Tonight the NBA Championship is going to get under way.  Both the number 1 ranked teams in the Eastern and Western Conference will clash in an all out showdown between two of the best teams.  The L.A. Lakers will travel to Boston tonight as they play game 1.  They will renew one of the greatest rivalries in NBA history dating all the way back to the 1980’s.  It doesn’t matter what happened in the past, this is a new NBA era and this series is going to be one of the best in years.

The Lakers lost both meeting during the regular season to the Celtics, but this was before they acquired Pao Gasol.  Ever since then they have been excellent.  Kobe Bryant leads the way for the Lakers who look to win another championship.  When he is on his game, he is almost un-guardable and can make shots from anywhere on the court.  During these playoffs so far he is averaging tremendous numbers.  He gets 31.9 points per game, 5.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 6.1 rebounds while shooting 51% from the field.  If he continues to produce the Lakers are going to be too much for Boston’s defense to handle.  Currently Oddsmakers at Sportsbook.com have the Celtics as -140 favorites heading into tonight’s game.

The Boston Celtics will need production and consistency out of their big three, Kevin Garnet, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen.  Garnett has been the rock of this team on both ends of the floor.  His tremendous defensive intensity is matched equally with his offense.  He is leading the team in playoff scoring, with 21.1 points per game and is also averaging 9.8 boards, 3.5 assists and 1.15 blocks a game.  Paul Pierce is second in command and will need to have a good series if Boston wants to be successful.  He is good for 19 points a game.  The big question is going to be which Ray Allen is going to show up this series?  At times he has played and shot poorly from the field.  Boston is going to need some points out of him if they want to win the Championship. 

View NBA Championship Betting Odds at OnlineSportHandicapping.com before you bet on the Lakers vs Celtics at Sportsbook.com

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