alleyoop on Saturday 3 May 2008 at 12:56 pm
The Magic and the Pistons will battle in a rematch of last year’s first round series when the Pistons swept the Magic. But, the Magic aren’t the same team they were last season and this series should be an outstanding one. Here’s a closer look at the matchups:
POINT GUARD: Jameer Nelson was solid on offense against the Raptors in the first round but he had some troubles defending T.J. Ford and Jose Calderon. Nelson started all 5 games against the Raptors in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 17.2 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. He also was super sharp shooting the basketball as he hit 51.9% of his shots from the floor and he was 11 of 22 (50%) from three point range.
Chauncey Billups was his usual solid self in the first round against the pesky 76ers. Billups started all 6 games in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 34.7 minutes, 15.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game. He is a clutch shooter and that could be a very big factor in this series.
EDGE: PISTONS
SHOOTING GUARD: Maurice Evans did not have the best series against the Raptors. He started all 5 games and he averaged 27.4 minutes, 8.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. The Magic would be ecstatic if Evans did a solid job on defense against Richard Hamilton.
Richard Hamilton is the master of the middle game on offense. He had a solid series in Round #1 against the 76ers. He started all 6 games in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 36.0 minutes, 19.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. Hamilton should have a good series against the Magic.
EDGE: PISTONS
SMALL FORWARD: Hedo Turkoglu was the Most Improved Player in the NBA this season and he just kept rolling along against the Raptors in the first round of the playoffs. Turkoglu started all 5 games in round #1 and he averaged 40.0 minutes, 17.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game. He also is a very good outside shooter.
Tayshaun Prince’s game is defense and he will need it to slow down Hedo Turkoglu. Prince started all 6 games against the Sixers in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 16.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Prince also shot an amazing 65.7% in the first round.
EDGE: EVEN
POWER FORWARD: Rashard Lewis really stepped up against the Raptors in the first round of the playoffs. He started all 5 games in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 42.2 minutes, 19.0 points, 8.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Lewis is an outstanding outside shooter who will likely cause problems for the Pistons’ defense.
Rasheed Wallace will probably slide over to power forward to deal with Lewis. Wallace is a big game player and he had a solid series in round #1. Wallace started 6 games in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 33.5 minutes, 14.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.0 steal and 3.3 blocked shots per game.
EDGE: EVEN
CENTER: Dwight Howard was great all season long but he was dominating against the Raptors in the first round of the playoffs. Howard started all 5 games against the Raptors and he averaged 41.8 minutes, 22.6 points, 18.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 3.8 blocked shots per game. Howard shot an amazing 63.8% from the floor but only 56.8% from the free throw line so the Pistons might foul him late in games.
Antonio McDyess should be ready to rejoin the starting lineup after breaking his nose against the Sixers in Round #1 of the playoffs. McDyess played in all 6 games in the first round (3 starts) of the playoffs and he averaged 20.7 minutes, 7.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.
EDGE: GIGANTIC FOR THE MAGIC
BENCH: The Magic didn’t use their bench much in the first round of the playoffs. SG/SF Keith Bogans was the player who got the most playing time off the bench for the Magic in the first round. He played in all 5 games (0 starts) against the Raptors and he averaged 30.2 minutes, 10.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. SG/PG Keyon Dooling has been the only other player other than Bogans to play in every game this post season. Dooling has played in 5 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 16.2 minutes, 7.6 points, 0.4 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. Adonal Foyle can give either Rashard Lewis or Dwight Howard a break but it doesn’t happen much. He played in 2 games (0 starts) in the first round and he averaged 3.5 minutes, 1.0 point and 1.0 rebound per game. Carlos Arroyo might get some playing time against his old team in this series but he didn’t play much in round #1. Arroyo played in 2 games (0 starts) against the Raptors and he averaged 6.5 minutes, 1.0 point, 0.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.
The Pistons on the other hand have used everyone at least a little bit so far in the playoffs. PF/C Jason Maxiell is the top player off the bench for the Pistons. He played in 6 games (3 starts) in the first round against the Sixers and he averaged 29.5 minutes, 5.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.7 blocks per game. Amir Johnson is another big body for the paint. He played in 4 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 8.8 minutes, 5.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. Rookie guard Rodney Stuckey plays both guard positions but he did not play that well in the first round. Stuckey played in 6 games (0 starts) against the Sixers and he averaged 18.8 minutes, 5.2 points, 2.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. Jarvis Hayes didn’t get much playing time in the first round of the playoffs. He played in 6 games (0 starts) and he averaged 6.7 minutes, 2.5 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. Rookie Arron Afflalo had a rough time in the first round. He played in 5 games (0 starts) for the Pistons in round #1 and he averaged 10.6 minutes, 1.6 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. Veteran center Theo Ratliff is around to provide defense and rebounding for the Pistons when they need him. Ratliff has played in 3 games (0 starts) in the playoffs this season and he averaged 11.3 minutes, 2.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocked shots. Veteran point guard Lindsay Hunter can still play the dirty D when the Pistons need it. He played in 3 games (0 starts) against the Sixers and he averaged 5.3 minutes, 1.0 points, 0.7 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.
PREDICTION: I LIKE THE PISTONS IN 7 GAMES BUT I WOULDN”T BE SURPRISED IF THE MAGIC WON.
