The Real Truth: Celtics in Seven Or Lakers in Heaven? Check Out The Zone

For those of us old enough to remember The Chief, Magic, The Bird, John Havlicek and so many others in this long line of stars whose presence have made up so much of the NBA, this is a classic confrontation.  Sadly, one whose greatness is not what it used to be.  But truly, one whose grace and charm come from the reverence with which fans, participants, writers and TV commentators treat a Lakers-Celtics Finals.

For many of us, just like we root against the NY Yankees, we prefer underdogs so neither the Lakers or the Celtics qualify.  And if you checked out the buzz before this all started, most believed that this series was dead even.  

They were right.  Although we picked LA for a lot of reasons at the start, we felt they were goners at the start of Game 6.  Then the roof fell in on the Celtics.

It is tempting to blame this on the new favorite, how the benches perform in home and away games.  But this is not right somehow.  It is tempting to say that this is because the Celtics lost their middle when Perkins went out, the huge physical presence was missed say the pundits here and there.

But what we have seen in this series is two coaching geniuses bringing their teams to play both mentally and physically, with all the brainpower dealing with zone defenses and three point shots bring to the game.  

To claim that the old guys are the same is not to give sufficient credit where credit is due. Was The Chief an on-court coach.  Were there the same rules?  

In the end, the zone defense is where the killer comes in.  The NBA fought their use for decades despite the clear fact that college play was more interesting because teams with inferior talent could beat better teams if they could play the zone.

Now, with the zone defense in full flower, no team can reach the NBA Finals without being able to play it, and shoot threes.

So where do we go with this one?  I have only my memory of games, not having turned to replays, so I might be wrong.  But I think what is going on here is that the Celtics cannot play the zone well enough to win at the moment.  

Is this coaching, the players, or what?

I am tempted to say that the coaching is practically dead even.  Where the difference lies is in the teams.  The Lakers are made to zone while the Celtics are not.  One weak link in a zone ends the zone's effectiveness.  And the Celtics have more than one, starting with their principal defensive approach of sticking with their men and fighting through screens.  And also the fact that the triangle offense is better suited to learning a zone.

So here goes.  LA in seven.  A very close call, but one made all the more apparent because of the loss of Perkins.  Even if he plays, he will be ineffective.