NBA Finals Preview

Welllll.... I didn't think I was going to be writing this blog post. Well, actually I knew I would be writing a post adddbout the NBA Finals, just not about these two teams. Anyone that talked to me about the NBA playoffs at all, there was no doubt in my mind that it'd be Lakers/Cavs. Granted I was a lot more convinced that the Lakers would be there than the Cavs, but I just thought this would be a year that Lebron would make sure his team made it there, no matter if the surrounding cast just wasn't that good. And they weren't that good. Which makes me ask: Did the front office really thing that team would be able to get to/ win the NBA finals? I don't know how they possibly could have. Mo Williams and Big Z had damn impressive years, but going into the season the Big 3 of Mo Williams, Big Z, and Lebron didn't seem that impressive, and in the playoffs (Besides Lebron of course) they just weren't. I don't really see this being a problem for much longer, because good players are going to want to come join Lebron (i think?).
Now onto the Finals. I'm going to break the series into a few categories, picking a winner for each one, and at the end I'll make my prediction.

Superstar- Dwight Howard v Kobe Bryant. Advantage: Hands Down Lakers. Obviously, this two won't be going head to head, but their contributions will have a huge effect on who wins. Dwight really performed towards the end of the Eastern Finals, but this one is hands down Kobe. Knowing Kobe's personality, I bet his drive is higher than ever to win this title for one reason, to do without Shaq. And he needs to. I think it was Shaq that was said that Kobe wouldn't have won those earlier titles without Shaq nor Shaq without Kobe. I agree. BUT, I think there would have been a much better chance of Shaq winning one without Kobe, than Kobe without Shaq. Just sayin...

Surrounding Stars- Pau/ Odom v Rashard/Hedo. Advantage: PUSH. And I saw push soley because of Pau. He is one of the main reasons I chose the Lakers to win the title before the Playoffs started. I think of all of the teams in the Leagues, they have the best Post/Perimeter combo. Pau is just under the borderline of being a superstar, and I think he will have a large role in success in this series. It is hard to pick against the other two Magic stars, because of how amazing they have played for most of this postseason. However, I just don't have enough confidence that those guys will not burn in the spotlight. They rely a lot on their three point game, and sometimes that can go away in big games.

Other Players- Advantage: Magic. Outside of Pau/Kobe/Odom (and maybe Ariza), I just don't think that Lakers surrounding cast is that great. On the other hand, for the Magic Courtney Lee, Pietrus, and Alston all make up a solid supporting cast for their stars. With Jameer Nelson possibly back into the mix as well, I think the answer is the Magic here. Will it be enough to win the series? (keep reading! haha)

Coaching- Phil Jackson v Stan Van Gundy. Advantage: DUHHHHH. It's Phil Jackson and his 9 title rings. I just don't think Phil isn't going to have his team mess up two straight opportunities to get a ring for that 2nd thumb.


Prediction- Lakers in 6. I picked the Lakers before the Postseason started and I'm sticking with them. But that isn't the only reason I'm picking them. I could be wrong on this but I think the Magic will be surviving from the "just happy we got here syndrome". In the Cavs series they had the "nobody believes in us" thing going for them. While they may still have that going for them in this series, I think a few people are starting to believe in them. I just don't see the Magic shooting the lights out like they have been doing since the 2nd round. Bottom though, I'm picking the Lakers because of Kobe. If he doesn't win this title, it's always going to be, "He couldn't win one without Shaq". I don't think he is going to let that happen.