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At the start of the NBA playoffs, Lebron James made things interesting. He predicted a championship in front of millions of fans.

I responded by saying...well, no you won't win the NBA championship. In fact, Mr. James, you're not even reaching the finals. It's gonna be the Magic.

At the time, this was probably the boldest of the predictions I made. And you might be asking yourself, "how did he know?" Well, that's my secret. All I can tell you is that the fans were wrong, Vegas was wrong, the writers were wrong, and Lebron was wrong. The sports reporters kept saying that Kobe and Lebron were on a collision course. But I was pretty sure the Magic were going to win the East as soon as Garnett went down.

Now I'm not predicting the outcome of the Finals. Too difficult. Like I said before, it's probably going to be the Lakers. But the Magic are really good, and very mentally tough. Problem is, so are the Lakers. Under Phil Jackson, the Lakers will never beat themselves. They'll never hang their heads and tank under pressure. They'll be playing their best, and the Magic will have to do the same. Let's see if they can.

By the way, I've said I don't like the Lakers. Here's why:

Phil Jackson is a great coach. But part of that greatness comes from a Bill Bellichik win-at-all-costs mentality that often gives rise to very ugly behavior from himself and his team. Not to mention cheating.

Kobe Bryant has the same approach to the game. But he seems like he's got a permanent chip on his shoulder. Always frowning and mean-mugging, Kobe never seems to enjoy himself. He might be skilled and graceful, but that doesn't mean he's enjoyable to watch. He'd do well to emulate Lebron, who has real charisma, charm, and an inspiring passion for the game.

Now that Shaq is gone, some say the Lakers are no longer unpleasant. But Shaq's replacements have undermined the game in their own ways. Take a look:

In what may be the definitive NBA finals preview, here's an overmatched Gasol repeatedly flopping against Howard.

All in all, I get the sense that the Lakers, following in Jackson's footsteps, are a bunch of tools. Here's to hoping that Howard and co. get the job done.