That's what we wrote more than a month and a half ago when we explored the odds of the 2008 NBA finals ending up a Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers affair, just like old times. And whaddya know? It happened. (Hey, we're as shocked as you. After all, this is the publication that once opined that Eight Belles had "a fighter's chance" at the Kentucky Derby. Um... oops?)

Bodog Nation curses aside, the Lakers are the fairly overwhelming -190 favorites to capture the franchise's 15th NBA title, but when the gold and green tip off on Thursday in Beantown, the only sure bet is that fans will be treated to a whole slew of rose-colored recollections. Like the time the Celtics nearly blew a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter of Game 7 in 1969, only to hold on and send Bill Russell victorious in his final game, or Kevin McHale's clothesline of Kurt Rambis in 1984, or Dennis Johnson's game-winning jumper with a second left in 1985 or Magic Johnson's baby hook in 1987.

There are simply too many memories to recount, which is sort of a good thing, because the past is the past, and it's not like today's players can't fashion a few memorable moments of their own.

Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant will get the most attention from fans and opponents alike, no surprise, considering he's leading all postseason scorers with 31.9 points per game. Boston's leading scorer is Kevin Garnett, with 21.1.

When Bryant scored 35 of his 39 points in the final 2.5 quarters of the Lakers' clinching victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals, the performance left his teammates in awe.

"Those plays down the stretch," forward Luke Walton said, "I was thinking, 'Thank God he's on our team.' We saw it coming. We saw it in his eyes that he was going to be making his plays."

Of course, all the praise being heaped upon No. 24 hasn't stopped a writer in Boston from giving Bryant the ol' "You're good, kid, but you're not Michael Jordan good." Well, no shit. And in other news, Sidney Crosby is no Wayne Gretzky, but he's still the best hockey player not currently on the golf course. (He tees off tomorrow, at least according to NHL oddsmakers.)

Most NBA oddsmakers have the Celtics by a slight 2.5 points in Thursday's Game 1. In Boston's first game with Atlanta, the Celts were laying 15. Against the Cavs and Pistons, it was 10 and 4.5, respectively. So, obviously, sportsbooks are saying that the Lakers are Boston's toughest opponent to date.

Also of concern for Celtics fans is the play of Ray Allen, one of the team's big three, the other two being Garnett and Paul Pierce. Allen averaged 17.4 points per game in the regular season and shot 44.5 percent from the field, 39.8 percent from 3-point range. In the postseason, the numbers are 14.2, 40.3 and 34.0, all of them down.

Allen was a shell of his former self against Atlanta and Cleveland, and while he had a couple of big games against the Pistons, inconsistency was still a problem. In Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals, he shot 25 percent from the field. The next game, it was 60 percent, after which Pierce commented, "You know, Ray is going to continue to be Ray, regardless of how he shoots. Just his presence on the floor is a big help. Tonight, he just happened to have it really, really going. He was real aggressive pretty much throughout the game."

Still, the question remains, which Allen will show up on Thursday?

Cliff Lee Is Struggling... Sort Of

He was pretty much unstoppable to start the season. Cleveland Indians pitcher Cliff Lee won his first six starts of the year, fashioning an ERA of 0.81 in the process.

He's 8-1 as we enter June and his ERA is still scintillating (1.88), but his last three outings have been far from perfect. Against the Reds, Rangers and Royals, Lee surrendered 11 earned runs over 18.1 innings and twice gave up 10 hits. His next start comes Wednesday in Texas.

What Did We Tell You (Too Soon)?

OK, we were a week early in predicting Kenny Perry's first victory of the 2008 PGA Tour season, but hopefully a few of you cashed in on the 47-year-old's triumph at the Memorial.

The Stanford St. Jude Championship is on the schedule this week. Of course, most of the betting action will be pouring in on the following week's event. That would be the U.S. Open. Yes, Tiger Woods is expected to play. Yes, he missed the cut the last time he played the year's second major immediately following an extended layoff.

Yes, he's still the favorite.