3. West is over-rated

When was the last time anybody said that? The Western Conference was good, with nine teams having a decent shot at being the best of the West. But quantity doesn't always equal quality. If the Lakers are indeed the best team, and they schooled the defending champion San Antonio Spurs, 4-1, how good can the Spurs be?

4. Paul Pierce's words

One of the moving comments heard after the game was from Pierce, talking about finally feeling as if he is on equal footing to some Celtics greats. He said, "All the years talking to Bill (Russell) and John (Havlicek), (Bob) Cousy ... finally, I feel like we've come out of that shadow now and created our own. And now we can stand up and look them eye to eye and say, 'Hey, we accomplished it, too.' "

5. Paul Pierce's actions

Kobe Bryant was the regular season MVP. But the best player on the floor the last two weeks was Pierce. He was a complete player — scoring, passing and defending. His second half defensive performance against Kobe in Game 4 basically ended the series. He may not be better than Kobe, but he was the last two weeks.

6. Ray Allen is a pro