After watching the first two games of the NBA finals, ‘underwhelming’ seems to be the consensus. I’m sure pundits, TV ratings people and fans across the globe are all feeling slightly similar; that the Magic, despite their best game 2 efforts, still aren’t playing their part in giving us the finals that we wanted.
We’ve got queries, we’ve got questions, and given that we have a Web 2.0 outlet to potificate, predict and ponder, that’s exactly what we’re going to do.
So many opinions, whether right or wrong.
Question 1: Is there a way back for the Magic?
James: Yes! Let’s keep in mind that they were within a Courtney Lee layup (well, two, but who’s counting?) of squaring the series at 1-1 — which would’ve seriously made the Lakers sweat going into the belly of the beast.
Game 2 showed off Orlando’s threats, and if Howard can get smarter at reading the help defense and start kicking it out to the corners more efficiently, we could see a blow out going the other way in the next couple of games.
Orlando needs game 3 on their terms — not just a win, but an uptempo, exclamation point of a win that gives them the momentum to take game 4 on energy, setting up game 5 as the true decider.
Anton: Absolutely not. It’s likely they’ll take game 3, with a home crowd desperate for a finals win (Orlando are 0-6 all time in finals games), and the serious possibility of Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu and Dwight Howard firing on all cylinders at the same time. But with the way the Lakers are playing — inside-out, constant ball distribution — there’s no way for the Magic to claw back.
They’re playing for dignity now. Game 2 was make or break. And they broke.
Question 2: What to do with the PG situation for Orlando?
James: Play Jameer Nelson from the outset. Currently, either through lack of confidence or his talent level finally catching up with him, Alston is playing with neither skill nor passion. Even J.J. Redick is doing a better job of getting to the hoop against Derek Fisher, showing how much swagger Skip To My Lou has lost.
If Nelson is your guy, then he’s your guy. The team is better off playing an extra shooter or going super big with Hedo at the point, sacrificing nothing in mobility, than playing Alston, who can’t contribute.
No one doesn’t feel for the guy — he was a big part of getting them there, but the coaching staff need to see that it isn’t working, and that Nelson is the option for Orlando when they go back home.
Anton: Agreed 100%. You just can’t have Rafer Alston on the floor. For the series, he’s done just what the Lakers want him to, jacking up horrendous jumpers, acting as a black hole on offense, slacking off on defense. Courtney Lee has had issues — lazy defense on Kobe in game 1, the botched lay-up in game 2 — but at least he’s trying. Alston looks lost.
It has to be Jameer. If he’s healthy, you start him, and you play him big minutes. He’s too good to be benched in the name of ‘chemistry.’
Question 3: Does going big with Gortat and Howard help or hinder?
James: It hinders, because one of the Magic’s key advantages is the ability to spread the floor. Having two centres with no offensive moves playing in the 4-5 spots is creates a log jam in the paint — which helps LA help defend and rebound as soon as the big guys put it on the floor.
Ariza is staying home on whoever he’s playing, and Bryant is helping the big guys against Dwight, meaning that the Lakers are daring Courtney Lee, Pietrus or Redick to shoot Orlando to the win. This line up helps the Lakers narrow Orlando’s options on offense, which allows them to get more rebounds.
Additionally, with Gortat and Howard lumbering up the floor, the transition game which advantages Orlando so significantly is redundant, making it tough to get the easy buckets they’ll need when games are on the line.
Pau Gasol isn't bothered by The Polish Jordan.
Anton: Unfortunately for the Magic, you just can’t do it. During the regular season (when Van Gundy, for whatever reason, rarely played The Polish Jordan and The Manchild together), Orlando might have created terror on defense with the two monsters roaming the paint.
Against the Lakers? Not so much. Odom is too agile, too capable of handling the ball. Gasol has post moves good enough to get Gortat off his feet. The Lakers, with their big, versatile big men, aren’t worried by two roaming shot-blockings.
Whatever defensive advantage the Ebony & Ivory Towers frontcout might give — and it’s arguable it helps at all — is betrayed by how offensively weak Gortat is. He misses lay-ups. He’s apparently capable of nailing jumpers, but he hasn’t proven that in a game environment yet. Near the basket, on the offensive end, he’s a liability.
Question 4: Single strangest moment of the finals thus far?
Anton: Every moment that J.J. Redick spends on the court is strange.
Let’s get this straight: the guy is a famous shooter who can’t shoot (3-11 in the series). He’s a clutch guy who disappears in the clutch. Tell me again why he’s on an NBA roster, let alone getting substantial minutes in a do-or-die playoff game?
And forget what you’ve read about his defense improving. Relatively, it has. Because now he occasionally plays it. He’s still laterally slow. He’s consistently abused on pick and rolls. He lets his offensive inadequacies frustrate him, and that effects his effort on the defensive end.
He shouldn’t be in the game. Not with Courtney Lee capable of playing off-guard. Not with Pietrus available. Heck, not even when Anthony Johnson could spell some minutes at the two.
James: Apart from the NBA Cares segment where Sasha Vujacic playing Monopoly with disadvantaged kids? Probably a D.J. Mbenga appearance in Game 1. DJ is the human personification of salt in the wound.
That appearance was strange because I didn’t expect it.
It was also strange, because D.J.’s head is way too small for his body, and he may or may not be a 12-year old with mild progeria.
Question 5: How do we see these Finals impacting the NBA next season?
James: Game 2 just got a whole bunch of teams interested in Lamar Odom. He might be inconsistent as hell, but such a big time display will get teams like OKC — and maybe even Utah and New Jersey — looking at Odom to fill holes, with his ability to score and handle mismatches on D. I was in no doubt that Odom would re-sign at LA, but this makes me start to think he’ll be tempted by an inflated contract; which he’ll inevitably rarely justify.
Anton: I can also see Odom collecting a surprisingly fat contract on the basis of his play in these finals. Only LeBron James and Dwyane Wade as are versatile as Odom, who can run the offense, attack the basket, distribute, block shots, box out and rebound strongly, read passing lanes, and nail threes. He’d be perfect playing for D’Antoni in New York. He’d be a killer at the Warriors, where he’d be called on to play primary point guard much of the time. And he’d be wonderful to watch on the Nets, forming a formidable frontcourt with Brook Lopez, and finally rendering Yi Jianlian officially expendable.
I can also see the Magic attracting some big names in free agency now that they’re a legitimate force in the weaker East. With downward pressure on salaries, the opportunity to play for a winner will become more important. Rasheed Wallace could be an incredible back-up at the power forward and centre spots. Ben Gordon would be an incredible off-guard — everything J.J. Redick was supposed to be. And Charlie Villanueva would be perfect.
Winning attracts winners; I’m sure a pundit has said that before. And it’s true. The Magic can only benefit from their finals appearance, even if they don’t end their run with rings.
Posted by: James & Anton
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