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2008
NBA Playoff Predictions
2008 Detroit Pistons v. Orlando Magic Playoff Predictions
It wasn't as easy as most
anticipated, but the Pistons took care of
business in six games in their first round
series with the 76ers to advance to the 2nd
round where the Orlando Magic were waiting. Now,
once again in round two, youth meets experience
as the Pistons try to keep their stranglehold on
the Eastern Conference and the Magic try to make
their mark. Find out how
Jimmy Boyd sees
this series shaping up as he dissects this
matchup with his Magic/Pistons round two NBA
playoff predictions.
Boyd's Argument:
The Pistons were lethargic in their first round
series, falling behind 2-games-to-1 before
deciding enough was enough. Conventional wisdom
tells us that Motown can't bring the same effort
into round two and walk away with a win. This is
a different Orlando Magic team than the Pistons
saw in last year's postseason. This Magic team
added a matchup nightmare in Rashard Lewis and
both Dwight Howard and Hedo Turkoglu have taken
their games to new levels.
With as dominant as Howard was in the first
round series against the Raptors, it is hard to
imagine that the Pistons will be able to play
him one-on-one with Rasheed Wallace. They'll be
asking for it if they do as Wallace will likely
find himself in foul trouble and on the verge of
exploding. So having to double the Magic's big
man should give an advantage to Orlando if
Howard can find open shooters. His passing game
still has some work to do, though, and is not
something that teams worry about as much as they
do with Shaquille O'Neal for example.
The Pistons have one elite perimeter defender in
Tayshaun Prince who is long with the ability to
get his hands in passing lanes and in on
dribblers and who can also block shots. The
problem is that he can only guard Turkoglu and
Lewis one at a time so the player that he isn't
guarding will have an advantage over their
defender. And zone is not an option against the
Magic with as well as they shoot the three-point
shot.
But the Magic must guard the Pistons as well,
and in comparison, the Pistons are the much
better defensive team. They are first in the NBA
in points allowed, 3rd in field goal percentage
defense, and second in three-point field goal
percentage defense. So even though we see
mismatch opportunities for the Magic, the fact
is that Detroit will be able to play Orlando
better than any other team, with the exception
of Boston.
Detroit has a big advantage with its veteran
backcourt of Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton
as the duo of Jameer Nelson and Maurice Evans
doesn't even come close to measuring up. The
Pistons are also very balanced and that poses
huge problems for defenses. If Orlando, for
example, makes an adjustment to stop Rip
Hamilton's hot hand, the Pistons can simply
defer to one of their other capable scorers. It
doesn't work that way with the Magic who depend
on touches by Dwight Howard to be successful.
Prediction:
While teams are gaining ground on the Pistons in
the East, this Detroit squad still has some
mileage left. Detroit's experience and home
court advantage will ultimately be too much for
the Magic. Detroit in 7 games.
Other Round 2 Series Predictions:
Updated May 2nd, 2008
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