So when you call KG out and it makes waves in the national media, yeah, that's probably going to raise red flags for the Celtics' forward. Phil Jackson knows this, and there were definitely ulterior motives at play when the Lakers coach took a little jab at KG earlier this week.

"He is who he is," the Zen Master said of his own power forward, Pau Gasol. "We're not going to make him into Garnett. He's not going to go around and punch guys in the [groin]. He's too nice of a guy.

"This is an intelligent person who understands what this game is about. We've been to the Finals three years in a row, so that's part of it."

Jackson manages to cram quite a few cheap shots all into a couple of sentences — he implies that KG is a cheap-shot artist, that he's unintelligent, and that, oh yeah, by the way, he's only been to two Finals. He knows he's got a good chance of getting KG riled up. Typical Zen Master.

How will KG respond? Will he come out like a man possessed on Thursday night, telling Jackson where he can stick his Finals experience? Or will he remain composed and focused, unmoved by the Lakers' coach and his gamesmanship?

We'll find out Thursday night at the Garden.

Paul Pierce

All of Boston is hoping he's right.

After taking a 102-89 beatdown in Game 1 of the NBA Finals at the Staples Center, the Celtics take the floor again Sunday night to take on the Lakers in Game 2. If they win, they salvage a road split; if they lose, they're coming home down 0-2 and forced to do the unthinkable.

It's the biggest game of the Celtics' season — they better have a lot more than just faith.

When and Where

Celtics at Lakers
Sunday, June 6, 8 p.m. ET (ABC)
Staples Center, Los Angeles, Calif.

Head to Head

What changed? In the regular season, these two teams played two nail-bitingly close games, with the visiting team each winning on the road by a single point. The C's lost 90-89 at the TD Garden on Jan. 31, and they got revenge on Feb. 18 in the form of a 87-86 victory at the Staples Center. Both games were decided on the final possession. But then this one, on the game's biggest stage, was a laugher. The Lakers led by 20 at the close of the third quarter, and the final outcome was never in doubt from there. The Celtics have some work to do if they want to keep things respectable.

Key Matchup

Kevin Garnett vs. Pau Gasol
Talk about a role reversal. Think back to two years ago — Garnett was the dominating big man on both ends of the floor, and Gasol was seen by many as too soft, too timid, too unwilling to bang with the big boys down low. Now what? Pau went off for 24 and 13 in Game 1 against the Celtics, while KG was slow and ineffective. Either two years has made a humongous difference, or we've simply witnessed a one-game fluke. KG will need to turn things around in Game 2, or the Celtics are in real trouble.

Starting Lineups

Celtics
Point guard: Rajon Rondo
Shooting guard: Ray Allen
Small forward: Paul Pierce
Power forward: Kevin Garnett
Center: Kendrick Perkins

Lakers
Point guard: Derek Fisher
Shooting guard: Kobe Bryant
Small forward: Ron Artest
Power forward: Pau Gasol
Center: Andrew Bynum

Stat Sheet

Celtics

• Paul Pierce had 24 points and nine rebounds for the Celtics in Game 1. He shot 6-of-13 from the field and 12-of-13 from the free-throw line.
• Rajon Rondo has played an NBA-most 742 minutes in this postseason.
• Rasheed Wallace has 1,071 career playoff rebounds, fifth among active players. Kevin Garnett is sixth with 1,037.

Lakers

• Ron Artest made three 3-pointers for the Lakers in Game 1 (the entire Celtics' roster combined to make just one).
• Pau Gasol has 65 offensive rebounds, tops in the NBA this postseason. Lamar Odom is second with 51, and Andrew Bynum is fourth with 43.
• Kobe Bryant has 4,882 career playoff points. The only active player with more is his former teammate, Shaquille O'Neal, with 5,248.

Black and Blue

Celtics

• Marquis Daniels is out with a concussion.
• Rasheed Wallace has been slowed this past week by back spasms but continues to play.

Lakers

• Andrew Bynum had his right knee drained on Monday, but he played 28 minutes in Game 1 and finished with 10 points and six rebounds.

Outlook

If the Celtics want to put forth a strong effort in Game 2, they'll have to fix a few of the mistakes they made in Game 1. Crashing the boards, for instance — you can't beat the Lakers in the Finals if you let them have every offensive rebound. You also can't do much damage if you're unable to score in the paint. It's up to the Celtics' bigs, especially KG, to step up and play a stronger, tougher game in Game 2. If the Celtics can muscle up against the Lakers, force some mistakes, and capitalize with some transition buckets for Rajon Rondo, they'll be in business. Otherwise, they're in trouble.

No one thought they'd beat the Cavaliers in Round 2 of these playoffs,
but they did. No one thought they'd beat the Magic in the East finals,
but they did that, too. The C's are once again facing legions of
doubters as they tip off Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Los Angeles
Lakers, but by now, they have plenty of practice silencing doubters.

This is a rematch of the 2008 Finals, and no one thought the Celtics
would win that series, either. We all know how that one turned out.

When and Where

Celtics at Lakers
Thursday, June 3, 9 p.m. (ABC)
Staples Center, Los Angeles, Calif.

Head to Head

The Celtics earned a 1-1 split in their two regular-season games with
the Lakers, but you can't put a big enough asterisk on the one win. The
Celtics won 87-86 at the Staples Center on Feb. 18, but they managed
just 11 points in the fourth quarter, and Kobe Bryant didn't even play.
The C's did not beat L.A. this season at full strength. Game 1 will
be a big test for them.

Key Matchup

Rajon Rondo vs. Derek Fisher
You've got to hand it to the Lakers — they have size. But in this
matchup, the Celtics can win with speed, and Rondo is the key to that.
The Celtics' young point guard can take over this game by outrunning,
outworking and flat-out outplaying the aging Fisher. But if Fisher
switches onto Ray Allen, then Rondo will be presented with a real
challenge: Kobe. Either way, Rondo is the key — either he'll be asked
to milk his advantage over Fisher, or he'll have to overcome the
stifling defense of the Black Mamba.

Starting Lineups

Celtics
Point guard: Rajon Rondo
Shooting guard: Ray Allen
Small forward: Paul Pierce
Power forward: Kevin Garnett
Center: Kendrick Perkins

Lakers
Point guard: Derek Fisher
Shooting guard: Kobe Bryant
Small forward: Ron Artest
Power forward: Pau Gasol
Center: Andrew Bynum

Stat Sheet

Celtics

• Kevin Garnett has career postseason averages of 20.4 points, 11.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.
• Rasheed Wallace has played 5,695 playoff minutes in his career,
  fourth-most among active players. Only Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant
  and Tim Duncan have played more.
• Rajon Rondo leads the NBA this postseason in assists (170) and steals (35).

Lakers

• Kobe Bryant has career postseason averages of 25.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game.
• Andrew Bynum is shooting 57.0 percent from the field this postseason, the highest clip of any player in this series.
• Pau Gasol averages 17.9 points and 8.8 rebounds per game against Boston.

Black and Blue

Celtics

• Marquis Daniels is out with a concussion.
• Rasheed Wallace kept things light in practice this week due to back spasms, but he's expected to play in Game 1.
• Rajon Rondo has been slowed a bit by muscle spasms and sat out parts of
  Monday's practice back in Boston, but he, too, is expected to play.

Lakers

• Andrew Bynum had his right knee drained by team doctors in Los Angeles
  on Monday morning. He expects to play, but his minutes may be a little
  bit limited.

Outlook

If you want to go down in history as an all-time great Celtic, you need
to win multiple titles. Kevin Garnett knows that, Ray Allen knows it,
and Paul Pierce most definitely knows it. But before the Celtics can
think about holding up the Larry O'Brien Trophy, they've got to focus
on bringing their best game to these NBA Finals. The Celtics will have
to contain Kobe Bryant for seven games, and they'll have to stand up to
a horde of able-bodied big men in purple and gold. The C's have a tall
task ahead of them, and it starts with Game 1 at the Staples Center.