Game 7 Random Thoughts

I tried to convince myself that it would not come to this. After originally predicting the Celtics to beat the Lakers in five games, I then made a case why the series would end on Tuesday after Game 6. Both times the Lakers made a fool out of me. The series has now moved to a decisive seventh game, the ultimate pressure cooker in professional sports. The winner will be forever celebrated as a champion and the loser will become a historical footnote in the greatest rivalry in professional basketball. Now that we are on the cusp of Game 7, I hope that NBA commissioner David Stern has informed all three of the referees for tonight's game - Joey Crawford, Dan Crawford, Scott Foster - that the players should be responsible for deciding who claims the 2010 NBA title, not the guys in the zebra suits... Kendrick Perkins will not play tonight because of the knee injury he suffered in Game 6. Losing a 7-footer who can rebound and play physical against the Lakers big men will hurt the Celtics on the defensive end but I will choose to examine the positive effects the change will have on the C's. First off, Perk is an offensive liability and the Lakers are basically playing 5-on-4 when the Celtics have the ball and he is in the game. His absence will create more playing opportunities for Rasheed Wallace and Glen Davis, two players who are capable of scoring double-digit points. Another reason I like this is that with Wallace and Davis getting more minutes, the health of Andrew Bynum's knee will be tested. Bynum can afford to hang around the rim when he covers Perkins but the ability of 'Sheed and Big Baby to hit open jumpers will drag him away from the basket. This will expose Bynum's injury and will also open up driving lanes for Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen. Not having Perkins also makes the Celtics a more effective transition team. To have success in transition, a team needs one of its bigs to run the floor and cause confusion as the defense attempts to stop the ball and matchup. That was not a strength for Perkins and if Wallace and Davis commit to running the floor, the Celtics should get many easy looks at the basket. When it comes down to a do-or-die situation such as tonight, it always serves to be optimistic. Even Perk knows that tonight is not about him. He told the media, "I don't want anybody to feel sorry for me. It's an important game, it's not about me. It's about winning the title." Well, if the Celtics follow through on the points I discussed above, Perk will be getting his second championship ring... Game 7 of the NBA Finals has always been kind to the Celtics. They clinched NBA championships in Game 7's in 1957 (Hawks), 1960 (Hawks), 1962 (Lakers), 1966 (Lakers), 1969 (Lakers), 1974 (Bucks), and 1984 (Lakers). History will not play a part in what happens on the floor tonight but being 7-0 in Game 7's (with a 4-0 mark against the Lakers) is just another reason to love the Celtics tonight... A key word for the Celtics tonight is REBOUND. They obviously need to rebound from their awful 89-67 Game 6 loss. However, a key to that will be controlling the glass, which the Lakers did on Tuesday. As positive as I usually am, I would find it hard to believe that the Celtics will win tonight if they are outrebounded by a similar 52-39 margin like in Game 6. A key to this will be Rondo. When the Celtics point guard is rebounding, the Celtics are almost impossible to beat... Game 7 means more than the end of the season for the Celtics. With Ray Allen about to become a free agent, Paul Pierce having the option of joining him on the open market, Doc Rivers possibly stepping down , and the rising age of the Celtics core of contributors, tonight's game will probably be the last time we see this version of the team playing together. Perkins spoke to this when he stated that, "I'll probably never get this opportunity again to even make it to the Finals." While I do not doubt Danny Ainge's ability to rebuild the Celtics into a contender in 2010-2011, Perk's words do show just how critical this game is to the legacy of this group of players... It's been said before but I'll say it again. The 1969 Celtics showed their age during the regular season and limped into the playoffs as the fourth seed. Bill Russell & Co. then stormed to the team's 11th title in 13 years, clinching the championship on - you guessed it - the home floor of the Lakers in a deciding Game 7. Lakers fans are going to find out tonight that history does in fact repeat itself... Enjoy Paul Pierce tonight...