The Calm Before the Storm Print E-mail
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Written by Darren Odellot   
Wednesday, 04 June 2008
The Calm Before the Storm


The Boston Celtics versus the Los Angeles Lakers match-up for this year’s NBA Finals has stirred up old rivalries but for some of these team’s players, it is a matter of the present times and its future consequences. They all know that they are going to be in for a hard fought battle thus it is important for them to retain their focus. For the Lakers, they will be adjusting their system to shut down the Celtics’ Big Three of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce. Meanwhile, the boys from Boston are preparing a defensive approach that will limit the offensive threat of league MVP Kobe Bryant.

The Lakers have thrice tasted championship gold within the decade. This was the time when Kobe Bryant had Shaquille O’Neal to do damage on the inside. However, the Big Diesel is now gone and has been reduced to a journeyman. Kobe is still the face of the franchise and has set up his team to be in this situation. He also had big help from their mid-season acquisition Pau Gasol. The Spanish superstar has had difficulties to bring his former team, the Memphis Grizzlies, to the NBA Playoffs. Now, he is playing for a much bigger prize – a chance to be crowned as part of the 2007 – 2008 championship team.

Drought has been a common aspect within the Celtics office for the past years. They have been losing games even when they had two of the most talented forward combinations in Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker. They have since traded Walker and retained Pierce as their team’s cornerstone. Surprisingly, Walker was able to win a championship when he was part of the Miami Heat. Pierce knew that he needed help to get his team to the Finals and thus, the management gave him not one but two top caliber players in Garnett and Allen. This proved to be a lethal combination as all three were good enough to carry the team in crucial situations.

The supporting cast for each team is not to be shrugged off. The Lakers have regained the services of their veteran guard Derek Fisher after he shifted from different teams for the past seasons. They have also developed new role players in the likes of Luke Walton, Ronnie Turiaf, and Sasha Vujacic. They also have a recovering stud by the name of Andrew Bynum. The Celtics are not to be undone as they trained their starting point guard Rajon Rondo to provide key plays while maintaining his composure. They also have the likes of Tony Allen, James Posey and the tried and tested Sam Cassell.

There are just a few days left before the first game of the Finals and each team have certainly practiced intently to match-up with each other’s playing style. There will be drama and suspense. It will be action-packed. Each game will be watched by millions of die-hard basketball fanatics all over the world. The stage is set and the key characters will be giving it all to prove to everyone that their team is better than the other.



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