is that he's one of the best coaches in the history of the game. I'll give him the respect that is deserving of a coach with his resume. But Doc Rivers has masterfully guided this team through a season where even some of the most faithful (one of which may or may not be co-authoring this post) wrote them off. Doc has complete control of this team. The guys look to him... they listen.... they respond. Call me a homer if you want, but the job Doc Rivers did this year is amazing, and he's got his guys ready to finish this job: Edge: Rivers

Who'll go off

Chuck: Rajon Rondo. Remember his performance in the Game 6 clincher in 2008 (21 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 6 steals)? Expect similar numbers for the entire series.

John: Ray Allen. Rondo will have a great series, I'm sure... but I fully expect Kobe Bryant to check him... and sort of keep him in check. That means Ray will draw Fisher, and go off when he gets clean look after clean look at the basket.

Who needs to be stopped

Chuck: Pau Gasol. Unlike John, I respect Gasol's game. Since there's really no way to stop Kobe, the Celtics need to choke out the Lakers second best offensive option, and that's Gasol.

John: Gasol is a good choice, but I'll go a little outside the box and say Lamar Odom. When Odom is playing great, the Lakers are too. When he's not, the Lakers aren't either. And if the Celtics can shut him down, then their bench will give them virtually nothing. Our starters can match theirs... so if our bench can outplay theirs, the C's will win.

The C's will lose if

Chuck: The rebounding. I must have typed those words under that caption 99 times this season. The Celtics turned a -1.5 rebounds per game differential in the regular season into a +1 differential in the playoffs. They must maintain this level of play on the boards.

John: 100% agree. The Celtics defense will force some tough shots. The Celtics absolutely CANNOT screw themselves by giving up offensive boards after forcing a miss on a possession. The Lakers are big. Gasol isn't a monster rebounder but he's tall and he'll get to a few if you let him. Same with Bynum. And really, the biggest threat on the offensive boards might be Artest... who'll do what he did to the Suns... sneak in when you turn your back and stare at the shot and burn you with a put back.

Remember when Doc said watch Pierce's rebounding numbers to see if he had a good game? This is where it will be more true than ever.

Predictions

Chuck: Celtics in 7. Series MVP - Rondo

John: Celtics in 6. Series MVP: Ray Allen

Sounds like it will be pretty evenly matched...resulting in an instant classic!

Hal said:

You Lakers fans should post something similar from a Lakers blog.

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All I found was this






I need a valium. I'm already in agony. How am I supposed to concentrate at work tomorrow with all this epicness about to go down?!?!?!

At least we got home court this time.

Hahahahahaaaa!

Good one Kingsley!

I tried to give ya some rep but was told to spread it around before hitting ya again.

Epicness is a damn fine word for this battle, even if it isn't really a word.

Regarding home court advantage....most people who follow the NBA say that advantage is neglible once the playoffs start, although, everything else being even, I'd rather have it than not.

That being said, the Celts are just about the best road team in the NBA this year. All adding up to more EPICNESS!

As a Sacramento Kings fan, I already know whats going to happen. The lakers will have to win game 6 so that they can get the most out of the ads for game 7. So in game 6 the refs will make completely outrageous calls for the lakers over and over, thus insuring that there is a game 7. Basically I hope that Boston beats the shit out of them in the series and it would really make me happy if LA's players got some limbs and organs ripped out of them and feed to the homeless of LA. Really I can't express the hate that I have for LA. They are low down, dirty scum. Hanging is too good for them. Beheading them isn't enough. They should be torn into tiny pieces and throw into a land fill somewhere in new jersey(because in Jersey they won't notice the smell).
Rant Off.

Hal said:

Regarding home court advantage....most people who follow the NBA say that advantage is neglible once the playoffs start, although, everything else being even, I'd rather have it than not.

That being said, the Celts are just about the best road team in the NBA this year. All adding up to more EPICNESS!

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you know the Lakers have closed out their last 5 playoff games out on the road....

Grendelkhan - its been a while for you to still be harboring that kinda anomosity... true fan for sure. I miss the competetion w cowtown