by James Goodwin

Created on: April 21, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

There seems to be a perception that everyone wants and expects an 2008 NBA Finals featuring the Los Angeles Lakers vs. the Boston Celtics. Pundits on the radio, television and internet seem to think that it will hearken back to the days of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, and that it will be wonderful for TV ratings. This matchup will supposedly save the NBA or something. I predict a big surprise.

Perhaps it's just me, but picking the top-seeded teams from each conference seem ridiculously conservative and unimaginative. What a bold prediction! It may have worked in the NCAA tourney brackets this year, but that was the exception, not the rule. Remember, the four top-seeded teams had never all reached the Final Four before.

Regarding this Magic-Bird comparison: We all know that Kobe plays the part of Magic Johnson in this scenario, and I suppose Pao Gasol might be Kareem, but who exactly is Larry Bird here? Is Kevin Garnett actually being compared to the legendary Bird, who won three consecutive MVP awards, and has three rings? Hmm, I thought that KG had only won one playoff series in his career. The only things similar in this comparison are the cities that would be involved. Sorry TV ratings people - it's not going to happen. You can make the playoffs nine months long but you can't pick the rivalries that develop, or completely determine who wins the necessary games. Regular-season records go out the window in the playoffs.

Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce are great players who had a terrific season. But they are getting old, and on the Boston side, this would be a one or two year rivalry at best. Better rivalries seem, to me, to include Kobe, Lebron. Chris Paul and some of the other young superstars.

The Celtics had the best record this season, but they have a serious problem, one that exists whether they are healthy or not. His name is Lebron James, he plays for the under-appreciated Cleveland Cavaliers. He does not like the Celtics. They may have the best record this year, but they don't have the best record against Cleveland, and Lebron gets all fired up against them, which is fun to watch. I suspect KG is hard on him because of his success, who can blame him?

Lebron took everyone by surprise last year only to lose to a very good San Antonio team in four games. The playoff run was labeled as a fluke. He has one of the best individual seasons in NBA history, yet will probably finish fourth or fifth in the NBA MVP voting. Many experts have picked Washington

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