Celtics vs Lakers..that was the matchup that the NBA wanted..and that most fans wanted.  But, who will win?  Everybody seems to have an opinion as to who will win...and of course I have one too.  That's where my "Randomly Put Together Finals Preview" comes into play.  I'm going to share with you who I think is going to win this series. 

Lamar Odom can be a difference maker...he just sometimes gets lost in whats going on.  I see Lamar Odom out on the floor and keep thinking this guy can dominate if he really wants to, he's got the talent.  He's just never done it.  He's shown glimpses of what he can be.  I think he's going to have to for the Lakers to have a chance.  Lamar Odom is a matchup nightmare for the Celtics.  If he's matched up on a guy like Paul Pierce he can just post him up, or if he's matched up on Kendrick Perkins he can take him away from the hoop and be and the Lakers can just cut to the basket.  For the Celtics the guy who needs to be the difference maker is Ray Allen.  Ray needs to be on from three.  He needs to help the Celtics spread the floor.  If Ray doesn't hit his first few shots in Game 1 I'll be looking for the Lakers pack it in and basically dare the Celtics to beat them taking jump shots.  

The bench advantage clearly goes to the Lakers.  I'm not talking about backup players right now.  But the match up of Doc Rivers vs Phil Jackson.  I'm taking Phil every time.  Phil knows what it takes to win in the Finals and I'm not that Doc can keep his guys together in crunch time late in a big game like this.  

Now to talk about the reserves for each team.  The Lakers have the clear bench advantage.  They're a much deeper basketball team.  Sasha Vujacic, Jordan Farmar, and Luke Walton are the Lakers key bench contributors..I don't think the Celtics have guys that can really match up with that.  James Posey is an alright bench player..I don't know if he's a difference making type guy.  

Every time I've watched the Lakers this year..they're a much different looking team.  They're guys are actually moving without the ball while Kobe has the ball.  I think that's going to be a huge key in this series..the Celtics are a pretty good defensive team...and the Lakers need to keep the Celtics moving..and create some poor rotations and take advantage of those.   

Pau Gasol is going to be huge in this series.  He's more than capable of matching up with Kevin Garnett.  KG has a lot of pressure on him...this is the farthest he's ever been in the playoffs...he needs this.  He needs to justify this trade.  The regular season was great for Boston but this is the main reason why they brought in KG and Ray Allen.  The 2-3-2 format is going to be tough for the Celtics to deal with.  The Lakers need to steal one in Boston and, I think they do.  I'm taking the Lakers in 6.  What are your thoughts about the NBA Finals?