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Can Orlando win it all ?


Sgt Ryan
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Well they are in the finals. So the answer is yes. But will they?

 

 

 

Some of my thoughts on this series.

 

 

Orlando;s inside out game matched up perfectly with the Cavs, as they had no answer for Howard, inside and were no match for Turk and Lewis behind the arc. . Im not sure LA does either for Howard, but at least they have 3 real bodies (Bynum, Gasol, and Odom) to throw at him, instead of - Z, Little Ben, and Vman. And can Ariza and Kobe make Lewis and Turk force shots, they didnt have to do in this series?

 

I think Superman continues to foul out of games, as the Lakers have Kobe, Ariza, and Odom driving to the cup, as well as Gasol in the paint as a scoring factor. Orlando better be ready for cheap fouls called against them to continue, and not lose their head or it could be a short series if Howard gets 2 more techs.

 

 

So the question is this, can Orlando continue to drain 3s at this same pace, and can Howard have as big of an impact against LA as he did the Cavs.

 

Im definately rooting for Orlando. I love Howard, and cant stand the cocky ass Kobe and Phil.

 

But can LA get Howard out of the game with foul trouble, and keep those 3 point shooters in check. I think they probably can.

 

 

THis is going to be a heckuva series IMO. The best 2 teams are in the Finals, and no one thought that 2 weeks ago. But Orlando is better than Cleveland, without a doubt, as they proved it during the season, and empahatically in these playoffs. If not for a miracle shot with 1 second left, THe Cavs get swept.

 

 

Im predicting LA in 7, but Im hoping Orlando in 6.

 

 

Your thoughts.

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I'm pulling for the Magic and to a large extent I have the same concerns as you. Physicallly, LA can't hang with Howard but like you mentioned they do have three legit big(ish) guys that will put pressure on Dwight to play D. This of course brings into play the foul trouble issue. He'll have to be really disciplined to stay in games.

As for Kobe and Ariza on Lewis and Hedo, they will certainly work to quiet that down but the truth is what makes the Magic outside game tick is that they have multiple guys who get it done from beyond the arc. Alston and Pietrus are just as capable of getting it going as anyone on that team and they're also althetic enough to pressure on the D by putting it on the floor.

The biggest issue I see is the propensity for the Lakers to sleep walk through the occasional game. If this happens in the finals, Orlando have to win those games. LA are the most talented team in the NBA and if the Magic don't win those games when the Lakers are off then it will be a short series.

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lakers should win, ariza and kobe will be a lot tougher to shoot over than the delonte west and mo williams types. if the lakers are smart, they will post gasol a LOT (as well as bynum and odom) and force howard to defend. gasol is capable of giving ANY big man fits, and getting them in foul trouble. the battles in the paint are going to be fun to watch. in the lakers-nuggets series, whichever team's big men played better won the game. if the lakers bigs show up that team is almost unbeatable, and superman is just one guy.

 

edit to add: lakers in 5

Edited by Azazello1313
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Should be an excellent matchup, in terms of two great coaching minds who excel at making mid-game and mis-series adjustments. In my opinion, that was truly the Cavs' biggest disadvantage in the conference finals... Van Gundy made adjustments that won games for Orlando, while Brown really didn't.

 

I'll be cheering for Orlando in this series, and the main thing I'm worried about is Howard getting into foul trouble. They're not going to stop Kobe (nobody can), so they'll concede that he'll get his 30 a game, and try to just bother him as much as possible with Lee and Pietrus (I'm guessing those two will split time guarding him). Neither team has a superstar at PG, and although I think the play at that position is obviously always critical to the outcome of a game/series, I don't think it's going to be any more so in this one.

 

The frontcourt (particularly the PF position) is where I'm most interested to see what happens... Will Phil Jackson go "big" and force Orlando to adjust to guarding both Bynum and Gasol? I'm sure we'll see them both at times, but I'm wondering if Jackson will make that a point of emphasis in their strategy against the Magic. Turkoglu and Lewis are both listed at 6'10" (and they very well may be that tall), but they both definitely play more of a SF type game. If Howard doesn't play smart and commits dumb fouls (getting over to help late, etc.), Orlando is in trouble. I would not be surprised at all to see more of a guy like Tony Battie in this series... really the only other big body that Van Gundy has at his disposal, besides Howard and Gortat (Adonal Foyle doesn't really count at this point in his career). Orlando had the luxury of being able to stay small in the Cleveland series... the Cavs didn't have enough of an inside presence to demand any help for Howard.

 

The same position can be used as a mismatch for Orlando... If the Magic do stay "small", who is going to come out and guard Turk/Lewis on the perimeter? Odom/Gasol aren't great perimeter defenders, so putting Bynum in the game essentially puts the Lakers at a quickness disadvantage at the forward position. If the Lakers go small to match Orlando with somebody like Luke Walton, I think Turkoglu can exploit them by taking the ball inside and getting to the line.

 

Other than obviously staying out of foul trouble, hitting FT's, and how both teams shoot from 3-pt range, that's my key to the series... which team is forced to adjust to the other's style of play, particularly at the PF position. I'm hoping Orlando can pull it off, but my official prediction is LA in six.

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