It's been a long season. A good season, to be sure. But long. And now we have two teams remaining. Or three, if we count the Pistons. The true champions.
Oh, sorry. I lost consciousness for a bit there. What was I saying again?
Right. The NBA Finals.
On one hand, we have the Los Angeles Lakers. They defeated the Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets, and Denver Nuggets on the road to the finals. They chased Carlos Boozer out of Salt Lake City, broke Yao's foot, and fractured Nene's arm. They are good at basketball. They are also talented economists and pastry chefs.
And then there are the Orlando Magic. They met challenges offered by Andre Iguodala, Rajon Rondo, and LeBron James. They overcame mathematics, history, and mythology. And Wall Street executives.
This is going to be a terrific and competitive series. I am going to prepare you for it.
ORLANDO MAGICIMPORTANT PLAYER: Hedo Turkoglu
Hedo runs this offense. Sorry, Rafer. Give Hedo the ball, let him facilitate, and win games.
OTHER IMPORTANT PLAYER: Rashard Lewis
No one can guard Rashard Lewis if his shot is falling. He should also drive to the basket against Pau, or whoever happens to guard him. As Moore has said repeatedly, the Magic go where Hedo and Shard take them. That, or HOWARD SMASH!
COULD BE AN IMPORTANT PLAYER: Courtney Lee
Guarding Kobe may fall to Mickael Pietrus, but I hope Lee is initially given the task. If anything, the mask may scare or irritate Kobe enough to miss some shots. Imagine if Shane Battier wore a mask. Wait, never mind. Don't do that.
IMPORTANT PLAY: Dwight Howard screen-and-roll
I'm borrowing this from Skeets. Not only is it important to put Dwight in motion, but the screen-and-roll gives Hedo the opportunity to score off the dribble or start working the drive-and-kick offense. This may be less important if Dwight can score in the post with similar effectiveness to Game 6, but I'm not so sure that he can sustain it all series.
IMPORTANT STATISTIC: Defensive efficiency, 101.9 pts/100 possessions (1st in NBA)
The Magic are good at defense. They pressure shooters. They have Dwight Howard to anchor the lane. The Lakers will have to be on point to beat them.
LOS ANGELES LAKERSIMPORTANT PLAYER: Pau Gasol
Kobe is Kobe. Kobe will be Kobe. Pau must score. Pau must play defense.
OTHER IMPORTANT PLAYER: Lamar Odom
Odom can be awesome. Since the Magic have such a strong bench, he needs to have a great series. Plus, who doesn't want to see an epic Pietrus/Odom battle? Oh, everyone but me? Shoot.
COULD BE AN IMPORTANT PLAYER: Andrew Bynum
Dwight Howard is order, stabilizing the Magic on offense and defense. Theoretically, Bynum could counter some of that influence. That probably won't happen. However, if there is anyone on the Lakers who can ensure victory, it's him. Strong rebounding by Bynum could negate some of Dwight's offense, and if he can force Dwight out of deep post position, his limited repertoire becomes a huge liability. But that is a big "if."
IMPORTANT PLAY: Don't let Derek Fisher take shots
In all seriousness, Lakers: work the ball, work the triangle, play hard. Initiate the offense. Let Kobe score. Let Pau score. Let Odom do things. And don't let Derek Fisher take shots. I cannot stress this enough.
IMPORTANT STATISTIC: 23.0 FT/FG (20th in NBA)
The Lakers do not get to the free throw line. And the Magic do not foul (20.9 FT/FG, 4th in NBA). This puts more pressure on Laker shooters, and we already know how good Orlando's defense is at forcing low-percentage shots. Don't believe me? Ask Mo Williams.
And now, the moment no one has been waiting for...
IMPORTANT PREDICTION: Magic in 7. Why? Gortat. Just Gortat.
(H/T Knickerblogger for the stats)
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