Bryant, Lakers look to finish the job

The Los Angeles Lakers are returning to the National Basketball Association finals for the second-straight year to face Orlando, who are making their second trip to the showcase in 14 years.

The Lakers are also looking for their 15th NBA championship and first since 2002, the last of three-straight titles.

Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant said yesterday his team has some unfinished business to take care of when the finals begin later today at Staples Centre arena after losing to the Boston Celtics in 2008.

"The last few times we've been here it has been the short end of the stick," Bryant said after yesterday's practice at Staples Center arena.

"Hopefully this time around it will be better. We been through this hoopla last year. A lot of it was new to the guys that hadn't been there before.

"This time around we know what to expect."

Los Angeles coach Phil Jackson said his players haven't forgot last season's disappointing loss to the Celtics.

"At this level when you lose, you go home and you think about it for a long time," Jackson said. "It is something that is certainly a motivating thing. It really pushes us.

"Once you have had a taste of what it is like to be here it is a motivator."

Magic centre Dwight Howard may not know what it is like to play in an NBA final before this but he understands his teammates and feels they are ready to respond to the challenge.

"We've always been overlooked," Howard said. "We were overlooked in the first series against Philly. We were overlooked against Boston. We were overlooked against the Cavs and we are still being overlooked.

"We don't want to be the team everybody picks to win. So for us when everybody picks against us, it motivates us. It drives us to do something greater."

This is the Magic's first trip to the NBA finals since 1995 - when they were led by a young Shaquille O'Neal before he was signed as a free agent with the Lakers.

The Lakers have 2008 MVP Bryant and are deeper in talent than last year.

After beating Denver in six games in the semi-finals, the Lakers will have had five days off to rest and get ready.

Jackson said he preaches to his players the importance of making personal sacrifices for the good of the team.

"We've talked in the playoffs about what our dedication is and the selflessness that it takes to be part of the roles that have to be played on a team so that you can win. Everybody has to do their job," Jackson said.

The Magic won both regular season games between the two but they needed late three pointers in each game to do it. Orlando beat the Lakers 106-103 at home in December and 109-103 a month later at Staples Center.

Jackson says he doesn't much substance in a pair of losses from a couple months ago.

"Obviously those are mitigating circumstances," he said. "We had different people in the lineup, they had different people.

"We know we had a big lead the first game and lost. We learned that we made some mistakes in our match-up situations. And I thought Jameer Nelson had a really big second half in both games and was effective in hitting shots down the stretch in those two wins."

Jackson is looking for his 10th title as a coach and 12th overall. When his teams win the opening game of a playoff series he has a 43-0 record.

Van Gundy downplayed the coaching matchup on yesterday, saying that he's a big fan of Jackson's and is humbled to be coaching at the same level as one of the greatest of all-time.

"There's not a coaching match up," Van Gundy said. "If coach Jackson and I were our there one-on-one and he was an NBA player and I was a below average division three player in college, my guess is the advantage would go to him.

"The bad hips might even it a little but not enough to make a difference.

"The guy has won more playoff series than I have won playoff games.

"You are talking about one of the greatest coaches, if not the greatest in history of NBA, and I am here for the first time.

"It is a team match up. We are both trying to get our teams to play at the highest level possible and we will see what happens."

One thing is for certain you couldn't find two different characters running the benches.

"You have two great coaches," Howard said. "Everybody in this room can tell. Stan is more outgoing in-your-face type of coach and Phil is more of a laid-back coach.

"Their main objective is to get their teams prepared for battle."