Larry Bird goes for the jump shot.

Not everyone looks good in a tank top – myself, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird to name three. But everything else about the NBA Finals looks perfect.

The Los Angeles Lakers vs. The Boston Celtics. This was the NBA’s leading rivalry up until 20 years ago, when Michael Jordan took over the league. Now it’s back, and television ratings are the highest since the last time the Lakers were in the Finals, four years ago.

Home-court advantage continues to be the critical factor in these playoffs. The Celtics won the first two games of the Finals at the Garden; Los Angeles replied 87-81 at the Staples Center Tuesday night, although Boston cashed in as 9-point underdogs to go up 3-0 ATS. No surprise that the Lakers had 34 free throws and the Celtics just 22. But it was unusual to see Paul Pierce shoot 2-for-14. That’s not something David Stern can control, is it?

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