Why This Game 7 Will Be More Than Just A Game

Its hard for many of us to look back to the days when Bird and Magic saved the NBA, which is why this chapter of the Celtics-Lakers rivalry should mean more to us as current fans of the league.

Why this Game 7 will be more than just a game:

By: MJK

·      -There is no Magic Johnson or Larry Bird. No Bob Cousy or Elgin Baylor. No Bill Russell or Jerry West. What we are witnessing now is a Lakers-Celtics rivalry that is fit for our generation.   The game has changed as much as the players.  In twenty years it will be this and the 2008 (and any future) series that we will reminisce on.

·      -A 5^th ring for Kobe will only further enhance his resume for not just the greatest player in the NBA today, but for the Greatest of All Time. Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and ____________ <--(insert name here) enthusiasts need not apply. Its something to think about.

·      -A Celtics victory will give the franchise its 18^th championship, most in the NBA. The Lakers? Just behind them. A win for the Lake Show will push their total to 16, just one behind the C’s.

·      -The collection of nicknames that are being repped in this series is one for the history books. Try to keep pace now: The Black Mamba, The Candy Man, Ron-Ron or Queensbridge or Tru Warrior, The Big Ticket, The Machine, Jesus Shuttlesworth, The Truth or Beetlejuice, and Big Baby amongst others. Only if we could get the commentators to call games like this. “Shuttlesworth misses the three, Tru Warrior with the board. Mamba pushes the ball up court, passes the ball back to Ron-Ron who spots up and SINKS THE THREE!…SAY QUEENSBRIDGE!!”

·     - Rumors have been running rampant about the futures of both coaches.  Just yesterday Phil Jackson came out and said that he did not know if he had another run in him after this season.  If he departs (which I doubt he will) it will be goodbye to the greatest basketball coach of the modern era. Say what you will. Even if he does leave, I think he comes back to coach for another team somewhere down the line.  Doc Rivers has been heard mentioning that he also doesn’t know what life beyond this season holds. Rivers is only 48 years old and has said that he would like to spend more time with his family in Orlando. He obviously could revisit coaching a few years down the road.

·     - The strength of vindication:  No matter what happens to the Celtics tonight, you have to tip your cap. Coming into this seasons playoff run, the Cavaliers and Magic seemed to be the best bets to make the finals out of the East. Many had written the team off as old and inconsistent. Well, with the help of some sneaky motivational techniques…they find themselves one win away from a title.

·      -Throughout the Lakers Game 6 blowout victory it seemed as though Ron Artest and Kobe could have played 5-on-2.  During much of the first half, these two played defense that obviously stifled the Celtics.  Everywhere you watched it was one of the two making hustle play after hustle play.  Now we all know what Kobe brings to the table.  But if Mr. Ron-Ron can step up one more time it could be a long night for Boston fans. Hate him or love him…Ron Artest IS the X-Factor in this game. The Lakers don’t need six-3 pointers from him, just six made shots at a decent percentage.  Remember, Artest is still trying to prove that the Lakers swap from Trevor Ariza was the right move to make. Well, Ariza has his ring….will Queensbridge’s finest get his?

·      -Not to stray too far away from Game 6…it will be interesting to see how the Lakers will come out. Game 6 was impressive, no doubt….but that was just about as bad as it gets for Boston and as good as it gets for L.A. Let’s not forget. In 2008 when the Celtics came out in Game 6 and threw down the hammer on the Lake Show and the rest as they say is history.  I think the Lakers will take this game home, but if they don’t watch their back- the wiley Celtics could just as easily put them on their backs one more time.  Momentum may be one of the most over-used and over-rated terms in sports. That being said, I wouldn’t want to see any of it wasted on a Game 6 that was over before half time.

·      -Which team will be able to overcome the lack of a big man? Boston center Kendrick Perkins is out after hurting his knee in Game 6 and Lakers center Andrew Bynum’s injured knee has been much chronicled.  Boston will have to adjust some of its in-game strategy, but lets be honest….we are talking about Kendrick Perkins. A big body who can snag rebounds, but its not Shaq in his prime.  The Lakers may be less equipped with a hampered Bynum, but they are much more prepared since Bynum has been going through this injury for most of the postseason.
  
      -  There have only been four NBA Finals Game 7's in the past thirty-years. The Celtics are a perfect 8-0 in Finals Game 7's dating back to 1957. Four of those wins have come against the Lakers. 

·      -Mamba and the depth of the Lakers versus the Big Three. Should be one for the ages. Just remember, this rivalry is writing history all over again. Everyone in my generation is about to experience a Lakers-Celtics NBA Finals Game 7 for the very first time.  Lets sit back and enjoy what should be a terrific game.