Sports Radio Service


		Celtics-Lakers: Expect the heavy TV ratings By Dave Zizmor May 31, 2008

	Game one at Boston's Fleet Center- the match up all TV execs were hoping for throughout the playoffs and nothing like a dream come true. The best of seven involving two of the NBA's best on the small screen that'll draw record amounts and high ratings- the long lost prodigal sons of the Finals, the mighty legendary Boston Celtics versus the likewise “don't be a stranger” Los Angeles Lakers. Everyone one will be hanging from the rafters for this one. Every media outlet, every international outlet will be out in force to cover this coveted series. You can bet TV will hope that this series will go all the way to game seven and milk the series for all that it's worth. The Celtics just squeaked a big one past the mighty Detroit Pistons in their bid to make the NBA Championship last Friday night in a game that could have gone either way, 89-81 in Auburn Hills. The Celtics’ Paul Pierce was wondering if they were going to make it. "My heart was beating faster," said Pierce toward the end of Friday's game six victory. But none the less, after trailing by 10 points, the Celts went to work and caught up with one of basketball's old champion nemesis, the Pistons. "It was probably the best thing because now we can say we have gone through some stuff and we’re still standing," said the Celtics head coach Doc Rivers. This for television was a welcomed sight. In this Celtics-Pistons series, there was some doubt for a time if the Celts could get here after the Pistons tied the series up in game four at 2-2. The Celts came roaring back with two straight victories, 106-102 and last Friday night's 89-81 put away for the NBA Eastern Conference win. Now that Boston is in, all the talk shows in Bean Town are talking about the Celts of old, bringing back Kevin McHale, Robert Parrish, Danny Ainge, Bill Walton, the late Dennis Johnson, and Larry Bird to name a few. The legends of that made the Celtics a great team, a legendary organization. They're bringing back even Red Auerbach's cigar, patched Lindsay Nelson type sport jacket and all. The networks will be doing so many sidebars on the parquet floor that was transferred from the Garden to the Fleet Center, and the men who ran on it to keep the Celts going from building to building. The networks will be focusing on the banners that hung from the rafters of the Garden that boasted all the Championships of the Celtics over the years that now hang high in the Fleet Center rafters. The retired numbers of all the great old Celtics and sideline talk about the dynasties that they were a part of. The talk will fast forward to today’s Celtic-speak about "the Big three," Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen and all that they have done for the Celts to get them here. The fast start that Boston had to start the season helped get them this far. Rivers said it was a long road to get to the Championship, and the guys in the green jerseys are pinching themselves that they're here. In Los Angeles, Hollywood stars are pinching themselves that there's not another Detroit-San Antonio (yawn) three-peat match up again and having to watch fans in the local taverns scream at the TV set, "oh no not those two teams again" or "LeBron who?". It's an old rivalry from the days of the 80's, the days when Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were on the Lakes and the Celts had all those guys listed above. We’re not saying the Lakers are carrying Magic or Kareem or the Celts have Bird or McHale, but you can close your eyes and see the dynasty growing for both organizations. It was the hope legend wise that the Lakers would have a two-some dynasty built around Kobe and Shaq but that was an unhappy relationship. Kobe now will be carrying the Lakers on his back, or in some You Tube cases, jumping across a bucket pool of snakes with the team on his back to throw one down. Kobe will have to match up against the Big Three, but Kobe is not afraid at all. He's done this all year and he got the Lakers past the Spurs in short order in this last series. On media day on Tuesday and Wednesday, the media will be there with mics and cameras ready to shoot and file every move and every word before they air the main event on TV on Thursday night.” It’s kind of surreal, probably hasn't hit me yet, because we haven't slept in about four days, going on five days now. Going into the finals, I'm just hoping to get some sleep," said sleepy-eyed Kevin Garnett during the presser on Friday night. The Final Schedule: Thursday Game# 1 Lakers @ Celtics June 8th Game #2 Lakers @Celtics June 10th Game# 3 Celtics @ Lakers June 12th Game# 4 Celtics @ Lakers June 15th Game #5 Celtics @ Lakers* June 17th Game #6 Lakers @ Celtics* June 18th Game #7 Lakers @ Celtics* *denotes if necessary all games are a 6PM PDT start David Zizmor will be covering the NBA Finals for Sportstalk Radio.