Lakers vs. Celtics for NBA Title: Is It Possible?

Of course, it’s possible.  In the NBA, where amazing happens, anything is possible. 

And could 2010 be the year of the Lakers’ Revenge?  They now have the opportunity to avenge their 2006 and 2007 playoff losses to the Suns.  Will they also get the chance to avenge their 2008 NBA Title loss to the Celtics?

After last night’s Celtic rampage through Quicken Loan Arena, the Lakers-Celtics title matchup is looking a lot more probable than it did at the start of this year’s playoffs.  Of course, there are a few roadblocks that both teams need to hurdle. 

First, the Celtics haven’t quite reached the Eastern Conference Finals yet.  They still need to win one more game against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.  They do have the advantage of playing Game Six in Boston, and that is a huge advantage.

But the Celtics not only beat the Cavaliers in Cleveland, they downright embarrassed them.  Much the same as they did to the Lakers in Game Six of the 2008 NBA Championship.

That made Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Lamar Odom so angry that they vowed to win the title in 2009.  And that’s exactly what they did.  Sometimes anger can have a positive effect on a team.

Will King James and his court be so angry, so riled that they storm through the Garden tomorrow night and take this semifinal series back to Cleveland for Game Seven?

Or can Rajon Rondo and the Magnificent Three be magnificent just one more time and send the King and his court packing for the offseason and contemplating the spoils of free agency?

But even if the Celtics do upset the Cavaliers, all they have to look forward to is facing a well-rested Dwight Howard and his Orlando Magic, a team that has blown through the first two rounds with a sweep in each series.

Howard, the NBA Defensive Player of the Year, has his own Magnificent Three: Jameer Nelson, Vince Carter, and Rashad Lewis.  The Celtics need to neutralize Howard’s effectiveness and counter the perimeter shooting of the other three, who have been hot in the first two rounds, with outstanding perimeter shooting of their own.

Easier said than done, but certainly not impossible.  If push comes to shove, the Boston bench has a slight advantage, I believe, over the Magic reserves.  However, the Magic will be well enough rested that the starters should be able to go a long way.

In the end, the series may just come down to coaching.  Doc Rivers vs. Stan Van Gundy.  Take your pick.  They are both fine coaches, and both have been here before.

For the Lakers, on the other hand, they have it a little easier than the Celtics.  They are already in the Western Conference Finals, and they will have had a week to rest and heal before facing the Phoenix Suns on Monday night.  Unlike the Celtics, the Lakers will also have home-court advantage.

The soothsayers are already pointing to a Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol matchup against Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire. No doubt all four will get their points, assists and rebounds.

But this series will hinge on the role players.  For the Lakers that means Derek Fisher, Andrew Bynum, and Ron Artest, as well as Lamar Odom off the bench.  You can circle those last two names.  Fisher should get his points and Bynum should, too, not to mention rebounds. 

But what about Artest and Odom?  As they go, so go the Lakers.  You can also add Shannon Brown and Jordan Farmar off the bench.

For the Suns, their chances will depend on the effectiveness of Jason Richardson and Channing Frye.  Grant Hill can be expected to get his points, but Richardson and Frye need to produce or this series will end in four games.

It is a good thing for the Lakers that they have had a week to rest because, when it comes to bench strength, the Suns have the advantage there with the likes of Goron Dragic, Leandro Barbosa, Luis Amundson, and Jared Dudley.

If that isn’t enough, seven-foot center Robin Lopez is expected to return from an injured disc.  So, the Lakers starters, including Andrew Bynum, had better be prepared to hang tough. 

That shouldn’t be hard for the players that were here in 2006 and 2007.  The memories of those bitter losses to the Suns should give them plenty of motivation.

But they will need the discipline to execute their game and not let Steve Nash and the Suns dictate the pace.

If the Lakers keep their wits about them and play the way they are capable of playing, they will not only get their revenge for 2006 and 2007 but may even get the chance to avenge that heartbreaking 2008 NBA Title series. 

Wouldn’t that be nice?  Just ask David Stern.