The biggest rivalry in the NBA has once again reached its culmination in the NBA Finals, and there's no turning back or attempting to play down the series. Los Angles fans hate Boston. Boston fans hate Los Angeles. End of story.There's no way to sugar-coat it.
The next two wins in Boston are must wins if they have any hope of winning this series. I refuse to believe that if Boston heads back to Los Angeles trailing 3-2 that they will be able to win it all. Not a chance. The New Jersey Nets have a better shot at winning all 82 games next year. Phil Jackson would never be that out-coached and Kobe Bryant would never be that out-played on their home court. Therefore, I see the Celtics coming out of the tunnel tomorrow night with fire in their eyes. They all will have one goal: to even the series. They can't afford to fall 3-1. Otherwise, Paul Pierce might be correct in his prediction that the series won't even head back to LA.
Doc Rivers attempted to fix some officiating blunders that he felt were committed in Game Three by sending a video tape to the league office. He expressed his feelings about how Derek Fisher grabbed, jabbed, and held Ray Allen throughout the game, which could have affected his shooting. I think that overall this was a smart move by Rivers. People always ask me why do players and coaches argue a foul call or turnover after it has already been committed? The answer is so that the next call goes in your favor. Sending a video tape into the league office could be just what the Celtics need in order to put a stop to some of the more physical defense the Lakers have been executing thus far.
A bright spot for the Lakers is that Andrew Bynum will be able to play in Game Four tomorrow night. The Lakers have used their size and length to their advantage thus far, and I don't see that changing. Pau Gasol took advantage of the smaller Glen Davis, and Bynum has had his way with both Kendrick Perkins and Rasheed Wallace. Lamar Odom is a difficult defensive matchup for Glen Davis as well. Therefore, I expect the Lakers to work the ball inside often in Game Four and possibly create some early foul trouble for the Celtics' big men.
My prediction for the game is that the Celtics will win by seven points. This game will be very physical because Boston will be defending their home court, and the Lakers will be attempting to go into the weekend up 3-1. However, I think that Rivers will be able to motivate his players enough to come back from their dismal performance on Tuesday. Ray Allen will not go without a field goal again - look for Rajon Rondo to distribute the ball to both him and Paul Pierce early so that the two can establish a rhythm for the rest of the game.
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