The Larry O'Brien Trophy—Who's Going to Get It?

Kobe Bryant vs. Paul Pierce:

This is the key match-up in this series between the Lakers and the Celtics.  In the end, the little guys for each team will have their impact.  So will Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Pau Gasol.

But this series is going to be won because Paul outplays Kobe, or vice versa.

Paul Pierce has always said he thinks he is one of the leagues best defenders.  Now he gets to back that up and guard one of the league's best scorers.  It won't hurt that he can rely on the league's defensive player of the year behind him if he is too aggressive and gets beat.

Kobe, when asked about being compared to Michael Jordan in an interview with Stephen A. Smith, said this: "Let me be the best I can be."

Here is his chance.  No one is going to talk about Mike this week or next.  Maybe when all is said and done, Mike will enter the conversations again, and depending on the outcome, Kobe may become more like Mike, or have to try again to silence his doubters.

Garnett, Allen, and Pierce:

The big three, the instant success, the drive to 17.

I think the best part about these three is that this year will not have been successful unless they win it all and add another banner to the roof of the Garden.

KG has always been one of my favorite players, along with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen.  Together, they seemed unstoppable.  Then the playoffs started and Ray Allen cooled off and Atlanta forced game seven.

All the doubters came out, and then Boston destroyed them.

Against Cleveland, Allen still hadn't found his touch, but Cleveland was no match; they just are not a good playoff team. They have too many pieces missing, and that is how the Celtics got by.

Then Detroit.  This was the first time I was actually scared that they might lose.

And when the Pistons took game two, it didn't look good.  But Ray Allen started to get his game back, not shooting, but he was attacking the rim more and getting to the line giving enough help to PP and KG to get to game six, up 3-2.

Then Ray-Ray finally started knocking down some shots, and the Celtics closed out the series on the road.

Now the Big Three is rolling and hopefully they can continue to roll in the Finals.

The Non-Foul:

You can't blame the refs. They have been making bad calls all playoffs, but for a game to end like that is pretty bad, and I am sure there was a call somewhere down the road where the Spurs caught the same break.

This leads to me to wonder, what are the refs in the finals going to do?  If the same play occurs, they can't call a foul against the Celtics. That would be two identical plays that went different ways, both of which favoring the Lakers.

If it is another foul by the Lakers, and it is called, then Spurs everywhere will raise up in arms against the NBA and the refs from that game.

But, if the foul is not called against LA and they get away with another foul, then the whole league will shout a collective rabble-rabble South Park style tainting the championship and the rest of the series (if it isn't the last game).

Basically, the refs need to be consistent, the players need to play hard and not complain, and they need to just play the game.

The Winner:

I know this has been pretty randomly organized, but these I feel are the important issues I wish to speak on.  I think the biggest affect on this series will come from the Big Three, Kobe, and the refs.

As much I hate to say it, the refs will have that much power in the outcome of the series. I don't think it can be denied that they will do something to swing a game, or maybe even all of them.

What I hope happens is the refs let the game get played, and that the games be played fairly and the outcome be determined by the 10 players on the court at the end of each game.

Then there will be no what-ifs, or could've beens, just, "We messed up, we had the chance to win and lost it."

Or there will be the team rejoicing on the last possession after they break a tie or change the lead due to a Kobe drive, or a Pierce or Allen three, or a Garnett dunk.  Or maybe it will be Rondo, or Gasol, or someone else.

Anyway, I'm going to wrap this up.  I predict the Celtics in six.  The fact that the final has a 2-3-2 Home-Away-Home format for the top seed plays into the advantage for the Lakers.  If LA wins either game one or game two, they will have the Celtics on the ropes.

However, I believe the Celtics will go up 3-0, be on the verge of the sweep and then Kobe will carry the Lakers back into it, winning games four and five, sending the series back to Boston where the Celtics will win game six and the Championship.