LAKERS: BRING ON CP3 AND HORNETS OR DUNCAN AND SPURS

The Lakers-Jazz series went six games but I never felt the Jazz really threatened the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals.

The Jazz are a nice team but they lack a true superstar. They don't have a player who Shaquille O'Neal calls "assassins." Utah has borderline all-stars in Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer, but it doesn't have a player who can single-handedly destroy an opponent's gameplan. A player who can put a team on his shoulders on offense and carry them to victory. A player like Kobe Bryant.

There are only a handful of players like Bryant in the NBA - a true game-changer with a killer instinct. The Cleveland Cavaliers have that player in swingman LeBron James. The San Antonio Spurs have center Tim Duncan. And the New Orleans Hornets have point guard Chris Paul. The other player I would consider in this class is Dwyane Wade of the Miami (the 2006 version). It's no surprise that the Cavs, Spurs, and Hornets are all still alive in the playoffs.

(NOTE: Kevin Garnett is a NICE player but he almost always defers to someone else in the fourth quarter)

In the next round, Kobe and Lakers will face one of those "assassins" and each one presents a different problem.

Duncan can impact the game on both ends. The Spurs' gameplan on offense centers around getting the ball to Duncan in the post and their defense philosophy is to funnel everything to the 6-11 center (That's right, he's a center. Don't let the PF by his name fool you). Duncan is the foundation of everything the Spurs do. The reason why Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili do what they do is because teams always have to account for Duncan.

CP3 is the modern version of Isiah Thomas. His ball-handling is without peer and is very clever with the ball. When the Hornets run the pick-and-roll with Paul and Tyson Chandler, it usually results in a dunk or a layup. When the Hornets run the pick-and-roll with Paul and David West, it's a wide open mid-range jump shot. If those two options are taken away, Paul kicks it out to NBA sniper Peja Stojakovic. Pick your poison! If San Antonio, regarded as one of the best defensive teams in the league, can't stop Chris Paul, the Lakers will need divine intervention to shut down the best point guard in the league.

I always believe that championships are won and lost by superstars. To win a best-of-seven series, your star player needs to outplay the other team's best player. So, in the next round it's Kobe vs. Duncan or Kobe vs. Paul.

The NBA, it's where superstars happen. I can't wait.