2009 NBA Finals: Player Matchup
With the first game of the 2009 NBA Finals between the Orlando Magic and the Los Angeles Lakers hours away, let us look at the player matchup between the guards, forwards, and center position.
Guards
The Los Angeles Lakers have of course the best shooting guard of this decade as the Nuggets found out in the Western Conference Finals. But besides him, there aren’t any other guards that have stepped so far in the playoffs. Derek Fisher? Maybe. Sasha “The Machine” Vujacic? Not really. Shannon Brown? Could be. The fact is, outside Kobe Bryant, the guards of the Lakers haven’t been that consistent.
There have been talks that Jameer Nelson, who hasn’t played since February due to a “season ending” shoulder injury, could actually play. This will really help their backcourt as Nelson is a terrific player. The problem I see with this is that the Orlando Magic already has a set rotation that has already been working in the playoff and adding another player could actually hurt their chances more than help. Watch out for Mikael Pietrus, who is their x-factor. He played well against the Cavs and will have the task of stopping Kobe Bryant.
Advantage: Los Angeles Lakers.
Forwards
Pau Gasol, Trevor Ariza and Lamar Odom are the key forwards for the Lakers so far in the playoffs. Ariza has really stepped his game up in the past few games. Gasol will always give you good numbers and a presence in the middle. As for Odom, he is having trouble with his back but it sure doesn’t look like it the past few games.
Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis have been really big for the Magic. They’ve hit big shot after big shot and has kept the defense of their opponents honest. It’s really hard to guard 6’10 three point shooters who can even drive to the basket with ease. Unlike the Cavs who had a hard time guarding these players, it looks like the Lakers could have an answer.
Advantage: Even.
Centers
Andrew Bynum has been trying to lobby for more playing time but is clearly not a 100% yet. Phil Jackson realized this and had to go with a smaller lineup with Gasol manning the middle and Odom as their power forward. It would really be important for any Laker center to keep Dwight Howard off the paint and the boards. I think that we will see more playing time for DJ Mbenga in this series to harass Howard and even try to foul him and force him to shoot from the free throw line. Problem is Howard has been making his free throws lately.
Dwight Howard is just a monster inside the paint as discovered by the Cleveland Cavaliers. He is just an inside presence that the LA Lakers will have a hard time guarding. Should they double or not? If they do, then the outside shooters of the Magic, which is everyone but Dwight will hit their shots. If they don’t then Howard will just dominate the paint.
My prediction: Lakers in 6 games.
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