After nearly losing to the Boston Celtics, few thought the Orlando Magic had much of a chance against the red hot Cleveland Cavaliers. Yet, the Magic handled the Cavs during the regular season and presented significant matchup challenges for the Cavs with the ability to player their bigs, specifically Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu, on the perimeter. On the other hand, few thought the Lakers would have as much problems as they did with the Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets. Los Angeles has been inconsistent, and while their front line has depth, their bigs aren't necessarily the best defenders.
So which team has the edge in this finals series?
The Matchup
- Guards: The Lakers' biggest weakness has been for a long time quick point guards. That's one of the reasons they, like the Cavs, struggled against the Magic during the regular season. In fact, the Magic won both of their season games against the Lakers, and the leading scorer for those games was Point Guard Jameer Nelson. Nelson's been hurt since the All Star break, and even though there's rumors that he may return for this series, he's sure to have a lot of rust. In order for the Magic to win, Rafer Alston must play with some consistency and be on the attack mode without turning the ball over too often. That being said, the Lakers have a big edge with Kobe Bryant. Mickael Pietrus is a good player to guard him, however, but Bryant's bound to get his points. The trick will be to shut down the Lakers' moving offense. LA's at its best when cutting through the lane and finding the open man that way.
- Forwards: The Magic heavily utilized its long, versatile forwards against the Cavs. They won't have that luxury against the Lakers. Lamar Odom and Trever Ariza are both fairly sizable and should be able to play Lewis and Turkoglu on the perimeter, as well as near the basket.
- Centers: A lot of fans have been focusing on the large front line of the Lakers. Andrew Bynum is a piece to the puzzle that LA didn't have last year in its championship loss. However, it's really the Lakers who should worry. Dwight Howard has dominated Bynum in each of their meetings, getting him in early foul trouble each time, and as talented as Pau Gasol is offensively, he's not the best of defenders. There is no way he can handle Howard for a long stretch.
- Bench: Both teams have some depth
- Coaching: Stan Van Gundy has proven himself time and time again, but it's hard to compare to the csar. Phil Jackson knows what it's like to coach a championship series, which always gives him an edge.
While the Lakers are the heavy favorites, fans shouldn't count the Magic out. They're a much more physical team than LA and they're red hot right now. They need to hit their perimeter shots to have a chance at winning the series. Meanwhile, the Lakers have so many offensive weapons, and Phil Jackson has the ability to draw that out of them. Yet, LA's at its best when they're moving the ball around and players are cutting to the hoops. Some think that Bynum slows their ability to do that.
