NBA BEAT - NBA PLAYOFF FINAL

James Loving - National Radio Text Service

NBA FINALS ORLANDO MAGIC vs. LOS ANGELES LAKERS - the media went wild about their wish to see a Cleveland Cavaliers verses the Los Angeles Lakers finals featuring a Kobe Bryant verses LeBron James match up they will have to settle for Kobe verses Orlando with Superman aka Dwight Howard

SUPERMAN & Crew Take On Kobe's Bangers

Thursday June 4, 2009

After the media went wild about their wish to see a Cleveland Cavaliers verses the Los Angeles Lakers finals featuring a Kobe Bryant verses LeBron James match up the Orlando Magic proved that they have something to say about that as they eliminated the Cavs 4-2 in the best of seven game Eastern Finals series. Fans of the NBA will have to settle for Kobe verses Orlando with Superman aka Dwight Howard.

Though they were the third seed in the East with only a 59-23 regular season record the Magic will be going to the NBA Finals ball to get it on with the prima-donnas of the league Lakers. The Lakers finished the regular season the top seed in the West with a 65-17 regular season record and the leagues second best only trailing the Cavaliers 66 wins.

The hoped for clash would have pitted two superstar high school to NBA players in Bryant and James. The revised schedule will now feature four high school to NBA players with Orlando being represented by Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis and the Lakers add center Andrew Bynum to the mix.

The Magic defeated the Lakers twice this season. Howard led the Magic with a 40 point effort in their 103-90 close out win over the Cavs in Orlando. The powerfully built Howard has Superman strength inside.

For Howard he will have to gain the respect of Bryant. As former 2008 US Olympic team teammates Bryant chidingly refers to Howard as a goofball because he jokes around and likes to have fun. Howard will have to prove that during this series he's serious and not joking around. He will have to show Bryant that he's bringing his A game to take that NBA title back to Orlando.

It will be 14 years since the Magic were in the finals. Their last appearance was in 1995 when Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway led a young Magic squad against the Houston Rockets only to be swept in four games.

Howard, James and Bryant have been selected to the NBA first team for the past two seasons. James also was a teammate on the Gold Medal winning 2008 US Olympic team.

All three were drafted in the first round but Bryant is the ragamuffin of the group. In 2003 James was the NBA's first overall draft pick. The following year 2004 Howard also was the number one overall pick. Bryant was the 13th first round choice by the Charlotte Hornets in the 1996 draft. Shortly after the rights to signing Bryant was traded to the Lakers in exchange for Vlade Divac.

Though James is out of the finals equation this series could be a good one as Orlando seems to have the fight and determination and talent to terminate the Lakers bid for their fourth NBA title in the 21st century.

Lewis is a trump card for the Magic. He was highly disappointed when ignored in the 1998 NBA draft. The now 11-year NBA veteran was selected in the second round and was the 32nd overall pick. He has a 16.8 points per game (ppg.) career average and shoots 390% from three point land. He's got inside and outside game. The 6"10" forward can handle the ball and can be strong inside and out.

Orlando has four deadly three point shooters in Hedo Turkolu, Mickael Pietrus, Rafer Alston and Lewis. In their win over Cleveland Orlando made 12 of 29 three point attempts. They have the shooters but will suffer if they try to win with three pointers. Their inside game must balance their outside attack to keep the defense honest and avoid a collapse if their outside shooting goes cold. Shooting and missing too many three's could equate to the saying live by the three die by the three.

The Lakers have the edge in NBA title experience with coach Phil Jackson having won nine as a coach six with the Chicago Bulls and three with the Lakers as well as one as a player with the 1973 New Knicks squad.

With Bryant and Derek Fisher having been teammates on the Lakers three-peat NBA title success in 2000-2001-2002 the squads total of 16 title ring experience gives them a decided edge in the been there done that department. Having won NBA titles lends itself to confidence and knowing how to deal with NBA Finals pressure. The Magic have zero experience in that department.

With Pau Gasol's ability to bang the boards, quickness, skill of being in the right place at the right time and his ability to make shots from the outside will be a problem for the Magic. Lamar Odom has size and is a very capable shooter. He's a hot and cold player thus should the Lakers succeed a large part will be from whatever he contributes. Should he have a bad series the Lakers could go down. The big bodied Bynum gives them a strong presence on the boards.

The Lakers have played fewer games during the series with 18 to Orlando's 19. They also completed their Western Conference Finals series against the Denver Nuggets a day earlier than when the Magic closed out the Cavaliers in the East. That extra game less and days rest can serve them well.

During the playoffs the Magic have had more of a stress factor having to take seven games to eliminate the defending champion and favored Boston Celtics. The pressure increased when they took on the Cavs.

The conduct of the referees will factor into the result. In that past they have seemingly always been partial towards the Lakers as they continually permit them to bang and foul their opponents without retribution. This series is a tough one to call.

The Magic have proved to be determined to gain the respect of the league and NBA fans alike that they are the real deal of what champions are made of. The Lakers have home court advantage and that is a major issue.

This could be an interesting series if Orlando comes to play ball and not be in awe of the Hollyweird and celebrity stars that attend Lakers games. That will be a major factor in this series not to go ga ga and Hollyweird. It raises the question will fear be a factor for them?