Daniel: Why are the Lakers the best team in basketball? The fact is that they have so many different guys that can be effective on any given night.

Ryan: So do the Cavs. LeBron James will dominate in every statistical category, something Kobe Bryant can’t do. Shaquille O’Neal provides veteran leadership and decent stats lately, J.J. Hickson is developing well and Mo Williams has been a great deep threat this year when healthy.

Daniel: LeBron may fill up the stat sheet more than Kobe, but what happens when LeBron has an off day? The Lakers have proved that they can play without Kobe, winning their last three without the reigning NBA Finals MVP. The Lakers won last year because they have Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum in the paint, they have the veteran Derek Fisher at the point and they bring Lamar Odom off the bench (how absurd is that?). Jordan Farmar is playing great this season and they have the always-versatile Ron Artest.

Ryan: King James rarely has off days in the playoffs. He’s hungrier for a ring than anyone else in the NBA; besides, LeBron is averaging 11.3 assists over the past eight games. He has shown that he can pass the ball extremely well while Cleveland’s point guards are hurt; so if LeBron has an off day, he will use his passing ability to give his teammates a good day by dishing out double-digit assists.

Daniel: Ryan, it’s nice that LeBron is finding his teammates, but he is going to struggle from the field during some games, and they are going to need more than 11 additional shots. The Cavs have excellent pieces, don’t get me wrong, but keep in mind that they play in the Eastern Conference, which sports some truly horrible teams. The Lakers play in a much more balanced conference and are only a couple games behind Cleveland in record. When you compare player to player, LeBron may have the better game than Kobe right now, but the Lakers’ role players are just better.

Ryan: The Lakers have more proven role players, I will not deny you that. But the East being weaker than the West? That didn’t seem to matter when the Cavs were laying waste to the Lakers on Christmas Day. So the Lakers should have won the second matchup if they were the better team, right? Oh, the Cavs won the second matchup as well, this time by six points, and that was without Mo Williams (who dropped 28 in the Christmas game). Kobe shot pretty poorly in both games, so head-to-head how can you say the Lakers are better if they’ve lost both games this season?

Daniel: I agree, the Lakers have been embarrassed by the Cavs this season. It hurts. However, those are only two games, and not only did Kobe shoot awful in both games, the rest of the team played poorly. When it comes down to the season overall, these role players have begun to really show up, especially in these last couple of weeks. So yeah, Cleveland has beaten L.A. twice, but I know that when playoff time comes, that’s when L.A. shines. Did I mention that the Lakers are the DEFENDING WORLD CHAMPIONS? They’ve been to the Finals two years in a row. Look at last year: the Cavs had the best record in the regular season but they choked in the playoffs. I know that overall and down the stretch, the head-to-head record will be meaningless.

Ryan: Yeah, last year the Cavs choked. But that’s partially because they didn’t have anyone that could cover Dwight Howard. Plus, the Magic shot ridiculously well in that series. Now they have Shaq, who gives them a body to put on Dwight, consistent points and rebounds and a proven veteran leader who has won as many rings as Kobe has. Shaq is the catalyst that can help these guys perform better in the playoffs, and when the Cavs are firing on all cylinders, I think they are better than the Lakers this year. They don’t have as much experience, but for years we’ve talked about how LeBron could single-handedly take his team to the Finals, but by himself he could never win it; now he has a supporting cast, and this could be the year.

Daniel: You’re pulling the Shaq card? It’s nice that Shaq has four rings; it’s nice that he’s a big man who can body up on Dwight. What about the fact that he’s old and slow? The rigors of a playoff series, let alone four, will prove that Shaq was a poor investment for the Cavs. An injury or a bad matchup in the postseason could take Shaq out of the equation and that’s when the Cavs become mediocre. I still think Cleveland’s supporting cast has work to do. Mo Williams is nursing an injury and how well he comes back could be instrumental. We all know the Lakers are one of the best, and they have proven that with a title; the question is whether Cleveland can really be considered the favorites for the title with what they have got.

Ryan: But Shaq provides an intangible element of leadership that can serve to motivate the team. I don’t care that Shaq’s old and slow; he doesn’t have to be his old self for Cleveland to win a championship. The Cavs are 42-11 right now; LeBron’s stats and his motivation are through the roof. This team has gained experience from its early playoff exits. Remember when the “better” Lakers team, two years after winning its third straight ring, lost to the Pistons in the Finals? That proved that it doesn’t matter who the better team is; it matters who plays better in the playoffs. I think Cleveland has been beaten enough times and is playing well enough now to be able to take care of the Lakers if they faced off in the Finals. Honestly, the Lakers will be the more consistent team, and right now I even think they’re the better team. But if Cleveland gets hot like I know it can, I believe they do have the ability to upend the defending champs.