The Boston Celtics are hosting their archenemies from Los Angeles, the Lakers, on Saturday night on national television.
With the two No. 2 seeds in their respective conferences meeting, it’s almost like it’s good planning!
In all seriousness, this game didn’t necessarily look all that fun a few months ago when the Lakers were just decent, but now they are rising and looking like a juggernaut.
There is also payback on the mind of the Celtics, who were fully healthy yet routed by the Lakers 117-96 on Jan. 23 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. That team, of course, still featured Anthony Davis, who famously isn’t around anymore.
The Lakers would like nothing more than to add one more title to match the Celtics’ all-time mark of 18, but that appears to be easier said than done. The Lakers are still fairly long shots to win it all at BetMGM with the fourth-best odds at +1000, with the Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder listed as co-favorites at +225, but would it surprise anyone to see L.A. and Boston face off in the Finals?
Let’s look at some of the key storylines for Saturday night’s showdown (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
LeBron’s big adjustment
After the acquisition of Luka Dončić — oh yeah, that wasn’t a fever dream, that actually happened — head coach JJ Redick has found some fun ways to utilize LeBron James, in particular as a 6-foot-9, 250-pound off-ball threat who can cut, jump and generally move into scoring positions with Dončić as the primary playmaker.
James, averaging 29.4 points and 10.5 rebounds over his past eight games, is seeing his shots come more easily than before, and his efficienct 53.8% shooting during that time is proof of concept.
In many ways, James has morphed into the power forward he’s always looked like physically, without relinquishing the other areas of his skill set.
What about Laker Dončić?
As for Dončić, he’s getting back into the swing of things. The 26-year-old is not only coming to terms with the surprise trade from Dallas, but also getting over a calf injury sustained on Christmas Day.
And boy, is he getting there.
Dončić is averaging 30.5 points and 10.3 assists over his past four games and is doing so without looking like the fully healthy version of himself. L.A. has won eight straight games and nine of 11 with Dončić in the lineup and is 12-2 since getting the Slovenian superstar.
The prospect of a healthy Dončić being even better next to James in a more traditional scoring role is extremely enticing for Lakers fans.
Austin Reaves has been getting it done, right?
Remember how former Lakers coach Darvin Ham never fully leaned into Austin Reaves’ creation skills? He dabbled with it. Flirted with it, even. But he never really committed to Reaves as a pick-and-roll option.
Redick has, and Reaves is a having a career year because of it, averaging 18.9 points and 5.9 assists, all while getting to the foul line and forcing opposing defenses to constantly adjust to his actions.
The element of allowing Dončić and Reaves to more or less handle the majority of the ball-handling duties — simplifying James’ responsibilities — could be an interesting subplot against the Celtics, who will be a major test for these Lakers.
Celtics’ depth is legit
The Celtics are still deeper than the Mariana Trench, evident by the fact that Payton Pritchard, the team’s sixth man, just popped off for 43 points with 10 threes against the Blazers on Wednesday.
Boston’s roster arguably isn’t as top-heavy as Los Angeles’, which is similar to the teams’ rivalry in 1980s (Boston won three titles and L.A. five) and in some respects their meetings in the 2008 and 2010 Finals, which the franchises split.
But not being loaded with superstars isn’t a bad thing, especially as reigning NBA champions.
These Celtics have embraced depth for the purpose of the regular season, understanding full well that when push comes to shove in the postseason, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porziņģis, Derrick White and Jrue Holiday will get the most minutes — and justifiably so.
Boston, despite leaning into its depth more than last year, still manages a top-five ranking in both offense (seocnd) and defense (fifth), underlining the Celtics’ shared dedication to playing both ends of the floor and putting the secondary rotation into spots where they can succeed.
Jayson Tatum remains the real deal
Boston’s all-around depth and dedication to detail isn’t an attempt to downplay Tatum, who is in the MVP periphery for a reason, averaging 26.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game while playing highly competent defense.
The 27-year-old, who is a pillar of consistency, has recently had a couple of dynamite performances, posting 46 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists in a tough loss to Cleveland on Feb. 28 and most recently going for 35 points and seven rebounds in 31 minutes in a rout of Philadelphia.
Given Los Angeles’ improved defense of late, with Redick and his troops relinquishing the shots they actively want to relinquish, there’s going to be a need for Tatum to keep his momentum going and get the shots the Celtics prefer.
That means a lot of 3-pointers from Tatum and a lot of him reaching the nail, breaking down the defense and swinging the ball out to shooters.
But more than just the 3-point shot — of which the Celtics take a league-leading 48.1 per game — Tatum also has to establish himself as a slasher, as Los Angeles remains extremely thin up front.
The Jaylen Brown effect
The same holds true for Brown as well. Last year’s NBA Finals MVP didn’t play against Philadelphia on Thursday, and his status is currently day-to-day.
If he plays, however, that’s another agile wing who can take the ball aggressively to the cup, while also balancing interior scoring with outside shooting, and, of course, there’s his defensive impact.
The Celtics have a couple of cards up their sleeve on that end. White should rotate heavily on Dončić, with a little pinch of Tatum and Brown thrown in there for good measure. Holiday and Porziņģis are listed as questionable, with the big man aiming to play Saturday night, but if either can go, that’s yet another reinforcement against the Lakers’ dynamic playmakers.
Boston obviously played against Dončić in winning last year’s Finals, so their game plan against him is probably the most polished of anyone, even if the Slovenian superstar now finds himself in a new uniform.
Add it all up, and this should be a good one that offers plenty of clues on how this season could shake out.
