Predictions for the 2008 NBA Finals
What the 2008 NBA finals preview comes down to at the moment is two separate previews predictions of the Eastern and Western Conference finals, really. In the East, the Boston Celtics grabbed a one game lead at home over the Detroit Pistons a couple of days ago. Whether the 88-79 win was a really convincing one or not, I couldn’t say, but what it shows is that the Celtics and their big 3 is keeping with the playoff trend they started this post-season: win every home game, and drop every road one.
With the home court-advantage in their possession, that could well mean they’ll be the ones to represent the East in the finals, and complete the comeback for a franchise that has pretty much been a cellar-dweller for the last few years in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern conference. A possible return to the NBA finals for the Celtics would not only be a statistically interesting fact though, it would be nothing short of one half of a scenario Hollywood, the NBA and a huge number of nostalgic fans would love: a Celtics –Lakers finals reminiscent of the days of Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul Jabbar.
So far in the playoffs the Celtics have had a much rougher ride than they had hoped for: despite their absolutely dominating 66-16 regular season record, Garnett, Rondo, Pierce and Allen were given more than a run for their money in their first round series by the 37-45 Atlanta Hawks, who barely clinched a playoff berth, and who would not even have come close to the playoffs had they been listed in the much more competitive Western Conference.
Having disposed of Joe Johnson and Co. in a physically and mentally exhausting 7-games series, they immediately stumbled upon King James’ Cavaliers, who – again – stretched them to the limit.
The Detroit Pistons disposed of Philly in 6 games (although as predicted they did have their ups and downs in the series too) and then sent the Magic packing in 5. In theory, they ought to be the better rested team, but if the spell of the Celts’ home invincibility isn’t broken, that may not be enough.
The West is where the true power-struggle, a typical good vs evil showdown is under way though. The bad buys, the men in black, the desperados, the San Antonio Spurs we so love to hate are faced with the Los Angeles Lakers, the team that could indeed make a revival of the Celtics-Lakers rivalry of the past possible. Let’s face it, no one wants to see the Spurs hit the finals again after last year’s ugly, uninteresting and demoralizing playoff run, especially not when a Lakers-Celtics match-up is in the books.
The reigning champions predictions, with a team mostly comprised of last seasons desperados (if you make abstraction of the apparently successful Kurt Thomas deal), have eliminated the Suns in 5 in the first round, and had an amazing comeback (From 2 down, for the first time in franchise history) against the soaring Hornets in the second round. The Lakers have swept out the Nuggets in the first round, and denied the Jazz in the second one in 6 games. In theory, with the regular season trades that the Lakers have made (a big accent on the Pau Gasol trade here) they appear to be the favorite of the Western finals, although last night’s performance (they stole the game on their home court 89-85) against the Spurs has clearly exposed their flaws: with Kobe taken out of the equation, they’re pretty much sitting ducks. Given the Spurs’ record against teams that have made major acquisitions during the regular season, The Lakers should really watch out for the Kobe factor.
On my part, I’d predict a Lakers-Celtics final is how it’s going to go down. The public loves Hollywood-style season conclusions and the NBA could really use such an ending too. You draw the predictions you want from this.
If something else is going to happen, the ‘surprise’ is probably going to come from the Spurs. With all credit due, right now I don’t see the Pistons capable of upsetting the first seeded Celtics.
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