Tuesday night, the Boston Celtics come into Los Angeles, looking to capture the NBA Championship. Just two years ago, Boston was able to do it against the Lakers. And last year, the Lakers reigned supreme over the Magic to become NBA Champions. But this year, Los Angeles finds themselves in a 2-0 hole.

If the Lakers lose, it has other consequences. After the game five loss, Kobe Bryant looked like the old Kobe Bryant. The one who was very selfish and looked like he was unhappy with his teammates. While he played great and nobody else did, when has LeBron James vocally been displeased with his teammates?

The Lakers need to win tonight to stay alive. But they also need to win if they want to avoid an off-season of misery.

by David at the Sports Fan Blog Network

Thanks to Ray Allen and late magic from Rajon Rondo, The Boston Celtics have tied up the NBA Finals at one game a piece.
Ray Allen owned the first half getting 27 out of his team leading 32 points for the game. Out of Allen’s 32 points were eight three-pointers, he was 8-11 on three point attempts. Allen’s eight three-pointers in the game was a NBA record for most three’s in a game.
The big story of the game was Rondo. Rondo only scored six points in the first half, but he did rack up eight assists. In the second half Rondo scored 13 points, and four more assists which gave him his second triple-double of the post-season. He finished the night with 19 points, 12 assists, 10 rebounds, and two steals.
With the performance by Allen and Rondo combined with poor shooting from Kobe Bryant who was only 8-20 shooting, The Celtics who commanded most of the game (except for a rough patch in the end of the 3rd quarter when the Lakers tied the game up), should look for more of the same to win the series. (NBA.com)
By Eric Heyer of Sports Fan Blog Network

This season, there was no shortage of bad NBA teams who need all the help they can get. Fortunately for these teams, that is what the NBA draft is for. Let’s take a look at the four most talented players, and some possible landing spots for each of these players.

1. John Wall (PG, Kentucky)- Wall is one of the most explosive and athletic players to appear in the last decade, and he has been the assumed first overall draft pick since his arrival on the University of Kentucky campus. Scouts rave about his quickness and leaping ability, and he is frequently compared to Derrick Rose. While there are still worries about his jump shot and tendency to commit turnovers, there is no doubt that he will be the first overall pick, and wearing a Wizards’ jersey within a month.

2. Evan Turner (SG, Ohio State)- Turner is regarded as one of the safest picks in this draft; he will bring a guaranteed 17 points per game as a rookie to any team in the league. At this point, it seems clear that he will be headed to Philadelphia with the 2nd pick in the draft. Although there are questions about Turner’s ceiling because of his lack of explosiveness and athleticism, he truly has no obvious weaknesses and he will make any team he is on better right away.

3. DeMarcus Cousins (C, Kentucky)-If NBA teams picked on talent alone, then Cousins would be heading to Philadelphia, and Washington would have to contemplate taking him as well. Unfortunately for Cousins, that isn’t the case. Cousins has the combination of size, strength, and agility that the NBA hasn’t seen since Shaquille O’Neal. (or Eddy Curry, if you want to be negative) In addition, Cousins shows great rebounding ability and a solid mid-range jumper. So, what’s the negative? First and foremost, Cousins is regarded as an immature headcase who often appears uncoachable. In addition, he has long battled with weight issues, and many scouts worry that he will be unable to control his weight in the future. If Cousins matures, however, he will be the steal of the draft. Although he has great talent, however, it is unlikely that he will go to New Jersey with the 3rd pick, because they already have a franchise center in Brook Lopez. Expect to see him in Minnesota (if they trade Al Jefferson) or Sacramento.

4. Derrick Favors (PF, Georgia Tech)-Favors is an excellent athlete, who is a slightly worse athlete than Cousins, but he doesn’t bring any of the baggage to a team that Cousins would. Favors is an excellent defender and shot blocker who also has a fairly polished post game. Although his ceiling may not be as high as Cousins’, there appears to be no threat of him flaming out as well.

by Nathan Eagan at the Sports Fan Blog Network

As we head into tonight’s Game 1 of the NBA finals, there are many storylines that the media has decided to focus on. The historic rivalry between the Celtics and the Lakers, the rejuvenation of the Celtics’ aging core, and Rajon Rondo’s emergence as one of the NBA’s top point guards have all been topics of discussion this week.

One other topic that deserves mention is Kobe Bryant’s legacy. If the Lakers win this series, Kobe Bryant will have 5 championship rings, which would make him the leader among active NBA players, and tie him with fellow Laker great Magic Johnson. At this point,there is no doubt that Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest players in the history of the NBA. At the same time, however, there is some debate as to where he stands amongst the best guards of all time: Jerry West, Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson and of course, Michael Jordan, could all be considered to be better players than Kobe.

Many of Kobe’s detractors point out that Kobe Bryant was not the best player on three of his championship teams. These same detractors will also point out that after Shaquille O’Neal’s departure to Miami, the Lakers struggled to achieve a winning record for three seasons of Kobe’s prime. All of these are valid points, but it is still impossible to discount everything Kobe Bryant has achieved. Kobe’s longevity and consistency is incredible, and it is now time to evaluate Kobe’s place amongst the best players in NBA history.

After Michael Jordan won his last NBA title in 1998, a new generation of players emerged who hoped to take his place. Although there were quite a few disappointing players who were supposed to be the next Jordan (Vince Carter) there are three players who followed Jordan who were clearly superior to their peers. Tim Duncan, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kobe Bryant are all among the top 20 players of all time, but now there is a new debate: Duncan or Bryant.

If the Lakers are able to win this NBA finals, then the debate becomes more complicated. Duncan’s supporters will point out that he has also won 4 NBA titles, and that Duncan was the best player on all of those teams. These are all valid point, but if Kobe Bryant can win yet another title as the best player on his team, then the discussion needs to be held: who is better, Kobe or Duncan?

by Nathan Eagan at the Sports Fan Blog Network

As I’m sure you know if you’ve seen a TV in the past week, the upcoming NBA finals are a rematch of the 2008 edition, with Kobe Bryant gunning for his 5th ring and revenge for his team’s 2008 defeat. While these storylines have been beaten to death by the media, here are 3 key “x-factors” that will make a big difference in the upcoming series.

1. Rasheed Wallace- That’s right. This season’s posterboy for out-of-shape, overpaid NBA players will likely be one of the biggest keys to this series. Lost in all of the criticism directed at Wallace (which he has deserved) is the fact that Wallace has long been one of the top post defenders in the NBA. Wallace possesses the rare combination of defensive intelligence and physical length, and both of these traits will be needed when he goes against Pau Gasol, one of the NBA’s most talented and efficient power forwards. If Wallace is able to effectively battle Gasol, expect to see a Celtics victory.

2. Nate Robinson- Long dismissed as a 5′8 novelty who could only dunk, Robinson reminded NBA fans that he actually possesses rare offensive ability. Unfortunately for Robinson, he often offsets that ability by taking too many shots and turning the ball over. When Robinson is in control of his game, however, he is a dynamic scorer and he, along with Rajon Rondo, could give the Lakers’ backcourt trouble.

3. Derek Fisher- To many fans, Derek Fisher is the anonymous point guard whose job consists of dribbling the ball upcourt and then giving it to Kobe Bryant. While that might largely be true, Fisher’s ability to hit big shots can not be discounted. Fisher frequently finds himself open because of other teams’ tendencies to collapse on Kobe Bryant, and his ability to knock down open threes could decide at least one game in this series.

by Nathan Eagan at the Sports Fan Blog Network

Losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals was the worst nightmare for Phoenix Suns fans. It added another playoff series lost to the last ten years or so. And more importantly, this could have been their last chance.

Many looked disappointed that the Suns fell short yet again. But, Amare Stoudemire looked more relieved than disappointed. Like many others in the upcoming free agent class, Stoudemire is looking forward to cashing in and making millions of dollars, while choosing a destination. If he leaves, there goes any glimpse of hope of Steve Nash winning a title for the Suns.

Without Amare, it would not leave the Suns with too much. Aside from Nash, they would still have many solid, nice, complimentary players. But they could kiss any hope of coming close to the NBA Finals goodbye.

by David at the Sports Fan Blog Network

In the 2010 NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics will take on the Los Angeles Lakers. Yawn. This series will be big, but only for fans of these two teams. It is a historic rivalry, and both are top teams. However, for those who are not fans of these two teams, it is not exactly the world’s most fresh and exciting finals. The Lakers have been in the NBA Championship the past two years, and Boston won it in 2008.

Outside of actual fans of these two teams, these two teams are generally hated. Kevin Garnett is known for his corny “anything is possible!” quote, as well as his arrogant antics. Pau Gasol is someone who finds something to complain about every call made. Paul Pierce did the worst acting job in the 2008 Finals, actually leading people to believe that he was able to miraculously overcome a wheelchair to return to the game. Kobe Bryant is popular, but many envy him. Rajon Rondo is the flavor of the year to ESPN, and it gets on people’s nerves. Let’s not even get into Ron Artest.

The bottom line is that those in the NBA are probably happy with the fact that these two teams will duel it out for the Championship. But the average basketball fan simply does not want to see it happen.

by David at the Sports Fan Blog Network