News comes today out of Shelby of Cleveland County, NC where The Star’s Sports Editor, Alan Ford and Assistant Sports Editor, Gabe Whisnant have teamed up for a provacative Point/Counterpoint article on the upcoming Lakers/Celtics NBA Finals matchup. Ford takes the Celtics-Will-Win side of the argument, while Whisnant defends the Lakers-Will-Win position. The piece is available online here for those not in the Shelby area to pick up a copy on the newsstand.

The article really should be taken in in its entirety to be considered properly, but here are some choice excerpts to give you some sense of the debate.

Ford rightfully complements both squads:

Both teams have done tremendous jobs getting to this point.

Before ultimately surmising:

Since the Celtics have the current version of the Big Three – Garnett, Allen and Pierce – I think that gives them an edge over Kobe Bryant and Co.

For his take, Whisnant offers an handy mnemonic to summarize the Lakers advantage:

To me, this series comes down to two “B’s” … backcourt and bench. I give the advantage to Los Angeles in both aspects.

…then arrives at the conclusion that seals the Celtics fate:

…(B)ut when the “Zen Master” Jackson gets to the finals he usually doesn’t lose.

There you have it.

Also, just a reminder the The Star’s World’s Greatest Dad contest is accepting entries through 6/30/08. Right now, Donald Cantrell has a lead of nearly 1,000 votes over the next closest entrant in a field of 14. He stands to take home the prize valued at over $170 which includes:

a men’s watch from Arnold’s Jewelry, bird feeder from Cleveland Lumber, 18 holes of golf at Riverbend YMCA Golf Club and two $10 gift certificates to Jackson’s Cafeteria.

Best of luck, dads.