CELTICS BEAT

We are still in the primary stage of the campaign, but there can be no denying that two entities have emerged as front-runners. Election month isn't until next June, but we live in a country that is divided by the Celtics and Lakers. There are green states and there are purple states. There may be some Mike Huckabee holdouts for the Spurs - we hear Chuck Norris is a big Manu Ginobili fan - but in the ballot box of public opinion, the 2009 championship is a two-team race. That would make the Indiana Pacers the pundit of first resort. They beat LA (beat LA, beat LA - a phrase that rang in reporters' ears until August) on Tuesday, then got slapped by the Celtics last night. This one was just as much a schedule loss for Indiana as was the Celts' fall out there on Nov. 1 after a late-night win over the Bulls in Boston the evening prior. But in that the Pacers have been the perpetrator in 50 percent of both the Celtics' and Lakers' two losses, they are your go-to guys for exit polling. Alas, they are taking this secret ballot thing a little too seriously for our liking. The only Pacer named Rush is Brandon, not Limbaugh. ``You know, that's why they're in The Finals,'' said Indy coach Jim O'Brien. ``They're two of the better teams in the league. Boston has proven they're the best. The Lakers want to take it away from them. It's not out of the realm of possibility that the two of them will be in The Finals this year.'' He's telling the truth, but that kind of rational response isn't going to get him on ``Around the Horn'' or ``Face the Nation.'' ``They're both great teams,'' said Pacers guard Marquis Daniels. ``Both teams have great players. They both do a lot of things. They're both long on the inside. They shoot the ball well.'' ``They're both good teams,'' said point guard T.J. Ford. ``It's going to be a good matchup when they play each other.'' ``They're very similar,'' said Danny Granger. ``They're both very good defensive teams. They have a lot of scoring options. The Lakers have (Pau) Gasol down low, (Kobe Bryant). They have role players that come in and create an impact off the bench. The Celtics are the same way. They have players that come in off the bench and cause havoc. They can sit their starters for six, seven, eight, nine minutes at a time and use their second unit. A lot of teams are not that deep to do that.'' It was left to Pacers broadcaster Clark Kellogg to offer the most cogent breakdown. ``I think probably the thing that jumps out at me is the consistency of the Celtics defensively,'' he said. ``They just seem to be yoked together and committed and play with a focus and an engagement defensively that you just don't see on a regular basis really from most of the other teams. I think it's (Rajon) Rondo on the ball. I think it's KG (Kevin Garnett) obviously. This whole group is just really committed to defending. ``I don't know if they're quite as explosive offensively as the Lakers. The Lakers have that spurtability as I like to call it. They're so athletic and they've got so many parts. This team has a number of offensive weapons, too, but the Lakers are just a little more explosive right now. ``But typically,'' added Kellogg in summation, ``if you're going to hang your hat on a championship, consistency at the defensive end is probably going to give you an edge.'' It's hard to make definitive judgments in December. There are too many miles to go before the Celtics and Lakers can meet for anything more than bragging rights. The Pacers may be the expert of the moment, but, like Indiana, they're not releasing their innermost thoughts until the polls closes. - sbulpett@bostonherald.com