The Celtics and Lakers will square off tonight at 8 PM EDT from the TD Garden in Boston. Game 5 of the NBA finals is expected to be a game of great importance and could be the most pivotal game of each team's seasons.
For the Lakers, the absence of Andrew Bynum in the middle was a big factor in their ineffectiveness from game 4. Bynum's knee has been drained, and he told NBA.com that he will be ready to play in tonight's contest. That's big news for LA. They need Bynum in the lineup. Without him, they're just a replica of the 2008 team that got rocked by Boston in the finals. The big man is a big part of that team.
For the Celtics, they continue to display a true team effort. You never know who is going to be their leading scorer, who will provide the spark, who will take the game-winning shot. It could be anybody on any given night. On Thursday, it was Big Baby, Nate, and the bench unit. Tonight, it could be Ray Ray catching fire again or KG dominating the post like he did in Boston's game 3 loss. Kevin Garnett has always hated the term "Big Three" to describe Boston's best players. He preaches true team play, and it rubs off on everyone else. It truly will take the "Big Twelve" in uniform tonight to bring down the California purple and gold.
What do I think? I think the winner of game 5 is the winner of the series. If the Lakers win tonight, it's a massive up-hill climb for the C's to go 2-0 back in Los Angeles. If Boston wins tonight -- same deal. No one has beaten their opponent in back-to-back games thus far in the finals. It will be very difficult for either team to do it in games 6 and 7. That's why I think the winner of tonight's game wins the series. And although I just said no one has won back-to-back games thus far, I think Boston does it on their home court.
What do the fans think? Vote 1 for LA will take game 5 en route to their 16th title. Vote 5 for Boston wins tonight and moves one win closer to Banner 18.
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