After six weeks of hard, grueling, often contentious play in the NBA playoffs, we've finally reached the end. And what do we have? We've got East versus West. Disneyland versus Disneyworld. The glittery bright lights of Los Angeles versus the audaciously sunny skies of Orlando. And in the 2009 NBA Finals, we will all witness a showdown between the Los Angelas Lakers and the Orlando Magic, two teams who couldn't be more alike, yet different.

Alike. Talent. They definitely would need some if they got this far and both teams are definitely blessed in this category. In particular, both teams are led by two superstar talents in Dwight Howard for the Magic and Kobe Bryant for the Lakers.

Both Howard and Bryant were teammates and gold medal winners on the US Olympic team.  They both shoulder the burden of expectations for their respective coasts, cities, conferences and clubs. Both are called on to produce in the clutch, when it matters. And both are arguably the best at their position, not only in the NBA, but in the entire world.

But despite their supreme talents, both men were only able to get this far thanks to the skill and depth that surround them. To see how incredibly important this is, just look at how the Cleveland Cavaliers Lebron James faltered in the clutch.

For the NBA Finals, you have got the inside/outside skill of Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom matched up against the length and perimeter abilities of Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis. Additionally, both teams also feature a cast of starters/role players who have all stepped up their play at various times in these playoffs.  Players such as Andrew Bynum, Jordan Farmar, Trevor Ariza, Luke Walton, and Shannon Brown for the Lakers and Courtney Lee, Rafer Alston, Mickael Pietrus, Marcin Gortat, and Anthony Johnson for the Magic.

Difference. Expectations. Before the start of this season, how well did most people think these teams would do? I'd say many had penciled in the Lakers as repeat finalists and some went further and picked them to be champs. But Orlando? They were stuck in 3rd or 4th, in that second tier of contenders, behind the twin monsters of the East, the Celtics and the Cavaliers. Little changed as the season marched on.

Even when we entered the playoffs, the Magic were continually discounted as a non-factor. The Lakers, on the other hand, have handled the job as the favorite very well so far. After breezing through 3 rounds of hard-fought playoff action we are right where we started at the beginning of the season.

The Lakers are indeed finalists and by most accounts, the favorite. On the other hand the Magic, despite showing themselves to be better than people realize, are again the underdogs.

And in these finals, we will finally see who's set of expectations are correct. Thankfully, we have NBA 2K9 to help us determine a winner before the two teams even tip-off.

The Set-Up

By using NBA 2K9 on the Xbox 360, I set the quarters to 11 minutes mixed in with Nogster's excellent sliders to simulate the finals match-up between the Lakers and Magic.  The latest rosters were used from 2K as well.  I simulated the playoffs to get the Lakers/Magic match-up and then set myself as a neutral spectator and let the games play out. Let's find out how things went.

The Simulation

Game 1

Magic 120 Lakers 98

Top 3 Contributors
Magic
Rashard Lewis -18 Pts, 6 Reb, 3 Ast (7-9 FG) (4-4 FT)
Mickael Pietrus -18 Pts, 4 Reb, 2 Ast (7-13 FG) (1-2 3PT) (3-5 FT)
Courtney Lee -16 Pts, 2 Ast (6-8 FG) (3-5 3PT) (1-2 FT)

Lakers
Kobe Bryant -28 Pts, 9 Ast, 4 Reb (10-19 FG) (0-3 3PT) (8-9 FT)
Derek Fisher -20 Pts, 7 Ast (5-11 FG) (1-6 3PT) (9-10 FT)
Pau Gasol -13 Pts, 9 Ast, 3 Stl, 2 Ast (6-11 FG) (1-2 FT)

Breakdown: The Magic got out to a nice start in the 1st stanza opening up a 35-18 advantage. That lead only grew wider after two quarters and once the teams hit half-time, the game was practically decided.

Ultimately, the biggest difference in the game was the Lakers inability to stop the Orlando offense. Seven Magic players scored in double-digits and that was enough to overwhelm the Lakers, despite a nice scoring game from Kobe. Just an absolute blow-out for the first game of a final.

Magic Lead Series 1-0

Game 2

Lakers 138 Magic 109

Top 3 Contributors
Magic
Dwight Howard -27 Pts, 20 Reb, 3 Stl, 2 Ast (13-18 FG) (1-2 FT)
Rashard Lewis -18 Pts, 6 reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl (7-11 FG) (1-4 3PT) (3-6 FT)
Rafer Alston -13 Pts, 16 Ast, 2 Stl (4-12 FG) (1-7 3PT) (4-4 FT)

Lakers
Pau Gasol -22 Pts, 9 Reb, 2 Stl, 2 Blk (10-13 FG) (2-2 FT)
Kobe Bryant -19 Pts, 4 ast, 2 Stl (7-9 FG) (5-5 FT)
Jordan Farmar -19 Pts, 10 Ast (3-9 FG) (1-3 3PT) (12-13 FT)

Breakdown: Showing some embarrassment from the sub-par showing in game 1, the Lakers definitely came to play in game 2. They were propelled by the strong play off their bench and saw above-average contributions from Trevor Ariza, Derek Fisher and Andrew Bynum. They all played well and most importantly, they enabled their stars, Kobe and Pau, to play with confidence and authority.

And although it was a tight game through 2, the Lakers just blew it open in the 3rd winning the quarter by 13 pts, 38-25. That would just be too much for the Magic to recover from, tying the series at one game apiece.

Series tied 1-1

Game 3

Magic 111 Lakers 107

Top 3 Contributors
Lakers
Kobe Bryant -27 Pts, 7 Reb, 3 Stl, 2 Ast (9-20 FG) (1-4 3PT) (8-9 FT)
Pau Gasol- 26 Pts, 11 Reb (10-17 FG) (0-1 3PT) (6-8 FT)
Derek Fisher -16 Pts, 6 Ast (5-11 FG) (4-9 3PT) (2-2 FT)

Magic
Courtney Lee -19 Pts, 4 Ast, 3 Stl, 2 Reb (5-8 FG) (3-5 3PT) (6-8 FT)
Rafer Alston -18 Pts, 12 Ast (4-9 FG) (2-6 3PT) (8-12 FT)
Rashard Lewis -17 Pts, 12 Reb (7-15 FG) (2-5 3PT) (1-2 FT)

Breakdown: What a close game. The end came down to some clutch shooting from Rashard Lewis and the penetration ability of Rafer Alston.  This put several Lakers players in foul trouble.

Furthermore, this game saw a contrast of concentrated scoring versus all-around depth, as the majority of Laker scoring was split between 4 players, Bryant/Gasol/Ariza/Fisher and those four were the only ones able to score in double digits.

On the other hand, the Magic had strength in numbers as six of their players (Lee, Alston, Lewis, Turkoglu, Howard, Johnson) were able to crack 10 points or more on the night. And ultimately, that was enough to make the difference in this pivotal game.

Magic Lead Series 2-1

Game 4

Magic 122 Lakers 98

Top 3 Contributors
Lakers
Kobe Bryant -30 Pts, 6 Ast, 2 Reb (6-14 FG) (1-5 3PT) (17-19 FT)
Pau Gasol -20 Pts, 10 Reb, 4 Blk, 2 Stl (9-11 FG) (0-1 3PT) (2-2 FT)
Trevor Ariza -13 Pts, 2 Reb (5-7 FG) (1-1 3PT) (2-4 FT)

Magic
Hedo Turkoglu -23 Pts, 4 Reb, 3 Ast (8-10 FG) (2-4 3PT) (5-5 FT)
Rashard Lewis -21 Pts, 6 Reb, 3 Ast (7-11 FG) (3-3 3PT) (4-6 FT)
Dwight Howard- 17 Pts, 11 Reb, 8 Stl, 2 Ast (7-8 FG) (3-6 FT)

Breakdown: This one was close early, but the strength of the Orlando bench allowed them to decisively carry the second quarter.  That proved to be a huge difference maker as the Lakers -- apart from Kobe and Gasol -- just couldn't get it going. Key players such as Andrew Bynum played poorly for the Lakers and Derek Fisher was a no-show as he shot a horrendous 1-8 and contributed only 2 points in 31 minutes of play.

On the other hand, the Magic were just clicking, as all five starters plus Pietrus off the bench all scored in double digits. Dwight Howard had a monstrous game, missing a triple-double by only two steals. And for the Lakers, it's starting to look grim in our simulation as the Magic have taken a three games to one advantage.

Magic Lead Series 3-1

Game 5

Magic 97 Lakers 82

Top 3 Contributors
Lakers
Kobe Bryant -23 Pts, 5 Reb, 4 Stl, 3 Ast (11-19 FG) (0-2 3PT) (1-3 FT)
Lamar Odom -15 Pts, 11 Reb (6-11 FG) (3-5 FT)
Pau Gasol -12 Pts, 8 Reb, 4 Ast (5-11 FG) (2-4 FT)

Magic
Rashard Lewis -20 Pts, 6 Reb (9-15 FG) (1-1 3PT) (1-1 FT)
Rafar Alston -19 Pts, 7 Ast (5-9 FG) (2-5 3PT) (7-8 FT)
Dwight Howard -13 Pts, 12 Reb, 4 Blk, 3 Stl, 2 Ast (6-10 FG) (1-3 FT)

Breakdown: One very important note to make off the top. Unlike how the Finals have gone in previous series, the NBA Finals are played via a 2-3-2 system and not a 2-2-1-1-1. So instead of game 5 being played at Staples -- where the Lakers may have had a better chance of forcing a game 6 -- the finals are instead played back in Orlando. Could this have been a difference maker? Maybe. Although the Lakers fought valiantly throughout, they ultimately folded in the 3rd quarter, as they were outscored 32-16.

The main problem for the Lakers once again was the lack of scoring outside of their main stars.  Bryant, Gasol, and Odom all scored in double figures. Fisher did contribute 10 assists on the day, but he scored a meager eight points.  On the other hand, the Magic had multiple players step up again, including the suprising star of the finals Rashard Lewis. In the end, the Magic's multiple contributers were enough to provide the difference.

So congratulations to the Orlando Magic for securing their first NBA Championship, at least as simulated on NBA 2K9. Furthermore, the Finals MVP was awarded to Dwight Howard as he averaged 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game on 53.3 % shooting from the field.

Magic Win Series 4-1

Just A Little More...

Barring unforseen circumstances such as injuries or suspensions, this simulation has shown precisely what I talked about in the beginning of this article. Everyone is picking the Lakers to dominate, but I'm not sure that's how it'll play out. In fact, the Magic have beaten the Lakers twice this season -- albiet with a healthy Jameer Nelson. The Magic have also already pulled off an upset against the Cavs as well, despite the fact they won the season series against the Cavs. Although this simulation result seems kind of funky at first viewing, it may not be far from the truth.

No matter who wins the title, they will have successfully completed a fairy tale season on par with any Disney Movie available for viewing.  But who will be cast in the winners role? Will it be the destined Lakers or the emerging Magic? We will just have to wait and see.