I can see four reasons why the Lakers are going to go home this year with some freshly polished jewelry, and top of the list is…

1.Kobe Bryant

Anyone who watched his post-game press conference in Denver after demolishing the Denver Nuggets season knows how serious Kobe is about winning this year…how hungry he is. There were about three seconds after he was asked about the George Karl “Jesus” reference when Kobe was amused and he briefly cracked a smile. He immediately stopped smiling, like an acting coach giving a master class, and switched demeanor 100% to business mode. I didn’t even see him smile on the court after the victory. It must be hard for those who don’t live in LA to understand just what the Lakers went through this year, but as a result the Lakers have, more than any other team in the league, been on a mission since this very time last June. They have been hungry, starving and completely oblivious to the outside perspective of the national media, who tend to be fair-weather fans at best. Kobe exemplifies the reason the Lakers are winning this year, not merely trying not to lose to one of the best defensive teams of all time. And this brings me to another reason why the Lakers are going get the best of 7 in this next series…

2. The Orlando Magic

As good as Orlando is, and they are fully capable of beating the Lakers, they will not be pulling off the upset this time. The reason, plain and simple, is defense. They may have the best defensive player in the league in Dwight Howard, but the Lakers have been geared all year towards playing against that same stifling Tom Thibodeau scheme that took it away from us in Boston. The Orlando Magic defense is not coming close to what Boston was playing last year, but it’s going to have to if they want any chance of taking this series away from Kobe. See, the Magic play a very similar game to the Lakers, although it could definitely be argued that the Lakers have a more talented team. Both teams have a strong inside presence that is complemented by strong perimeter play. Both teams tend to start off slow and finish strong. Unfortunately for the Magic, the Lakers are better at it than they are, so its going to take a whole lot more than what they did to the Cavs if they want to take home the hardware. Also, as much as everyone heralds LeBron as basketball’s second coming…he doesn’t have even 1/4 of the moves and skills that Kobe does. He continually drove the ball directly into the defense on the Magic, and I’m sorry, but that play isn’t that difficult to guard after you’ve seen it 100 times within a 5 game span. Unfortunately for the Magic, Kobe could pull out a different move on every possession and they could play the full seven game series without seeing the end of his repertoire. Also, Kobe will only feel compelled to do so if they put someone on him like Bruce Bowen, which the Magic just don’t have. Personally, I feel bad for the Magic, the last time they were here they had Shaq when he was skinny, and they still got swept. For this series, I will guarantee (*wink wink Mo Williams) that the Magic will win a game…game 3 in Orlando…and that’s about it.

3. Phil Jackson

Stan Van Gundy is a great coach, and I think the series against the Cavs made a strong argument that he may have been cheated out of the Coach of the Year award…but I digress. All his coaching prowess and preparation will not save him from the Phil Jackson trap. It’s no accident that Phil is the only coach in the modern era to be able to credibly challenge Red Auerbach’s record (and standing as the best of all time). It’s because of the way he conducts himself, both on the court and off. Phil plays the game not only against the other team (and the refs), but against the league and the media as well…and he rarely loses. There have been countless times when I though Phil was being out-coached, that I though he was doing the exact wrong thing…only to have myself proven gloriously wrong by an amazing turnaround by the team. Even though I called the last series exactly how it happened, Lakers in 6, I don’t feel like some grand fortune teller…I just thought I had a handle on what was going on. Phil Jackson is a master at making his opponents feel like they know what’s going on, like they have a handle on things, and then he shakes things up. He knows exactly who to bring in and when in order to completely neutralize the opponents schemes, and he goes against the grain of common sense thought just to the point of making the fans sick, before it all comes together in a beautiful tapestry of defense, ball movement and ultimate victory. In short, I have no idea how he’s going to do it, but rest assured Phil Jackson has saved his best coaching performance for the next 4-6 games with the Magic and we will all see why he is the greatest coach in NBA history.

4. Lamar Odom

It’s very popular to figure Lamar Odom as the x-factor, but this is a series where, more than any other Laker besides Kobe, Lamar’s contributions will make-or-break our chances of winning. At his size and position, Lamar can guard Turkoglu, Lewis, Pietrus, Howard, and Gortat – and he’s going to have to be effective against all of them in order for us to limit the Magic’s offensive options. Their bench only really gets rolling when Lee and Pietrus are draining opening perimeter looks and opening up the driving lanes for Anthony Johnson and Rafer Alston. It is crucial that Lamar doesn’t sleep on any defensive possession, lest we give them some momentum off the bench. Further, Lamar’s offensive attack needs to be focused primarily on getting Dwight Howard out of position and into foul trouble. Rashard Lewis is too small to guard Lamar on the post, so Lamar needs to take it directly into Howard’s body and force the issue. Frankly, Lamar is the piece to our big-man game that could make this series a nightmare for Dwight Howard, essentially neutralizing him and allowing Kobe’s greatness to outshine that of the Magic perimeter players. Here’s to hoping that the Lakers can harken back to the days when the Magic was on their side in the finals…Showtime!!!!!