[Zen653]

The Conference Finals are set:

Boston Celtics vs. Detroit Pistons
Los Angeles Lakers vs. San Antonio Spurs

While a lot of experts predicted that this would be the final four, I doubt that many expected the Celtics to struggle as much as they did to make it this far. I similarly doubt that anyone thought the New Orleans Hornets would pose the greater challenge to the Spurs than the overrated Phoenix Suns.

Although Paul Pierce had a sensational Game 7 performance that resurrected his sagging Celtic legacy (scoring 41 points and setting up plays to outduel LeBron is no easy feat), I get the feeling that Boston's run is about to come to an end. 0-6 on the road isn't going to get it done, especially when you get blown out half the time. What happens if the Celtics finally drop a home game? Will they quit? Where's the emotion with this team? One would think that Garnett, Allen and Pierce would be going all-out on a nightly basis in an effort to win that elusive NBA Championship ring. Yet the team looks flat at the start of every game, and the Celtics can't seem to get more than one good performance a night. In Game 5, Rondo was the man. In Game 6, it was Garnett in a losing effort. In Game 7, it was Pierce with some help from P.J Brown. At no time was it Ray Allen. At no time did more than one starter carry the team. I don't know if it's nerves, exhaustion, age, coaching, or what, but the playoff edition of the Celtics is nowhere near as good as the regular season version. Boston needs to wake up. The Pistons are a very well-balanced team, and they gave the Celtics a hard time even while Boston was at its regular season apex. It would be nice if Ray Allen could actually show up for a game or two.

In the Lakers-Spurs series, anything could happen, really. Both teams are very evenly matched. The series will come down to whether or not the Spurs can contain Kobe Bryant. If they can, then the defending champions will return to the Finals. If not, I think Bryant could will his team to victory. The referees will probably help the Lakers out as well, should they need it (remember when the referees completely robbed Sacramento and Portland in the WCFs against the Kobe-Shaq teams?)

I think the league would love to see a Boston-L.A Finals. Pistons-Spurs would be a snoozefest that doesn't generate ratings. Lakers-Pistons would be alright, as would Celtics-Spurs.