The NBA Finals have arrived and the battle for the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy is set to begin. The Los Angeles Lakers and the Orlando Magic may not have been the fans or the NBA’s dream matchup, but it still will prove to be an epic battle of will power and talent.

Looking at the series, the Lakers come in as the clear cut favorite to win it all, despite Dwight Howard and the Magic beating the defending champion Boston Celtics and LeBron James and the Cavaliers who came into the playoffs with the best regular season record at 66-16.

Kobe Bryant leads this Lakers team into the NBA Finals for the second straight year hoping to have a different outcome than last season. Bryant was able to guide the Lakers past the Utah Jazz, a very tough Houston Rockets team, and a Denver Nuggets team that looked ready to win the title themselves.

Early on in the post season the Lakers struggled and didn’t have the same swagger as the team that dominated Western Conference opponents in the regular season. In Game 6 against the Nuggets, the Lakers finally looked ready to live up to the hype that has surrounded them since the beginning of the season.

On the other hand, the Magic have had a very different path to the Finals than their opponent.

Orlando struggled in the first round to take care of a determined and athletic Philadelphia 76ers team, but was able to move on with their amazing three point shooting. The Magic have lived by the outside shot all season, which has made it hard for teams to double-team Howard in the paint without getting killed from beyond the arc.

In the second round, the Magic had to get past the defending champion Celtics who still had to play without their best post players on the floor. Although it took seven exhausting games, the Magic were able to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. In the Finals, the Magic were dealt the task of knocking off the mighty “King James” for the right to play for the top prize in basketball.

Just like all year, Orlando was counted out before the series even began.

Despite playing the underdog role once again, the Magic were able to prevail over the Cavaliers and now have a shot a being crowned champions. Heading into the Finals, Orlando is focused on making the most of their opportunity while they have the chance.

"Coach talked about Dan Marino, how he said the first time he got to the Super Bowl, he was happy, he got caught up in being in the Super Bowl and the limelight and all that, and in the game he wasn't as focused," Howard recalled. "And Dan said the next time he gets to the Super Bowl, he's going to be more focused. But he never got back.

"So we really want to go into the Finals with the mindset that you never know what could happen," Howard said. "We could never go back again. There's no need to be happy or satisfied with just going to the Finals. We're going there to win."

So, with the stage set and the basketball world ready to anoint a team NBA champions, who will actually win?

This series will come down to a few simple questions and depending on the answers, that will determine who will walk away as champions.

The Lakers must choose whether or not to double Howard in the post, which at this point is a pick your poison type situation. Bryant has already stated that they will not double Howard, but instead leave it up to their big men to contain him. Extra attention to Howard will free up Orlando’s shooters which could make this series very short for the Lakers.

Another area to focus on is the coaching aspect which features legendary coach Phil Jackson against a first time Finals coach in Stan Van Gundy. Jackson and Van Gundy have polar opposite coaching styles with Jackson being cool, calm, and collected, versus Van Gundy’s chaotic, panic filled tirades.

While some people might not think this area matters, it will prove to be key in this series. Just like players can get nervous, so can coaches, especially when the championship is on the line.

For the Lakers to win, Bryant will need help from more than just Pau Gasol who has been very consistent this post season. Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum, and the rest of the bench will have to play well for the Lakers to have a chance. We all know what Kobe can and will do, but his supporting cast have to show up when the game starts. The world saw what happened to LeBron James when his teammates didn’t show up for critical games in this year’s playoffs.

In the regular season, the Magic beat the Lakers twice, which leaves the question of whether or not regular season statistics matter. When the Magic won, they had point guard Jameer Nelson playing at 100 percent. According to reports, Nelson will play in this series, but what kind of impact he has remains to be seen after missing the majority of the regular season and playoffs with a shoulder injury that required surgery.

Even though the NBA Finals won’t feature the dream matchup of Kobe vs. LeBron, they still will prove to be very exciting and a place where amazing is sure to happen. Game 1 of the NBA Finals takes place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Thursday night.