Now this should give you a clearer view on who you should bet on. Probably.

With so much hype between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2008 NBA Finals, let’s pit their starters against each other and find out who’ll really have the edge in each position.

Let’s kick things off with the point guard position played by Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics against the Lakers’ Derek Fisher. Fisher had a fairly quiet series in the conference finals, but his postseason experience, solid defense and courage to take big shots will be of Los Angeles’ advantage. Rondo’s inconsistent shooting might hurt Boston, shooting a miserable 10-of-35 in the final three games against the Detroit Pistons. The Lakers will make him beat them from the outside.

Advantage at the PG spot? Lakers 1-0.

Onwards to the shooting guard spot, Boston’s Ray Allen will renew his rivalry with the Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant, a rivalry that started when Allen was still in the Western Conference playing for the Sonics.

Who in the right frame of mind would want to match-up against Kobe Bryant? He is clearly the best player in the NBA today and you don’t want to see him playing against you in ANY game, especially in the freakin’ playoffs. Oh, did I mention he is the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player of the Year?

For what it’s worth, Ray Allen broke out of his shooting slump in the final two games of the conference finals, averaging 23 points and going 8-of-14 from 3-point range. However, Kobe Bryant, know for his tenacious defense, will certainly welcome the challenge of trying to get that slump started again. And while Kobe is good defensively, OFFENSE is where he got his name from.

Advantage at the SG spot? Lakers 2-0.

At the three spot, the Celtics might have the advantage after ‘’The Truth'’ Paul Pierce showed that he can still be a potent scorer, leading his team offensively in close out games with Cleveland and Detroit. The Lakers’ Vladimir Radmanovic will match-up against Pierce. Granted, Radmanovic is a good perimeter shooter, but you won’t get anything from him OTHER than that.

Advantage at the SF spot? Celtics 2-1.

Now we have the match-up at the power forward spot. Lakers’ Lamar Odom will match-up against the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Kevin Garnett. He he… This is clearly a one-sided face-off with KG, hands down, the clear winner. I mean, Odom has been inconsistent the last few years since he arrived in L.A. and expecting him to have his A-game against the Defensive Player of the Year AND the runner-up to the MVP race is just plain stupid.

Lamar Odom will get his ass fucked BIG TIME. Advantage at the PF spot? Celtics 2-2.

Finally, we have the match-up at the center position between Boston’s Kendrick Perkins and, to my mind the Lakers’ REAL most valuable player, Pau Gasol. Gasol was the one who started all this for L.A. His arrival made Tinseltown thinking championships again, providing Phil Jackson the production from the position the Lakers lost when Shaq decided to leave Kobe alone in Hollywood.

Sure, Perkins is a handful when he brings his A-game but the fact of the matter is, Gasol, at his worst, is STILL better than Perkins having a career game. The Lakers win this battle of the positions 3-2.

Does that mean the Lakers will win the 2008 NBA Finals? Not quite. There are still other things to consider like the Celtics holding the homecourt advantage and bench production from both teams. One thing’s for sure though, whoever has more points at the end of Thursday’s contest will win Game 1, you can bet on that.

Who will win Game 1 of the 2008 NBA Finals between Boston and L.A.? Bodog sportsbook has the odds.

Los Angeles Lakers +2.5

Boston Celtics -2.5

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Los Angeles Lakers Boston Celtics