Lakers Vs Celtics (Season 8 NBA 2K26)

Simon Carver

Alright, welcome back to the 2k Bros Podcast. It's Simon Carver here, and as always, I’m joined by Jimbo. Man, I gotta say, this season—season eight—felt kind of inevitable from the jump, right? Celtics-Lakers, the old rivalry, but with all the 2K chaos and, well, a couple of stats nerds at the sticks.

Jimbo

Oh totally. If you’d told me back at the start, “It’s gonna be Joe’s Celtics versus Phillip’s Lakers for the trophy,” I’d probably have said, “yeah, that tracks!” But what nobody saw coming, at least not to this degree, was just how dominant those Celtics were in the regular season. Dude, a 12-and-2 record, plus they had an eleven-point-seven average margin? That’s a whole different tier of cooking.

Simon Carver

Yeah, and you can’t overlook that free throw number either—eighty-five-and-a-half percent at the line over the season? That’s just money every time. There’s no wastin’ possessions there. The Celtics’ stats were pretty eye-popping almost everywhere you look, but the Lakers weren’t exactly slouchin’. They went ten and four, which is nothing to sneeze at, especially in a sprint schedule. I mean, the condensed season means every single game matters, but they kept up all the way.

Jimbo

Yeah, the Lakers actually shot a better overall field goal percentage—around four-nine-five to Boston’s four-eight-nine—but that big elephant in the room was defense. They just allowed too many points, man. What, like, four extra points per game compared to the Celtics by the end of the regular season? That kind of gap can bite you real fast in 2K playoffs.

Simon Carver

Seriously. And I’ll admit, breaking down LA’s defensive schemes always gives me hives. I get flashbacks to, like, standing in front of a high school math class trying to explain something and my mind just goes blank. It’s tough to pin down exactly what didn’t click, but... you can kind of see the rotations getting messy, guys missing closeouts—little things that start adding up, especially when you run into a machine like Joe’s Celtics.

Jimbo

But even with those defensive hiccups, the Lakers had something working for ’em—Amen Thompson’s breakout. I mean, by midseason, he took over that offense. So, while the Celtics looked basically untouchable with that insane point diff and free throw percentage, LA had the kind of “anything can happen if we get hot” energy, which kept it interesting up until the end.

Jimbo

Let’s dig into what everybody’s talking about: the star power—you know, the stuff that really got this finals humming. Kevin Durant, just... I mean, he dominated. There’s no more original way to say it. The dude sweeps league MVP and Finals MVP, averages twenty-three-point-two a night, but then turns it up in the actual finals? Game one, he goes for twenty-two. And then in the closeout—seven for nine shooting. That's absurd efficiency.

Simon Carver

Right, and I think it was game four where he just killed 'em with those midrange jumpers. Two steals, hit all his free throws. Boston almost didn’t need anyone else on offense, but of course they had depth, which... honestly gives me kind of a headache as a Lakers fan, but it’s the story of this series. Durant’s the “cheat code,” as folks say, but Joe’s built this Celtics squad with guys like Mo Wagner chipping in. Wagner’s seven-point-one per game off the bench in the regular season—earned him Sixth Man of the Year for a reason. He was hitting clutch shots, too, in the playoffs.

Jimbo

Yeah, and you talk about Amen Thompson on the Lakers side—Most Improved Player, and it ain’t just window dressing. He leads that squad in scoring at twelve-point-one, handles, playmaking. He got even better once the lights got brighter. Playoff Thompson was a force, even if the box scores didn’t always pop. And then you had John Collins. That guy, I—look, he drops sixteen in game three, almost wrestles back momentum by himself. Dude was their inside anchor in the key moments.

Simon Carver

Flip it the other way, and it’s like... the Lakers had a bunch of guys hitting key buckets, but the Celtics just rolled out player after player. Think about Huerter—hits threes whenever Boston needs a response. Barnes grabs boards, keeps possessions alive. But what I love is, even the under-the-radar types, like, Wagner not only scores, but he’s crashing for rebounds, defending inside. When your sixth man is throwing up lines like that? That’s how you weather star runs and outlast teams in a short playoff format.

Jimbo

And, I mean, we can talk “unsung” all day, but every big game, someone new for Boston did just enough: Caruso, Huerter, Barnes—never the same two back-to-back. The Lakers had their ‘next man up’ moments too, but the consistency just wasn’t there. Still, with Thompson and Collins showing up, that squad was never out of it till the clock said zero.

Simon Carver

If we look at the finals step-by-step, you really see how Boston’s machine just grinds teams down. Game one, Celtics set the tone: KD drops twenty-two, Boston wins fifty-four to forty. There’s that “here we go again” feeling. Even when the Lakers tighten up in game two, scraping out a gutsy forty-six to forty-five win, it’s balanced—seven different Lakers chip in points, which is about the only way to beat them.

Jimbo

Yeah, you really nailed it with “machine.” Game three was just fireworks—Boston takes it sixty-eight to sixty-three, wild up-and-down stuff. That’s where Collins drops sixteen, but Joe just pulls another answer out of their hat. Huerter, nine points. Barnes, eight and four boards. Everybody does something. And then game four, Joes Celtics defense just clamps down, and the supporting cast closes it out while KD quietly puts it away. Fifty-six to forty-six, and it never really felt in doubt down the stretch. That consistency—on both ends—is just killer.

Simon Carver

What sticks with me, actually, and maybe I’m weird for noticing this, but Joe hits over eighty-six percent from the stripe across the playoffs. That’s a “death by a thousand paper cuts” kind of stat. You just never catch a break; they’re always cashing in. Meanwhile, Phillips scoring jumps in the postseason—over sixty-three a game—but that defense, man, couldn’t mask the holes anymore. As soon as Celtics spotted a lapse, they got easy points or made you pay at the line. Reminds me—I had this radio group project back in the day with a wobbly crew, and when it worked, we’d make magic. But the cracks would always show up at the toughest time. Lakers just—never quite solved it for four straight quarters.

Jimbo

That’s the difference, right? Depth, execution, and cold-blooded free throws. KD gets the headlines—and I mean, rightfully so, because I feel like I’ve called a hundred twenty-point games for him by now. But when you get something from everyone, like Mo Wagner and the rest putting in those little contributions, that’s how you survive in the 2K version of the Finals gauntlet. Phillips Lakers had the flash, but Joes Celtics had finishing power.

Simon Carver

So both sides land on four total championships now. The arms race is officially back on for next season. We’re gonna see if anybody can break this tie, or if it’s just back-and-forth forever. Appreciate all of you hanging out with us for the ride today. Jimbo, good to talk hoops, as always.

Jimbo

Always a blast, Simon. Can’t wait to see what kind of madness the next draft brings. We’ll catch you all next time—peace!