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Discuss the Magic vs Lakers matchup
Let's get it started...
Orlando Magic
C Dwight Howard
PF Rashard Lewis
SF Hedo Turkoglu
SG Courtney Lee
PG Rafer Alston
Los Angles Lakers
C Andrew Bynum
PF Pau Gasol
SF Trevor Ariza
SG Kobe Bryant
PG Derek Fisher
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(here: [URL="http://www.insidehoops.com/index.shtml#poll"]http://www.insidehoops.com/index.shtml#poll[/URL] )
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Re: Discuss the Magic vs Lakers matchup
Expect to see a lot of Odom at PF going up against Lewis on the perimeter. Lakers match up much better than Cleveland did because of that one factor.
Lakers in 6.
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Re: Discuss the Magic vs Lakers matchup
Yeah, for sure the Lakers would have to start Bynum to stop Howard.
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Re: Discuss the Magic vs Lakers matchup
Home court will give this to the Lakers in 6. But it will be a close-fought series, with at least one Orlando blow out. The Lakers struggle with pick and roll and teams that can shoot the 3.
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Re: Discuss the Magic vs Lakers matchup
Lakers have an answer for Orlando's advantages in the last 2 series.
They have big 6'10 and up Big men with above average athletiscm.
They have 3 point shooters
they have Length in Odom,Ariza,Gasol,Bynum,
They have intelligent players in Kobe,Walton,Fisher
They have athletes that can run in transition to prevent the open 3's orlando gets.
They have a smarter coach who knows how to make adjustments
Orlando has...
Dwight Howard.....
Lakers in 6
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Re: Discuss the Magic vs Lakers matchup
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Re: NBA Finals 2009: Lakers vs Magic (Your Predictions)
[QUOTE=Crash]Lakers in 6[/QUOTE]
Easily.
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Re: NBA Finals 2009: Lakers vs Magic (Your Predictions)
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Re: NBA Finals 2009: Lakers vs Magic (Your Predictions)
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Re: NBA Finals 2009: Lakers vs Magic (Your Predictions)
I would love to think the Lakers in 7. But you just never know. IDK. :D
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Re: Discuss the Magic vs Lakers matchup
Jackson will know how to slow down Howard (ie, shaq 2k)
But Turkoglu/Lewis will be a handful
Van Gundy never really had any answer for Lebron (who does?)...Kobe will go off, too.
LAL in 5
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Re: Discuss the Magic vs Lakers matchup
This should be a good series...all the Lakers have to show up and play together as a team. Phil should consider starting Odom instead of Bynum for this series.
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Re: Discuss the Magic vs Lakers matchup
Dwight usually owns Bynum, but Bynum does a better job on him than anyone on the Cavs. It's going to be a tuff match up for the Lakers. :eek:
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Re: NBA Finals 2009: Lakers vs Magic (Your Predictions)
I picked the Lakers at the beginning of the season and I'll stick with that. But for them to win, I think for matchup purposes Lamar Odom is going to get a lot of minutes in this series to matchup with Rashard Lewis. And the Lakers are going to struggle against Dwight, but Kobe will have a monster series.
Lakers in 6.
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Re: Discuss the Magic vs Lakers matchup
Magic can win series if they continue to shoot the 3 ball like they have been doing cause Howard will dominate the soft Laker Frontcourt. The Lakers also don't defend the 3 ball that well. There is a reason they were 2-0 against Lakers and any Laker fans saying they win in 5 are gonna be in for a rude awakening. Magic will win this series and Kobe will not be able to dominate games like Lebron did.
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Re: NBA Finals 2009: Lakers vs Magic (Your Predictions)
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Re: Discuss the Magic vs Lakers matchup
Bynum is playing through an injury, so it will be Gasol who plays Dwight. I don't think Gasol will have any problems. Gasol is taller and has a jumpshot. Dwight does NOT have a jumpshot and cannot shoot over the taller Gasol.
It sucks that Odom, Ariza, Kobe, and Bynum is injured, yet Lakers are still favored to win it all.
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Re: NBA Finals 2009: Lakers vs Magic (Your Predictions)
My better sensibilities will take heed of the fact that the Magic wrecked shop on LA during the regular season, sooooooooo with that being said, I am a bit unsure about how this will go.
I will say this...the days off are definately going to help LA..
Andrew must at least do a job on Dwight defensively...but i think you can live with him going off,..
LAKERS MUST COVER THE THREE! They have a bad habit of not doing that.
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Re: Discuss the Magic vs Lakers matchup
Reminder: Don't post mere predictions. Post ANALYSIS and DISCUSS the matchup, with OPINIONS about how the teams play, the player matchups, etc. That's worth reading. A simple prediction isn't
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Re: Discuss the Magic vs Lakers matchup
[QUOTE=cotdt]Bynum is playing through an injury, so it will be Gasol who plays Dwight. [B]I don't think Gasol will have any problems[/B]. Gasol is taller and has a jumpshot. Dwight does NOT have a jumpshot and cannot shoot over the taller Gasol.
It sucks that Odom, Ariza, Kobe, and Bynum is injured, yet Lakers are still favored to win it all.[/QUOTE]
LOL..this has to be the moronic post of the night.. nene and Kmart were gettin to the rim and dunking what do U think Howard will be doing ? Gasol is the equivalent of Varejo gaurding Howard..Howard will eat Gasol up if he gets low post position.
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Re: Discuss the Magic vs Lakers matchup
I dont expect Bryant to go off 40 plus all series like Lebron did.
Pietrus is very athletic and tenacious, he gave up speed and strength on lebron with Kobe he matches his athletically and will force kobe into at least one subpar 43 below FG%.
THe lakers get too confident but, athletically they are able to close on the magics lengthier shooters.
On the lakers side i see.
Odom and Ariza playing a lot of minutes to neutralize Hedo and Lewis. I think Odom when focused can slow down Lewis due to his athletiscm. Ariza will take away the penetration advantage Hedo had with clevelands undersized lineup.
Kobe will have to move off the ball because Pietrus is a good defender who is tenacious.
Fisher may start, but Farmer should be getting good 25 mins in this series. He can neutralize Alston better than Fisher could.
Gasol can move howard further away from the basket on posessions and that helps the lakers rebounding.
On the magic side.....
Pietrus has shown he can score 10-15 points off the bench consistently while giving good defense. Lakers need to remember his sweet spot(right corner) and defend it.
The magic have been lights out from 3 collectively....I expect the magic to cool down, but will definitely shoot 38 percent from 3.
Overall, I hate both teams but the Lakers focused are better, Dwight and Kobe have the upper hands, but both teams are able to neutralize role player advantages.
That said I feel the lakers win in 6. Phil Jackson is a lot better at adjustments than Rivers and Brown.
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Re: Discuss the Magic vs Lakers matchup
[QUOTE=Kingwillball]LOL..this has to be the moronic post of the night.. nene and Kmart were gettin to the rim and dunking what do U think Howard will be doing ? Gasol is the equivalent of Varejo gaurding Howard..Howard will eat Gasol up if he gets low post position.[/QUOTE]
Gasol may not be tough at all, but comparing him to Varejau(spelled wrong i bet) is assinine.
Gasol has very good shooting range for a big man. Howard cant do as much damage if hes away from the basket. Perkins and Davis showed the blue print on how to guard him. If the lakers execute the plan right, howard wont be camped 5 feet in as much.
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Re: Discuss the Magic vs Lakers matchup
[QUOTE=Kingwillball]LOL..this has to be the moronic post of the night.. nene and Kmart were gettin to the rim and dunking what do U think Howard will be doing ? Gasol is the equivalent of Varejo gaurding Howard..Howard will eat Gasol up if he gets low post position.[/QUOTE]
Gasol may not be tough at all, but comparing him to Varejau(spelled wrong i bet) is assinine.
Gasol has very good shooting range for a big man. Howard cant do as much damage if hes away from the basket. Perkins and Davis showed the blue print on how to guard him. If the lakers execute the plan right, howard wont be camped 5 feet in as much.
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Re: Discuss the Magic vs Lakers matchup
Magic in six.
Howard will own Bynum, canceling out good play by Kobe.
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Re: Discuss the Magic vs Lakers matchup
Outside of Gortat and Dwight the Magic aren't a physical team. Physical teams give the Lakers problems. I think Lakers in 6.
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Re: Discuss the Magic vs Lakers matchup
Considering the fact that most teams that have won the championship were actually swept in the regular season by their opponent in the Finals.
Cavs vs Spurs - Cavs swept them in Reg. Season, Spurs sweep them in the Finals.
Mavericks-Heat - Mavs swept Heat in Reg. Season, Heat end up taking the series 4-2.
However, last season. Lakers got swept by the Celtics in the regular season and lost to the Celtics in the Finals. It may be a different story considering the fact that the Celtics had 3 Hall of famers on that team that were very hungry for a championship as well.
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Re: Discuss the Magic vs Lakers matchup
I think this will be a repeat of Houston vs Lakers in terms of game scores. Howard will prove to be rather insignificant against lakers, it will be all about Lewis/Pietrus/Alston making 3s. Gasol will have a much easier time scoring than he did against Rockets and Nuggets, I don't see anyone on magic that could really defend him. Kobe will no doubt be getting chased down by smaller magic players, putting more preasure on rest of Lakers team to make points. Unless Lakers play like they did in last game against Nuggets, I have to say Lakers in 7.
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Re: Discuss the Magic vs Lakers matchup
Lakers in 6 or 7.
Lakers live off the fast break, and if those 3's aren't going in for Orlando they will get gobbled up. Lakers will have trouble defending Dwight of course, and as well as leaving those open perimeter players on double teams on Dwight. Then again Orlando doesnt have an answer for Kobe....
Should be a fun series to see, congrats to Magic fans on getting back to the finals.
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Re: Discuss the Magic vs Lakers matchup
Vote in NBA Finals prediction poll, lower right side of insidehoops.com front page:
[url]http://www.insidehoops.com/index.shtml#poll[/url]
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Re: Discuss the Magic vs Lakers matchup
[QUOTE=PP34Deuce]Gasol may not be tough at all, but comparing him to Varejau(spelled wrong i bet) is assinine.
Gasol has very good shooting range for a big man. Howard cant do as much damage if hes away from the basket. Perkins and Davis showed the blue print on how to guard him. If the lakers execute the plan right, howard wont be camped 5 feet in as much.[/QUOTE]
I am saying defensively.. Pau is soft and Howard will muscle him right uder rim and either get those baby hooks or dunks and also draw Fouls. Howard is a matchup nightmare that the Lakers don't have any answers for.
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Re: Discuss the Magic vs Lakers matchup
[QUOTE=cotdt]Bynum is playing through an injury, so it will be Gasol who plays Dwight. I don't think Gasol will have any problems. Gasol is taller and has a jumpshot. Dwight does NOT have a jumpshot and cannot shoot over the taller Gasol.
It sucks that Odom, Ariza, Kobe, and Bynum is injured, yet Lakers are still favored to win it all.[/QUOTE]
Dwight Howard will absolutely molest Gasol downlow.
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Re: Discuss the Magic vs Lakers matchup
[QUOTE=Kingwillball]I am saying defensively.. Pau is soft and Howard will muscle him right uder rim and either get those baby hooks or dunks and also draw Fouls. Howard is a matchup nightmare that the Lakers don't have any answers for.[/QUOTE]
Considering the fact that they have Andrew Bynum on that team. Pau won't have to guard him, unless they want to go small. Dwight is just more physical than all of them, which might be different. But the Magic's best offense comes from pick n rolls and shooting 3's. Not Dumping the ball to Dwight Howard and let him do everything, that's what the Rockets best offense is to Yao Ming.
Lakers will let Dwight Howard get his and contain the 3 point shooters. That's what I think is going to happen. You would rather have Dwight Howard get constant 2 pointers instead of risking their 3 point shooters being open. Dwight is not the best offensive big man in the NBA, not even Top 10 for that matter.
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Re: Discuss the Magic vs Lakers matchup
The Lakers frontcourt can get Dwight in foul trouble by going at Dwight. Odom and Gasol are faster and more versatile than Dwight Howard. Get Dwight to defend against their driving and he will get in foul trouble. That is how you neutralize Dwight Howard. Make him defend.
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Re: Discuss the Magic vs Lakers matchup
[QUOTE=justin43]The Lakers frontcourt can get Dwight in foul trouble by going at Dwight. Odom and Gasol are faster and more versatile than Dwight Howard. Get Dwight to defend against their driving and he will get in foul trouble. That is how you neutralize Dwight Howard. Make him defend.[/QUOTE]
I agree. The Lakers have the bigs in Pau and Bynum that can get Dwight in foul trouble as much as Dwight can get them in trouble. The Cav's only had one big man who could score and that was big Z who settled for jump shots like he was Dirk.
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Re: Discuss the Magic vs Lakers matchup
[QUOTE=RocketGreatness]Considering the fact that they have Andrew Bynum on that team. Pau won't have to guard him, unless they want to go small. Dwight is just more physical than all of them, which might be different. But the Magic's best offense comes from pick n rolls and shooting 3's. Not Dumping the ball to Dwight Howard and let him do everything, that's what the Rockets best offense is to Yao Ming.
Lakers will let Dwight Howard get his and contain the 3 point shooters. That's what I think is going to happen. You would rather have Dwight Howard get constant 2 pointers instead of risking their 3 point shooters being open. Dwight is not the best offensive big man in the NBA, not even Top 10 for that matter.[/QUOTE]
He is top 10, he is the most dominant force big man in the NBA. Skill wise there are others that are better but his athleticness and power create problems much like Lebrons but at the center position instead of on the wing.
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Re: Discuss the Magic vs Lakers matchup
I have the Lakers in six because I think the Lakers will more then rise to the the occasion after last years loss. I also think that homecourt advantage will be HUGE for the Lakers...it's just the edge they need to beat Orlando in a 7 game series.
Lakers in 6
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Re: Discuss the Magic vs Lakers matchup
I'm so depressed. I was biting at the bit for a Lakers / Cavs ... Kobe / LeBron show down. Guess the Cavs were just overhyped in a weak conference. God knows they wouldn't have lasted near this long with a healthy defending champion Celtics, or even a healthy Magic team. Guess Cleveland should be lucky they had the year that they did.
Ashame the MVP couldn't get his team to at least the Finals. No one is saying you have to win it but it would've been nice to see him there.
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Re: Discuss the Magic vs Lakers matchup
Center position-Orlando has howard but Gasol or Bynum MIGHT be able to slow him down a bit. Let's not forget that gasol is quicker than howard. This might get help the lakers get howard in foul troublw...Advantage-Magic
Forward position-Odom and occasionaly pau VS Turkoglu and Lewis....Odom(if focused) can actually play pretty good defense...Let's not forget about trevor ariza(who'll probably guard turkoglu)...Turkoglu and Lewis on the other hand are not really known as great defenders...Odom's quickness will pose a problem for orlando...Advantage-Lakers
Guard position-Fisher + Kobe VS Alston + Pietrus....Alston might give fisher problems but Kobe's presence will just negate that.....Kobe will be able to defend pietrus well but I think he will need to sacrifice his offense a little bit...Advantage-Lakers
Role players/Bench- The lakers has one of the best bench in the NBA(Walton, Odom, farmar, vuljacic)....The key here is luke walton...he played good in the series against the nuggets, Im just hoping that he'll be able to do it again...Advantage-Lakers
Coach
Phil Jackson >>> SVG
Experience
I don't think I need to explain this one...Lakers > Magic
The Magic's 3 pt shooting might pose a problem for the lakers but if the lakers focus the way they did in game 6 of the western conf finals, I believe they'll be able to neutralize this...
Lakers in 6...
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Re: Discuss the Magic vs Lakers matchup
Its true, Lakers may not have an answer for Howard...but the Magic have no answer for Kobe, at all. Howard can not take over a game like Kobe can, you can put him on the line towards the end of games if you have to, although Phil doesnt like that. They have Mbenga and Powell, 12 fouls for Howard on the bench, nice luxury to have.
Gasol will draw Howard away from the paint opening things up for Kobe and Ariza to drive and Odom to rebound. I see brown getting alot more minutes as he is a very good perimeter defender, so is Ariza. They along with Kobe can close out to those 3 point shooters. Phil hates to double team, Cavs did leaving shooters wide open.
Howard is prone to picking up fouls. If he picks up quick fouls and has to sit, forget it. Lakers will open up big leads, God forbid he fouls out of a game. Phil Jackson will also make the correct adjustments and seriously out coach Van Gumby for sure.
Lakers in 6.
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Re: Discuss the Magic vs Lakers matchup
Wow Lakers fans picking the Lakers to win that's not surprising at all......:applause: