This NBA season has been one full of surprises. The Cleveland Cavaliers went from one of the best teams in the league to potentially receiving a lottery pick next year (depending on Lebron James in free agency).
The Boston Celtics looked worn down most of the season, and now they’re all but in the NBA Finals, since they are up three games to on (at press time) on the mighty Orlando Magic.
The Magic were the class of the Eastern Conference when Cleveland lost, but Boston is proving that older and wiser, mixed with Rajon Rondo, is a recipe for success.
The Western Conference was more competitive than the East. The final team to make the playoffs with the eight seed was the Oklahoma City Thunder, and they were only seven games back of the first place Lakers.
I am not a big Lakers or Kobe Bryant fan, but after winning a nail-biter against Oklahoma City in Game Six, the Lakers have been on a roll. The reason behind this is health. Kobe Bryant is finally healthy and he will get his fifth ring this year.
The Lakers may have just lost to the Suns in Game 3, but that’s fine. The Lakers will rebound and win the series guaranteed.
The next matchup will be against a red-hot Celtics club. I do not want to doubt the Celtics, for they have proven many people wrong this season, especially in the playoffs. However, I do not believe they are better than the Lakers. Pau Gasol has been on a mission since day one of the playoffs. He will be in a dogfight against Kevin Garnett.
Rajon Rondo looks to be the X-Factor in the series. Who can guard him? Well, if I’m Lakers coach Phil Jackson, I would put Kobe on him, the young, high-flying Shannon Brown, and the savvy veteran Derek Fisher. These three together probably won’t shut him down, but they will slow him down.
The Lakers are going to win back to back titles for the first time since the Shaq-Kobe era. The Boston series will be competitive, but part of me knows not to underestimate the best closer in the NBA (Kobe Bryant) and the best coach (Phil Jackson). Kobe will not be stopped and his fifth title is a given.
All of the Lakers fans should take this time to enjoy the next few weeks and celebrate, because it could be Phil Jackson’s last title run. If you’re not a Lakers fan, relax, because after they win the title this year, the free agent pool is astounding, and your teams could improve immensely.
But, for right now, let’s all enjoy the show that Bryant and the Lakers are going to give us in the next few weeks; it should be very entertaining.