How Will the Lakers and Magic Match Up?
The Orlando Magic finished off the Cleveland Cavaliers Saturday night, 103-90. Howard set the pace for Orlando, netting 40 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Pietrus provided a spark off the bench with 14 points, including four three-pointers. The Magic combined for 12-29 shooting from beyond the three-point line. King James was unable to stop the Magic’s explosive attack, with a personal series low of 25 points. The Cavs bench was basically non-existent; although Mike Brown utilized five players (B. Wallace, W. Szczerbiak, D. Gibson, S. Pavlovic, T. Kinsey), they combined for a meager ten points. The championship berth is Orlando’s second in their 19-year history. Their first was in 1995, when another dominating big man, Shaquille O’Neal, lead them to the finals. The Magic were swept in four games by the Houston Rockets. Unlike the Magic, the Lakers are used to playing in the NBA finals. Last year was their most recent appearance, where they were defeated by the Boston Celtics, 4-2. The
