The best rivalry in NBA history has lost all its glamour with the Lakers going through a transition. While Los Angeles attempts to climb out of its miserable hole, the only question worth asking is: how will Kobe Bryant be received by fans in his last game in Boston?
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LOOK AHEAD
The Lakers finish off a three-game road trip with a stop in the Garden and coach Byron Scott said he will keep his lineup intact through the end of the calendar year. That means Julius Randle and D’Angelo Russell will continue to come off the bench. Scott is faced with the difficult task of developing his young players, who are the cornerstone of the franchise, while getting aging Kobe Bryant into games on his farewell tour. Bryant said he considered not playing on Sunday at Memphis because of a sore knee, but when he saw the fans before the game, he said he would have felt “really, really awful” if he decided not to suit up. Unfortunately, the Lakers, and Scott, will have to deal with this sort of circus-like atmosphere the rest of the year.
It was last week, following a home loss to Atlanta, when Jae Crowder and Isaiah Thomas called out teammates for not having any passion for the game. Well, the outburst worked. The Celtics haven’t lost a game since, beating New York Sunday for their fourth straight victory. Getting Marcus Smart back also helped. Boston’s gritty guard played just 13 minutes on Sunday, but having him in the lineup provided a boost and some of the swagger that was missing.
INJURIES
Smart returned to the lineup Sunday after missing 18 games with a knee injury. He played 13 minutes against the Knicks and his time on the court will be closely monitored. While Smart has returned – in a limited minutes role – the Celtics could be without David Lee, who has missed the last two games with a back injury.
KEY MATCHUP
Coming into the season it was hard to tell whether Kelly Olynyk would be a big part of the Celtics rotation. They did, after all, have a loaded frontcourt. His production tailed off in November and so did his time on the court. But the 7-footer from Gonzaga has stepped up his game this month, and the Celtics are benefitting. In December, Olynyk is averaging 13.7 points and 3.9 rebounds while shooting 53.6 percent from the field and 45.7 percent from beyond the three-point stripe. He scored 20 or more points four times and is playing with confidence on the offensive end. Olynyk has proven of late to be a scoring threat for the Celtics. He averages 21.3 points per game when playing more than 25 minutes and his size presents matchup problems for the defense. He can post up an opponent and score with his soft touch around the hoop, or he can shoot the ball from deep. He’s been good defensively, also, with a rating of 98. While he’s never been known for his defense and is a little undersized to battle some of the bulkier post players, he moves well and is able to disrupt the passing lanes and force turnovers.
ODDS AND PREDICTION
It’s been a long season already for the Lakers, and when we thought it couldn’t get worse than last year – it has. The development of the young players has been overshadowed by Bryant’s pending retirement and his going away stops through the Eastern Conference. The team’s building blocks are frustrated by not being in the starting lineup and coach Byron Scott isn’t the guy to lead this team. Until there are changes with Bryant’s status and at head coach, the organization will continue to flounder. Luckily that’s just through this year. Bryant retires then Russell and Randle, and another lottery pick, will have the Lakers poised to return to their place among the NBA’s elite. Lakers fans can dream, right? The Celtics are playing some inspired basketball, having won four straight for the first time this season. They’re getting outstanding backcourt play from Thomas, Evan Turner and Avery Bradley, and the return of Smart gives them a tenacity they were lacking in his absence. It’s hard to picture the Lakers beating a team as balanced as the Celtics are right now.
Boston 104, Los Angeles 94
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