Bodog Beat

L.A. over Boston in six.

That was the general consensus from most NBA analysts. And going by Boston's previous performances, they were being generous.

They play in the notoriously terry cloth East, and they've scored 100-plus in just five out of 22 games. The 37-45 Atlanta Hawks took them to Game 7. LeBron James and 11 journeymen took them to Game 7. Ray Allen’s been useless for most of the playoffs. Kevin Garnett's been useless in the fourth quarter. They're 2-7 on the road.

But somewhere between Game 5 in the Eastern Conference finals to the present, Boston went from Alaska to Tahiti, from pretender to contender. Up 2-0 on the favored Lakers, the Michael Jordan/Kobe Bryant noise has dissipated. The noise now? The Celtics are no joke.

I haven't seen Larry Bird and Bill Russell lace up for the 2008 green machine, so what in the name of Red Auerbach has helped the Celtics dominate the Lakers thus far?

Read NBA Finals: Celtic Revolution in Bodog Nation to find out!