As I prepare for the Sunday morning show, I can't help but think about one of the most exciting prospects in all of sports...Game 7. And today, we get two of them in the NBA Playoffs. The LA Lakers take on the upstart Houston Rockets, who inexplicably forced a game 7 without Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady, and even without Ron Artest for portions of the two games he was kicked out of. Meanwhile, across the country, the Orlando Magic are going into Boston to take on the defending champion Celtics, who have been surviving with a depleted front line (Brian Scalabrine anyone?).

I think the Lakers will take care of business today, but have really showed us their true colors. Sure, there have been teams that lost multiple playoff games and won the title in years past (even last year), but Jordan's Bulls dropping games to teams with Reggie Miller, Stockton & Malone and others isn't quite the same as the Lakers dropping games to Carl Landry and Luis Scola. I think Kobe and crew will win Sunday, probably by a decent margin, but I don't see anyway they beat the Cavs in a presumed Finals matchup...and I'm even starting to doubt their ability to get past the Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals.

I think the major problem with the Lakers is this: teams take on the identity of their leaders. For LA, this is Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant. The Zen Master has honestly been coasting, and hasn't really shown any urgency...so that's not a great attitude to take. And then there is Kobe. I believe he is desperate to win the title without Shaq. He is willing to do whatever it takes. Great role model for his teammates then, right? Wrong. I think Kobe is so distant from his teammates, so "above them" if you will, that they can't identify with him at all...making it hard for them to follow his leadership. Not to mention the fact that those teammates are flawed in their own ways; Derek Fisher (aging before our eyes), Pau Gasol (talented but still can't shake the "soft" title), Andrew Bynum (dealing with injuries? Immature?) and Trevor Ariza ( I actually really like Ariza, but he's not a 3-point shooter).

Prediction: LA by 13.

As for the Magic-Celtics matchup, I think it will be the better, more exciting game. The Celtics, in all honesty, probably should have lost to the Bulls, and with their injuries, appear on paper to be vastly inferior than the Magic, talent-wise. But then why have the Magic been unable to finish the Celtics off? Because of a few reasons. One, Rajon Rondo is officially a star point guard in this league. Two, Paul Pierce is still an extremely talented scorer, one of the top wings in the league. And Ray Allen, while he has struggled, still has a sweet stroke and is still a major threat every time to flicks his wrist.

Having said that, having a talented point guard, slashing small forward and sweet shooting 2-guard does not a deep run make...in fact, that lineup sounds eerily similar to the New Jersey Nets with Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson. The difference between this "never-say-die" team and those Nets is championship heart. Boston just won't roll over and die because people say they should...because people say they can't go anywhere without KG. They refuse to lose, and you have to admire that.

As for the Magic, why has Dwight Howard struggled so much during this series? Because he's not Tim Duncan. He's not Shaq. His points come off alley-oops, putbacks and dunks...he's doesn't have much of an offensive game. There is literally no excuse for him not being able to dominate Scalabrine, Big Baby etc. Plus, the skill players around him need to be really firing those 3s for the team to succeed, so Howard gets fewer touches than dominant offensive players normally get. And you have to wonder why, if this team is really a contender, could they not put away the injury plagued Celtics.

Prediction: While a Magic win wouldn't shock me, I think championship heart (and homecourt advantage) win out. Boston by 6.