The playbill is prepared, the marquees are set, and popcorn is ready – friends, after the most scrutinized off-season in history, the NBA is finally back. And, despite what some might have you believe, there is a whole world of reasons to be curious and obsessive about the season ahead that have nothing to do with the Miami Heat.

If you are a supporter of a team that has never tasted post season glory, you will disagree vehemently, but I hold by the position that all titles are not the same.

There are very few between-game adjustments the coaching staffs can make at this point – after the past six games, these teams know who each other are and the question simply becomes which team executes better. There will be no great strategic swings. Heart and hustle and trust will dictate who will be our champion.

If Los Angeles hopes to turn this around, they will have to seize with the inconsistency effort, the apathetic attitude, and the lack of execution.

We know all about the Celtics leadership via a group affectionately known as “The Big Three”, but after Thursday night perhaps it’s time we start concerning ourselves more with the pairing of “Shrek and Donkey”.

Late in the fourth quarter, with their lead cut to one, Los Angeles looked to a familiar face to carry the day.

How Los Angeles Lakers supporters go about assessing Game 2 of the NBA Finals will seem to depend entirely on how they self-identify in terms of their optimism.

In Game 1 the Boston Celtics did not intimidate or browbeat the Los Angeles Lakers. They were not the bully they had been two years ago, who seemingly punked the Lakers for their lunch money.

How quickly Ron Artest went from scapegoat to playoff hero is astonishing, but maybe its not exactly as surprising as it appears at first glance. There is no player in the NBA more mercurial, more unpredictable than Ron Artest.

If identity creates purpose, and personality is what drives intent, we have seen a shift in the dynamics of the Western Conference Finals.