THE TRUTH ABOUT THE NBA FINALS

A few weeks ago, I wrote that the 2008 NBA Finals will come down to Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett.

I was only half right.

Through five games, the Finals have been all about Bryant and Paul Pierce. Bryant may not be playing at optimum level by his and our standards, but the reigning MVP has managed to keep his Lakers in the series despite averaging less (down from 30.6 to 26.4) and shooting poorly (from 48.8 to 42.4).

Pierce has been the whole truth and nothing but the truth for the Celtics. He is averaging 22.6 in the Finals (up from 19.8 in the playoffs) and he almost single-handedly won the championship for the Celtics with his 38-point effort in Game 5.

The Celtics are up 3-2 in the series and Game 6 will be front and center tonight at the new Boston Garden. Because both teams have barely 48 hours to prepare for Game 6 with the coast-to-coast travel, I anticipate the game will not be pretty. If you thought Game 3 was ugly, wait 'till you see tonight's game. Eighty points might be enough!

The key to a Celtics victory will come down to Pierce. He's been the one matchup the Lakers have never been able to figure out and he seems to be getting stronger as the Finals get longer. However, Pierce played 47 minutes in Game 5 so I don't know how much he has left in the tank.

The key to a Lakers victory will come down to Bryant. Despite his shooting struggles, the Black Mamba finds ways to lead his team. He has make enough plays to keep the Celtics defense contracted and his defense in the final minutes of Game 5 extended the series to six games.

I anticipate Pierce will be guarding Bryant and Bryant guarding Pierce late in Game 6. A good old fashioned one-on-one duel. Whoever wins that matchup will decide the game. Let the truth be told.