Green Vs. Gold

The Los Angeles Lakers', Kobe Bryant, may say he doesn’t care if the Boston Celtics are in the championship or not, but this is something he’s been waiting for. I’m pretty sure that many of his teammates feel the same way, as they lost in 6 games in 2008 Finals and were embarrassed in the final game, losing 131–92. This isn’t a rubber match as both teams are not the same from ’08, but payback if the Lakers are successful at winning, which they’ve only done twice on the big stage in 11 attempts vs. the Boston Celtics all-time, none with Bryant though.
The Lakers' matchups against the Celtics favor them especially with the addition of Ron Artest, who wasn’t on the team in ’08. Everyone knows that Kobe will show up and do what he does best, but he isn’t the main focus for Boston to worry about. The Lakers big men are: Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom, and Ron Artest.
Gasol has something to prove as he was abused by the Celtics big men (Leon Powe, P.J. Brown, Kendrick Perkins, and Kevin Garnett) last time in the finals. When Gasol and Bryant are rolling, it’s pretty hard to stop the Lakers.
Andrew Bynum, even though young and still learning, needs to play big. He can easily dunk on and shot over all the Celtics players. If he can just provide a little bit over 10 points per game and be a defensive presence, The Lakers would benefit so much more. He may be limited with the recent draining of his knee.
Lamar Odom is key when coming off the bench because of his versatility and size, especially with the poor performance of Bynum lately. Odom can easily start, but is even more deadly when coming off the bench. If Odom can have games as he did in game 1 vs. Phoenix, then the Lakers may be on their way to a repeat.
Last but not least, is Ron Artest, who I think is better than Trevor Ariza. Artest is such an impeccable defender as Kobe would know from first hand experience. It will be his job to hold Paul Pierce and/or Ray Allen in check. The thing that many forget about Artest is that he can score. He was even looked at as a primary option besides Aaron Brooks when playing for the Houston Rockets. If Artest can do both of these, the Lakers can’t ask for anything more from him.
Only time will tell how the 12th match-up between the Lakers and Celtics for the NBA Finals will play out. The Los Angeles Lakers are looking for their 16th Championship and fear no one that stands in their way. They still are the defending champions and pay back is a ….. Ya, you know the rest. There is no rivalry in the NBA better than these two and what better stage to play on than the NBA Championship.