This is it. 1 game, 48 minutes, legacies and careers will be defined by midnight.
The rejuvinated, underdog Celtics have done the improbable, with their run through the Eastern Conference to a Game 7 Finals appearance against the Lakers. On the otherhand, the Lakers, the defending champs, have been pushed to the brink and responded like champs do in a Game 6 rout. (side note: its best to lose big games, like game 6 in blow out fashion as a player or fan. If its too close, you lament over the loss for years. Blowouts don't sting as much!)
At this point, the pressure is on the Lakers. The Celtics are playing with house money. Nobody expected them to be here and they will be a decided underdog tonight without the services of Kendrick Perkins. LA is the better team, they have the two best players on the court, but in a 1 game scenario, anything can happen.
The keys for this evening are rebounding and getting off to a good start. The team that has won the rebounding category and that has led at the end of the 1st quarter has won every game. Don't expect the Celtics to get a call because the free throw disparity in this series has been horrific. Even in the Boston victories, they can't get to the foul line. This is usually a key component to the road formula victory.
Everything points against Boston winning tonight. Home court, series trends, 2-3-2 format, free throw disparity, injuries, etc. I'd give the Celtics about a 20% chance to win this evening. But I like those odds considering what they were a few weeks ago. I originally picked the Celtics in 7, no reason to change now.
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