Three reasons why Boston will win . . .

1 The big three. Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen have proved that three All-Stars can team up and play as one because of their shared goal of winning an NBA title.

2 The Celtics have home-court advantage and they are definitely going to need it. Boston has lost just one game at home in the playoffs . They needed the home-court advantage in the first two rounds of the playoffs.

3 Pierce is a former Jayhawk, and this is obviously the year of the Jayhawks, considering the football team won the Orange Bowl and finished as the only BCS school with one loss and the men's basketball team won the NCAA Tournament.

Three reasons why Lakers will win . . .

1 The Lakers have the best basketball player on the planet in Kobe Bean Bryant. Nothing else needs to be said.

2 The theft of Pau Gasol from Memphis turned Los Angeles from a middle-of-the-road playoff team to champions. For the record, no respectable fantasy league would allow a trade of Gasol for Kwame Brown.

3 The sports magic in the Boston area has run out. First, New England lost the Super Bowl despite entering the game undefeated. Next, power-hitting David Ortiz just suffered a wrist injury, and if he's out the rest of the season the Boston Red Sox can forget about repeating as World Series champions.

Spotlight player

Boston has its big three, but none of them comes close to equaling the star power of Bryant. Bryant won his first regular-season MVP award and has been every bit as good in the playoffs. If Bryant leads the Lakers to the NBA title, more talk will crop up that he may be the equal of Michael Jordan. Jordan finished with six NBA titles, all under coach Phil Jackson. Bryant is going for his fourth under Jackson, and this time he won't have to share the glory with Shaquille O'Neal.

This season has turned into Bryant's dream. He's the man. Bryant is surrounded by good, young players, but no superstars. To his credit, he has become more of a team player this season, and that has allowed the younger players to blossom.

There is nobody on the Celtics who can guard Bryant one-on-one. In fact, there is nobody in the NBA who can guard him one-on-one. Allen and Pierce will need a lot of help to keep Bryant under 30.

All season Garnett, Pierce and Allen have played with a strong desire to win their first NBA title. It has led Boston to the best record in the regular season and it has gotten them to the NBA finals for the first time in their careers.

But they will find out that the NBA finals is Kobe Bryant's world.

Matchups

Guards: Allen is an All-Star who is coming out of his shooting slump. Rajon Rondo is a young player who continues to show growth. But they don't come close to the Lakers dynamic duo of Derek Fisher and Bryant. Fisher is a savvy veteran who has brought stability to the Lakers' backcourt and has allowed Bryant to do his thing. Advantage: Lakers

Forwards: Pierce and Garnett are finally playing like champions in high-pressure playoff games. They have the ability to score points in bunches. They are a much more potent force than Lamar Odom and Vladimir Radmanovich. Odom, though, is very versatile and accepts his role as the third offensive option. Advantage: Celtics

Center: Gasol is really a forward and will be almost unstoppable in the Lakers' offense next year when Andrew Bynum returns. Still, Gasol will abuse Kendrick Perkins. It's essential for Perkins to have one word in his vocabulary: help. Advantage: Lakers

Prediction: Lakers in six