Put away the history books. You have read enough about the Celtics and Lakers of yesteryear. If you want to learn more about their 10 NBA championship series, Bob Cousy's last game in the 1963 title clincher, the balloons that never fell from the ceiling of the Fabulous Forum in 1969, Kevin McHale's clothesline takedown of Kurt Rambis in '84 or Magic Johnson's baby sky hook in Game 4 in 1987, watch ESPN Classic or do some online research.

The Celtics and the Lakers will tip off the 2008 NBA Finals on Thursday night at the TD Banknorth Garden, but Boston's Big Three of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish will not jog out of the tunnel to do "basketball battle," in the words of the late, great Johnny Most. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will stride out, minus his sky hook, and so will Rambis, without those geeky black glasses he wore 20 years ago. They're Lakers assistant coaches now.

It's time for the New Big Three of veterans Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to see if they can clear the final hurdle between them and their first NBA championship; for Lakers coach Phil Jackson to chase his 10th championship as coach and pass Celtics legend Red Auerbach; and for Kobe Bryant to try to complete his MVP season with his fourth ring.

Now it's all about the players and coaches who will entertain us until June 19, if necessary. It's not about the Hall of Famers who wrote their stories in the '60s and '80s.

So get comfortable. After five days of hype, it's showtime. Ooops, poor choice of words here in Celtics territory. Make that game time.

The lineup and playoff statistics:

POINT GUARD

Rajon Rondo (6-1, 171; 10.5 ppg., 6.6 apg) vs. Derek Fisher (6-1, 201; 10.0 ppg, 2.2 apg). Can a second-year point guard lead a team to the championship? We'll find out with Rondo running the Celtics attack. If he can reduce his reckless streaks, he will be fine. Coach Doc Rivers has faith in him, as evidenced by the minutes Rondo played in the last two games of the Detroit series. Paul Pierce says Rondo "continues to get the job done. He's going to lead us to the championship." Fisher is a respected 11-year veteran who can shoot the three and isn't afraid to take the big shot. He's 33, though, and may have trouble matching Rondo's quickness. Edge: Celtics.

SHOOTING GUARD

Ray Allen (6-5, 205; 14.1 ppg, 2.8 apg) vs. Kobe Bryant (6-6, 205; 31.9 ppg, 5.8 apg). Nobody can stop Bryant, but Allen will do his best to slow him down. He is in great shape and was able to chase the Pistons' Richard Hamilton around with no problem. He found his shooting touch at the end of the Detroit series and should get suitable looks against the Lakers.

What can one say about Bryant? He's the MVP this season and a future Hall of Famer. He can do everything: score, rebound, play defense. He has three rings, so he knows what the Finals are all about. But he had Shaq on the block in 2000, 2001 and 2002, which helped. He'll get his 30 or 40 points, but the Celtics can still win if they neutralize his supporting cast. They did it against LeBron James. Edge: Lakers.

SMALL FORWARD

Paul Pierce (6-7, 235; 19.0 ppg, 4.1 apg) vs. Vladimir Radmanovic (6-10, 235; 8.3 ppg, 1.5 apg). Pierce could have a big series. He is confident, is slashing to the basket and knows that when he passes the ball, the recipient knows what to do with it. He is playing well in the must-win Game Fives and Sevens. He should dominate this matchup with Radmanovic, who can shoot and handle the ball but is weak at the defensive end. If the Celtics win, Pierce could be the Finals MVP. Edge: Celtics.

BIG FORWARD

Kevin Garnett (6-11, 253; 21.0 ppg, 3.5 apg) vs. Lamar Odom (6-10, 230; 14.7 ppg, 2.9 apg). Garnett is doing whatever it takes to reach his goal of winning a title. He's scoring, rebounding (9.8 rpg), passing, clogging passing lanes, blocking shots. He is so focused that he might not leave the locker room between games.

Odom, the former URI star, is finishing his fourth season with the Lakers and his ninth in the NBA. When this series is over, he will have logged more games, at least 81, than in any previous season. He played 80 games with Miami in 2004 and 80 two years ago. He can handle and pass the ball, and is a strong rebounder, averaging 10 per game. Garnett will have to keep him off the boards. Edge: Celtics.

CENTER

Kendrick Perkins (6-10, 280; 7.2 ppg, 6.8 rpg) vs. Pau Gasol (7-0, 250; 17.7, 8.9). This could be the most pivotal and entertaining matchup. Perkins has grown with each series and was immense in Game Five against Detroit with 18 points and 16 rebounds. He will continue to be aggressive on defense, and any scoring over his average will be a bonus.

Gasol's midseason addition to the Lakers lineup has made a huge difference. He is a dominating post presence, can play with his back to the basket or facing the hoop, can dunk with ease and has a hook that makes Kareem smile. He's not a great defensive player. Edge: Lakers.

BENCH

Doc Rivers has started the same five all during the playoffs. Forward James Posey (6-8, 217; 6.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg) is the only reserve who has played in every game, an average of 21 minutes. Either Sam Cassell (6-3, 193; 4.7 ppg, 1.2 apg) or Eddie House (6-1, 175; 1.2 ppg, .05 apg) will give Rondo a break. Veteran P.J. Brown (6-11, 239; 2.6 ppg, 2.1 rpg) and Leon Powe (6-8, 240; 4.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg) will get a few minutes up front. Rivers contracted his lineup in the Detroit series but said the bench could play a bigger role in the Finals.

Jackson's starting five is set. L.A.'s backups include guards Sasha Vujacic (6-7, 205; 8.1 ppg, 0.7 apg) and Jordan Farmar (6-2, 180; 5.1 ppg, 1.3 apg), and forwards Luke Walton (6-8, 235; 7.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg) and Ronny Turiaf (6-10, 250; 2.1 ppg, 1.8 rpg). Edge: Celtics.

PREDICTION

It's offense versus defense. The Lakers shoot well from outside and are averaging 106 points, but they haven't run against the Celtics defense, which is allowing only 87 points per game. Then again, the Celts haven't seen the Lakers' triangle offense. L.A. is allowing 100 points while Boston is averaging 92.

Bryant will be unstoppable, but the Lakers will need big games from Gasol and Odom to win. Pierce will be virtually unstoppable, and Garnett will continue with double-double efforts, but the Celtics will need Rondo to stay in control, Ray Allen to score and Perkins to make a difference on defense to win.

The Celtics swept the season series. They won't sweep the Finals, but they will win in six.