Well, looks like David Stern gets what he wants after all. The two best teams in the league, the two most storied franchises in all of the NBA going after its richest prize. He's gonna get the marquee names he wants and should all go according to plan...this might be as good as the old Celtics/Lakers battles of old. Unfortunately, there will be no Scalabrine clothesline to LA's Luke Walton. Even still, let's break this down shall we? It's Kobe Bauer and Showtime 2K8 versus The Boston Three Party. For those of you who wonder why I keep calling Kobe, Kobe Bauer, look at what he did to the Spurs in the West Finals. For those of you uninitiated, let me make this as simple as I can for your. Good teams can get through the first three rounds of the NBA Playoffs. The Finals have historically been written by great PLAYERS. The Finals historically has been known more for great performances by individuals than collective units. We talk about Jordan in all six of his title winning performances. We talk about Larry Legend and the rest of the the vaunted Big Three. We talked about The Dream in the two Jordan-less years during the Jordan Era. Hell, people The Big F'N Dynasty known as Duncan was without peer in his four title romps (sans last year, where Tony Longoria showed his nuts). Hell, we marveled two years ago at Flash as he sped by David Hasselhoff's biggest fan and the Ponies. So okay, Boston's got three really talented individuals in their starting five. Noted. They've got The Big Ticket, The Fact (in my mind, it's a step up from Truth) & Ray Shuttlesworth. The main thing here is, not withstanding the whole no combined Finals experience between them bit, is the fact they're standing across from the game's most lethal entity since some dude named Jordan.

Allow me to be as clear as I can about this, I'd like to see KG win his first trophy. I'd really like to see UConn Do It alum Ray Ray Shuttlesworth get it done. Unfortunately for them, this probably won't happen this year. If the Lakers and Celts meet again, with a healthy Bynum, you can write off next year too. As well as the year after that. The single smartest move Kupchak made all year wasn't talking Chris Wallace into giving away Gasol. It was the one move he DID NOT make, in trading away Kobe. In a matter of five days time, the Finals will tip off and the hottest rivalry of the 80s will be revisited for possibly the last time. Most likely, as Lenstradamus looks into his crystal cap, he doesn't see anyone rising from the East to knock Boston off its throne. As good as they were this season, they will be even better next year. As far as the Lake Show goes, look, give them next year's silver ball and save folks the time of getting embarrassed. The Lakers barring an injury to a key part, WILL win 60 plus games. The Lake Show WILL have homecourt throughout next year and Kobe will bottle up MVP #2 while chasing after title #5.

The Lakers will win this series and simply put, I see Kobe closing this out in Boston, in 6 games. First and foremost, this time of the year, coaching matters. Don't believe me? Look at the 2006 NBA Finals. Pat Riley outcoached Avery Johnson as much as D-Wade outwilled and outplayed Dirk. A bad coaching decision at this time of the year will cost you DEARLY. It's why Pops has four rings, it's why Phil's never coached in a Game 7 past this point in his career and it's why he's staring two fistful of rings in the face right now. Doc Rivers has gotten by outcoaching the likes of Woodson, Brown and Saunders. Considering the fact he had to go 7 against such illuminaries as Brown and Woodson who had far more inferior teams than the Lakers and Big Chief Triangle...no. Secondly, as I stated before, unless you've got an EXCEPTIONAL team...you will not overcome a superior player. It just doesn't happen at this time of the year, kids. In 2004, the Pistons simply put, were better and the Lakers simply couldn't overcome it. This time around, Kobe's flat out Da Man and his one greatest strength is the combined weakness of the Boston Three Party. Simply put, this time of year, that'll do you in. Neither Garnett, Pierce or Allen have shown that they can tear a team's collective heart out at will. If they have, let me put it this way. The Hawks wouldn't have seen a seventh game unless it were on ESPN Classic. The Cavs would've been over and done after Game 5.

In the end, Kobe's going to reinvent himself as the preeminent force in the NBA for many years to come. Just keep this in mind, Kobe's only a year older than me. I was a junior in high school as he was getting drafted by the Hornets and then being dealt to the Lakers. He's only a year older than me and bad news for any of you fans that aren't Laker marks...he's just NOW entering his prime. He is without peer, no matter what any of you LeBron "Witnesses" believe to the contrary. The core nucleus of the Lakers is only beaten out by of all squads...the Blazers. (And don't be too shocked if at this point two years from now, we're looking at the Blazers and Lakers renewing their bad blood from the late 80s and then early part of this decade.) They're young, they're exceptionally talented and they will only get better. Get ready for the Lake Show, kids. Because Kobe's getting his crown back, like it or not.