NBA Finals Preview

This is it. The coronation of a new king. The king. King James I. He grew up overnight. He was a junior in high school when he first appeared on TV. He was on the cover of Slam Magazine. He became the poster child of basketball. He became The Future.

Every basketball fan on the planet knew he would be taken first in the 2003 NBA Draft. It was a no-brainer. And he started his career with a splash, ripping the Sacramento Kings. He had 25 points, nine assists, six rebounds and four steals.

Three years, 221 days and 21 hours after his first appearance on an NBA court, LeBron James is there. He is in the NBA Finals. It took the performance of a lifetime in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals and the emergence of Daniel Gibson in Game 6, but the Champ is here.

And now it's time for him to shine.

The challenge is formidable. LeBron James and his Cavaliers face Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs won NBA titles in 1999, 2003 and 2005. In each three title wins, Duncan won Finals MVP. He has slowly but surely found his way into conversations regarding the greatest big men -- and players -- of all time.

Duncan has great teammates around him. Tony Parker is one of the top five point guards in the league. Manu Ginobili is the best sixth man in the league. And the role players are working hard and getting results.

Here are the probable starting lineups and key players.

Larry Hughes PG Tony Parker
Sasha Pavlovic SG Michael Finley
LeBron James SF Bruce Bowen
Drew Gooden PF Tim Duncan
Zydrunas Ilgauskas C Fabricio Oberto

Key Cavs reserves
Point guard Daniel Gibson, point guard Eric Snow, forward Anderson Varejao, forward Donyell Marshall and guard Damon Jones

Key Spurs reserves
Wing Manu Ginobili, forward Robert Horry, shooter Brent Barry, forward Cisco Elson and point guard Jacque Vaughn

-- The biggest match up is Bowen and James, no questions asked. Parker told reporters that the Spurs would guard James straight up, one on one. No help defending. No double teams. No triple teams. Just man-to-man, nose-to-the-grindstone defense. Yeah, good luck, Bowen. Here's to hoping LeBron isn't hurt by another Bowen cheap shot.

-- The Cavs will need Hughes to rebound from his sluggish performances throughout these playoffs. He has to be better.

-- Cleveland will also need its big men -- Gooden, Ilgauskas and Anderson -- to produce. They'll be busy covering Duncan, but they have to score. A lot.

-- Duncan can't fade in and out of the games like he did against Utah. Sure, he put up good numbers, but he needs to dominate. He has the teammates around him to carry some of the load. Still, this series is his for the taking. If he establishes himself, the Spurs win. And arguably easily.

I hate making predictions. I'm terrible at them. I always get them wrong. So instead of trying to sound smart, knowledgeable or anything like that, I'll go with what I know best: rooting for a team and picking accordingly.

I haven't wanted a team not to win the NBA title more than the last time Jordan and the Bulls were in the Finals. I rooted so furiously against the Bulls that I had trouble sleeping when they won. Now, I have a new hatred: the San Antonio Spurs. They are boring. They are mechanical. They are everything the NBA doesn't want as the league's champ.

This is supposed to be the coronation of the king. And I will predict what I want to see.

I want LeBron to average a triple-double. I want him to score 35 points a game. I want him to pass the ball better than Magic in his heyday. I want him to rebound like Bill Russell. I want him to steal like John Stockton.

I'll say Cavs in six. They'll win it in Cleveland. They'll shred the history books. And I'll be cheering.