Most National Basketball Association prognosticators have picked the Los Angeles Lakers to advance to the NBA Finals for the third straight year and secure their second consecutive crown next June.

It’s really hard to go against the grain. That’s because the Lakers not only own a powerhouse lineup but also have 12 players back from the 2009 title squad.

Subscribing to the “if it ain’t broke, why fix it?” philosophy, the Lakers did not sign up any rookie and only had one addition to their 13-man opening-day roster – former Houston small forward Ron Artest.

Artest was signed as a free agent last July and subsequently took the roster spot of Trevor Ariza, who ironically defected to the injury-depleted Rockets also through free agency.

The Rockets, who pushed the Lakers to the maximum seven games during the 2009 Western semifinal playoffs, are without 7-6 Chinese center Yao Ming for the entire 2009-10 wars following foot surgery last May and also do not have high-scoring swingman Tracy McGrady for the first half of the season.

The Lakers’ Big Three – 2009 NBA Finals MVP Kobe Bryant, 7-foot frontliner Pau Gasol from reigning EuroLeague titlist Spain and valuable Sixth Man and recently-married Lamar Odom – remain solid as a rock.

Oft-injured center Andrew Bynum now appears to be in the pink of health, judging by his play during the preseason contests. The 7-foot Bynum, who turned just 22 during the Lakers’ season-opening 99-92 victory over their crosstown rival (and Staples Center co-tenant) LA Clippers, went down with an injury in mid-January in each of the last two years and was sidelined for months each time. He failed to suit up in the entire 2008 playoffs, including the NBA Finals against Boston (the Celtics won in six games), and was not a major factor during the 2009 postseason.

Also returning for the Lakers this season are forwards Luke Walton, Josh Powell and Adam Morrison, guards Derek Fisher, Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic and Shannon Brown, and 7-foot Congo enter D.J. Mbenga.

Outside of Ariza, Chinese guard Sun Yue is the only other player from the 2009 NBA championship team who’s no longer in Tinseltown.

The Lakers declined to exercise their option on the non-guaranteed second year of Yue’s two-year contract. He was waived last July.

New York picked up the 6-9 Yue last September 17 but the Knicks also released him early in training camp (October 7).

The NBA’s regular season is not a 100-meter sprint but an 82-game marathon. Anything can happen between now and April.

However, barring any injury to their key players (like the Lakers’ Bryant, Gasol, Bynum and Odom and Cleveland’s LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal), I see the Lakers and Cavaliers finally facing each other in the 2010 NBA Finals.

Most league observers had expected the two teams to clash in a “dream” finals matchup last June. The much-anticipated confrontation, though, was aborted when the Cavs were upset by the Orlando Magic in six games during the Eastern final playoffs.

The Magic went on to drop a 4-1 decision to the Lakers in the 2009 NBA Finals.