For those of you that wanted Lebron vs. Kobe and are saddened by the Magic handling the best “regular season” team in the NBA too bad. If you want to watch one on one basketball head on down to  your local court and  take in some playground ballers. I’m sure there are some guys down there with their Kobe and Lebron jerseys on and if you close your eyes and imagine, I bet that white guy with the headband can be Lebron and that other guy can be Kobe. You can watch them go head to head and see how once they get the ball the rest of the team can clear out so they can take each other on, it’s AWESOME!

For those you that want to see good team basketball and want to watch it be played the way it should be played you’re in luck, because Magic do it well and the Lakers run their triangle offense well too. Although Kobe takes most of the shots, he has Gasol, Fisher and variety of role players that do their job and the Laker execution is fun to watch.

The Lakers run a lot of motion, picks and isolations for Kobe and all the Lakers, for the most part, are very athletic. All the bigs on the Lakers can move and the Laker guards can shoot the ball.

The Magic feed the ball into Dwight Howard and either let him work one on one or wait for the double team, so he can kick it out to all his 3 point shooters. The Magic run a high pick n roll, which is brutal for the opposition to guard and the Magic can shoot the 3 pointer all day long.

Guards – The Lakers have Kobe Bryant and nobody is better at closing time than him. They also have Derek Fisher, who can not only make the big shot, but he also has the steady head and leadership to keep the team focused.

The Magic start Rafer Alston and he’s very turnover prone and a streaky shooter, but he’s fast and should be able to take Fisher off the dribble. Courtney Lee starts at the other guard, he plays good defense and can hit the shot, plus he’s tough as they come. Dwight Howard has already taken Lee out twice in the playoffs and he’s come back both times.

Clearly the Lakers have the edge at guard due to the Kobe factor, but so did the Cavs with Lebron James.

Paint – The Lakers start Andrew Bynum at center and I’m not sure if he ever completely recovered from his knee injury from the regualr seaon. He has the size and strength to push Dwight out of the paint, but he can’t guard him, no chance. Bynum is a Laker liability and he inexperience will be a huge factor. At forward the Lakers start Pau Gasol and dude flat out play and he’s the Lakers second option and second best player. We’ll see how he well he does guarding the Magic’s shooting forwards out on the perimeter, most forwards don’t like venturing to fair from the paint. Trevor Ariza will probably be the other forward and although he’s not a big scorer, he plays great defense and leaves it all out on the floor every night.

The Magic start Dwight Howard at center and he’s a beast in the paint. The Lakers have no answer for him. The Lakers will either have to foul him, double team him or just watch him destroy the Lakers down low. The only thing the Magic should be worried about is Howard’s propensity to pick up early fouls. Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu start at the forward positions and both can nail the 3 pointer just go ask the Celtics and Cavs, if you’re not sure. Gasol will probably have to guard Lewis and Lewis should be able to score at will.

The edge in the paint clearly goes to the Magic. The Lakers are extremely soft in the paint and with Gasol having to guard the perimeter look for his rebounds to go down significantly, which will give the Magic second chance shots all series long.

Bench – The Lakers have a decent bench. Odom will recieve significant minutes and the Lakers also have Farmar, Vujacic and Walton.

The Magic have the Marcin “Polish Prince” Gortat, Mickael Pietrus, Tony Battie and Anthony Johnson. Mickael Pietrus pretty much out played the entire Cleveland Cavalier bench, plus he played great defense and Lebron James. If you don’t know who Gortat is now, you will soon, because he can play.

The Magic bench will crush the Laker bench by a landslide.

Coach – If you got points for looking like a porno star, then Stan “Ron Jeremy” Van Gundy would win hands down. The fact is Phil Jackson is the best in the business and he will have the Lakers ready and prepared.

Lakers get have a huge coaching edge.

Clutch – The Lakers have the experience and the best closer in the business. The Lakers also have back up clutch shooter, Derek Fisher.

The Magic have Turkoglu and Lewis and both players can, have and will knock down the big shot if called upon.

Slight edge to the Lakers.

In the end I think the Magic relish in the underdog role. The Magic have been playing with a chip on their shoulder since the Celtic series, it continued through the Cavs series and I see no reason it will stop in the Lakers series. Championships are won with defense and play in the paint, it’s the reason the Lakers lost last year against the Celtics and it’s the reason Lakers will lose this year.

The Magic in 6.