Ten Reasons The Lakers Most Definitely WILL Take The 2009 NBA Title:

10: Sasha Vujacic hits the triples in big games: He is kind of annoying. He looks like Fievel from “An American Tale”. But this little sucker came up big in the playoffs last year. The Lakers have an amazing bench and this punk is one of the big reasons.

9: Bench, bench, bench: they are deep. There is not much else that can be said. There is no taking it easy against the Lakers. They have a lot of talented players that are paid a lot to shut down the opposing team’s secondaries

8: Kobe has got to be hungry: He still hasn’t done it. He hasn’t proven he can take a title without big Shaq. Kobe must have the hunger and he must be hungry for something other than the taste of Shaq’s @#$.

7: The west is looking weak: The west ain’t looking so wild these days. The Spurs are old and limping. The Jazz have disappeared into the abyss that is Carlos boozer’s inflated ego and the Nuggets are nothing but a paper tiger. The Rockets look relatively mean but nothing the Lakers won’t be able to handle.

6: Odom knows how to fill many positions: With Lamar Odom on the Laker roster L.A. won’t be left without a go-to guy when Bryant is resting. Odom plays multiple positions. He plays two sides of the floor and on any given night he looks like Marion or Kirilenko are supposed to look. Dynamic player!

5: They have the experience: They have now all been to the Finals and they know how to win. Do not underestimate how much experience plays a role in winning in the playoffs. It is huge! Just ask big Timmy Duncan.

4: Money, money, money… money!!!: Okay there is no giant NBA conspiracy. David Stern is not the evil emperor from star wars. That being said, Stern does seem to influence the referees. Last year in the playoffs Stern stated he would like to see a Celtic/Lakers playoffs. Why? Because it meant money for the NBA. If you watched the playoffs last year you know the referees slightly favored these two teams when it came down to the gray calls. Was it blatant? No. Were they told to throw games? No. Did they do what most employees do (do whatever will make the boss happy)? Yes! The Lakers are the largest market and there is a lot of money involved. They will get a couple of extra calls a game. Not a conspiracy, just a little star treatment.

3: Bynum is back: Some experts feel that the outcome of last years NBA finals would have been completely different if the Lakers would have been able to slide Gasol to the four and could have used Odom off the bench. Bynum is strong and he is an up-and-comer. If Bynum makes it to the finals, he will have a large impact.

2: The infamous Pau Gasol trade: It has been over a year since this trade. I feel there has never been a more one-sided trade in the history of the National Basketball Association. Pau Gasol is a talent. There are very few very good bigs left in the league. Pau is one of them

1: Kobe Bryant is a cold-blooded killer: I am definitely not a L.A. Lakers fan. I do not particularly like Kobe Bryant. But I will tell you this, at 1:30 in the morning in a basement room, while watching the Team USA Olympic championship game, during the fourth quarter, all i could strain to utter was “GIVE IT TO KOBE, GIVE IT TO KOBE!!!”. At that moment I had an epiphany Kobe is still the league’s scariest player in the fourth. Non-Laker fans have nightmares about things Kobe did to their respective teams in the fourth quarter. He is a killer. Love him or hate him but you must admit you don’t want to see him facing your team in the fourth.

-by Ben Evans

Ten Reasons The Lakers Most Definitely WILL NOT Take The 2009 NBA Title:

10: Karma: It isn't fair! It is not fair! No team should be able to pick up Pau Gasol for the dung basket that was the Lakers exchange. I don't know what type of backroom deals led to this trade but I still feel a little suspicious about whether or not this deal was legit. Whether or not there was something we the fans were kept in the dark about.

9: Home court advantage: I seriously doubt the Lakers will have home-court advantage in the finals (see reason number 1). Home-court is always a huge help in securing a series. And when you are talking about two amazingly talented teams clashing the difference is often the magical sixth man.

8: Kobe is beginning to age: I know he is still amazing. I know he is still among the top three talents in the league but he is starting to lose his ability to impose his will night in and night out. Mind you I am saying beginning. It is just starting and he has years of being amazing left in him but he isn't as quick as he was two years ago. He's not as fierce.

7: A first round matchup with a talented team with nothing to lose will be draining: The Lakers will either have the Utah Jazz, the New Orleans Hornets, or the Dallas Mavericks. There is no way any of these teams beat the Lakers but these teams will leave the Lakers with some bruises and some tired legs. In contrast the Celtics and the Cavs will be playing teams that would be in the low lottery had they been in the deeper western conference. The Lakers will be in the finals but they will be more tired than their opponent.

6: Phil Jackson is overrated: Wait... Wait... Wait... I know... I know... the guy has accomplished more in an hour than most people do during their entire lives. But there is one problem. Jackson requires the very very best to win. Yes Jackson won a thousand titles but remember he has also lost many titles with teams that should have won (to the dismay of Karl "piggyback" Malone). Jackson has the second-best player in the league, but I don't think he can do it without the best.

5: Sheer boredom playing western teams: As the Lakers navigate their way through the mediocre west they will become complacent and will not be prepared for their east coast rivals. The east is an easier conference than the west but if the Cavs get through than they will have beaten the Celts and if the Celts get in they will have beaten the Cavs. The eastern NBA finals team will be rested from their first two rounds but still sharp from their third round.

4: Bynum is made of glass: I do not think Bynum will be healthy come finals. The Lakers are clearly good enough to get through the west without him but as we saw last year they can't complete with east elite without him.

3: Luke Walton bugs me: I know this one isn't based on any statistical measure but the guy just rubs me wrong. I mean he is that guy you knew in high school who acted tough because his big brother was a football star. I do not want to see this guy piggyback his way into getting a ring.

2: Kobe Bryant is not Jordan: Jordan never failed to close out a finals series. Kobe has already failed to close out twice. One of those times he had a team much more talented than the 2009 L.A. Lakers.

1: Lebron James: I don't know how else to put it. He has been amazing this year. Last year there was a debate over who was better between James and Bryant. That debate is over. James absolutely eclipses Bryant in nearly every conceivable statistical measure.

-by Ben Evans