Finals Stuff

Not to disappoint anyone, I figured I would give a quick rundown of the NBA Finals matchups and my opinion on them. At the end I will give a prediction.

PG - Raefer Alston (Orl) v. Derek Fisher (LAL)

D-Fish can still play good ball and seems to be a great guy by all accounts, but Raefer has finally matured into a high-level point guard. He can score and dish the ball out when he needs to, spreading the ball around - and the defense - to create shots for his teammates.

ADVANTAGE: ORL

SG - Courtney Lee (Orl) v. Kobe Bryant (LAL)

If you don't know this, leave the blog now. Of course I'm just kidding. Stay and read for as long as you would like.

ADVANTAGE: LAL

SF - Hedo Turkeglo (Orl) v. Trevor Ariza (LAL)

Both of these guys have made clutch plays down the stretch in games to help their team emerge victorious, but each have done it in a different way. Hedo has been brilliant in the clutch with the ball, as he single-handedly outdueled LeBron James in the clutch during the CLE series, and had it not been for James' shot at the end of game two, Hedo would have been the hero. Ariza's impact came on the defensive side of the ball, with several key steals and stops that helped clinch games for the Lakers. Both players do great things for their team.

ADVANTAGE: EVEN

PF - Rashard Lewis (Orl) v. Pau Gasol (LAL)

This matchup is very interesting, as well. You have two players who have very opposite styles of play. Lewis is more of a small forward; athletic and very prone to shooting the 3-pointer. Gasol, on the other hand, is more of a post player. Both of these players are going to do things that make the other unfomfortable and throw them off of their normal game plans. Whoever can do this the most effectively will win the battle.

ADVANTAGE: EVEN

C - Dwight Howard (Orl) v. Andrew Bynum (LAL)

Andrew Bynum had better grow up quickly, because he is in for the fight of his life against Howard. This matchup is really the key to the whole series. If Dwight is able to have his way down in the post, that forces the Lakers to double-team him, leaving at least one of the Magic's prolific shooters open. If Bynum can make him work for his points, that closes the rest of the court down. And if Bynum can get Dwight in foul trouble early, the game entirely opens up in favor of the Lakers. I envision Dwight having his way with the younger, more foul-prone Bynum.

ADVANTAGE: ORL

X-Factor - Mickael Pietrus (Orl) v. Lamar Odom (LAL)

If MP can limit the efficiency of Kobe Bryant, as was the case with LeBron James, the Magic has a great shot at winning this series. If Lamar Odom can put down the candy and put together a couple solid games, then the Lakers have a very good shot at winning this series. My prediction is that both of these things happen.

Here's how the series is going to go down: (Winner)

Game 1 - Lakers

Game 2 - Magic

Game 3 - Magic

Game 4 - Lakers

Game 5 - Magic

Game 6 - Lakers

Game 7 - Lakers

There you have it. Kobe gets his first ring without Shaq, silencing the critics once and for all. Bryant is named MVP after averaging 30 ppg and dishing out 4 assists and grabbing 4 rebounds per game.

Enjoy what should be a fantastic series. It is the NBA, after all, where amazing happens.