According to multiple sources, Lewis had testosterone levels higher than normal. He’s the sixth NBA player to be suspended for performance enhancers in the last decade.

Last year in the regular season, Lewis averaged 17.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game while shooting 43.9% from the field and 39.7% from beyond the three-point line. His stats rose in the playoffs. In 24 postseason contests, Lewis averaged 19 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists while hitting 44.8% of his field goals and 39.4% of his threes.

In his first two season with the Magic, Lewis missed only two games. Next season he will miss at least ten games. If he tests positive again, the punishment is much more severe.

Rashard Lewis Suspended for Steroids (Image: Zuma Press)

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Rashard Lewis Suspended for Failing Steroids Test

Rookie Courtney Lee will likely get his shot at the Black Mamba in the beginning, provided Lee is in the starting lineup. Otherwise, when Mickael Pietrus is in the game, he will no doubt be regarded as the ‘Kobe Stopper’. How well he can stop Kobe is debatable, but my guess is Pietrus will do a better job than Ruben Patterson ever did.

Wouldn’t surprise me to see Hedo Turkoglu or J.J. Redick get some cracks at Kobe here and there, but it probably won’t end well for them.

Can Andrew Bynum step up his game against Superman?

If Bynum can, it could very well be a short series. An aggressive and interested Bynum could spell foul trouble for Dwight, and we all know while backup center Marcin Gortat can be decent in spurts, the Magic don’t have a prayer in the series unless Dwight is playing darn near 40-42 minutes a game.

LA’s offensive game plan?

Drive the ball to the hoop as much as possible. Instead of settling for jumpshots, post Pau and Andrew. Make Rashard and Dwight work on the defensive end. Get them out of the game and the Laker’s chances drastically improve.

Dwight wants some payback (Image: readmoretalkless.wordpress)

Orlando’s offensive game plan?

Besides shooting the three unconsciously? Force feed Dwight, keep him involved. If he gets doubled, that all the better because Turk, Lewis, Alston, Pietrus, Lee, and maybe Redick will be open to knock down their shots. The Magic must be cognizant of the abilities of Pietrus and Lewis to create on their own. Settling down the offense and running some isolations or post up sets for these two could prove to be a more dynamic and wiser attact than just the perimeter shot.  But this is the Orlando Magic I’m talking about, so the three ball might be just fine.

Oh, I almost forgot: get outta the way of Hedo in the fourth.

Who has the best closer?

Might not be as simple of an answer as you think.

Especially if Turk gets his proper pizza fix before the game.

Wildcards

1. Lamar Odom

2. His sugar highs/ lows

3. Shannon Brown/ SashaVujacic/ Jordan Farmar

4. Jameer Nelson (Is a rusty Jameer Nelson better than a healthy Anthony Johnson?)

5. J.J. Redick, will he play, and if he does, can he find his stroke?

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Inquiring Minds Want To Know: The Finals

Hedo Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis (Image: Newscom)

The Magic were led by Hedo Turkoglu. The native of Turkey scored 25 points, dished off 12 assists and pulled down five rebounds, while shooting 9-of-12 from the field and 4-for-5 on three-pointers. Superstar bigman Dwight Howard had 12 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks, while Rashard Lewis had 19 points, five rebounds and four assists.

For the Celtics, Ray Allen put on a valiant effort. The veteran shooting guard scored 23 points and hit half of his 18 shots from the field. Paul Pierce finished with 16 points but struggled for much of the game, finishing just 4-for-13 from the field.

With the win, the Magic advance to face the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James. The Cavs have won all eight of their playoff games this season and appear to be the favorites to win the 2009 NBA championship. The Magic will need another upset to advance to the NBA Finals.

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Magic Beat the Celtics to Advance