With the conference finals playing out on both coasts, the NBA might yet witness the latest version of its most storied rivalry: LA-Boston. Both teams were up early in their respective series as of this writing, with the Celtics grinding out a 92-88 victory over the Orlando Magic and the Lakers walloping the Phoenix Suns 128-107. Boston leaned on their 30-something perimeter with the 25 points of Ray Allen and the 22 points and nine rebounds of Paul Pierce. Kobe Bryant, the real MVP, had some target practice with 40 points in a game where the Lakers out-sunned the Suns.

Since Lebron James imploded in the East Semifinals against Boston, it isn’t too hard to imagine the league corporate offices all aquiver with the prospect of a return match between Bryant’s Lakers and the Celtics of Allen-Pierce-Garnett. Few rivalries are as heralded and as long-running as this. Boston is looking for its grand debut title – their 18th NBA world championship. Los Angeles is looking for the second title in the solo Bryant era, and the fifth in Phil Jackson’s tenure as head coach. With all of the bicoastal as well as coast-loyal celebrity fans sure to be in the stands, this promises to be a sure blockbuster for David Stern and Co. “Anytime you can get the Lakers and the Celtics in the NBA Finals it is always a bestseller, maybe even bigger commercially speaking than the Super Bowl or the World Cup,” mused one media relations person.

Each team is full of institutional pride and rich history, and beating the other always ranks high on their personal brinkmanship list. Los Angeles however might have something more to prove, might want to win just a little more, since the Celtics thoroughly embarrassed them the last time they played for the crown just a couple years ago. Payback always makes for an even bigger take at the box office. “Definitely Los Angeles is still thinking about 2008, no matter how much they may deny it in the news reports, that sting never really goes away, at least not until they get their payback,” said one Western Conference executive with a broad smile. “That’s good news for fans looking for top quality ball, and even better news for the marketing guys in Madison Avenue.”

Before all this can come to pass though, both the Lakers and the Celtics need to wrap up their respective conference championships. Going up against two teams that are also dying to win it all is always a tricky proposition – neither the Suns nor the Magic have ever won an NBA title. These Game 1 victories notwithstanding, setting up a rematch in the NBA Finals might not be as easy as it seems.

Orlando is smarting from their first loss in these playoffs, and the entire team is taking stock. Boston beat Orlando by playing the tough and aggressive defense they were known for in their last championship run. This defense highlighted the Celtics big men, with Rasheed Wallace, Kendrick Perkins and Glenn “Big Baby” Davis taking turns or teaming up to put the clamps on Orlando superstar Dwight Howard. Each of them had their turn sticking it up chest-to-back with Howard in the low blocks, and nobody gave an inch. Wallace, the man who made technical fouls fashionable, even threw in a trick or two or three, getting under Howard’s skin and just plain flustering the best defensive player in the NBA. Wallace was looking a lot like the biggest mistake among all offseason acquisitions in the league the way he was out of shape and doing nothing but picking up technical fouls in the regular season. “It doesn’t matter what I do in the regular season. I will be judged for what I do in the playoffs,” he remarked midway through the season. Howard felt all at once what he meant.

Suddenly Howard was exposed for what he is: a spectacular athlete, built to the nines, but woefully short on the footwork and post skills that make for a legendary, franchise-making center. He may be the biggest and the strongest player in the entire conference outside of Shaquille O’Neal, but he just does not have the shaking, baking and pirouette moves that allowed all of those truly great centers to defy any defense. He still got his 12 rebounds in Game 1, just one below his regular season average, but he was held to only three field goals on 10 attempts and ended with 13 points, far below his averages. He rushed a lot of shots, could not get to the proper position, and was generally outwitted by Wallace and company. “They tried to get in my head, all I can do is play above that,” Howard explained. He’ll have to do a whole lot more than that if Orlando is to return to the NBA Finals.

Bryant meanwhile just went to town, including 21 points in a third quarter blaze that the Suns could only watch. Lamar Odom added a near-20 20 of his own, scoring 19 markers and pulling down 19 boards. A few wise guys said that this series comes down to only one fundamental fact: one side has Kobe Bryant, the other does not. In this Game 1 at least, Bryant is showing everyone exactly what that means. He was barely on the practice floor throughout the semi-long break before the West Finals started trying to nurse back all of those niggling injuries that bothered him throughout the season. He certainly didn’t look injured as he scored on every imaginable way, shape and form against the so-called Phoenix defense. “He’s the best scorer in the league, and time to rest was exactly what he needed. He just did everything today: fade-away, drive, go left, go right, slash, fill the lane, long jumper, everything,” exclaimed Odom.

Phoenix got 13 points and 13 assists from two-time MVP Steve Nash, and 23 points from Amar’e Stoudemire. They didn’t get much from everybody else though, especially when Bryant was tearing them a new one in the third quarter. A lot of their numbers came in garbage time when the outcome of this game was beyond doubt. They came into this game leading the playoffs with nearly 106 points per game, unheard of in the second season when defenses become much tighter. They may have made their average but they also allowed the Lakers to get 128 on them, once again proving the adage that an offensive team can rarely win it all. Phoenix wants to return to the NBA Finals themselves. The last time they were there was in 1993 when Charles Barkley was their superstar.

Whether or not they will have a finals rematch is still very much in their hands as in the way their respective opponents play the rest of these series. Both the Lakers and the Celtics know what it takes to win. The Lakers are the reigning and defending champions. The Celtics were in that same lofty spot just a year earlier. Certainly both teams want to add on to their already considerable championship tradition, and winning it at the expense of the other makes it that much sweeter. The basketball world is waiting with bated breath.