With Finals here, Bynum, KG limp their way into spotlight

LOS ANGELES -- We finally arrive at the NBA Finals, with an immensely intriguing matchup that only Lakers vs. Celtics can bring, and yet we find these teams in a time of kneed.

Kevin Garnett, perhaps hurting more than he or the Celtics are letting on.

Andrew Bynum, all of 22, with a creaky right knee that belongs on a 40-year-old.

You'll be able to tell these big men apart from the others in this series. They'll be the ones running the floor with the slightest of hitches. And perhaps, by the fourth quarter, a wince. And if Garnett goes diving into Jack Nicholson's lap for a loose ball, the way he tumbled into the second row a few days ago in the Eastern Conference Finals, he may require one of those custom Phil Jackson EZ chairs on the Boston bench. If he's lucky.

There's the real possibility, then, that The Finals may be decided on which player has a higher tolerance for aches. We do know that neither KG or Bynum is expected to be 100 percent healthy for this series, and whatever percentile they're at, it could drop the longer this thing goes.

Both Bynum and KG were out with knee injuries in recent summers and that played a major role in the Lakers and Celtics losing. Bynum was on the shelf two years ago in the NBA Finals; the Lakers could've used him against the Celtics. Likewise, Garnett wore a suit last spring when the Celtics lost in the Eastern Conference semifinals to the Magic. And surprise, here are Bynum and Garnett again, eager and yet somewhat gimpy, trying to make up for those costly absences in their own way.

The biggest issue lies with KG, only because he's more important to the Celtics' cause than Bynum is to the Lakers. The improved health of Garnett tops the list of reasons why the Celtics are still playing this deep in the season. He's averaging 34 minutes in the playoffs and played 41 in an overtime loss against Orlando. Remember, this is the same player who missed 10 games this season and whose minutes were rationed in others because of knee issues.

He is picking his spots. Anyone who saw him against Orlando knows he was not the rejuvenated player who ripped through the Cavaliers the series before, when he averaged 19 points and nearly nine rebounds. There are some in the organization who suspected Garnett was not totally right against the Magic. He did not attack the rim often; he settled for 15-footers. He didn't approach defense with Bill Russell-like tenacity; he blocked four shots in six games. He averaged 10 points and eight rebounds and never impacted a single game, on either end.

If anything, KG surprised his teammates when he chased the ball into the seats in Game 6. Not that they ever questioned his desire. It's just taht they were taken aback by any absence of hesitation before putting his body at risk, given his recent knee history.

"I'm ready to play," declared Garnett, after the Eastern Conference trophy was clinched, refuting at least publicly any notion of being handicapped against the Lakers.

For the Celtics' sake, KG better be as fresh as possible. He'll have the pleasure of guarding Pau Gasol, who's one of the more offensive-minded and fluid big men around. Gasol would be a challenge for Garnett even if Garnett were healthy. And while the Celtics were able to compensate for Garnett's lack of offense against Orlando, will they be just as fortunate against a team with Kobe Bryant?

Bynum is more of a clear-cut concern than Garnett. He's been a blip this postseason, ever since the Lakers discovered a small tear in his meniscus against Oklahoma City in the first round. Just Monday, he had his troublesome right knee drained, never a good sign. Welcome to Bynum's short NBA life. After going through the usual growing pains as a 17-year-old rookie, and dealing with a public scolding from Kobe, Bynum finally started dropping hints of being the next good big man in 2008. He ran the floor, developed a decent inside presence, and blocked shots. Looked solid.

Then he dislocated his left kneecap that January, causing him to miss the NBA Finals that summer against the Celtics. Upon returning, and quite impressively at that, he suffered a torn MCL in February 2009 and really hasn't appeared the same since. He's averaging just 9.1 points and 7.7 rebounds in this postseason, and the moments of sparkle have been few.

Is it possible he'll be dealing with chronic knee issues the rest of his career? Perhaps. But for now, the Lakers just want to know how much spring he'll bring for Boston.

And that goes, vice-versa, for Garnett, too. In a perfect health world, both of them would have their tender knees elevated on an ottoman while watching this series in front of a hi-def flat screen. Instead, they're prepared to grind it out.

They wouldn't have it any other way.

Shaun Powell is a veteran NBA writer and columnist. You can e-mail him here and follow him on twitter.

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