After Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic finished off Lebron and the Cavaliers in Game 6 on Saturday to win the Eastern Conference title, we heard a lot of talk about how disappointing it was for the NBA to be deprived of the Kobe-Lebron "dream" NBA Finals matchup. The television ratings will suffer, there will be far less buzz, Nike's Kobe-Lebron puppets ad campaign is ruined, yada, yada, yada. Count me among those who are sick and tired of hearing about television ratings and their relevance in sports today. Whenever we reach a championship series/game in sports today, there is inevitably a discussion of how the television ratings will be and how big or small the markets of the teams are. TV ratings are a good indicator of how many casual fans and women are tuning in and the higher the TV ratings, the higher the league's bottom line will be. The hardcore fans are hoping to see a competitive series and a high caliber of play, and they will be tuning in regardless of how "attractive" the matchup is on paper for the casual fan. The less I hear about televison ratings, the better.
As for the Lakers-Magic matchup, this appears to have the makings of a great series and in my eyes it is the real dream matchup for the NBA. On one side we have the powerful LA Lakers, with their now 30 NBA Finals appearances and their legendary coach and superstar player that many, including myself, love to hate. On the other side we have the Orlando Magic who have never won an NBA Finals game playing in a town known only for Disney World with their Mickey Mouse team name and their sweaty, overweight, "everyman" head coach. For the impartial fans the Magic are the easy team to root for and their bandwagon is filling up fast with myself included as a passenger.
On the court the Magic appear to have the talent and depth to knock off the Lakers. The Magic have been very impressive thus far in the postseason with their ability to knock down the 3 point shot at a high percentage. With contributions from Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu, Rafer Alston, Mickael Pietrus, and Courtney Lee, the Magic present matchup problems on the perimeter for a Lakers defense that has been carved up at times this postseason. Then consider Dwight Howard who really increased his scoring output against Cleveland and even shot a solid 70% from the foul line in the series. Howard is commanding double teams which is ideal for the Magic with their plethora of accurate 3 point shooters. Orlando had no trouble breaking down Cleveland's highly rated defense in the East Finals and I think Orlando's offense will continue to thrive against Los Angeles.
The Lakers advantage obviously is Kobe Bryant who despite being an arrogant, moody SOB is a tough player to defend and he has the ability to singlehandedly carry the Lakers and get them a title. Unlike Lebron and the Cavaliers, however, Kobe has an elite player alongside him in Pau Gasol. The Lakers' role players, in my opinion, are not anything to write home about. Derek Fisher is only good for hitting wide open jump shots, Bynum is too often invisible on the court, Ariza is overachieving, and I do not think highly of either Shannon Brown or Jordan Farmar.
My pick for the series is the Magic defeating the Lakers in 6 games. The Magic remind me of the 2004 Pistons with their balance, depth, and the way they have been unheralded throughout the season. Those Pistons were also underdogs in the NBA Finals and East Finals, yet pulled the upsets in both. I see the Magic doing the same.
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