By Jeff Lenchiner, of InsideHoops.com

The New Jersey Nets have never made the NBA Finals. All that prevents them from accomplishing this goal are a couple of guys named Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker. And a few of their friends.

Boston won the regular season matchup with the Nets, 3-1. Paul Pierce was nearly unguardable, averaging about 37 points per game. The Nets don't like to double team anyone. Pierce commands extra attention. The problem with giving it to him is that Boston lives on their outside shooting. And if you double Pierce, someone gets left open.

While the Nets don't want to change their ways, they may have to, at least a little.

Or, they can hope that Kenyon Martin is up to the task of slowing Pierce down. Martin is big for a small forward, but he has been able to put the clamps on lots of guys he wasn't expected to be able to contain. And even if he can't stop Pierce, as long as he can figure out how to force Paul into help defense, as oppossed to getting beaten where no help is instantly available, New Jersey should fare a bit better against "The Truth" than they did in the regular season.

In you believe that history matters, Boston has an advantage. They've got 16 NBA championships and some pretty legendary tradition. New Jersey's history features John Bagley eating lots of donuts, and Chris Morris firing 25-foot shots with 18 seconds left on the shot clock. I believe that in this case, tradition is fairly irrevelant. The Celtics dream of being considered one of the great Boston basketball teams. They're trying to live up to expectations other Boston teams have set. The Nets dream of defying all odds and setting new standards for their franchise.

These dreams are equally lofty, and cancel each other out. The two squads should be equally inspired to succeed.

Back to the tangibles. Kenny Anderson must contain Jason Kidd. Kenyon Martin (and friends) must contain Paul Pierce. Keith Van Horn must try to contain Antoine Walker. The entire team feeds off of what Pierce and Walker create, so the key is to slow them down without giving up hoards of open shots to the other Celtics. The Celtics need to keep playing great defense. They must prevent the Nets from running fast breaks, and need to contest every shot. They can let Kenyon Martin shoot, but must prevent him from getting within arms reach of the rim. They must harrass Van Horn and not let him find his rhythm. Let Keith shoot, but throw different defenses at him, defend him different ways, and keep him off balance. They can't forget about Kerry Kittles. If left alone, he can rise to the occasion. Todd MacCulloch's job is to be big, get near the basket, and be in position to rebound his own misses. Someone has to push him out. And finally, Boston must hope that Kidd's shot isn't on that day. Kenny Anderson must stay in front of him.

The fun starts in New Jersey on Sunday.