Celtics vs. Lakers, Part XII or: How We Got Here and Where We're Going

Consider this: not too long ago (three years, to be exact), both of this year's finalists appeared, for all intents and purposes, to be dead in the water. The Celtics had come off a disastrous 2007 campaign in which it had become more than apparent that the young "core" (Gerald Green, anyone?) surrounding Paul Pierce was incapable of propelling the franchise into contention; adding insult to injury, any hope of improvement through the draft vanished with the inopportune bouncing of lottery balls. A draft-day deal for Ray Allen, while undoubtedly an upgrade to the roster and an obvious (and much needed) attempt to placate Pierce, was viewed by some as a foolhardy move which further underscored Danny Ainge's general incompetence and lack of vision.

The Lakers, despite having made the postseason for two consecutive years, were in a similiar dilemma; first-round exits at the hands of the Suns in the two postseasons prior, coupled with the apparent inability of Mitch Kupchak to surround Kobe Bryant with a capable supporting cast, had driven said star to the breaking point. Soon after exiting the playoffs, Bryant (quite) publicly expressed both his displeasure with the Lakers' front office and his teammates, as well as his desire to be dealt to a contender. That summer was thus marked by unbridled speculation regarding Bryant's future, and by any measure the Lakers appeared to be on the brink of starting a long and painful rebuilding process which would mark the end of an era.

Of course, the Kevin Garnett trade of that summer and the Pau Gasol deal in the winter of the following season irrevocably shifted the fortunes of both franchises. Since the tumultuous events of 2007, the Lakers have made three straight Finals appearances, and the Celtics have advanced to that round twice in the same time period; one could even go so far as to argue that the latter was a knee injury away from achieving the same feat as the former. Beyond returning the teams in question to contention and revitalizing the careers of some of the game's most burdened and unlucky stars, the roster overhauls of these two teams and the subsequent success each franchise has enjoyed has had unforseen and historic consequences which have, in a way, upset the NBA narrative of the past decade.

Indeed, this era (or mini-era, if you will) will be remembered not only as a time in which the league's flagship teams returned from the dead to contend for the throne, but also as a unique period in which the order of the previous decade (i.e. the San Antonio-Detroit-Shaq balance of power) was overthrown and the ascendancy of the up-and-coming powers (i.e. Cleveland, Orlando, OKC, etc.) was denied. Neither marked by the stodgy orthodoxy of the old hierarchy nor the friendly exuberance of the new generation, these Celtics and Lakers squads have adhered to a third-way philosophy of basketball which entails a reliance upon players both old and young, a blend of stylized (yet efficient) offense and stifling defense, and a sublimation of individual superstar egos into a greater whole. While these axioms are by no means radical or revolutionary, their successful adoption by L.A. and Boston has created a rift in the NBA order and kickstarted a transitional-period in which the machine-like teams of yore are put out to pasture and the superstar-led outfits of the future are forced to wait their turn to dominate.

And to think that, not so long ago, Kobe wanted to be traded to Chicago to play with Luol Deng and the Celtics were banking on Greg Oden to save the franchise . . .

True Grit or: Your Home Court Means Nothing

Ever since their Game 4 loss to Oklahoma City in the First Round, the Lakers have been on a tear. While their margins of victory over the Thunder and the Jazz have been relatively unimpressive (except for their Game 5 blowout of OKC), the toughness they've exhibited since that aforementioned humiliating defeat at the hands of Kevin Durant and company has quieted some of the talk regarding their focus and chemistry issues. The narrow victory they eked out against the Jazz tonight in Salt Lake City, despite the brillant play of Deron Williams and Kyle Korver and the return of Andrei Kirilenko, is further confirmation of the fact that the Lakers, no matter how unlikable and passionless they may some times appear to be, are champions in the truest sense of the word. They could have at any point given up, and taken comfort in the fact that they would have retained home-court advantage regardless of the outcome; instead, they refused to wither in a physical game in front of a hostile crowd, and stole a one-point victory against a team with its back against the wall.

Despite his hesitancy to pass in the first quarter, Kobe played a magnificent game (35 points on 13-24 shooting, 7 assists, and several cluch plays in the final minutes of the fourth), as did Ron Artest (!) and Derek Fisher (!), both of whom provided L.A. a spark with their outside shooting (!!!). While they shouldn't expect the latter two to play as well as they did going forward (indeed, Fisher's performance was akin to Lazarus rising from the dead), the Lakers have to be encouraged that they were able to pull out a road win, despite the apparent inability of their bench players to play well anymore (really, 8-24 from the field, guys?). A sweep is, at this point, not out of the question considering the disheartening way in which the Jazz lost (poor, poor Wes Matthews), though one shouldn't be surprised if the Lakers are unable to stifle the desire to finish up the series at home.

Also: the less that's said about the Orlando-Atlanta series, the better. However, I find it remarkable that the lower seeds in each conference are having such a hard time defending their home court. Atlanta and Boston were hammered by their visiting opponents, and the Jazz and Spurs lost tight, physical games in front of crowds who traditionally have swung more than a few games in their favor. Strange times, folks.