Cavaliers? No.

Earlier, I detailed why I picked the Lakers to win it all. Now, the flip-side: why the undisputed favorites, the Cleveland Cavaliers, won't win it.

The Cavs, under the muscle-bound wings of MVP Lebron James, coasted into the playoffs with a cool 61 wins. Best in the NBA. They beat everyone they were supposed to beat (that is, pretty much the bottom 2/3rds of the East), and even had convincing wins against teams they struggled with last year (including that huge statement win against the Lakers on Christmas day). They rolled through the season, and the first round against the Chicago Bulls. They look unstoppable, right? Wrong!

I don't see it. For one, the Cavs play in the Eastern Conference. Essentially a junior varsity league, there is no reason why the Cavs shouldn't have stomped all over the lesser teams. Imagine instead though, that they had to play in the west? Do you think that record would be as impressive? I sure don't. Instead of playing the Bulls, Heat, Bobcats, and the like, they'd have to play the Thunder, Spurs, and Blazers. All those easy wins suddenly go away.

Also, hypothetical: Remove Lebron James. Is that team any better than, say, the Raptors? Or (gulp) the Wizards? I'd say not. Without Lebron, your go-to play-maker is either Jamison or maybe Mo Williams. You can't win a championship with those two.

"Who gives a shit, Scott?" You may ask. "Because they DO have Lebron, the most unstoppable force in the game. He dunks with authority, swats layups into the next time zone, and crushes the souls of all opponents with (to borrow Mr. Harlan's phrase) no regard for human life! Why worry about it?"

Well, here's an interesting take: The Cavs are admittedly tough to beat, but it's easy to devise a strategy to beat them. Take Lebron out of the game. Granted, this is much, much easier said than done, but if (and that is a huge 'if') you can, that Cavs team becomes a wet-noodle.

I see two teams in the league that are capable of doing that: the Orlando Magic and the LA Lakers. The Orlando Magic can do it because they have the one man on the planet more athletic than Lebron--Mr. Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard. The undisputed shot block and rebound king, Howard is the only person who can contest Lebron at the rim. James will have to think twice about barreling into the paint. He'll have to settle for jumpers and threes. And Lebron, when it comes to long-range, is as streaky as they come.

Lebron missing shots and being unable to drive means he can't create for other teammates. All of a sudden, those wide-open 3s that Parker, West, and Williams knock down aren't there. Lebron being unable to create is bad news bears for the Cavs.

Also, hate to break it to you, but the Magic have a better, deeper, more formidable roster. Save for the small forward spot, everything else is either a toss-up or advantage Magic. They have a deeper bench too. That team is stacked; it's almost unfair.

If the Cavaliers somehow manage to get by the monstrous Magic, they'll have to face the Lakers. Yeah, instead of one seven footer contesting Lebron at the rim, he'll have to worry about Gasol, Bynum, and Odom. Not to mention Ron Artest, the world class one-on-one stopper, will be chomping at the bit to shut James down. He's already had his appetizer with Durant. Lebron, if he gets there, will be his main course.

I don't see the Cavs making it out of the East. Sorry.