I've been racking my brain for the past two days (and then some, here are some of my thoughts on the Lakers from April) trying to think of ways that the Celtics can beat the Lakers in the Finals that are only four days away at this point. Thus far I haven't been able to come up with anything really juicy, but I've got some beginnings of some ideas that might lead to successful strategies and/or game plans for the Celtics to employ against the mighty and dangerous (they're just mighty dangerous!) Los Angeles Lakers.
One of the biggest keys for the Celtics is staying aggressive on offense. I know, that's really insightful and descriptive (I was going to say cliché...), but don't worry, baby birds, I'll feed you. If the Celtics can stay aggressive on offense and continually drive to the basket and get shots in the paint, they'll be attacking the Lakers softest and most exploitable spot, their interior defense and big men. You are now undoubtedly protesting by saying something along the lines of "Pau Gasol is down there, and he's long, athletic and a Laker now which means no fouls get called on him!" Right you are, but whom, I ask you, is behind Pau Gasol in the Lakers rotation? Ronny Turiaf and DJ Mbenga, that's who.
The fact that you're all either laughing or scratching your heads right now proves my point perfectly. Most of you probably don't know who Turiaf and Mbenga are (with good reason), and those of you who do know that their skills and abilities are laughable (though I admire Turiaf's consistent energy and enthusiasm). The point is that if the Celtics can get Gasol out of the game, then they should be able to exploit the weak big men on the Lakers roster and (hopefully) send a parade of Celtics to the free-throw line, or better yet, score easy baskets in the paint.
Leading this charge for Boston will be Paul Pierce, who always plays aggressively, and is averaging more than ten free-throw attempts per game against LA in his career. Following Pierce to the lane (and then the charity stripe) should be Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen at the very least. Rondo is so much quicker than Derek Fisher that he should be in the paint every time he drives the ball, ditto for Ray Allen as long as Kobe isn't guarding him. As for KG, he should focus on being as aggressive as possible and going right at Gasol, Turiaf, Odom and whomever else the Lakers throw at him, using his length, quickness and arsenal of post moves to get some easy shot opportunities.
If the Celtics can get into the lane and to the line, they'll have an incredible opportunity to keep the Lakers uncomfortable and off balance, as well as eliminating a key dimension to their offensive game plan. If Gasol gets into foul trouble, the Celtics will be able to focus more on Kobe and Lamar Odom (a big if considering that Gasol is a superstar Laker, which means no whistle no matter what). Also, forcing Gasol to defend hard every game will wear him down on offense over the course of the series, and could work in the Celtics' favor.
In addition to constantly attacking the rim, the Celtics will have to stop the Lakers on the other side of the ball. In particular, I think that it is crucial to defend the three-point line well and to close out on shooters and rotate quickly as Kobe collapses the Celtics' defense with his drives. If the Celtics can limit the outside threats of Fisher, Vujacic, Luke Walton and Radmanovic, then they'll take one of the Lakers' most potent weapons off the table. Additionally, if the shots of the other Lakers aren't falling, Boston could trick Kobe into going one-on-five, which got the Celtics two wins against LA in the regular season (check out Henry Abbott on ESPN Truehoop for a great analysis of the Celtics' strategy against Kobe).
The bottom line is that there is no way to truly stop Kobe from scoring his fair share. There are ways to make him so inefficient in his scoring that it hurts his team, but at the end of the day, it is way easier to limit the Mamba's teammates than it is to limit Kobe himself. That means physically pushing Pau Gasol off of the block and forcing him to hit jumpers and denying Odom penetration into the paint or opportunities in transition. If Odom and Pau are ineffective, the Lakers offensive system will break down and turn into a Kobe Bryant chuck-fest before most of the Lakers fans are even in their seats.
Speaking of defending Odom and Gasol, this is why Kendrick Perkins will be a huge factor in this series. He has played good, physical basketball against the Lakers this season, and played very well in the last few games of the Conference Finals against the Pistons. His size and length should be irritating to a slender, finesse player like Pau Gasol if Perk can stay out of foul trouble for the majority of the series. perkins is also great at using his body to show on the pick & roll and disrupt the rhythm of the play, which could be crucial against the high screens for Kobe that Gasol will set. Finally, if Perk can force Gasol to work a little bit on defense, fatigue could be a factor down the stretch for the lanky Spaniard.
As for Odom, if Perkins is an effective defender on Pau Gasol, then Kevin Garnett will be right there to counter Odom's length and quickness. This could work well for the Celtics, as Odom is a spotty at best outside shooter and relies on passing and dribble drives to contribute to the Lakers offense. If KG can sag off of Odom, he can stay in front of him and cheat to help on other players. Also, Garnett's length and incredible ability to play the passing lanes and disrupt opponents' ball movement could go a long ways towards limiting Odom and Gasol as well as throwing the Lakers' triangle offense out of whack. odom should also expect to get a lot of James Posey this series, who is adept at moving his feet and taking charges, a powerful weapon against Odom's dribble penetration.
All of this is easier said than done, I know, but the Celtics have fought so hard to get this far and are more than talented enough to stop the Los Angeles Lakers. LA has been the most dominant team in the Playoffs thus far, but they'll be on the road against the NBA's best regular season team with a roster full of hungry guys who want to win a championship more than they want to breathe or sleep. There's no way to tell how the series will play out until game one tips off, but I were betting (I'm not, don't worry Mom and stop asking Ray/Asian Dave!), I'd say that the series goes seven games for sure, but it's too hard to tell who comes out on top (Giggidy).
