MikeLigalig.com

As we approach the midway point of the 2008 NBA Conference finals, the good news is both series are still up for grabs.

No offense to what the New Orleans Hornets accomplished this season, finishing with the second seed in the West, but there is no doubt the top four teams have made it to the dance and there are four very different possible combinations for the Finals, with each of them interesting in their own right.

Sure, the Los Angeles Lakers jumped out to a 2-1 lead on the defending champion San Antonio Spurs, but is anybody crazy enough to rule out the Spurs — winners of three of the last five titles? But the Spurs surely need to win Game 4 or the Lakers go home for Game 5 with a chance to clinch.

And yes, the Boston Celtics finally won on the road after a record-tying six straight losses until Saturday at the Palace of Auburn Hills, taking a 2-1 lead over the Detroit Pistons. But you all know the Pistons ... bad game, good game, bad game, good game. And it held suit, with Detroit taking Game 4 from the Celtics to even the series at 2-2.

So that sets all the utensils out on the table, with four possible combinations for the Finals. If majority rules, the Celtics and Lakers will meet, rekindling a historic Finals rivalry that has occurred nine times, dating back to 1959, when the Lakers still played in Minneapolis. And let's not forget the Lakers' Phil Jackson, he of nine NBA titles as coach (six in Chicago and three in L.A.), in a tie with Celtics legend Red Auerbach for the most rings in coaching history. One thing to consider is Jackson's teams have never lost a playoff series (40-0) when they win Game 1, as they did against the Spurs. With MVP Kobe Bryant leading the way and the home court, they are favored.

But that's not a guarantee.

The Spurs have the opportunity to win their fourth title in six years, something that nobody has done since the Celtics had their spectacular run of 11 titles in 13 years from 1957-69 . There is no trio in the league that has won as consistently as Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. You can knock them down, but knocking them out is an entirely different circumstance.

The Celtics triumvirate of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen has had more than their share of success during their respective careers. And during the regular season, they put together the best record in the NBA. It's different now, though, considering this is the first season the three All-Stars have played together on the Celtics.

Meanwhile, the hard-to-figure Pistons have shown the ability to come back in any series and have been to the Conference finals six years in a row, so they have the experience to bounce back against the Celtics. It's just always hard to figure what we will see from the Pistons, who have greatness but too often inexplicably lapse into a lifeless bunch during select games in the postseason.

So as we consider all of the above, let's look at the matchups to decide which one we'd like to see going forward:



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