With Game 1 of the NBA Finals tipping off tonight, Kevin Blackistone, Brett Pollakoff and Elie Seckbach met up in Los Angeles to talk about the series.
Can the Lakers avenge last year's embarrassing loss to the Celtics? Will Orlando's depth carry them past L.A.'s star power? Our experts break down the Finals from each team's perspective before making their own predictions.
It's not the dream matchup that corporate sponsors had invested millions in, but after several grueling weeks of postseason play, there's no doubt that the Lakers and the Magic are the two teams that deserve to play for the title.
Will Kobe Bryant silence his haters once and for all? Or will Dwight Howard reaffirm the old adage that teams need a dominant center to win a title? Both Las Vegas and Barack Obama have picked the Lakers, but our experts are split. Continue reading to see what they have to say, and make your picks in the comment section.
Bloggers knee-jerking on the phone + roundtable style = RoundCast.
As we lead up to the start of the NBA Finals this Thursday, we'll be hitting you with some special editions of the RoundCast. First up: a preview of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Will Brinson and I welcomed Kurt Helin from Forum Blue & Gold, and we break down the strengths and weaknesses of the Lakers as they prepare to face the Orlando Magic in the Finals. What's the most important matchup of the series? Will Orlando allow Kobe Bryant to go off, and will the Lakers similarly take their chances with single coverage on Dwight Howard?
All of these questions and more will be answered, so click on past the jump and give us a listen.
WIth the NBA Finals just a couple of days away, everyone is weighing in with their predictions about which team will win, and how many games it will take them to do so.
If you're in the habit of going out on a limb with a bold pick of who will emerge as the NBA's champion, there's one scenario that you might want to try and stay away from: Picking Orlando to win it in seven.
Over at the Magic blog Third Quarter Collapse, they did a little research as to what's happened since the league went to its current 2-3-2 format for the Finals. One of the things they found out was that since 1985 when this format was started, only three times was the team with the home court advantage pushed to a seventh game. And the home team won the Game 7 every single time.
The Larry O'Brien itself is plenty of motivation for the participants in the 2009 Finals. But there will also be a few individual goals driving those involved.
Kobe Bryant: The commercial failure of Kobe Doin' Work made it apparent No. 24 needs much more face time. Can he get an ad campaign, maybe something with a puppet? It's evident Kobe can only get the media and popular culture attention he deserves by winning a championship. (Let's be honest, though: after that 2002 championship jacket, Kobe doesn't deserve to touch the trophy ever again.)
Andrew Bynum: Drew really needs Kareem to get off his back. Oh, did I say Kareem? I meant Nicole Narain. It's hard to show on the pick-and-roll with a playmate on your shoulders!
The Larry O'Brien itself is plenty of motivation for the participants in the 2009 Finals. But there will also be a few individual goals driving those involved.
Dwight Howard: Everyone marks Kobe as the NBA's preeminent love-him-or-hate-him player, but D-12 earns a fair amount of vitriol, whether for his lack of refinement in the post, his Shaq II free throw stroke, his alleged faux-choir boy persona or the sentiment that slam dunk stardom has rendered the D.P.O.Y. publicly overrated. Let's just say those Patrick Ewing comparisons (ahem) would disappear with a ring.
Hedo Turkoglu: Like kindred spirit Lamar Odom, Hedo will be a free agent signing his last long-term, high-dollar deal this summer. A marvelous turn which began in Game 7 against Boston could land Hedo near the top of the offseason ledger, above everyone but Carlos Boozer. Turk needs a good Finals series to keep that hope alive, though.
There is a reason Magic general manager Otis Smith stayed away from the televised Eastern Conference Champion trophy presentation Saturday after his team beat the Cleveland Cavaliers. It's the same reason he declined to put on the cap or slip into the t-shirt proclaiming his team as champions of the East.
That was never his goal.
"It's like low-hanging fruit,'' he said.
Smith built this Magic team intending to win an NBA title, a goal that may have seemed well out of reach when this season began but a very attainable goal today. After their rocky trip to reach the Finals, the Magic don't feel like underdogs anymore. They are going into Game 1 Thursday confident they can win.
OK, so far as I can tell, no Orlando Magic player has yet to utter "We're just happy to be here," when asked about the NBA Finals.
But you know darn well they're happy to be here. They knocked off the defending champion Boston Celtics, then took it to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals.
The Los Angeles Lakers have been preparing since October for the NBA Finals; the Orlando Magic have been preparing since Sunday. That's just one reason the Lakers are going to win this thing.
With Game 1 of the NBA Finals tipping off tonight, Kevin Blackistone, Brett Pollakoff and Elie Seckbach met up in Los Angeles to talk about the series. 
L.A. Lakers vs. Orlando Magic
As we lead up to the start of the NBA Finals this Thursday, we'll be hitting you with some special editions of the RoundCast. First up: a preview of the Los Angeles Lakers.
WIth the NBA Finals just a couple of days away, everyone is weighing in with their predictions about which team will win, and how many games it will take them to do so.
The Larry O'Brien itself is plenty of motivation for the participants in the 2009 Finals. But there will also be a few individual goals driving those involved.
The Larry O'Brien itself is plenty of motivation for the participants in the 2009 Finals. But there will also be a few individual goals driving those involved.
There is a reason Magic general manager Otis Smith stayed away from the televised Eastern Conference Champion trophy presentation Saturday after his team beat the Cleveland Cavaliers. It's the same reason he declined to put on the cap or slip into the t-shirt proclaiming his team as champions of the East.
OK, so far as I can tell, no Orlando Magic player has yet to utter "We're just happy to be here," when asked about the NBA Finals.
