By Rototimes.com Staff
June 10, 2008 4:01pm CDT

BOSTON CELTICS:

After posting 100.5 PPG in the regular season, the Celtics dipped to an average of 92.6 PPG in the playoffs. But they have climbed back to an even 103.0 PPG in the first two games of The Finals? Why? Well, when you compare the overall playoff PPG averages for Paul Pierce and Leon Powe to their Finals numbers, the picture gets painted very clearly. Pierce is putting up 19.5 PPG for the playoffs and 25.0 PPG against LA. Powe's improvement has been perhaps more dramatic and shocking, as he's gone from 5.5 PPG throughout the postseason to 12.5 PPG against the Lakers. Astoundingly, Powe's minutes have actually gone DOWN slightly over that span (12.7 MPG to 12.0 MPG) and so Powe is actually a point-a-game scorer through the initial two games of the series! Better ball movement has to get some of the credit, as Boston has risen from 21.5 APG in the playoffs to 25.5 APG in The Finals. The Lakers are also scoring at a higher clip in the Finals than they have been in the playoffs overall (95.0 PPG as opposed to 88.0 PPG), so Boston's defensive strides have not matched their offensive ones.

FORWARDS/CENTERS: While Kevin Garnett has not matched the scoring leaps of Pierce and Powe, his rebounding has improved greatly against LA (13.5 RPG in the Finals as opposed to 10.1 RPG throughout the playoffs). A note of caution, however: Garnett's gain is offset almost exactly by Kendrick Perkins' drop over the same span (6.5 RPG in the playoffs overall and 3.5 RPG against the Lakers). Pierce's assists are actually up slightly in addition to his scoring boost (5.0 APG, up from 4.1 APG in the postseason overall). Just think where his production would be at if he weren't averaging four fouls per game in The Finals. His overall production has been outstanding, but not all of it is sustainable - if you're counting on the 87.5% three-point accuracy to maintain throughout The Finals, you're going to be disappointed. Glen Davis, who figured to bring a different look to the Boston rotation if he got involved, has yet to hit the floor in this series.

GUARDS: At the beginning of the season, most analysts predicted that Rajon Rando would have to become an assist machine for this team to capture a title. In The Finals, he has become just that, progressing from 5.1 APG in the regular season to 7.0 APG in the postseason to an eye-popping 11.5 APG against LA. He's also grabbing 5.5 RPG in this series. One recipient of his passes has been Ray Allen, whose postseason on-and-off switch is definitely flipped on again (14.5 PPG in the playoffs and 18.0 PPG in The Finals). Sam Cassell's offensive game is still resting at the bottom of Boston Harbor, as his putrid 4.6 PPG in the postseason has shrunk to 4.0 PPG against the Lakers.

By James Morris
Fanball Senior Basketball Editor

LOS ANGELES LAKERS:

The Lakers managed to rack up the fourth-best points-per-game average in the regular season (108.6). The playoffs have been just as good to them, as they have averaged just over 104.0 PPG in their 17 postseason games. The main problem the Lakers face from the first two games would be bench play, or lack thereof, and getting to the foul line. In the first two games of the series the Lakers bench has scored a grand total of 38 points... Kobe dropped a 30 spot in Game 2 by himself! In addition, the Lakers only got to the free-throw line 10 times in Game 2 to Boston's 38 times. Phil Jackson thought something smelled rotten in Denmark and most real basketball fans would have to agree. Los Angeles has to win the next three at home to make this a series. If they can harness the energy from that late run in the fourth quarter of Game 2, they will have the momentum heading into Game 3 at home.

GUARDS: Hey, when you have Kobe Bryant on your team, things tend to work out most of the time. Kobe didn't win the MVP award on accident, so the Lakers have to ride him until his wheels fall off. Derek Fisher is a shoot first, shoot second, dribble third and pass fourth type of point guard, which doesn't really bode well for Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol. In the first two games Fisher managed nine assists, but six of them came in Game 1. Jordan Farmar looked useless in Game 1 and couldn't seem to figure out what to do besides shoot in Game 2. What the Lakers need from everyone outside of Kobe is passing. Move the ball around and get Odom and Gasol involved and take some of the focus off of Kobe. When the other PG has about half your team's TOTAL assists, it may be time to work on those passing drills in practice Zen Master Phil.

FORWARDS/CENTERS: Something that has to be pointed out is the lack of rebounds from Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol. It's not that they are being shut down, as they are averaging seven and nine RPG, respectively, so far, but when you are facing Kevin Garnett, you need about three more boards every single game to stand a chance. Now, Vladimir Radmanovic stepped up in Game 2 and got himself a double-double with 13 points and 10 boards, but how he fared in Game 1 (five points and five rebounds) is a more accurate reflection of his abilities. So, Sasha Vujacic has to start knocking down more big 3's when he has the chance. Ronny Turiaf and Luke Walton have been about as useful as men with no arms in a discus throwing event. Leon Powe has been huge for the Celtics off the bench and the Lakers need the same type of play out of Turiaf if they want to win all three of their games at home.