Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers Preview: Keys to Victory for Both Teams

When the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers meet, you can toss the records aside. It's going to be chippy, pressure-packed, and more likely than not the game will be decided during the final possession.

The two storied franchises meet for the second time of the season today at Staples Center. A victory is crucial for both teams.

For the Lakers, it's about proving to the league and themselves that they're a contender for the NBA title.

They showed that they can run with the big boys last week against Miami, but fell to Detroit and Washington on heart-wrenching losses on the road.

As for Boston, after barely staying above .500, they've broken out to a 6-1 start in the second half of the season. They hope to continue their winning ways and capture the Atlantic Division title. Sunday's matchup against their biggest rival on the road will be an indicative litmus test which will tell us where this team exactly stands.

In the first meeting in Boston, the Lakers won 88-87 in overtime. Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum combined for 41 points and 31 rebounds. Bynum had a key put-back late in the game and Gasol had the game-sealing block as time expired in overtime to give the Lakers the victory.

These two teams are eerily similar. They both dominate at home, but can't seem to buy a win on the road. Interestingly enough, the Lakers did beat Boston at the TD Garden in perhaps their most signature road victory of the season.

But as we mentioned at the top, when these two teams meet, records don't matter. It doesn't matter that the Celtics haven't won a road game outside of Cleveland since January 26, or that the Lakers haven't lost at home since January 22. 

Here are several keys to victory for each team, starting with the Celtics:

Boston Will Win If...

Rondo Mambo

The Boston Celtics need to take advantage of the Lakers' deficiencies at the point guard position. Rajon Rondo is possibly the most underrated point guard in the NBA and he's going up against Derek Fisher and Steve Blake on Sunday.

Rondo needs to exploit the struggling Laker point guards and be a big-time facilitator if the Celtics are going to win. It won't be too shocking if Rondo goes off for a similar performance like the one he had last week against the New York Knicks when he scored 18 points, 17 rebounds and 20 assists. 

Most importantly, Rondo is going to be fresh. He hasn't played over 30 minutes in the last two games because they were blowout games. This does not bode well for the Lakers, who have had a difficult time in containing point guards all season long.

Live by the Three

Ray Allen is shooting 47.6 percent from beyond the arc this season and he's been a major constant in an otherwise anemic Celtics offense. 

Boston is going to need to get hot from the three-point line and make the Lakers play catch up. The Lakers are last in the league in shooting the triple so falling behind by double digits against a hot shooting Celtics team will be an arduous task.

Defense, Defense, Defense

The Celtics may be last in the league in rebounding, but they hold opponents to just 42 percent shooting. This is the third best in the league behind the Lakers, who hold opponents to 41.9 percent shooting.

They may not get many rebounds, but they force teams into taking tough shots. Kobe Bryant has been struggling to maintain a solid field-goal percentage recently, and if the Celtics force him to alter shots, the missed shots will continue.

The Lakers Will Win If...

They Pound It Inside

In the last meeting, Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol stole the show by accounting for almost half of the Laker points. The two seven-footers should get the ball early and often to exploit the Celtics' biggest weakness, which is size.

With no more Kendrick Perkins and aging big men Jermaine O'Neal and Kevin Garnett manning the ship, it should be relatively easy for Bynum and Gasol to pound it inside and get some monster jams. 

The only question is if Kobe will let them have that chance. Kobe needs to start shooting less and understand that he has competent teammates that will help the team win. If the Lakers can take advantage of their size against Boston, this game shouldn't even be a problem for LA.

Don't Fall in Love with Triples

The notion of the Lakers not settling for threes is consistent with the idea of consistently pounding it in to Bynum and Gasol.

In the last visit, the Lakers only made one three-pointer out of 15 attempts. That's not a recipe for success in any level of basketball. 

In fact, three-point shooting has been a major reason why the Lakers have been a mess on the road. In road losses this season they shoot only 24 percent from beyond the arc. 

Just because this game is at home, it doesn't mean the Lakers should shoot more threes. Quit settling and use size and the mid-range game to beat this team.

Give Peace a Chance

Metta World Peace has had a flair for the dramatic this season in important games. He hit a clutch three-pointer against the Los Angeles Clippers earlier this season and stepped up in a large way against the Heat and Mavs this past month. 

He'll need to do it again today. Everyone remembers the heroics from Game 7. No one is asking him to repeat that. Just play physical basketball and give Paul Pierce a hard time. If World Peace steps up on defense and disrupts the Celtics offense, it'll ignite everyone else.

When Metta is engaged, it rubs off on his teammates and they just play better as a team. His impact and presence will also be important if this turns into one of those games where Kobe tries to take over in the fourth and fails miserably. They'll need defensive stops to win and Metta is going to be the guy who will need to agitate the Celtics.

Prediction

Both teams are flying in from long distance. The Lakers had a road game in Minnesota on Friday and the Celtics are coming in from Beantown. Travel fatigue shouldn't be in issue.

These two similar teams will battle it out until the end. Rondo will get his and help facilitate an enigmatic Celtics offense. 

However, at the end of the day, the Lakers size will prevail. They're the league's best rebounding team going up against the worst. They're going to take advantage of the game in the paint. 

Kobe has also had three consecutive off games and there's no other opponent he would want to play against right now to get back on track. 

The Lakers win a close one by less than five points.