After game one of the NBA finals both teams can take something into game 2. Obviously the Lakers coming off a 25 point beat down know they have all the ‘zen numerology’ in their favor (Phil Jackson is 43-0 in series when winning game 1, LA is 16-0), but the Magic have been behind in their first series only to come back and win, including a game 7 in the Boston Garden (breaking the C’s 40 game streak in game 7’s), so they know they have the capabilities to turn the tide. What may not be a good sign is their 30% shooting for the game. One could argue that there’s a good chance the Magic won’t shoot that bad again, however an equally compelling argument is that LA poses some serious matchup problems that caused that poor shooting. No secret LA is taller and longer at almost every position where the Magic could spot and set over the smaller Cleveland guards. The Lakers are also not allowing the Magic to spot up and shoot, but making them shoot off the dribble witch Lewis, Turk, and Frenchy are not used doing. They did get spot looks but they were very few, and the ones they got they didn’t knock down. Like every NBA game/series, this will be about matchup and runs, and who can enforce their style and you know the Magic will have their day where they shoot 40+%, and that usually comes when they can work to Howard and then go out to the shooters but that’s a tough plan to execute for an entire game let alone a series. The line for game two is LA -7 (more than game 1) so obviously the odds makers aren’t optimistic that the dry board in the Magic locker room will have correct formula for the antidote to a black mamba bite.
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Saturday, June 6, 2009
Magic have the Lakers right where they want em’
Labels: kobe bryant, la lakers, nba finals, orlando magic
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27 comments:
If the pistons and the heat did it. Why can we????
GO MAGICCC!!!!
I would say that the 2-2-1-1-1 format works against teams, in all of the other rounds. I think that you can partly attribute tired legs and fatigue, on the extra traveling that teams must do. Especially, if the series goes 7 games. Rather than just making 2 trips, like in the Finals format. They might make 4 trips.
No question 2-3-2 favors the home team BIGTIME. For the visitor to have a chance they almos must win both game 1 and 2 on the road. Otherwise they must win 1 out of 2 on the road and then win 3 straight at home, which is nearly impossible at this level. Lose the first 2 on the road and you are likely done in 6. So I predict Lakers in 6 as a BEST CASE scenario. And I am a lifetime diehard Magic fan. But this is the reality of the situation...
The home team wins 75% of the time. The other stat that stands out is Phil Jackson is like 44-0 after winning game 1. Kobe is like 20-0 after wining game 1 i just don't think the magic have enough firepower for the lakers. i would have to say lakers in 6 maybe in 5
Yes the format is more difficult. Trying to win three games in a row (even at home) against the same team is though for anyone.
This is the very reason people are picking LA in 6 instead of 7. They know LA has a very very good shot at winning one of those three home games.
However, it doesn't really matter too much (and should not be an excuse) since the Magic are the second best road team in the NBA (arguably the best).
And the Lakers are the best road team in the league. No reason to complain about home court. You have to earn that by having a better record than the other team. Had Cleveland made it, the Lakers would be the ones without the "home court advantage", if you can call it that.
Thats why i think the lakers can win in 5. They have the best road record and they haven't lost back to back games in the playoffs. the magic will probably shoot the ball better but eventually they're going to have to double team kobe and i think that's going open up more problems for the magic.
Gimmie a break with changing the format to 2-3-2 for the finals. Fatigue and travel is a lame excuse especially with all the days between games. 2-2-1-1-1 is the only fair way to settle a 7 game series. No matter what, 6 and 7 can end a season and both teams deserve a chance to end the season at home. Forcing a team to win 3 in a row at home is not logical at this stage of the game. The NBA needs to look at the NHL for an example on how to run a 4 round playoff system. The format doesn't change, back to back or 1 day waits between games for travel and rest is all they need. As it stands now, LA only needs to win 1 out of the next 4 games and they will close the season with 2 at home. Why bother even going to Orlando, just take the 3 losses for no shows and stay in LA to try and win at home. These guys aren't flying in a cramped coach commercial plane. Home court should also alternate unless everyone plays every team an equal number of times. The only team that has the advantage in 2-3-2 is if you are the 2's.
If you really want a series with no real benefit to either team...schedule the Finals like the All-Star games, in a neutral city in the middle of nowhere and all 7 games are played there.
Until 1985, the Finals were in the 2-2-1-1-1 format used in all other playoff series. For reasons unknown, they changed it that year and it really ticked off Larry Bird. After splitting in Boston, the Cs had to win game 4 in LA on a buzzer beater to avoid losing 5 games. Think about it, if the team with HC to start with loses in 5, they'd have played 2 at home and 3 on the road. With the old format, they were at least guaranteed that if they lost, they'd have played the same number of games (or more) at home instead of on the road. They should go back to the 2-2-1-1-1 format.
We've got too much talent to be concerned about the Lakers in LA (yes Mr. Gasol....we went from one curly headed flopper in Anderson Varejao to another one in you). The Lakers didn't do anything but what they were supposed to do...win at home. The Magic team that showed up last night was already completely disrespected by the media and now they will surely be disrespected by the media because of who the media and the league wanted to be in the finals (the Cavs...the puppets are still on commercials). Our team knows what OUR brand of basketball is...and that wasn't it last night. Let me explain to you, so you can watch for it. You Lakers have 2, count them 2 big men which is 12 fouls, after that you have no inside presence. For some reason, last night that imposter Magic team "settled" for jump shots that we were not taking at the beginning of the game. Your bigs were in foul trouble and we did not attack you (that is called whoops...by SVG). Your team has one rifle, just like the other team that we just ousted, and a few pistols, whereas we have heavy artillery (we drop bombs...from the inside and outside). Last night was an ANOMOLY... We WILL DRIVE THE BALL next game and foul out your bigs (especially Kobe's right hand...Mr. Gasol) and have our way with your team next game and for the rest of the series. Our lane presence WILL return to form where Marcin Gortat doesn't have more blocks than Dwight and we will take you out. If anything...this game was Kobe's built up frustration game, where he had to release all of the steam from getting his @ss ran out of the finals last year and any other time since the Shaqtus pricked his @ss. Good job Lakers....watch for the uppercuts and right hooks now that you've woken our team up.
This is not for just the "we won one game at home" Lakers fans this is for the "we know that is wasn't the Laker's defense that messed us up" Orlando fans out there that know that last night's blow-out was due to several things: MAGIC lack of: effort/hunger on defense and offense and poor shot selection. This Lakers team held serve on their home court and did not do anything special. Kobe scored what he is capable of scoring, Gasol scored what he scores, Odom scored what he scores and the rest of the Lakers did what they do....the Magic on the other hand did not handle their business and that is the reason they lost game 1. Lakers D sucks like it always has...you guys only have 1 defensive guy...#24 Magic starters shot 24% from the field and that shyett isn't going to happen again! Just watch....you'll see what I'm talking about Detroit...I mean Minneapolis...I mean LA Lakers fans....get an Original team LA! Orlando in 7 beyatches!
Ok Big Unit: But the question I want answered is Why was the effort and energy not there for Game 1?
The effort and energy was there for the magic. the difference is they went from becoming minor league champs (east) to playing major league champs (the kingpin of the west). they should change the finals format. the best 2 teams in the league aren't playing in the finals. its a mismatch. houston and denver both could just as easily have beaten orlando in the finals. why do we have to play the weak east in the end of an amazing season, i doono.
Laker_Todd, I don't think anyone should call the Magic weak. They beat the C's and Cleveland. They have a great team, and make no mistake, SVG will make adjustments. That said, the Lakers came out just plain nasty and killed it on the boards and with their O. Everyone, top to bottom, (except Sasha) was stellar. But Kobe, Pau, Drew and LO were the best. Even Luuuuuuke did great. I think we take it all, but I have to say that the Magic are a great team with so many great players. They don't have another strong inside player to counter our long back court. We even have another 7' player that could come out, and they don't. Drew and Pau are taller than Dwight. LO is almost as tall as Dwight. Our defense was stellar. But the Magic will bounce back and have some great games. This is gonna be a really good series. And may the best team win!!!
But, as always, GO LAKERS!
If the easy shots are falling for the Magic like they have been all season, then game 1 is completely different. But since they weren't and the magic decided to keep shooting instead of penetrating, they just kept digging deeper. It doesn't help that Kobe was on fire.
Once again, a media hack takes a soundbite and makes a meal of it. Was I disappointed with the score yesterday? Yes.
But the Magic only hung their heads once the game was out of reach. They played well in the first quarter, and then the shot just stopped falling. Do you really expect maximum effort in a guaranteed loss? Especially with Nelson on the floor? Wanna risk an injury diving for a loose ball when you're down 27? The game was over long before they gave up.
We shouldn't judge the Magic's will after one game.
The reason the Magic lost was because they got outplayed, and couldn't buy a shot. End of story.
C'mon guys its one bad game. its a seven game series. the lakers didnt play great, the magic just played real bad. if you look at playoff averages the lakers averaged 100 pts a game and the magic 109 a game so if the lakers think this series is over just asked paul pierce and the C's who were 32-0 when going up 3-2 how much fight is in the magic? the magic will be there sunday and the magic are better then the lakers. 19-0 after game one wins the lakers are. just another perfect record the magic men will tarnish.
I don't know if everyone realizes this or not, but appearently the Lakers have already won the Championship! At least according to ABC/ESPN. After coming back from each commercial break, they showed various pictures of Kobe Bryant holding the Championship trophy. None of Dwight or Rashard, or Hedo, only Kobe. If that's not disrespectfull I don't know what is. Look around. There should be no shortage of motivation for this Magic team. LETS GO GUYS!
We've got too much talent to be concerned about the Lakers in LA (yes Mr. Gasol....we went from one curly headed flopper in Anderson Varejao to another one in you). The Lakers didn't do anything but what they were supposed to do...win at home. The Magic team that showed up last night was already completely disrespected by the media and now they will surely be disrespected by the media because of who the media and the league wanted to be in the finals (the Cavs...the puppets are still on commercials). Our team knows what OUR brand of basketball is...and that wasn't it last night. Let me explain to you, so you can watch for it. You Lakers have 2, count them 2 big men which is 12 fouls, after that you have no inside presence. For some reason, last night that imposter Magic team "settled" for jump shots that we were not taking at the beginning of the game. Your bigs were in foul trouble and we did not attack you (that is called whoops...by SVG). Your team has one rifle, just like the other team that we just ousted, and a few pistols, whereas we have heavy artillery (we drop bombs...from the inside and outside). Last night was an ANOMOLY... We WILL DRIVE THE BALL next game and foul out your bigs (especially Kobe's right hand...Mr. Gasol) and have our way with your team next game and for the rest of the series. Our lane presence WILL return to form where Marcin Gortat doesn't have more blocks than Dwight and we will take you out. If anything...this game was Kobe's built up frustration game, where he had to release all of the steam from getting his @ss ran out of the finals last year and any other time since the Shaqtus pricked his @ss. Good job Lakers....watch for the uppercuts and right hooks now that you've woken our team up.
Both teams looked a little sluggish in the first half. However, in the second half LA was able to pull out of their slump while the Magic weren't.
Once LA started making shots, the Magic just gave up. Plane and simple. It would have been a close game if the Magic kept fighting in the third like they did the first two quarters.
One bright spot (if any) has to be Nelson looking and performing much better than I expected. He was a little rusty, but hell he looked better than the other Magic players.
Great win for the Lakers last night. Like I said yesterday, a regular season win means absolutely nothing in the Finals. The Magic are a great team, however, they're not used to playing against tight defenses who challenge their outside shooting. They've gotten too accustomed to shooting the 3 ball and sometimes don't attack the basket like they should. The Lakers were in foul trouble early...why not attack the basket?
I also think adding Jameer disrupted the flow of their offense last night. You take a guy who's been out for 4 months and throw him into the pit in the Finals with just a few practice games under his belt and your bound to lose something in the mix. He's a great player but every player loses some type of conditioning and rythym when out for months.
I expect the Magic to bounce back and give a better effort in game 2 but if they don't, this series may be over sooner than you think. Van Gundy was outcoached last night too. His sub patterns make no sense sometimes.
keith, your comments are laughable. how often do we hear players say "well they did what they had to do at home" and u say the same thing. if that keeps up bubba, and you're ok with that, with home court we're gonna win anyways. get it ? 4-3 ? also, gasol didn't flop, howard put a viscious elbow on his ribs, it was clearly shown twice. gasol is varijao grand daddy, don't confuse the 2, varijao is a pup. your comments are filled with "we will do this, we will do that, u woke up the magic...bla bla bla" why don't you show it, come out with some cojones and show it ? but you can't. hey u know what, u are the best is the east, but you are still in the minor league conference. our bigs in foul trouble- did they foul out ? no ! even after the refs let howard get away with so much and gave magic tonnes more foul shots than us. and not to worry, we have one other element. if foul trouble did become a factor, we'll drive right down dwight howard's gut and have him pick quick ones. its sickening, howard should have picked up 4 fouls by the beginning of 3rd quarter. it didn't happen. with 2 big guys, and a penetrating odom, too much for howard to handle. there was no imposter magic team there today, that effort is what the magic are all about. they faced defence like they never seen before. mamma there goes that man they call the black mamba...and 3 mil votes, keep talking smack, keep taking, and keep watching the scoreboards. a sweep is coming to a town near you.
Jared, its not that the east was better last year, the lakers were just pathetic-with both bynum and ariza out. we all know boston comes up only once in 20 years. but its a new year. i'm getting a feeling the lakers are taking out some of their celtic rage on the magic.
Hey Laker Todd- Wow, you are a moron! Do you remember that spanking you got from that eastern team last year? Now that was funny! Do you remember who won both games between the Magic and Lakers this season? Guess not. The Lakers won that game because the Magic couldn't hit the side of a barn last night. Golden St. would have be Orlando last night.
I've been watching basketball a long time, and I hate to point out the similarities, Orlando fans, but this reminds me of their last run to the finals--beating the Celtics and then Michael's Bulls before falling to a deeper, veteran Houston Rockets team. Bombs from inside and out back then, too, but Shaq who was the most dominate center statistically that season couldn't carry his team. Nick Anderson, Penny, Dennis Scott, and all those threes were still no match for the consistent and seasoned Rocket team. Hopefully, this is more of a series than that was.
What an embarrassing performance. How does a 1st team All NBA center only get up 6 shots against Andrew Bynum. Howard lacks the mental aspect of the game he needs to be a true all star. SVG was also chasing Phil Jackson throughout the game. Phil controlled the sub patterns for both teams and as for Jameer, what a mistake. Now you have the guy who helped get you to the finals pissed off cause you sat him for no reason. The series will be done in 4 unless the Magic concede earlier.
its like none of u magic fans relize dwight has no post game jammer nelson played better than rafer alston but at the end lakers play defense and u guys have no clue wat to do about kobe u can double him hes jus gona kick it out or spin away from the double team and wenever dwight steps up hes jus gona dump it in the post kobe didnt even have the best shooting nite and he still had 40 its 2 easy i mean hes being guarded by some guy named lee and pietrus hes gona score at will 36pts after 3 quarters? and u no theres no hope when luke walton has more post moves than dwight howard at the end of the day the lakers are jus better than the magic and it was obvious yesterday u guys also got the benefit of the whistle and still got blown out the master of panick doesnt have no real gameplan just throw it to the post and hope for a double team so he can kick it out 4 a three(not gona happen) or a high pick and roll wit turkaglo wit supeman(pathetic) thats not offense
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