LAKERS WIN GAME 2, 101-96!

It took them a little more time and a lot more Pau (24pts, 10 rebounds and a dominant presence in overtime). But in the end, the Lakers will be going to Disneyland with a 2-0 lead as Kobe Bryant scored 29 pts and Lamar Odom came up big with 19 pts, 8 rebs and 3 blocks.

It basically came down to a rookie (Courtney Lee ended up with 2pts on 1-3 shooting) going for the win with about 9 seconds left. 

With Turkoglu (22pts)  and Lewis (34pts) red-hot for most of the game, it was a wonder that neither one tried to dominate in the last few seconds but what's done is done and the Magic still came away with what could be a very crucial piece of the championship puzzle: the knowledge that, yes, they can beat the Lakers.

I look forward to Game 3, where I expect the Magic to win, 95-85.

LAKERS TAKE GAME 1!

Let me crow here a bit.

The Lakers were as good as I thought they would be. But the Magic were worse than I thought they would be.

Kobe Bryant scored 40 points, and added 8 rebounds and 8 assists (who I predicted would explode against Pietrus and Lee). So much for Kobe getting old and slow. 

Pau Gasol had 16 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks. So much Gasol being soft and easily dominated by Howard, who definitely wasn't Superman tonight (like I predicted).

My prediction was Lakers over Magic, 100-88. Final score was Lakers over Magic, 100-75. I think I earned my money this week.

A FINALS PREDICTION!

Sorry for the absence again. It's been hectic here at my day job. 

But, first of all, let me tell all of you that I have won my two conference finals bets. Yes, I've won 2 bags of peanuts (literally! Growers Hot and Spicy Flavor) for guessing that the Lakers and the Magic were going to end up facing each other. 

So here's my game 1 prediction:

Lakers over Magic, 100-88. Kobe is going to explode as the Magic try to get used to the Finals hoopla.

Michael Pietrus will be marginally more effective guarding him than Hedo Turkoglu will be and Courtney Lee will be lost in this first game. 

Howard won't be Superman because Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum are better equipped to stop him and they'll also make Howard work harder on the defensive end of the floor. 

Rafer Alston won't make people forget Jameer Nelson but he'll certainly be better than Derek Fisher. In the end, the Black Mamba and his cohorts will prevail over the Magic but they will also lose some of their mystique, as the Magic discover that, yes, they do belong here in the Finals.

TURKOGLU'S THE MAN!

Dwight Howard may be Superman...but Hedo Turkoglu has been responsible for more game winners in the last 2 seasons than Superman's had in his entire career! 

Guess now we know who's the go-to-guy of this team really is.