Yes, it is finished. the Boston Celtics have been the best team in the NBA all season, and they had to go through the best coach and the best player in the game today to prove that. The Boston Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in 6 games, this clinching game 6 victory score being 131-92, a 39 point defeat, the biggest defeat in NBA Finals history.
The Celtics become only the 4th team in NBA History to go from out the playoffs, to champions.
Peep the ESPN Recap HERE, it's an amazing story of the journey of "The Big Three"
Paul Pierce, if there's any reason i'm glad the Celtics won the Championship, its for Paul Pierce and all he went through to get to this point. This is one of the toughest players in the NBA, there aren't many other players that would get into a scuffle at the club, get stabbed ELEVEN times, drive himself to the hospital to get surgery got a collapsed lung. He overcame the stabbing and was starting at SG for the Celtics against the rival Pistons, and he scored 28 points and willed his team to victory (Antoine Walker scored 33 pTS 13 RBS). Fast forward to 2008 and the "Big Three" era and Paul Pierce proved himself to be the biggest of the "Big Three" leading his team in scoring in the NBA Finals, almost ending the finals in LA, when he scored 38 points the most of any player in these NBA Finals. In the series clincher, he scored 17 points and had 10 assists, making sure his teammates got theirs. It turned into the biggest margin of victory in NBA Finals History, and the Celtics win the Championship, with the man who has been there for 10 seasons, the rightful NBA Finals MVP, Paul Anthony Pierce.
You know what's the coolest thing about this season, the most overlooked part of the Celtics journey to the championship is the 7 game series played against the Atlanta Hawks. The HAWKSproved that they are not that far from the Celtics level in game play and additude. The Hawks have a "Big Three" as well, and they are ways away in age and experience, but not too far at all in talent and passion for the game.
Josh Smith - for Josh Smith to be his potential he must be more shot efficient, he must know his game and play to his strengths, while improving his weaknesses. Don't believe the pundits that say this guy cannot shoot, even if that's not his strength, he can hit open shots from the perimeter, and sometimes the 3-ball. However, in order for Josh Smith to be his potential, and the Hawks to be the best they can be, Smith should be the leading scorer on the team with at least 24 PPG 8 RPG 4 APG and 3 BPG. He should be a beast in the paint and be a 82% FT shooter like he was in the playoffs. He can do it, and he will.
Joe Johnson - Joe is the definition of consistent, he defines reliable, and he is in the prime of his career. He is sort of like Ray Allen or Kobe Bryant by the way he can either slash to the basket or spot up and hit a shot from anywhere on the floor. Now, he scored 20 PPG 4 RBG and 4 APG, if he averages 20 PPG and at least 6 APG, and do his part to make Josh Smith an All-Star, he will have solidified his status as a top 10 SG in this league, and a great franchise player to lead this team to a championship someday.
Al Horford - rookie of the year outside of the award, one of the best young bigs in the league, averaged a double-double as a rookie (10.4 PTS 10.0 RBS) and stepped his game up in the playoffs (14.5 PPG 11.5 RPG). When the Hawks get a shot-blocking center that doesn't demand the ball (Desanga DIOP!) Al Horford can be a 20-10 PF with a mean jumpshot, he has one of the best all-around games for a big we've seen in a rookie, he is a future all-star in this leauge.
So, congratulations to the Boston Celtics, the NBA is proud of you, but if you ever meet the Atlanta Hawks again in the playoffs, its a wrap.
