17 Reasons the Celtics will beat the Lakers

It's too close to game time. I was prepared to write an endless article covering every conceivable aspect of an unlikely Celtics/Lakers finals matchup that could make my head explode at any second. But things have been busy and it's now four hours until tip-off. Besides, there's not a whole lot to say that hasn't already been covered ad nauseam by Gorman & Heinson, Gary & Greg, Wilbon and Kornheiser, Ryan & Shaunessey, Dennis & Callahan, Woodie, Jay, Tim, & J.A., Jackie Mac, the Big O, Dale & Holley, the Sport's guy, Stephen A., Tim Legler, Mike Adams, Jon Barry, Stuart "googley-eyes" Scott, Phil Jackson, Doc Rivers, and the endlessly quotable Bill Walton. Still, an event this meaningful demands my two-sense. I am one of the fortunate 18,000 or so who will be attending tonights game 1 at the Garden. And if the series is as close as I suspect it might be, tonight's opener could very well replace Boston/Cleveland game 7 as the top live basketball experience of my lifetime. Here then are seventeen reasons why the Celtics will ultimately capture (you guessed it) number 17.

1. They are long overdue. The Lakers last title was the end of their Shaq/Kobe three-peat in 2002. That one should've belonged to Sacramento, so they've already gotten their breaks. It just feels like the Celtic's year, doesn't it?

2. If Boston doesn't win, the Jesus freak who always stands outside the garden with flyers and vest pins may stop believing. Sure he's crazy and I roll my eyes every time I see him, but he allows normal folks to feel better about themselves. And a happy fan is a cheering fan.

3. Their stars deserve it more. The Celtics' star trio of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, & Ray Allen have put their egos aside all season and worked toward a single common goal. These longtime stars have earned their trip to the big one and a championship will help validate their careers in the eyes of detractors.

4. In terms of being a dominant player, Pierce is MUCH closer to Kobe than he is to Lamar Odom. That's more important than you'd think. L.A. writers would have you believe the Lakers have the edge because of the 'single' guy in the series who can take over at will. Well, there are actually 2 of these guys, and Boston has the one who's hungrier. Pierce has the potential to play Kobe to a stand-still as he did Lebron James in the eastern semi-finals.

5. The best big-game shooters in this series play for Boston. Sure Kobe is fearless, and Derek Fisher has proven a clutch shooter over the years. But if I'm Phil Jackson, I wouldn't want a 4th quarter buzzer beater in the hands of Odom, Luke Walton, Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic, or Vladimir Radmanovic. Contrastingly, Pierce, Ray Allen, James Posey, Eddie House, and even Sam Cassell all possess the unflappable confidence needed to win a game in the closing seconds.

6. Boston's team defense is far superior. This point will not be argued by anybody on either side. History has shown time and time again that a strong defense will usually defeat a high-powered offense. See the San Antonio Spurs, Detroit Pistons (both eras), Chicago Bulls . . . hell, even the Baltimore Ravens, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, & New England Patriots. Flash is more fun, but physicality gets it done.

7. Kevin Garnett feels he has something to prove. He's long had a reputation for going soft in the big games. It is the only blemish on an otherwise superlative resume. Look for the Big Ticket to silence the skeptics with crucial leadership, multiple big shots, and the strongest help defense in the league. More than anyone, KG has put in his time on crappy teams. He's not letting this one get away.

8. James Posey is the best bench player in the series. He's capable of starting on most playoff teams and typically ends games on the floor. He's a lock-down perimiter defender with an uncanny knack for hitting the big 3s. He's also an exemplary teammate. Imagine Walter McCarty if he didn't suck and you get Posey, who's jersey will undoutedly become the "cool" one to purchase at the Celtics giftshop.

9. The Celtics have homecourt advantage. This is HUGE! Boston have one of the loudest buildings in the league and dominated at home all season long and through the playoffs. L.A. gets 3 of the first 5 in their building due to an idiotic format geared more around travel plans than fairness to the team with the better record. Still, playing in Los Angeles is a breeze compared to grittier towns, as many fans would rather take snap shots of Jack Nicolson than scream like maniacs for quarters at a time.

10. Pau Gasol is soft as pudding. He's a talented guy, but few get taken out of their game more easily by a few bumps in the post. With the exception of maybe Vince Carter, no top 25 player shows a larger disparity between their offensive and defensive ability. In terms of his skill set and physique, he's like a poor man's Garnett. Only thing is, we have Garnett, who should dominate this matchup with his strength, agility, lock-down D, and ability to shoot over him. On switches, Kendrick Perkins is capable of knocking Gasol to the floor and making him cry.

11. Boston has the coaching edge. Doc Rivers' brilliance as 4th quarter strategist . . . (just seeing if you were paying attention).

11. Ray Allen is primed to bounce back. Throughout most of the playoffs, the former Jesus Shuttlesworth looked nothing like the guy who averaged 25 pts a game as recently as 15 months ago. But he turned it on during games 5 and 6 wins against the Pistons in the eastern finals and seems ready to return to form. Ultimately, Allen is the x-factor in the finals. If he's the shooting threat I know he can be, the C's could run away with this. If he doesn't, Lakers could find a major edge. My money's on the former.

12. The media has drooled all over the Lakers. ESPN's team of "experts" all picked L.A. (these are the same brain surgeons who picked Detroit to wipe out Boston). Ultimately though, both teams won series they should have (against Atlanta & Cleveland, Denver & Utah, respectively) and played their best against their toughest opponents when it mattered most (Pistons & Spurs). The national love affair with Los Angeles should provide the Boston vets with an added motivation I'm not sure they need in the first place.

13. Green is a better team color than yellow. It's darker and far more manly. When the Garden is filled with rows upon rows of matching green tee-shirts, it's intimidating. Green is symbolic of the jungle, the incredible Hulk, and the rowdy drunks on St. Patrick's Day. The Staples Center contains sporadic shades of yellow filtered amongst workplace suits and ties. Yellow is symbolic of sunshine, Big Bird, and single guys who shop at J.Crew. Which team would you rather support?

14. If the Celtics don't win, they allow the Lakers to call into question which franchise is truly the N.B.A.'s most dominant. Boston is stuck on 16 championship banners, while L.A. has narrowed the gap to 2. If we lose the Lakers steal number 15 and I'll be subjected to insufferable reporters attempting to minimize Boston's historical success. Bill Plaschke will jump at the chance to note how the majority of Celtic titles came through one dominant team in the 60s, while L.A.'s titles have been spread out more evenly amongst different era's. I'll have to walk around all summer wearing earmuffs, which is neither an appealing nor comfortable look in July.

15. I'm not gonna say the Boston sports fans deserve it more, the Super bowl collapse aside. We've been blessed with success during the past 7 years as the Patriots & Red Sox have helped turn Boston into the most hated sports town in America (the price of winning). But long-suffering Celtics fans DO deserve this. Count me amongst the few proud fans who've helped comprise the pathetic 1.0 television ratings point Celtics games typically garnered during the past decade. I've put in my time. I've committed four nights a week to screaming at the TV and suffered through idiotic trades, poor free-agent signings, and incomprehensible coaching decisions. So I'm due, and I'll prove it . . .

16. I've outlasted some of the most useless talent ever seen in the N.B.A; Greg Minor, Alaa Abdelnaby, Todd Day, Zan Tabak, Acie Earl, Marty Conlon, Sebastian Telfair, Thomas Hamilton, Frank Brickowski, Chris Corchiani, Vitaly Potapenko, Marcus Banks, Bruno Sundov, Jimmy Oliver, Dwayne Schintzius, Steve Hamer, Andrew Declercq, Brett Szabo, and Alton Lister. Management duped me into getting excited about acquisitions like Dana Barros, 'Out of Service' Pervis, a way past his prime Dominque Wilkins, Xavier McDaniel, Raef Lafrentz, the alcoholic Vin Baker, the corpse of Gary Payton, Popeye 'Shrek' Jones, Wally Szerbiak, Chris Mihm, Tom Gugliotta, and Ricky Davis (who apparantly has a great brain; how flawed is that system?). They've hyped draft picks like Eric Montross, Dee Brown & Gerald Green (a dunk contest does not a superstar make), Junior Burrough, Kedrick Brown, Jerome Moiso, Wayne Turner, and Joseph Forte, and somehow lost out on both the Tim Duncan and Greg Oden/Kevin Durant lotteries. They've inexplicably made multi-millionaires out of Mark Blount, Travis Knight, and Brian Scalabrine. They traded both Chauncey Billips and Joe Johnson, and drafted Ron Mercer ahead of Tracy McGrady. They employed M.L. Carr and Rick Pitino as head coaches. Carr lead the worst Celtics team in history, while Pitino ranted about Bird, McHale, and Parish when he couldn't take the media pressue. I watched Reggie Lewis collapse on the parquet floor. I reluctantly applauded Dino Radja's post moves, Sherman Douglas' floater, Antoine Walker's shimmy, and Milt Palacio's insane three pointer. I've dealt with Paul Gaston's petty pockets and the headache inducing Crunch-n-Munch guy. I've pulled my hair out through an 18 game losing streak and playoff losses to the Nets (losing games 4, 5, & 6 of the eastern finals) and Pacers (in the most poorly played game 7 of all-time). I've seen the Celtics' home base change from the good (Boston Garden) to the bad (Fleetcenter) to the ugly (TD BankNorth Garden).

I've seen it all, and I'm primed for a reversal.

17. One word: GINO



See you at the parade . . .