I'm actually excited for this matchup. Orlando is going to be the big underdog, but they are probably playing the best ball of what was the last four teams left standing. Dwight's got to dominate the matchup against Pau/Bynum and can't get in foul trouble. Pietrus did as good of a job on LeBron, and needs to do it again against Kobe. Should be a great matchup. I'm going to hate to see Kobe get that coveted title without Shaq if that happens.. so I'll say Orlando in 6.
Go Magic! Orlando doesn't have the home court, but... A) Orlando is VERY good on the road, winning in CLEVELAND (where Cleveland had technically only lost once all year) and winning a game 7 IN Boston! B) Orlando was 2-0 vs the Lakers this year C) The Lakers suck.
And to think we could've swept Orlando is our season series if it wasn't for a Hedo miracle. The Magic didn't look too special against us but are rolling big time right now.
Before the Orlando/Cleveland series, I couldn't see how they could ever stand a chance against LA. But I look at the LA roster and I don't see anyone on it like Boston had that can match up with Howard. He's just going to steamroll Gasol (I can see the whistle blowing, the arms straight up, the mouth wide open, the incredulous stare, the Howard free throws). Bynum will be in perpetual foul trouble. Odom may be the best matchup, but he's not really that great of a defensive stopper. You need somebody strong and quick who can force him into taking ugly hook shots a step beyond his range. LA just doesn't have that guy. And tonight demonstrated that if you can't control Howard, the "twin tweener" lineup of Lewis/Turkoglu will create problems on the perimeter. Not the conventional pick, but I'm going with Orlando. Six games.
The Lakers have been really, really inconsistent, though they looked really good in their close-out game against the Nuggets the other night. The thing was, the Nuggets really didn't have much inside scoring - other than dribble penetration. The Lakers were able to counter that with quickness, and by outscoring the Nuggets. The Magic are a completely different challenge. Obviously, the key is stopping Dwight Howard without giving up a ton of three-pointers. Considering the Lakers went 0-2 against Orlando during the regular season, I don't have a lot of confidence that the Lakers have what it takes to win. I see it this way: the Magic are best where the Lakers are weak. Center: Dwight Howard is far better than Andrew Bynum, and Rashard Lewis is far better than Trevor Ariza. Sure, the Lakers have Kobe, but the Cavs had Lebron, and that wasn't enough to offset all the other liabilities. My prediction? Magic in 6.
if I were to play Devil's Advocate, Yes, Cavs had LeBron, but Gasol is better than Z and Odom is better than Varejao. But never mind. The Lakers suck.
Supposedly yes, but can you expect the same level he played in those two regular season games? he played very good in those games, and they were still very close.
Looks like Nelson's availability is still in question, but could return. Not a sure thing though. He's a good player, I like his game much like a lot of the Magic's players. http://www.rotoworld.com/content/pl...news.asp?sport=NBA&id=1060&line=115858&spln=1
Probably not, but he could still be an improvement on Alston. The Magic are playing very well right now. Any improvement helps, but LA is definitely the favourite.
No...no they cant. FYI Trevor Ariza was NOT a starter in both of the reg season games against ORL this year. One of the games was the first one the Lakers had after Farmars knee injury so the PG rotation was out of wack Nelson also owned the Lakers, especially in the 4th...and he isnt playing or at best be a shell of his mid season form
I wouldn't discount them. They should've beaten the Cavs in Cleveland twice, and won in Boston in a Game 7. It'll be a great series. If the Magic hit the 3 ball, they've got a good chance.
3's get harder to make in the Finals...what goes up must come down... Lakers have bumbled their way and still got to the finals...ORL has been playing out of their mind. Both teams are due for a 180!!!
3s get harder to make in the Finals? haha... link? The basket stays the same height, they don't extend the 3-point line. The pressure certainly goes up big time, but Orlando has played in some pressure packed situations already and I think they're pretty confident against LA. I think the Lakers' bumbling could catch up to them if they still play like the idiots they are one night and then turn it back on the next. But they're certainly the better overall team. None of the Magic players have been to the Finals. It's an intriguing series, I'm looking forward to it.
bynum usually comes out of his shell against some of the elite bigmen in the league, and i think he'll do that against the magic. also it is very rare that dwight scores as many points as he did today, he usually averages about 15 or 16 points a game against decent defense, and bynum is much better defensively than "big Z". another thing i noticed in the cavs series is that big z likes to shoot jumpshots, because he is quite accurate at them, but that made howard able to roam a little more, and provide more help defense down low, now if you have bynum on the block, back the smaller howard down, who on the magic roster is going to stop the great cutters pau and odom and ariza, that is where thos guys get all their points, and if howard tries to help, well bynum is going up for that alleyoop and he doesnt miss those. plus we have kobe, and they have no good perimeter defense, and please dont tell me michael peitrus because kobe wont have any trouble with him, did you see peitrus try to defend lebrons jump shot, he couldnt do it as well as staying in front of him, and kobe's jumpshot is far superior than lebron's. courtney lee isnt going to hit those 3's when kobe or ariza is playing him, same with pietrus, and those guys killed the cavs. as for rashard, he doesnt play as well in the key as he does outside on the perimeter, odom is quicker, bigger and taller, and ariza is also quicker and a good defender, rashard wont be open as much. turkyglue is a bit of a worry for me, but he has a slow handle and cannot create many opportunities without the help of howard. i say lakers take this in 6, but i wouldnt be surprised if it ended in 5.
Shaq's worse nightmare If the Lakers win, Kobe gets a title without him. If the Magic win, Stan Van Gundy gets a title. I personally am not as excited for this series as I would've been Kobe vs. Lebron. I mean come on that is like a once in a lifetime type of scenario that comes up especially with both in their prime. I think this has a chance to be a nice series. DH12 is going to give the Lakers a lot of fits, but I'm not sure he's consistent enough on the offensive end to carry his team. Granted he hasn't had to like Lebron or Kobe, but I think to beat the Lakers he may need too. I'm rooting for the Lakers and I think they'll win.
