The NBA Finals

With the Conference Finals out the window, two teams have emerged as the best in their respective conferences: the Orlando Magic, the suprise murderers of the Cleveland Cavaliers (and a silent, dissapointed Lebron), and the L.A. Lakers, led by Kobe Bryant, who is hungry for a fourth title after being defeated last year by the Big Three and the Boston Celtics. "We're determined to try to come up with a better result," Bryant said. "The last few times we've been there, it's been the short end of the stick. Hopefully this time around will be better." But KB24 isn't the only one hungry for a diamond-embezzled ring reading "NBA World Champions 2008-2009." Dwight Howard said on Wednesday that "We want to come out and play. This is the chance of a lifetime to be playing for the championship and this is the furthest that a lot of us have ever gotten in our career. Our motivation is greatness. We want to be a great team. We want to be considered as a great basketball team. This is a great opportunity for us." Tonight is Game 1 (9 p.m. ET on ABC). Who do I think will win the series? Well, I think the Lakers will steal a game or two at Orlando, but the Magic will come out to win in seven.

Keys to the Game:

• John Schuhmann, NBA.com: "So far in this postseason, every team that has won the regular season series has also won the playoff series (11 out of 11 -- three series were between teams that split in the regular season). The Magic beat the Lakers both times they played this season, but both of those meetings were a long time ago, before Jameer Nelson got hurt and before the Lakers acquired Shannon Brown."


• John Schuhmann, NBA.com: If the Magic can shoot as well as they did against the Cavs, they can win this series, but that will be tough because the Lakers don't plan on double-teaming Dwight Howard. They won't be able to stop him with single coverage, but Howard also can't beat them by himself. The Sixers and Celtics both gave the Magic some trouble by single-covering Howard and staying at home on Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis, but neither Philly nor Boston had enough offensively to beat the Magic four times.


• John Schuhmann, NBA.com: With a 6-foot-10 point forward in Hedo Turkoglu, a 6-foot-10 power forward that's quick and deadly from deep in Rashard Lewis, and Superman II at center, it isn't easy for any team to guard the Magic's frontline. But with two 7-footers up front, Kobe Bryant in the backcourt and a versatile big man like Lamar Odom coming off the bench, the Lakers aren't exactly easy to match up with either.

Mike Fratello shares his thoughts on the NBA Finals below: