Doing some analysis
Gorman notes one-sided picks
If you check out the predictions of the purported experts for the NBA Finals, you would think the Lakers-Celtics series was the biggest mismatch of all time. An East Coast/West Coast version of David and Goliath.
Mike Gorman, the Celtics' TV play-by-play man on
"What I've seen so far is a remarkable love affair on the part of the national media with the Lakers," said Gorman. "I find that fascinating. I guess that is Los Angeles being Los Angeles.
"It's probably a good thing for the Celtics. I think it will be a motivational tool for them. It's not necessarily something [coach Doc Rivers] would use, but I think no matter how much these guys tell you they don't read the papers or watch TV, I think they do.
"I think the players will be motivated by this because they are going to hear a lot of questions about being underdogs. It's kind of remarkable considering they beat the Lakers twice this season and had the best record in the league."
Gorman in particular pointed to ESPN.com, whose prognosticators almost universally picked the Lakers.
"ESPN had 10 basketball experts listed and all [but one] picked the Lakers," said Gorman. "That's really saying it's going to be a rout. That's kind of fascinating. That's probably the biggest thing that has struck me over the last few days, the rush to adore LA and adore Kobe [Bryant]."
Gorman keeps hearing that the prevailing view from the league perspective is that the best thing for the NBA is to have the Lakers and Celtics facing each other. He's not sure that's an accurate assessment.
"I think what they were really saying is the best thing that could happen is to have the Lakers back in it," he said. "That really seems to be where the slant is. When I was driving home after Game 6 [when the Celtics eliminated the Pistons], I was listening to the national talk shows on satellite radio - it was remarkable. The pundits were just coming on and really giving the Celtics no chance in this series, that it was going to be a coronation of Kobe as the best player in the game and Phil Jackson would have the most championships.
"It reminds me going back to when the Celtics beat the Lakers in LA [in 1969] when all the balloons were in the ceiling waiting to be released to celebrate. It seems like they've already got the balloons up and they haven't played a game yet."
It was inevitable that there would be comparisons between the 2007-08 Celtics and the great teams of the 1980s, particularly with a six-day gap between the end of the conference finals and the start of the finals.
"I think you can compare [Larry] Bird and [Kevin] Garnett in that they are both very intense leaders and weren't about to put up with anything less than 100 percent effort from other people around them," said Gorman.
"If you're talking about the teams of the late 1980s as opposed to the early '80s, those are the ones you really have to compare this Celtics team to. The Celtics of 1986, toward the end of that time, were extremely confident, bordering on arrogant guys. Not towards the media or towards fans but towards the opposition. They were just that confident they were going to win all the time, but they weren't that way in 1980 and '81 when they first started to be good.
"This team is very confident, not brash yet and not arrogant yet, because there is nothing to be brash or arrogant about yet. But they're very confident and do rally emotionally around one guy. On the teams of the 1980s, Bird was the emotional leader of that team in a very similar way Garnett is."
Gorman said he just wants the current Celtics to get their due.
"I just hope that what this team has done this year doesn't get lost in all the comparisons to the 1980s," he said. "It's great theater and it's a great promotional vehicle for the NBA and the NBA Finals, but this team this year won 66 games. I think they deserve the credit to stand on their own two feet. I hope once this series starts, people will focus on these two teams and let them stand on their own merits."
Nancy L. Marrapese can be reached by marrapese@globe.com
