Tuesday, June 8, 2010

The 2010 NBA finals are here - Lakers vs. Celtics

The culmination of yet another NBA season has arrived with an NBA Finals matchup that features Lakers vs. Celtics. The 50-year-old rivalry is the stuff of basketball legend, and while the current Lakers-Celtics matchup may not boast a Wilt Chamberlain vs. Bill Russell, Jerry West vs. John Havlicek or Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird, it does offer Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and also the Lakers vs. Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and the Celtics. It is sure to be very exciting.

Source for this article: Lakers vs. Celtics – The 2010 NBA Finals are here By Personal Money Store

Lakers vs. Celtics – What is the NBA Finals schedule?

Whether you want to watch the Lakers-Celtics best-of-seven matchup on television or listen to the radio broadcast, you have to know the NBA Finals schedule and have cash advances in place if your cable or satellite has been disconnected. The telecast could be on your local ABC affiliate in the U.S. and TSN in Canada. The 2010 NBA finals can be on ESPN radio station. Following are dates and times for 2010 NBA Finals games:

Thursday, June 3 – 9 p.m.
Sunday, June 6 – 8 p.m.
Tuesday, June 8 – 9 p.m.
Thursday, June 10 – 9 p.m.
Sunday, June 13 – 8 p.m. (if necessary)
Tuesday, June 15 – 9 p.m. (if necessary)
Thursday, June 17 – 9 p.m. (if necessary)

Breaking it down with the Lakers vs. Celtics

As reported by SB Nation, it’s going to come down to whether the Lakers afford the Boston Celtics team room to run. The transition game – converting defensive rebounds into quick fast break scores – is the strength of the Celtics’ offense, thanks to the quickness of point guard Rajon Rondo. The Celtics should be a power in more deliberate half-court offensive sets – between Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, they have massive offensive talent – however they appear to lack either the patience or focus to pick apart half-court defenses. The LA Lakers’ half-court defense has a tendency to lose focus when their defenders rotate off opponent picks multiple times, but it’s nevertheless more potent than the half-court offense the Celtics bring. If the Celtics really start running, nevertheless, they may be too much for the Lakers to handle.

What about the Celtics’ defense?

There surely seems to be a difference of opinion on the Celtic's defense. On the one hand, it is the classic example of rough-and-tumble East Coast defense versus a finesse-style West Coast offense. The Celtics aren’t afraid to put a whole bunch of bodies on the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant, and a well-timed push or shove can sometimes be enough to throw the best offensive player off his game. On the other hand, Bryant said at one point during a press conference the Celtics’ defense “sucks.” Interpret that however you want. Whatever the case happens to be, the Lakers have had trouble scoring against pressure defenses, and the Celtics are definitely capable of that. The Lakers’ defense against the run will largely be determined by their offensive rebounding. Thus, if Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom turn in inspired efforts that show on the boards, that could definitely be enough to provide Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol with the scoring opportunities th! at they’ll need to bring victory to the Lakers.

Lakers vs. Celtics prediction

Kobe Bryant has had an outstanding postseason. He will likely help his team to win. Still, the Celtics have too numerous weapons. Lakers vs. Celtics might end with a Boston Celtics victory.

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SB Nation



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