I was so looking forward to writing this column. The plan was to rub in the face of every sportswriter and broadcaster in the country the fact that I picked the Lakers to lose in the playoffs, because all of them, and I’m sure many of you, didn’t even think twice about the Lakers advancing to the NBA finals.

But things don’t usually go my way in the world of sports, so Sunday night’s Game Seven was no big surprise; rather, it was a disappointment.

These were by far the most exciting playoffs I’ve seen in years, most notably the conference finals. In the East and West, nearly every game came down to the wire, with big shots being made and missed.

The Boston Celtics had people believing they were the team to beat in the East and the Kings were carefully laying out groundwork for an NBA championship over in the West.

The Celtics’ party was disrupted by a certain Jason Kidd of the New Jersey Nets, who averaged a triple-double in the Eastern conference finals, and, with his play, let the world know that he got screwed in the NBA MVP voting in the regular season.

The Western Conference finals were more exciting than the East games, but were more disappointing in the long run when you look at how much the referees played a part in deciding who won.

I’m not one to sit and blame the refs all the time, and although I admit a strong dislike for Shaquille O’Neal (and his boyfriend Bill Walton), my complaints about the refs are based on the fact that as a basketball fan, I wanted to see the most fair series possible since both teams were so evenly matched.

The calls in Game Seven didn’t really bother me as much as some of the calls in games Five and Six, when the Kings could have taken the series. The fact is, I knew deep down going into Game Seven that I would be seeing the Lakers celebrate after the game.

Though I think the Kings have more all-around talent and play better as a team than the Lakers, I will say that in the situation of a Game Seven, the Lakers are a better team.

I say this because of the intimidation factor that teams just can’t seem to get over when they play the Lakers. The Kings had been able to look past it, but the Kings’ Chris Webber’s eyes told the story. He was scared.

Even the Kings’ Mike Bibby, who had a breakout playoffs and etched his name in with the other dominant point guards of the NBA, didn’t quite have what it takes mentally.

But he will, and the Kings will.

This was the closest any team has played the Lakers since they began their dynasty two years ago, and the Kings did it with their second leading scorer, Peja Stojakovic, playing only limited minutes due to injury.

Rick Adelman, the coach of the Kings, had the right idea on how to attack the Lakers and ignore their off-court words and their trophy-heavy past. But the players were a little behind in this mind-set and couldn’t quite prevail.

This is not the last we’ve seen of the Sacramento Kings. But it is the last of them for this season as we look ahead to the NBA finals.

Though most people have already decided that the winner of the Western Conference finals will also be the NBA champs, I’ve decided to choose the Nets to pull the big upset.

I figure that predictions mean nothing, especially mine, but the wheels in my head have been turning (believe it or not) and I’ve figured out how the Nets will do it.

First of all, they have the NBA’s best all-around player in Kidd, who will impact the series more than most expect, and he will do it on the defensive end, most likely against Kobe Bryant.

After an amazing season, the Nets have been the underdog throughout the playoffs, with many believing they would lose each series.

But they have embraced that role as well as any team in years, and they believe they can win. Why? Because Kidd says so.

Kidd is the X factor as to how the Nets react mentally to the Lakers.

Kidd has made his team believe they can win all year, so why stop now?

The argument most will use is, who on the Nets can stop Shaq? Obviously, there is no answer to that, but you can contain him and slow him down.

The Kings showed signs of this.

When you look at Shaq, you might notice that he his fat. In fact, Shaq’s the fattest he has been in his entire career. This is due to his toe injury that has prevented him from practicing much of the time.

So the Nets just need to run him.

The Lakers promote a slowed-down offense mostly due to the fact that Shaq needs to jog down the floor and get set down low.

The Kings were most successful when they made fast breaks and beat Shaq down the floor, making the inside open for high percentage shots.

Kidd just happens to be a runner, and the Nets like to follow him.

All of these factors along with Nets players such as Kerry Kittles and Keith Van Horn being able to make big shots is what will compete the Nets’ fairy-tale season.

If you don’t believe me, just ask the New England Patriots, who stormed all the way through the NFL season and postseason with no believers and beat the Rams, the NFL equivalent of the Lakers.

Kyle Moss is a senior in journalism and mass communication from Urbandale. He likes the Knicks, so he really doesn’t care who wins the NBA finals.