By: Dan Massar, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer

Celtics vs. Lakers, it just rolls off the tongue doesn’t it? The signature basketball event will again have its signature matchup.  It’s east coast vs. west coast.  Defensive toughness vs. offensive firepower.  Blue collar vs. Hollywood.  The two greatest franchises in basketball are facing off again in the NBA Finals. The Celtics have won 17 titles to the Lakers’ 15.  Both teams have had countless Hall of Famers and memorable moments to savor in their histories.  Another chapter is about to be written in the saga that is Celtics vs. Lakers.

Historically this has been a one sided rivalry. This is the 12^th time they have met up with the NBA Championship on the line.  The Celtics are 9-2 against the Lakers in their previous 11 Finals matchups.  The Lakers finally broke through against the Celtics in the 1985 NBA Finals; a year after Boston beat LA in a tough 7 game series.  They also beat Bird’s Celtics in the 1987 Finals.  The Celtics dominated the Lakers in the 60’s, went 1-2 against them in the 80’s and are now 1-0 against them in the New Big Three vs. Kobe era.  So much more then the NBA Title is on the line as these two ancient rivals meet up again in June.

Legacy is a word you will hear thrown around a lot the next two weeks.  The legacies of all involved in this series are on the line between now and the potential game 7 on June 17.  This Celtics team can cement its legacy as a multiple championship group and put the finishing touches on one of the most remarkable postseason runs not only in franchise history but also in the history of the league.  A second Finals win over the Lakers would also endear this group to Celtics fans as a team that upheld the Celtics tradition of torturing their LA counterparts.  Paul Pierce can continue to move up the ranks of Celtics all time greats with another Finals win.  Kevin Garnett will pick up a second ring and move up the ladder in terms of the all time great power forwards in league history.  Plus he would be 8-0 in playoff series with the Celtics when he plays, making him a Celtics playoff legend. Ray Allen would collect his second ring and validate his place as one of the all time great sharpshooters the game has ever seen.  Doc Rivers will join Phil Jackson and Gregg Poppovich as the only coaches in the league today that have won multiple NBA titles as a coach. Rajon Rondo could put an exclamation point on his emergence as arguably the best point guard in basketball.

Lakers legacies are also on the line.  This Lakers team can get back-to-back titles and put themselves on the verge of dynasty status.  Their nucleus will be together for the next several years so more titles can be accumulated.  Kobe Bryant can match Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s 5 titles as Lakers (Kareem also won a ring with the Bucks giving him 6 total).  He would also join Magic and Kareem in the exclusive Lakers club of players that beat the Celtics in the Finals.  Beating Boston is one of the only things missing from Kobe’s resume.  Although, to be in the discussion with Michael Jordan in terms of all time greatness he needs to not only win this years title but 1 if not two more.  Right now Kobe only has 1 title as the best player on his team.  Shaq was without question the most dominant player in the game during the Lakers three-peat from 2000-2002.  Kobe needs to get to 7 maybe 8 rings to sit at the table with Jordan.  Pau Gasol could begin to set his mark as a great Lakers big man alongside Kareem, Wilt, and Shaq.  Some are calling him the most skilled big man in the game today.  He can validate this with a strong performance and another Lakers championship.  And Phil Jackson surely doesn’t have much else to prove; he’s won 10 NBA titles as a coach.  But he’s 0-1 against the Celtics.  Pat Riley was 2-1 against the Celtics and won 4 NBA titles in LA.  Phil needs 1 more for 5 as LA’s coach.

So how is this epic confrontation going to play out?  In 2008 the Celtics won the series in 6 games.  They won all three games in Boston and stole Game 4 in LA after being down by 24 in the first half.  This time LA has the home court advantage.  The Lakers are a great home team, but it has more to do with the fact they are a very good team and not the atmosphere that their lackluster Hollywood fans provide.

The Celtics meanwhile, were a very good road team this season and have been stellar on the road this postseason.  They know they can win in LA and should be able to take a game or two on the road in this series.  Likewise, the Lakers have demonstrated the ability to win on the road.  Home court is not going to be a major factor in this series.  But winning in Boston will be tougher for LA because of the wild atmosphere Celtics fans will create at the Garden and the defensive toughness usually picks up even more for Team Green at home.

Once again the Celtics don’t have the best player in the series.  Kobe Bryant takes that award.  But that didn’t matter against the Heat with Dwyane Wade, the Cavs with LeBron James, or the Magic with Dwight Howard.  Kobe will get his just like Wade, James and Howard did.  The key will be stopping the other Lakers.  Garnett and Perkins should be able to handle Gasol and Lamar Odom.  Ron Artest is an absolute wildcard, you never know what he might do, but the Celtics should have an answer for him.  Keeping the Lakers off the offensive glass will be huge.  LA dominated the boards against the Thunder, Jazz and Suns.  The Celtics are far more equipped to deal with this issue then those three teams were.

One big advantage the Celtics have is at point guard.  Rondo should be able to get into the paint anytime he wants.  Derek Fisher cannot guard him.  He will surely try all the tricks in the book to stop him.  Fisher is a crafty veteran, but Rondo is quicker, younger and just much better.  If the Lakers put Kobe on Rondo, then that will hurt them on the offensive end because Kobe will be expending a lot of energy chasing Rondo all over the court.  If the Celtics win this series, Rondo could very well be the MVP.

Pierce was the MVP of the 2008 NBA Finals, so he will need to have another big series.  Kevin Garnett needs to bring the toughness and Ray Allen the clutch shooting and secondary scoring.  The Celtics bench will have to provide energy, scoring and defense. Tony Allen will guard Kobe when he’s in, and Rasheed Wallace will get to contend with the Lakers big boys.

The key for the Lakers is not being bullied by the Celtics.  Boston was much tougher then LA in 2008.  The Lakers need to show they aren’t soft.  They have the size to get physical right back at the Celtics, we’ll see if they are up for it.  Kobe is going to do his thing, but who else is going to be an offensive force? Gasol could be the guy to step up alongside Kobe.  Odom has the talent, as does Artest, they could be huge factors if they make shots and play defense.

So who wins? This has all the makings of a classic slugfest.  The last two NBA Champs facing off with so much on the line.  This Celtics team has been compared to the 1969 Celtics team that won the NBA title in Bill Russell’s final season.  That team was also the fourth seed in the East, was aging and played the Lakers in the Finals.  The Celtics won the series in 7 games, stealing the final game on LA’s home court.  Get ready for another Celtics invasion in LA.

Prediction: Celtics in 7.

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