Boston-LA: Hoping For A Seven-Game Classic
- Wednesday, June 2, 2010 10:38 AM
- Written By: Harry Parmenter
So we're less than 48 hours out from what we all hope will be the most memorable seven-game series of the 21st Century. As I've said before, it'll have to be a monster to top the 2005 Spurs-Pistons series, but we've got bigger markets, bigger names and bigger history for a start.
Who will guard Rondo? If it's Bryant, he's run ragged all over the floor and has to find that secret energy reserve (which he always has) to get it up on the offensive end. This leaves Fisher on Allen, which the RaynMan should dominate. But don't underestimate Fish and his multiple rings. And Brown and Farmar will have to step up, as well as contend with the reborn Nate Robinson, who will come out firing.
On the side we get the mainman match: Pierce v. Artest. The modern-day Rodman, Ron Ron could conceiveably give P Squared fits, but then again Pierce could make Q1 interesting by drawing early fouls and forcing Artest to the bench. Then we get Odom v. Pierce. Odom shows up at least every other game and with his Kardashian bride on the sidelines expect him to Bob Beamon his way through the finals.
In the paint,
I'd put KG on Bynum. KG is old and dinged. Bynum is young and dinged. Draw. That leaves Perkins and Sheed to shadow Gasol, another key to the outcome.
The Celtic bench rules on paper, but I'll go out on a limb and predict either Brown or Farmar wins one game with an out-of-nowhere offensive thrust.
The crowd and the coaches: Dead even. Lunatic fans on each coast, and Glenn Rivers will match every move Action Jackson makes.
Inevitably it will come down to Kobe v. Boston. As everybody not living under a rock knows, Bryant is the best baller on Planet Earth. Yet Boston has the better TEAM.
I have no idea who will win, nor does anybody else. The fact that SI's "experts" pick Boston four to two, just as they almost unanimously picked Cleveland to win it all at the start of this craziness, makes me think Kobe and Co. will win.
Of most concern to me is Games 1, 4 and 7 are slated for Thursday nights, MY sacred hoop night. What was wrong with Weds/Fri/Sunday, Herr Stern?
Must be about ad dollars.
Bring on the action, cuz when it's over we'll be left with MLB until football kicks in.
