[SpencerIsHawesome2Participant]

PG: Jameer Nelson Vs. Rajon Rondo

The battle of the 2 hottest PG’s in the playoffs. Nelson is a very good all-around PG who Rondo will have his hands full with on the defensive end, however Rondo has grown into his own this year and is arguably a top-5 PG in the league now. One flaw I see is that Nelson will be able to play off Rondo, possibly causing him to not lose as much energy on the defensive end. Still have to give the advantage to Celtics here though, as Rondo is a better creator.

Adv: Boston

SG: Vince Carter Vs. Ray Allen

Two old guys goin head to head. Both are hot and cold some games, however only one can completely take over a game and that is Vince. Expect some poor shooting nights from each of these guys this series, but outside his 3-ball Allen has a limited game on both sides of the floor and I don’t see him being able to slow Carter down.

Adv: Orlando

SF: Matt Barnes Vs. Paul Pierce

Barnes is the starter so I put him here, however him and Pietrus play pretty equal minutes. Barnes is a defensive stopper who will slow Pierce down. Pierce will have a similar series that he had in Cleveland, but he can still hit big shots and has a much better offensive game than Barnes.

Adv: Boston

PF: Rashard Lewis Vs. Kevin Garnett

Rashard Lewis took a step back in the regular season, however he has been playing very well in the post-season up to this point. However, Garnett has a little more length, is more consistent, and is a better rebounder. Lewis is the better shooter, and from a physical standpoint it’s pretty close who is better at this point in their careers, but KG is the heart and soul of the Celtics so he gets the nod.

Adv: Boston

C: Dwight Howard Vs. Kendrick Perkins

I don’t really need to say much here. Perkins does do a good job defending Superman, but Dwight is Dwight and Perkins is still Perkins. I should give Orlando 2 points for this one.

Adv: Orlando

Bench: Orlando (Pietrus, Gortat, Redick, Williams, Anderson, Bass) Vs. Boston (Davis, Allen, Wallace, Robinson, Finley)

Pietrus is the best of the bunch, while Gortat, Redick, and Williams fill in nicely in their roles as well. Anderson does a good Lewis impression while he’s filling in as well. Boston has good depth for their bigs, so they have fouls to send Howard to the line, but Robinson barely plays and Finley is old.

Adv: Orlando

The advantages here are tied 3-3, however I give the overall nod to Orlando because I think their bench is so much better and Dwight Howard is so much more of an advantage than Perkins. Throw in the fact they have home court and I am choosing Orlando to take this series in 6 tough games.

[sacphil_08Participant]

Also Orlando will have opportunities in transition to knock down 3s which they are obviously very adept at doing and can outrun the der team

[PlatypusParticipant]

Garnett is going to have great stats this series, Rashard Lewis will not be able to guard him in the post. Dwight and Perkins will get into foul trouble so Gortat and Wallace are going to have to play great for there teams to win, that matchup will be the x factor in the series.

[aarondsonixfanParticipant]

I disagree with you thatguy. The X factors imo are going to be Tony Allen and Brandon Bass. Now that they are playing someone with a heavy front line, Brandon Bass will begin playing a lot more in this playoff series for mostly size and defense, but he can also have opportunities to score as well. Tony Allen played pretty well last game, but he needs to do that the whole series in order for them to win the series. I still believe that Orlando is way too deep, and they will pull out the series 4-2

[grishhhhParticipant]

Boston beat cleveland cause mo williams and jamison are choke artists and mike brown is a terrible coach that looked good because of lebron. Magic are better then last years team and at any given point have 4 players on the court who can drain the clutch shots plus dwight owning the paint. Not to mention stan van gundy is a really good coach. If dwight avoids foul trouble this will be over quickly and painlessly.

[llperez]

i kinda doubt we will see much of bass although i think it would be a good idea considering the matchups. But he has been a third stringer for months now behind even Ryan ANdersen. The magic are gonna do their thing which is spread the court and hit threes. Thats what they did to cleavland last year. If they make roster adjustments and try and match boston’s physicality, they are playing into bostons hands.

THese are two very evenly matched teams and i dont know if there is a real x factor. It’s just whoever plays d and hits shots. I like the magic a little bit, but can defenitely see this series going either way. But Orlando just has guys that can pick it up and go off at any given time like pietrus, barnes, andersen, carter, lewis. Right now, im thinking the celtics wish they didnt send eddie house away for nate robinson. House was a solid contributor and could hit 3’s

[kobyzParticipant]

i think Kevin Garnett will kill Rashard Lewis the same way he kill Antawn Jamison, with Garnett’s current condition Lewis can’t guard him, Garnett could score on him every time and also could stop him on defense.
because of this i think it will be smart for Orlando to start the lineup of: Nelson, Carter, Lewis, Gortat, Howard, i think Orlando have to put this lineup if they want a chance in this series and to put Gortat or Howard on Garnett!

[Author]

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