The Celtics thanks to the possibly gritty play of Paul Pierce (arguably the series MVP to this point) and the unexpected contributions of Sir-Mix-A-Lot (aka Leon Powe) have taken a 2-0 lead to the Staples Center and a chance to bury the Lakers in Game 3.
Many point to the reason that the Celtics have largely dominated the first two games have been because of the passion exhibited on both ends of the floor and lackthere of by the Lakers, largely by Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. Conventional thinking by analysts seems to be that the Lakers now know what they need to do and will be ready to be physical against the C's in L.A. I'm not so sure.
Physicality is something entirely different than attitude. It's not like they can be like the Shaq-Kobe Lakers and flip the switch, when to be honest, that switch was never there to begin with. This team as constructed cannot play rough against team whose whole attitude is built on it. While the Lakers may get an energy burst from the Staples crowd and the sense of desperation in Game 3, it may not be enough.
The Celtics know this may be there best and possibly only shot at a title and are playing like a team possessed right now. That's not to throw dirt on the Lakers, but with the Spurs and Suns aging fast and the Mavs' window all but closed, the Lakers, with a hypothetically healthy Andrew Bynum, which adds a new dynamic to a team that hasn't had him in their starting 5 since the Gasol trade and will likely add some bruisers in the offseason, essentially have just New Orelans and the Spurs to hurdle for the next 4 or 5 years (Kobe's likely peak years), so while the Lakers desire for a title is certainly there, it is definitely not what the Celtics are displaying at the moment.
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