The Celtics wanted this game more than the Lakers did as they outscored them 31-22 in the 4th quarter. Pau Gasol did his part as he finished up with 25 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 6 blocked shots. Andrew Bynum also had a great game with 21 points, 6 rebounds and 7 blocked shots. Kobe Bryant also was busy with 21 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals. The Lakers are now tied up 1-1 with the next three games in Boston.

Don’t let the final score fool you as the Lakers pushed the Celtics around in this game. The Lakers outrebounded them 42-31 and they were ahead 84-64 after the first three quarters which helps explain the ease of the win last night. Kobe Bryant led the way for the Lakers with 30 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. Pau Gasol was the man though for the Lakers last night as he had 23 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 3 blocked shots. Ron Artest filled up the stat sheet with 15 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot in this game. Andrew Bynum pitched in with 10 points and 6 rebounds in 28 minutes on his bad wheel. The Lakers are up 1-0 in this series.

This is a rematch of the 2007-08 NBA Finals won by the Celtics in six games. This time around the Lakers seem to be a little bit better than the 2008 version due to the arrival of Ron Artest who will have to deal with Paul Pierce who was MVP of the Finals in 2008. Here is a closer look at the matchups in this series:

POINT GUARD: Rajon Rondo is banged up right now but he won’t have to work as hard as usual on defense as Derek Fisher and Jordan Farmar are not big time offensive players. Rondo has started 17 games this post season and he has averaged 41.4 minutes, 16.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 10.0 assists and 2.1 steals per game. The Celtics need him to be healthy enough to play his usual game or they could be in for some trouble.

Derek Fisher will have his hands full in this series as Rondo is both faster and stronger than him. Fisher has started 16 games this post season and he is averaging 33.8 minutes, 11.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Fisher makes some big time shots when the games get big so Rondo will have to stay on him tight.

EDGE: CELTICS

SHOOTING GUARD: Ray Allen might be playing his last series as a member of the Boston Celtics so he will be very motivated on both ends of the court and he will have to be as he will be dealing directly with Kobe Bryant. Allen has started 17 games for the Celtics this post season and he is averaging 38.2 minutes, 16.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steal per game. He will have to keep Bryant busy at both ends of the court or the Celtics could be in some trouble in this series.

Kobe Bryant has been banged up all season long for the Lakers this year. But he is still playing at a very high level in the playoffs for the Lakers. Bryant has started 16 games for the Lakers this post season and he is averaging 39.6 minutes, 29.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.0 steal per game. The Lakers hope that Bryant has one more big series in him and their is no reason to think he won’t.

EDGE: LAKERS

SMALL FORWARD: The last time these two teams played in the NBA Finals Paul Pierce was the MVP but this time he will have to deal with Ron Artest. Pierce has started 17 games in the playoffs this year and he is averaging 38.3 minutes, 19.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game. The Celtics need Pierce to play well or they are not going to win this series.

Ron Artest was brought in specifically for a series like this one as he is still a good defensive player. But with Andrew Bynum ailing a bit they could use more offense out of him in this series. Artest has started 16 games in the playoffs this year and he is averaging 36.8 minutes, 11.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.6 steals per game.

EDGE: CELTICS

POWER FORWARD: Kevin Garnett has been playing dirty in the post season but he has been very effective. He will try to get into Pau Gasol’s head early and often in this series. Garnett has started 16 games in the playoffs this year and he is averaging 34.0 minutes, 14.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 steal per game. He no doubt will be throwing a lot of elbows in this series.

Pau Gasol is by far the second best player on the Lakers. He becomes even more important in this series due to Andrew Bynum being a tad gimpy. Gasol has started 16 games in the playoffs this year and he is averaging 38.8 minutes, 20.0 points, 10.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.9 blocked shots per game. Gasol is the better player at this point in his career but K.G. could also rise up to the challenge.

EDGE: LAKERS

CENTER: Kendrick Perkins provides a lot of muscle on the boards and he’s a solid defender. He has started 17 games for the Celtics this post season and he is averaging 25.5 minutes, 5.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 1.9 blocked shots per game. The Celtics will need him to bang away on a gimpy Andrew Bynum in this series.

Andrew Bynum’s knees are really bothering him but he’s going to try to fight through the pain and play. Bynum has started 16 games in the playoffs for the Lakers this year and he is averaging 24.2 minutes, 9.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.7 blocked shots per game. Those type of numbers are not going to be good enough for the Lakers to win this series as Gasol and Bryant won’t be able to beat the Celtics alone.

EDGE: EVEN

BENCH: The Celtics will likely use their bench more than the Lakers in this series. Glen Davis and Rasheed Wallace will be the top interior backups for the Celtics and they are both very physical basketball players. Davis has played in 17 games (1 start) in the playoffs so far and he is averaging 19.9 minutes, 7.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. Wallace has played in 17 games (0 starts) in the playoffs for the Celtics and he is averaging 15.6 minutes, 6.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, 0.2 assists per game. His best asset is getting into the heads of his opponents. Tony Allen is the top reserve in the backcourt for the Celtics. He has played in 17 games (0 starts) for the Celtics in the playoffs and he is averaging 16.9 minutes, 5.9 points, 2.0 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Nate Robinson and Michael Finley could also provide a spark offensively if they get into any games for the Celtics.

Lamar Odom is one of the best sixth men in all of basketball as he can play all over the front line. He has played in 16 games (0 starts) this post season for the Lakers and he is averaging 29.7 minutes, 10.6 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 blocked shots per game. He could have an even bigger role than usual if Andrew Bynum can’t make it through this series. Shannon Brown backs up Kobe and Artest and he’s good at it. Brown has played in 16 games (0 starts) for the Lakers in the playoffs and he is averaging 15.0 minutes, 5.8 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Backup point guard Jordan Farmar is Derek Fisher’s caddy at the point. Farmar has played in 16 games (0 starts) for the Lakers this year and he is averaging 13.3 minutes, 5.3 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. Luke Walton and Josh Powell could step in if needed but neither of them have been used much in the playoffs.

EDGE: EVEN

COACH: Doc Rivers always seems to say the right thing to his team to motivate it. He has a career record of 38-26 (59.4%) in the post season with the Celtics. He also outcoached Phil Jackson just two years ago in the NBA Finals.

Phil Jackson, the Zen Master, has been trying to get into the Celtics’ heads through the media. I think it will only rile them up a little bit and the Lakers didn’t need to do that. Jackson has led the Lakers to a 110-54 (67.1%) record in the post season.

EDGE: LAKERS

PREDICTION: The Celtics are going to rise to the challenge. Being on the road hasn’t stopped them against the Magic or the Cavs and it won’t against the Lakers either. I’m going with the Celtics in 7 games.

The Lakers led on Saturday Night 91-74 after three quarters before holding on in the 4th quarter to prevail. They also outrebounded the Suns 41-31 as they clearly looked like the better team. Kobe Bryant led the way for the Lakers in this game with 37 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Ron Artest also had a great game finishing up with 25 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals. Derek Fisher (11 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists) and Andrew Bynum (10 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocked shots) also pitched in to help the Lakers to victory. The Lakers have advanced to the NBA Finals after dumping the Suns in 6 games.

Kobe Bryant took a contested three pointer with time running down in this game which turned out to be a air ball but no one blocked out Ron Artest who caught the ball and he hit the game winning layup. Kobe Bryant led the way for the Lakers in this game with 30 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists and 4 blocked shots. Derek Fisher had another solid offensive game with 22 points, 1 rebound and 4 assists. Pau Gasol (21 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists) and Lamar Odom (17 points, 13 rebounds and 4 assists) both provided offense and muscle inside for the Lakers in this game. This was a huge win for the Lakers who are now up 3-2 on the Suns in this series.

The Lakers were outrebounded 51-36 last night but it was the Suns’ bench which was the real reason for the loss last night as they outscored the Lakers bench 54-20! Kobe Bryant led the way for the Lakers last night with 38 points, 7 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot. Pau Gasol didn’t have his best game as he finished up with 15 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 blocked shots. Lamar Odom was solid off the bench for the Lakers last night with 15 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal in 35 minutes. Ron Artest (13 points, 3 rebounds) and Andrew Bynum (12 points, 8 rebounds) each helped out the Lakers last night. The Lakers are now tied with the Suns at 2 games apiece in this series.

The Lakers just couldn’t keep up with the Suns last night and it cost them the game. Kobe Bryant led the way for the Lakers last night with 36 points, 9 rebounds and 11 assists. Pau Gasol had a solid game offensively for the Lakers last night with 23 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists per game. But, Gasol got abused by Amare Stoudemire as he finished up with 42 points and 11 rebounds last night Derek Fisher finished up with 18 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists last night but his biggest play might have come at the end of the game when be busted Steve Nash’s nose with his coconut. Ron Artest (12 points) and Lamar Odom (10 points) each helped out a tad on offense last night. The Lakers are still up 2-1 in this series.

The Lakers shot 57.7% from the floor in this game and the Suns just couldn’t keep up with them last night. Pau Gasol led the way for the Lakers last night with 29 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocked shots. The Suns doubled Kobe most of last night but he still finished up with 21 points, 5 rebounds and 13 assists. Ron Artest was also solid offensively with 18 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Lamar Odom filled up the stat sheet last night with 17 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 1 blocked shot in 33 minutes off the bench. Andrew Bynum (13 points and 7 rebounds) and Jordan Farmar (11 points and 2 steals in 14 minutes) both really helped out for the Lakers last night. The Lakers are now up 2-0 in this series.

The Lakers had it easy last night as they shot 58% from the floor which was the biggest reason for the win in Game #1. Kobe Bryant was electric finishing with 40 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Pau Gasol didn’t have his best game but he still finished up with 21 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocked shots. Lamar Odom was a beast off the bench in this game with 19 points, 19 rebounds and 3 assists in only 31 minutes on the floor. Ron Artest stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot. Jordan Farmar pitched in with 10 points and 5 assists in only 19 minutes on the court. The Lakers are up 1-0 in this series.

I bet the Suns are glad they held onto Amare Stoudemire as rumors were running rampant at the trade deadline that he could be on the move. The Suns have got excellent play in the post season out of unexpected sources but they are going to have to take their game up another notch to deal with the defending World Champion Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers look hungry to win another championship so this series should be a great one to watch. Here is a closer look at the matchups:

POINT GUARD: One could argue that Steve Nash is the best point guard on the planet. He keeps his teammates involved in the offense while still getting his own points as he is a outstanding shooter from everywhere on the court. Nash has hit 51.2% from the floor, 46.4% from three point range and 89.1% of his free throws so far during the playoffs. Nash has played in 10 games (all starts) for the Suns in the playoffs and he is averaging 34.0 minutes, 17.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 9.0 assists per game.

Derek Fisher is a point guard in name only as Kobe Bryant is the real director of the offense. Fisher’s game is shooting the ball as he has nailed 42.2% of his three point shots in the playoffs so far. Fisher has played in 10 games (all starts) for the Lakers in the playoffs and he is averaging 34.1 minutes, 10.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game.

EDGE: SUNS

SHOOTING GUARD: Jason Richardson has been the Suns’ best player this post season as he is taking his game to a different level. He has played in 10 games (all starts) for the Suns in the playoffs and he is averaging 33.0 minutes, 21.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.0 steal per game. He is shooting well from everywhere on the floor in the playoffs as he is hitting 51% of his shots from the floor, 51.5% from three point range and 77.5% from the free throw line. Richardson will have his hands full defending Kobe Bryant.

Kobe Bryant is probably really the best player in the NBA (sorry LeBron) as he is a closer. He wants the ball in his hands with the game on the line and he produces way more with those shots than probably anyone in the league. Bryant has played in 10 games (all starts) for the Lakers in the post season and he is averaging 38.5 minutes, 26.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game. I expect him to at least average those kinds of numbers in this series.

EDGE: LAKERS

CENTER: It’s looking like Robin Lopez is going to be ready to go for this series after sitting out all of the playoffs due to injury. He gives the Suns a legit big man to deal with Andrew Bynum inside. Lopez played in 51 games (31 starts) for the Suns during the regular season in which he averaged 19.3 minutes, 8.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 0.1 assists and 1.0 blocked shot per game.

Andrew Bynum is a rising force for the Lakers. He gives them muscle, offense and defense from the pivot. Bynum should have a good series against the Suns. He has played in 10 games (0 starts) in the post season and he is averaging 27.8 minutes, 10.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 2.0 blocked shots per game.

EDGE: LAKERS

POWER FORWARD: Amare Stoudemire hasn’t looked like himself in the playoffs so far but I have a feeling that he is going to step up in this series. He is a free agent at the end of the year and this series could make him millions. But the Suns need him to have a big series against Pau Gasol to have any chance of a upset in this series. Stoudemire has played in 10 games (all starts) for the Suns in the playoffs and he is averaging 35.7 minutes, 20.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 blocked shots per game. The Suns need him to better those stats in this series.

Pau Gasol is the second best player on the Lakers but it’s close between him and Kobe. He has played in 10 games (all starts) for the Lakers in the playoffs and he is averaging 37.6 minutes, 20.2 points, 13.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.9 blocked shots per game. Gasol will need to hit the glass in this series and he will have to keep up with Stoudemire who loves to run and finish in the open floor.

EDGE: EVEN

SMALL FORWARD: Grant Hill is a warrior as doctors told him to quit playing a couple of years ago. But he wanted to win a championship and that’s what motivates him. Hill has played in 10 games (all starts) in the post season and he is averaging 29.6 minutes, 9.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. He does the little things it takes for his team to win.

Like Hill, Ron Artest does the dirty work for the Lakers. He plays defense first before even thinking about looking for his own shot. He has played in 10 games (all starts) for the Lakers in the post season and he is averaging 36.0 minutes, 9.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

EDGE: EVEN

BENCH: Before the year started I would have said that the Lakers had a better bench than the Suns but they don’t right now. The Suns’ bench is a big reason why they are still playing right now as they have 10 players on the roster that have played in every game of the playoffs. F/C Channing Frye could cause some problems for the Lakers if he’s on his game as he is a outstanding long range shooter. Frye has played in 10 games (0 starts) for the Suns during the playoffs so far and he is averaging 28.2 minutes, 8.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. PG Goran Dragic has also been outstanding in the playoffs this year single handedly beating the Spurs in one of the games. He has played in 10 games (0 starts) for the Suns in the post season and he is averaging 14.3 minutes, 7.7 points, 1.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. Leandro Barbosa brings instant offense of the bench for the Suns. He has played in 10 games (0 starts) in the playoffs and he is averaging 15.8 minutes, 7.6 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. Forward Jared Dudley has been outstanding in the playoffs too playing in 10 games (0 starts) in which he is averaging 23.4 minutes, 7.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. Louis Amundson brings effort, defense and rebounding off the bench. He has played in 10 games (0 starts) for the Suns in the playoffs and he is averaging 12.3 minutes, 2.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game. Center Jarron Collins might not get on the floor much in this series despite starting all 10 games at center in the playoffs for the Suns. He is averaging 11.4 minutes, 1.2 points and 1.7 rebounds per game in the post season.

The Lakers will probably have a tighter bench rotation than the Suns will. It all starts with forward Lamar Odom who has been called out a few times in the playoffs by Phil Jackson. Odom has played in 10 games (0 starts) in the playoffs and he is averaging 26.9 minutes, 8.5 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Shannon Brown gives Kobe a break once in a while. He has played in 10 games (0 starts) for the Lakers in the playoffs and he is averaging 16.5 minutes, 6.6 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. Jordan Farmar will backup Derek Fisher in this series. Farmar has played in 10 games (0 starts) for the Lakers in the playoffs and he is averaging 12.5 minutes, 4.9 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. Luke Walton and Josh Powell have both played in 9 games off the bench for the Lakers but neither of them have been much of a factor.

EDGE: SUNS

COACHING: Alvin Gentry definitely is a solid coach on the rise. He goes with the flow of the game as he let his backups pretty much win a game in San Antonio. The Suns are 8-2 (80%) under Gentry in his first trip to the post season but now he is matched up against the Zen Master so he will have to coach even better in this series.

Phil Jackson always has his Lakers ready to play. They are now 106-52 (67.1%) with Jackson leading the way for them. He knows how to get the most out of his team all of the time.

EDGE: LAKERS

PREDICTION: I look for this to be a classic series as the Suns are a team on the rise but the Lakers are the King of the Mountain. I like the Lakers to win this series in 7 hard fought basketball games.