Lakers v. Celtics

With LeBron going to LA and Boston dominating the East, will we have a classic NBA Finals matchup between the Lakers and Celtics?

Before we address this issue, we gotta consider the fact that the Warriors are still in the way… can the Lakers beat the Warriors? Probably not. Can the Celtics beat the Warriors? Nah. So in a no-Warriors situation, who wins the Finals between these two teams? Let’s take a look at their rosters and see how well they matchup.

LA Lakers

The Lakers made lots of changes this last off-season. Its kind of sad to see some of the young core of the Lakers leave like Julius Randle but overall, the Lakers improved. Some of the returning players include Lonzo Ball. People have been saying Zo is a bust, which I think is absolutely untrue. Look at his stat line from last season. He was averaging 10-7-7. Now, if you listened to his dad all year, you would be expecting Zo to average 25-10-10 and leading the Lakers to a ring. But no one that really knows basketball would believe LaVar’s claims. If you are one of the people that believe Zo is a bust, then you need to stop listening to LaVar Ball. Zo output was good. If I were the Lakers GM, I would very satisfied with the numbers that Zo put up. For a rookie, that’s good numbers. There’s a reason he made the All-Rookie Second Team, because analysts actually know what they’re talking about rather than punk kids on Instagram complaining that Lonzo Ball isn’t a basketball god his first season playing. Zo is gonna improve.

Josh Hart and Kyle Kuzma, the other two rookies are gonna improve too. Josh Hart won the Summer League MVP, showing that he is ready to shine. Kuz was the second highest leading scorer among rookies last year, so expect him to get good shots off, especially with Bron, Rondo, and Zo controlling the ball.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is going to provide some good minutes for LA. Expect to see his point production and minutes probably go down, but KCP is still a valuable role player to have on the roster.

Also returning from last season is Brandon Ingram. Brandon Ingram is a future star. He’s been compared to Kevin Durant, but I don’t think he will break out until LeBron James leaves LA. However, expect him to be a major contributor. The sophomore was averaging 16 PPG last year and he is going to get better and better. He has lots of potential in him and the vets that LA added this off-season are really going to help him bring it out.

Outside of this young and talented core, the Lakers added so much depth to their team. The biggest being LeBron James. I don’t think I need to say much more about LeBron. He is the King and whatever team he plays on will get W’s. Lots of people talk about the Lakers not making the playoffs, but if you have LeBron on your team, you should expect winning basketball to happen. Now I’m not saying that the Lakers will be the best team in the West. Not at all. They still have the Warriors and Rockets outplaying them but expect them to make it a battle for that 3rd, 4th or even 5th seed.

Three other additions the Lakers made are three of the biggest jokes in the NBA. And by jokes, I don’t mean they suck, but I mean that at times they make you want to slap your forehead and sigh. However, these three players bring lots of value to the team. First up is Lance Stephenson. First off, I want to say that NBA fans everywhere are saddened to hear that the LeBron-Lance feud will now end… Whenever LeBron matched up against Lance, you know it was going to be fun to watch. Although Lance can cause some trouble for the team, he is a good team player and can get things done, as shown when he played in Indiana. He is tough, which is good for the young Lakers. Next is JaVale McGee. The 2x Shaqtin’ a Fool MVP. Although the man is huge goof and makes you worried when he steps on the court, he is actually a decent player to have, especially proven by his contribution to the Warriors last year. With Brook Lopez gone, it’ll help having him at the 5 spot. Last is Michael Beasley. Now, Beasley is a good player. Given the chance, he can prove to you that he can score the ball. Problem is, most teams haven’t given him that chance. If you really know how to utilize him, he can easily bring you 15-20 points on any given night. All in all, these three provide lots of help for the Lakers.

The last player I want to talk about is Rajon Rondo. This is a huge help to the Lakers. Rondo may be old, but he has experience and has one of the best basketball IQs in the game. Expect him and LeBron to be the teachers and mentors for this young team and will help elevate their game. Rondo is as wise as they come and with his experience, whether from the bench or whether he starts, the Lakers will be better.

Boston Celtics

Now let’s look at the Celtics. While the Lakers made lots and lots of off-season changes, the Celtics didn’t really do much. That’s because they didn’t need to. With their talent, they were able to make the Eastern Conference Finals WITHOUT Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward. The best part of this team is their chemistry and desire to win. With injured players returning, many of the other players ran the risk of losing their starting position, like Terry Rozier for example, however, when questioned, they didn’t care. They just want to win. That’s the attitude that the NBA needs. Not this I want money and a ring so I’m gonna go somewhere else but rather stick together and improve together.

We all know that Kyrie Irving is a superstar and has the best handles in the game, so expect to get better as he gets more comfortable with Brad Stevens’ system.

Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. Two young stars. These two guys are going to get better and better. I see so much potential in both of them, especially Tatum. I don’t think I need say much more.

Gordon Hayward is returning too and that is a huge boost for them. They were already an amazing team and now they have an extra All-star playing alongside them. People have debated that Hayward may actually be the best player on the team. This next season will give us our answer, but either way, huge bonus for the C’s.

The Celtics Bigs are also doing very well. Al Horford continues to show us how quietly good he is. His defensive and offensive game is great. Marcus Morris was also a huge addition the Celtics last year and he played outstanding for them. Aron Baynes and Daniel Theis are also going to contribute lots from the bench for the Celtics.

The last two mentioned is the Celtics backcourt reserves. Terry Rozier and Marcus Smart. These two, if they were on any other team, would easily start, but with Kyrie and Jaylen already here, they are going to have to sit the bench. However, when that second squad comes in, you better expect the same output you would if Kyrie and Jaylen were still in. Scary Terry proves that he can be the man on the court and Marcus Smart’s toughness, physicality and defense are gonna scare any team they play. Rozier and Smart are definitely a very scary backcourt to go up against.

MATCHUP

POSITION CELTICS LAKERS WHO WINS?

PG Kyrie, Scary Terry Zo, Rondo Celtics

SG Jaylen Brown, M. Smart KCP, Lance, Josh Hart Celtics

SF G. Hayward, J. Tatum LeBron, B. Ingram Lakers

PF Marcus Morris, D. Theis Kuz, M. Beasley Lakers

C Al Horford, A. Baynes JaVale McGee Celtics

All in all, both teams are good. They will both be very fun to watch this next season. However, when matched up, I gotta go Celtics. Not only do they have more depth on their team, they also have better coaching. You can argue that the Lakers have lots of experience, but they have no experience TOGETHER. That’s what matters. This Celtics team went far together last year, and they are going to get better. All of the debates about the Lakers are all guesses right now. We won’t know how well they will do until they actually play again, but for the Celtics, we already know they will do good, because they’ve proven it.