What did the Orlando Magic get for defying expectations to emerge victorious in three grueling playoff series? Nothing less than one more chance to be respected but near unanimous underdogs against the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals.
(By the way, President Obama has the Lakers in six, as mainstream a pick as selecting North Carolina to win the NCAA tournament. Next we’ll expect him to forecast the Patriots in the Super Bowl.)
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Perhaps not surprisingly, Orlando scout and former NBA assistant coach Brian James says no one’s giving the Magic a chance. Equally expected is his first contention for why it’s not quite so cut and dry: Dwight Howard.
“I think you still have to contend with the guy in the middle,” said James. “He’s bigger and stronger than [Pau] Gasol, and I think you’re going to have to look for Andrew Bynum to play much better than he did against Denver.”
At the defensive end of the floor, the Magic will have to reproduce and improve on what they achieved against Cleveland.
“[Mikael] Pietrus did a credible job guarding LeBron [James] with every teammate that he has,” said James. “So he’s going to be asked to guard Kobe [Bryant] a lot, along with Hedo Terkoglu and Courtney Lee, who is a great competitor. Those three are going to have a chance to guard Kobe. I don’t see J.J. Redick guarding him much, but Orlando’s deeper than what people feel, with the exception of point guard.”
That could change with Jameer Nelson available.
But secondary stars offer the most intriguing matchup. Lamar Odom‘s ability to guard Rashard Lewis isn’t in question, but the Lakers’ 6-foot-10 candyman could be challenged in staying with Orlando’s 6-10 perimeter-preferring power forward.
“With Rashard Lewis, I think Lamar can guard him one-on-one,” said James. “It’s just a lot of times Rashard is involved with screen rolls, picking and popping, and it’s how the Lakers are going to defend that. Are they going to try and keep Odom attached, or who’s going to rotate?”
