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Editor's note: Darnell submitted this to Inside Hoops Sunday morning, before Spurs-Lakers Game 1 was actually played.

It's the match-up everyone's talking about, and it's going to get more media attention than whatever match-up ends up being for the NBA championship. Game 1 between San Antonio and the Los Angeles Lakers is in the books, with the Spurs winning at home, 88-78. Let's get into Spurs vs. Lakers, position against position, down through the lineup.

Tony Parker vs. Gary Payton

Payton's gonna get torched. The Glove is no longer the defender he used to be. In fact, I don't even want to call him The Glove, I say we call him the The Mitten. The fit's just not as tight. He doesn't have the same quickness he used to, and that dictates that he can't be as aggressive. He's not a terrible defender, but Steve Francis was taking him anywhere he wanted to go, and Tony Parker can do the same.

This is the pivotal matchup of the series. If Tony Parker can get into the lane at will, he'll hit a ton of those little floaters, or break the defense down and get open looks for everyone else. The Lakers can't defend Tony Parker one-on-one, and they're especially hurting if the Spurs run some high screen and rolls, because the Lakers can't defend those either.

I've been saying for months that the Lakers are a better team with Derek Fisher at the point, and you might be seeing more of Fish in this series. To paraphrase Johnnie Cochran, "If the Glove doesn't defend, you must bench his rear end."

Bruce Bowen vs. Kobe Bryant

I love Bruce Bowen. He's a great defender. But he can't shut down Kobe. There's no one in the world that can shut down Kobe. There may eventually be 12 people that can shut him down, but they're called jurors. There's no one in the NBA that can shut down Kobe.

But Bowen doesn't have to shut him down, he's just got to keep him in check a little bit. Take him deeper into the shot clock. Lure him into one-on-one battles. Just defend him well enough so that a double-team isn't necessary, so no one else has to be left open. Get physical with him. Make him work harder.

It's possible that Bowen could do all those things, and Kobe will still go for 25 or 30. But if he can keep his FG% at or below average, limit his assists, and keep him from getting to the foul line too much, Bruce Bowen's done his job.

With all that said, though, there are still times when it just doesn't matter who's guarding Kobe. It's not at all unlikely that Kobe will steal a game in this series all by himself. But he can't steal all four.

Hedo Turkoglu vs. Devean George/Rick Fox

Neither Devean George or Rick Fox is the defender that Rick Fox used to be. That's really been something that's hurt the Lakers this year that no one really talks about. Rick Fox used to be the Lakers dirty work guy, and, just for the record, the prettiest dirty work guy in league history. He was essential. Playing tough defense, getting after loose balls, knowing his role and sticking open threes. The Lakers just haven't gotten that from the 3 position this year.

There a step closer to it now that Fox is on the bench and Devean George is in the starting lineup, but it's just not the same. And don't get me wrong, none of this is to say that I don't like Devean George. I do. He's a good player, a smart player, and he does a lot of things well, including play defense, but he's just not the role player extraordinaire that Rick Fox used to be.

Hedo Turkoglu is a pretty important player for the Spurs this series. Gregg Popovich would love to see him get and bury some open perimeter shots early in games, and if Tony Parker is penetrating like I think he can, those looks will be there. Hedo's also an underrated defender and will probably be asked to check Kobe from time to time.

Tim Duncan vs. Karl Malone

It's too bad that Karl Malone used up his 30-point game against the Rockets, because the Lakers are going to need one from him, and I'm sorry, but he's used his up. I don't know where the old man pulled that from, but it was fun. Watching it, I kinda felt like I do when I read one of those little newspaper stories about a 90-year-old man dropping in a hole-in-one. It's really cute and all, but you know the old man carded at least an 8 on the next hole. Karl had his ace against the Rockets. It's triple-bogey time against the Spurs.

Malone's value in this series will come on defense. List all the power forwards in the NBA that you'd like to have guarding Tim Duncan, and Karl Malone is probably near the top of the list. He's strong enough to keep Duncan from getting the position he wants, he's experienced enough to know what Duncan wants to do and try to disrupt it, and he's dirty enough to try and hurt him. You just can't ask for much more than that.

But, like Kobe, Tim Duncan's going to get his. He is not stoppable. Duncan's rebounding is going to be almost as important as his scoring. With Shaq vs. Rasho Nesterovic at the center spot, it's essential for Tim Duncan to hit the boards hard and limit the Lakers second chance opportunities. He could also be seeing a lot of put-back opportunities as the Spurs backcourt penetrates at will.

Rasho Nesterovic vs. Shaq

I'm really sorry, San Antonio, that Rasho doesn't have a flat top and isn't a member of the United States Navy, but he's been everything the Spurs could've asked of him this year. He started a little slow and took some criticism, but he's found his groove and learned his role. He can block shots, play a little defense, and he's got some offense, too.

Of course, it's Shaq he's going up against, and as much as I like Rasho, the fact remains that Shaq is Shaq and Rasho is Rasho, and win or lose, Rasho is going to leave this series with more bruises than points. Shaq might not be as dominating as he once was, but he can still punish. It's important for the Lakers to get the ball inside to Shaq, and either draw double teams and move the ball around the perimeter, or see if they can get Rasho and/or Tim Duncan in foul trouble.

This is the one area the Lakers can take advantage of, and if they want open perimeter shots, that's what they're going to have to do. The Spurs don't give up open shots easily, and with Bruce Bowen on Kobe, the easiest way for the Lakers to get a good look is to go into Shaq, and let him work on Nesterovic or draw a double team and move the ball. Shaq should touch the ball on nearly all of the Lakers possessions.

Benches

Manu Ginobili, Malik Rose, Robert Horry vs. Derek Fisher, Slava Medvedenko, Kareem Rush.

Manu's the best in the league at providing pure spark off the bench. There's no one he won't try to take off the dribble, and there is no shot he won't take. Manu balls just like Calvin Murphy. Anything in the vicinity, he's got no problem taking a shot at.

Manu gives the Spurs the advantage in the bench category, but not by a ton. Derek Fisher, if the Lakers are interested in advancing, should be getting big minutes. Kareem Rush is proving that he's a player that the Lakers can count on to come in and hit some shots.

The Spurs have pretty much a 7-man rotation in the playoffs. Malik Rose hasn't been getting minutes, but if there's any foul trouble, he becomes an important player. Gregg Poppovich may end up wishing that he gave him more minutes against the Grizzlies, just to get him in the flow of things. The Spurs also lack a backup point guard that they can count on.

What I really want to see in this series is a Kevin Willis vs. Karl Malone fist fight. Or at least a pose down. These two old guys are just absurdly diesel. Fellas, if you're anywhere around the age of 40, don't let your woman watch this series. She will hear the commentators say that Karl Malone or Kevin Willis is 41 years old. She will then look at him and say "damn." She will then look at you, shake her head and say "damn," but it will mean something completely different. You don't want that.

Overall

I've got the Spurs in four. If anyone's going to beat the Spurs, they're going to have to be patient, play team basketball, and stop penetration. These are not the Lakers specialties. They've just shown too many vulnerabilities in the first series, and the Spurs know what they are. Team basketball and an overall commitment to defense are going to win this series for the Spurs. Easily.

Post Moves

- A lot of people are down on the Heat/Hornets series, but it's pretty entertaining basketball. It's the classic question of can a young team with all the physical ability in the world overcome a hardworking veteran team with good role players?

- Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel) whooped Skipper Bologna (Italy) for the Euroleague title. Means nothing to me. But I thought I'd share.

- What is it with all of the bag-tagging going on in the NBA? I used to do that to guys on the playground... and then I turned 11, and that era pretty much ended for me. KG and Rafer Alston... that is not manly.

- Before Game 5 of the Wolves/Nuggets series, I thought that the Wolves, to prove that they might even be capable of a championship, had to come out, end the talk, and close the Nuggets out with authority. They did, but I still can't shake the feeling that they aren't a championship team. They had no killer instinct in Game 4, and were way too happy after they won.

- TNT's Inside the NBA being on four or five nights a week is hard on me. It costs me sleep. But I just can't miss those guys. Just hearing Charles Barkley say the word "Coogi" makes me laugh... and Kenny's blast about Charles looking like he's been kicking flour just killed me.

The Mailbag

I'm reading your current throwing bows article and am amazed by the amount of verbal diarrhea you and your groupboy "Youngin', The D" are spewing about the greatest power forward to have ever played the game. The stats show it, his work ethic shows it and his presence on the court shows it. If you disrespect Malone and throw shots at his game then you absolutely have no clue about the game and how it should be played. So go back to adoring "Hot Sauce" and working on your "mad, fly" crossovers, fools. Look at what he did in game 4, and guess what? He'll probably do it again. Call him slow, call him old, call him dirty, but hey, he wins and will continue to do so. - David, Toronto

Did you graduate from the Zoolander Center for Kids Who Can't Read Good?

I never said that Karl Malone wasn't a great basketball player, and if you think that I value crossovers and highlight plays over defense and hard work, then there's some kind of problem occurring between the time when your eyes see the words on the screen and when your brain processes them. A neurologist can probably help.

I never disrespected Karl Malone's game, in fact, in the very article to which you are replying, I was very complimentary of his game and his work ethic. I said he was a dirty player and that I'm not a big fan of his. None of that means that I think he's a bad basketball player. He's one of the greatest of all-time. I've said that before, and I'll probably be saying it again.

I'm not going to get into why I believe he's a dirty player, because we've covered that in-depth in Throwin' Bows before. You can go and find the old feature if you want to, but I'll just say that the list of players that he's injured is just too long to be coincidental.

As far as Karl winning, and continuing to do so... What's he won? He's never won a championship, and he's not going to this year. He's won a lot of games, sure, but he will not continue to do so. At least not this year, and there's a real possibility that he won't win an NBA game again.

The Sac Kings keep saying that they have a better team than the Lakers. They're good enough that the argument has some merit. The problem is that they've always been out-coached. Other than Pop and Riles, coaches who won championships, who would be your guy to replace Adelman? Also, great team you assembled. Bet Jerry's interest been piqued. - P. Ang, Manila

I feel a little awkward talking about a replacement for a guy who hasn't been fired and may not deserve to be fired, but you asked, and I thought a little about it, so we'll roll with it. I'd go with Jim O'Brien. He emphasizes tough halfcourt defense, and relies a lot on veteran role player type guys who will do a lot of dirty work, and the Kings could use help in those areas. It may sound illogical to pick a slow-down type of coach for an offensive-oriented group, but offensively, the Kings excel in the half court game. Their half-court defense, while I don't think it's quite as bad as everyone believes it is, could use some assistance.

Also, I disagree that the Kings argument that they are better than the Lakers has any merit. The Kings have won nothing, and walk around acting like they have. They, for some reason, have named themselves one of the league's elite teams but never bothered to actually prove it by winning a championship.

Question, comment, problem, tirade, hate mail, love note? Send it along here.

M.J. Darnett runs www.themightymjd.com.