I thought Shard, Turkoglu and others could give the Cavs some trouble from 3-pt land and Dwight would get his double double and close to twenty rebounds, but I never thought the Magic would actually win. My plans for making a huge payday by betting on the Cavs in the Finals have gone up in smoke. Yeah, there could be a huge payday by betting on the Magic, and even though they beat the Lakers twice this season, I don't think they will beat the Lakers in the Finals. Can't guard Kobe. EDIT: Another shocker. Pietrus and Foyle are in the Finals.
Shocker? Orlando is the better team in pretty much every facet of the game Sure LeBron is a freak, but Orlando has all of the pieces. A little stat to chew on (heard it on KNBR haven't researched it yet), only 3 times in The NBA playoffs has someone averaged over 21 and 15. Shaq 2 times and Duncan once, and all 3 times that team has won the championship. Guess who's doing that this year? Dwight Howard #12 Center 2009 Playoffs Statistics PPG 21.7 RPG 15.40 APG 1.8 EFF + 31.06 They should beat the Lakers too (if Phil doesn't outcoach them too) Nobody can guard Kobe, but he can still get his and lose. It's all on Ariza, Odom, and Gasol to step up (Personally, I don't think they have the stones)
Damn I had the Cavs winning it all! LeBron didn't get much help that series, Orlando's D was pretty sick too. Guys like Pietrus and rafer Alston really shined at times too to help their team win. SVG raped Mike Brown coaching wise (not surprising). Orly is a pretty good team but I dunno how they'll do against the L's. Their dual SF system thing won't be an advantage because the Lakers have guys who match up with them like Odom, Ariza, Walton, etc. while the Cavs were running 3 PG sized guys for much of the time. Wonder if Pietrus keeps up his defense on Kobe. We know hes capable but I can't see Kobe letting Pete really do well on him. Kobe's too smart and Pietrus is wayyyyy too stupid to not foul him. Then again, the refs could just let him get away with whatever since its the playoffs. Could go either way.
I don't see the Lakers losing, but I also won't be surprised if Orlando wins, if that makes any sense. LeBron was a bit of a sore loser after storming off the court without shaking any of the Magic's hands.
LeBron's failure to shake hands at the end is the worst thing I've seen from him and very surprising. His explanation that "I'm a winner,....blah....blah" is weak. Sportsmanship is a two way street. Did others refuse to shake his hand when he won a series before? You need to respect others and the game, otherwise you have nothing. Magic moved the ball better, played better as a team, played tougher. The Magic's failure to give in, even when they were down huge was telling. In Gm. 5 they were getting blown out by 22 in the 1st and they came back to take the lead. Many teams up 3-1 would have just given up and fallen in the trap and said "we'll get them at home." Not here, that's heart. They won Gm. 7 in Boston after being down 3-2. A lot of credit to them. Also give Howard credit for bringing out his jump hooks, that is the step that will make him unstoppable. I like watching the Lakers when them move the ball around and play the triangle offense because its the best ball movement in the league right now. I think Gasol can handle Howard and make that match up a draw at least on points scored. The Lakers' supporting cast is better than the Cavs' and really do not think Phil Jackson gets out coached by Van Gundy.
If the Lakers win another ring again... arggg... We need a 20/10 big man bad... When will we ever get one? It's like trying to play chess without a queen piece. It's a downhill disadvantage.
