These aren't your 80's Lakers and Celtics

This week NBA fans are going to be overloaded with flashbacks of the Magic Lakers and Bird Celtics in hype-preparation for this year's Lakers, Celtics finals. I remember the showtime Lakers. Magic, Worthy, Cooper, and Kareem. The Celtics with Bird, McHale, Parish and Johnson. Those teams were truly great, packed with hall-of-famers and two of the top three (in my opinion) basketball players to ever play (Bird and Magic), and one of the top centers in Kareem to ever put on a jersey (college or NBA). And although I was young at the time to appreciate the golden age of NBA basketball, I still knew that I was watching the pure, un-marketed, truth; greatness.

This year's Lakers Celtics finals might be a good series, but they ain't no 80's Lakers-Celtics teams. Kobe can be electric, but seems to want to prove a point, rather than score points. Gasol is a good PF, but honestly, if he wasn't traded he would have been as well known as Rick Smits. The only true greatness the Lakers have going for them is Kobe (when he decides he wants to prove something) and Phil Jackson.

The Celtics? Well, I love KG. Love the intensity and his ability to do everything on the basketball court. Not since Pippen, has a player performed so well in every facet of the game. But, Pierce is getting old and inconsistent. Is it me, or has Paul Pierce aged about 20 years in the last year? His jump shot looks more Patrick Ewing every minute. Ray Allen? Ray Allen was out played by Wally Z. in the Cleveland series. I do love the form of that J. But the J is now more Joke worthy than Jesus worthy (Get it, Jesus Shuttlesworth in he got game? Yeah that was a stretch).

So, as much as ABC/ESPN is going to pound the similarity to the old Lakers and Celtics teams, my response is "I know the 80's Lakers and Celtics, and you sir, are no Lakers and Celtics).