2010 NBA Finals Come Down to Game 7

June 17, 2010

Expect the unexpected! This should be the motto of the 2010 NBA Championships between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics. Both of these teams have fought and clawed their way to a decisive game 7 that will determine who takes home the ring.

Game 1 ended in a convincing win by the Lakers. After that game many believed that this series could end in a possible sweep. Game 2 showed otherwise as the Celtics rebounded from the game 1 loss, and won at Staples Center. The Lakers returned the favor in Game 3 as they regained home court advantage with a hard fought victory in Boston. Game 4 saw the tide change once again as Boston’s bench play stole the show and the game from Los Angeles. At this point most basketball handicappers expected the Lakers to flip the script once again and win, but the Celtics threw another curveball to all of us as they won with a solid 4th quarter in Game 5. Game 6 is the only game that most NBA experts will say went as expected as the Lakers won with intense defense and an absolute dominance in rebounding.

Here’s where it gets tricky! Almost everyone believes that the Lakers will cruise to a Game 7 victory because they crushed the Celtics in Game 6, and have the home court advantage. However, if we’ve learned anything about this series it should be to expect the unexpected. Kendrick Perkins knee injury in the first quarter of game 6 may throw a wrench in things, but starter for starter, Boston is still the better team.

Kobe Bryant is unstoppable, but the Celtics have shown that they can win just letting him score. They’ve done it all series as their defense has held the rest of the team well below their season averages. Perkins loss will hurt Boston defensively, but Kevin Garnett has played well since game 3. He will need to be at his best Thursday if the Celtics are to pull off this monumental upset on the Lakers home court. Rajon Rondo tends to fall asleep from time to time, but has the ability to break down the Lakers defense at will. Neither Derek Fisher, Shannon Brown or Jordan Farmar have enough defensive ability to prevent Rondo from getting to the basket. Ray Allen will need to make an appearance as he has been seemingly absent since his record setting performance in Game 2. The most consistent player for Boston has been their leader Paul Pierce. Pierce has done it night in and night out despite being guarded by Ron Artest. He will need to lead the way once again Thursday.

This should be an incredible Game 7. The two most storied franchises in basketball history will square off in a do or die situation. Doesn’t get much better than that!

Written by Glenn Andrew · Filed Under NBA

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