Hoops4theSoul

Jun

3

2009 NBA Finals Preview: Magic vs. Lakers

Filed Under Analysis/Commentary, Previews & Reviews, NBA

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Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant Prepare to Battle in the 2009 NBA Finals Jameer Nelson and Andrew Bynum Are Two Question Marks in the 2009 NBA Finals Dwight Howard Has Come of Age in the 2009 NBA PlayoffsIf you would have told me prior to the 2009 NBA playoffs that the Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers would face off in the Finals, I would not have believed you at the time, nor would I have been very excited.

But something about this series has caught my interest.

Perhaps it’s the way the Magic have gotten on a roll in the playoffs, with Dwight Howard emerging as a dominant force, Rashard Lewis continuing to be one of the most underappreciated players in the league, and Michael Pietrus showing no fear of making the big shot.

Maybe it’s the fact that the Lakers have been up-and-down throughout the postseason, looking vulnerable at one moment and then dominant when needed.

And then’s there are all of the subplots to the 2009 NBA Finals.

Will Orlando All-Star point guard Jameer Nelson return from a shoulder injury that was thought to be season-ending?

If so, how effective will Nelson be? Will he start or come off the bench?

Which team will pose the bigger match-up problems?

Will the Lakers take advantage of the size of big men Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum or will the Magic’s untraditional forward combination of Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu continue to be a destructive force from the three-point line?

How will two of the NBA’s best coaches and whiners counteract each other?

Which X-factor — Lamar Odom or Pietrus — will have a bigger impact in this series?

Will Odom’s sweet tooth affect his play in the Finals? I’m just joking on this one.

Did last year’s loss to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals prepare LA for this upcoming series?

Will Kobe Bryant finally win his first championship without Shaquille O’Neal?

And then there’s O’Neal, currently with the Phoenix Suns and formerly of the Magic and Lakers.

How much will Shaq’s history with both teams be played out in the media this series?

For such a surprising NBA Finals matchup, who would have known that there would be so many intriguing questions?

I’m shocked to say that I’m very excited about this series.

My gut says LA will win this thing in six games, but something about this series reminds me of the 2004 NBA Finals.

You remember that NBA Finals, don’t you now?

A Lakers team featuring Bryant, O’Neal, Karl Malone and Gary Payton were expected to steamroll a Detroit Pistons team on the rise.

Of course, it was the Pistons that steamrolled the Lakers in five games that series.

It seems that everyone likes the Lakers after the dismantling of Denver in Game Six of the Western Conference Finals.

But with the way the Lakers have turned it on and off in the playoffs and considering how strong Orlando has been playing since Game Seven of its second round series against the Celtics, something tells me that this series is going to go the distance.

Be sure to check in as Hoops 4 the Soul breaks down the 2009 NBA Finals by each position and then makes its prediction.

With that said, here’s how both teams got to the Finals.

Los Angeles Lakers (#1 Seed in the West)

First Round: Beat #8 Seed Utah Jazz in Five Games.

Second Round: Beat #5 Seed Houston Rockets in Seven Games.

Western Conference Finals: Beat #2 Seed Denver Nuggets in Six Games.

Orlando Magic (#3 Seed in the East)

First Round: Beat #6 Seed Philadelphia 76ers in Six Games.

Second Round: Beat #2 Seed Boston Celtics in Seven Games.

Eastern Conference Finals: Beat #1 Seed Cleveland Cavaliers in Six Games.

Series Matchup

Orlando Won Season Series 2-0.

December 20, 2008: Orlando 106, Los Angeles 103 at Amway Arena in Orlando, FL.

Leading Scorers: Kobe Bryant — 41 points; Jameer Nelson — 27 points.

January 16, 2009: Orlando 109, Los Angeles 103 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA.

Leading Scorers: Bryant — 28 points; Nelson — 28 points.

Here’s a video recap of the second game between these two teams.

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