Cody's Blog

For the first time since 1999, three of the four playoff series in the conference semifinals were swept. In 1999, the #1 seeded San Antonio Spurs ousted the Lakers in four. In the Eastern Conference, the 2 seeded Indiana Pacers also brought out the brooms, taking four games in a row from the Philadelphia 76ers and the surprise 8 seed New York Knicks downed the Atlanta Hawks. This year, the trend was reversed, with San Antonio on the losing end of their series with the Suns this year. The Suns dominated the Spurs and handled the Spurs in four, the Lakers slugged away at the Jazz and beat them in four games as well and the Orando Magic shot the Atlanta Hawks right of the playoffs. All three of these teams have in common that they can all score 100 points almost every night, as well as they each have at least three guys that can get it done in crunch time. All three of the teams that swept their conference semifinal series are explosive, and all three have the potential to do damage in series to come.

Los Angeles Lakers – The Lakers have possibly the best lineup on paper in the NBA. Ron Artest is a dominant defender. 7 footers Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum are a handful inside, and Kobe is the best finisher in the game while Lamar Odom and Derek Fisher are great role players. However, besides these six guys, the Lakers are extremely thin. Shannon Brown is the only real threat off of the bench, and the Lakers are undoubtedly a step or two slower than they were last year. Don’t get me wrong; the Lakers are a dynamic team, but I don’t see them keeping up with a younger, more run and gun type of team like the Suns, which they face off against in the Western Conference Finals.

Phoenix Suns – Amare Stoudemire and Steve Nash are easily the best pick and roll duo in the NBA, and are two of the NBA’s best at their respective positions. They also hold one of the NBA’s streakiest players; when he scores over a certain amount, the Suns are unbeatable, but when he scores fewer points, they are just as easy to beat as the Nets. Phoenix also has the same problem as the Lakers. They are basically only six guys deep with, Jared Dudley, Goran Dragic and Cahnning Frye. Their inability to play defense at times will most likely be the reason if they make an exodus from the 2010 playoffs, but until then all they have to do is play within themselves and continue to score points and beat up on their opponents.

Orlando Magic – The Magic have been playing like basketball is going out of style. In the past five weeks, the Magic have not lost a game, and have won their first 8 playoff games, sweeping both their first and second round opponents in Charlotte and Atlanta. Orlando has turned up both its offense in the playoffs, as well as on the defensive end of the floor. Orlando is only allowing a league playoff low 83.7 point per game to opponents, while putting up 101 a game as a team on offense, giving them an average victory margin of 17 points a night. Orlando has some advantage over the teams left in the playoffs, as they can put their starters of Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson, Vince Carter, Rashard Lewis and Matt Barnes, as well as throw J.J. Redick, Mickael Pietrus, Marcin Gortat, Jason Williams and Ryan Anderson on the court to compete night in and night out. Lewis and Pietrus are shooting above 47% from three combined, and as long as they continue to shoot, the Magic will continue to win.

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