Back At ONE!!!

The BOSTON CELTICS are the Beast of the East.
The LOS ANGELES LAKERS are the Best in the West.

There's an excellent chance that the NBA's
two most successful franchises will once again
battle it out for the NBA Championship,

just like they did twenty years ago,
during the Magic vs. Bird era.


The '80s are back!!!!

from espn.com:

Frustrated after the Lakers failed to win a playoff series
for the third straight season,
all-world shooting guard Kobe Bryant
spent the early summer months starring in the hit drama,
"Trade Me, Don't Trade Me, Trade Me"
because he thought the Lakers were in rebuilding mode.

The Lakers began the season
by winning just nine of their first 17 games.


Then, Center Andrew Bynum, who is all of 20 years old,
emerged as the favorite for Most Improved Player
by averaging 13.1 points and 10.2 rebounds.

As the Lakers began to click,
Bynum dislocated his left knee on Jan. 13
and has yet to return to action.


The Lakers fleeced the Grizzlies in a trade on Feb. 1,
acquiring All-Star Pau Gasol for benchwarmer Kwame Brown.

Gasol instantly filled Bynum's void in the middle
as the Lakers ran off 17 victories in 20 games.


Lamar Odom stepped up
and had consecutive games with 20 rebounds,
enroute to averaging a double-double for the season.

The Lakers ended the season in style,
winning eight of their last nine games,
including four in a row.


KOBE showed why he is the favorite to finally win league MVP
by averaging 28.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists.

L.A. finished the season with a record of 57-25,
won its first Pacific Division title since 2004
and earned the West's No. 1 seed for the first time since 2000.