Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. Only five NBA teams have been crowned as champions in the past 18 seasons, and with past title winners San Antonio (1999, 2003) and Detroit (1989, 1990, 2004) meeting in the Finals, that trend won’t change this year. Nonetheless, this pairing of the two most recent champions offers a changing of the guard in a different sense. The winner will replace the Lakers as the NBA’s new dynasty, as Detroit would boast back-to-back championships while the Spurs would have three titles in a seven-year period.

Both teams made it here with stifling defense. Over the course of the 2004-05 season, the Spurs led the NBA in Defensive Efficiency (my measure of points allowed per 100 opponent possessions), while the Pistons finished third. That figure hasn’t budged much from a year ago, when the Spurs were first and the Pistons second. In fact, were it not for Derek Fisher’s last-second shot in Game 5 of the 2004 Western Conference semifinals, this probably would be the second straight Finals meeting between the two clubs.

Heading into tonight’s Game 1, let’s size up how the two teams match up at each position. Next to each player, I’ve included his Player Efficiency Rating for the regular season, which is my measure of a player’s per minute statistical production (the league-average PER is 15.0).

POINT GUARD

TONY PARKER (18.0) VS. CHAUNCEY BILLUPS (19.1)

At first glance, it appears that neither player can guard the other. San Antonio’s Parker is one of the fastest players in basketball and should be able to breeze past the slower Billups. But the 6-foot-3, 202-pound Billups should be able to overpower the 180-pound Parker when he moves into his favorite spot on the left block, just as the Detroit guard overpowered Miami’s Damon Jones in the conference finals.

But first appearances are deceiving – don’t expect an offensive explosion from either Parker or Billups. Detroit will challenge Parker to hit outside jumpers, which he struggled to do against Phoenix in the conference finals until coming alive in the second half of Game 5. He may have to do so over the taller Richard Hamilton, since Rip usually gets the defensive assignment when the Pistons face a quick guard.

Meanwhile, Billups will have his hands full taking advantage of the smaller Parker on the blocks because Tim Duncan will be lying in wait as soon as Billups breaks for the basket.

Edge: Pistons

SHOOTING GUARD

RICHARD HAMILTON (16.0) VS. BRUCE BOWEN (9.5)

The Spurs don’t ask Bowen to score. His sole responsibility will be to chase Hamilton all over the floor, something he does as well as anyone in the game. Bowen finished second in the Defensive Player of the Year voting thanks to his outstanding lateral movement and relentless effort. He’ll need those skills against Hamilton, who may be the NBA’s best at moving without the ball. Hamilton struggled with his shooting earlier in the playoffs before burying the Heat in the final two games of the conference finals. Detroit can’t afford any slumps from him in the Finals.

The Spurs may also use Brent Barry if they need more offense, which is a matchup that Hamilton should be able to exploit.

Edge: Pistons

SMALL FORWARD

MANU GINOBILI (22.3) VS. TAYSHAUN PRINCE (16.2)

Like Bowen, Detroit’s Prince is a defensive specialist who shuts down opposing wing players. Unlike Bowen, he does it primarily with freakishly long arms that allow him to challenge shots even when he seems to be giving his man plenty of room.

Ginobili, however, presents an unusual matchup for Prince, because he tends to be a human pinball when he drives to the basket. The first thing Ginobili will do is make contact with Prince’s body; only afterward will he stretch out his left arm for a shot at the basket. By doing so, he can draw an endless number of fouls, and foul trouble is something the paper-thin Pistons can ill afford.

Prince is unlike Bowen in another way – he provides some offensive value. Detroit likes to run post plays for Prince on the left block, but as with Billups, it will be tough sailing because of Duncan’s lurking presence.

Edge: Spurs

POWER FORWARD

TIM DUNCAN (27.1) VS. RASHEED WALLACE (16.4)

Few can make a serious case to rival Duncan as the game’s best player, and Wallace isn’t one of them. Detroit’s forward can make an impact, however. With his long arms and quickness, he matches up well against Duncan defensively, and should be able to defend him reasonably well without needing double-team help. As with Prince, avoiding fouls will be the key. Of course, ‘Sheed also needs to keep his famous temper in check.

On the offensive end, Wallace is likely to be defended by Nazr Mohammed and Robert Horry, and he can do some damage in either matchup. Against the former, look for Wallace to hang out at the 3-point line and take advantage of Mohammed being in unfamiliar territory. Horry, meanwhile, will be overwhelmed against Wallace in the post. Neither advantage is significant enough, though, for Wallace to outplay Duncan.

Edge: Spurs

CENTER

NAZR MOHAMMED (16.5) VS. BEN WALLACE (17.5)

When Mohammed began the year with the Knicks, he probably didn’t envision a trip to the Finals in his immediate future. But he took advantage of his liberation from the Garden gnomes to crash the offensive glass and create numerous second shots in San Antonio. He won’t be able to do that as easily in this series, however, as Big Ben is a defensive monster who should limit Mohammed’s rebound totals.

Wallace’s defense is at its best when he can race in from the weak side to erase shot attempts at the last minute. That’s why he probably won’t be matched up against Duncan very often – the Pistons prefer having him come in as the second defender. He’ll also have the primary responsibility for closing off the driving lanes on Ginobili’s wild forays to the rim.

Edge: Pistons

BENCH

SPURS: ROBERT HORRY (14.9), BRENT BARRY (14.0), BENO UDRIH (14.2)

PISTONS: ANTONIO MCDYESS (17.2), LINDSEY HUNTER (9.5), CARLOS ARROYO (11.3)

Other than the Duncan-Wallace matchup, this is the most glaring mismatch between the two teams. San Antonio boasts several bench players who are capable of scoring in double figures, while Detroit has only McDyess. The Pistons’ backcourt subs have been especially woeful: Arroyo is shooting 31% in the playoffs, while Hunter is at 28%. Recently, the Pistons have resorted to ignoring their bench entirely – Hamilton played all 48 minutes in Game 7 against Miami.

Meanwhile, San Antonio can go 11 deep and hardly skip a beat. In addition to Barry’s shooting and Horry’s well-documented postseason heroics, San Antonio can turn to sharp shooting forward Glenn Robinson, underrated wing Devin Brown, and defensive stalwart Rasho Nesterovic. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich substitutes as frequently as any coach in the league, and his superior depth figures to wear Detroit out.

Edge: Spurs

Who will win the title? The Spurs have been my pick all season long, and I see no reason to change it now. San Antonio has a stunning variety of weapons and a suffocating defense to fall back on when the shots aren’t falling, and in Duncan and Ginobili, the Spurs have the two best players on the court. Nothing will come easily in a series with so many top-notch defenders, but ultimately it will be the Spurs who claim the honor of being basketball’s new dynasty.

Pick: Spurs in six