The Magic advanced to their first conference finals since 1996 when they were swept by the Jordan-led Chicago Bulls.
The Magic will be facing another transcendent star in 2009, but are hoping for a different result.
The Cavaliers and 2009 MVP Lebron James look to advance to their second NBA Finals in three years.
The Cavaliers have been chosen by pundits and fans as a lock for the Finals, but the Magic are a difficult matchup for the Cavs and are coming off a 19 point, confidence building, game seven win in Boston.
The Cavs have been the most dominant team in the playoffs so far. But this round promises to be much tougher than the last two.
Here is a look at the positional matchups:
C Dwight Howard v. Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Howard is Orlando’s franchise player and needs to play like so in order for the Magic to have a shot at advancing. Ilgauskas is four inches taller than Howard but is also 10 years older and not nearly strong or fast enough to contain him.
After calling out his coach following a game five meltdown, Howard showed toughness and a mean streak that had been lacking from his game.
Getting Howard established offensively is key for Orlando because it forces the Cavs to focus on him, which in turn frees the Magic guards to fire away from beyond the arc. In their game seven win against the Celtics, the Magic went 13-21 from three-point land – two baskets shy of the postseason record for three’s in a game.
On the defensive end, Howard will have to concern himself with the Cavs’ driving ability. James is unmatched in his ability to get to the basket and Howard will have to protect the middle to keep James on the perimeter.
Ilgauskas has the ability to pull Howard away from the basket with his shooting ability. If this happens, the Cavs will look to take advantage.
Marcin Gortat will spell Howard and is a very capable back-up, however, the Cavs seem tailor-made to stop Howard. Their roster is loaded with big men (Ilgauskas, Ben Wallace, Lorenzen Wright, Joe Smith and J.J. Hickson) to take advantage of Howard’s bad free-throw shooting (.543% against Boston).
Edge: Howard
PF Rashard Lewis v. Anderson Varejao
This is Orlando’s best matchup as Lewis is capable of dominating. Against Boston, Lewis made an effort to drive to the basket instead of settling for jumpers and three’s. If he does more of the same he should have success as he is considerably more skilled than Varejao.
Varajao is the ‘hustle’ guy for the Cavs and is not relied on to contribute many points. He has a knack for making plays in crunch time and often extends possessions for the Cavs using his energy. He is spelled by Joe Smith and J.J. Hickson, who have no hope of containing Lewis.
Lewis is expected to take the bulk of the minutes, as he averaged 40 minutes in the first two rounds, but Tony Battie can provide relief.
Edge: Lewis
SF Hedo Turkaglu v. Lebron James
Lebron James wins every matchup against every team he faces. However, the Magic will likely rely on a rotation of Lewis, Michael Pietrus and Courtney Lee to guard James.
During the regular season the Magic won the series against the Cavs due to their defensive effort on James. In the first game, James went 10-27 from the floor, the second game James was 15-47, and in the third game – a 29 point Magic win – James went 7-20.
The Cavs begin and end with James and the Magic can only hope to slow him.
Likewise, Turkaglu has to be on his game for the Magic to advance. He is the only Magic player to have extensive playoff experience, stemming from his days in Sacramento. He is their go-to player in crunch time so look for him to get looks if the game is close in the fourth quarter.
Edge: James
SG Courtney Lee/Michael Pietrus/J.J. Redick v. Delonte West
During the first round against the Sixers, Lee played so well it looked like he locked down the SG position. However, after an errant elbow to the nose by Dwight Howard, which forced Lee to miss three games, Redick showed a previously unseen defensive intensity and Pietrus came off the bench as a major contributor on both ends of the court.
Delonte West is capable, but has not had to carry the team in any way as James often brings the ball down court and distributes the rock himself. West will simply be called on to keep his turnovers down and knock down open looks when James kicks it out.
Pietrus and Lee will be assigned the task of guarding James at times and Pietrus will be counted on to knock down three’s.
Edge: Magic
PG Rafer Alston v. Mo Williams
This is a mismatch in favor of the Cavs. Alston has filled in admirably for All-Star Jameer Nelson, but he is not a capable enough defender to stop the high-flying Williams. Though James gets most of the touches for the Cavs, Williams is their second best player and scorer.
Neither is a great defender and Alston can be pressured into mistakes is pressed. Williams has the edge in the matchup because of his scoring and slashing ability.
Edge: Williams
John Schuhmann of NBA.com looks at the series as so, “The Magic have won eight of the last 11 meetings between these two teams, including two comfortable wins this season. But both of those were at Amway Arena, and if they're going to reach The Finals, they'll have to find a way to get at least one win in Cleveland.”
Though the Magic seemingly have a gigantic edge in match-ups, Lebron James will cancel those out by dominating the entire court on his own. He leads verbally and by his play on the court. He feels this is his year after winning the league MVP.
Outcome: Cavs in 7
