Eastern Conference — At the end of the regular season, not even the NBA pundits could have predicted that the Boston Celtics would be on the dominating and destructive rampage that they are currently on. Even coming into the Eastern Conference finals, the Orlando Magic were the one’s highlighted to cause damage based on their back to back series sweeps over the Charlotte Bobcats and Atlanta Hawks.

However, the Celtics are on a mission and after blowing past the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-2 they stormed to an early 3-0 lead over the Magic. Led by play-off MVP thus far, Rajon Rondo, the Celtics seem to have rediscovered the Magic that propelled them to the pinnacle of 2008 NBA supremacy.

In the first two games of the series the Celtics recorded 92-88 and 95-92 victories in Orlando, making it the first time in franchise history that they ever recorded back to back away victories in any stage of the play-offs. In a more vicious showing, the Celtics whipped their opponents 94-71 in Boston to secure for themselves a guarantee of making it to the NBA finals for another year.

It would take nothing less than divine intervention that could allow for the Magic to win the remaining four games of the series.

Pau the great

Oftentimes, a single player leads a team to measures of greatness that were previously not conceived by the coaches and players alike. Dwight Howard and LeBron James have both done that in the regular season over the past couple of years but have failed in the play-offs.

After the exodus of Shaquille O’Neal the Los Angeles Lakers were thrown into play-off mediocrity with Kobe Bryant and company failing to live up to the strata they are aspired to be. Well then came Pau Gasol and since his arrival at the franchise the Lakers have made it to two NBA finals, winning one. He has been the one to rewrite the fortunes of recent Lakers history and unlike Howard and James create a change in the NBA post-season.

In their current Western Conference finals against the Phoenix Suns the Lakers ended last week with a comfortable 2-0 lead thanks to the exploits of Pau Gasol and company. Otherwise from the combined 50 points he has influenced the Lakers in more unconventional means for this particular series; helping the Lakers to thus far overcome the rivals that put them out of the play-offs the last two times the teams met with the most recent in 2007 ending 4-1 in favour of the Suns.

While the Suns and Steve Nash in particular would be hoping to make it to their first finals in over a decade the Lakers are on course to make it three finals in three years and a chance to avenge their losses from 2008. A great finals awaits!