Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics 2008 NBA Finals Prediction Game 2 takes place Sunday July 8th, 2008 on ABC Sports, starting at 8:30 pm EST with NBA Countdown. The classic match-up between the NBA’s most storied and successful franchises moves on to game 2 at the new Garden. No one covers the 2008 NBA Finals like SportsBetting.com: the Boston Celtics are a -1 point betting odds favorite in game 2 of the 2008 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers (+1) and the Over/Under has been set at 190 ½ combined total points.

The best help-defense in the league made its presence felt in game 1, especially on this year’s MVP Kobe Bryant. Game 1 was a highly competitive affair all the way through the last minutes of the fourth quarter. But the turning point so far in this Los Angeles Lakers vs Boston Celtics 2008 NBA Finals Prediction has been Paul Pierce’s injured knee, very a la Curt Schilling (and the infamous bloody sock). The Truth, which is Paul Pierece’s nickname, is what I’m questioning regarding that situation.

How can an athlete who hears a “pop” in his knee, gets carried off the court by his teammates, rolled into the locker room on a wheelchair, only to come back (just a few minutes later), not even with a limp say that an MRI is not necessary? Was that a joke?

What are we watching here, “Days of Our Lives”? Enough of the dramatics… lets play some Los Angeles Lakers vs Boston Celtics 2008 NBA Finals Prediction basketball.

Clearly the Boston Celtics have one game plan: to not allow Kobe Bryant to beat them; and especially at the end of games. They are forcing KB to the baseline, where the help defense is there, and ready to help. They have also formed a wall (far from the paint) around Kobe everytime he touches the ball, in turn leaving 3-point shooter wide open. LA must expose that, because that is where the C's defense is soft.  

As the Lakers showed in the first half of game 1, the Celtics’ D is anything but impenetrable. The Lakers simply got away from their execution, as everything became a jump shot, and the game became very sloppy on the offensive end in the fourth quarter. They depended on Kobe to close the show, way too much in game 1. And rebounding, LA must make a conscious effort to crash the boards, offensively and defensively. Giving a good team like the Celtics multiple shot opportunities, will burn them every time.

If there’s ever been a team with a coaching staff capable of making the necessary adjustments in an NBA Finals, is the Los Angeles Lakers. I believe the Celtics showed their entire playbook, offensively and defensively, and thus, LA will have the best chance tonight to counter what the C’s did in game 1. I actually think that, the way LA lost game 1 was a good lesson for the purple and gold to learn. They are now very much aware that the NBA Finals will not be won with the same ease as they have demolished the rest of the league.

Keys to LA's Victory: it is actually very simple: The Lakers must get to the basket. They cannot continue to settle for long jump shots. They must make a conscious effort to get to the paint and get fouled. Rebounding, they must crash the boards (Off/Def). Also, and very important, which they did a very poor job of in game 1: Box out on every single shot (free throw, 3 pointers, lay ups, it doesn't matter) they can't have Kevin Garnett flying in and dunking putbacks on key moments of the game, they must play with hunger. I also look for Sasha Vujacic, Vlad Radmanovic, and Derek Fisher to have good shooting performances as Kobe will be dishing the ball once the C's wall is formed around him.

My NBA Prediction: LAL +1

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