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Because then you're looking at 4-7 game's worth of material involving my man below...

Lando Calrissian is awesome, and the simple omission of two letters would have opened up a new world of self amusement.  Like Lando, the Magic defied the "Empire" (David Stern, the media, Nike's marketing machine), which resulted in a take down of the much ballyhooed Team LeBron, disappointment be damned.  Billy Dee drove the ladies crazy, and my fiancee has a ginormous crush on Dwight Howard.  Hell, you could even compare Orlando's sharpshooting to the marksmanship a gunslinger might enjoy using a... wait for it... Colt .45.

But they're the Orlando Magic, which basically leaves me with this bland pretty boy.

Meh.  Dude's not worth my time.  Thus, I'll stick with roundball talk.

Hope you picked the Magic, because with their 103-90 win Saturday night over the Cleveland Cavaliers (that's the team LeBron plays for, if you missed it), the 2009 NBA Finals are set.  Los Angeles vs. Orlando, tipping off Thursday, June 4 at Staples Center. 

By now, we all know the Playoffs are all about matchups, and as we touched on in this week's PodKast, I admit this one scares me.  The good news?  While I really try hard not to draw too many conclusions from how teams perform in games and rounds leading up to a given series, I admit that the way LA played in Games 5 and 6 to dispatch the Nuggets was very encouraging. 

How couldn't it be?

Obviously there will be plenty more to come over the next few days, but here are some of my early thoughts, on top of what Andy passed on earlier in the day:

I've been anxiously awaiting a "no jinx" opportunity to ask a question that's piqued my curiosity of late.  And with the Lakers now officially in the NBA Finals, I have my chance.

Who would you rather face, the Orlando Magic or the Cleveland Cavaliers?

Let me say right from Jump Street that I don't believe a "right" answer exists.  There are legit pros and cons with either squad.  It's no longer an Eastern Conference where the crowned party wouldn't win 50 game in the West.  The Lakers won't be facing the 2009 version of the Kidd-Kenyon-Jefferson New Jersey Nets.  Both teams are very good, and will likely present challenges for the Lakers.  If you picked Orlando purely for the home court advantage (or to avoid a 2-3-2 structure that unfairly punishes the road squad), that's a valid enough reason in and of itself.  One of many, I'd say. 

I'm curious, though, how much varying opinions are fueled largely- if not completely- by the "Kobe-LeBron" thing. 

Bluto: Over? Did you say "over"? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!

Otter: Germans?

Boon: Forget it, he's rolling.

Why does that classic exchange from "National Lampoon's Animal House" remind me of last night's 119-92 series-clinching Game 6 win over the Denver Nuggets.  Because whenever a person, team or entity is describe as "rolling," I always think of Bluto's speech.  But unlike the pre-med student now dealing with "seven years of college down the drain" and a sarcastic urge to "join the ^*@# peace corps," the Lakers had their facts straight while on a roll. 

As BK noted in his game summary, precision and the L.A. Lakers were a tandem as copacetic as peanut butter and jelly.  The Nuggets took the floor looking tentative and tight over their do or die situation.  Even during the game's initially competitive moments, they appeared anything but the spirited group conquering professional and personal demons.  The Lakers, on the other hand, were as cool as a cucumber that just arrived in town after a month's vacation in Siberia.  They worked an offensive game plan to perfection and used that blueprint to remain free of their opponent's grasp.  Defensively, whether you're talking paint protection or Trevor Ariza and Luke Walton's success making Carmelo Anthony work, Lakers didn't just appear on the same page.  They all seemed to be reading the same word in the same sentence of the same paragraph. 

Postgame quotes at the podium from Phil Jackson, Kobe Bryant, and Pau Gasol after LA's  119-92 win over the Denver Nuggets in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals, good enough to take the series 4-2, send the Lakers back to the NBA Finals, and guarantee t-shirts like the one pictured will soon find a home with underprivileged youths in distant lands. 

Click below for the text, click your imagination to visualize them saying this stuff. 

BK

(Thanks to Kendall for sending along the pic.)

It started in Game 5.  The Lakers played intelligent, aggressive basketball for 48 minutes (or very nearly, at least), recognizing what was being offered by the opposition, methodically and repeatedly- not always a given for this bunch- taking advantage.  All that while they raised the bar in the second half with some high level D.

Well, what was a very satisfying treat for Lakers fans Wednesday night turned out to be the appetizer. Tonight, in LA's 119-92 smackdown of the Denver Nuggets in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals they, to extend the food metaphor, got a night at the steakhouse- I prefer a bone-in ribeye- complete with all the appropriate sides and a chocolate souffle to finish things off.  Everything was clicking, from an active and committed defense that held the Nuggets to 41% shooting through three quarter, to an impressively efficient and patient offense. 

You know, that same offense that had hoops analysts (myself included) schoolgirl giddy for the first couple months of the season and has made only periodic appearances during the Playoffs.  The one where things flow to the point it's amazing folks don't slip on the floor, the machine is so well oiled. 

There it is! The Lakers are headed back to the NBA Finals for the 30th time in franchise history after closing out the Nuggets 119-92 in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals. After five physical, entertaining games of basketball, LA was superior from the opening tip in Denver Friday night, up by five after one, 13 at the half, and not looking back from there.  Not a bad time to unleash the team's best performance of the postseason. Yes, it was championship-worthy.

Kobe Bryant was brilliant, authoring 35 points, dishing out ten assists and grabbing six boards. Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom played the second and third fiddle just as well, each dropping 20 points and combining for 20 rebounds.

A year after the Finals disappointment against Boston, the purple and gold are guaranteed another crack ad the Larry O'Brien, four games away from hanging a fifteenth championship banner at the Staples Center and roping off Figueroa for another parade.

The Finals tip June 4 and the Lakers will welcome the rest as they wait for Orlando or Cleveland. Plenty more postgame coverage to come!

--Ben Taylor

Before the series started, I predicted Lakers in seven.  That, of course, would mean they'd lose tonight's Game 6.  But make no mistake, the prospect of having Sunday off far outweighs any gratification I'd get out of a spot-on forecast.  I'm not that proud.

And if I'm willing to end this thing early (and sacrifice self interest, because I'm a giver by nature) imagine how into the notion the Lakers might be!   It'll take a good effort, but something like what LA put forth in Game 5 might get it done. 

Chat box below.

BK

Everyone's got predictions and advice.  I know how to use the blog's "link" function.  As Hannibal Smith says, "I love it when a plan comes together."

First up is ESPN/Scouts Inc. writer Mike Moreau, who encourages more of the ball movement that kept Denver on their heels during Game 5.

        In Game 5, with the ball changing hands and sides of the floor quickly, the Lakers not only created opportunities inside but also opened up opportunities for everyone on the offensive end. Eight players took at least five shots, and no one took more than 15. With 25 assists on their 37 field goals, the Lakers played their best offensive game of the series.

That is the Lakers' formula for winning Game 6, and they must be deliberate in their emphasis of quick ball movement and reversal to get the ball inside and to keep everyone involved. This also takes the pressure off Bryant and keeps him fresh for the key possessions in the fourth quarter.