Laker fans rooting for Celtics, want a rematch...

[Roy Hobbs]

Hate this blurb from the writer. 

Caking Red Auerbach in even more of Phil Jackson's dust would be sweet, but even if Phil never wins another title, neither will Auerbach. Pole position remains permanently established in PJ's favor.

Yeah, classy. 

[BudweiserCeltic]

Tony is certainly quick enough and can defend the jumper well enough to do work on Kobe.  I have all the confidence in his defense after his work on Wade, and then Lebron. 

In the finals of 2008, after Pierce, Tony was Kobe's best defender... through his short stints. Followed by Ray then Posey... though Posey had that great game 6, though you still have to give a lot of credit to the defensive scheme in that game, we were closing and helping much better.

[BostonIrishGuy]

God I hate the Lakers and their fans. Biggest bunch of crybabies out there. I would of course welcome another Lakers vs. Celtics finals. I think it would be a great series, maybe even go 7 games. That Laker team (I hate to admit) is better than the '08 version our C's played.

Some matchups that would be interesting:

Rondo vs. Fisher: I would expect Rondo to completley dominate Fisher on offense, and I wouldn't be surprised if Phil Jackson puts Kobe on Rondo and puts Fisher on Ray Allen. Either way, even though Fisher is a savvy veteran and can make big shots, I like Rondo in this matchup

Pierce vs. Artest: This should be interesting. It depends if PP can get in rhythm early, then he should be fine. But Artest is playing well in these playoffs, and I was impressed with him vs. Durant when they played OKC. I think Pierce will need to take whatever opportunities he gets, but also the penetration Rondo gets will be key to free up PP. Otherwise, Artest's D may be serious trouble for Pierce. Artest is a straight up pitbull who the Lakers brought in specifically for a series like this vs. a team like the C's.

KG vs. Pau: I thought KG defintitely got the better of Pau in 08. I think this matchup hinges alot on Bynum's health. If it is KG vs. Pau - this could almost be a wash as they are both playing very well right now. But if Pau has to play center and Bynum is limited by his knee, watch out. I don't think the Lakers have anyone to guard KG (sorry, I don't think Odom can stay with KG down low). Pau's size and length could bother KG, so I think KG will have to keep making those mid range jumpers in order to take Pau away from the basket and make him work on defense.

Perk vs. Bynum: This should be interesting. I like how Perk has defended Dwight Howard so far in this Orlando series. If he can play that type of D on Bynum, we'll be good to go. Plus Bynum's injury could play a factor here. On the flip side, if Bynum can provide the Lakers with some post defense and rebounding, that could be a big boost for them and something they were sorely missing in the 08 Finals. This is definitely a key matchup.

Ray Ray vs. Kobe: Ok, I'll admit the Lakers have the edge here. But - as I've mentioned before, I dont think Kobe will be guarding Ray all the time. I do think Ray and Tony Allen will be guarding Kobe, and that will be a tough matchup - but if the C's were able to do a good job on Lebron, then they can do this as well.

Bench play - seems to me that the C's could get a slight edge here, but the Lakers may have the better 6th man (Lamar Odom), so this could be close to a wash. Depends if Sheed can still keep contributing, if BBD can provide solid post play, and if Tony Allen can play some good d on Kobe, then the C's will be ok.

Should be a great series. Go Celtics!

[Rondo2287]

On a similar topic, who do you think we would match up better against, the Suns or Lakers?

[BostonIrishGuy]

On a similar topic, who do you think we would match up better against, the Suns or Lakers?

For me personally, I'll take the Suns. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing like Celtics vs Lakers - but at the end of the day its all about getting banner #18 up in the rafters at the Garden right? Phoenix has a young team (other than Nash, Amare, and Barbosa) and has not played on the big stage yet. They also don't have the big men that can bang down low - Channing Frye, Robin Lopez (maybe if he's not hurt) are decent, but not as difficult to defend as Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, and Lamar Odom.

I just think the C's have that championship edge over the Suns, where as the Lakers have actually won a title last year, have been in the Finals two years in a row, have the home court this time, and are looking for a measure of revenge against our C's. Not to mention they've got Bynum and Artest this time around. Give me the Suns....but bring on the Lakers if that's who it is.

[jdpapa3]

On a similar topic, who do you think we would match up better against, the Suns or Lakers?

I'm starting to think the Lakers. We're the team that is best equipped to handle Gasol and Bynum. The Suns' small ball scares me because Perkins can pretty much be guarded by Frye and Frye can hurt us with 3's. But this is largely dependent on how Lopez integrates. Lopez in would probably help us.

Also helps that Bynum is saying his knee has gotten worse after rushing back. He has a legit meniscus tear that is probably expanding.

[RAcker]

So confident and wrong at the same time. If I were them, I would be praying to all things holy that the Magic beat us.

That is exactly what I thought.  Why would anyone in their right minds want a piece of us right now. 

Derrick Fisher vs. Rondo or if they use Kobe on Rondo, Derrick Fisher chasing Ray all series?  Wow.  That worked out well in Game 6 back in 2008 didn't it?  What'd Ray hit, 7 3's that game?

Our bigs match up with them better with anyone as well.  Let them wish for whatever they want.  I hope to stomp anyone and anything in our way into the dust.

[misha]

So confident and wrong at the same time. If I were them, I would be praying to all things holy that the Magic beat us.

That is exactly what I thought.  Why would anyone in their right minds want a piece of us right now. 

Derrick Fisher vs. Rondo or if they use Kobe on Rondo, Derrick Fisher chasing Ray all series?  Wow.  That worked out well in Game 6 back in 2008 didn't it?  What'd Ray hit, 7 3's that game?

Our bigs match up with them better with anyone as well.  Let them wish for whatever they want.  I hope to stomp anyone and anything in our way into the dust.

Yep, I like our chances against LA. We matchup very well to beat the dark side of the force. I think Orlando is a more tougher opponent.

[Roy Hobbs]

On a similar topic, who do you think we would match up better against, the Suns or Lakers?

I think we match up well with either team, but I'd rather face the Suns.  I think they're an inferior team, and I don't want even the risks that the Lakers will beat us.

[LarBrd33]

I don't blame Laker fans for wanting to play the Celtics in the finals... if they were able to beat the Celtics in the finals it would legitimize the 2009 title they shouldn't have won.   KG was out last year...  KG WAS The 2008 Champion Celtics.  Without KG, the champ never defended his belt.   Lakers won by default. 

[footey]

I am just waiting for the "it doesn't count, because Bynum is hurt (again)" excuse. 

[Mr October]

This video sums up the feelings in LA between their 2009 title and the preseason of this year...... before we were forgotten.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baTurbG4v-8&feature=related

Throughout this season, Laker fans have said they've forgotten about game 6 in 2008, and are over it, and wanted Lebron.... But deep down that wound still burns.

Go Celtics!!

[Mr October]

I wonder which teams is stern rooting for.

in the last 2 Cav games we seemed to be in favor official wise, and i got to my crazy conspiracy theory thinking that maybe just maybe stern wants a LAL BOS finals rematch, which would generate sales out the roof.

loll

I tell you this much without a doubt:

Stern wants nothing to do with Suns vs. Magic in the finals.

[LakerPete]

From a Laker fan's perspective, let me explain why I'd like us to play the Celtics.

It isn't at all about what would be easier. I believe that Boston has a significantly better chance of beating the Lakers in a 7 game series than Orlando does. The Celtics have a degree of length and physicality that Orlando can't match, aside from Howard, of course. That's the only way to beat the Lakers, IMO.

But of course we'd like revenge from our end. It doesn't make it a certainty that it would happen, but we'd [dang] sure like a crack at it. And on a more practical note, we'd have Home Court Advantage whereas we wouldn't against ORL.

You guys seem pretty confident, but I think that there are a couple of factors that make a potential rematch different than the '08 Finals.

First and foremost, the Lakers will have gone from having Luke Walton & Vladimir Radmanovic guarding Pierce to having Artest doing so. Defensively, that's just about the biggest swing imaginable. Pierce was able to get to his spots with incredible ease against two players that have no business being contributors on a championship team. That isn't the case anymore.

Secondly, Rondo is a much more integral part of your offense than he was in '08. His minutes decreased significantly in Games 3-5 in that series because you guys were much more effective with House spreading the floor. That option isn't available anymore. Rondo's gotten quite a bit better, but Kobe tends to do well when guarding PGs that aren't all that great from outside. (ala Westbrook in the first round) Ray Allen running around screens concerns me though. We have no one that's good at that, and he killed us in '08.

I also think that Bynum's presence, albeit hobbled, helps against your team more than most. Your bigs pushed our bigs around in '08, and that's a lot more difficult to do with Bynum as he has a wide base and utilizes his length. I also don't think that KG is as physically dominant as he was in '08. I've always felt that he was the true MVP of that series, not Pierce. He's still a brilliant defender, but I don't see him overwhelming people with his physical gifts anymore.

There are also some intangibles to consider, as this Laker squad is battle/playoff tested in a way that the '08 team wasn't. Remember, that season started with Kobe wanting to play on Pluto and ended in the Finals. On the other hand, the Celtics were the prohibitive favorite once the KG & Allen deals went down. That Laker squad wilted in '08...but a lot has happened since then.

I've been watching basketball for a long time, and if both teams are playing at their peaks (as they are now), this may very well be the best Finals matchup since '87.

[ACF]

Welcome to CelticsBlog, LP. As you'll find out, if you bring intelligent stuff to the table, you'll have great conversations and you'll enjoy being here (Just ask MMacOH).

But... Let's say we beat the Magic and you beat the Suns. Then you must

Prepare yourself to be traumatized.  That has very little to do with Celticsblog, and much more to do with the Celtics.  The entire world seems to be underestimating this team, and you're about to get a hurting. --Roy Hobbs