Lakers popular choice

League GMs pick them to win title

The NBA's 30 general managers agree with the bookmakers - the Los Angeles Lakers are favored to win the NBA championship this season.

The Lakers were predicted to win the title by 46.2 percent of the GMs in a survey by NBA.com. The Celtics were named by 19.2 percent and New Orleans by 11.5. The totals reflect "a pool of respondents," according to the website. The Lakers are also slight favorites to win the title on most betting lines.

Last year, San Antonio was favored to win the championship and the Celtics were the choice to win the Eastern Conference; the Lakers, who fell to the Celtics in the Finals, received zero votes in the preseason poll. The Spurs, picked to win the title five successive times, starting in 2003-04, received 8 percent of the votes this time.

Cleveland's LeBron James was named MVP favorite and reigning MVP Kobe Bryant of the Lakers was second.

The Celtics' Kevin Garnett was selected best leader (51 percent). Garnett was also chosen best defensive player (44.4 percent), followed by the Rockets' Ron Artest (22.2), Bryant (11.1), and the Spurs' Bruce Bowen and Tim Duncan (7.4).

Celtics guard Rajon Rondo (19.2 percent) was tied with Artest and Bowen behind Bryant (26.9) among perimeter defenders, and Rondo was among those receiving votes as the best at defending passing lanes.

The Celtics' Tom Thibodeau was named best assistant and point guard Sam Cassell was second to Eric Snow in the voting for "which active player will make the best head coach someday?" The Celtics had one other "best" - Ray Allen (61.1 percent) among "pure shooters."

Paul Pierce, MVP of the Finals, was named among the vote-getters in only one category - taking a shot with the game on the line, along with Washington's Gilbert Arenas and James, far behind Bryant (88.9 percent).

The Utah Jazz are projected to have the strongest home-court advantage (44 percent), followed by the Celtics (25.9).

Mike D'Antoni of the New York Knicks was named the coach running "the best offense."

A bad break?

According to the New York Post, Cassell was overheard at courtside of the Celtics' 101-90 victory over the Knicks Tuesday saying, "That West Coast fast-break stuff isn't going to work here."

The Celtics dominated the contest, their final game of the preseason, Garnett setting the defensive tone and the team following coach Doc Rivers's plan to play a post-up game. Eddie House (20 points) benefited most from the strategy, roaming the perimeter to line up quick-release jumpers.

The Celtics also wanted to set the tone for the regular season and make up for a sloppy performance in a 104-97 loss to the Knicks earlier in the preseason.

Both teams' competitive instincts were on edge, judging by a first-quarter verbal exchange between House, who was on the bench, and the Knicks' Stephon Marbury, who was matched with Allen.

Marbury called House "a bum," according to reports. House replied, "Don't worry about me; you better worry about Ray Allen." Marbury: "You're nothing. You're caught up in basketball. Get caught up in life."

Remembering Mangurian

Harry Mangurian acquired the Celtics by trading franchise rights with John Y. Brown (who got Mangurian's Buffalo Braves) in 1978, and was the owner for the 1981 NBA championship season. But Mangurian, who died this week at age 82, might not have become involved with the Celtics if a bid to buy into the NFL's Tampa Bay franchise (along with Jack Nicklaus) had been approved in 1974. Mangurian was heavily involved in thoroughbred racing and invested in the Memphis Rogues of the North American Soccer League.

Frank Dell'Apa can be reached at f_dellapa@glopbe.com.