In the 1980s thanks to Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, the Boston Celtics-Los Angeles Lakers rivalry helped save the league and sent it to its highest levels of popularity ever. It seemed like those two teams faced off in the NBA Finals every season – but in fact they only played three times with Bird and Magic involved.

The Celtics fell on mostly hard times at the start of this century, while the Lakers – thanks to Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal – were title contenders nearly every season, and Kobe and Shaq won three straight titles together before their relationship soured and Shaq was sent packing. Boston returned to glory times once the team acquired future Hall of Famers Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to go with Paul Pierce, and Boston was back in the NBA Finals in 2008 for the first time since Bird lost to Magic in 1987. There the Bodog favored Celtics beat Kobe’s Lakers in six games for the franchise’s NBA-high 17th title.

But Kobe got L.A. back to the Finals last season and led them over the Orlando Magic for the Lakers’ 15th NBA title. And now Bryant gets a chance to earn his fifth ring by leading the Lakers past Boston in these NBA Finals. If Kobe wins ring No. 5, he would tie Magic’s total with the Lakers and be just one shy of the amount Michael Jordan won in his career – Bodog offers a Kobe NBA player prop bet on whether he will win more rings than MJ in his career.

Of course Bodog has the NBA Finals covered from the opening tip until the final buzzer with various team props, player odds and props. L.A. has opened as the -180 series favorite as it has home-court advantage this year unlike in ’08 against Boston. Bryant is the overwhelming Bodog favorite to win NBA Finals MVP for the second year in a row at 4/7.