If we meet the Lakers in the finals this year...we are favorites right?

[chambers]

I've been watching their games religiously on league pass as I do with all the biggest threats to the Celtics.
They are playing INSANELY good ball right now. Much better than last year. Their offensive black hole Artest is playing poorly on offense but his defense is just as good if not better than last year. I won't talk more about how they're playing because everyone knows how good they are right now.

Come playoff time though, after hard 3 playoff series (Western Conference is packing this year, they are gonna have a tough road), do they have the bench to beat us over 7 games?
Do they have the bench to beat the Mavericks or Spurs AND the Thunder?
I think we have a phenomenal advantage over them come playoff time. Of course our starters have to do their job to get us to the Finals again but it's safe to say if we do make it that far, everything will have come together as we've hoped andwe will be favourites right?
They have to be extremely worried about meeting us down the stretch and our depth/size coming off the bench?
They better prey they get HCA.

[nba is the worst]

No.

[banty19]

Let's see...

The Lakers have won it all the last 2 years. The Celtics have been in a freefall the last month or so while the Lakers have had a nice run. Even as a Celtics fan I know the Lakers deserve to be the favorite.

If Shaq/JO stay healthy, KG's in better shape than he was last year, and Rondo's knocking down jumpers it might be close, but LA is still the team to beat.

[Celtics17]

I am pretty sure the media wouldnt favor us. However, I am not so sure that we shouldnt be. Everyone knows right now that these two teams are heading in opposite directions. If Shaq and JO are healthy enough to give us 30 quality minutes a game at the center position though this is a championship team.

Injuries aside because they can happen to the Lakers too, we are a better squad. Let's not forget that we have multiple big time players that can sway a seies. Rondo, Ray, BBD all have the ability and of course Paul and KG. Shaq can do a lot to neutralize Bynum for stretches and KG holds Gasol this year. I will take that matchup!

[Onslaught]

I'm sure the media would favor the Lakers.
And the Lakers would win too.

As it is right now I don't want to see the Lakers at all this year. I don't want them winning another one on us.

[vinnie]

Not a chance Celtics would be favored over the Lakers

[Fan from VT]

Aren't the Lakers 17-1 since the break?
Aren't the Celtics struggling to find rhythm, identity, and cohesion?
I don't think the East is going to be an easy road...I think the Celts will have to expend a lot of energy to get past Philly (very athletic) or New York (athletic up front, very good individual players), then they could easily lose to Miami, Chicago, or Orlando, so i don't really see the path being much tougher for LA.

[coco]

Not as long as your closing 5 include BBD out of necessity.

[BballTim]

  Does being favored mean anything? The Celts certainly weren't favored in 08.

[Green Hell]

Time to take em off my friend.

[chambers]

the premise of this topic is that for the Celtics to make the finals (ie getting out of the current slump), everything should be on track and the green machine should be rolling.

Obviously no one wants to play the Lakers right now. The finals are in 2 months and the Celtics have a long way to go.

Maybe I should've rephrased the question: If we meet the Lakers in 2 months, does our significant advantage on the bench make us favorites?

[BballTim]

Time to take em off my friend.

  Haha. Maybe you could follow that up with a picture of you in whatever jersey you're sporting today (Rose or Kobe).

[j804]

Nope we no longer have a legit healthy Center

[chambers]

here's a little reminder of one of the last times we had a healthy starting center (this one had one leg) against a conference contender....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNZkkMqvwsk&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

makes me realise how much we are missing Von Wafer for those back up minutes for Ray.

[Green Hell]

There is no bench in the playoffs. It's an 8 man rotation (with spots minutes for one or two more bench players).

Odom, Barnes and Brown vs. Baby, Green and Delonte favors us slightly but nowhere near enough to tip the scales.

Its going to come down to our frontcourt against theirs, plain and simple. That and whose "stars" are able to rise to the occasion.

But come on now, going to LA after losing on their home court last year, having the same problems down the stretch, injuries, trading away Kendrick "never been been defeated in a playoffs series" Perkins, having to rely on Shaq... and still you have the nerve to presume anyone in their right mind would call us the favorites?

Like I said, take em off.