FanHouse Roundtable: The Finals Are Here!

Team NBA FanHouse got together to discuss the series ahead. Be sure to join Brett Edwards' Game 1 live blog tonight shortly before the 9 p.m. Eastern tip.

Matt Moore: Thank you, Basketball Jesus, the day has finally arrived. What's crazy is that with all the hype, this isn't just a single game, nay, we've got possibly seven of these things. Let's start off with some nuts and bolts. What's the one matchup on either side you see as the biggest mismatch?

Tom Ziller: I'll say Kobe and Ray Allen provides the biggest opportunity for domination. Boston has shown it really does need Allen to score for the offense to stay afloat against good teams; meanwhile, Boston's going to have to scheme and help and fight and claw to keep Kobe contained.

That matchup lessens to potential disparity between the small forwards (Paul Pierce and Vlad Radmanovic). If the Boston defense is constantly rotating toward Kobe (and even Pau Gasol), Vlad's going to be open enough to be relevant. While Vlad will have trouble stopping Pierce, Boston just doesn't have the weapons to hurt the help defense constantly.

Matt Watson: The demise of Ray Allen has been greatly exaggerated. When you look at his final numbers for the first three rounds, the only series in which he suffered a notable drop from the regular season was the Cleveland series. He got back into a groove when Boston needed him most in Games 5 and 6 against the Pistons, and he can stay on that level, he'll cause problems for the Lakers. Don't get me wrong, Kobe Bryant will absolutely own this matchup on both ends of the court, but I don't see Allen being held to single-digits like he was earlier in the playoffs -- and if he goes off in a couple of games, he could determine the series.

Another matchup I think might surprise some people is Rajon Rondo. I can't say he's coming out of nowhere (I mean, really, the guy has his own commercials), but he's been a much bigger factor than I thought he'd be, proving that he's not afraid to step up in big-game situations even if that means surprising everyone and knocking down a three-pointer. Derek Fisher is obviously no stranger to performing in the clutch, but he's also 11 years older and several steps slower than Rondo.I don't see this matchup even being close.

Moore: I think the other question in terms of matchups has to be how Odom does on Kendrick Perkins. All week long that's what we've heard, that Odom will cover Perkins. Odom is not known to excel in extremely physical situations, and if you don't keep a clamp on Perkins, he can get you serious minutes, plus open things up for Leon Powe and Glen Davis. Odom's room for error in this serious is essentially nil, and he's matchup with someone bigger in a position he's not entirely comfortable in.

Ziller: I think touting Perk's potential impact in comparison to Odom's is perilous. Perkins has a tiny offensive repertoire, and Boston's not been a great offensive rebounding team (save a few Pistons games). How many times can lightning really strike?

Meanwhile, Odom's a former All-Star in a tailor-made at the would-be peak of his production curve. I don't think Perkins will record half Odom's scoring if they stayed matched up permanently.

I think the only way Perkins make a serious offensive impact is if Odom has to help on Garnett consistently, which is a possibility (though you'd imagine Phil Jackson could find a way to mitigate).

Predictions
Ziller: Lakers in 7.
Moore: Celtics in 6.
Watson: Lakers in 7.