This article originally appeared on June 4, 2009

It?s been nearly a year since the Lakers suffered a 39-point defeat in the series finale against the Boston Celtics. With that loss etched in their memory, the Lakers entered the 2008-09 season with one objective: Win the NBA championship. Anything less, and their 65-win regular season will be for naught.

No one expected the Orlando Magic to advance to the Finals. Overshadowed by the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics, the 59-win Magic were categorized by many as a soft, perimeter-oriented team that would live -- and ultimately die -- by the longball.

This may not have the fanfare of Lakers-Celtics, or Kobe-LeBron, but this year?s Final features an NBA rarity -- two evenly matched teams playing their best basketball at the exact same time.

In the playoffs, the Lakers have scored 108.6 points per 100 possessions, and given up 101.8 points per 100 possessions on the defensive end (plus-6.8 point differential). Orlando, by comparison, is scoring 107.5 points per 100 possessions, while surrendering 100.5 points per 100 possessions defensively (plus-7 point differential).

Both teams run inside-out, motion-oriented offenses. Orlando runs the classic "4-around-1." Their first option is to establish Dwight Howard down low, where he can go to work on his man, or draw a double and pass out to one of four sharp-shooting teammates. If Howard is unavailable, Orlando will high screen and rolls, with Hedo Turkoglu as the preferred ball-handler, and Howard or Rashard Lewis setting the pick.

Double Howard, and he?ll kick it out to Lewis, Turkoglu, Mickael Pietrus, Courtney Lee, or Rafer Alston for the open three. Leave Howard on screen-and-roll he?ll roll to the paint for an easy dunk. Lose Lewis, and he?ll slip out behind the arc for an open triple. Let Turkoglu turn the corner and he?ll take advantage of a 4-on-3 situation by scoring the ball himself or creating a scoring opportunity for one of his teammates. Get the picture? Orlando is a matchup nightmare.

It?s possible to limit Orlando?s open looks by playing Howard one-on-one, staying home on their perimeter shooters, and defending the screen/roll with two defenders, but very few teams have the personnel to execute that strategy.

The Lakers just happen to be one of those teams.

Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol have the length, strength, and mobility to contain Howard alone. And the Lakers have four frontcourt players 6-8 or taller who can defend the high screen/roll, plus chase Orlando's shooters off the three-point line.

Look for Lakers coach Phil Jackson to defend Howard with single-coverage for most of the series, but if Howard proves he can score on Bynum and Gasol, Jackson will undoubtedly alternate coverages by doubling Howard on the move and/or on the catch. Howard has improved his ability to pass out of double teams, but he?s still susceptible to careless turnovers and offensive fouls when bottled up.

Derek Fisher will likely split time defending Alston and Lee, with Kobe Bryant defending Orlando?s primary ball-handler. Alston?s quickness could give the Lakers trouble, but he?s more of a spot up shooter in Orlando?s halfcourt offense, and still tends to take too many chances in transition.

Trevor Ariza will start on Turkoglu after a stellar series versus Carmelo Anthony and the Denver Nuggets. Ariza seems to be gaining confidence by the minute, particularly on the offensive end, where he's hitting 50 percent of his 3-point attempts in the playoffs. He has the requisite length and athleticism to make things difficult for Turkoglu on the perimeter.

Rashard Lewis versus Pau Gasol may be the most intriguing matchup of the series. Lewis is capable of taking Gasol out on the perimeter or blowing by him off the dribble, while Gasol has the size and skill advantage down low. Jackson also has the option of going small and inserting Odom into the four spot opposite Lewis.

Offensively, the Lakers will try to establish Pau Gasol in the post on the strong side triangle, or reverse the ball to Bryant at the weak-side pinch post. Orlando is the best defensive team in the league and had quite a bit of success double teaming Bryant on pick-and-rolls in their two regular season meetings with the Lakers, but the Magic haven?t faced a versatile offense in quite some time. Philly, Boston, and Cleveland were isolation heavy teams with little to no low-post scoring, which allowed Howard to shade toward the ball without being punished underneath.

The Lakers sport five offensive weapons at all times, and the triangle offense is a continuous sequence of movements that will keep Howard?s head on a swivel. Howard?s Defensive Player of the Year award was well-deserved, but his court awareness will be put to the test against the Lakers.

Orlando does a tremendous job of preventing high percentage looks at the basket while chasing opponents off the three-point line. The Magic will concede the long two, which is the most inefficient shot in basketball; however, the Lakers present a few mismatches of their own.

Lewis can?t defend Gasol on the low block. And both Gasol and Bynum will make Howard work on the ball, which could lead to early foul trouble.

Ariza and Odom are the Lakers? X-factors. Ariza comes into the Finals shooting 55.8 percent from the field. Odom is shooting 51.9 percent from beyond the arc. Orlando is thought of as the better three-point shooting team, and rightly so, but the Lakers enter the Finals shooting a higher percentage from long-distance (37.9 to 36.7 percent), although Orlando has taken 106 more three-point attempts (444-338) through the first three rounds of the playoffs.

The Lakers have the advantage off the bench as well. Pietrus gave the Magic a big boost through the first three rounds, and comes into the Finals on the heels of a series in which he shot 47.2 percent from the three-point line, but Sasha Vujacic is a persistent defender who is more than capable of disrupting Pietrus' rhythm. (Vujacic was very effective for stretches versus Houston?s Von Wafer and Denver?s J.R. Smith.) Moreover, Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown?s athleticism will cause matchup problems for Anthony Johnson and/or Jameer Nelson. Plus Marcin Gortat will struggle to stay on the floor because he?s a non-factor offensively.

Lee and Pietrus will likely split time defending Bryant. Pietrus was effective for short spurts versus LeBron James in the Eastern Conference Finals, but Bryant's skill set poses a different set of problems, and his superior supporting cast makes it difficult for opposing teams to tilt their defense toward the strong side. Further, Bryant makes his living off the long two point shots that Orlando concedes, and is attacking the basket and getting to the line at a season-high rate. Bryant attempted 12 free throws per game versus the Nuggets. He enters the Finals shooting 89.5 percent from the charity stripe.

Simply put, Bryant took his game to another level in the Western Conference Finals, and it just so happened to coincide with Jerry West?s comments about LeBron being a better player. West was quoted as saying that LeBron had ?surpassed? Kobe on May 18th. A day later, Bryant erupted for 40, scoring fifteen of his team?s final 23 points to lead the Lakers to a 105-103 Game 1 victory over the Nuggets. He?s been on a tear ever since.

Bryant, who often refers to himself as a "student of the game," is well aware of his legacy. He knows this is his best -- and perhaps last -- chance to reclaim the title as the world?s best player. Magic Johnson lost four NBA Finals. Larry Bird lost two. Another Finals loss would bring Bryant's career total to three. I just don?t see that happening.

Playoff basketball is all about matchups, and the Lakers have the advantage at two of the five starting positions, off the bench, and own a slight edge on the sideline with Phil Jackson. In addition, I can?t help but conclude the Lakers will simply want it more. Back-to-back Finals losses would shake the Lakers franchise to its core, while in many ways Orlando has been playing with house money since Game 7 of the Semifinals.

Prediction: Lakers in six.

Brandon Hoffman is a frequent contributor to RealGM. To read more from Brandon, check out his blog at BallerBlogger.com. Questions, comments, and criticisms can be sent to ballerblogger@yahoo.com or you can follow him on Twitter.