Following an outstanding regular season, the NBA will renew its greatest rivalry as the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers meet in the 2008 NBA Finals. These two franchises have combined to win 30 of 61 NBA titles, which will account for exactly half of the league's championships once this series concludes. The Lakers and Celtics have met 10 times in the finals with the Celtics winning eight of the 10 previous championship series matchups. In 1959 (when the Lakers resided in Minneapolis), the Celtics took the crown and followed it with wins over L.A. in 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969 and 1984. The Lakers broke the streak by beating Boston in 1985 and 1987. The storied franchises boast some of the greatest players in NBA history. Boston touts Hall of Famers such as Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, John Havlicek, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, while the Lakers' Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy are equally among the greatest to ever step foot upon a basketball court. Boston will make its 20th NBA Finals appearance and has won 16 titles, while the Lakers are making an appearance in the Finals for the 29th time in franchise history and hold 14 titles (nine in Los Angeles). There's also this little nugget of information: If L.A. beats Boston, Lakers coach Phil Jackson would surpass Celtics icon Red Auerbach with an NBA-record 10 championships (each has nine titles).

The history between these two teams is inescapable, but this particular series will come down to a few key factors. For the Celtics to win their 17th title, they'll first need to pound the ball inside to Garnett in hopes of getting Gasol and Odom into early foul trouble. The Celtics have more inside depth (and fouls to give) than L.A. in the form of Garnett, Kendrick Perkins, P.J. Brown, Leon Powe and Glen Davis, while the Lakers counter with Gasol, Odom, Ronny Turiaf and D.J. Mbenga. The Celtics will also need a strong series from Ray Allen, who will make Bryant work on the defensive end if he gets hot. Another key will be Pierce's offense, which the Lakers will have a difficult time defending with Vladimir Radmonovic and Luke Walton. Rajon Rondo will have plenty of opportunities to knock down open jumpers, and he’ll need to capitalize while making wise decisions in the transition game. Kendrick Perkins, who averaged 9.2 rebounds in the Detroit series will need to continue to play solid defense and crash the glass.

The Lakers, meanwhile, will need a strong showing from their bench. Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic, Walton and Turiaf have delivered invaluable minutes thus far in the playoffs, and their contribution is essential if the Lakers are to claim the title. Additionally, if the Lakers' 6-8, 210-pound, small forward Trevor Ariza is healthy enough to play he could make a significant impact guarding Pierce. The 3-point shot will also be a key for Los Angeles; they have shot 37.6 percent from beyond the arc thus far and this trend will need to continue. When Bryant and Gasol face double-teams, Fisher, Radmanovic and Vujacic, in particular, will need to capitalize on their opportunities from long range.

Boston's home-court advantage also looks to be an important factor in this series; the Celtics boast a 10-1 home record in the playoffs. Still, the Lakers have won on the road in each of their first three series, including a Game 6 close-out game at Utah and a key Game 5 win at San Antonio that put the Spurs in what proved to be an insurmountable 3-1 hole. Transversely, Boston’s road difficulties have been well-documented. Despite the fact that Boston took two of three games on the road in Detroit, including a series-ending Game 6 at the Palace of Auburn Hills, Boston’s road record in the playoffs is a dismal 2-7. Look for L.A., which holds an impressive 8-0 record in home playoff games, to win at least one of the first two games at Boston and two of three at home before closing the series out in six games back at TD Banknorth Garden.