NBA FINALS: PHIL JACKSON VS. TOM THIBODEAU

Doc Rivers may be the head coach of the Boston Celtics but the real genius behind the Celtics defense is assistant coach Tom Thibodeau.

Thibodeau comes from the Jeff Van Gundy school of defense, which requires three important principles: 1) load up one side of the floor, usually the strong side, 2) protect the paint and 3) contest every shot. These three diciplines is what elevated the Celtics to the top defensive team in the league.

The key to beating the Celtics defense is ball movement and hitting outside shots. Phil Jackson's triangle offense seems to be the perfect approach to beating Celtics' defensive scheme because the Lakers have the most efficient and balanced offense in the league.

However, the long layoff could hurt the Lakers more than the Celtics because it usually takes a few games before players get into their groove offensively so expect some rusty jumpers in Game 1. When a game turns ugly, teams who rely heavily on defense have a tremendous advantage because their is no flow to the game.

I expect the Celtics to play chest-to-chest defense, stay home on the Lakers shooters and have defensive player of the year Kevin Garnett play free safety. This will force the Lakers to rely more on the two-man game of Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. In the Western Conference finals, the San Antonio Spurs could not figure out how to stop the Lakers' pick-and-roll attack.

Now, in the NBA Finals, we'll see if Thibodeau learned anything from the Lakers-Spurs series. Once Thibodeau shows his hand, it will be up to Jackson and the Lakers staff to counter.

Let the chess match begin.