Breakdown of the Lakers and Celtics; Position by Position

With the NBA Finals just a few days away (exactly 66 hours and 28 minutes away, not that I'm counting), the debate continues, who is truly the better team. Well we will not know until 4 games have been one by a single team, but what we can figure out, based on statistics, my ridiculous knowledge for the NBA, and some opinions, we can figure out who has the better team, position by position. Giving us something to think about, and debate over, while those fans like me, sit and do absolutely nothing until Thursday night at around 6pm...

Point Guard: Derek Fisher or Rajon Rondo: Right now, Rondo is the better player. At 6-1 in shoes, Rondo averages 4.2 rebounds per game, and shoots an outstanding percentage from the field (49.2%), although that is primarily due to the fact that he has no jump shot. However, his athleticism and defensive play make him the better of the two point guards in this series. I know, as a Laker fan, Derek Fisher has been great for us in all his years here. However, Fisher is 33, and although he's still playing some of the best basketball of his career, once a player hits 30, they tend to lose a step. Rondo is simply too athletic for fisher, and will cause problems, not major ones, but problems nonetheless that could impact the way Phil uses his guard rotation.

Edge: Rajon Rondo, Celtics

Shooting Guard: Kobe Bryant or Ray Allen: I'm not even going to waste time explaining this one. So the edge goes to the MVP, that's all that needs to be said here.

Small Forward: Vladamir Radmonovic or Paul Pierce: PP is the obvious choice here, but if Radmonovic devotes this entire series to just playing good D on Pierce (which he can do), I have a feeling that Pierce and the Celtics nation might be surprised of the series they get from their longtime star. Although I give the edge to Pierce here, Radmonovic's D on Paul could be a key factor to the Lakers winning this series.

Power Forward: Lamar Odom or Kevin Garnett: This match up will easily be the most entertaining out of the 5 possible match ups. Both players are extremely long and athletic. Although KG plays with more intensity than any one in the league (yes, even my MVP, Kobe Bryant), if Odom can match even half of Garnett's intensity (which is quite hard to do since KG plays like his kid's lives are at stake), the Lake Show win the series. Odom has shown this year and during the playoffs, that he can be the great player he was always suppose to be. If he gets 17/12/4 for the series, it's pretty much over. However, advantage here goes to KG and his defensive player of the year trophy.

Center: Pau Gasol or Kendrick Perkins: Great offense meets great defense. It's like the Patriots playing themselves. Gasol's finesse and offensive game are top notch, however, he sometimes plays too soft, which makes me worry about this series the most. If Pau plays to soft, and KG plays like KG, the Lakers will have a hard time winning this series. Pau needs to play tough and be a dominate post presence for the Lakers to win. If he averages about 18/11/5, and plays semi-acceptable defense, the Lakers will be en route to their 15th championship (and yes Bill Simmons, I count the Minneapolis days! http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=20902) Perkins is great on defense, and is extremely strong, but Pau's offensive game is to advanced for him, and he will have trouble stopping Pau's quick offensive move set.

Bench: Okay, the Lakers have a bench of 4 solid players (Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic, Luke Walton, and Ronny Turiaf. You could say 5 if you count Trevor Ariza) that all play consistent rotation minutes, and impact the outcomes of Laker games greatly. Whereas Boston has about 2 bench players they play consistently (James Posey and PJ Brown) who have any effect on their wins. However, when Doc Rivers plays guys like Leon Powe, Glen Davis, and Eddie House, the Celtics play much better. Sam Cassell is garbage now, and should retire to the sidelines, so I know he won't help them. But, the Lakers bench is great all around, and if they play like they have all season, the Lakers should win the series easily.

Edge: Lakers Bench

Head Coach: Phil Jackson or Doc Rivers: Easy one here, 8 rings in 9 finals apperances, or 0 rings in 0 finals appearances? I'm going to go out on a VERY thin limb and say, I'd much rather have the 8 than the 0, but that's just me. Phil, in my opinion is the second best coach in the league (behind Gregg Poppovich, whom I believe is one of the top 3 greatest coaches of all time), and he knows how to win. The Detroit series, wasn't entirely his fault. The Lakers were outplayed, and the injury bug that caught Karl Malone (god did he look terrible in a Lakers uni), didn't help their cause either. Overall, Phil is hands down the winner in this match up, and unless Red Auerbach comes back from the dead, the Lakers have the clear cut advantage here.

So based on the match ups, it looks like the winner goes to, THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS! And trust me, this was not a homer pick. I gave the Celts advantages in their rightfully deserving spots. What do you want me to say that Kendrick Perkins is a better player than Pau, umm, no thank you, I'd rather not. But the facts are there. By match ups, the Lakers win this series. Hopefully it plays out the way the match ups say they will, and not the way WhatIfSports predicts it will. (http://www.whatifsports.com/beyondtheboxscore/default.asp?article=20080531)