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NBA Finals Game
1
(Orlando Magic @ Los
Angeles Lakers)
It has been a great ride thus far in the NBA playoffs with some
spectacular finishes and clutches performances, but we are now down
to just two teams as the NBA Finals gets underway with the Orlando
Magic taking on the Los Angeles Lakers in LA on June 4th at the
Staples Center.
Well, the Lakers were favored to get as far as the Finals so they
are on pace, but the Orlando Magic have been underdogs pretty much
the whole way through except against the Philadelphia 76ers in round
one.
First Dwight Howard and company dispatched Philly in six games then
they took out the defending champion Boston Celtics in a heated
seven games and finally they beat the best team in the East in
LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers in six games to advance to the NBA
Finals for the first time since Shaq’s squad did it back in 1995.
NBA Finals Game 1 Orlando Magic @ Los
Angeles Lakers
Lakers -6 O/U 206 at Bet Jamaica
It is not the dream match up everyone had hoped for with LeBron
James and Kobe Bryant going head to head, but the Magic taking on
the Lakers might be an even better series as both teams have come
into their own by beating some tough teams down the stretch.
The Los Angeles Lakers will be the odds on favorite and I do believe
they will be the NBA champs when it is all said and done, but the
Magic may create some match up problems for Kobe and company much
like they did for LeBron’s Cavs.
As of right now I see this series going six games with the Lakers
winning it all in Los Angeles in game six, but I could easily see
the series going the full seven games especially if the Magic get
Jameer Nelson back healthy for this series. Nelson has been somewhat
of a Laker killer this year as he has proved to be a big match up
problem for the Lakers guards.
Of course, unlike the Cavs, the Lakers have one of the best
supporting casts and role players surrounded around Kobe Bryant and
that was painfully apparent in the game six victory over the Denver
Nuggets recently. Not only do the Lakers have arguably the best all
around player in Kobe who can be virtually unguardable at times, but
players like Pau Gasol, Trevor Ariza and perhaps most notably Lamar
Odom have all stepped up their game.
The big difference here will be whether or not the Lakers can guard
Dwight Howard in the paint and still be able to stick all their
shooters like Hedo Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis and Michael Pietrus. With
the great defenders the Lakers have like Trevor Ariza and Kobe
Bryant, the Lakers should be able to contain the Magic’s high
powered offense, but as we have seen in the playoffs so far with the
surprising losses by the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers
anything can happen and you can never count out the Orlando Magic.
My pick: Los Angeles Lakers take it in six games starting with a win
in game one.
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