Thursday, June 05, 2008
NBA Finals thoughts
The Clarion is not torn on the NBA Finals. Our hearts are clearly with the Celtics. Who doesn't want to beat L.A.? Who roots for Kobe Bryant? For us it K.G. all the way...
But, our heads, and if gambling were our bag, our wallets, are with the Lakers. It is mighty hard to predict against the team with the best player in the series, Bryant, and the best coach in the league, Phil Jackson. Jackson, incidentally, is trying to break the legendary Celtic headman Red Auerbach's record for the most championships, all-time, as a coach.
The Celtics have a puncher's chance. The 2-3-2 format of the series, two games in Boston, three in Los Angeles, two back in Boston, gives the Celtics one decided edge. To close out on their home floor the Lakers would have to win the series 4-1, that is a tall order against a team that won 66 games in the regular season. The Lakers also have no one who can guard Kevin Garnett. On top of that, Garnett and center Kendrick Perkins, plus P.J. Brown off of the bench, should give the Celtics a decided size advantage on the boards.
That said, the Clarion still can't talk ourselves in picking the Celtics, but we're rooting for them.
Labels: NBA, Predictions, sports
Comments:
I still don't understand why they stick with the 2-3-2 after not using the 2-2-1-1-1 format all through the rest of the playoffs. It's a decided advantage for the home team as it's pretty damn hard to beat one team three times in a row, even on your home court. that said, i like it in this series. i think if the celtics win Sunday (anbd pierce doesn't reinujure his knee) they take the series. so many of these series have seemed to hinge on the first game. the suns were way up on the spurs and never recovered after blowing that lead. same with the spurs against the lakers.
Totally agree that the 2-2-1-1-1 format is so much fairer to the teams and the game.
The league claims that the national and international media that come to cover the Finals would have to pay so much more for travel expenses under that format. (In this case coast-to-coast 4x, as opposed to 2x.)
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The league claims that the national and international media that come to cover the Finals would have to pay so much more for travel expenses under that format. (In this case coast-to-coast 4x, as opposed to 2x.)
