The two best teams in the NBA this season are on a collision course to meet in the Finals, and several facctors point to the Lakers taking the title.
Cavaliers and Lakers Head-to-Head
The Cavaliers had the league's best record and went 39-2 at home this season. Their second loss did not occur until Lebron and the starters rested during the last game of the regular season.
The Lakers owned the leagues best road record and beat the Cavs twice in two meetings this year. The first win was in Los Angeles and the second left the fans in Cleveland disappointed from the 101-91 pounding the Lakers gave the Cavs on February 8th.
Cleveland only lost once at home through March which is remarkable and the confidence of the club at home is astronomical, but since the Lakers were the team to hand Cleveland that loss it helps the Lakers more mentally than any statistic or prediction.
When the inevitable matchup of Lebron and Kobe collide in June, the experience of the Lakers roster and the confidence that they have beaten the Cavs home and away will allow L.A. to steal a game or two in Cleveland.
Andrew Bynum Returns from Injured Knee
After missing about two-months of the season with a torn medial-collateral-ligament in his right knee, the Lakers center Andrew Bynum is back. The addition of Bynum down-low brings much needed defense, rebounding, and toughness to a Lakers team that secured the number one spot in the Western Conference with 10 games left on the schedule.
Having Bynum back adds flexibility and depth to the center and power forward positions. All-Star center Pau Gasol can also play power forward and Lamar Odom can either start or come off the bench at both positions. Having Bynum or Odom come off the bench is a major strength the Lakers have over the Cavaliers.
Without Bynum, the Cavaliers tough defense would wear the Lakers down similar to the Boston Celtics performance in last year's NBA Finals.
With the 21-year-old, seven-foot, 285-pound Bynum, the Lakers can match the Cavs grind-it-out style in a seven-game series.
Cavaliers Players Versus Lakers Players
The Cavaliers have relied on a great combination of their superstar (James), one player coming out-of-nowhere to play amazing (Mo Williams), and a mix of youngsters and veterans (Daniel Gibson, Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak, Joe Smith, etc) to buy into the team philosophy.
Most seasons, that is the recipe for a championship run.
But, the Lakers have been regarded as the deepest team in the league with the flexibility of talented players off the bench. With Odom and/or Bynum leading the second unit, the bar is raised from a talent perspective but also from a leadership and experience perspective. The younger Lakers like Sasha Vujacic, Shannon Brown, and Jordan Farmar can lean on Odom's experience whenever needed.
As far as the starters, any team led by MVP Kobe Bryant will have a fighting chance but coupled with Gasol, Trevor Ariza, and the veteran presence of Derek Fisher this lineup matches the Cavaliers lineup, if not surpasses it.
Cavaliers Experience Versus Lakers Experience
Even with a talented team, Cleveland needs unproven post-season players like Mo Williams (five career post-season games coming into this season) and Delonte West (20 career post-season games coming into this season) to play at a high level and compliment Lebron James. That is too much to expect.
On the other hand, Fisher and Bryant have played in five NBA Finals together and have won three championship rings. Plus, 10 of the 14 players on the Lakers roster this year were on last season's team that lost to Boston in the Finals. The Lakers experience, depth, and Bynum's return add up to an NBA Championship.
Cavaliers Versus Lakers Prediction
The Cavaliers are a great basketball team and will be a force to be reckoned with when they meet the Lakers in the NBA Finals. This will be a competitive series featuring two of the best players in Kobe Bryant and Lebron James and each contest will go down to the last minute to decide a winner.
The Los Angeles Lakers will win the 2009 NBA Finals in seven games over the Cavaliers.
