Finally, the NBA season has started. Something new to look forward to after seeing my favorite baseball team, the New York Yankees, not even making the playoffs and the Indianapolis Colts looking like shells of their former selves right from the start. But, there is always that prestigious question: Which team is going to win the NBA title? Here are my predictions on the NBA and playoffs.

The NBA Championship prediction:

As we all remember, last year’s NBA Championship series was one of the most thrilling ones in years that refueled a long lasting rivalry. Last year’s Championship Series was a true thriller. It would be tough to top a series like that with all of those clutch shots and comebacks made by Paul Pierce and Kobe Bryant. But this year, I am predicting even better.

This year, I expect the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers to have another gripping rematch only with a different outcome. While I do believe that the Celtics have a great core group of players, starting with Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen, I just see one major flaw that could hurt the Celtics while I see the Lakers just getting stronger and stronger.

I think that the Celtics’ major flaw with their team will be the lack of depth on the team and the talent of the bench scoring. The subtraction of James Posey in the off-season really hurt the Celtics’ bench. I am not sure they can trust players like Tony Allen and Glenn Davis to come in at crucial moments of the game. However, I do see the Lakers being more prepared for another big rematch against the Celtics.

With Andrew Bynum coming back from his injury, the Lakers interior defense will be much better. With Kobe being able to distribute the ball to players like Paul Gasol and Lamar Odom, he will also be able to shoot much more proficiently. We all know that he can shoot magnificently from anywhere he wants. Kobe has the versatility to be able to perform well both defensively and offensively. Kobe Bryant is one of those MVP’s that has that extraordinary ability to make other players’ talent and experience that much better. His leadership and determination to win a NBA title without the world-renowned rapping Shaq gives the Los Angeles Lakers the edge to beat the Boston Celtics. The bench will be so much better than the Celtics with Jordan Farmar and Sasha Vujacic, because of Kobe Bryant’s presence.

With all of that said, my prediction for this year’s NBA Championship series is the Los Angeles Lakers beating the Boston Celtics in six games. That’s right, Celtics fans; a rematch is brewing, and the Lakers are going to win that match up. Sure, anything is possible, but I say go Lakers!