Boston Celtics vs Los Angeles Lakers Preview

All the hype of this game is going to be Kobe Bryant‘s final game against the Boston Celtics in TD Garden. There may be no other away arena that Bryant has a closer connection to and this will certainly be one of the more meaningful stops in his farewell tour. Bryant will likely have a good moment with the crowd and maybe some nice conversations with the Celtics but that’s about it and the Celtics know it.

The Celtics are looking to win their fifth straight game and they will be going into this game as if it were any other opponent. One of the youngest teams in the NBA had many players grow up idolizing Bryant but that will do nothing to get in their way of a win. Brad Stevens will never let the players get distracted and all that attention will do nothing to hinder the Celtics’ intensity and hustle.

This is the kind of game that the Celtics have been cruising through this year but after the Nets loss they will always remain cautious. The Celtics are playing their best basketball right now and Marcus Smart just returned and the only way they lose this game is if they lose focus.

Nov 18, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Wesley Matthews (23) defends against Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) in the second half at TD Garden. Dallas defeated the Celtics 106-102. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

On paper, the Lakers really have no advantages. All you have to do is look at the coaches that are squaring off and that will tell you enough. The Lakers are not a turnover prone team but that is largely due to the fact that they do not move the ball much. The Lakers are third worst in assists per game and they are one of the teams that needs passing the most. The Lakers are the worst shooting team in the league and that is overall and from three point range. The Lakers have a very stagnate offense that has no where near the talent to hit the necessary shots.

This is the exact kind of team that the Celtics’ defense should feast off of. The Celtics never give their opponent an easy shot and the Lakers simply do not have other ways to score. They will take advantage of the Lakers’ inactivity and they will exploit every mistake they make, and there will be a lot of them.

If the Celtics plays with the kind of defensive intensity that they are capable of even a below average offensive game will be good enough to secure the victory. The Lakers do not have players that can consistently beat the defense the Celtics bring and they do not have the defenders to slow down the Celtics’ ball movement.

The Lakers give up the third worst shooting percentage in the NBA and they have the 10th fewest steals. The Celtics will have no problem moving the ball well against the Lakers and that should lead to more than enough open shots to cruise to an easy victory.

The Celtics have proven that they are simply on another level than the Lakers this season and even if the Lakers find motivation in the fact that this is Kobe’s last game in Boston, that will not be enough to win. The Celtics have complete control of this game and they only way they lose if with a complete meltdown on both ends (like what happened against the Nets).

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It’s never good to look ahead but the Celtics have back to backs against the Nets following this Lakers game and a seven game winning streak could put them right around the top of the eastern conference.

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