NBA Finals Match-Ups by Category

Some already have their reservations as to which two teams will be playing in the NBA Finals. In an attempt to look outside the box, we categorize the potential Finals match-ups in order to foresee what kind of series each one would be like. The categories will include: 1) The High Octane Series, 2) The Bright Lights Series, 3) The Finals Block Party, and 4) Battle of the Giants.

The High Octane Series

Although it isn't the highly anticipated math-up between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Los Angeles Lakers, this would involve the Cavs and the Nuggets in a Finals confrontation. Why call it high octane? Because these two teams arguably have the most athletic, bucket-scoring players out of the crowd of four. Can you imagine all the alley oops that LeBron James would be receiving on the Cavs end and the slashing dunks that Nene, K-Mart and Birdman that the Nuggets would be getting on the other? That's a pretty exciting match-up for any run-and-gun basketball enthusiast.

The Bright Lights Series

This indeed is the Kobe v. LeBron duel that fans and media outlets are dying for. The bright lights will be shining in Cleveland and L.A. as analysts reminisce on the days of Larry Bird versus Magic Johnson (or Jordan). Two Superstars would be leading their teams into a battle for the ages. Kobe draining shots, LeBron slamming dunks, and their deep supporting casts doing their job to assist their star player. I don't think that the NBA can ask for a better series and a better marketing tool than having these two stars playing on the biggest stage in basketball. David Stern must be loosening his tie from the excitement that must be running through his veins.

The Finals Block Party

This is the probably the least likely scenario for the NBA Finals - a match-up between the Denver Nuggets and the Orlando Magic. This would be the "block party" series because of how much defense (particularly blocked shots) you would see in such a series. Dwight Howard and Marcin Gortat would be teaming up with their hand swatters, while Birdman, Nene and K-Mart combine for a block fest trifecta. You would see about 6-8 blocked shots a night (and pretty forceful ones at that). I'm not sure how well these two would match-up against each other, but we do know that suffocating defense would be a part of the series.

Battle of the Giants
















The Orlando Magic have a total of six players that are 6'10 or above on their roster. On the same token, the Los Angeles Lakers have three 7-Footers of there own. Hence the name, Battle of the Giants. Dwight Howard versus Pau Gasol, Marcin Gortat versus Andrew Bynum and a bevy of other potential big men match-ups would be the highlight of the series. Kobe might be a small factor in the series (sarcasm?), but the Magic have the bigger lineup and could create problems for the Lakers. The Magic still have to prove that they can beat the Cavs, before they even ponder the thought of a west coast trip. The Lakers also have their hands full with as surging Nuggets team that is no easy cookie. Either way, the prospect of such a series would paint a towering skyline from Orlando to L.A.

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Prediction:
We believe that the Cavaliers will come out of the East in 6 games or less, while the Lakers pull it out in a 7-game series. We don't want to count out the underdogs because both have the capability of edging out their opponents, but we are choosing talent and experience over the passion of the underdogs this time around. In all reality, any Finals match-up combination will be exciting to watch and worthy of our attention.