The NBA Finals Begin. Finally.

Well here we are. Every prognosticator on the planet is dropping his or her dime on who's going to win the NBA Finals. It's pretty easy for me. I always pick the best team to win. Maybe not to cover, but to win in the end. If you look back through the rest of the decade there's probably only one exception to this rule. That would be the Miami Heat beating the Detroit Pistons. But I write that off as Larry Brown's fault. Every team he's ever coached in the NBA has tuned him out after awhile, much more so than other coaches. That's why he's a coaching nomad. Do you really think he lasts longer than 2 years in Charlotte? Maybe 3. Max.

Anyhow, the Celtics are the best team. Kobe is the best player. We've heard all about how this is the best defensive team (Celtics) against the best offensive team (Lakers). I think we're all forgetting about who's not playing. That would be Andrew Bynum, center for the Lakers. For all of their talent, the Lakers are not a team built to bang under the hoop. They lack a shot-blocker in the paint and Lamar Odom is their best shot blocker. Gasol is a nice player but he's a finesse guy and KG will make him earn everything the hard way. The Celtics bench is far more experienced in these situations and does anybody put it past Sam Cassell to hit a game winner or two? This is what they got him for. The Lakers need the kids to do it in order to win. Kobe can try but if he gets frustrated, it's all over. So.....

Celtics in 5

I'm probably wrong. Most people are. The easy thing to do here is pick it to go 7 games or even 6. I think every game comes down to the last 3 minutes and it's just a matter of who scores last. In that situation I like the Celtics multitude of options better than I like the Kobe Show. I picked 5 games instead of a sweep because I'm sure Kobe will at bare minimum will the Lakers to at least 1 victory. So KG for MVP I guess.

I am in no way disparaging the Lakers. They're a helluva a team, I just think they arrived a year early. Give them a healthy Bynum, more experience for the kids and a veteran role player or 2 and they're the favorites next year. To win the whole thing, win or lose this year. A loss just delays the inevitable for the Lakers. The Celtics have maybe 2 more years after this left in their "window". I don't know if Jesus Shuttlesworth even has that long left in him. But that's alright, who doesn't want a He Got Game sequel? And you know Rick Fox needs work. He's the go to guy for a role player in a basketball movie.