| Lakers | Category | Magic | Reason |
| Backcourt | Lakers | Lee will have his hands full guarding Bryant at the start; Pietrus will help off bench. Alston was great in East finals and Lakers have struggled to defend opposing PGs. | |
| Magic | Frontcourt | Howard is still too quick and too strong for Bynum, but the Lakers will challenge Howard more on the other end of the floor than the Cavs did. With Ariza and Odom, Lakers are versatile defensively, but Turkoglu and Lewis are tough matchups. | |
| Bench | Lakers | Pietrus has played great in playoffs and was big in beating Cavs. Magic also could be getting Nelson back. Lakers' bench has been inconsistent, but gained traction at end of West finals. They'll need Brown, Vujacic, Farmar to sho | |
| Coaching | Lakers | Phil Jackson has won nine titles while Stan Van Gundy is making his first trip to the Finals. |
Kenny's Pick is the LAKERS. The Lakers will be challenged to contend with Howard, but they at least have the length to make a go of it. It's also just too hard to imagine Kobe letting another title shot pass him by. Lakers in 6.
Lawrence Frank doesn't deserve blame for the Nets' record, even as they near the worst start in NBA history. Read More
After Dwight Howard told Stan Van Gundy his negativity was bringing down the Magic, the coach changed approach. Read More
If the Lakers can't convince Kobe Bryant to rest his ailing groin, they should at least provide him more support. Read More
Young Hollywood.com talks to past, present and future stars about the Lakers and Magic.
TNT analyst Charles Barkley looks at where Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson would rank amongst the best if th…
Thunder star Kevin Durant says "hi" to the cameras/celebrities during Sunday night's game against...
In the span of just two minutes, Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant: (a) hit a shot from behind the backboard...
Orlando at Boston It could be a three-game night, or it might be a 10-game night. Doesn't matter.
| Philadelphia | 107 |
| Washington | 108 |
| Indiana | 112 |
| Toronto | 123 |
| Golden State | 111 |
| Dallas | 103 |
| New Jersey | 87 |
| Denver | 101 |
| Oklahoma City | 104 |
| Utah | 94 |
| New York | 90 |
| LA Lakers | 100 |
| LA Clippers | |
| Indiana |
| Toronto | |
| Charlotte |
| Miami | |
| Orlando |
| Philadelphia | |
| Boston |
| Cleveland | |
| Detroit |
| Milwaukee | |
| New Orleans |
| Denver | |
| Minnesota |
| Dallas | |
| Houston |
| Golden State | |
| San Antonio |
| Memphis | |
| Phoenix |
| New York | |
| Sacramento |
| New Jersey | |
| Portland |
Follow games live on GameChannel