With the NBA Finals starting on Thursday, it's time to break down the teams and hand out predictions. This doesn't look to be an epic battle of teams with an extraordinary rivalry, there is still a lot on the line. LeBron James is trying to initiate the writing of his legacy in the NBA, while Tim Duncan is trying to cement his. The Spurs have the edge when it comes to experience, while the Cavs seem to be a 'hotter' team as they bowled their way through the Eastern Conference. Let's get to the breakdown:

Point Guard -The Cavs don't really have a point guard since much of their offense revolves around handing LeBron James the ball and watching him go. Nonetheless, Larry Hughes has his name on the lineup in this spot for the Cavs and will face a tough task. Hughes injured his foot in the Eastern Conference Finals and if he tries to guard the quick, shifty and sly Tony Parker....he's going to have problems. Even if Hughes comes back perfectly healthy for Game 1, this match up spells trouble. For the Spurs, Parker will provide some scoring, but his main responsibility will be to get the Spurs in their offense so they can execute the heck out of the Cavs.Advantage: Spurs

Shooting Guard- It seems that one game it's all, "Sasha! Sasha! Sasha!" and the next game it's all...........(that signifies nothing). Sasha Pavlovic must be consistent in this series if the Cavs are to have any chance at all. His ability to hit jumpers and help out on defense will be one of the keys. For the Spurs, Michael Finley will be going for his first NBA Title and you can be sure he won't go down without a fight. While Finley isn't anywhere near the player he used to be, he is still serviceable and excels if he plays his role correctly.Advantage: Push

Small Forward -Some guy named LeBron plays this position for the Cavs and I hear he's pretty decent. It seems that LeBron has finally figured out how the heck to play correctly in the playoffs for the Cavs and that's good news for them. The bad news is that they run a shit offense that requires LeBron to expend a ton of energy on the offensive end of the floor. Also on the bad news front, until LeBron plays like a Basketball Jesus a little more consistently I'm not going to jump on the bandwagon. The Spurs will through out Bruce Bowen. He'll hit some 3's, play a little dirty and hustle a whole bunch. No one on Earth has a real chance at guarding LeBron when he's on, so don't expect much from Bowen as an individual defender....more on this later though.Advantage: Cavaliers

Power Forward -For the Cavs, Drew Gooden has actually become a fairly decent power forward for them this season. He hits the glass hard and scores some points while having that goofy 'duck tail' hair cut. Unfortunately, he's going to have to deal with Fabricio Oberto pounding on him all series long. Oberto is just another in a long line of Tim Duncan running mates. He's out there to work hard, rebound a little and hustle until his heart explodes. Oberto has some championship experience overseas, so he's not as green as you'd think he'd be.Advantage: Cavaliers

Center -Zydrunas Ilguaskus was a forgotten man during the regular season for the Cavs. Whatever offense the Cavs ran during games did not include him and you could almost feel the frustration secreting from his pores. Big Z has a nice jumper and some nifty moves around the basket, but is solely a backup scoring option for the Cavs, if even that. The Spurs have Tim Duncan.....the most consistent player in the playoffs thus far. Duncan has the most post moves in the NBA since Hakeem Olajuwon and is a pain in the ass to guard. Look for him to put up 22/10/3 blocks for this series. Duncan has three titles already and is dying to get his fourth.Advantage: Spurs

Bench -I'm happy that the Cavs found someone on their bench who can hit a jumper, but (as is the case with most Cavs players) until they start doing it consistently I'm not going to believe it. Boobie Gibson had a nice series against the Pistons, but how often did you hear about him before that? Donyell Marshall will come off the bench for the Cavs and look to hit some jumpers as well, but he's as streaky as they come. Eric Snow, Damon Jones....blah, blah, blah. Just when you think there is no hope....you have the match up between Anderson Varejao and the Spurs Manu Ginobili. At no time during this series will these players guard each other; instead, the match up is to see who is the best 'flopper' in the NBA. Varajao brings energy and rebounding skills....Ginobili brings scoring and experience. The rest of the Spurs bench is filled with veterans who fill their roles admirably. 'Big Shot' Robert Horry and Brent Barry will come off the bench to keep the offense moving and hit some jumpers while Jacque Vaughn will run the show when Parker needs a breather. Then, just when Drew Gooden is tired of being beaten on the head with Oberto's elbows, the Spurs will bring in Francisco Elson to finish the job.Advantage: Spurs

Coaches -I'm not sure I even need to break this one down. Mike Brown relies on an offense of handing the ball to LeBron and letting him go. While the Cavs have improved tremendously on the defensive end of the court, their offense is....offensive. If there is a coach in the NBA who can come up with a plan to slow down LeBron, it's Gregg Popovich. Look for the master strategist to trap and double LeBron all game long and force the rest of the Cavs to hit shots. The Spurs have shown that they can slow a game down or play up-tempo basketball and they are the best all-around team in the NBA.Advantage: Spurs

It's great that the Cavs are able to infuse the NBA Finals with some new blood, but when it all comes down to it the Spurs are just too strong.Look for the Spurs to win in 5 games with Tim Duncan being the NBA Finals MVP.

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