| 13 October 2011
Our season preview continues on the east side. This is competition #4 in the Eastern Conference.
Things have never been the same for the Orlando Magic after making it to the Finals in 2009. A lot of that should be blamed on the front office for not having enough faith in their own team to get back to the big dance the following year.
Instead, they shook the core up and exchange it for 2 has-been of so-called stars and a number of players that showed that they have no business being in the playoffs.
After 2 consecutive deep runs in the playoffs the previous years, the Magic lost in the first round to the Atlanta Hawks, the team they swept in 2010, in 6 games. The Hawks simply had too much weapons for Orlando to deal with.
With impatience and frustrations of coming short of returning to the Finals starting to settle between the fans and the team, rumors and speculations of Dwight Howard thinking that he may have a better chance of getting his first ring somewhere else (namely the Lakers) surfaced during this off-season.
Naturally, Howard refutes all the rumors and pointed it out that he wants to stay put and continue to help the Magic win its first championship. The question there is will he have the help he needs?
Even if they decide not to re-sign Jason Richardson, they still have 2 unwanted contracts that's making getting the right players to surround Howard an impossible task for GM Otis Smith. Gilbert Arenas is still in the books for at least 1 more year at $19.2 million while Hedo Turkoglu has 2 more guaranteed seasons left at a combined $22 million.
Unless Arenas and Turkoglu become monumental role players whenever we have a new season, don't be surprised to hear Howard change his tune next off-season.
But how much trouble could they give the Lakers if they were to reunite in the Finals? Let's see.
MATCHING UP
POINT GUARDS: Out of the 3 point guards Orlando had in the playoffs last season, Jameer Nelson was the hands-down winner for them averaging 13.2 points and 5 assists per game against Atlanta. Although he's no longer the same player the Lakers saw in 2009, Nelson is still much quicker and deadlier on offense than Derek Fisher. However, Jameer has never taken his game to another level in the playoffs throughout his career. But if the Lakers make it this far, that probably means that Fisher is having himself a nice run or the Lakers have got themselves a superb defensive strategy against point guards. Advantage: TOSS-UP
SHOOTING GUARDS: One of the most aweful decisions the Magic made is to get rid of young but hotly competitive Courtney Lee and defensive-minded Mickael Pietrus, these guys were the ones who kept Kobe Bryant from having a bigger Finals series in 2009. Now that they're gone, who are they going to put on him? If they give that assignment to rookie DeAndre Liggins, Kobe will just look at that as a sign of disrespect no matter how good of a defender Liggins say he is. Advantage: LAKERS
SMALL FORWARDS: At this stage of his career, Turkoglu is just hoping he'll stick in the NBA for as long as he can before Europe becomes his final destination. His best years were in his first 5 seasons with Orlando when he averaged 15.7 points in about 33 minutes per game. He's still getting 30+ minutes in his second stint with the team but his point production has gone way down to 10.8 per. Metta World Peace may not score as much as Hedo, but it's his defense and overall hustle on the floor that will make the difference in this matchup. Advantage: LAKERS
POWER FORWARDS: Unless Howard slides back into being a forward, Orlando has no one who can compete with Pau Gasol. Rookie Justin Harper has a chance but really slim at best, and Brandon Bass is too undersized to scare Gasol. It's going to take a team effort for the Magic to slow down Pau, but then that would take their attention away from both Kobe and Andrew Bynum if they do. Not good. Advantage: LAKERS
CENTER: This is about the only matchup Orlando has any hope of winning this series. Some might pencil this in as an automatic W for Dwight, but with Andrew continuing to improve his mobility and his game this off-season, I'm not so sure this series will be a cake walk for him. Let's not forget that eventhough Howard is one athletic, strong dude, Bynum is also strong but bigger, longer and has more offense in his arsenal than him. Advantage: TOSS-UP
BENCH: Hmmm...the Magic have nobody to counter Lamar Odom or provide the kind of energy and defense Matt Barnes puts out. That qualifies as an uh-oh for Orlando. Advantage: LAKERS
COACHING: Stan Van Gundy and Mike Brown clashed in the playoffs once in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2009, and both have been in the June series and lost. Stan is a solid X and O guy on offense but relies too heavily on Howard's intimidation and shot-blocking ability on defense. He's also have been known to make very questionnable decisions in his rotations and defensive schemes in the playoffs. While we don't know exactly how well the Lakers will play under Brown, he was able to take the Cleveland Cavaliers to the playoffs in his first year as a head coach and without a dominant post player (among other things), unlike Van Gundy. In L.A., he now has 2 at his disposal. Advantage: LAKERS
THE SERIES CHANGERS
LAKERS: Pau Gasol
With Bryant roaming the perimeter and Bynum keeping Howard busy inside, Gasol should get enough easy plays at the basket. Being a dangerous offensive threat in the paint and another defender with size and length to throw at Howard, Pau is going to be very, very important for the Lakers in this series. If he treats the Finals like his work is nowhere near finished, Orlando is doomed.
MAGIC: Gilbert Arenas
He may have vowed to play better defense next season, but it's really his offense that could make the difference for Orlando. Fisher doesn't score nearly enough to warrant a 24/7 attention on defense, and there's no way Van Gundy will put him on Kobe even if he does improve his defense next year. But if he becomes the old "Hibachi" and not the cold zucchini he's been for years now, then the Magic just might have a chance to win their first title ever.
Watch Out For...
Jason Richardson: If Orlando reaches the Finals, that could only mean that Richardson has stepped it up on offense. Afterall, he's supposed to be the primary weapon around the perimeter for this team. He may not be as productive as in his years with Golden State and Charlotte, but he's still younger and more athletic than Bryant at this point in their careers. If for some reason he makes himself into a nuisance on offense (and it's gonna take a lot more than what he's shown in the past), who knows?
Key Matchup
Andrew Bynum vs. Dwight Howard: The middle is where the Magic is going to put their hopes on for a championship, and the Lakers happen to have the one guy who can go toe-to-toe with Dwight while dishing out his own brand of mayhem. Howard is obviously the better defender, but Andrew is a monster on offense. Whoever does more on either end of the floor will give the nod to their team.
Keys For The Lakers
Foul Trouble: On Bynum, that is. Let's be honest here, Gasol won't be defending Howard as well as he did in 2009. If Andrew keeps collecting early fouls, all that frontline advantage the Lakers have will be nothing against Orlando. (Then again, we could say the same for Howard against Bynum.)
Offensive Balance: Even with Pau and Andrew down in the block, the Lakers still need to score from outside to put away Orlando because the Magic still has more shooters than the Lakers.
Interior Defense: If the Lakers can keep Howard as far away from the hoop as possible and force him to be a playmaker, the Magic are gonna have an even worse Finals than in 2009.
The Outcome
To be quite honest, I really don't see Orlando returning to the Finals anytime soon. They're just not equipped to deal with Miami, Chicago and Boston. Outside Howard, they're just short on everything else. But who knows, they might be able to make a big move or two once the lockout ends if they can find takers to either Arenas or Turkoglu (or both) who can give them the players they need in return.
But even if they tangle with the Lakers again with the roster they have now, I still don't expect them to threaten the Lakers at all. I mean just look at what Atlanta did to them last year. Granted most games of that series were close, but the Magic just could not get enough big plays on both sides of the floor to take over the game late. They're simply not built right now to go far into the playoffs.
For one thing, they don't have nearly enough defensive-minded players or go-to players. Second, they lack names that we've seen in the playoffs time and time again. Third, Howard still has to prove that he's willing to take on all the challenges in front of him to get his team over the hump. Until he does, Orlando fans will continue to wonder if their team is ever going to be good enough to win it all.
UP NEXT: Boston Celtics.
