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The 2009 NBA Finals between the Orlando Magic and the Los Angeles Lakers begin in just a few minutes. After being up and down throughout the playoffs, have the Lakers finally put it together after destroying the Denver Nuggets on the road last Friday night? The Magic have really come together as a team in the playoffs with Dwight Howard playing his most dominant basketball in his career, his supporting cast living prosperously from beyond the three-point line, and talented Head Coach Stan Van Gundy taking advantage of matchup problems. What may not have seemed like an exciting NBA Finals at the start of the playoffs now appears to be very intriguing. Hoops 4 the Soul has analyzed all of the positions and is ready to make a prediction. Continue on to see who’s going to win the 2009 NBA Finals.

Looking at the resumes of Los Angeles Lakers Head Coach Phil Jackson and Orlando Magic Head Coach Stan Van Gundy, much thought wouldn’t seem necessary when deciding which team has the coaching edge in the 2009 NBA Finals. Jackson has coached in 11 NBA Finals, winning 9 of those series; Van Gundy has never coached in the NBA Finals. Jackson can tie Red Auerbach with 10 championships if his team is victorious in this finals; Van Gundy can merely beat his brother Jeff to the punch in winning his first title. While Jackson obviously has the more impressive coaching history, don’t discount Stan the Man, who is as good of a tactical coach as there is in the NBA. Continue on to examine the coaching battle between the Zen Master and the Ron Jeremy look alike.

With Jameer Nelson officially being added to the Orlando Magic’s roster for the 2009 NBA Finals, the underdog Eastern Conference champions get the bench edge against the Western Conference’s best, the Los Angeles Lakers. While Nelson will not be the All Star that he was prior to his torn labrum injury, his coming off the bench with the explosive Michael Pietrus makes Orlando an even more dangerous team. While L.A.’s supporting cast was very strong during the team’s run to the 2008 NBA Finals, its bench has come down back to earth in this year’s playoffs. While Shannon Brown has been a pleasant surprise and Lamar Odom brings so much versatility to the game, L.A.’s bench has been nonexistent for the most part. Continue on to examine both team’s sixth through twelfth men.

While this battle between two of the NBA’s youngest centers is a no brainer in favor of Orlando’s dominant Dwight Howard, L.A.’s Andrew Bynum can still be somewhat effective, if he comes out aggressive. Blessed with a soft touch around the rim, Bynum has done very little in the 2009 NBA Playoffs. It’s time for Bynum to come out with some hunger or Howard will have him for lunch and relegate him to the pine. As for Howard, this year’s playoffs have been his coming out party from a great young talent to an overall dominating force on both ends of the court. A man on the mission, Howard has played possessed since calling out his lack of touches in the second round, and both he and the Magic have been better as a result. Continue on to examine this battle in the paint between Orlando’s Superman and L.A.’s Invisible Man thus far in the playoffs.

Looking for a position beyond the ones Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard play that may determine whether the Los Angeles Lakers or Orlando Magic win the 2009 NBA Finals? Check out the power forward battle, where both teams present different mismatches. A small forward relegated to the four spot, Orlando’s Rashard Lewis creates problems for the Lakers with his ability to spread the floor and shoot the three. Boasting the low-post scoring ability that Lewis lacks, L.A.’s Gasol looks like he is overcoming the “soft” label that has been associated with him for years after having a great Western Conference Finals against the Denver Nuggets. Continue on to examine how both teams should exploit their offensive strengths and counteract their defensive weakness at the power forward position.

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