NBA finals - Celtics, Lakers set to renew historic rivalry
Jun 01
It’s been a long time coming. In fact, it’s been more than 20 years since the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers have met in the NBA Finals.
Boston’s Big Three of Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce match up against LA’s finest in Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. It should be an entertaining best-of-seven series, which will become another exciting chapter in NBA Finals history. Both teams have been on a mission. The Celtics had the biggest turnaround in NBA history during the regular season, as they finished a league-best 66-16, a 42-win turnaround from a season ago. They struggled in rounds one and two, needing seven games to oust both Atlanta and Cleveland. Allen, Garnett and Pierce got some much needed help from center Kendrick Perkins, swingman James Posey and guard Rajon Rondo in Boston’s six-game series victory over the Detroit Pistons in the East finals. Each of the Big Three will be appearing in the NBA Finals for the first time. They are all All-Star players and have received much recognition throughout their storied careers, but a victory over the Lakers would be the most impressive entry on their resumes.
LA’s season took a turn when it acquired Gasol in a trade from the Memphis Grizzlies on February 1. Gasol was the low-post scorer the Lakers desperately needed, and he became the perfect compliment to 10-time All-Star Bryant, who captured his first NBA MVP for his outstanding regular season. The Lakers, who were the top seed in the Western Conference, finished the campaign with a 57-25 record and captured their first Pacific Division crown since the 2003-04 season. Bryant has continued his stellar work in the postseason. He led the Lakers to a sweep over Denver in round one, a six-game series victory over Utah in the West semis and a surprising 4-1 win against Tim Duncan and the defending world champion San Antonio Spurs in the conference finals.
There is history, star power, plenty of storylines and many intriguing statistics in this matchup. Will Bryant end his MVP season with the fourth championship of his career? Can Allen, Garnett and Pierce complete their journey to the promised land? Two of the elite franchises in sports have made it back to the big dance. This is great for the league and fantastic for the fans. It will all be settled on the hardwood.
Series begins on the 5th of June and airs on ESPN. For those like me not receiving ESPN on their cable network you can catch the match live, free on NBA.com.
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