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Cavs vs. Magic
NBA PICKS - JANUARY 2009
1/29/09
As arguably the two most improved teams in the Eastern conference
and in the league this season the Orlando Magic and the Cleveland
Cavaliers are no longer second rate teams compared to the defending
champion Boston Celtics.
With the vast improvement on defense by both the Cleveland Cavaliers
as a team and LeBron James individually the Cavs are playing their
best basketball in the franchise’s history. The addition of Mo
Williams at point guard finally gives the Cavs the ball handler and
floor general they have so desperately needed since LeBron James
came to town back in 2003. Now that the Cavs have Williams running
the point LeBron James no longer has to play a type of point forward
position like Scottie Pippen did with the Chicago Bulls during their
championship years. With LeBron being able to roam free with a
capable point guard in Williams who can both score and be a
playmaker, King James has stepped up his game and turned his Cavs
into legit title contenders along with being the leading candidate
for this season’s NBA MVP.
The Orlando Magic came into this season with more team chemistry and
a dominant Dwight Howard. Last season Howard was a big force in the
paint, but this year he is a monster on both the glass and in the
scoring category. This kid has gotten so good in such a short time
that having a 20-20 (points-rebounds) game is no surprise anymore.
Not only is Howard a dominant force on the offensive side of the
floor, but he has also improved his defense much like LeBron and is
arguably the best all around center in the game.
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The Boston Celtics are still the team to beat in the Eastern
conference with the Big Three still intact and their play virtually
identical to what it was in their championship campaign last season,
but this year it will not be as easy to get to the NBA finals with
both the Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers playing just as well
as the defending champions, especially on the defensive end of the
floor.
Thursday night’s match up between LeBron’s Cavs and Howard’s Magic
will an all out battle of two great Eastern conference teams looking
to prove they are the new team to beat in the East. This game will
have a playoff atmosphere for sure! Although the Magic have the edge
on offense with four starters scoring about 17 points a night in
Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson, Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu the
Cavs defense can be suffocating and could put the Magic offense to
the test.
This inside game will be huge in this match up as the Cavs are still
without center Zydranus Ilgauskas and will be going up against the
best center in the league in Dwight Howard. With big Z out and
Howard being an imposing force in the paint the Cavs will be forced
to double team him constantly which will open up the three point
shooters for the Magic. One of the big attributes of the Magic is
their three point shooters. With Nelson, Lewis and Turkoglu all
lights out from deep Orlando is a match up nightmare.
The Cavs on the other hand have arguably the best player in the NBA
right now in LeBron James who can literally take over a game at will
and create havoc for any opposing defense. This game should be close
and probably will come down to the wire, but in the end the Orlando
Magic might be a little too much for the Cleveland Cavaliers to
handle at this point in the season. Unless Mo Williams and LeBron
James have another huge night like they did against the Sacramento
Kings the other day with LeBron having a triple-double and Williams
going off for 43 points, the Magic will get the win at home on
Thursday.
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