Lakers-Spurs: A Perfect Matchup

We know where America's attention will be during the Conference Finals, don't we?

This is a match-up that pits the defending champions against the revival of a team with a great history.

The third-seeded San Antonio Spurs will face the top seeded Los Angeles Lakers.

Home court advantage has certainly been present during these playoffs. It appears that was the case during the regular season as well, as the Lakers and Spurs split four games 2-2, each winning at home.

League MVP Kobe Bryant seemed to have San Antonio's number during the regular season, scoring an average of 24.3 points per game. He also contributed a total of 18 assists and 17 turnovers in the four times these teams previously met.

Tony Parker led the Spurs in scoring against the Lakers during the regular season. He averaged 20.7 points per game. He matched Bryant in assists with 18, and only had five turnovers in the four times these two teams met in the regular season.

Only one ESPN expert, John Hollinger, predicts this series to be under six games. He thinks the Lakers will win in just five games.

Four other experts from ESPN (Abbot, Adande, Broussard, and Ford) all predict Los Angeles to win a critical Game Seven.

Stein and Thorpe of ESPN predict a Spurs victory in six games, while Sheridan thinks San Antonio will win the series in seven.

I predict a Lakers series win in six games.

There will certainly be many interesting subplots in this Western Conference Final matchup.

In all likelihood, San Antonio's Manu Ginobili will guard Bryant. Derek Fisher would have the job of stopping Tony Parker on the other end of the floor.

Whatever the case, the Lakers are certainly fresher than their opponents. They have played the fewest games of any other survivor in this year's NBA Playoffs.

The series will start Wednesday night in Los Angeles.