It’s sometimes difficult to separate emotion from prediction but I’m willing to try when thinking of the NBA Finals.

Even though I’ll be pulling hard for Orlando to BEAT LA, I see this one breaking the Lakers way.

The matchups all favor the Lakers and the only real edge that the Magic have is at the center position with Dwight Howard. I can’t see Phil Jackson allowing Howard to roam the key unfettered, instead using his cadre of big men to hack and frustrate the big man into relative oblivion.

Howard struggles from the free throw line and I fully expect Jackson to roll out DJ Mbenga and others to employ the Hack-A-Shaq approach in defending the young star.

The Lakers won’t allow the Magic’s three-point snipers to get loose and Kobe will not be stopped. Thus, against my best wishes it’s going to be Lakers in 5.

UNIT GOES FOR 300

First of all, I was quite incorrect in my analysis about the Giants potential struggles this year. The team has done very well in the early going, avoiding the pitfalls that could lead to a 100-loss season.

One of those bad news scenarios I posited was the long drawn out quest for Randy Johnson to get 300 wins. He gets his first crack at that milestone tomorrow night against the ultra-hapless Washington Nationals.

Even though Johnson (5.71 ERA) has not pitched well, he has racked up 4 wins, getting him close to the milestone ahead of schedule.

He’ll get two starts on this road trip to try and reach the milestone but if he falls short, you can catch his third try June 13 at home against the A’s.

It’s always very convenient to use the phrase “Best Ever” when talking about a playoff series or championship event but I shy away.

That said, this NBA conference championship season has been incredible and maybe worthy of the “Best Ever” moniker.

Denver hosts the Lakers tonight in Game 6 and if form holds, the Nuggets will win and force the all-important game 7 Sunday back in <Los Angeles.

I fully expect the Nuggets to handle the on-again, off-again Lakers tonight in Game 6 to force the series back to L.A. I have become a bandwagon Nuggets fan, even donning my Earl Boykins Nuggets throwback jersey at work on two occassions.

I’m calling a 112-105 Denver win in Game 6 but I’m standing by my earlier prediction of Lakers in 7, despite my hopes that the lakers get knocked out.

The Eastern Conference finals have been even better than the West, with all six games being hotly contested down to the wire affairs.

Lebron found a way to get his teammates involved last night in the must-win game 5 and he’ll have to get the same amount of help if they’re to win Game 6 in orlando Saturday.

Even though I had Cleveland winning in my earlier post, I think their dream ends tomorrow in orlando. The Magic have become a really good team; using as many as 10 players in a balnced fashion to stun the Cavs and the league at large.

If Cleveland and Denver force game 7’s then maybe this conference championship season is the best ever.

CAIN GETTING JUST DESSERTS

Really glad to see Matt Cain pitching so well and actually getting some personal rewards for it. He’s 5-1 with a great 2.40 ERA and he’s finally getting some run support that has him and the team thriving.

The past few years have been futile for Cain from the standpoint of wins. the team offered little to no run support and despite his good outings, he had a losing record.

Suddenly the team is delivering for him and he has a good chance of earning his 6th win of the year tonight. Thanks to his solid pitching and the enlivened offense, he has a chance for a spot on the All-Star team.

The NBA is down to it’s Final Four teams with one conference Final best-of-seven clearly stealing the spotlight from the other.

With all due respect to the Flying Lebrons, aka the Cleveland Cavaliers, and so-called Superman (Dwight Howard) and the Orlando Magic, most of my interest lies out West.

The Lakers and Nuggets emerged from the regular season as the top two seeds in the Western Conference and from all the pre-series chatter, this looks to be very competitive and hard-fought.

Los Angeles has the home-court advantage, although I see them giving it away by losing one of the first two games. The Lakers have shown a propensity to not show up this postseason.

Matchup-wise, Denver will have to get big efforts from its’ big players. I think the series will turn on Nene, Birdman, Kenyon Martin, and even the underrated Linas Kleiza.

If the Nuggets’ interior players neutralize Pau Gasol, intimidate Andrew Bynum, and frustrate lamar Odom with their athleticism then they have a much better chance at winning.

Kobe Bryant is more than an X-factor; he’s the A-Z factor. He is their alpha and omega and there will be times in all games that he will take over. He’ll single-handedly win 2 games by himself.

Chauncey Billups and Carmelo Anthony will play well and carry Denver to three wins. I see the series coming down to a game 7 showdown in L.A. and the experience of the Lakers will win out.

That said, it’s all Denver all the time in our house, hoping against hope they can beat L.A.