Do The Celtics or Lakers Have The Secret?

I've got to admit, I've had trouble pulling together inspiration to write about these NBA Finals. It's not that they've been bad, in fact they've been pretty damn good. I just haven't figured out an angle on them yet that hasn't been run into the ground elsewhere on the internet.

To find inspiration, I've turned to one of the most enigmatic sportswriters: Bill Simmons. I honestly haven't read much of his writing in the past, but he recently released a 700-page book titled The Book of Basketball and I just started reading it. I usually have trouble finishing 200-page books, so that probably gives you an idea of how dorky my fascination with basketball has become.

The second chapter of Simmons' book is all about The Secret to creating championship teams, which was revealed to him by none other than Isiah Thomas during a topless pool party in Vegas. If you're not picking up on the irony of Isiah Thomas telling him The Secret to basketball, look into Isiah's tenure as President of Basketball Operations for the Knicks. But Isiah really did know The Secret, and it goes something like this:

SPOILER ALERT!

The secret of basketball is that it's not about basketball.

What's that mean? Essentially, championship teams are successful due to clichés like chemistry and a team being more than the sum of its parts. The example that Simmons uses most often is the '89 Pistons. Detroit came just short of beating the Lakers in the '88 Finals, despite Thomas' heroic efforts on an injured ankle. The moment that epitomized The Secret was during the '89 season when Pistons GM Jack McCloskey traded Adrian Dantley for Mark Aguirre, who wasn't as good of a player as Dantley. McCloskey made the trade because Dantley was growing resentful that Dennis Rodman was beginning to take some of his minutes and he threatened to throw off the team's winning chemistry. The forward duo of Dantley and Rodman averaged eight more points per game in the '88 Playoffs, but the Rodman and Aguirre tandem averaged three more rebounds in the '89 Playoffs and provided solid defense that helped the Pistons sweep the Lakers in the Finals.

After reading this, it got me wondering whether the Celtics or the Lakers have The Secret. My pick leading up to the Finals was the Celtics in seven games, even though I thought the Lakers were actually going to win it. I only picked the Celtics to win because I'm usually wrong with my predictions and I wanted the Lakers to win. But the more I'm watching these Finals, the more I'm starting to think that Boston has The Secret.

My reason for thinking LA would win was that Gasol would get the better of Garnett this time around and that Kobe would do everything he possibly could to seal the title. While I did realize the Celtics had the better bench, it didn't seem enough to put Boston over the edge. Now, I'm starting to think otherwise. Maybe I'm being reactionary to Big Baby and Nate Rob (AKA Shrek and Donkey) going off in game 4, but if Simmons and Isiah are right about The Secret, I have to think that Boston will pull this off.

Ever since Ray Allen and Garnett came to Boston in 2008 to join Paul Pierce, they have wholeheartedly embraced a team-first attitude. Almost all of Garnett's stats declined that season, and yet they still put up the best record in the NBA and won the championship. During the second half of this season, the Celtics record doesn't indicate that they had The Secret, but throughout the postseason it seems they've been developing into a team that does with each round they've advanced.

The Lakers don't have players coming off the bench like Tony Allen providing crucial defense and Big Baby hustling for rebounds and put-backs. The Lakers primarily rely on Kobe and Gasol to get them through each game. Yeah, Shannon Brown might hit a couple shots and Jordan Farmar and Luke Walton might make some plays, but it doesn't seem like it's chemistry making that happen (ok, Kobe and Luke do have some chemistry). The Lakers best bench player is Lamar Odom, and half the time his head isn't in the game but rather stuck up his own ass.

I'll probably end up being wrong about this, as the Lakers will go on to win the next two games with the return of Bynum's interior defense, Artest's perimeter defense, Derek Fisher's clutch shooting, and all around good team play. But still, while reading about The Secret, I got this feeling in my gut that the Celtics are the team constructed in that mold. No matter what the outcome, I can't wait to see if Boston proves that I'm right or LA proves me to be dead wrong.