Rematch

1/30/2011 - Boston/LA Rematch:

Nothing provides impetus to spark up the 'ol blog like a mid-season game between the league's two most storied franchises . Because frankly, despite all of the interesting subplots of the NBA season, this match up is the only one that matters to me. If all of the hoops planets align, these two rivals will hook up again this June to play for the NBA championship. Its Ali versus Frazier of the basketball world and the Celtics are hanging on to a slim 1 game lead in overall championships.

The Lakers and Boston met for the first time this season at the Staples Center since their epic Game 7 of the Finals last year, which regrettably the

Lakers won after mounting a furious comeback in the last 6 minutes of the game,

to win their 2nd consecutive championship. Coming into this game, the Celtics and the Lakers had the 2nd and 5th best records in the league this season respectively, and both seemed to be managing the up and downs of the season

in order to prime themselves for another run to the championship. The Lakers came in not playing very well after having lost 4 of their last 7 and the Celtics had just been beaten in Phoenix by a mediocre Suns team.

No matter, when these two meet, hoops fans are never disappointed.

And did this game deliver ! Especially for us die-hard Boston Celtic fans.

The men in green pulled away from a very contested game late finishing with an 18-9 run to blow the Lakers out of their own building. It was a crazy ending.

My son and I were jumping

up and down for joy when Robinson hit the threes, as Pierce made every imaginable shot, as Allen nailed those silky smooth jumpers, and especially as KG put down that dunk on a breakaway towards the end of the game. How did a 91-87 game turn into a 109-96 blowout ? It all happened so quick. I was so completely engulfed in a blissful euphoria, I almost forgot how it happened.

The story of this game is a simple case of the 2 D's: Defense and Depth. The defense held the Lakers to a decades low 10 assists (10 assists), contained Gasol, Bynum, and Odom to 12, 11, and 15 respectively. More importantly they dominated the boards 43-30. We know the Celtics defense is the best in the league. They let Kobe get his points (41 as he became the youngest ever player to top 27K for his career), but no other Laker contributed enough points, especially in the critical moments of the game. And this is where the depth comes in. The Celtics Big 3 (Pierce, Allen, Garnett) tallied 32, 21, and 18 in their usual balanced effort.

The Boston bench outscored the Lakers 28 to 24, but more importantly contributed during the defining run (Davis and Robinson) while the Lakers starters and reserves watched and watched and watched as Kobe racked up more and more points. When you can throw in the more physical Perkins and Shaq at the Lakers soft big men, they wear down. Gasol was ineffective (only 6 rebounds in the entire game), and Bynum left the game with yet another injury. When you're banging around with the Celtics big fellas, you're eventually going to get hurt.

The formula for beating the Lakers is simple. Let Kobe have his (and the more the better) but shut down the rest of the team. The Lakers can't win when Fisher and Gasol score less than 20 points a game.

Boston's defense may not better than the championship team of 08-09, but it

is certainly deeper. The Celtics addressed their big weakness that caused their Game 7 meltdown last year, ineffective rebounding, by adding more big

bodies up front. The Celtics have so many bodies to throw at you it doesn't matter that Shaq didn't score any points. Just providing the inside muscle to wear opponents out is one big reason why he's going to be a difference maker

in the playoffs. And now with the return of Perkins and a healthy KG, this

team is dangerous.

The Celtics, unlike the Lakers, have a winning record against the elite teams of the league. The Lakers, on the other hand, have been soundly beaten at home now by both the Heat and now their ultimate nemesis. This doesn't project well for them in the post-season, not withstanding anything Jackson said in the post-game interview, when he asked sarcastically if this was the post-season. It was not, but it may well have been. When Boston and LA play, it's always intense, and Phil knows the Lakers lost a big battle and was in damage control mode.

Can't wait until February 10, when the two teams hook up in the Garden for the last time in the regular season.

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Can the Celtics play the Lakers in the NBA Finals this year ? Whether they can both reach the Finals this year is not a foregone conclusion, although the Celtics looks to have the easier road there.

That will not be an easy task for either club. The Lakers are not even the best team out West where the surging Spurs have posted an incredible 40-7 record. But the Spurs now have to go on their 9 game Rodeo road trip and where they're at after that grueling stretch will be a better indicator as to how they can set themselves for the playoffs. The Celtics, meanwhile, have the best record in the East, but they obviously have some very tough competition in Miami, Orlando, and even the surprising Bulls. But make no mistake about it, if the Celtics stay healthy (and that is a huge if due to their age), they are

by far the deepest and most balanced team. They showed that Sunday with their shellacking of LA.