by Vince Ryan

Created on: April 12, 2009

The NBA Finals are like paradise for iconic teams ambitious to win it all. It has been a landmark for so many greats including Kareem Abdur Jabar, Wilt Chamberlain, and Michael Jordan. Every players mantra is to play like you're making it to the Finals and sadly only two teams per year have that opportunity. Too much competition out there especially this season with so many elite teams. You got the sizzling Lakers, Nuggets, Spurs, Hornets, Rockets, Mavs, Jazz, and Blazers in the West. And in the East you got the Cavs, Celtics, Heat, Magic, and the improving Sixers.

It looks as if the Cavaliers and the Lakers will face off in the Finals. I say this because both teams have two of the best records in the NBA and it's all thanks to their individual MVP candidates Lebron and Kobe. Lebron James is poised to win the MVP for this season and has worked his butt off ensuring that his teammates get open looks at the basket. He masquerades through four or five men simultaneously working for that slam dunk. And his efforts are always relentless when it comes to pick and rolls. He is not only a King but he is also a player's player and thanks to him and Mo Williams the Cavs have the best record in the NBA.

But it's not just James it is also Ilguoskas. He is by far one of the best rebounders in the league and thanks to his offensive rebounding percentage the Cavs have been getting second chance shots. His long arms also make it possible for him to block shots whenever required. Mo Williams is an amazing point guard and has relieved James of some of his duties. He also pitches in and finding the right men for a shot at the basket and most of the times it spells success. Also Danny Ferry is credited in adding the right components to the team so that way good team chemistry can be facilitated among the players. Mike Brown is also the coach of the year for 2009 and he has been credited for instilling defense among the players. He along with the rest of his staff have campaigned for defense like anything and it has finally paid off!

All of the polls at the moment are presently favoring the Lakers to revisit being the champions by a landslide. Although I loathe the idea of this I'll have to admit they become the more prudent team in the Finals as they have more experience. With Philly and Kobe anything is possible and they have the supporting cast with a healthy Bynum playing Center and then an alpha bench player in Lamar Odom. Pau Gasol is like Bynum's accomplice in crime and he can rebound, shoot, and defend whenever he needs to taking the load off of Bynum and most importantly Kobe. An additional post presence always helps. The only thing they lack as a team is defense and this is the weakness that the Cavs may exploit come Finals time!

My team is the Cleveland Cavaliers and my vote for Finals MVP is Lebron James so let's hope it steers in that direction.

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