Finals Analysis Part IV

Part I, II, III, V


Ok, so this might be the most interesting matchup of the series. It's the only direct match up that involves two stars - at least by position, anyway.


Power Forward

Lakers: Lamar Odom

Star might be a little bit of a stretch for Lamar. He's got the skills to be in the All Star game every year, but doesn't quite have the mentality for it. Last season, people were talking about him as an All Star Reserve through the first couple months of the season, but then an extended injury kept him off of his first roster for the mid-season classic. Many people are perplexed about Odom because he's got skills to rival just about any big man in the history of the Game. At 6'10", with arms so long he once said that he didn't let them hang as a child because he was self conscious about it, he can defend at any position and plays an interesting role for Phil Jackson in the Triangle offense. Lamar plays point guard on at least 15 to 20 possessions per game. If you watch closely, you'll notice that in addition to when he rebounds the ball and immediately starts the fast break by rushing up the court, he is often placed at the top of the key and given the ball to start the half-court offense. But it's not just a quirk of the offense or a mere demonstration of versatility to give the guards some extra rest time on the bench - though that doesn't hurt. More on this in Part VI.

Odom does everything on the court very well, but doesn't do anything GREAT... Well, except for rebound! He seems to have Velcro on his hands at times. Also, his interior passing and passing out of double team does a great job of keeping the ball moving, which helps the Lakers create problems with their crisp ball moving. The ball always moves more when Odom is in the game and if John Wooden's 9 championships are any indication, having at least a 3:1 pass to shot attempt ratio helps win games.

Celtics: Kevin Garnett

You just can't say enough about this guy. I want so badly to root for him, just because he really does deserve to win at least once. He's SOO good defensively, Soo great on the low block offensively. He's selfish, unassuming, yet inspiring and intense. I know it sounds like I'm describing a politician, not a basketball player but maybe that's appropriate. When Kevin went to Boston, he completely rearranged the culture there and changed the course of at least 6 different players' careers. He is one of the best Power Forwards of all time and to compare Lamar Odom to him isn't even fair. It's like Comparing Superman to Batman. I mean, sure, Batman is great! He's a hero. If you need saving, you hope he's around figuring out how to do it. But if you had your choice when you're falling off the building, you'll go with Clark Kent 7 days out of 7.

Advantage: Celtics

Part I, II, III, V