Here We Go Again–Lakers vs. Celtics
Thursday, June 5th, 2008 by Steven Mitchell
The Celtics and the Lakers are in the Finals—big deal. I am sure you are aware of the dominance of these two franchises throughout the history of the league, but you may have not realized that 38 of the 62 NBA Finals have featured either the Lakers or the Celtics. This figure is inflated somewhat from the early years and the 1960’s, but since 1980, one of these teams has been in the finals 15 of the 29 seasons. No major sport has seen that type of dominance by two franchises.
It is easy to say you are tired of seeing these two teams dominate the league, but I actually welcom this match up. It beats the hell out of another boring Spurs-Pistons series. The Celtics haven’t been in the Finals since 1987, which was the last match up of these two teams. Also, the Celtics and the Lakers are probably the two most interesting teams this year. I know I can’t wait to see who out duels the other when it comes to Garnett and Kobe, or even Kobe versus Pierce.
It is also a clash of styles, with the best defense in the league, the Celtics, and the best offense in the league, the Lakers with Gasol. And, who has watched Kevin Garnett over the years in Minnesota and not rooted for him to get his shot at an NBA title? How many would like to see Kobe get a title without Shaq, or how many want to see him fall on his face without Shaq?
When it comes to another Celtics-Lakers Finals, this is one “here we go again” series that I am looking forward to watching.
Oh yeah, I suppose an erratic prediction should be made. I go with the Celtics in 6. Now that they have gotten over their road issues, they have the defense to contain the Lakers and enough offense to push ahead.
