The LakeShow is back. The NBA Finals are headed back to Boston as the Celtics lead the Lakers three games to two. The last two games are in Boston but there are some good opportunities for both teams to make some noise within the media personnel.

Take a look at the word around the league on this beautiful Monday, the 16th of June, 2008. Today also happens to be my best friend Jonny’s birthday as well as the one and only Tupac (RIP).

• A clever title from a clever man. Take a look at the lack of Truth in this Hollywood ending.
• The Lakers won last night, it wasn’t pretty, but a win is a win.
• Ray Allen didn’t stay for the post game press conference. Give the man his space, his child is dealing with illness. All the best wishes to Ray Allen and his family.
• How will the Lakers win in Boston? By destroying their defense. How will they do this? Well, take a look at this article about the Celtics defense.
• If the Lakers ever caught a break it’s with the injury to Kendrick Perkins. Perk has been really under rated on this Celtics team among the “Big 3″ when in fact he may be the most useful player of them all. You can call him a role player if you wish, but he is very strong and dominant, especially against a team like the Lakers. Perkins may be injured and have to sit out game six though.
• When the Lakers lose, all hell breaks loose about how horrible Phil Jackson is. When they win, everyone can’t stop talking about how his unusual style of coaching is the best they’ve ever seen. Stop it already. He make substitutions as he feels necessary and makes every attempt to control the game. Last night’s subs definitely worked out for him.
• The Sports Culture has got some interesting thoughts including a breakdown of what they like and dislike from game four. Enjoy…

O yeah, and I almost forgot one link:

• For those of you that still remember that whipped guy Doug Christie, take a look at his latest blog entry on MVN.

Another amazing night of NBA basketball action is in the works. Is tonight’s game predetermined? Have the refs been instructed to finally call moving screens against Kevin Garnett? If not, perhaps it’s time, maybe Mark Cuban can write a letter over to the league office for us.

Either way, heres a list of some good sites to visit and leave some controversial comments to piss off the bloggers and readers out there in cyberspace.

• The biggest story of the last 24 hours has been the Tim Donaghy statement that was released regarding the predetermined games in the NBA. He made several claims and the ethics of the NBA have been officially challenged.
• An interesting perspective on the Donaghy scandal surrounding the NBA from the point of view of a hardcore gambler. Check out this Professional Gamblers Take on the Tim Donaghy Scandal on TrueHoop.
• Has Jason Kidd lost his mind? He dropped one sexy woman for another. How do you choose? I’m wondering why he has to choose at all, surely he can balance a love life with both, perhaps even at the same time.
• Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett are both household names. One can perform in the clutch, the other can’t. When Kobe Bryant comes on, Kevin Garnett just fades away.
• The Lakers won game three but with no thanks to anyone but Kobe Bryant and Sasha Vujacic. Kobe needs some help to win game four and he needs it bad.
• What would you do for tickets to a Lakers-Celtics game? Would you let someone have your wife for an evening? Check out this Craigslist ad if you’ve got some extra tickets.
• Apparently the Celtics really want to win. They also really look determined to win game four. Reds Army seems to think they should reeeeeeaalllyyy want to win game four tonight.
• When did Doc River become a good coach? O’ yeah, he didn’t!
• In order for the Celtics to win, they need a big game from Kevin Garnett. Will KG finally find himself as the go to guy in the clutch?
• And I present to you the new coach of the Chicago Bulls, Vinny Del African-American!

Join me this evening for the Live Blog that overtakes all other Live Blogs at 6PM Pacific Time as the Los Angeles Lakers face off against the Boston Celtics in game four of the NBA Finals.

Tonight is the night. Do or die for the Los Angeles Lakers. Do they have it in them to make it a series? Will they keep things competitive between the ultra sensitive Lakers and the overly aggresive free throw shooting Celtics? We’re back at Staples Center so let’s hope the free throw shooting isn’t a factor in this one.

Anyway, all other things aside, let’s get to business. Everyone around the league has their thoughts on this series so far. Let’s see what the most recent articles are about out there.

• The Hoop Doctor starts my day off with a great preview of Game 3. I must agree with the assessment.
• The Boston Celtics fans have gone mad. Is Paul Pierce really better than Kobe Bryant… come on now, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Leave this guy some comments about how you really feel.
• I think we may have a solution for why the Celts are up 2-0 in this series so far. Thank you Real GM.
• Funny little piece brought to you by Comcast Sports Net: What Your Celtics Jersey Says About You
• Stop calling fouls, LET THEM PLAY! Courtesy of With-Malice, a great supporter of the live blogs.
• A really interesting article, highly recommended brought to you by Jan Hubbard: If Kobe is ever going to be like Mike, it must be tonight.
• If that crappy Miami Heat team was able to do it back in 2006, surely the Lakers can come back from a 2-0 deficit.
• What are the Lakers chances in this series?
• And of course, Hugging Harold Reynolds brings us some comedy… Lakers tickets from Craigslist!!
• How bad was the free throw discrepancy in Game 2? Thank god for mathematicians!
• A look back at the near perfect 2001 season and how it relates to today’s NBA Finals.
• The ultimate comedy of the day! What an amazing jersey, everyone must buy this Paul Pierce jersey!

Leave some comments for these guys and don’t forget to stop by the Live Blog for Game 3 tonight at 6PM.

We’re back. Last night was a tough Lakers loss, more to come later in a Game 2 preview. For now, take a look at all the happennings around the league and the crazy talk surrounding Paul Pierce’s “supposed” injury.

• Like the Lakers didn’t have enough competition this year, the Portland Trailblazers are getting more help in the backcourt.
• Did Paul Pierce fake the injury last night?
• Apparently, Paul Pierce is the ultimate little girl, or shall I say, vagina?
• Let’s get an answer from him directly.
• Apparently he wasn’t faking it, but he’s no Willis Reed.
• Will Pierce play in game two? How much will he contribute?
• Phil Jackson outcoached by Doc Rivers? Come on, I don’t think so.
• Thanks to Free Darko, we can all have a laugh about Doc Rivers, some coaching strategy.
• Can you outplay Kevin Garnett? Take a shot at it.
• A real Lakers fan has emotion. What kind of emotion? Well take a look for yourself.
• Is Brian Scalabrine a black man? Is Brian Scalabrine suiting up?
• Offense wins games, defense wins championship. Solid point I suppose.
• Will the refs ever call a moving screen on Kevin Garnett? It sure doesn’t seem like it.

It was a solid game last night but I really wish all those shots that the Lakers took had dropped through the hoop. If it wasn’t for all those in and out balls, the game would’ve ended not only closer, but perhaps in the other team’s hand. Game two will be a thriller and I’m looking forward to the fun.

I present to everyone, the first ever Get Your Read On!!!

Fun Fact: Get Your Read On articles will be numbered using a Roman Numeral system.

It’s that time of the season. Opening game of the finals is just a day away and the majority of the American population is hyped and ready to go.

Fortunately for us Lakers fans, the portion of the population that takes every event and every conversation related to the Lakers to heart, the blogosphere, newspapers, and all other media sites have discussed nothing but this series.

Take the time and read about these various topics, leave these writers some comments, thank them for their hard work, and offer some opinions…

• Who is Kobe? Is he the one? Docksquad says, “There are a million story lines in these finals, but for me Kobe is The One.”
• Kobe has been battling against Ray Allen for quite some time. They’ve got their beef, but where did it come from?
• What is Doc Rivers biggest nightmare, it’s gotta be the Gasobe.
• Is the NBA making enough money off this finals match up? How can the league max out on it’s income. I know, late start times for every game!
• Chuck Norris predicts the Lakers win it in five. I like the assumption, I’m going to have to agree!
• According to this confusing and crazy breakdown, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce have done most of the damage to the Lakers this season in the first two meetings.
• Has the time finally come for Phil Jackson to stand alone as the most winningest coach in NBA History? One more title and he secures #1 over Red Auerbach.
• Who’s got time to read? Let’s just listen in to this fancy Lakers Celtics NBA Finals breakdown.
• How many storylines are really behind this series? Seems like there are many themes we didn’t even think about.
• ESPN has finally had an awesome idea. They replayed the 1987 NBA Finals and brought in the players during intermissions to discuss the game.
• The only NBA Finals analysis a real man needs… Laker Girls vs Celtics Dancers.
• A random list of things thats different from the 2008 version of the Lakers Celtics rivalry.