By Shawn Clarke, NBA analyst
Orlando Magic: 3rd Seed, East (59-23)
Philadelphia 76ers: 6th Seed, East (41-41)
Now that the dust has settled after the NBA's final regular season night, the Orlando Magic are ready to take a step further in their quest for a championship. The third-seeded Magic will take on the No. 6 seed Philadelphia 76ers in first-round action.
Orlando was within striking distance of the top seed in the Eastern Conference before the Cleveland Cavaliers went on a roll to capture the prestigious honor. The Magic enjoyed a strong 2008-09 season in which they recorded 59 wins, the most since the 1995-96 squad went 60-22. They won the Southeast Division title for a second straight time and have reached the playoffs three years in a row.
Magic All-Star center Dwight Howard deserves a lot of credit for what this team has accomplished under head coach Stan Van Gundy. Howard led the team in scoring (20.6 ppg), rebounding (13.8 rpg), field-goal percentage (57.2) and blocks (2.9 bpg). The chiseled Howard will be joined by fellow All-Star Rashard Lewis and the sharp-shooting Hedo Turkoglu. All three were together last season when the Magic reached the conference semifinals for the first time since the 1995-96 season. Orlando was swept by Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls that year in the East finals.
Meanwhile, the Sixers flopped over the last few weeks of the regular season and ended a six-game losing streak on the final day of the regular season with a big win at Cleveland. The Cavs rested LeBron James and a few other players, but couldn't hold on to defeat Philadelphia, which is in the playoffs for a second consecutive season.
Head coach Tony DiLeo took over for Maurice Cheeks earlier in the season and had team poised for higher ground in the Eastern Conference standings before Philly finished with eight losses over its last 12 games. The Sixers' half- court game, or lack there of, was exposed in a first-round playoff exit to the Detroit Pistons last year. The team tried to remedy that situation by signing free agent forward Elton Brand to a huge contract in the offseason, but injuries this season sidelined the former Duke star for the remainder of the campaign and playoffs.
The 76ers are in the playoffs for a second straight year and for the eighth time since the strike-shortened 1998-99 campaign. They will need sharp performances out of Andre Iguodala, who also inked a big contract in the offseason, and savvy point guard Andre Miller. Philly also got second-year star Thaddeus Young back this week after an ankle injury caused him to miss some time down the stretch. Center Samuel Dalembert has perhaps the toughest job of the series by going against Howard in the low post.
Orlando won all three regular-season matchups with the Sixers this season, and has won four straight and 11 of the last 14 meetings between the teams. Philadelphia beat Orlando in four games during the first round of the 1998-99 playoffs.
POINT GUARD
There will be two veteran point guards squaring off in this series, but Andre Miller is one of the best in the league. Miller has given the Sixers new life with an unselfish attitude and ability to involve everyone on the floor. He led the 76ers with 6.5 assists per game while averaging 16.3 points. Miller has appeared in 21 career playoffs games, six with Philly last season, and has averaged 15.8 points, 4.7 assists and 2.4 rebounds per contest.
Rafer Alston wouldn't be with the Magic if it wasn't for All-Star guard Jameer Nelson going down with a shoulder injury. Nelson was injured back in February, forcing the Magic to acquire Alston from Houston in a three-team trade. The former playground legend has played in 33 career playoff games, with 11 starts, and is averaging 6.8 points, 2.5 boards and 2.3 assists in that time.
EDGE: 76ERS
SHOOTING GUARD
Rookie Courtney Lee will see his first playoff action and started every game for the Magic since February 20. Lee, the 22nd overall pick in last summer's NBA Draft, has shown a lot of promise this season for a tough Orlando squad and is becoming more reliable as each game goes by. The quick Lee is a solid defender as well and led the team in steals.
Unfortunately for the Magic, Philadelphia again has the advantage in this matchup, but it's certainly the last. Willie Green only has the edge because he's been in the league longer, and is shooting prowess in not one to die for. Green is a solid player in the league and his numbers are modest, as he averaged 8.0 points, 2.0 assists and 1.6 rebounds per game. Green, who is fully recovered from a devastating knee injury suffered a few years ago, has appeared in 11 career playoff games, including his six starts last season against the Detroit Pistons. Green has posted 7.4 points and 1.4 assists during his limited postseason action.
EDGE: 76ERS
CENTER
This is the position where Orlando will win the series. When a team is fortunate enough to have a talent such as Howard on the floor, it must take advantage of the MVP candidate's skills. Howard finished the season leading the league in both rebounding and blocked shots, and is determined to get the Magic even further in the postseason. Even though his sidekick Nelson was out for the season due to injury, Howard was able to keep his poise and maintain slid numbers. The double-double monster will give Philly fits inside since the Sixers have no bulk in the paint. Putting tall, skinny and athletic players inside to control Howard will be a joke, and he will dominate inside. Howard has played in 14 career playoff games, averaging 17.9 points, 15.5 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per contest.
Dalembert is no slouch down low, but will not win the battle against Howard. Dalembert, a shot-blocking artist who uses his stamina to his advantage, averaged 6.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game in 2008-09. He led the Sixers in rebounding and blocks this season. Dalembert was supposed to split time with Brand in the paint, but took over inside on a full-time basis once again after the free agent prize was lost for the season. Dalembert has appeared in 11 career playoff games, all starts, and owns 10.2 points, 11.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks over that stretch.
EDGE: MAGIC
SMALL FORWARD
The sharp-shooting Turkoglu was bothered by an ankle sprain towards the end of the regular season, but is expected to be knocking down shots from the perimeter when the postseason gets underway. Turkoglu averaged 16.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and a team-leading 4.9 assists per contest this season, and will keep the Sixers off balance with his ability to both penetrate the lane and bury shots from downtown. The 6-10 native of Istanbul, Turkey. Turkoglu, who is in his fifth season with the Magic, has appeared in 58 career postseason games and has recorded 9.6 points, 4.5 boards and 2.3 assists per outing.
If Sixers small forward Iguodala had a better shot perhaps he would have the edge in this matchup. Iguodala, who led the league in average minutes this season with 39.9, posted 18.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists. The high- flying Iguodala is a solid defender and passer, but his inconsistent jump shot will hurt the Sixers in the end. There's no doubt the Magic are aware of what type of damage Iguodala can do when he gets hot. They just have to make sure he doesn't get into a rhythm early. Iguodala has played in 11 career playoff games, all starts, and is averaging 11.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists.
EDGE: MAGIC
POWER FORWARD
Magic forward Rashard Lewis enjoyed another strong season with the Magic, his second with the club, by averaging 17.7 points and 5.7 rebounds. Lewis, a three-point specialist, is battling a nagging right knee problem and is expected to be ready for the opener of this series. The All-Star Lewis has one of the best strokes in the game and developed his skills for nine years with Seattle. The former SuperSonics star played in 10 playoff games with Orlando in 2007-08, averaging 19.5 points and 7.2 rebounds. In 26 career postseason contests with Seattle and Orlando, "Sweet Lew" is posting 17.1 points and 6.0 boards per outing.
Sixers second-year star Young missed some time towards the end of the regular season with an ankle injury and is back at full strength. After people were left scratching their heads on the Young draft pick a few years ago, now he is one of the leaders of the team. The 6-10 Young registered 15.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game this season, and the smooth-shooting lefty is only getting better. He can learn a thing or two from the veteran Lewis in this series and started all six playoff games against the Pistons a year ago. Young averaged 10.2 points and 4.5 rebounds.
EDGE: MAGIC
BENCH
Both benches have enough talent to spell the starters from time to time. With Orlando forwards Michael Pietrus, Tony Battie and centers Adonal Foye and Marcin Gortat, the Magic have experience and size down low. Guards Anthony Johnson, J.J. Redick and Tyronn Lue will see limited time off the pine.
Philly's sixth man is Lou Williams, who could be a starter on most teams around the league and plays behind Miller. Williams posted 12.8 points and 3.0 assists per game this season and averages about 24 minutes a game. Guard Royal Ivey has a decent shot from beyond the arc. Rookie forward Marreese Speights, forward Reggie Evans and center Theo Ratliff will see time for DiLeo's squad. Evans had a solid postseason a year ago, showing off his stamina and hard work by averaging 6.8 points and 7.8 boards.
EDGE: EVEN
PREDICTION
Howard will be too much for the Sixers to handle inside, leaving options open for sure shooters Turkoglu and Lewis. Orlando plays a tough defense too which will create problems for Philadelphia, which needs perfect games out of Iguodala and Miller in order to stay competitive in the series. The Magic also have the edge in couching as Van Gundy's resume and experience are more than enough proof. If the 76ers can somehow force the Magic to be one dimensional by slowing down Howard and have success in the full-court game, they could possibly extend the series to six games. Orlando will treat the first round as a warmup for the more talented teams the East has to offer this postseason.
MAGIC in 5
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