The Orlando Magic had come off a grueling first round series win against the Philadelphia Sixers, which they won the series in six games. They had to dig deep down and find a way to fight adversity and finally win their series against a very tough and resilient Philly team. Behind Dwight Howard and the mighty frontcourt power of Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu, the Magic got a very difficult monkey off their backs. They turned back Andre Miller and Andre Iguodala. In the semi-finals, Magic coach Stan Van Gundy had a difficult task in controlling the Boston Celtics' depth and their savvy and toughness in controlling the tempo of the game. However, the Celtics did not have their leader, Kevin Garnett. He was unable to help Boston lead their spirits back into the ball game like he always does with his defensive prowess and intensity. The C's could only rely on Paul Pierce's leadership and scoring and Ray Allen's sharp shooting. As the Magic had faced adversity through the first round, they managed to upstart the Boston Celtics and end their run for a second straight NBA title. Orlando had tired Boston out with their pick-and-roll offense of Hedo Turkoglu and Dwight Howard.
The Cleveland Cavaliers had been a mighty team throughout the NBA, dismantling every single basketball team with Lebron James' extraordinary talent and his comrades' savvy combination of offensive schemes and defensive tactics. They took care of the Detroit Pistons in four games. It was a sheer test of pure athleticism from King James and the steady support of offense and defense from LBJ's teammates, Zydrunas Ilgaukas, Anderson Varejao, Mo Williams, and Delonte West. In the semifinals, it was again a no-contest as Cleveland faced the Atlanta Hawks. Behind Lebron James' talent and his cohorts of teammates, they took care of the pesky Hawks in four games, just as they did in the first round.
In the West, Kobe Bryant faced redemption in trying to return back to the NBA Finals and put last year's Finals defeat behind him. In the first round, the Lakers faced the Utah Jazz. Knowing the Jazz were no pushovers, L.A. found a way to play their game and eventually put away Utah's muscle game. Behind Kobe Bryant's leadership, the Lakers found a way to survive Utah's onslaught. In the second round, the Lakers now had to deal with Yao Ming and his band of Rockets. Houston did not have Tracy McGrady, leaving Ron Artest to find his own way to generate offense and put some effort on the defensive end. They also had a superb perimeter defender in Shane Battier who would try and slow down Kobe Bryant, the Lakers' leading scorer. As Kobe had shown before in the first round, he could not be stopped, not with Battier's excellent defensive skills at work. With an impressive array of jumpers and slashing drives to the basket, Bryant had showed no one could stop his quest on his way back to the NBA Finals. The Lakers had finally defeated Houston four games to three.
The Nuggets had their own path to create. Behind Carmelo Anthony, who had become rejuvenated throughout the 82-game NBA season, was primed to show he belonged among the NBA playoff elite. Denver had their own wrecking crew to deal with in the West, with the frontcourt trio of Nene, Chris Andersen, and Kenyon Martin, defensive stopper Dahntay Jones, sixth man and sharpshooter in J.R. Smith, Linus Kleiza, and Anthony Carter. Most of all, the Nuggets had Chauncey Billups, a proven NBA champion and clutch shooter. In the first round, they faced the youthful and brash New Orleans Hornets. They took care of the Hornets in five games easily between the Nuggets' offensive power and defensive talent. In the second round, they faced a determined Dallas Mavericks team who were very determined to bulldoze their way past Denver. They were hit by a brick wall, as Denver showed why they took care of New Hornets in the first round. Denver gave Dirk Nowitzki fits and put away a team that could have stopped Denver's run to the NBA Finals.
In the West finals, Kobe and his Lakers showed no mercy and proved why they deserve to go back to the NBA Finals. Despite Dahntay Jones' constant pressure to stop Kobe from getting his points, Bryant simply proved he was a man on a mission and nothing could get in his way. They showed Denver truly who was the better team. The Lakers were finally on their back on top of the basketball world.
In the East finals, the Magic faced the Cleveland Cavaliers. In this final, the Cavs were heavily favored to go to the NBA Finals. Everyone in the world was expecting a Lebron James-Kobe Bryant NBA finale. Boy, was everyone shocked and disappointed to see Dwight Howard show up the Cavs' big men, Anderson Varejao and Zydrunas Ilgaukas with his brute strength and dunking skills and Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis's sharp 3-point shooting. In the end of the east finals, it was Dwight Howard's Orlando Magic showing up in the NBA Finals, instead of Lebron James' Cleveland Cavaliers.
In the NBA Finals, no one expected Orlando to be in the presence of the Larry O'Brien trophy. Most of all, nobody expected them to be this close to capturing the franchise's first championship in team history. It was Disney World against Disneyland. L.A.'s frontcourt tandem of Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol, and Lamar Odom was the biggest question for Dwight Howard. Could D12 defend all three big men and yet produce some of the biggest offense on the other end? This was the question for Orlando's young center. Even though Howard is being mentored by former Knick and current assistant coach Patrick Ewing, this was the biggest stage he has ever been on and Howard is inexperienced despite all the effort he has shown to succeed. Off the bat, the Lakers quickly showed the Magic who was boss. They double-teamed Howard and made him work to get his easy shots. They did this throughout the Finals. They gave Dwight Howard different looks at the basket and fouled him repeatedly and made sure he never got into the flow of the game. The Lakers maintained this scheme on Howard in five games, despite the Magic's Game 3 win in which Dwight Howard broke loose with 21 points and 14 rebounds. This NBA Finals series resulted in a Lakers victory and their 15th championship title.
When all is boiled down to success and failures, winners and losers, the main difference is the mindset of the winners and in this case , it is the Lakers coach.
ReplyDeleteWell conceived and written.