The Perfect Storm: NBA Finals Preview

The fans have spoken and they got exactly what they wanted. This Thursday, the league's MVP will take on the feel good story of the season. It's an old school rivalry with a new school feel.

It's the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics for the NBA Championship. And this writer couldn't be happier or more excited about it.

The Lakers Road to the Finals

Simply put: teamwork. After a tumultuous offseason that almost saw the end of the Kobe Show in LA, Phil Jackson got his team on the right path. Kobe Bryant didn't have to put the entire team on his back this time, but he did more than his part in leading them to their first NBA Final in the post "Shaq and Kobe Era."

With Andrew Bynum handling the inside and Pau Gasol showing everyone why he was brought to the Lakers, LA is on track to end Kobe's MVP campaign on a good note, but to do that, they have to face a team that they lost to twice in the regular season.

After easily dispatching Denver, they had minimal troubles with the Jazz, and used that physical teamwork to eliminate the now former World Champion Spurs. If anyone was worried about whether the Lakers wanted to get back to the show, I think Kobe just proved it to you.

The Celtics Road to the Finals

One Word: resurrection. After a dismal finish to last season, Boston set out to get back on the winning path. The answer: Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. The result: Postseason success and a trip to the NBA Finals.

Paul Pierce and Doc Rivers were finally fed up with losing seasons, and Allen and KG were fed up with coming up short year after year. The four of them got together and decided that they should raise hell and weather the storm together. It must have worked because the Luck O' the Irish has the Boston Three Party eyeing a 17th NBA Crown for the franchise.

Their road was a little harder than their opponent's, however. After going seven games with the ultimate underdog Atlanta Hawks, they had to go through seventh heaven once more with King James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The reason is that they couldn't get it done on the road.

That is until they faced Detroit and a won a pair of games at The Palace.

The Reason For The Perfect Storm

The NBA was in a state of emergency after last season. After catching a referee doing some dirty deeds during a few games, the league suffered its lowest ratings of the season, especially with an NBA Finals that was filled with shots of Eva Longoria.

Fast forward to a year after the Spurs dynasty hoisted another championship, and even Eva took a backseat to the fabulous play of the Los Angeles Lakers. On the other side of the court, Boston was out to give KG what he hasn't had: A trip that leads all the way to the NBA Championship.

This is what David Stern needed after last year's debacle. A matchup between one of the best of this generation (Kobe) and one of the most underrated of the this generation (KG) makes everyone very happy.

Coming up on Wednesday, we'll look more in depth at the two teams that will battle for the NBA Championship.