Also I don't know if it would have mattered, but Jared Dudley should have been on the court there in the final minutes.

Random NBA Finals stats :

Lakers have won almost 1/2 of all the possible Western Conference titles and after this NBA Finals, Celtics and Lakers will own exactly 1/2 of all the NBA titles possible.

Celtics own about 1/3 of all the possible Eastern Conference titles.

Since 1999, the Mavs are the only non-Spurs/Lakers to come from the West while the East supplied 9 different teams in 12 years.

Suns put up a hell of a fight. Gotta give them credit.

With that said, though....

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/179/4...5a26d9.jpg?v=0

4 more to go!!

Alvin Gentry in post game interview and post game press conference: "Kobe is the best player in basketball right now. I don't think it's even close."

:D

2005?

It's the best one I could find.

2007

http://www.nba.com/media/playoffs200...7_suns_600.jpg

Pretty valiant effort by the Suns at the end but Kobe being Kobe

Celts Lakers should be great

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Hey everyone watch the Sports Reporters, otherwise known as the Kobe Bryant fellatio hour

I like the celtics in this series. For the first time in the playoffs the lakers will be playing a team that actually plays defense. Not only that, but the best defensive team in the nba. The key to stopping the lakers has always been to contain or shut down their big men. Up until now the lakers big men have had a field day. OKC had o big men, the jazz have no legit 7 footers, and boozer has always been a sieve defensively. Amare has the same defensive woes as boozer, and the suns implemented a zone to junk the games up. Perkins and Garnett are totally different beasts defensively. Perkins allowed the celtics to stay home on their defensive assignments by effectively single covering dwight howard. I'm expecting both bynum and gasols efficiency to go way down with perkins muscling in the paint with bynum, and gasol having to contend with the length of garnett. Rondo will also be an interesting situation. Fisher has no shot of containing rondo.

You might see the lakers match kobe up against him because they have nobody that can stay in front of him, and at least kobe has a length advantage. Dealing with rondo is a full time job though because he is the celtics catalyst and Kobe will need energy for the offensive end. It should be noted that Perkins only needs 1 more technical that will give him a one game suspension. That could really tip the momentum for the lakers. If I were LA I would do everything I could to get under his skin because they have no replacement for his low post defensive presence.

He went to the nba finals with possibly the worst supporting cast in league history. The only legit starter on that team outside of Lebron was zydrunas ilgauskas. His starting back court of pavlovic and larry hughes are league outcasts, and Drew Gooden is the dumbest player in the nba.

so i guess Perkins and KG play every minute of every game? You dont think bodying up Bynum/Gasol is gonna tire them out as much as the other way around? Not to mention Odom can be placed at the 4 just as easily, and Artest could also bang if necessary (something i wish they would do more instead of have him float at around the 3 arc).

Rondo will have his, but not as easily as he has had it in the east. Sasha cant be relied on for offense, but you damn sure can rely on him to chase your guard around relentlessly. Brown has the athleticism to keep up with Rondo as well, the question being if he will bother to since he tends to be lazy on defense.

Pierce will have issues with Artest.

All in all, its not gonna be as easy as you just made it sound, like the Lakers have no answers for the Celts and the Celts have all the answers for the Lakers.

Rondo is going to eat Derrick Fisher and anyone else on the Lakers alive.

With what, his fantastic shooting ability? The Lakers have had to deal with Westbrook, D. Williams, and Steve Nash so far...its not like they havent been tested at the PG position. And tbh, i think Nash and Westbrook are bigger threats than Rondo

No they aren't.

He's the 2nd best player in the series.

Really? Westbrook has a better shot than Rondo, is just as fast (if not faster) and more athletic. Youre delusional to say Westbrook isnt.

Rondo is better then Westbrook at this point. I'm a big Russel Westbrook, but child please.

You're hatred of The Celtics is blinding you.

im basing this off what i saw in these playoffs. Its not a matter of what jersey Rondo wears. Im not saying Rondo will not do well (matter of fact, i stated he will get his stats), im saying you guys are talking like the Lakers havent been tested this post season at the 1, when they have faced off against the leagues best. And yet here we are, in the finals.

On the other side of that coin, Rondo hasnt faced any real decent defenders during their East title run.

unless you consider Carlos Arroyo, Mike Bibby, and Jameer Nelson grade A defenders.

...or even grade B

They have no one to cover Rondo. History tells us anyway if you are quick PG who can get to the basket you are going to have really good games against the Lakers.

So now we take the best quick PG who is also the best at getting to the basket it's logical to think he is going to have his way with the Lakers.

Who are these decent defenders that the Lakers have at the PG position? It's most certianly Derrick Fisher. because he won't be able to cover Rondo. Jordan Farmer stands no chance either. I guess Shannon Brown is the best option defensively, and he isn't that much better of an option. So if Shannon Brown is your best option... That's trouble.

If Rondo isn't heathly though than that's the going to be a problem for the Celtics.

He isn't really going to be covering Rondo that much though.

Yes he is.

Fisher is gonna guard Allen, Artest is gonna guard Pierce and Kobe is gonna guard Rondo.

That's the plan, anyway.

You want Kobe covering Rondo the whole game? Crunch time yeah sure, but if does the whole game throughout the whole series he's going to be tired out, and heavy legs.

Then on the flip side do you even trust Fisher to chase Ray Allen around on all those screens?

Lakers don't have as big matchup advantage here as they have had throughout the whole playoffs.

Lamar Odom again is the key.

OK random sports talk radio show host/ESPN basketball analyst

I didn't know he was Lamar Odom

Didn't Paul Pierce pretty much keep Kobe on check 2 years ago? Not stop him all together but neutrelized him throughout.

Top 10 Moments of Celtics-Lakers NBA Finals
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That was more Jesus Shuttlesworth

Let's go Lakers, you can finally make up for your distasterous finals two years ago.

pretty pumped for this series. should be a good one.

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I'm sure there's nothing biased there

I'm sure you didn't watch the whole video

cannot stand KG

I did not watch any of it