The Kendrick Perkins trade to the Oklahoma CIty Thunder makes the Thunder  immediate title contenders.

The Thunder lose the talented-but-inconsistent Jeff Green, but gain a formidable defensive presence who possesses championship experience against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Thunder shipped Nenad Kristic along with Green to Boston for Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson.

This deal is significant because the Thunder had already pressed the Lakers hard last season during the playoffs without a legitimate center. All bets are off now in the Western Conference now that Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant have a defensive stalwart  in the middle.

No offense to Kristc, but he falls directly into the category of “Euro Softie” as a seven footer who as a starter was ineffective on the glass.

It became clear early on this season that Green was not in OKC’s long term plans once they refused to offer him an extension.

Add into the mix the acquisition of Nazr Mohammed from the Charlotte Bobcats, and the Thunder are now stacked with Perkins, Mohammed, Serge Ibaka, and Nick Collison.

The Thunder possess enough strength up front now to give the Lakers all they can handle.

Will there be enough time for the Thunder to gel together, and challenge the Lakers and San Antonio Spurs for Western Conference supremacy?

One thing is certain, the playoffs will be far more interesting to watch now that the Thunder have made these moves.

The Boston Celtics met the Miami Heat for he second time in the early stage of the 2010-11 season, and were again successful beating the Heat for a second straight time. In doing so, Boston has made it abundantly clear that they are still the team to beat in the Easter Conference and Miami’s Big 3 is still no match for Boston’s Big 4.

The main difference I noticed during this game was something that cannot be measured by looking at the numbers: A complete sense of togetherness Boston possessed while the Heat appeared to have a larger display of separatists on the floor for most of the 48 minutes.

The continuity that the Boston Celtics had on display against the Heat was also highly disruptive of the Heat’s offensive intentions, often forcing Dwyane Wade into bad spots to the tune of  6 turnovers and 2-12 shooting from the field.

LeBron had another great game, speaking statistically, but it’s becoming more apparent to me that when his stats are Oscar-Robertson-like, Chris Bosh suffers as the victim, and it also hurts the overall team chemistry. If Miami can’t figure out how to get LeBron to defer to Bosh more and allow an inside out game to develop, the offensive attack is skewed in a way that allows great defensive teams like the Celtics to zero in, neutralize, and consequently negate all LeBron’s big numbers.

Conversely, the Celtics had no problem moving the ball around, and did not have to defer to any one in particular in order to get their offense going. Many ball fakes, wrap around passes, and kept the Heat guessing where the Celtics would strike from. This was a far more effective strategy to make the Heat work and get tired while playing defense, and benefited the shooting opportunities for Ray Allen. Allen had 35 points with seven 3 pointers.

Another good sign for Boston was the activity level of Kevin Garnett. He has already been off to a great start compared to last season, but if he continues his pace and form like tonight’s game, it is highly likely that his Celtics will be making the push for rings in June.

It was the game everyone has been waiting for: The reigning Eastern Conference Champion Boston Celtics would start the defense of their run to the NBA Final against the new look Miami Heat.

Supposedly LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh were going to easily trample everyone and anyone in their way. Things did not play out the way they thought, and Boston Celtics defeated the Miami “Super Friends” 88-80.

Wade committed a murderous 9 turnovers, and shot 25% on 4-16 from the field, Chris Bosh went 3-11, and while LeBron James managed to get his stats, he also committed a ghastly 8 turnovers as well. Only Wade has a legitimate excuse as he is recovering and playing his way back  into form after hamstring injury derailed his preseason.

Get it together fellas.

Rajon Rondo led Boston to victory with 17 assists to only 3 turnovers. While Kevin Garnett was committed 7 turnovers he managed to get a double double.

Don’t panic yet Miami fans, this is only the first game of a long season. However, if LeBron cannot find a way to get more people involved and futhermore realize he can create for others simply from the attention he draws from defenses, he might fail to get more of the non-stars involved and the Miami Heat will be facing more losses than anyone might imagine.

LeBron took 21 shots while committing 8 turnovers, but only finished with 3 assists. Something is wrong with this picture any way you look at it.

Shaquille O’Neal and the Boston Celtics came to terms on a 2-year contract worth $3 million, adding to the size and bulk in Boston’s front line. The 15-time All Star will end his career with one of the most historic franchises in professional sports.

Shaq will definitely cause hype in Boston, but we must wonder how much diesel is left in the tank. He still has some thump to his game, but he is not getting any faster.

Shaq fills a void caused by Kendrick Perkins, who is recovering from knee surgery.

Shaq is selling yet another NBA jersey this year.

Shaq hopes to reinforce the Celtics chances of retaining their position as the best team in the Eastern Conference,  but will it be enough to keep the new Miami Heat out of the NBA Finals?

The Celtics might have gotten bigger, and possibly better, but they also got slower and much older. The Celtics brass must also know their FT % will be much worse.

Kobe Bryant was spectacular in game 5 of the NBA Finals in Boston. He took shots that bordered on ridiculous and yet made them almost effortlessly. For a brief moment during the third quarter, the possibility of the Lakers turning things around and pulling out a much needed road win began to enter the thoughts of the Celtics fans.

Unfortunately for Kobe, his effort was wasted due to the fact that his supporting cast continued their recent disappearing act from game 4 into and throughout game 5. What about game 6?

Will a switch of scenery back to Los Angeles revive the Lakers hopes for back to back championships?

You know Kobe will be hoping for his team to wake up, and justifiably so. Other than the oft-hobbled Andrew Bynum, who looks as though he is stunting the longevity of his career while playing on a torn up something-rather simply because he wants to win, there is not another Laker who is stepping up to back Kobe.

Kobe depsarately needs help.

To be fair, Bynum is rather useless out on the floor due to his injuries. Perhaps if we could build some sort of device to remove and transfer his effort level and then, say, divide it and then install it inside the bodies of Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom, the Lakers would have a much improved chance than they do currently of winning two games in a row against Boston.

Unless the Lakers make drastic moves, or if Phil Jackson can somehow channel his inner chi and turn it into an internal rage, the Lakers are in serious trouble.

It makes my heart go out to Kobe in a similar vein of Dwyane Wade wasting his talents the past few years in Miami.  Watching Kobe’s masterful performance go into the wastebasket because nobody else could step up and help him. It’s actually quite shameful.

Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, and “Bad-shot-Ron” Artest, this means you.

Wake up, or your season will be all for naught.

Hopefully for the Lakers, Kobe can use some of that magic on the court to inspire his teammates to help him out.

Ray Allen sett the NBA Finals records for 3 point shots made with 8 during game 2 of the NBA Finals. In game 3 he missed all 8 3 point shots taken. Making matters worse is that his horrendous shooting ended up a blasphemous 0-13 total from the field in game 3.

The end result is that the Celtics again find themselves facing a one game deficit to the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers for the second time of the series.

Can anyone tell me what just happened?

If Ray Allen hits 3 of those 8 pointers, which anyone who think is possible when Ray Allen is shooting, the Celtics win the game.

Not to discredit the leadership and amazing play of Derek Fisher during the 4th quarter, but seriously, what in the world happened to Ray Allen?

Derek Fisher, according to AP Sports Writer Jimmy Golen, attributes the poor shooting by Allen to his legs:

“We obviously didn’t expect him to go 0 for 13, but it’s a tough gig for him to run around offensively the way he has to and then have to guard Kobe on the other end,” Fisher said. “I mean, that takes anybody’s legs out. It takes my legs out chasing him. So there are going to be nights maybe when his legs aren’t there because he’s having to work so hard on both ends, but we won’t see 0 for 13 on Thursday night, that’s for sure.”

That is sweet of D Fish to make excuses on Ray Allen’s behalf, but this is the time of the season where you are not allowed to be tired, not allowed to take a play off, and for someone who is famous for shooting the ball at an unbelievable level, and having jsut made NBA history the game before, you must do just that.

You must deliver, or else your record will fade into the fog of the minds of fans of the team that lost the series.

This ebb and flow from game 2 to game 3 by Allen has to mark one of the worst regressions in the caliber of performance coming after the game in which an NBA history is made.

Really though, if you think about the bright side, the only possibly direction Ray Allen has to go at this point is up, so the potential odds for the Celtics to show their resilience and bounce back in game 4 for a win is seemingly in their favor.

2008 was the year classic basketball rivalries experienced a major revival. It had been far to long since the glorious battles of the 80′s featuring Larry Legend’s Celtics and Magic’s Lakers had met their demise. Basketball was getting stagnant after Jordan left the Bulls. Then 2008 came, and as David Stern danced around the room with joy, basketball’s biggest rivalry pounced back into the mainstream.

This year marks the second time in three years the classic match up of Celtics vs. Lakers returns to the NBA Finals stage. Will this series have that same feel that those classic battles of the 80′s did?

Or will this series simply be one sided, like many of this years playoff series were?

I believe it will be a good series, but other than Lakers fans, who just as they did in 2008, are already planning a $1 million-plus celebration parade before the thing is won, who can truly be convinced the Lakers have a chance to win this thing?

What will happen if Kobe guards Rondo?

After much deliberation, I found a few points that could cause this series to shift in the Lakers favor:

Kendrick Perkins’ temper vs. technical fouls

Perkins is 1 technical foul away from a league-imposed suspension. Should Perkins lose his cool, and receive a technical, he will likely be out the following game. This could be double trouble if Perkins compounds this mistake and gets ejected from a game that the Celtics lose. They are a far weaker team without Perkins occupying the middle.

If the Celtics have to try and stave off a two-game losing streak without Perkins is as close as close can get to impossible.

Can the Celtics bounce back from injuries?

Rasheed Wallace and Glen “Big Baby” Davis headline the list of injured Celtics. They are two of Bostons key reserve players. Losing either of them for extended time will hurt the Celtics depth and game plan.

The fact is the Celtics are old. They will not recovering from injuries like they used to. Any little minor tweak, twist, or pull will slow their veteran roster and possibly put a massive crimp in Doc Rivers’ season-long masterplan to keep his older stallions healthy for the race with the biggest purse.

Speaking of Injuries: Will Andrew Bynum’s knee explode?

Bynum is currently playing with torn cartilage in his knee. His minute per game average has experienced a significant regression since the first round, raising the question: Can he be effective against a tough defensive team that plays a tought and sometimes dirty style of basketball?

Will a Rasheed Wallace, Kevin Garnet, or Kendrik Perkins bump or elbow underneath the cup cause Bynum’s knee to explode while trying to grab a rebound?

All jokes aside, if Bynum cannot play effective basketball, it does not bode well for the Lakers. Transversely, if he can, it will dramatically help their chances.

Ron Artest’s ability to shut down Paul Pierce

Ron Ron has been a flat out stud at shutting down Pierce in the past. If he can continue this it will definitely make the series as tight as possible for the Lakers.

Who will Kobe guard?

Ray Allen will keep Kobe occupied defensively as Bryant (and eventually exhausted) chases him through infinite screens and baseline cuts, leading to the question: Does Kobe guard Rondo?

If Kobe does guard Rondo, then who covers Ray Allen?

Allen might be older, but he is very capable of exploding for 30 plus points if someone like Derek Fisher is trying to chase him through a myriad of screens. This factor might possess the most potency as to how it affects the series.

Kobe and the Lakers could afford to assign Kobe on Russell Westbrook because Thabo Sefolosha is a horrible shooter, but Ray Allen? I think you need to keep Kobe on him, and pray Fisher doesnt embarrass himself playing against Rondo.

Summary

Ultimately the Lakers have yet to face anything remotely close to a team as defensively strong during the 2010 playoffs. Even if Kobe scores 40 points a game, the Celtics can shut down the rest of the Lakers, so it will not matter. The Celtics will still win games. The Celtics playan amazing style of team basketball, never relying on just one player all the time.

They essentially never defer as much as the Lakers defer to Kobe to win games for them. They don’t have to.

It’s a well documented fact that stronger defensive teams persevere over offensive teams. Unless the Lakers can “out-defend” the Celtics, I can’t see the Lakers repeating as NBA Champions in 2010.

Prediction:

Boston will win the series in 6 as long as Perkins keeps his cool and Garnett, Pierce, Allen, and Rondo all stay healthy.

The Boston Celtics are on a serious roll right now. After destroying LeBron James’ Cavaliers while simultaneously ripping out the hearts of Cleveland fans, it is apparent after 2 games of the Easter Conference Finals that the Celtics are the team rising up and and on their way into the NBA Finals for the second time in 3 years.

If it ain't broke don't fix it.

Boston suffered during the playoffs last year as they were riddled by injuries. This year Boston wisely played it safe towards the end of the regular season, riding out some rough nights in order to rest the walking wounded. Pundits began questioning their ability, but the Celtics stuck to their plan and to their core players, only adding some reserves, and it is paying dividends in the post season.

The same cannot be said for the Orlando Magic. Orlando allowed Hedo Turkoglu to walk away while shipping out defensive sensation Courtney Lee and veterans Tony Battie, and Rafer Alston (The one player who actually could have led them to victory in my opinion. Dude was on fire, and led them to the Finals, only to lose his job to the coming off the injury Jameer Nelson. I still believe to this very day that Van Gundy should have been fired for that move.) for Vince Carter and Ryan Anderson.

The philosophical difference regarding roster moves can be best taken in while analyzing the result of game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Doc Rivers had his front court burn through fouls on Dwight Howard the same way Antoine Walker spends money: plentifully and not thinking about tomorrow. Although Howard was effective, Boston’s team defense held Orlando’s other starters not named Howard to a meager 30.9% from the field. The remaining Magic, bench included,  shot a total of 19-58, good for 32%. Yikes.

You will unquestionably lose to a team as defensively sound as Boston shooting a percentage like that. It is critical in order to hang with Boston that you maximize your points for possessions.

Meanwhile Boston shot 45% from the field as a team which will usually lead to victory when your team is great on defense. Even though Kevin Garnett didn’t shoot well, he played well defensively. He found ways, other than scoring, to have impact the game.

Not to discredit Orlando, but these shooting figures clearly indicate just how tough and together Boston is right now. They fought for rebounds while keeping Howard to single digits figures in rebounding. Howard can usually sneeze a double double, but he was beaten mightily on the glass during game 2.

Game 1, half-man. Game 2, half-invisible.

Vince Carter’s atrocious shooting during game 2 devastated Orlando’s offense not unlike the depleted ozone layer is devastating our planet: 5-15 shooting, 16 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist. He did more harm than good, and jsut like the ozone, if something is not done about trying to reverse this soon, everyone wearing a Magic jerseyis in big trouble.

Carter did have 3 steals, but those were negated by the 3 turnovers. His poor performance was a major fallout from his solid performance in game 1 where he shot 50% from the field, scoring 23 points with 5 rebounds and 2 steals.

Wasn’t Carter supposed to be the messiah that pushed Orlando over the top in the Eastern Conference like a Sylvester Stallone semi-illegal arm wrestling move?

Is it safe to say Carter was pretty much owned by Orlando in game 2?

What the heck happened?

Has Boston figured out how to shut Carter down? If so, how does Orlando try to avoid being swept?

When Jameer Nelson is held to 4 assists, and Carter can muster up only 1, Orlando has to be missing those 5 assists and 5 rebounds a game Hedo Turkoglu averaged during the playoffs last year.

All hindsight aside, why would you tinker with a lineup that got you into the NBA Finals?

Somewhere out there in the world Hedo Turkoglu is recovering from a cold while partying in a nightclub, after watching these games, drinking expensive cocktails while thinking to himself that no matter how bad his year was, Orlando must know they were better off with him.

Turkoglu’s versatile game creates mismatches capable of poking holes in the strongest of defenses, and as a 6’10″ passer he allowed Orlando to more aptly explore these mismatches. He integrated well within their system, and helped Orlando by repeatedly stepping up during clutch moments, eventually leading the Magic to the NBA Finals last year.

Will Carter rise up to the occasion in Game 3 in Boston, or will he be owned once more?

LeBron James could have played his final game as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron and the Cavs were eliminated by the surging Boston Celtics, losing the series 4 games to 2.

LeBron had a somewhat super human game 6, statistically, but his performance was marred by bad shooting from the field and an atrocious 9 turnovers. The 9 turnovers by the MVP were mostly caused by James clearly trying to do too much.

If you watch the game from beginning to end you will notice LeBron dribbling himself in some bad situations while playing far too much individualistic, selfish-styled basketball ultimately preventative of any other Cavalier to gain any solid rhythm.

Is the Crown moving to a new city?

James constantly complained and whined excessively to the refs, inevitably clouding his ability to focus. When the money was on the line, James essentially crumbled under the pressure. That is not what the league MVP is supposed to do.

In his defense, LeBron had no substantial support, other than Mo Williams dropping 22. The Cavs did nothing else to provide any real support to James. Antawn Jamison shot the ball horrendously while Shaq looked tired and old.

Contrarily, Boston showed overall team depth with solid performances by Rasheed Wallace and Tony Allen off the bench. Wallace provided back-breaking, momentum-stunting 3 pointers in the 4th quarter to extinguish any and all rallying by the Cavs. I was puzzled watching the Cavs bring the ball up court slowly with 1:30 left and down by 9.

It appeared as though they had already conceded victory to the Celtics.

Rajon Rondo led the Boston lineup and it congealed to play like a solid championship contender, something this Cleveland team was unable to do during the series. Boston’s bench has stepped up and produced on any given night. This is a quality that LeBron has desperately lacked. And it is noteworthy to bring up the fact that Cleveland took on some serious cap-clogging contracts while trying to do so.

It makes me speculate LeBron will be reflect heavily upon this loss while contemplating the ensuing free agency bonanza set to take flight now that he has been eliminated from the chance at a ring this season.

The Boston Celtics and New York Knicks have rekindled talks and are on the verge of making a deal landing Nate Robinson in Boston. According to the Boston Herald, the deal will likely be for Eddie House, whom has played for Mike D’Antoni previously in Phoenix.

Nate will bring Celtics fans excitement and bench scoring. (Credit: picapp.com)

Robinson has the chance to play a meaningful role for a title contender, rather than settling for life as a slam dunk champion on a horrible New York Knicks team.

“Krypto Nate” represents a significant acquisition for Boston and will reinforce glaring needs for the Celtics: youth, athleticism, speed, and quickness. Also included, electrifying offense. Nate has a career average of 12.5 points in 24.8 minutes, which is the type of productivity Boston sorely needs.

Nate has a reputation for being detrimental to his team, evidenced by his rift with D’Antoni involving the infamous “shoot the ball at the opponents basket” incident earlier this year:

If Robinson does something like that in Boston, odds are good Rasheed picks up a technical for fighting his own teammate.

Playing for a team like the Celtics, and with the support and comradeship Kevin Garnett instills in his teammates, Robinson will have the environment and opportunity to mature into a well rounded player. (On that note, J.R. Smith is probably the only player in the NBA who could come to the Celtics and ending up worse, just had to get that out.)

Nate does have a clause in his contract allowing him to veto a deal if he dislikes the destination, but it’s doubtful he’ll exercise it with a trade destination like Boston.