Cavaliers vs Magic Prediction – ECF Preview
May 19, 2009 by Stephen Kersey
Filed under Basketball
The 2009 Eastern Conference Finals will begin on Wednesday when the Cleveland Cavaliers host the Orlando Magic. The two teams have reached this point in the playoffs in two completely different manners. The Cavs are 8-for-8 so far in the playoffs, while the Magic had to fight back from deficits in each of their two series.
Orlando has superstar Dwight “Superman” Howard in the middle and great shooters surrounding him. That said, the Cavaliers are simply the better team. Here are five reasons why the Cavs are going to win this series in five games and advance to the 2009 NBA Finals:
5) Defense Wins
The Magic are a good defensive team. The Cavs are a great defensive team. The greatness will prevail.
4) Dwight Howard Isn’t Ready
Dwight Howard is already a great player but he still needs a few more years before he’s ready to lead a team to a championship.
3) Cavaliers Have Experience
The Cavs have been here before. They’ve gone through playoff battles and even made it to the NBA Finals in 2007.
2) Jameer Nelson’s Injury
The Magic have done a good job of making up for Jameer Nelson’s injury, however missing their All-Star point guard will come back to haunt them this series.
1) LeBron James
The King is the best basketball player on the planet. Period. LeBron James isn’t ready to see the Cavs’ season end.
LeBron James will Carry the Cavs to the Finals (Image: Newscom)
i see, … i guess everyone makes mistakes huh? the one thing that didnt convince me that the cavaliers were going to make it to the finals is that they always played the score. they had lebron sit out many fourth quarters and the rest of the team simply screwed around till the final buzzer. that is in fact NOT a championship team’s mentality.
If ever someone isnt ready for a ring, it is definitely not lebron james. his underestimation of the magic, and getting ready to battle the lakers in the finals, led to the upset. the hawks and the pistons just fed the cavs’ egos. the cavs have gotten used to teams running away and giving up after being down big deficits and never expected the magic to comeback. the magic have learened alot from the celtics and the sixers series. the cavs unfortunately didnt learn much.
in the end. the magic wanted it more and was ready for the cavs. they played the series one game at a time, one possession at a time. the cavs simply werent tough enough. the cavs underestimated the magic and overlooked them. dwight howard’s 40 n 14 performance in game 6 showed that his team was ready and so was he.
a sad but expected ending for the “mighty” cavaliers id say.