The Bucks also don’t have an answer for super sub Jamal Crawford, who could become the star of this series. The Bucks were rolling until Bogut went down with a scary injury (wrist/elbow) and it will be very difficult for them to take advantage of Atlanta’s small frontline without a legit post player. (6) Milwaukee Bucks: The injury to Andrew Bogut changes the entire complexion of this series. Orlando should be able to win the first two at home and could split the two games in Charlotte.
The Bobcats are such a bad road team that I don’t see them winning more than two games in this series. Larry Brown will try to rotate centers Tyson Chandler and Nazr Mohammed against Howard, and Brown will probably force Howard to pass out of double teams. (7) Charlotte Bobcats: Orlando matches up better with Charlotte than Cleveland does, so expect the Magic to punish the Bobcats with a heavy dose of Dwight Howard inside. He is Boston’s go-to guy in the clutch and needs to play at an MVP level to cancel out Wade, who is good enough to win two games by himself. Speaking of The Truth, the Celtics live and die with Paul Pierce.
KG will never KG again so Celtic fans need to face the truth. Boston is running on fumes while the Heat finished strong and moved up three spots in less than a month.
#Cavs magic line series
If Wade gets loose and averages 30 points in this series, the Celtics are in for a long series and could get eliminated. (5) Miami Heat: The Celtics have the better team in this matchup, but the Heat has the best player in Dwyane Wade.
#Cavs magic line full
The Cavaliers and LeBron James (middle) will have their hands full against the Bulls' Luol Deng (left) and Joakim Noah. The Bulls will try to attack the Cavs with a flurry of pick-and-rolls, and Mike Brown will have to decide if he wants to go with a smaller lineup to counter the Bulls’ quickness. The Cavs should advance, but the Bulls will be a tough out. The Cavaliers will have to re-incorporate Shaquille O’Neal in their offense and defense plans, which will not be easy. Noah’s matchup with Cavs’ high-energy guy Anderson Varejao is worth the price of admission. (8) Chicago Bulls: With Joakim Noah in the lineup, the Bulls are a lot better than their 41-41 record. Noah allows the Bulls to blitz pick-and-roll plays and is a terrific rebounder. predicts the winners of each round in the Eastern Conference playoffs: But if the Cavs get bounced in the conference finals (or sooner), there will be tsunami warning in Cleveland and a funeral service will be held for the Cavaliers in the state of Ohio. It will not be a huge disappointment if the Magic failed to reach the Finals. The Cavs have a date with a very underrated Chicago Bulls team in the first round, and then they have a potential matchup with the Boston Celtics in the second round. Unlike last year, the Cavaliers will have a tougher road to the conference finals. However, another trip to the Finals will help Howard erase that label.
He is still perceived to be “too nice” to be a dominant player. Though Orlando took and converted the most 3-pointers in the league this season, the fate of the franchise starts and ends with Howard, who recently became the first NBA player to lead the league in rebounds, blocked shots and field-goal percentage. He has been able to incorporate Vince Carter without disrupting the team’s perimeter set-up with Dwight Howard in the middle. Stan Van Gundy will not win coach of the year, but he should get serious consideration for how he has managed the ship. The Cavaliers ran away with the best record in the NBA at 61-21, but the Magic was arguably the best team after the All-Star break with an 18-3 mark the last two months of the regular season. The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Orlando Magic are without a doubt the two best teams in the Eastern Conference and it will take a monumental upset if both did not make the conference finals.