As we began the 2009 NBA playoffs, every fan and media member had a more-than-solid idea of what the championship could and should be like. Clearly, the two best teams, on which the two best players played. Cavaliers. Lakers. LeBron James. Kobe Bryant. Salivate.
This generally leads said fan or media member to draw from memory a fantastic montage of dunks, drives, and contested fadeaways with the clock running down that litter the video resumes of both icons. How do you top a Celtics/Lakers Finals? Perhaps we're about to see.
Through two rounds of the playoffs, both teams remain in the final four. So far, so good. The Cavaliers marched through rounds one and two like General Sherman through Atlanta, by way of Detroit. In an unprecedented display of dominance, neither team managed so much as a single-digit deficit by the end of any of the eight Cavalier wins through two rounds. The Pistons, once a formidable rival, had become a shell of their former selves without Chauncey Billups at their service. The Hawks had soared to their greatest heights since the '80s, only to splatter into a large commercial plane.
Yes, these days, LeBron has enough talent around him that we no longer have to see the likes of Sasha Pavlovic on the floor getting meaningful minutes, much less in the starting lineup. Mo Williams is a capable sidekick who can have big nights, make good decisions, and doesn't mind leaving the spotlight to the King. Since Moses Malone coined the term "Fo, Fo, and Fo" in 1983 (back when a team needed to win only three best-of-seven series for a title), no team has actually been able to accomplish the feat of three straight playoff four-game sweeps. Then again, no team has been this dominant after two rounds.
By leaps and bounds, Orlando is a more talented team than any of the Cavaliers' previous competition. The Magic have a plethora of three-point shooting to surround their Superman inside, Dwight Howard. Problem is, when Howard does not have an open path to the basket and has to rely on his post-up game from 10 feet out or further, he becomes Clark Kent. No, that's putting it kindly. Dwight becomes Ben Wallace. He heaves up some hideously forceful and erratic bricks that clunk violently off the backboard, and sometimes the rim, too.
Fortunately for Orlando, Howard is not asked to supply a major part of the team's offense. After all, he is the Defensive Player of the Year. Rashard Lewis, not Howard, is actually their leading scorer in the playoffs. Clutch shooter Hedo Turkoglu and point guard Rafer Alston average double digit points, as well, for a well-rounded attack.
After a surprisingly tough series against Philadelphia and a grueling war against the defending champion Celtics, the Magic may fail to make a dent against the King on his court. Don't expect them to win the series or take it to seven games. LeBron and his trusty sidekick, Mo, are just too strong.
The Lakers, meanwhile, have a more dangerous foe on their hands and they have shown some less-than-championship qualities in their playoff run. While holding off the Jazz with relative ease, the Lake Show revealed a stunning inability to win on the road in the Rockets series. Not only that, this was a Rockets team with Yao Ming injured after Game 3, and yet the Lakers were blown-out badly in Games 4 and 6 in Houston. At this point, the Rockets had no prominent scoring threats unless you count Aaron Brooks.
They did, however, defend their home court with the same ferocity, not letting the Rockets ever get off the ground at Staples after Game 1. Either way, when Game 7 ended with the Lakers triumphing by 19, we can be certain the "crisis averted" message appeared in big letters on screen in David Stern's war room.
The Lakers now play a Denver team that appears to be much more dangerous to them than Orlando could possibly be to the Cavs. With Chauncey Billups now leading the powder blues, Denver finally has a proven winner at the point to lead an immensely talented cast. Carmelo Anthony has won a gold medal last summer and now has finally gotten a sniff of the second and now third round of the postseason. The Nuggets are a deep enough team to cause L.A. some matchup problems and take them to the limit before reaching the Finals.
Denver has certainly had less trouble with their playoff opponents than L.A., only losing one game in each of their first two series against New Orleans and Dallas, respectively. This has made them, not the Lakers, appear to be the West's dominant force at the moment. The Lakers should still win the series due to Denver's overall lack of experience deep in the playoffs, and lack of winners, with the exception of Billups.
That dream NBA Finals is potentially two weeks away. Both of our favorite contestants still have one hurdle left to climb. While they may have their work cut out for them in this conference finals round, what we could see coming a mile away is now right around the corner. LBJ against the Mamba. Title-Starved against Tinseltown. Try to keep your head from exploding until then.
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