Skip to main content

Lakers got better - remain Celtics main block to a Title



The Boston Celtics took seven games to defeat the Raptors, - weren't able to get by the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, - and would certainly have had everything they could handle versus the Lakers. Well, the Celtics improved ever-so-slightly, but the Lakers got significantly stronger in the last several days.

Designated 6th-Man-of-the-Year, Montrezl Harrell, apparently didn't feel totally cherished in Clipper-Land and bolted to the Lakers with a 2-year deal totaling $19 million. The 6'7", 240-pound bruiser may be LA's most-valuable pickup. 

Savvy veteran, Marc Gasol, also heads to the Lakers and allows his new team to play either big or small - quite a luxury. The additions of guards Dennis Schroder and Wesley Matthews dim any laments over the departure of Rajon Rondo. And the Lakers may not be done and could add another point guard via free agency or trade. 

The Lakers, if they remain healthy, are a handful for any team in the NBA, and that includes Boston. The Celtics addition of Tristan Thompson was a significant and positive move for Danny Ainge, but the Lakers/Celtics comparison really comes down to each team's Dynamic Duos - Anthony Davis and Lebron James versus Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. 

We can assume that AD and The King peaked a while back, but the Jay Team still has room to grow. Significant surges by both Jayson and Jaylen could even things up a bit. What worries me is that Boston still has - what I call - "unknown factors" on the squad. Is another member of the team going to raise his game to a level that evens the Lakers-Celtics talent gap sufficiently to get Boston its 18th Banner? Let's hope so!


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Elm Street Nightmare

 A true-and-suspenseful horror tale of haunting, homicides and the hunt for triple-murderer, Daniel Laplante - as told by the cops that were there By Lt. Thomas Lane (Ret.)  Daniel Laplante - cold, calm, clever, calculating- Photo: YouTube   Elm Street  surfaces on six (6) occasions in the Laplante saga: 1.) He  resided on Elm Street  in Townsend, Massachusetts  2.) He  kidnapped a woman  at gunpoint on  Elm Street, Pepperell , Massachusetts 3.) That kidnapped woman fled to the Gillogly residence on Elm Street after escaping from the armed fugitive, Laplante. 4.) He was arrested and transported to Massachusetts State Police Barracks on Elm Street in Concord . 5.) He was  tried, convicted   and sentenced for the murders at  Superior Court , corner of  Elm Stree t and Gorham Street, Lowell, Massachusetts. 6.) The author, Thomas Lane, lived on Elm Steet, Pepperell, Massachusetts while a police Sgt./Lt. for the t...

In defense of Marcus Smart

 Let me make it clear first of all that I am totally against making a threat of any kind that even hints at harming, or certainly killing, another human being. Marcus Smart was wrong in doing so in the Celtics loss to the tanking Oklahoma City Thunder , and he deserved the one-game suspension. But to be honest, part of me loved that it occurred. . This type of thing can happen when a player gets to a point "beyond frustration" and is having a bad game. Marcus and his teammates have been under-performing generally - were in the process of losing to a pathetic-and-tanking Thunder team - and Smart was having a bad game . And he let loose verbally at the closest target - an NBA official. Wilt Chamberlain did a similar act versus referee, Earl Strom when Wilt was having his usual tortuous time at the free throw line (per Chicago Tribune's Sam Smith): ''He was in one of those 1-for-13s,'' recalls referee Earl Strom. ''Nothing was getting close. S...

Did the Celtics Kevin McHale really have a wingspan of 8-feet?

According to many sources, the Celtics Kevin McHale did indeed have an estimated wingspan of 8-feet. One of those sources is Wikipedia, as seen below: Kevin McHale American basketball player DescriptionKevin Edward McHale is an American retired basketball player who played his entire professional career for the Boston Celtics. He is a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, and is regarded as one of the best power forwards of all time. He was named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team. Wikipedia Born: December 19, 1957 (age 61 years), Hibbing, MN Wingspan: 8′ 0″ Height: 6′ 10″ Spouse: Lynn McHale (m. 1982) NBA draft: 1980, Boston Celtics (Round: 1 / Pick: 3) Hall of fame induction: 1999 Number: 32 (Boston Celtics / Power forward, Center) Kevin was listed at 6'10" tall when he was drafted with the 3rd pick in the 1980 draft. Red Auerbach, in yet another heist, brought in both McHale and center Robert Parish (via trade) prior to the Celtics' 1980-81 Champion...