Celtics' mettle leads them to promised land

When the Boston Celtics acquired Kevin Garnett for a hefty price in July, they did not expect anything less than trip to the NBA Finals. Well, here they are, now four wins away from their ultimate goal: a championship.

For the first time since 1987, the Celtics are headed to the Finals, thanks to an unbelievable display of mettle and composure in game six of the Eastern Conference Finals. Trailing by ten to the Detroit Pistons at the Palace of Auburn Hills with over 10 minutes to play in the fourth quarter, Boston closed with a 29-11 run for an 89-81 victory.

Garnett was key in the rally, scoring eight of his 16 points and grabbing vital rebounds while playing stellar interior defense. Paul Pierce, who poured in 12 of his 27 in the fourth, executed what probably was the turning point of the game on a beautiful spin move which he then turned into a layup plus the foul. Pierce hit the free throw, putting Boston up 75-74 with 5:25 to play. The Celtics would never relinquish that lead for the remainder of the night.

To put into perspective how clutch Boston was last night, Garnett shot only 2-of-10 from the floor in the first half, and the Celtics shot only 36% as a team. However, in the last 24 minutes, Garnett hit 5-of-6 shots and Boston converted on 52% of their field goal attempts. Still, it wasn't just K.G. and Pierce leading the Celtics.

Ray Allen's outstanding game five in which he shot 5-of-6 from three-point range carried over into game six, as he connected on three threes in the first half and finished with 17 points. Kendrick Perkins, who erupted for 18 points and 16 boards in game five, didn't exactly fill up the stat sheet last night (seven points, seven rebounds), but he had a huge block on a Chauncey Billups layup attempt with 1:23 to go which would have brought Detroit within four. Also, three of Perkins' seven boards were on the offensive end of the floor.

Rajon Rondo got the job done as well, getting the most important steal of the series by jumping up an deflecting a pass by Rasheed Wallace by the three-point line, allowing Rondo to get out on the break. He then pulled the ball back out and swung it over to Pierce who drained a jumper from the corner, putting Boston up 77-74 with 4:52 to play. Rondo recorded 11 points.

The Celtics have now silenced their many critics. Those who said they could not win on the road have crawled under a rock, as Boston won two of three in Detroit in the series. There were also countless others who said that the Celtics did not have enough playoff experience as a team and that the amount the Pistons had in that area would be the deciding factor. Not so much.

Yes, it took Boston, a team that won a league-best 66 games during the regular season, seven games to beat a young Atlanta Hawks' team that won only 37 contests during the year. The Celtics also needed to go the distance against the Cleveland Cavaliers (or better yet, the Cleveland LeBrons). However, when facing their biggest challenge yet, they rose to the occasion, taking out a phenomenal Detroit team in six games.

Now, Boston will renew what was used to be an extraordinary rivalry with the Los Angeles Lakers, a team that has only lost three games throughout the postseason thus far. Los Angeles is coming off a 4-1 series victory over the defending champion San Antonio Spurs and is on an incredible high.

Pierce will have the daunting task of covering the MVP in Kobe Bryant, who dropped 39 points in the clinching game five against San Antonio. Still, at the same time, Bryant will have to hold down the fort against either Pierce or Allen. This is where trouble occurs for the Lakers. While Bryant will obviously be defending one of those two players, which Laker will be on the other? Vladimir Radmanovic? Luke Walton? I can't see how either of those two will be able to stop either of the Celtics' wings.

For that reason, I expect Trevor Ariza to see considerable playing time in the Finals, and defensive specialist Ira Newble might even see some action. Neither Radmanovic nor Walton are athletic enough to keep up with Pierce or Allen, and although Ariza is returning from a severe foot injury, he can still provide enough offense to make up for the shorter amount of playing time Los Angeles' two main small forwards will be getting.

Another matchup to watch in this series is Rondo against Derek Fisher. Fisher has won three titles and is one of the most clutch players in the league, but does he have the quickness to stay with Rondo all game? Rondo may very well be the quickest player in the NBA, making even Billups look old at times in the conference finals. Fisher is a couple of steps slower than Billups, meaning Rondo may have his best series of the playoffs against the Lakers.

And, of course, the main issue for Los Angeles is the question, "Who will cover Garnett?" Pau Gasol is too slow afoot, and Garnett would post up Lamar Odom all series long if Phil Jackson decides to go with that matchup. Ronny Turiaf will see some time against K.G., and he may be the best defender Jackson has to throw at Garnett, but Garnett could easily wear him down and get him into early foul trouble. Turiaf was able to keep Tim Duncan in check for most of the time against the Spurs, but Duncan does not have the quickness or athleticism of Garnett and is aging much faster.

The one area where the Lakers can match (or maybe even surpass) the Celtics is the bench, which is one of the strongest in the league. Turiaf and Walton have both played huge roles for Los Angeles, as has second-year point guard Jordan Farmar, who was the catalyst in the Lakers' comeback against San Antonio on Thursday night. Sasha Vujacic hasn't been a slouch either, hitting several big threes for Los Angeles in each of their three series' victories. And, of course, there is Ariza, a player who will see a nice chunk of playing time in the Finals.

Taking all factors into consideration, Boston should win this series. Its big three is certainly more potent than the Lakers', regardless of how many points Bryant tallies each night (unless he averages 50 a game). Garnett should shut down Odom, and Perkins may be the x-factor in this series in his matchup against Gasol. Unlike Gasol, Perkins is very physical and fights for every rebound, something that can bite Los Angeles in the behind all series.

Celtics in five.