Sport and Cinema.com

In a renewal of one of sports history’s greatest rivalries, Boston and Los Angeles meet yet again for the NBA crown. Beginning this week at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, a new chapter begins as the Lakers and Celtics meet for the second time in three years, and the 12th time overall.

A day after Boston took game one over Orlando in the Eastern Conference Finals on the road, Phoenix comes to Los Angeles to begin play at the Staples Center for the right to advance to the NBA Finals.

2009-2010 College Football Bowl Schedule

In a matchup of two explosive offenses, both fleet of foot and with plenty of muscle, given the friendly confines for hitters, the difference could be summed up in the famous quote from the rascally old Orioles manager Earl Weaver who endorsed the “pitching, defense and three-run homer” theory to winning ball with the emphasis on the latter. Back in May in a series at Yankee Stadium, where the Phils took two of three, the first game featured seven home runs! Expect more of the same… at both parks.

It is a massive campaign, breaking down the conferences to see who stand the best chance to upset the Florida Gator’s bid to repeat as national champions. So in and around other news from the worlds of sport and cinema, we’ll take a look over the next couple of weeks at the very best and what they offer that just might allow them to vie for the BCS crown.

Golf’s final major of the season gets underway today as the 91st PGA Championships take place at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota .

As it was more than 80 years ago, the Wanamaker Trophy is still prized as one of the golf world’s greatest treasures and a tremendous field is present led by a man who already owns four of those trophies- Tiger Woods.

One of the sporting world’s great annual endurance events begins anew. Running from Saturday July 4th to Sunday July 26th, the 96th Tour de France will be made up of 21 stages with 180 riders hoping to complete a total distance of 3,500 kilometers (over 2,170 miles).

Stage 1: Saturday, July 4, 2009
Monaco
9:30am to 2:00pm: LIVE Daily Coverage
2:30pm to 4:30pm: Race Action Replay
5:00pm to 7:00pm: Race Action Replay
8:00pm to 11:00pm: Expanded Primetime Coverage
12:00am to 3:00am: Race Action Replay

Back on Mine That Bird which he rode to a Derby title, Calvin Borel, taking on nine other 3 year-olds in Saturday’s Belmont Stakes, is a 2-1 favorite to become the first jockey to win the Triple Crown with different horses (Borel also won the Preakness aboard Rachel Alexandra who will not be racing here).

This is the Los Angeles Lakers versus the Orlando Magic, two worthy groups of talented players to determine the best TEAM in professional basketball. The hype of “Kobe vs. LeBron” doesn’t work just like “Kobe vs Dwight” doesn’t work. While they are their team’s respective leaders, Bryant and Howard don’t face each other in direct mano-a-mano competition for 48 minutes like a hardwood version of Ali vs. Frazier. They play different positions in a team game. Having said that it may still come down to how the respective opposing defenses handle these two stars. But there are a lot more contributing factors involved.