Empty the Bench

Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers Photo Credit: Icon SM

The Starting Lineup Will…

Second-year point Rajon Rondo will take advantage of his superior speed, acceleration and agility to keep Derek Fisher on his heels all series. Rondo’s penetration will key his offense while nobody on the Lakers can protect the rim after he gets past his man. When the Lakers do collapse on Rondo he will find Pierce, Allen and Garnett for smooth, open jumpers and layups. And when the Lakers try to slough off of Rondo when he doesn’t have the ball Rondo will punish them by hitting a decent percentage of his jumpers. Defensively, Rajon will harass the decrepit Derek Fisher into turnovers and force the ball out of his hands. And while Rondo will help double down on the Lake Show’s big men, he won’t lose track of Fish and let the vet hit big shots.

The slumping Ray Allen will prove that his resurgence in the last two games of the Detroit series was for real: his jumper is back. Finally given a chance to validate his impressive regular-season career, Ray Ray will be inspired for this latest, most important episode of his feud with Kobe Bryant. By hitting open threes early in games Allen will command Kobe’s respect and undivided attention. And when Kobe does overplay him, Ray will become a distributor, finding open men or executing on the drive-and-dish. Defensively Allen will refuse to get embarrassed and provide quality minutes against Kobe.

And while Kobe is busy with Ray Allen, the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers simply won’t have an answer for Paul Pierce. The Truth will rise to the occasion and average 25+ points a game this series on an impressive array of difficult jumpers with a hand in his face and drives to the hoop. When Pierce does put the ball on the floor he will make the Lakers pay for every finger they lay on him with his signature histrionics, forcing the refs to blow many a whistle. But the most important change in Pierce this season has been his effort and focus on defense, which will continue here. He will take advantage of his length advantage on Kobe when given the chance, and when he’s on Vujacic and Radmanovic Pierce will stick to them like glue, not allowing any easy threes.

How the rest of the Celtics will contribute to a title after the jump…

Kevin Garnett will finally prove his doubters wrong by having several massive scoring games in perhaps his one and only chance to win a title. He will come out firing, frustrating both Gasol and Odom by hitting deep twos and not hesitating to press his advantage on the block.

On the other end KG will prove you can be a “clutch” player without taking over on offense by getting key defensive stops and rebounds down the stretch of close games. For the other 45 minutes he will play his signature brand of suffocating man and team defense that will prevent everybody in purple and gold from getting any easy buckets. Kevin Garnett will also be the leading rebounder in the series, averaging 13 a game while making Pau Gasol look like the softie he is.

Kevin Garnett Photo Credit: Icon SM

Kendrick Perkins is going to be the big man in the middle and the only true center on the floor every game. He will prove that his strong performances against Detroit were no fluke and that he can be a dominant rebounder and capable scorer when called upon. The tandem of Perk and Garnett will not only be unstoppable on the boards, but they will reject layups with a vengeance before and after the whistle. And on the rare game or two when Perk’s confidence is flowing he will assert himself on offense, notching a couple of double-doubles in the series.

And Off the Bench…

James Posey is going to be a major factor in this series on both ends of the floor. His 6-8 frame, fast hands and strong defensive instincts will make him a pretty solid option on Kobe. He will be tough and irritating, causing Bryant to commit a few offensive fouls and not get into a rhythm. Posey will also be opportunistic and get after lazy passes, converting them into fast breaks. And while all of the Los Angeles defense focuses on the Big Three Posey will hover in the corner, just waiting to knock down a few big threes a game.

The trio of P.J. Brown, Leon Powe and Glen Davis will dominate the Lakers reserves up front. Brown will come in for big minutes and play tenacious defense against Pau Gasol. He’ll also be active on the glass and in keeping loose balls alive. On offense Brown will make Gasol and Odom shake their heads by hitting his shots when they leave him. Meanwhile, Leon Powe will become a valued member of the rotation with his preparation, hustle and timing. He’ll be johnny on the spot for loose balls, errant rebounds and tip-ins. Defensively he will stand his ground and keep Boston’s offensive rebounders out of the lane. Big Baby will come in and energize the crowd by cleaning up loose scraps around the basket and converting them into buckets.

In the backcourt Sam Cassell and Eddie House won’t provide much in the way of defense, but they will come in and stick some crucial shots. House will take better care of the ball than he did against the Pistons, bringing it up the floor for a few quality possessions a game. He’ll also look for his own shot and nail it, causing the Lakers to at least pay attention to him.

Sam Cassell will rediscover his shooting stroke and be ready to counter Derek Fisher as the wily vet who can get open and manufacture points when the rest of the offense is stalling. Sam I Am will also be on the floor in late-game situations when Boston desperately needs buckets — and he’ll hit them.

And that’s why… The Boston Celtics will win the NBA Finals in seven games.