Remember that time in 2008...?

Well, it won't be nearly that easy, but I fully expect the Celtics to put the Lakers away tonight. Kobe Bryant's support cast consisting of Artest, Odom, and Gasol simply have not showed up in the NBA Finals. And, as good as Kobe has been, he cannot beat the Celtics singlehandedly; no player can bring down KG, Pierce, Allen, and Rondo.

There has been some talk of Kobe even garnering the Finals' MVP Award, and it is hard to disagree. While Rondo has been superb, there is no denying that Kobe has been the best player on the floor in virtually every game. John Hollinger of ESPN.com says it well: "The fact is Bryant has been by far the most productive player, and the only reason the Celtics are ahead is because five of the next six best players (the four above and supersub Glen Davis) have been wearing green."


All the Kobe talk aside, however, and the Celtics have demonstrated throughout the playoffs how teams win championships, and not individual players. You think KG cares about how many points he drops tonight? Or how about Rondo? Do you think he's keeping track of how many assists he dishes out? No way! What makes the C's just a dangerous and fun team to watch is the unselfishness of each player. It is not as if the Lakers can hone in on Pierce and choose to stop him because then Ray or KG can go off. With the Fakers, you stop Kobe and you have stopped the Lakers. I don't care what Fisher did in Game 3, he's not doing that again. You may say that Odom is a threat, but he is averaging a meager 7.5 points this series. Ron Artest? Let the man shoot all day long; he's connecting on just 30% of his shots.


It really boils down to that the Celtics' balance and team chemistry is too much for the Lakers to overcome. Like  I said in yesterday's post, I like Boston by 6...let's say 96-90. Hopefully we can get another performance from KG that is reminiscent of two years ago.


Fearless Prediction: Rondo has a triple double tonight.