Lakers-Spurs -- Prediction

The Lakers have clearly been the class of the West so far, actually ever since the Gasol trade. Their level of efficiency on offense, the easy baskets, and of course, Kobe, make them a very difficult cover. It's hard to take anything away from them.

The Spurs, meanwhile, showed some deficiencies (Games 1, 2, 5 vs. New Orleans), but they also showed the mettle of defending champions (Phoenix series, Game 7 vs. New Orleans). They're still good, but not as good. Duncan doesn't dominate as frequently, and Ginobili still has no explosiveness pushing off that gimpy ankle. His drives have been reduced to almost nothing.

Lakers in 6