NBA Finals

[Mitchell]

This thread hopefully will grow when we know who the Eastern Conference champion is. We may know by midnight tonight, if the Celtics can defeat the Pistons in Game Six.

While the Lakers did have home court advantage in the Western Conference Finals, they looked like a team on a mission, as they defeated the 2007 NBA champion Spurs relatively easily. Several years ago, everyone thought "The Lakers cant advance far in the playoffs without Shaq O Neal". Well, they made it back to the Finals.

While we know that the Celtics and Pistons are very, very formidable teams, and either will have the home court advantage in the Finals, which often means so much. The Lakers look zoned in, especially Kobe. He has been magnificent through this entire postseason. Additionally, the Lakers themselves know that while home court advantage is important, they had such in the 2004 NBA Finals, and lost in five games to the Pistons.

One added question for the Lakers is this: They had the home court advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs, but won big games on the road at Utah in the Western Semis, and then at San Antonio in the West Finals. If they can do that, whose to say they can't sweep their three NBA Finals games at Staples Center, where they are undefeated in the postseason this year, and steal a game at either Boston or Detroit?

I'm not going to make any predictions about winners, until we see who represents the East. However, sports fans know that hot teams often emerge with championships in the playoffs, and the Lakers are white hot right now. Even with home court advantage as theirs, I have a feeling that Boston or Detroit is going to have a very difficult time beating L.A, and may well not succeed in their quest.

Mitch

 

[C.K. Storyteller]

I'm just hoping that Boston gets a 10-15 point lead at the end of the fourth quarter, and I can hear the Detroit fans start a "Beat LA" chant. . .

 

[jaba]

i'm a laker fan, but theres no way unless youre crazy that you pre plan a champagne party when either Kevin Garnett or Chauncy Billups is on the other side of the court. Detroit beat my lakers in five games in the finals in 2004, and Boston beat the lakers pretty bad in their regular season match up this season, although granted, the lakers didnt have Pau Gasol at that time.

Any bets made on either the Celtics or the Pistons in the NBA finals wouldnt be the worst investment in history, and just might make someone some pretty decent cash in vegas.

 

[C.K. Storyteller]

I didn't get my "Beat LA" chant, although I honesty thought the Pistons would win it.

Well, the NBA now has its big-time finals.

Don't screw it up, David Stern. . .

 

[Mitchell]

I'm having a difficult time deciding who I believe is going to win this series. Boston won 66 games in the regular season, and has home court advantage, which means so much. However, the Lakers have much experience when it comes to Finals play. This will be Kobe's fifth trip to the Finals, and as we all know, Laker coach Phil Jackson has been to the Finals eleven times, as both player and coach. I believe that Finals experience could well mean so much in a series like this, with guys like Garnett never having been to basketball's "big dance". The Pistons went against the "home court theory", when they beat the Lakers in 2004, but, that was one of only a handful of times when it happened in the Finals. The Lakers won a championship in 1985 when they didnt have home court advantage.

My call: It will be a great series, but experience in the Finals will prevail. I say: Lakers in six. I believe the Lakers will sweep the three home games in L.A, and win a game in Boston.

Mitch

 

[jaba]

I'm having a difficult time deciding who I believe is going to win this series. Boston won 66 games in the regular season, and has home court advantage, which means so much. However, the Lakers have much experience when it comes to Finals play. This will be Kobe's fifth trip to the Finals, and as we all know, Laker coach Phil Jackson has been to the Finals eleven times, as both player and coach. I believe that Finals experience could well mean so much in a series like this, with guys like Garnett never having been to basketball's "big dance". The Pistons went against the "home court theory", when they beat the Lakers in 2004, but, that was one of only a handful of times when it happened in the Finals. The Lakers won a championship in 1985 when they didnt have home court advantage.

My call: It will be a great series, but experience in the Finals will prevail. I say: Lakers in six. I believe the Lakers will sweep the three home games in L.A, and win a game in Boston.

Mitch

I'd obviously have no heartburn if your prediction comes true, mitchell, but the Celtics big three are hungry for rings, and the lakers are young and have a tendency to get rattled under the spotlight, and that’s when they panic and kick the ball over to a triple teamed kobe, hoping for a miracle.

The Lakers have a great chance because of their talent and youth, but if they are not on their mental game, that youth and inexperience will come up to bite them.

 

[primetime]

Oh hell yeah!!! What a matchup this will be! Los Angeles vs Boston. West meets East. The evil Celtics face the Lakers. This is going to be fun.

Paul Pierce, a native of LA, already started the war by leading his teammates in a "Beat LA" chant. That chant burns me more than anything. Celtic greats like to remind the Laker fans that they are 8-2 against them in the Finals. Now that Boston and LA are playing, we are going to see true NBA legends popping up like weeds. The history of this matchup is fun to experience. Not since 1987 have the Lakers and Celtics rumbled for a world title.

Boston will be tough. Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce now have an opportunity to win a championship. But, the LA Lakers led by NBA MVP Kobe Bryant are also hungry for a championship. This matchup has so many intriguing stories. If the Lakers win, they win their 15th championship, one shy of the Celtics 16. If the Lakers win, Phil Jackson passes Red Auerbach for most championships by a coach. If the Lakers win, once and for all, they will prove to everyone Kobe CAN WIN a title without Shaq.

The matchups are very interesting. The question is, "who's guarding who?" No one on the Celtics can guard Kobe. Does Garnett guard Odom or Gasol? Does Odom or Gasol guard Garnett? Derek Fisher takes on Rajon Rondo, I give the edge to Fisher. Ray Allen doesn't scare me at all. He's a good shooter, but he doesn't strike fear in me. The Celtics are a great defensive team, but the Lakers have the edge by having a better bench. Phil Jackson obviously have the coaching edge against Doc Rivers, but the Celtics have home court advantage. This is going to be fun.

Lakers in 6. What else am I supposed to say?

 

[cj22]

Conspiracy?

I'm glad to see that it is a Celtics-Lakers matchup. You know who else is glad? David Stern. The previous Pistons-Spurs final matchup was one of the lowest rated in history. Which leads me to this question. Does anyone think that there was some shadiness in either of the conference final series? I mean that no-call foul on Barry at the end of game 4 was the obvious "question", but does anyone think that this goes a little deeper? Try to keep your biases out of the way if you are a fan of either team.
Here is what raised my brow.....game 1 of the Lakers-Spurs series, the Spurs are up by 20 in L.A. Then low and behold the Lakers make a magical run, which good teams do. I'm fine with this. HOWEVER, when the Lakers tied the game up and time was running out, who took the clutch shots for the Spurs? Udoka!! Are you kidding me?! He shot like 3 or 4 times in a row. You're telling me Poppivich, with all his experience and having Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili as options would run plays for this guy?! I don't buy it. I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but the combination of this and the Barry incident smells fishy.

 

[primetime]

If there was truly a conspiracy, Boston/LA/Chicago/New York would be in the Finals everywhere. There would be no such thing as a "Spurs-Cavaliers" matchup in the Finals. The Spurs would NEVER be champions if there was truly a conspiracy.

Now, about the Brent Barry foul. I am a die hard Laker fan. Yes, it was a foul. A TWO shot foul. BUT, I say "One bad call deserves another". Look at the Laker possession before the "foul". Fisher's shot grazed the rim. You can see the ball changed directions. It was no airball, the ball fell off of Robert Horry and it is SUPPOSED to be Lakers ball. But, the officials thought it didn't hit the rim and the Lakers were left with 2 ticks left on the shot clock. Had the clock reset like it was supposed to, the Lakers would have been shooting free throws and the Brent Barry "foul" would have never happened.

One bad call deserves another.

 

[jaba]

Oh hell yeah!!! What a matchup this will be! Los Angeles vs Boston. West meets East. The evil Celtics face the Lakers. This is going to be fun.

Paul Pierce, a native of LA, already started the war by leading his teammates in a "Beat LA" chant. That chant burns me more than anything. Celtic greats like to remind the Laker fans that they are 8-2 against them in the Finals. Now that Boston and LA are playing, we are going to see true NBA legends popping up like weeds. The history of this matchup is fun to experience. Not since 1987 have the Lakers and Celtics rumbled for a world title.

Boston will be tough. Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce now have an opportunity to win a championship. But, the LA Lakers led by NBA MVP Kobe Bryant are also hungry for a championship. This matchup has so many intriguing stories. If the Lakers win, they win their 15th championship, one shy of the Celtics 16. If the Lakers win, Phil Jackson passes Red Auerbach for most championships by a coach. If the Lakers win, once and for all, they will prove to everyone Kobe CAN WIN a title without Shaq.

The matchups are very interesting. The question is, "who's guarding who?" No one on the Celtics can guard Kobe. Does Garnett guard Odom or Gasol? Does Odom or Gasol guard Garnett? Derek Fisher takes on Rajon Rondo, I give the edge to Fisher. Ray Allen doesn't scare me at all. He's a good shooter, but he doesn't strike fear in me. The Celtics are a great defensive team, but the Lakers have the edge by having a better bench. Phil Jackson obviously have the coaching edge against Doc Rivers, but the Celtics have home court advantage. This is going to be fun.

Lakers in 6. What else am I supposed to say?

thats the key, Prime. Finally, the lakers have guys who can knock down shots when a double or triple teamed kobe kicks out to them. Fisher And Gasol make teams pick their poison now, And when Sasha And Vlad get hot, the lakers can really go on a rampage. The missing element the last few years was a reliable second and third option for the lakers when kobe is covered or denied the ball. You notice how Odom has blossomed when he doesnt have to be the second option focus? He's one of the toughest matchups in the NBA when you find the right position for him on the team.

can anybody speculate why the Celtics had so much trouble on the road in the playoffs? I honestly expected more dominance from them in the post season.

 

[C.K. Storyteller]

Can anyone explain to me the reason for having the games start at 9 PM EST / 6 PM PST ?

Will anyone on the East Coast be watching?

 

[Mitchell]

It's all about TV ratings. There seems to be something about having championship games in playoffs, except for the Super Bowl, start at 8 or 9pm. Look at the World Series, and the Stanley Cup Finals. All of those games start between 8 and 830, and arent over until between 11 and midnight. The networks and sponsors want to make sure as many people as possible are home from work, on both coasts, and in front of the TV, for advertising purposes.

Mitch

 

[C.K. Storyteller]

All I know is that I have a number of students planning to watch the games live, which means that if their parents let them, they'll be crashing around 12:30 - 1 AM EST.

I can understand the advertising dollars involved, but is that the only thing Stern is considering?

 

[primetime]

I am wondering why viewers on the East Coast are even shocked that the Finals will begin at 9pm EST/6 PST? This has been happening FOR YEARS. You must accomodate the West Coast viewers as well. 6pm is early for us as most of us get home usually later than that. ALL Major sports have the same time frame. Why is the time even a discussion? Monday Night Football? 9pm EST/6 PST. This is nothing new...

This series is going to be good. It is a chance to see the NBA's two greatest franchises go at it for the top prize. I am very excited...

GO LAKERS!!!

 

[Mitchell]

I have to agree with prime as well. MNF and the NBA Finals have always been on at these times, and, for about the last quarter century, so has the World Series. Bottom line: If you're a sports fan, and watching any sport's championship round, and want to see it in it's entireity, you're going to be attending work or school on less sleep, lol. I did this to watch my Braves in the postseason for years. It's just how things are.

Mitch

 

[P[a]pi]

Go Lakers!

Kobe get that damn 4th ring!

 

[zepp3320]

the problem is the games are just too long with the extended tv timeouts. if the games were two and a half hours no one would complain about the later start times for east coast viewers. however some of these games are taking 3 hours which is ridiculous for basketball.

 

[P[a]pi]

Hmmm... well, if the Lakers are only gonna win 1 of the first 2 in Boston then it'd be game 2.

They gotta win 1 of the first 2. Win game 2 guys!

I wish game 2 was Sat. not Sun. What the hell?

 

[jaba]

I just thought of another potential sub plot watching the introductions.

Laker Luke Walton's father, Bill Walton, was on the Celtics roster, and won the 6th man award that year, the last time the Celtics won the Championship.

Kind of interesting.

You can bet Papa Bill is yelling young Luke's ear off right now...Luke played lousy...he has to step up his game, and I think he will, if only to keep loud mouth papa quiet.

the first game was pretty much as I expected...the younger laker players got rattled and lost confidence...young laker bench standout Jordan Farmar disappeared out there, and took lamar Odom with him at times, which they have been known to do on occasion...Jordan knows better, he had many high profile games at UCLA during the NCAA finals, but this is a different stage, and he needs to get his head right.

I would not have been suprised by a boston mini blowout win in this first game, and actually it's kind of encouraging to see the game so close for so long. I predict another Boston win, followed by laker back to back wins in front of their own home crowd...and when the young lakers realize that this Boston team is actually beatable, this series will REALLY get interesting.....

And the Academy Award oscar for the best drama acting performance in a NBA finals game goes to Paul Pierce, for his back from the dead act........

 

[P[a]pi]

Hmmm... well, if the Lakers are only gonna win 1 of the first 2 in Boston then it'd be game 2.

They gotta win 1 of the first 2. Win game 2 guys!

I wish game 2 was Sat. not Sun. What the hell?

Crap, we should have stolen game 2. Vujicac shouldn't have shot that shot when Kobe imbounded. He should have been more patient and gotten Kobe the ball.

Well, now we gotta when all three games in LA, and if we don't we're done. Oh well, Kobe and Fisher got three rings and everybody on the Celtics has zero. So, it would be fair for the Celtics to win.

 

[jaba]

Crap, we should have stolen game 2. Vujicac shouldn't have shot that shot when Kobe imbounded. He should have been more patient and gotten Kobe the ball.

Well, now we gotta when all three games in LA, and if we don't we're done. Oh well, Kobe and Fisher got three rings and everybody on the Celtics has zero. So, it would be fair for the Celtics to win.

This series is going pretty much as I anticipated it would. I'm actually suprised that the lakers kept the first game as close as they did. I think that when the lakers get back to los angeles and some home cooking, they will win two of their three home games. If they win all 3, then I will really pull my chair close to the T V and pay attention, because then the lakers will show me that kobe is not the only one on the team who really wants to fight for a ring. The Celtics are doing a great defensive job on kobe, and Lamar Odom and the other lakers are doing the disappearing act that pissed me off at times during the season, kicking the ball out to kobe even when they have an open look at the basket, and kobe is covered with celtics like a blanket. Hopefully, some of the laker confidence in their own shots will come back when they get back home, so this series will get interesting.

 

[jaba]

Crap, we should have stolen game 2. Vujicac shouldn't have shot that shot when Kobe imbounded. He should have been more patient and gotten Kobe the ball.

Well, now we gotta when all three games in LA, and if we don't we're done. Oh well, Kobe and Fisher got three rings and everybody on the Celtics has zero. So, it would be fair for the Celtics to win.

actually, celtic reserve and former clipper Sam Cassell has two rings from prior championships, (Houston?), but the rest of the celtics want their own bling too! 😛

 

[P[a]pi]

This series is going pretty much as I anticipated it would. I'm actually suprised that the lakers kept the first game as close as they did. I think that when the lakers get back to los angeles and some home cooking, they will win two of their three home games. If they win all 3, then I will really pull my chair close to the T V and pay attention, because then the lakers will show me that kobe is not the only one on the team who really wants to fight for a ring. The Celtics are doing a great defensive job on kobe, and Lamar Odom and the other lakers are doing the disappearing act that pissed me off at times during the season, kicking the ball out to kobe even when they have an open look at the basket, and kobe is covered with celtics like a blanket. Hopefully, some of the laker confidence in their own shots will come back when they get back home, so this series will get interesting.

I pretty much agree with all of that haha.

But, if one player on the Celtics shoots more free throws than the entire Lakers team, then the Lakers don't have a chance. I wouldn't be suprised if the refs were told to make sure the Celtics win the first 2 games, so the series can go 6 or 7 games, and everbody can make more money.

Steroids in baseball, video-taping in football, refs determining games in basketball. It's all pretty sad.

actually, celtic reserve and former clipper Sam Cassell has two rings from prior championships, (Houston?), but the rest of the celtics want their own bling too! 😛

Yep, you're right. He won 2 with Hakeem, Drexler, Horry and Kenny "the jet" Smith. I forgot about him.

 

[primetime]

This series is some major bullsh*t. Hopefully with the Lakers back home, we can get some calls, find some balls and beat the holy hell out of the evil Celtics.

I know Paul Pierce is from Inglewood, California, but I lost respect for him when he dissed his own hometown. I know he plays for the Celtics. I know he wants Boston to win because that is who pays him, but c'mon, why does PAUL have to lead the beat LA chants? Screw him and his knee injury. Everyone knows his knee isn't as bad as he is making out to be.

If the Lakers lose game 3, might as well call it a wrap. For the love of all of Los Angeles, Lakers PLEASE WIN.

 

[Mitchell]

I think that the Lakers will win Game Three. In reality, Game Two was really about two things: A Celtic blowout in the beginning, and then the Celtics blowing it, and a furious Laker comeback at the end that fell short. The Lakers did not play well for most of Game Two, and then the Celtics really were awful in the fourth quarter.

It would greatly surprise me if the Lakers didnt win at least two games at home, and send the series back to Boston. Kobe Bryant. and Phil Jackson, have been to the Finals too many times, to just fold up the tents, and go home, and we really dont know how the Celtics will react going on the road, and not having thousands of people cheering them on.

Mitch