NBA Finals Lakers Vs Magic: Position by Position Match-up

Starting this Thursday, East will meet West in a series to decide the 2008-09 NBA Championship, and while the L.A. Lakers are no strangers to the NBA Finals, the Orlando Magic have not been to one since the days of Shaquille O'Neal more than a decade ago. It would seem then that the more playoff savvy Lakers, who also hold the home court advantage, would have an upper hand going into the final series. But Orlando is a team gaining iconfidence after it knocked off the defending Champions Boston Celtics and the Lebron James Cavalier for the Eastern title, and they are cable of causing match-up problems for the Lakers. Here then is a position by position match-up of the NBA Finals.

Center: Dwight Howard (Magic) vs Andrew Bynum (Lakers)
Bynum, who is coming off an injury this season and will be no match for "Superman" Dwight Howard. Howard who is averaging 21.6 points and 15.4 rebounds per game for Orlando, is the better player of the two and the leader of his team. As Howard goes, so go the Magic. Bynum will have trouble containing Howard one on one, and Dwight should enjoy a successful series. Edge Orlando

Shooting Guard: Courtney Lee (Magic) vs Kobe Bryant (Lakers)
Courtney Lee is a rookie player who will not match-up well with Kobe Bryant, who is by far one of the most dominant players in the league. Lee, who has played well in the playoffs, will need a lot of help off the bench to help contain Bryant. After last year's lost, Kobe who has average 32.8 points and 8.5 assists per game in the playoffs, should be eager for a win. Edge Lakers

Point Guard: Rafer Alston (Magic) vs Derek Fisher (Lakers)
It has been rumored that Orlando will get Jammer Nelson back in time for the series. If they do, and if he plays up to potential, look for Orlando to have a clear advantage at this position. Otherwise, this match-up is evens up with neither player being a major factor for his team, except for shooting from beyond the arc, where Alston has made 33 of 94 shots in the playoffs. Alston did particularly well against the Cavaliers hitting13 three pointers in the four Magic wins. Edge Orlando

Power Forward: Rashard Lewis (Magic) vs Pau Gasol (Lakers)
This is perhaps the premier match-up of the Championship Finals. Pau Gasol is a force inside who is scoring on 57% of his shots in the playoffs, and collecting over 10 rebounds and 2 blocks per game. The Lakers need Gasol to be a factor in this series to counter balance Dwight Howard. Lewis though (who took an average of 7 three point shots a game during the regular season) will be tough to guard out on the perimeter. If Lewis can get his shots to fall, look for the Magic to run away with a few games. Edge Lakers

Shooting Foward: Hedo Turkoglu (Magic) vs Trevor Ariza (Lakers)
Ariza is not in Turkoglu's company on the court. Hedo's versatility is one of the keys to Orlando's success.
Turkoglu is a forward who can rebound, pass and shoot; he has the ability to score both inside and from the perimeter, and has often come up big for Orlando in the 4th quarter. Ariza is coming off a good series verses Denver. Edge Magic

Bench:
Orlando does not have a deep bench, but Mickael Pietrus has scored in double figures in 8 straight playoff games, and Gortat had an 11 point, 15 rebound effort against the 76ers in the Magic's first round series. The Lakers get a lot out of Lamar Odom who has average 31.4 minutes in the playoffs. Behind him, Walton, Brown, Farmer and Vujacic have all been used well in the post season. If the Lakers take the series, it will be because of the strength of their bench. Edge Lakers

Coach:
The Lakers' Phil Jackson is already a legend who is looking for his 10th title, which means he has plenty of experience in a series Final. Stan Van Gundy has done an excellent job with Orlando in the Playoffs and deserves credit for the Magic's victories over Boston and Cleveland. While the game will be settled on the court, the edge here goes to Jackson. Edge Lakers

Statistical Sources:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/stats