U-b-u-n-t-u = CHAMPS!

Ironically on June 17, 2008 the Boston Celtics finally won World Championship Banner #17 after blowing out the Los Angeles Lakers 131-92 in Game 6. On June 19, 1986 Len Bias died, now 22 years later to the day, the Celtics will have their victory parade. The curse has finally been lifted and now Celts' legend Arnold 'Red' Aurebach can rest peacefully because Phil Jackson won't be passing him for most championships won by a coach.

A Comeback for the ages in Game 4!!!

After a 24 point deficit in the first half and injuries to Kendrick Perkins and Rajon Rondo, Coach Doc Rivers was 'forced' to use his bench in the second half the way he did during the Celts' 66 win season and the result was the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history!

Using a small line-up featuring Eddie House and James Posey (Yes, the same one we've been begging Doc to use since late April.), the Celts spread the floor on offense and jammed the passing lanes on defense on their way to an improbable 97-91 comeback win in Game 5. What a roller coaster ride! Hell, I had to watch it by myself but couldn't even turn the TV sound back on until the last minute of the game. Like a scene in 'Indiana Jones', it seemed the Celts reached in and pulled out the Lakers' proverbial heart while it was still beating in the 3rd quarter and then basically stomped on it at the end of the game.

Boston is now up 3-1 on the Lakers and no team has won the NBA Title after being down that much. Whether the Celts win it on Father's Day in LA or back in Boston, they have 3 chances to win one game and get their 17th NBA Championship against their historic rivals.

Celtics 'Powe'-r through to win in Game 2

Led by Leon Powe's 21 points in 15 minutes, the Celts hung on for a 108-102 victory to go up 2-0 in the Finals. Now the teams head to Los Angeles for 3 games and the pressure is squarely on the Lakers. LA has to win 3 in a row at home or be forced to win the final 2 games of the series in Boston.

Even though the team that won the first game of the last 5 Finals between LA and Boston has gone on to lose the series, the Celtics are undefeated in NBA Finals when leading 2-0 while the Lakers have never won a Championship after being down 0-2 in the Finals.

The 'Truth' hurts, but Celts still take Game 1

NBA Finals: Why the Celtics will win

• The Celtics finally broke through and logged a playoff road victory after they beat the Pistons twice in Detroit
• Ray Allen has finally come out of his shooting slump and averaged 17.5 ppg in the Piston's series
• The Lakers' team defense isn't as strong as Detroit and they don't have anyone to match-up defensively with Paul Pierce
• Rajon Rondo will be more effective and Eddie House will be able to play more in the Finals because the Lakers do not pressure the ballhandler
• Home-court advantage

And why the Celtics could lose...

• Ray Allen, KG, and Paul Pierce have never been in the NBA Finals
• Phil Jackson is a much better coach than Doc Rivers and has used his bench more effectively in the playoffs, so the Lakers' rotation is tested and ready
• Kobe Bryant has Finals experience, knows how to win, and isn't afraid to come up big in the clutch
• Tony Allen is Boston's best defender but hasn't played much in the playoffs and now has a sore achilles tendon
• Kendrick Perkins gets in a lot of foul trouble and may struggle to defend Pau Gasol and the Triangle offense

Let the Games Begin!

Unlike the earlier rounds which are played in a 2-2-1-1-1 format, the NBA Finals are played in a 2-3-2 format, meaning the team with home-court advantage hosts games 1, 2, 6 and 7, and their opponent hosts games 3, 4 and 5. That said, it seems like it would be a lot easier to win 2 in a row at home, than 3 in a row, so the pressure could be on the Lakers. With the home-court advantage and the cross-country travel factored in, this could favor the Celtics.

Game 1: Thursday, June 5 -- @ Boston (9 p.m. EST/6 p.m. PST on ABC)

Game 2: Sunday, June 8 -- @ Boston (9 p.m. EST/6 p.m. PST on ABC)

Game 3: Tuesday, June 10 -- @ Los Angeles (9 p.m. EST/6 p.m. PST on ABC)

Game 4: Thursday, June 12 -- @ Los Angeles (9 p.m. EST/6 p.m. PST on ABC)

Game 5: Sunday, June 15 -- @ Los Angeles (9 p.m. EST/6 p.m. PST on ABC)

Game 6: Tuesday, June 17 -- @ Boston (9 p.m. EST/6 p.m. PST on ABC)

Game 7: Thursday, June 19 --@ Boston (9 p.m. EST/ 6 p.m. on ABC)

Stay Classy Boston

Sure you may hear a random "Yankees Suck" chant emanating from Red Sox Nation (whether or not a New York team is within 1000 miles), but unlike a majority of Sox fans, Celtics fans have set the standard of class for NBA fans throughout the league.

The 'Beat LA' mantra started in 1982, when the Philadelphia 76'ers were on the verge of beating the Celtics in Game 7 at the Garden and advancing to play the Lakers in the title game. Suddenly Boston fans started chanting "Beat LA-Beat LA" at the end of the game. Maybe it was a bi-product of years of success or just a healthy respect for karma but bitterness never entered the closing minutes of the hard fought series. At the time, Boston was the defending NBA Champs and the Sixers were the Celts' biggest rivalry but the Boston fans sent their foes off to the NBA Finals with style befitting the organization. Other teams, like the Detroit Pistons, have chosen to show an uglier side in such a moment. When Michael Jordan and the Bulls finally got past the Pistons to advance to the NBA Finals, Isiah Thomas and the rest of the Pistons opted to head to the locker room before the end of the game instead of congratulating the Bulls' players.

So go ahead and call Boston fans 'bedraggled' Phil Jackson. Go ahead Derek Fischer and disrespect the accomplishments of the Celtics' organization claiming "it happened before you were born, so you don't care." You won't hear Doc Rivers calling LA fans 'fair-weathered' nor Ray Allen pointing out that 5 of the 14 Laker Championships occurred when they were in Minneapolis. You won't hear Celtics fans and players ripping the Lakers, because with winning comes responsibility, and with responsibility comes class. In case you need some pointers, just ask Jerry West.

Celtics vs. Lakers: Tale of the Tape

The top two franchises in NBA history, as well as, the top two teams this year face-off in the 2008 NBA Finals. Here's how they matched-up in 2008 and over the years...

2008 Regular Season

• Record: Celtics 66-16 <=> Lakers 57-25
• Points Per Game: Celtics 100.5 <=> Lakers 108.6
• Points Allowed Per Game: Celtics 90.3 <=> Lakers 101.3
• Head-to-Head: Celtics 2 <=> Lakers 0

2008 Play-Offs

• Record: Celtics 12-8 <=> Lakers 12-3
• Points Per Game: Celtics 91.6 <=> Lakers 105.9
• Points Allowed Per Game: Celtics 87.3 <=> Lakers 99.5

All-Time

• Total NBA Finals: Celtics 20 <=> Lakers 29
• Total NBA Championships: Celtics 16 <=> Lakers 14
• Finals Head-to-Head: Celtics 8 <=> Lakers 2
• NBA Top 50 Players: Celtics 10 <=> Lakers 8

LA Lakers lie in wait for Eastern Conf winner

Ladies and gentlemen, I hate to say it but the Los Angeles Lakers are on a roll. They advanced to the NBA Finals after finishing-off the San Antonio Spurs last night and now can rest up for the winner of the Pistons vs. Celtics series. The Lakers outplayed the defending NBA champs (beating them 4-1) and have been playing the best of any team so far in the playoffs.

If they had their choice, Lakers' fans would like to face the Celtics in the Finals. Many think a Boston vs. LA match-up would be a return to the NBA glory days, but I just don't feel the series would be all that good for the league. The Lakers are just playing too good right now and the Celts are still struggling to find their playoff mojo.

Plus the Celts don't match up well with the Lakers. Who could guard Kobe? Who can keep up with Odom along the baseline? Ray Allen and Paul Pierce are already exhausted from guarding the likes of Joe Johnson, LeBron James, and Rip Hamilton this post season. Also, Doc Rivers hasn't managed his bench well in the playoffs, so the team isn't playing the same stellar team defense as it did during the regular season and the Lakers' have the best offense in the league! In contrast, Phil Jackson has gone to the same rotation he did during the regular season and as a result everyone knows their role and the Lakers have been humming like a well-oiled machine.

Believe it or not, the Detroit Pistons probably match-up better with the Lakers than the Celts. They have cagey veterans who have played together for years, they play more a more intense, pressing defense, and their offensive movement could cause a lot of problems for the Lakers.

Don't get me wrong. I would love to see the Celts in the Finals again, but not if they're going to get rolled! It's one thing if a young, Cinderella team like the Cleveland Cavs makes it to NBA Finals and then gets swept by a dominant team like Spurs last year. But an uncompetitive series between the two top historical franchises only dilutes the entertainment value of the league. If a top rival doesn't even stand a chance against the best team in a league, then why bother to watch the sport? Then again, that's why they play the games...because anything can happen in sports.

Notes from the Coast:

With the NFL Combine happening this week in Indianapolis, I still can't understand why USC's Rey Maualuga decided to return to school for his senior year. He has already won a National Championship at USC, had a great junior year, a monster Rose Bowl game against Illinois, and his stock may never be higher. To make matters worse, Maualuga is the pure M/ILB the Patriots need to succeed Tedy Bruschi. Also, he could've learned the nuances of the position from former USC star and current Patriot Junior Seau. Now it looks like the Pats may trade down from the 7th pick and draft a CB.

• Coco Crisp says he wants to start over Jacoby Ellsbury in CF. Crisp should understand that playing time is directly related to production. Coming over from the Indians, Crisp has dropped from .300 avg. & 16 HR's a year to .265 avg. & 6 HR's with the Red Sox. Granted Crisp is only 28 years old, but based on his stats the last two years, he is a fourth Outfielder.
• There were no moves for the Celtics before the trade deadline. No surprise since they really didn't have any pieces to deal. However, there is still a chance the Clippers could buy-out and release Sam Cassell before the play-offs.
• You can see both sides of the Curt Schilling shoulder controversy. Following last year when Schill was a free agent, he elected not to have surgery, passed his physical, and signed a contract with the Red Sox. Now he belongs to the Sox and the chances are he will not pitch this year should he have surgery now. On the other hand, Schill probably realizes that this is truly his last year in the bigs if he doesn't have surgery right now because any procedure following this season will make it even harder for him to pitch for a team next year.
• The NBA is defintely going through a revival. The Celtics and the Lakers are once again successful, the new stars in the league are both relatable and marketable, teams in the West are collecting top NBA talent in anticipation of play-off showdowns, All-Star weekend was fun again, and 20, 711 people attended the Celtics-Warriors game Wednesday night setting a record for basketball attendence in California.