Fisher's experience over the speedy Rondo is huge, especially significant at this position. With three rings, Fisher is not afraid to take the big shot. The struggling Ray Allen has been reminded of his verbal war with Bryant from a few years back when he said Bryant will become "more selfish'' minus O'Neal. Bryant responded by saying he and Allen don't belong in the same sentence. With Allen's inconsistent postseason and Bryant averaging in the playoffs 31.9 points on 51.9 percent shooting, Ray Allen may not belong on the same court with Kobe Bryant. Pierce could get winded if Celts need him on Bryant and some scouts believe Inglewood, Calif., native will play out of control. Perkins will have trouble containing Gasol, so he must get his points. The Lakers have relied on their bench much more than the Celtics. Sasha Vujacic gets it done on both ends, PG Jordan Farmar is steady, Ronny Turiaf is a low-post beast, Luke Walton has savvy and former Knicks draft pick Trevor Ariza will be dusted off for minutes defending Pierce. The Celtics' depth is still not a strength even with late pickups of P.J. Brown, who has been excellent, Sam Cassell, who has been spotty.
Lakers in six. Too much finals experience, too much Kobe, too much Zen.
--New York Post
Coach Phil Jackson is on a direct route to winning his 10th NBA title. The Celtics veteran trio of Garnett, Pierce and Ray Alien are thirsty. Although they have a combined 33 years in the league, none has played in the Finals. If experience is a prevalent measure, the Lakers have a decided edge. Furthermore, Doc Rivers, in his fourth year as the Celtics' head coach, is 20-22 in the post-season on the bench with the Celtics and Orlando Magic while Jackson is 191-80.
Lakers in six
--New York Amsterdam News
Already a lock for the Hall of Fame, Bryant is on a mission to win his fourth ring but his first as his team's top player. The 2008 MVP has never won a Finals MVP, another motivational factor. Bryant has done it before on this stage, whereas Garnett, Pierce and Allen are going to feel Finals pressure for the first time. Larry Bird, for one, thinks that could tilt the scales in favor of the Lakers when considering who is going to deliver in the clutch. The best defensive team in the regular season and playoffs, Boston has been almost perfect at home (10-1) in the playoffs, but didn't break through on the road (2-7) until the Detroit series. The Lakers have a winning road record in playoffs (4-3) and haven't lost at home since late March, a streak covering 14 games. The Lakers' bench is younger and deeper, but only Luke Walton has Finals experience.
Lakers in 6
--New York Daily News
Celtics in 4 2%
Celtics in 5 5%
Celtics in 6 49%
Celtics in 7 31%
Lakers in 4 1%
Lakers in 5 1%
Lakers in 6 9%
Lakers in 7 2%
--Patriot Ledger Fan Poll
PHIL STACEY: Lakers in 6 . Sorry, but the glory days of the 1980s aren't walking through that door.
MIKE GRENIER: Celtics in 6. Phil Jackson should never surpass Red Auerbach in terms of titles won.
MATT JENKINS: Celtics in 7. Big Three play with a sense of urgency, knowing their window is closing.
BILL KIPOURAS: Lakers in 6. The difference for the purple and gold will be No. 2 option Pau Gasol.
MATT WILLIAMS: Celtics in 6. The Truth is Lakers will have no answer for Finals MVP Paul Pierce.
--Salem News
Bryant is as good as any NBA player ever to step on a court.
Lakers in five
--Richmond Times Dispatch
Kobe and Sasha Vujacic make Ray Allen disappear, and Garnett and Paul Pierce can't compensate. Bryant one step closer to joining Jordan at the summit.
Lakers in five
--San Jose Mercury News
It will also end, in the time-honoured NBA tradition, with the best player on the floor drenched in splendour.
Lakers in six
--Toronto Star
Bryant has three rings but also has the most intense killer instinct in the league and wants to prove he can win a championship as the guy. He has demonstrated repeatedly he can take over at any point, and it's hard to go against the best player in the league, especially when he's backed by a better bench.
Lakers in 6
--Washington Times
Garnett and the Celtics think it's their time, but the Lakers have the best player and finisher in close games, the better coach, a Finals-tested coaching staff and stronger bench.
LAKERS IN SIX
--New Jersey Record
8 comments:
very funny!
i guess nobody consider how good Celtics defens was.
Also they just see that fakers bench produce more points so think they better: in fact Cs bench was far superior 'cause defend perfectly as the starters and put the ball in the basket WHEN NEEDED! Celtics offens dont need high volume scoring production from bench, this dont mean that they cant deliver or that is weaker than fakers.
All this prove that 99% of the so-called experts never play some real basketball, nor have a clue about how to build a winning team...
1111, you are up early.
So on a not totally unrelated point, are we gonna get anything out of Gabe Pruitt this year?
I say somewhere between him and Giddens we get some production.
lol, i'm not up early, i'm in Italy! :D
i dont have much expectation from Giddens (i think Tony Allen will have a great year and Giddens is almost a less-experienced clone) and few hopes in Pruitt: not my kind of PG, he looks like can do bit of everything but not excell in anything. I really hope they prove me totally wrong of course. ;)
Italy!
Whoa!!
What about Gabe Pruitt at the 2?
I'm thinking he's 6'4" and plays some D. He might stand a chance of getting some minutes at the back up 2 if he improved his game this summer.
Probably not, but Danny is pretty good with his second round picks.
yes he can, but the 2 guard is the spot most covered: Ray Ray, Tony, House, Pruitt and Giddens...
anyway i'm sure that if he can play, he'll. see Baby and Powe. i'm not afraid, if he dont find time it means he dont worth.
Yeah, you got that right.
The New York papers basketball coverage sucks and they're usually wrong. It's amazing to see how many people didn't believe in the Celtics and still don't believe in the C's quest to win #18 in '09.
Yeah, kid.
I don't know if you noticed, but the anti-celtics pundits were a huge source of material for me this year.
I don't know that it will be the same next year.
I'm starting to just tune them out.
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