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NBA Playoff Preview - Orlando vs. Atlanta

Basketball Betting Lines

05/03/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The well-rested Orlando Magic finally will get back to work on defending their Eastern Conference championship when they kick off the second round of the postseason against their division rival, the Atlanta Hawks.

The second-seeded Magic have been idle since finishing a sweep of the overmatched Charlotte Bobcats back on April 26. Orlando had little trouble disposing of the Bobcats despite All-Star center Dwight Howard being in constant foul trouble throughout the set. It was the first sweep in a best-of- seven series in Magic franchise history.

"When you write it down in the books it's a sweep, but that was a very difficult series," Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said. "It was physical, tough and they made it very tough on us. We just struggled to score points and get shots. I thought they had a great defensive game plan in the series."

Howard was able to play in just 105 minutes in the entire series and averaged a pedestrian 9.8 points and 9.3 rebounds, although he was his usual disruptive self on the defensive end, swatting away 20 shots, an average of 5.0 per game.

"Regardless of us winning with him in foul trouble throughout the series, we still need him on the floor," Orlando forward Vince Carter said. "He's a big part of what we do. We can go as far as he takes us. Our job is to help him."

The All-Star center and two-time reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year fouled out of the final two games in the series with Charlotte and committed five fouls in each of the first two contests. Howard was so upset with the officiating, he was fined $35,000 for using his personal blog to criticize the referees a day after the sweep.

"I'm not looking to say anything to get myself in trouble with the league, but I just don't see other star players getting called for fouls the way I get them," Howard's blog read. "No star player in the league is outta games the way I am."

Van Gundy and forward Matt Barnes also were fined $35,000 apiece last week for criticizing officials earlier in the series.

The Hawks, meanwhile, had to fight tooth-and-nail to fend off the upstart Milwaukee Bucks.

After falling behind 3-2 in the set, Atlanta routed the Bucks in Brew City during Game 6 and repeated that with an emphatic Game 7 win in Dixie on Sunday.

"These guys didn't stop believing," Hawks head coach Mike Woodson said. "We got beat in Game 5 and it was tough to swallow because we controlled that game. But to bounce back like they did and go back into Milwaukee and bring it back home and win it is unbelievable."

Orlando took three of four games from the Hawks in the regular season and won the Southeast Division by six games over Atlanta. The two teams have met just one time in the postseason, however, a 4-1 Magic win in the 1995-96 Eastern Conference semifinals.

MATCHUPS:

POINT GUARD: In the first round of the playoffs Orlando's Jameer Nelson returned to the All-Star form he showed in the first half of last season before going down with a shoulder injury. The former Saint Joseph's star was the best player of the Magic against the Bobcats, averaging a team-best 23.8 points and 4.5 assists. A steady point guard that can be counted on to run things smoothly even when things aren't going the way you would like, Nelson turned over just five times in 145 minutes against the Bobcats. However, he is undersized and can be a liability at the defensive end at times.

Bibby is one of the most experienced and underrated point guards in the East and is very familiar with the postseason. A vital piece of Sacramento's tough teams a few years back, Bibby has been the best floor general in Atlanta since Mookie Blalock ran the point for the Hawks. Bibby can also stick the three in a big spot and close a game with some of the best, but he is aging and is clearly just a secondary option these days.

EDGE: MAGIC

SHOOTING GUARD:Vince Carter, an eight-time All-Star, isn't the same player he once was in Toronto or New Jersey but he can still light it up and take over a game at times. You certainly can't expect big-time production consistently from Carter these days but when the jumper is falling, he is still very tough to check. Problem is, Carter shot just 35.7 percent vs. the Bobcats and a miserable 1-for-17 from three-point range.

Atlanta counters with Joe Johnson, one of the NBA's best all-around players that led the Hawks in every major offensive category this season. He is also the team's go-to-guy down the stretch of close games and, when hot, can fill the stat sheet like few others. Johnson, who is also an underrated defender, was his usual productive self against Milwaukee, averaging 20.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.7 assists.

EDGE: HAWKS

CENTER: The Bobcats had three 7-footers to throw at Howard while Atlanta has a glorified power forward in Al Horford along with the inconsistent Zaza Pachulia. A monster inside that can dominate any game, Howard has to forget about the referees and just play his game.

The tinge of immaturity and shaky free-throw shooting are always on the back- burner with Howard but he finished the regular season leading the league in both rebounding and blocked shots for the second straight season, a feat never done before. To control the double-double monster on the offensive end, you need to push him away from the basket, something Horford just can't do. Defensively, Howard still dominated against Charlotte but he is obviously prone to foul trouble so the whistle will be key again from game to game.

"There has been no (Hedo) Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis missed the first 10 games of the season, Vince Carter started very slowly and they still have the second best record in the NBA because of Dwight," TNT NBA analyst Charles Barley said.

Horford is really an athletic power forward playing center but he is an excellent rebounder and shot-blocker. The Florida product, like a lot of young players, doesn't have many low-post moves but he has been a vital piece to Atlanta's turnaround the past few years and nearly averaged a double-double in the first round (15.6 ppg and 9.9 rpg).

EDGE: MAGIC

SMALL FORWARD: Barnes was the biggest surprise for Orlando this season, taking over the starting job and turning into a solid role player. A pesky defender, Barnes also developed a solid stand-still, three-pointer from the weak-side this season but he is a limited player.

The Hawks' Marvin Williams on the other hand is another former high draft pick that kind of gets lost in the shuffle when you talk about the young talent in Atlanta since Horford and Josh Smith have developed into All-Star type players. Williams is very skilled but lacks toughness and is a below average rebounder.

EDGE: EVEN

POWER FORWARD: Lewis isn't your prototypical power forward but the 6-foot-10 veteran is a matchup nightmare for most clubs. The former All-Star still has one of the best strokes in the game but can now put that in his pocket and spend more time on the blocks. His weaknesses are rebounding and low-post defense but his ability to stretch the floor on the offensive end more than makes up for that. In fact, when Lewis is stroking the three at a high level, Orlando is almost impossible to match up with it.

The dynamic Smith is a totally different player than Lewis. A superlative athlete, Smith will look to run the floor at every opportunity. His energy and ability to finish at the rim also really ignite the crowd when the Hawks are at home.

EDGE: EVEN

BENCH: Mickael Pietrus is inconsistent. One minute he can be Van Gundy's whipping boy and the next he is brilliant, burying big three after big three. An extremely athletic player, Pietrus will also get opportunities to defend both Johnson and Williams at times.

Big man Marcin Gortat got a lot of playing time in Round 1 due to Howard's foul trouble and is skilled enough to hold down the fort. Obviously, though, Orlando would like to see less of him. Veteran point Jason Williams, sharp- shooter J.J. Redick and forward Ryan Anderson also get situational minutes off Van Gundy's deep bench.

We all knew Hawks guard Jamal Crawford had big-time offensive skills but he was always on miserable teams and the jury was out on whether he could fit in and contribute with a winning program. That's all in the rear view mirror now. Crawford averaged 18.0 points and 3.0 assists on a 53-win Atlanta team and was named the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year. He was also the Hawks' best offensive player when they came back in Games 6 and 7 vs. Milwaukee and scored 15.9 ppg off the bench vs. the Bucks.

Maurice Evans adds defense on the wing and Pachulia is a solid reserve big man but Woodson just doesn't have the depth to call on like Van Gundy.

EDGE: MAGIC

COACHING: Van Gundy proved he was one of the game's best tacticians during last year's playoff run and continues to be one of the premier X's and O's guys in the game. Woodson, meanwhile, learned at the foot of the master, Larry Brown. Both got votes in the Coach of the Year balloting and both are certainly among the top 10 mentors in the game.

EDGE: EVEN

PREDICTION: The Magic are the more rested and deeper team. They are also almost impossible to beat when they stretch the floor and the threes are falling. Meanwhile, despite its success in Milwaukee during Game 6 in the East quarters, Atlanta has a history of falling flat on the road in the postseason. The Hawks are far too talented to get blown out in the series but it's tough to project them to beat Orlando in a long series.

Magic in 6.

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