Lakers vs. Celtics in the 2008 Finals

[galex323]

do we have the old rivalry comin back to life its should be a good game what yall think?

[abc543@]

YEA I THINK SO ..NOW THAT THE TRADE HAS HAPPENED FOR LA

[Mcminister]

LA lakers is overrated celtics will fuck'em up anyday

[Mr.Bungle]

The NBA wants ratings. What better way than an old rivalry LAvs.Boston. It's fixed.

[Old Shatterhand]

I remember the rivalry the first time around . Looking forward to a second.

[Mr.Bungle]

What team/coast you with?

[Mcminister]

western...and san antonio......if the lakers beat tehm which wont happen..the celtics win the championship....hopefuly the nba ist rigged

[clipse]

....hopefuly the nba ist rigged

it is....

[YO-B]

FUCK the CELTICS.. LAKERS

[alexalonso]

do we have the old rivalry comin back to life its should be a good game what yall think?

pretty good prediction if it comes true. You picked the Lakers before they got Pau Gasol?

[Mcminister]

yea with all the mobb members bribing refs...and all the league commisionars trying to get the ratings up why not.

[AllhoodPublications]

No way I predicted a Western Conference Championship pre-Pau Gasol... I actually said they would win the West NEXT YEAR once Bynum had a good full season under his belt.. Gasol makes a world of difference because it allows kobe to spread the ball around and trust him to put the ball in the basket.. it also allows Odom to kick back with little pressure on him to perform...

Is the NBA rigged? I definitely believe so.. but i don't think the NBA has anything to do with the Lakers winning the West this year, nor do I think they have any say so as to if it is Boston or Detroit that the Lakers meet in the Finals.. I truly believe the NBA made sure there was less obvious cheating this season because of the betting scandals.. people don't understand sports have always been rigged, and moreso now because gambling is bigger that it has ever been in the past...

The Celtics have beaten the lakers 8 out of the last 10 meetings and won BOTH games against the Lakers this season. On the average day i don't think this Laker team can hang with the Celtics but given that the Celtics struggled series after series with much weaker teams and have had long series along with the fact that Ray Allen is playing terrible basketball I actually am hopeful the Lakers can pull out a championship without Shaq...

If nothing else, I think a series with Boston will be an exciting series and good for basketball fans as well as the nba.. however, it would be nice if Billups and Hamilton were healthy because the Celtics struggle against good defense and i actually thought Detroit would upset Boston in 7 games...

[NYTE_RYDA]

Basketball is a game of skill, physical ability and some luck all in the mix. So I would imagine it would be hard to completely "rig" such a sport. Do I think its rigged? Yeah a little, but you can only plan/fix so much in this sport with out it back firing on whoever is controlling things on the inside. The officiating in the NBA is the only thing that comes into mind that can be completely tampered with. I don't see players in this league willingly giving games away in order to fulfill a plan that could have been discussed on the inside prior. If thats the case then we as fans have been blinded by conspiracies that go on in the NBA for years and years with out any real evidence backing it. If the Celtics meet the Lakers in the Finals it will only fuel the controversy further more.

With all that aside. I don't think the regular season series with the Lakers and Boston should be taken as a foresight of what can happen in the Finals. After all didn't the Phoenix Suns have the edge on the Spurs during the regular season winning there series 3 games to 1? Look what happened during there opening round of these playoffs. The Spurs sent the Suns packing home back to the desert losers 4-1. Making all that regular season shit irrelevant. But if someone does choose to use that regular season as an argument, then they should also note that the Lakers had no Pau Gasol in the mix at the time, and one of those wins was very early in the season when the Lakers where still trying to find there identity.

No one thats honest could have predicted the Lakers to be back in the Finals so early. But, the way they have carried themselves through out much of the season and finishing champions atop of arguably the most difficult conference in NBA history along with the way they've carried out tasks in the playoffs should ride them rite into that trophy when all is said and done. Boston will only create problems for the Lakers in there ability to play just as quick as the Lakers and their ability to substain that type of play. The Celtics are just as young and just as inexperienced as the Lakers. Other than that the Lakers should not be doubted especially after everything they have done so far.

[alexalonso]

The Celtics have no answer for Lamar Odom. I think everyone else matches up. I think the LAkers bench is a bit better, but Lamar is the x-factor, and we know he can disappear. I would like to see Turiaf on Garnett to see if Turiaf can hand and muscle him to shoot that fade.

[WIP]

The Celtics are just as young and just as inexperienced as the Lakers.

no way RYDA Celtics got hella vets. Garnett Allen Pierce Cassell PJ Brown hell even Posey been around for a minute. all that aside LAKERS in 6

[Ice]

Both teams have no answer for the other team's top players...who's gonna guard KG? who's gonna guard Kobe? maybe James Posey can contain Kobe a little bit but it's still gonna be an open style series...Celtics in 6

[Mcminister]

garnett is gon fuck up that frail ass gausol

[NYTE_RYDA]

The Celtics are just as young and just as inexperienced as the Lakers.

no way RYDA Celtics got hella vets. Garnett Allen Pierce Cassell PJ Brown hell even Posey been around for a minute. all that aside LAKERS in 6

How much experience does Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen or Paul Pierce have in the Finals? NONE. Cassel is the only cat on that team that has any real experience with two rings.

[Mcminister]

The Celtics are just as young and just as inexperienced as the Lakers.

no way RYDA Celtics got hella vets. Garnett Allen Pierce Cassell PJ Brown hell even Posey been around for a minute. all that aside LAKERS in 6

How much experience does Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen or Paul Pierce have in the Finals? NONE. Cassel is the only cat on that team that has any real experience with two rings.

im gettin some feelin like kobe and them are gona beat them especially from how teh celtics played tehy are actin all nervous...pierc so confused he thinks the other teams bench is an enemy turf where he can throw his set up

[Young Deuce]

i say celtics in 6 or 7....

[alexalonso]

The Celtics are just as young and just as inexperienced as the Lakers.

no way RYDA Celtics got hella vets. Garnett Allen Pierce Cassell PJ Brown hell even Posey been around for a minute. all that aside LAKERS in 6

How much experience does Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen or Paul Pierce have in the Finals? NONE. Cassel is the only cat on that team that has any real experience with two rings.

Posey was a factor with the Heat in 2006, so the Celtics have 2 players with rings, and 0 players who have been to the finals. But both Cassell and Posey were role players.

Lakers have Kobe, Fisher, both starters with rings, and Luke Walton played for one in 2004.

[OG Cabrini]

celtics in 6 at the most...just trying the edit button to see if it works

[alexalonso]

garnett is gon fu-- up that frail ass gausol

I think that Rony Turiaf is the only body that can slow down Garnett. But I say, let Garnett get his 30 points, let him dance around Pau Gasol, and focus on the other players.

[AllhoodPublications]

I doubt Garnett can drop 30 even with a weak defender like Pau Gasol on him..

Garnett shoots the jumper more than he should, and he isn't the beast inside the paint on offense that he should be..he is a lock for 20 points per game but rarely does he take his game to a higher level than his every night performance.. then you have to figure Paul Pierce is going to get a lot of shots off, then theres Ray Allen, Posey and Rondo... collectively these guys will share the ball, especially if Sam cassell gets a lot of playing time..

I really don't think the matchups favor the Lakers nor does recent history, but if there is any positive factor for L.A. its the fact that they didn't have Gasol in the last 8 of 10 losses to the Celtics and Lamar Odom won't have as much pressure on himself as he has had in the past as the number two scorer.

Kobe will get his, the Celtics can't stop a good player from getting off, period.

[looney]

this isnt going to be a sweep, i'm picking La in 6 games.

[paingod]

Did anyone see that bull$#!% with Pierce? Being carried off the court like he was shot, then returning and going on a frenzy. The NBA is fixed! Trying to recapture old glory and boost ratings.

[NYTE_RYDA]

Yeah that was clearly acted out. Falling down with what appears to be some serious shit, being carried out on a wheelchair/teammates and having a face full of agony, but then as quick as it happens able to be back on the court and play as if nothing happened in the first place? Highly unlikely.

[AllhoodPublications]

I've heard a lot of kids saying the same thing, "it was fixed" but I think it was a case of modernized high potent drugs shot into athletes as a temporary- miracle cure, pain killer.

If owners and the NBA have the money to put high priced players on the court, and charge $25,000 for throwing up gang signs (more than what minimum wage salary for an entire year) then they definitely have enough money to buy the best doctors and the best treatment available for their players.

NOW.. what I seen was Doc Rivers telling his team he talked to them about overcoming adversity, and this was adversity. He instilled that in his players and he re-itterated that in the huddle when Pierce left the floor. The Lakers seemed to look very lost after that, just standing around.. not being aggressive... looking lost on both ends of the floor..

When Pierce returned they were in shock... Fisher and Odom made very stupid fouls down the stretch, Nobody boxed out on defense, everyone on the Lakers were looking for Kobe to save them yet again, but he couldn't. No one would fall for kobe's pump fake. They put their defense down and took the Lkaers out of the game... you must all know Boston has one of the best defenses in basketball, and they don't give up a lot of points....

With that said, i think the Lakers will be ready tonight... but will still be the toughest series for them all year, period.

[NYTE_RYDA]

Agreed

When Pierce returned they were in shock... Fisher and Odom made very stupid fouls down the stretch, Nobody boxed out on defense, everyone on the Lakers were looking for Kobe to save them yet again, but he couldn't. No one would fall for kobe's pump fake. They put their defense down and took the Lkaers out of the game... you must all know Boston has one of the best defenses in basketball, and they don't give up a lot of points....

With that said, i think the Lakers will be ready tonight... but will still be the toughest series for them all year, period.

Agreed, many call this series for the Lakers in 6, even if that plays out I do see this as their biggest obstacle yet. I called Boston would win game 1. However I do think they need to win game 2 in order to gain any type of momentum in the series. If they do I see the Lakers heading back home in control.

[clipse]

However I do think they need to win game 2 in order to gain any type of momentum in the series.

Well there goes that momentum. 2 down 2 to go. Time to stick a fork in, as you say "ya'll".

[AllhoodPublications]

Boston won the games they were suppose to win... just as the Lakers will win @ Staples Center... if Boston wins one in L.A. then its a wrap... if the lakers come out and win the next three.. i think 'momentum' as you say, will favor the lakers..

I never for once thought this would be an easy series for the lakers, the matchups favor Boston heavily.. but I think Phil Jackson will have his team ready with some adjustments.. plus Boston got all the calls, phantom calls and all in game 2.. it will be a different story in Los Angeles.

Since when does someone off the bench (Bostons team) get more free throw attempts than kobe bryant??? It was bad enough Boston gave Kobe a hard time on defense, but the officials made it even harder for him to stick Ray Allen with a couple of petty fouls...

Boston just ran over Radmonovic and Gasol.. and damn, Garnett just soars over gasol when rebounding, its pathetic.

[clipse]

Leon Powe???? lakers made him look like a all-star. going to the basket with ease.

Rondo was all over the court, getting rebounds over the lakers front court! And about those fouls? What did fouls have to do with Allen knocking down 3's right in kobe face? Peirce being wide open?