The emergence of point guard Rajon Rondo sparked the rejuvenated Boston Celtics to the NBA Finals.

Kobe vs. LeBron.

Ya’ll wanted it.

Heck, I even had dreams about it, but then reality set in and I knew the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers weren’t going to meet in this year’s NBA Finals.

In fact, I said one of four teams would make it to the NBA Finals instead.

My latter three choices were the Denver Nuggets, Charlotte Bobcats and Atlanta Hawks.

My first choice: The Boston Celtics.

Wow.

Either I know the NBA or miracles do happen. I’ll lean more toward the latter, but I have to know something about basketball to even make that kind of prediction because at the time, the Celtics were struggling.

Now they’re rolling and making me look like an NBA expert.

Kobe Bryant has lead the Los Angeles Lakers to the last three NBA Finals and become more of a leader during this stretch of success. He has a chance to win a fifth NBA championship ring this year.

Let’s get it on.

The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers are going to do it again. I know everyone wanted to see two-time NBA MVP LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers (for now) and Kobe Bryant go at it, but hey, seeing two teams renew their rivalry is the NBA Finals isn’t too shabby.

In 2008, the Celtics took the Lakers out in six games and in the series-clinching Game 6, they just ran them out the building with a 131-92 victory.

Two years later, the Lakers and Celtics meet again, but this time, Los Angeles comes in as the defending champs and unlike 2008, it has the home-court advantage this time.

The two teams are essentially the same from when they faced each other in 2008. You’ve got the Big 3 for Boston and Kobe Bryant is still the best player between the two teams.

 Here are the differences.

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The Boston Celtics are still up in this Eastern Conference finals series, 3-2, but would be wise to close it out in Friday's Game 6 at home to avoid a deciding Game 7 in Orlando against the Magic.

Uh oh.

After falling down 3-0 in a best-of-7 Eastern Conference finals series against the Boston Celtics, the Orlando Magic have won two in a row with the latest being a 113-92 win Wednesday night at home.

Now with series mojo on its side, Orlando can even the series in Game 6 Friday in Boston. The Celtics still have the advantage and history on their side as no team has ever come back from a 3-0 series deficit.

However, the Celtics have reason to be concerned.

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Now that Dwight Howard and Orlando Magic have won a game against the Boston Celtics in this Eastern Conference finals series, can they get another one Wednesday at home? If Howard controls the paint, the Magic will force a Game 6.

It took the Orlando Magic three games to figure it out.

The Boston Celtics made them look bad in taking a 3-0 Eastern Conference finals series lead, but the Magic won Monday night in overtime, 96-92, to force a Game 5 Wednesday in Orlando.

Now let’s be honest here.

With no NBA team having ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series, the odds are not in the Magic’s favor.

This is what is in their favor.

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If Dwight Howard can't play with fouls in Game 3 tonight, the Orlando Magic can kiss their championship aspirations goodbye.

We’re about 90 minutes before the start of Game 3  in Boston where the Orlando Magic will try avoid going down 3-0 to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals.

Here are three keys for the Magic to win this game and stay in the series because if they lose tonight, it’s over.

1. Get Rashard Lewis going. After averaging 17 points in Orlando’s sweep of the Atlanta Hawks in the conference semifinals, Lewis has scored 11 points total in the first two games of this series against the Celtics. At the same time, he can’t be standstill jump shooter. Got to mix his offensive game up.

2. Howard must keep cool. He’s been called for 42 fouls in 10 playoff games. His lowest foul total has been three and that was in Game 1 against the Hawks. Calls are going to go against him tonight, but he can’t let that frustrate him. Defense will win this game and the Magic need the two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year in the game.

3. Contain Rondo. While the Big Three – Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce – are key components to the Celtics, point guard Rajon Rondo is the one who makes the team go. Jameer Nelson has to put pressure on him to play the defense and get Rondo in foul trouble. That is a sure-fire way to keep him from dictating the game.

The Magic are more talented than the Celtics, but Boston has had the edge in terms of point-guard play and bench play in this series and have the edge in championship experience.

Although Orlando made it to the NBA Finals last season, the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Magic in five games. The Celtics beat that same Laker team in six games to win it all in 2008.

Like the first digit of his jersey number, Kentucky freshman point guard John Wall is the top player entering the NBA Draft.

Can five players from one school all wind up being lottery picks in the same year?

John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Patrick Patterson, Daniel Orton and Eric Bledsoe sure think so.

They each left the University of Kentucky this year for the NBA Draft, which is next month.

All five are NBA talents and many experts say all five will go in the first round.

The question I have is will Wall, Cousins, Patterson, Orton and Bledsoe be lottery picks. A lottery pick is someone taken in the first 14 picks of the draft.

We all know the 6-foot-4 Wall, who is blessed with tremendous talent, will be the first overall pick. Unless he gets hurt or the Washington Wizards know something the rest of us don’t, they will take Wall with the first overall pick.

Unless you got Kobe Bryant, point guard play is paramount in the NBA. Just see how Rajon Rondo has made Boston a legit title contender.

Didn’t Rondo go to UK too?

So let’s assume the Wizards draft Wall, where would the other four guys fit in the remaining 13 picks in the draft. Let’s take a look.

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Rajon Rondo and Doc Rivers are on the same page for Boston, which is bad news for everyone else in the playoffs.

Come on David Stern.

We don’t need a break this long between playoff games. We really don’t, but then again, we’re not playing the games.

However, the time between these games is pretty ridiculous. Yo Dave, you’re better than that.

After playing Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals Tuesday, the Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics won’t play Game 3 until Saturday in Boston.

Game 3 of the Western Conference finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns will be Sunday in Phoenix.

They played Game 2 Wednesday.

What amazing is after Game 3 of these two respective series, the remaining games will be played every other day as long as each series continues.

That’s even more puzzling, but I have a greater issue with the time in between Game 2 and Game 3. Each team should take advantage of the time off, though.

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Center Dwight Howard and point guard Jameer Nelson will have the same look they did after losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in last year's NBA Finals if the Orlando Magic are unable to figure out the Boston Celtics in this year's playoffs.

The Boston Celtics are the runaway locomotive no one in the Eastern Conference has been able to handle in this year’s playoffs.

After beating the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games, the Celtics take a 2-0 series lead heading into Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals Saturday at home.

Orlando is in big trouble.

The Magic got a big scoring night from Dwight Howard (30 points on 9 of 13 shooting), but he only got eight rebounds in Tuesday’s Game 2 loss, 95-92, at home.

So Boston has proven it can beat the Orlando even if Howard goes nuts offensively.

Here’s the laundry list of  problems for Orlando.

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LeBron James may have played his final game for the Cleveland Cavaliers in Thursday's Game 6 loss in Boston.

It’s over.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are done for this season and if LeBron James decides to bounce and join another game, they will be done for much longer.

Just for the record, as much as I thought Cleveland had the team to win it all this season, I predicted before the season began it wouldn’t even make it to the NBA Finals.

Who did I pick: The Los Angeles Lakers to win back-to-back and beat the Orlando Magic again. They’re both still alive. Who would have thunk it?

As for the Cavaliers, they won 60-plus games in consecutive regular seasons, James won back-to-back NBA MVPs and didn’t make to the finals last season or this season.

Something is wrong with that picture?

Who is to blame?

Well, let’s start at the top. Or near the top.

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Was this LeBron James' last game Tuesday night in Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena wearing a Cavalier uniform?

  The two-time MVP’s body language wasn’t good.

  And since LeBron James is their leader, the rest of the Cleveland Cavaliers were just as lifeless.

  Now they’re a loss away from seeing championship aspirations expire after losing Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, 120-88, to the Boston Celtics at Quicken Loans Arena.

  If the Celtics close out the Cavaliers in Thursday’s Game 6 in Boston, the sellout crowd of 20,562 may have watched James play his last game for Cleveland in Quicken Loans Arena on Tuesday night.

   They didn’t see his best effort.

   In fact, it may have been the worst playoff performance of his splendid 7-year NBA career.

    James had just 15 points, shooting a woeful 3-of-14 from the field. He only attempted four shots in the first half, missed them all and the electric energy that typically radiates off him was barely pulsating.

   By the fourth quarter when James missed a free throw with 10:31 in the game, sprinkle of boos came from the stands.

   James wasn’t the only who didn’t bring it Tuesday night.

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