BRIAN MAHONEY

AP Basketball Writer





A capsule look at the NBA finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic, which begins Thursday night (with playoff stats):



LOS ANGELES LAKERS (65-17, 12-6) vs. ORLANDO MAGIC (59-23, 12-7)



Starters: Lakers — C Andrew Bynum (6.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.0 bpg), F Pau Gasol (18.2 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 2.6 apg), F Trevor Ariza (11.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.6 apg), G Kobe Bryant (29.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4.9 apg), G Derek Fisher (7.1 ppg, 2.4 apg). Magic — C Dwight Howard (21.7 ppg, 15.4 rpg, 2.2 bpg), F Rashard Lewis (19.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.6 apg), F Hedo Turkoglu (15.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 5.1 apg), G Courtney Lee (8.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg), G Rafer Alston (12.7 ppg, 4.4 apg).



Key Reserves: Lakers — F Lamar Odom (12.0 ppg, 9.5 rpg), G Shannon Brown (5.7 ppg, 1.3 rpg), G Sasha Vujacic (3.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg), F Luke Walton (3.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.5 apg), G Jordan Farmar (5.1 ppg, 2.1 apg), F Josh Powell (2.0 ppg, 1.1 rpg). Magic — G/F Mickael Pietrus (10.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg), G Anthony Johnson (4.3 ppg, 2.1 apg), G Marcin Gortat (3.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg), F Tony Battie (2.2 ppg, 1.0 rpg), G J.J. Redick (6.2 ppg, 1.9 apg).



Season Series: Magic, 2-0. It's obvious why Orlando would love to have the injured Jameer Nelson back for the finals, since he averaged 27.5 points against the Lakers. He scored 27 in a 106-103 home victory on Dec. 20, then went for 28 in a 109-103 win at Los Angeles on Jan. 16. The Magic made 12 3-pointers in each game to overcome a pair of big performances from Kobe Bryant, who scored 41 points at Orlando and had 28 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists in the rematch. Dwight Howard had double-doubles in both games, including a 25-point, 20-rebound performance at Staples Center. Rashard Lewis chipped in 19 points per game.



Storyline: The Lakers are back in the finals for the second straight year, but not against any of the opponents they were expected to face — because the Magic eliminated both of them. Orlando ousted defending champion Boston in the second round, then ended hopes of a Kobe Bryant-LeBron James showdown by upsetting top-seeded Cleveland in the Eastern Conference finals. The Magic are seeking their first title in just their second finals appearance, while the Lakers are here for the 30th time and are looking their 16th championship.



Key matchup I: Bynum vs. Howard. Howard scored a career playoff-high 40 points in Orlando's Game 6 clincher against Cleveland and seems to be unstoppable with just one player. The Lakers hope Bynum — who they didn't have in the finals last year — can stay out of foul trouble and at least contain him, because double-teaming Howard means leaving one of the Magic's 3-point shooting threats open.



Key matchup II: Odom vs. Pietrus. The sixth men both could play starters' minutes in the series — Odom to match up with either Lewis or Turkoglu, and Pietrus to defend Bryant. The Lakers forward surges into the finals after averaging 19.5 points and 11 rebounds in the last two games of the conference finals, while Pietrus has become much more than a defensive specialist, scoring in double figures in eight straight games.



X-factor: Fisher. The veteran point guard has struggled with his shot during most of the postseason, and he could find himself open if the Magic have to help on Bryant. That's what happened in the first meeting, and Fisher responded with 27 points, his best game of the season. He managed only nine on 3-of-11 shooting in the game at Los Angeles.



Prediction: Lakers in six.