| 05 February 2009
Feb 5th - LA Lakers (39-9) at Boston Celtics (41-9)
This game is vital for LA. This game against the Celtics will go a long way in indicating what personality the Lakers are to take whilst Andrew Bynum sits. But before the game preview, cutting to a few questions I asked of the estimable John, from the inestimable Celtics blog, Red's Army.
With Malice (Don): The Celtics look poised to defend their title, what needs to happen between now and then for that to occur?
Red's Army (John): They need to keep their focus on defense. In that swoon of the theirs, they were missing a lot of defensive assignments. It really was weird to watch. On this streak, they've pretty much gone back to being dominant on the defensive end. I think some of the credit really needs to go to Doc Rivers and his handling of Kevin Garnett. He has decided to limit KG to 8 minute stretches of play... and that seems to have paid off. Garnett looked worn out in that slump, but he seems to be playing with more energy now. Rajon Rondo also needs to keep up an All Star level of play. He can destroy the point of attack on both ends of the floor. If he's mixing in some of his own offense with his usual looking for teammates... the Celtics are going to be very hard to beat. I've been saying all year long... Rajon Rondo makes this team go. When he's playing poorly, the Celtics usually are too. But when he's on, forget it. You have no chance.
WM: A lot of people wrote off the C's during their recent slump (amazingly enough, not me) - what did you learn during that period?
RA: a: KG is starting to show his age. He's starting to get to the point of his career where his minutes need to be managed a bit. He can still give you 34 minutes a game... but you have to be careful about when he's playing those minutes.
b: Other teams REALLY want to beat the Celtics. Other teams really do get a little more juiced to play Boston. Sometimes they can crush that early. Sometimes that bites them in the butt.
c: It's all about Rondo. I know I just said it, but it bears repeating. The Celtics never lose when Rondo is playing well. That's not hyperbole. That's 100% true. I cannot recall a single game where he's played well, and the Celtics lost.
WM: I've been a critic of KG's this season, but his "Quest for G" vid really earnt some points for me. Have you seen it? What did you think?
RA: I loved it. It's one of the most clever things I've seen in a while. Of course, I'm a big Monty Python fan, so I loved the Holy Grail theme (edit: clip shown after the preview). But the best part is that it shows one thing in particular: Kevin Garnett is well aware of what's being said about him.When he's willing to make fun of his own on-the-court cursing, it shows he knows he's being criticized for it. It reminds me of his introductory press conference. Before the deal was done, there were rumors that it was being held up because he was on a cruise and everyone had to wait for his return before the deal was finalized.
Yada, yada, yada.... he's in Boston... answering a question... and he says "and by the way... I've never been on a cruise". And he opens his eyes wide, tilts his head forward, and taps his temple with his index finger as if to say "I'm listening... I'm always listening."
Garnett has always been likeable. People are tearing him apart a bit this year because of some of his antics on the court. But off the court, he's exactly what we want an athlete to be: personable, approachable and honest. There's a reason why he's in a ton of ads. He's not just a star... he's got the right personality too.
WM: What do the Lakers need to do to be able to beat Boston in their own home?
RA: Play defense. It's as simple as that. The Lakers absolutely have to match the Celtics defensive intensity. The C's will be tough on D... but they count on that stifling D to wear you out, make you quit, and steamroll you. Any team they play has to be able to match all of that and maybe they'll steal a close one in Boston.
*****
Back to the preview...
Forget the fireworks in The Garden, forget the win over Toronto. In terms of this season, those games mean absolutely nothing. The next two games against Boston and Cleveland will largely forge the Lakers' future over the rest of the season.
LA doesn't have to win either, but they must be competitive. Wins'd be an emphatic statement on who they are, but it will be hard going. Boston would have to be salivating at the opportunity to match up with the Lakers again, as would LeBron & co.
On their turf.
Both of these games are winnable. LA certainly has the roster to do it. Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom make a formidable front court, especially with Garnett playing in bursts.
Another big difference to the team that played in the Finals last season is the presence of Trevor Ariza. Ariza makes it possible for Kobe not to have to defend the key guy on the opposition all the time. Kobe'll take time on Pierce, but Ariza will too. Trevor Ariza brings a defensive intensity that was definitely absent frequently June last year.
LA will have to put a choke-hold (a la Latrell Sprewell... at least figuratively speaking) on Paul Pierce. That's going to fall to Kobe, Ariza... and possibly both Luke Walton and Sasha Vujacic. How well those not named Kobe Bryant do will go a long way in deciding how much energy Kobe has for offense.
Something that will be interesting will be to see if Kevin Garnett suits up, and if he does, how much of his influenza lurgy is still present. Could have an impact.
Either way it goes, promises to be one helluva game.
KG's Quest for G!
Remember to check out Red's Army for their take on the game...
