By John Carroll, Scouts Inc.
The Boston Celtics have won three tough playoff series to advance to the NBA Finals. They have defeated the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic to earn the right to play the Los Angeles Lakers. The Cavaliers had the best record in the NBA, the Magic the second best, and the Lakers the third best. They have taken down some of the biggest stars in the NBA in Dwayne Wade, LeBron James and Dwight Howard. The Celtics are playing their best basketball of the year. They are relatively healthy, playing tremendous defense and are getting great guard play from Rajon Rondo.
The Lakers have beaten three very good teams on the Western side of the playoffs. They have beaten a young Oklahoma City Thunder team, a tough-minded Utah Jazz squad and the talented Phoenix Suns. The Lakers are a much better team than the team that lost to the Celtics in the Finals two years ago. They have played with Pau Gasol now for two-and-a-half years, and Andrew Bynum, who was hurt in the 2008 Finals, is available in this series and could be a huge factor for the Lakers. He has the ability to dominate the glass and score points in the paint for his team. Lastly, the Lakers acquired Ron Artest in the off season, and he will provide them with a tough, hard-nosed defender to put on Paul Pierce.
The Boston Celtics have won three tough playoff series to advance to the NBA Finals. They have defeated the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic to earn the right to play the Los Angeles Lakers. The Cavaliers had the best record in the NBA, the Magic the second best, and the Lakers the third best. They have taken down some of the biggest stars in the NBA in Dwayne Wade, LeBron James and Dwight Howard. The Celtics are playing their best basketball of the year. They are relatively healthy, playing tremendous defense and are getting great guard play from Rajon Rondo.
The Lakers have beaten three very good teams on the Western side of the playoffs. They have beaten a young Oklahoma City Thunder team, a tough-minded Utah Jazz squad and the talented Phoenix Suns. The Lakers are a much better team than the team that lost to the Celtics in the Finals two years ago. They have played with Pau Gasol now for two-and-a-half years, and Andrew Bynum, who was hurt in the 2008 Finals, is available in this series and could be a huge factor for the Lakers. He has the ability to dominate the glass and score points in the paint for his team. Lastly, the Lakers acquired Ron Artest in the off season, and he will provide them with a tough, hard-nosed defender to put on Paul Pierce.
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