The conference finals in the NBA opened over the last couple of nights, and the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, the league’s two most storied franchises, were impressive in registering victories in their respective series openers. The Lakers dominated the surprising Phoenix Suns behind Kobe Bryant’s 40 points and a workmanlike performance from the rest of the squad, with the other main offensive contributor being Lamar Odom. The Celtics, in dispatching the overrated Cleveland Cavaliers and stealing the home court advantage from Orlando in their opener, have been the most impressive defensive team in the playoffs. They are healthy and having won the NBA title just 2 years ago have the experience to roll to another championship. However, in an earlier post I had said that Orlando would defeat either team that survived the Boston/Celeveland series, so I’ll stand by that pick. Although Boston’s work on Dwight Howard was stifling, I feel the loss was more a result of the Magic being rusty from the long layoff after they swept their previous series over Atlanta. I still look for them to find their bearings and rebound to win a long, tough series.
NBA – Lakers, Celtics open with convincing wins
18
May