Tonight, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic square off for the first time this season. These teams met in the Eastern 
Conference Finals last season where the Magic had a relatively easy time defeating the Cavs 4 games to 2. Now it is a new season, and each team has made some big changes to their lineups. The key add for the Cavs was Shaquille O’Neal, and the key add for the Magic was Vince Carter. Personally, I think the Magic came into the season a little stronger than the Cavs, but let’s break down the head to head match-up and see how they stack up against each other. In order to do that I am going to compare 3 things: Guards, bigs, and benches.
Guards (Advantage=Cavs)
Cavs – Mo Williams provides a legitimate scoring option for the Cavs at the point guard position. The problem I have with him is his lack of assists (4 APG). I understand that LeBron picks up a ton of them, but I think that you need some more coming out of your starting point guard. Next, the Cavs have Anthony Parker, who they acquired during the offseason. He is shooting a wonderful 56% beyond the arc, but he is shooting a measley 36.7% from the field. To me, getting Parker did not really address the Cavs need for another slashing guard. Outside of LeBron, the Cavs do not have a guy who can truly attack the hoop. Finally, the Cavs have LeBron James, who I am going to consider a guard because of the way he plays. He is a great scorer, and a fantastic facilitator, who helps get his entire team involved on both ends of the court. At the end of the day, LeBron James is arguably the best player in the NBA today.
Magic – The Magic have gotten a mixed bag out of Jameer Nelson so far this season. He has had as many as 3o points and as few as 7 (twice). Also, Nelson’s assists have gone as high as 10 and as low as 3. Based on these stats, I feel that Nelson is still trying to find his groove that he had last season when he was chosen as an all-star. Nelson, of course, suffered an injury last season that sidelined him for almost the entire postseason run, so it is understandable that he has been up and down so far. Next, the Magic have been giving JJ Redick some more playing time this season, as he has started 6 out of Orlando’s 8 games. He is averaging a little over 12 points per game, and his 42.5% three-point shooting average is the highest it has ever been for him. With him becoming a guy that the Magic can trust, their team becomes a lot harder for defenses to defend.
Bigs (Advantage = Magic)
Cavs – Cleveland is okay when it comes to their starting big men. At power forward they have Anderson Varejao, who is a tough and scrappy player, who is not afraid to throw his body in harm’s way. He is not going to give up any freebies on defense, and whatever he lacks in natural ability, he makes up for with heart. He is a battler and a good piece of this team. Then there is Shaq. Shaq is not what he used to be, as he is now 37. Shaq cannot put in the same amount of minutes as he used to, and he is not as efficient either. He is shooting career lows from the field and the free-throw line, which is hard to believe, but he has only played 7 games so far.
Magic – In the offseason, the Magic acquired two forwards in Matt Barnes and Brandon Bass, who can contribute a lot to this team. Barnes is a high energy guy who can really spark a team with his intangibles, and he has always been a guy that I have respected. So far Barnes is averaging just about 10 points and 7 rebounds per game. Brandon Bass is another guy that I feel is a very good fit for this team. He is averaging 10 points and 3 rebounds per game, and his athleticism from the power forward position is something that is very valuable and can cause a lot of match-up problems. Finally, of course, you have Dwight Howard. There is not much that I can say about Howard that will do him justice. He is the most dominating force at the center position in the league, as he is powerful, athletic, and dedicated as a complete player. This guy can grab tons of rebounds, score a bunch of points from dunks, and he can block shots and patrol the paint better than anyone in the league right now. Dwight Howard is simply the best center in the league.
Bench (Advantage = Magic)
Cavs – The Cavs’ bench consists of Delonte West, Daniel Gibson, JJ Hickson, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and Jamario Moon. Delonte West has not done much since his first game back from an injury when he scored 13 points. Outside of that game, West has put up no more than 4 points. He is averaging around 4 assists per game which is nice off of the bench, but I think that he is not fully back. Daniel Gibson has averaged almost 9 points per game off of the bench, and he is shooting 50% from three-point land. He has shown some signs of getting back to his best form from a couple of years ago, when everybody was going crazy for ”Boobie.” JJ Hickson is still young and raw. He has done some things for this team, but they don’t usually show up in the statbook. He is a hard player, and within some time, all of that hard work will finally pay off. As of right now, he is not much of a threat. Zydrunas Ilgauskas has been with this team forever, and it is only the second time in his career that he is going to be coming off of the bench more often than not. Z still has some game left in him, as he still can hit that perimeter jump shot and cause problems on defense. Jamario Moon is a high flyer without much basketball skill. He can’t really shoot the ball too well, but he can bring energy to the court. Moon provides a nice spark off the bench, but I feel the Cavs could upgrade to somebody who plays like him with a little more talent.
Magic – On the bench, Orlando has Jason Williams, Vince Carter, Mickael Pietrus, Ryan Anderson, and Marcin Gortat. Williams has been playing really well off of the bench with the Magic this season. He has averaged 5.6 points per game and 4.6 assists per game in just under 20 minutes, and he seems to be ready to reclaim a career that was lost for a while. If Williams continues on the path he is on right now, he will once again have relevance in this league. Next is VC. Carter has started 3 out of 4 games that he has played in, but his last game he came off of the bench. Carter has scored 15 points in 3 out of his 4 games this season (16 in the other), but he is struggling from the field. His three-point percentage is the highest it has ever been at 44%, but he is only shooting 42.3% from the field which is his lowest since 04-05. It is still early, so he should pick it up as the season goes on. Mickael Pietrus is not shooting well either, but he is averaging a valuable 10 points per game off of the bench. There is no doubt he could shoot the three ball, and he will find his stroke sometime soon. Ryan Anderson has been a surprise so far for the Magic. He has averaged 15 points off of the bench, and he is providing quality minutes and depth to this team. Finally on the bench, is Marcin Gortat. Gortat, in my opinion, is one of the most underrated players in the league. He provides a real option as a backup for Dwight Howard, and the Magic can give their starting big man some important breathing time because of Gortat’s ability.
So there you have it. Orlando takes 2 out of 3 categories, plus they will be playing at home tonight. Just based on those things right now, I am going to give the nod to Orlando in this game. Sure, anything can happen once emotions start to flare, and that is why we watch, but as my best guess goes, I am going to say Magic by 7.
FINAL PREDICTION: 108-101 Magic
Filed under: NBA
