Comments on the NBA and NHL finals.

nba

NBA

Game 1 will tip off Thursday. That gives the “old” Celtics time to recover from injuries to PG Rajon Rondo and C Kendrick Perkins. The schedule of the Finals will allow more rest than the Celtics to play at a very high level of energy.

One thing that came out of the last game against game against the Magic was the outstanding performance by the diminutive PG Nate Robinson. Robinson had not played much in the post season but came off the bench to replace Rondo and scored 13 point, got 2 rebounds and a steal.

The Lakers have some injury issues of their own. C Andrew Bynum had fluid removed from his right knee which has given him trouble for most of his career.

The format of the finals gives the team with home court advantage an additional benefit. With the 2-3-2 format, the team without HC advantage usually struggles to win all 3 games on their court.

Keys to the series:

  1. The biggest key is who is going to stop Rondo from controlling the Celtic O. When he has been distributing the ball and driving to the hoop, the team has been unbeatable. He has averaged nearly 17 points and 10 assists per game in the playoffs. The Magic didn’t have an answer for Rondo and neither did the Cavs. The biggest question who gets the assignment to stop Rondo?

Laker PG Fisher is not nearly quick enough to slow Rondo. Bryant would be another prospect but by spending his energy on the D end of the floor could hurt his scoring. The backup Gs on the team are not known for their D. One possibility would be Ron Artest. When he feels like doing the job he is an effective defender but is not as quick as Rondo.

  1. Which Kevin Garnett will show up? When he is on, the Celtics are really active on the O side of the floor. But at 34 he takes some quarters off. He can not do that against the Lakers and expect the Celtics to win.

nhlogo

NHL

In the first 2 games, the Flyers have outplayed the Black Hawks but come up short twice on the scoreboard. Now the series goes back to Philly and we will see if the Hawks can shake off the cobwebs to play at the level they have in previous series.

If the Flyers win the games at home convincingly, expect them to steal one in Chicago and win the series. The Hawks need to win one in Philly to prove to themselves as well as the opponents. If not, the Flyers could well win the championship.

The first two games were as different as they could be. Game 1 looked like an NBA All star game where nobody even tried to play D in a 6-5 win for Chicago. Game 2 was much better hockey and ended up 2-1. Expect the games in Philly to look a lot more like the 2-1 game than the 6-5 game.

That’s what I think. Tell me what you think.

Bill Smith is a former coach of several semi-pro teams, has officiated both football and basketball, done color on radio for college football and basketball and has scouted talent. He is a senior writer for and edits https://fryingpansports.com. He has also published several novels on

and edits .

Technorati Tags: NHL,NBA,NHL Finals,NBA Finals,Boston Celtics,Lakers,Rondo,Bynam,Garnett,Fisher,Artest,Black Hawks,Flyers,NBA All Star Game
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7 thoughts on “Comments on the NBA and NHL finals.”

  1. Right now I would have to say NHL Playoffs, even though I love the game of baseball. My Penguins are fighting for their 2nd straight Stanley Cup, and 4th overall. In my opinion, I think the NHL Playoffs are the most exciting playoffs in all of sports.

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  2. WOW!!! Hey to point out that the networks are gonna loose badly on what the Canadieens have done. What real hockey fan has the least bit of sympathy with networks. AND by the way it was the networks who are really to blame.

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  3. Yes,I can’t wait for the Lakers vs Boston showdown. I don’t think Derrick Fisher will be able to slow down Rondo. If Rondo gets really hot then Kobe will take over guarding him. You never know which KG will show up . I don’t feel like I saw the best of KG during the series against Orlando.
    .-= Terry from SecSportsFan´s last blog ..Jun 2, Florida Gators Gifts =-.

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  4. This is another exciting game, I can wait to see this big guys playing. Bet me Boston will win this season.

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  5. Really both are games are fantastic.Thanks for sharing this.

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  6. WOW!!! Hey to point out that the networks are gonna loose badly on what the Canadieens have done. What real hockey fan has the least bit of sympathy with networks. AND by the way it was the networks who are really to blame.

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  7. I’m so excited to watch the long awaited play offs.Ii do hope that Lakers will going to bring homethe bacon. Hope you can post an update about the game.

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