Is this Lebron's year?

So as the regular season of the NBA comes to end, all the good memories of playoffs past start to come back to life. Remember Jordan’s game winning shot over the Jazz? Remember Dwane Wade’s heroics vs the Mavs? Remember the Lakers vs. Kings series or the Heat vs. Knicks series? Well, they’ve all got one common denominator.. playoffs, baby! The one time of year where true basketball heroes emerge and true greatness is brought to the table. But who’s gonna win it all this year? Will the Lakers stay dominant in the west? After all, their healthy, young, talented, o yeah and they have Kobe. Who will come out of the East? Will it be the Celtics or the Cavs? Or will a team from Florida surprise the league? These are all questions that will be answered in the coming weeks but I’ll try my best to predict the future below.

So let’s start with the easy side, the West. The Lakers are hands down the best team in the West with a handful of teams battling it out for second place. I like the Lakers staying healthy and dominant throughout most of the games, with maybe a few bumps here or there. The problem is that the Lakers have shown signs of inconsistency throughout this season with some losses to some pretty weak squads. A game or two like those in a series against the Nuggets or the Jazz and the Lakers could be looking at a pretty steep hill to get out of the West. With all that said, I still think the Lakers come out on top. Kobe’s just too dominant and they just have too much power inside, especially with Bynum coming back.

The East on the other hand is a much different story. First off, there’s the Celtics. Even though they’re slightly older and banged up, they’re still returning champs and they still have three future hall of famers. Yes, they had a slightly under the radar year but they were will able to come out with the third best record in the league and they definitely have the experience to make it to the finals. Their biggest question though is whether they still have that drive and motivation that carried them to the championship last year. Personally, I don’t think they do.

Then there’s the two contenders from Florida – Orlando and Miami. Orlando has Dwight Howard who is the best big man in the game right now, but they’re lack of depth in the back court will hurt them. Losing Jameer Nelson for the year was a huge loss for them and I don’t think they’ll be able to overcome it. Orlando will go out to the Celtics in 6 in the second round. Miami on the other hand has in my opinion the runner-up for the MVP vote, Dwayne Wade. The man is just having an unbelievable season and might be the best closer in the league right now (sorry Kobe and Lebron). Sadly, I don’t think that’s enough. Miami will be a contender for many years to come, but this year they’re going to fall short to the Cavs. Wade and Lebron will have some epic matches but in the end the Cavs supporting cast is better than Miami’s and that will be the difference maker.

So that leaves us with the Cavs. Lebron James at this point is the overwhelming choice for MVP. His numbers are ridiculous and his team will have the best record in the NBA. They’re playing probably the best team defense in the league and they have the offensive firepower to run with most teams. Their biggest problem though is experience. Does anyone remember what happened to them a couple years ago in the finals? 0-4. Sweep. That hurts. They have the talent and the skill to beat the Celtics in a 7 game series and come out of the East, but I don’t know if they have enough to win the championship.

Now the showdown that everyone will be looking forward to – Kobe vs. Lebron. Two of the best in the league right will now will go head to head in the NBA championship. But as anyone will tell you, this is a team game. And although Lebron will win the MVP, the Lakers are a better all around team. They have the power inside, a solid backcourt, and a deep bench. O yeah, and they have the motivation and the desire to win, especially after what happened last year.

So at the end of the day, sorry Lebron, but this isn’t your year. Kobe and the Lakers will take down the ring and the championship in 5 games in Los Angeles. Just remember, you read it here first.