Game 7

In perhaps the biggest NBA game of the decade a Kendrick Perkins-less Celtics team will set foot on the Staples Center floor in search of an NBA record banner number 18. What are the keys to the Celtics actually winning? To me there are three, The play of the Celtics big men, the ability of Rondo to influence the game offensively, and the play of Kevin Garnett.

There will be a huge void to fill inside but unlike the entire sports world I think that the combination of Glen Davis and Rasheed Wallace is just as formidable as Kendrick Perkins. For what those two lack on defense they add so much more on offense, Sheed stretches the defense and Big Baby is capable of out playing the Lakers bigs inside like he did in game 4. There was an alarming rebounding gap in game 6 so it is huge that not only the Bigs rebound but the entire puts more focus on the glass, it is the type of game where I expect Rondo to have huge rebounding numbers. As for the player with newly heightened minutes, if Sheldon Williams can bring anything positive in his minutes then I think the focus of the game will be back on the perimeter.

Big players come up big in big games and I expect Kobe and Pierce to have huge games so it will be up to players like Pau Gasol, Kevin Garnett, Ron Artest and Rajon Rondo to emerge as stars in order to bring their teams the trophy.For the Celtics, it all starts with Rondo if he sets the tempo in transition and attacks the basket with relentlessness then the Celtics have a chance to force their will upon the Lakers. For me the next most important player is KG.

With Perkins out it is likely that he will be playing much larger minutes then usual and if he can be aggressive on offense and limit Gasol and Bynum then losing Perk won't seem as bad. Now as for what I think will actually happen, the Celtics need to come out firing and show that this game will go down to the last possession. The stats don't favor the C's, in the 17 NBA finals game 7's the away team has only won four times but Boston has done it in LA before. I think this will be a great game and I think the Celtics will prevail despite the loss of Perkins. Even after the game 6 blowout I still think the Celtics are a better "team" and are capable of rising to the occasion when everything is on the line. Grand Theft Rondo in full effect tonight!