Big Three lead Celtics to 17th championship

NBA fans and analysts have been thrilling during the past few seasons to the Glasnost that has invaded the game. The old-style, grind-it-out ways of defense first, second and third had been replaced with a beautiful openness that heralded the return of the fastbreak and an embracing of the three-point shot. Out West, teams ran and scored, and fans smiled. Basketball can be an art form when practiced properly in the open floor, and the recent seasons have revealed many New Masters.

Tuesday night, however, the Boston Celtics showed that championships are not won by impressionist geniuses. They belong to the house painter. The guy who stains decks. They belong to the hard-working players who produce not glorious portraits but workaday projects that endure. The NBA’s ballet fades from memory when it comes to title time. Boston showed us that during the Finals, leaving the Lakers wondering whether they need a new palette for 2008-09 or merely some lessons on how to whitewash a fence.

When the Celtics had completed their 131-92 blasting of L.A. Tuesday night, touching off a champagne-soaked celebration and earning a 17th championship banner for the franchise, it was painfully obvious they had succeeded because of their toughness and commitment to playing with a focus that was unmatched by their opponents. Boston had too many hard hats on the job, beginning with its highest-paid player, Kevin Garnett. Criticized throughout the post-season for his inability to dominate, Garnett proved that his value is in his intensity and ability to imbue a team with a rugged persona. It was something the Lakers couldn’t match.

The Game 6 wipeout may have been the crowning moment, but this series was determined in the fourth contest, when Los Angeles blew a 24-point lead at home and fell into a 3-1 hole. By that point, everybody knew it was over; the only variable was time. That defeat symbolized the chasm between the two teams. Once up and cruising, the Lakers didn’t know how to break the Celts’ windpipes. They couldn’t keep the pressure on and close the game out methodically. Instead, they kept jacking up threes and watching the scoreboard, hoping to pile up an even bigger advantage. Boston, meanwhile, slogged ahead, trying different lineup combinations and refusing to surrender. When the Celtics got close in the fourth quarter, the Lakers had nobody — and that means you, Kobe Bryant — capable of preventing disaster.

It’s one thing to blow a team out. Those games can be dismissed as anomalies and explained away by coaches as “only one loss.” By overcoming the Lakers’ best start of the series, Boston served notice to its rivals that no matter what L.A. did; it wasn’t enough. Credit Doc Rivers for that. Credit Garnett. And credit Paul Pierce, who rebounded from his opening-night knee drama to produce an MVP-worthy series.

The Lakers are left wondering what the future holds. They definitely cannot win a title with the same mindset that characterized their Finals performance. Forwards Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom showed little consistency and a paucity of toughness. Gasol, whom many considered the final entry on the team’s championship resume, was particularly disappointing and played at times like the Sta-Puft Marshmallow Man. Maybe the healthy return of Andrew Bynum will be the difference, but he is young, coming off a knee injury and until this season wasn’t considered Hercules in the middle.

Some personnel changes are needed. The frontcourt has to get stronger and more resistant to physical play. If that means dishing Odom, so be it. The point guard spot has to be upgraded, the better to give Bryant some room. Derek Fisher’s veteran presence was appreciated, but his inability to attract defenders off the dribble hurt Bryant, who was rarely able to find breathing room with the ball.

And what of Bryant? His off-season ranting and misbehaving led to the quest for Gasol. But his erratic play in the Finals proves again that he is not in the same class as the players with whom he thirsts to be included. Anybody who wants to compare him to Michael Jordan had better realize that MJ would have never (NEVER!) allowed his team to blow a 24-point Finals lead at home. Bryant may have found double and triple-teams at every turn, and he did average 25.7 ppg for the series, but he was never the transcendent player he or any of his fans purported him to be. All the talk of his legacy and his joining the Greatest Ever needs to be put on hold, because he has yet to lead a team to an NBA title. Granted, the Celtics were a better team than L.A., but had the Lakers won Game 4, we would be talking about a seventh game right now, rather than a decisive blowout.

As for the Phil Jackson-Doc Rivers matchup, which was supposed to be a Zenmaster blowout, give Rivers a big win. The underrated Celtic coach made the necessary changes in game and between games to counter whatever momentum the Lakers were able to generate. He mixed up his defensive matchups and tailored lineup combinations to specific situations. All the while, he kept convincing his team that it was better than Los Angeles and maintained an attitude that his club was expected to win, rather than hoped to do so. Jackson, meanwhile, seemed unable to find room for Bryant and was almost resigned to the fact that his big men were unable to match Boston’s intensity. Perhaps that is due more to the teams’ personnel, but Rivers certainly had a big hand in Boston’s victory.

By the way, all that talk about how weak the Eastern Conference is? Put it away. Two of the past three NBA champs have come from that side of the draw, and though its bottom reaches are certainly awful, its top teams are comparable. Had L.A. faced Detroit, it wouldn’t have necessarily triumphed, because the Pistons would have certainly challenged the Lakers’ manhood as well.

Boston deserves credit for a tremendous season and rising from the ashes of last year’s debacle — with an assist from GM Danny Ainge’s old pal, Kevin McHale, of course. The Celtics played with fire all season long and finished off the Lakers in high style. Their championship season may not have been as artistic as some would have liked, but it is definitely museum quality.

Not to mention good enough for the broad side of a barn.

IN THE PAINT

Because Odom has one year left on his deal, and Ron Artest can opt out of his contract next month, there was speculation the Lakers might make a run at the troubled but effective defensive ace. But Artest has made no noises about wanting to leave Sacramento and was adamant about wishing to stay with the Kings Tuesday night. Still, stay tuned.

Carmelo Anthony may be infuriating at the defensive end and not fiery enough to be a charismatic leader, but the Nuggets will make a huge mistake if they trade him and build around an aging Allen Iverson. Stars make the NBA rotate, and Anthony is a top-flight talent. If surrounded by the right supporting cast and a veteran coach, he can do some big things.

Danilo Gallinari’s insistence that he will remain in Europe if he isn’t drafted by the Knicks or Nets shows the trouble with courting European players. The NBA isn’t necessarily their ultimate goal. Yes, Eurostars are highly skilled, but as we saw in the Finals with Gasol, they seem to be a little light in the motivation department.

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