The Magic had been the doubted the whole playoffs. In the first round, we all thought that the Sixers might beat Orlando and they won that series without having Dwight Howard in game six. Then in the second round, we didnt believe the Magic could beat the Celtics especially after being down 3-2. They proved us wrong as they kicked Boston's ass on their home court. Then there was no way, they would beat the LeBrons after the Cavs have dominated the whole playoffs right? Wrong.
The Magic dominated the Cavaliers throughout the series by taking advantage of every opportunity they could get. The Magic used their size to dominate the Cavs off the dribble with guys like Hedo Turkoglu (6'9) and Rashard Lewis (6'10) against guys who could barely move laterally like Anderson Varejeo and you would even see Big Z trying to come out to defend these two guys.
The other thing the Magic consistently have is clutch shooting. They make huge shots left and right in the fourth quarter whether it was Turkoglu, Lewis, or Mickael Pietrus getting done night in and night out. They live and die by the jump shot which usually comes back to haunt teams in any level of basketball but that doesnt phase the Magic as they continue to shoot the three better than anyone team in the NBA.
The final thing is Dwight Howard has made me a believer. At the beginning of the playoffs, I questioned Howard's leadership skills seeing him as a better version of T-Mac. Then they won without Howard and then his rebounding more so than his scoring minus game six was the main reason why he is such an asset. My friend Seth said this to me a week or so ago, "When Howard gets some post moves, look out." I completely agree, he can be the best center in the league in about two to three years when his skill is refined.
Can the Magic pull off another upset and beat the Lakers? I will address that Thursday with an NBA Finals Preview so you will have to wait for that one.
-Charlie.
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