Lakers - Celtics: Lakers Will Prevail Over Their Historic Rivals

In a season of such unpredictable resolution, basketball fans are given a special gift: a Lakers vs. Celtics finale. This is the Bird vs. Magic of our glorious 1980s in which both franchises flourished in a bitter rivalry. This was before Michael and the Bulls single handedly took over the game.

You had Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, two Hall of Famers who faced each other along with their entourage in the NBA finals year after year until the rise of new teams with their new rising stars. There were names like Kareem and Parrish, Michale and Worthy, DJ and AC Green who were the integral personalities that ruled the contest.

Now we have some new stars taking over: the likes of Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Pau Gasol, Paul Pierce, and the sharp shooting Ray Allen. Both teams had tough roads to climb in order to reach the final platform. But the question is why are the Lakers more likely to succeed over their historic rival?

For starters it's the man, the myth, the legend, Kobe Bryant, who single handedly removed the champion Spurs from contention. He had help though. Do not get me wrong, he has Gasol, Odom, Radmonvic, and a number of other key components along with a great bench. But there is no one in the game that can stop Bryant from doing what he needs to do.

The big three from Boston are tough and great, but they couldn't win on the road against the Atlanta or Cleveland. The Lakers have basically dominated the West with little difficulty.

And imagine if Andrew Bynum were healthy. In that case I would go to Vegas and put everything I own on the Lakers not losing a single game. But he's not healthy.

In order for the Celtics to prevail, the Big Three need to play their best basketball yet, and Rondo needs to be a machine along with Big Baby and Perkins. But I think the wild card in the discussion is the Lakers' bench. The Celtics' bench does not really add any aid to the Big Three and company.

Look at the Celtics' bench against Detroit, or Cleveland. Not a factor. The Lakers on the other hand—with Walton, Vijacic, Farmar, and Tariaff—are fierce.  As soon as the Celtics leave Vijacic and Farmar open when the Big Three are on the bench and the subs are in the game, the score will definitely reflect. It will be more like splash city when these two guys get hot, and Boston is tired.

My prediction for the NBA Finals is LA winning the series 4-2.