O’Brien was an aide to United States Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson before becoming NBA commissioner in 1975. The ABA and NBA were merged on his watch. David Stern succeeded O’Brien in 1984, when the championship trophy was renamed in his honor.

The trophy, first awarded to the Washington Bullets in 1978, costs $35,000 these days. But if you query NBA players, coaches, and front-office types, they’ll tell you the trophy (and everything that goes along with winning it), is priceless.

With apologies to Chris Webber and Dirk Nowitzki, 14 pretenders have come and gone in this year's playoffs, leaving the San Antonio Spurs and New Jersey Nets to pursue the elusive O'Brien.

NBA Finals 2003 begin Wednesday, June 4 (8 p.m. ET, ABC) at the SBC Center in San Antonio, but the speculation begins now.

Macro-view

Kidd and Robinson both have trophies on their minds. (Noren Trotman NBAE/Getty Images)

The East may be as weak as you think it is, but don't hold that against the Nets. I don't care if the competition is St. Vincent-St. Mary's (without LeBron James), winning 10 straight playoff games is a serious accomplishment. How cool is not losing in May?

If the Nets win Games 1, 2, and 3 of the Finals, they would break the Spurs' playoff record of 12 consecutive wins set in 1999. The only team to have a comparable winning streak and not win the title was the 1989 Lakers, who were swept by the Pistons because Magic Johnson pulled his hamstring.

History is on New Jersey's side, but they also have the league's top fast break and second-best defense. To wit, in Game 4 against the Pistons, the Nets won 19-0 in fastbreak points. Plus, they are holding opponents to 91.4 points per game and 42.6 percent shooting in the playoffs.

The Spurs faced more adversity on their way to the Finals, but proved their resolve by closing out every series with a road win in Game 6. Although the Spurs love to blow double-digit leads, they are 6-0 in answer games.

You gotta love the Spurs' versatility. No other NBA team could win a slugfest with the Lakers before beating the Mavericks in a track meet.

The West champs can beat you by pounding the ball inside, scoring on the break, sizzling from three-point range, or getting the big stop. The Spurs are every bit the Nets’ equal on the defensive end, allowing 91.7 points per game on 41.5 percent shooting in the postseason.

Micro-view

Point Guard -- Jason Kidd vs. Tony Parker: What we have here is the NBA’s assist leader against one of People Magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People.
Advantage: Kidd.

Shooting Guard -- Stephen Jackson vs. Kerry Kittles: Lost in Steve Kerr’s three-point ambush were the 24 points from Jackson that kept San Antonio in Game 6. Jackson has scored 17 or more points in four of his last five games. Kittles has failed to reach double-digit points in five of six.
Advantage: Jackson.

Small Forward -- Richard Jefferson vs. Bruce Bowen: R.J. is one of the league’s premier finishers, but his jump shot needs work -- lots and lots of work. "Hack-a-Bowen" led the NBA in three-point percentage during the regular season (.441), but he went to the Chris Dudley School of Foul Shooting. Bowen's only defensive rival on the wing is Ron Artest. Jefferson’s defense is overrated, as his playoff averages of 0.57 steals and 0.14 blocks attest.
Advantage: Bowen.

Power Forward -- Tim Duncan vs. Kenyon Martin: Byron Scott wants Martin to start out defending Duncan, but that's a mistake. It not only subjects Martin to foul trouble, it could tire him to the point that his offense suffers. Duncan is averaging 24.9 points, 14.8 rebounds, and 54.1 percent shooting in the playoffs. Martin isn't far behind, chiming in with 20.7 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 50.4 percent from the field. Bottom line: If Shaquille O’Neal and Robert Horry can’t stop the two-time MVP, no one can.
Advantage: Duncan.

Center -- David Robinson vs. Jason Collins: Shouldn't this be Malik Rose vs. Aaron Williams?
Advantage: Robinson (sorry, I respect my elders).

Bench -- San Antonio vs. New Jersey: The Nets go eight deep with Rodney Rogers, Aaron Williams, and Lucious Harris, while the Spurs go 10 deep with Manu Ginobili, Malik Rose, Speedy Claxton, Kevin Willis, and Steve Kerr. Rogers is a former Sixth Man of the Year, but Manu and Malik could start for a lot of teams. Reserves account for 29.7 percent of the scoring in San Antonio and 26 percent in New Jersey.
Advantage: San Antonio.

Coaches -- Gregg Popovich vs. Byron Scott: Both coaches have made it to the Finals, but only Pop has the jewelry (1999 Finals) and hardware (2002-03 Coach of the Year). Scott is 23-11 (.667 winning percentage) in two postseason appearances, while Popovich is 43-28 (.606) in six trips to the playoffs.
Advantage: Popovich.

Finals Forecast

Finally, some legitimate competition for the Nets. Unfortunately, like the Buffalo Bills of the 1990s, the Nets will be out-classed by the superior conference. It's Duncan's time and David's destiny to go out on top. New Jersey's epic winning streak is no fluke and San Antonio is far from a perfect champion; call it Spurs in six.

Rick Kamla works for NBA TV as the host of "Playoff Talk", which runs from now through the end of NBA Finals 2003. Rick Kamla can be reached at rkamla@fanball.com