2010 NBA Finals Preview: And so We Meet Again - Celtics Vs. Lakers

Since the NBA's inaugural season in 1946-1947, the league has crowned 63 champions. As the championship trophy is hoisted sometime in the next two weeks, it will be the 33rd time that either the Celtics or Lakers earned the title of NBA Champions. Simple mathematics will tell you that the two franchises will have combined for more titles than the rest of the league combined.

Heading into the series, the Celtics have won the most titles with 17, while the Lakers are not far behind with 15 of their own. It will also mark the third consecutive year that the Lakers have reached the NBA Finals, and the second time in those three years that the two franchises have met head-to-head. Boston came away victorious in 2008, closing out a six-game series with a 39 point blowout at TD Garden.

In looking at the 2010 finals, it appears to be an intriguing matchup. From Boston's perspective, you have a team that has really hit its stride in the playoffs. The Celtics team defense successfully shut down Dwyane Wade and the Heat, LeBron James and the Cavaliers, and Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic. However, in the last series against the Magic, the Celtics finally started to show some weaknesses, primarily in their age. With players Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Rasheed Wallace, the Celtics provide the veteran leadership that helps guide a team through the playoffs. Unfortunately for Celtics fans, those veteran legs looked awfully tired when
Orlando finally showed up to play.

For the Lakers, questions surround the health of Andrew Bynum's knee, but the real question is how will Kobe Bryant perform? When Bryant plays well, the Lakers usually win. When he's off, which isn't often, the Lakers struggle. Against Boston's stifling defense, Kobe Bryant needs to score in bunches, but he also needs to get teammates Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Ron Artest involved. The question remains to be seen how the Lakers will matchup against a healthy Rajon Rondo. Rondo, who was injured against the Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals, has attracted numerous challengers, but no one yet has shown the quickness to defend him man-to-man.

As the series tips off Thursday night, there are a few key matchups to monitor closely. The primary matchup, and one that may decide the series, is the Lakers defense against Rajon Rondo. When healthy, Rondo has the ability to penetrate defenses and find the open man either under the basket or open on the perimeter. Although Rondo has been limited in practice heading into the finals, the Lakers can expect to get the best of whatever he can give each night. The question for the Lakers will be concerning help defense and rotating on the block to prevent easy layups if and when Rondo enters the lane.

Another intriguing matchup is Kevin Garnett against Pau Gasol. Garnett has played well throughout the playoffs, particularly after an injury-plagued season and a half. If Garnett is able to contain Gasol, it will force Bryant and the supporting cast to contribute more offensively. Whether that can be done is another story. As the Magic and Cavaliers both exhibited, Boston is vulnerable when it gets in foul trouble. If the Lakers can attack Garnett, Perkins and Wallace, they should be able to capitalize on a height mismatch against the much shorter Glen "Big Baby" Davis. Equally important for the Celtics is keeping Kendrick Perkins quiet on the court. Perkins is one technical foul away from a one-game suspension, which could spell trouble for a front line that needs its depth to complement its aggressive and foul-prone style of play.

Overall, the matchup should go six or seven games, but the most important will be the first two games in Los Angeles. Since the finals format switches to 2-3-2 instead of the 2-2-1-1-1 as played in earlier rounds, the Celtics have a chance to capitalize on three consecutive games in Boston. If the Celtics can steal one or both of the first two games, then they should be in great position to close out the series at home. Conversely, the Lakers know that they have the final two games of the series at home. Given the Celtics' age and the home court format, the longer the series goes, the more it favors the Lakers.