The enjoyable ride to the NBA finals is over, but the real test is about to begin. I think its safe to assume that nobody thought that we would see The Lakers vs. The Magic. The world was waiting and hoping for the showdown between Kobe and LeBron. Without a supporting cast and LeBron having to do it all himself, The Cavs were bound to fall. The Magic were able to beat the best team of the regular season, but will they be able to beat arguably the best team in the league. I think they can!
I think the biggest issue for the Magic will be to keep Dwight out of foul trouble. With 3 guys over 7 feet, the Lakers can attack the middle and have a great to put Dwight on the bench with fouls, but Dwight was not the defensive player of the year by mistake. The Lakers front court is going to have their work cut out for them in the series.
The match ups in the series are pretty even all the way around. At the point guard position, believe it or not, I am going to give the edge to the Magic. I know Fisher has the experience, but Alston was forced to be a scorer and finisher in the series against the Cavs and he rose to the occasion and delivered.
The SG matching is not even close, it will be interesting to see if the the Magic will put Courntey Lee on Kobe of if they will switch Turkoglu on him. For the Small Forwards I give the Magic the edge as well. Turkoglu has the experience and demands a defender on the outside, although Ariza is very athletic and can play some strong defense.
The SG matching is not even close, it will be interesting to see if the the Magic will put Courntey Lee on Kobe of if they will switch Turkoglu on him. For the Small Forwards I give the Magic the edge as well. Turkoglu has the experience and demands a defender on the outside, although Ariza is very athletic and can play some strong defense.
I think the the world champion will be decided by the play inside. Rashard Lewis is a few inches shorter than Gasol and has is work cut out for him. His quickness could cause problems for Gasol. I give a giant edge to Howard over Bynum.
The bench play is also going to be a huge factor in the series as well. If Nelson does decide to play, it could be a huge lift to the Magic. Kobe must rely on his teammates and can't do it all by himself. If he does I think we will see a similar outcome as we saw in the Eastern Conference Finals. And for the Magic, Dwight must play smart, and the 3 pointers must be falling for them to keep it close. The 2-3-2 layout plays in the favor of the Magic. If they can win one of the first 2 in LA it puts a lot of pressure on the Lakers.
Its going to be a great series to watch, and with the Magic winning the the regular season series 2-0 anything is possible. I think it goes either way in 7 games.
3 comments:
After the way LeBron acted after losing to the Magic, I hope Orlando wins just to rub it in his face. Michael Jordan didn't win a championship until his 7th year in the NBA. LeBron's upcoming season will be his 7th, so better luck next year! LeBron still has a long way to go in order to meet MJ's status.
Chandler, Chandler, Chandler...you are giving the Magic way too much credit. They did beat the Cavs, but were the Cavs even that good? The Cavs had an easy route to the East Finals. The Lakers are better in every aspect. Orlando is young and very inexperienced. Howard is too selfish to pull his team to victory and Pietrus will not be able to guard Kobe nor will anyone. I stand by my words, Lakers in 5!!!
all i know is that the Lakers did in fact win in 5 games. I cant wait for my free roung of golf
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