BY PAUL JONES
sportsnet.ca

Well it's finally here and it's great to know that young basketball fans will get a taste of the Boston-Los Angeles rivalry that many of us "experienced" basketball fans were weaned on in the 1980's. The names and the faces have changed, there aren't as many "long time" Celtics or Lakers, but the two franchises steeped in tradition will battle for the NBA title for the twelfth time in NBA history. And if you are interested, Boston owns a 9-2 edge.

The regular season and playoffs unfolded just like it did in years past with the Celtics and Lakers on a collision course maneuvering their respective Conference landmines. All the while they were keeping one eye on their eventual final opponent and probably secretly hoping to win the title with a victory over the arch rival.

So who wins? Well just keep reading.

While this is a storied rivalry, the teams are much different from the teams that saw Boston win in six games in 2008 and it is those new faces that hold some of the keys to victory.

Ron Artest's defence will be a big factor in any potential Laker success. How much time does he spend hounding Paul Pierce, the 2008 Finals MVP, who had his way against the likes of Vladimir Radmanovic? Artest may also have to guard Ray Allen and chase him around screens to prevent Bryant from being worn out and not let Allen shoot down Los Angeles from long range. Forcing a good offensive player to work on defence is a classic method of taking the bounce out of his legs for the other end of the court. So if you follow that theory, do the Lakers put Derek Fisher on Allen to start which allows Bryant to guard Rajon Rondo? That's no easy task either, as Rondo has matured to become one of the best point guards in the league. If Kobe does pick up Rondo you can expect Boston to put Bryant in screen roll situations and bang him with Kendrick Perkins, Glen "Big Baby" Davis, Kevin Garnett, or Rasheed Wallace. Hmmm decisions, decisions for Jackson and his coaching staff.

There has been a sudden resurgence of Boston's defence which has been at championship form thus far in the playoffs which is why the Lakers need to find a way to get some easy baskets. The Celtics five on five half court defence is very good and the way to beat them is to move the ball from side to side. The Lakers triple post a.k.a. triangle offence will be a benefit in that regard. However, late in the game when Los Angeles typically puts the triangle on the shelf and goes to screen roll and isolation situations for Bryant, it might be better for the Lakers to find scores and they may have to depend on Bryant's creativity. Transition baskets need to aid the Los Angeles cause at opportune times in the series.

Boston will have their challenges as well. The Laker defence is better than you think. They actually have a better defensive field goal percentage in the playoffs than the Celtics. Remember also that Boston is prone to offensive droughts where they lean on their defence to keep them in games. Boston's bench is vastly different from the 2008 title team. Gone are James Posey, who made big shots, particularly from behind the arc and guarded Bryant effectively. Eddie House's three-point daggers have been replaced by Nate Robinson who has, with the exception of one game against Orlando, had a minimal impact and gone is veteran P.J. Brown. Boston is hopeful that Rasheed Wallace can fill the void in a couple of those departments as Wallace still has the ability to play both ends of the floor with a well-rounded offensive game.

In 2008, the Celtics had home court advantage thanks to a 66-16 regular season record. This time the Lakers will have the edge and remember, Phil Jackson's teams are 46-0 when they win Game 1 of the series. The edge swings heavily toward the Lakers when you look at them closing opponents on the road in all series en route to the final, and with the 2-3-2 game format, it is definitely a plus for Los Angeles. Since the 2-3-2 configuration appeared, the visiting team has swept the middle three games twice as often as the home team so it sounds like to win, Boston may have to grab not just one, but possibly two victories in Los Angeles. But don't sleep on the Celtics as they won more road playoff games this season than they did in 2008 when they turned the trick only three times.

How effective will Andrew Bynum be with an ailing knee? Rondo is a much improved player from 2008 and how much "tougher" will Pau Gasol be in his match up with Kevin Garnett? Yes Garnett is not the same player as he was, as he has been slowed by injuries, but remains a mental giant with a fierce competitive spirit

It could be a series for the ages providing more memories the way Lakers-Celtics always seem to do. Between them, the two teams have dominated the final in appearances and titles. So you youngsters sit back and enjoy what we did back in the day and watch carefully so you can talk about it and pass it on to the next generation.

Oh, a winner? Everything says Lakers. Do you bet against Kobe? Home court favours Los Angeles, there's revenge factor from a couple of seasons ago as Kobe is a driven to settle the score. Do you get the feeling that last years final win was great for Los Angeles but Celtics fans are saying, "that's still ours and you didn't beat us so it really doesn't count". So while circumstances say the Lakers will win back-to-back titles, my gut tells me Boston. People had the Celtics losing for three rounds yet here they are in the final.

This will be an epic series with Boston winning it.