Rivalry Renewed

Watching Game 5 of the Celtics/Magic series at home with my roommate was one of the most frustrating experiences of my life. I haven't seen such miserable and one-sided officiating in quite a while. A loyal reader and friend called me "Boston's Spike Lee sans court-side seats." Ugh, what I would do with court-side seats. Just so I can get it out there: the fact that both of the technical fouls on Kendrick Perkins were not rescinded is patently absurd. The video footage is beyond clear. Does anything happen to the refs when they screw up that badly?

I struggled on StubHub for over an hour before buying tickets to Game 6. I walked towards the Garden last Friday evening half-full of hope. After being up 3-0 on the verge of a sweep they had suffered an overtime loss and a "Game That Shall Not Be Named." The Celtics had responded well to one devastating loss already (Game 3, Cavs series) but could they do it again?

From the opening tip, the Celtics played their brand of basketball - team basketball. Paul Pierce stepped into the driver seat early and ended the night with 4-5 3pt shooting and a team best 31 pts/13 reb. Ray Allen did his fair share with 20 pts. Both teams shot 27 free throws, but Boston hit 81.5% of them, Orlando: only 59.3%. The Celtics held the lead all the way to the final buzzer, 96-84, and punched their ticket to the NBA Finals for the 2nd time in 3 years.

And after a decisive Game 6 win in Phoenix ("Black Mamba" Kobe made an incredible appearance - Kobe was hitting deep jumpers while being guarded tighter than Fort Knox; do yourself a favor and watch the replays), the Lakers are returning for another installment in an epic and storied rivalry.

Both teams have changed, though there's a chip on the Lakers shoulder to be sure. Over the last two years, Rajon Rondo has stepped into a leadership role on the team, truly maturing and becoming the future of the Boston Celtics. Over those same two years, Kobe Bryant proved that he didn't need Shaq after all and won his 4th NBA title, looking more and more like the less-selfish leader we all wanted him to be.

The matchups coming up this Thursday will certainly be intriguing. Does Ray or Pierce guard Kobe? How do the Celtics handle the new and improved Pau Gasol? Can Derek Fisher keep up with Rajon Rondo? Which teams' bench will step up to the occasion? Who will be the MVP? There will only be one way to find out the answers and that will be to watch every minute of this year's version of the NBA Finals. I cannot wait.

PS - Go Celtics.