Magic Vs Cavs

Can Orlando stop LeBron James? Only if they injure him. But that doesn't mean the Magic can't compete with Cleveland. LeBron James is the best player in the league, but Dwight Howard can be one of the most dominant forces in basketball, on any given night. What Orlando must do, is shut down LeBron's sidekicks. Point guard Mo Williams (17.8 PPG) and shooting guard Delonte West (11.7 PPG) are two of the most underrated players in the NBA. Either of these guys can and will score at ease, when defenses collapse around James. That puts a tremendous burden on Orlando's backcourt. If the Magic hope to defeat the Cavs, it must be done with defense, especially from their guards.
In the frontcourt, Dwight Howard is going to be a factor. A 6'10 X factor. Although big Z is 7 feet 3inches tall, he lacks enough athleticism to contain the 23 year old All Star from Atlanta. Ilgauskas will constantly be in foul trouble throughout this best of 7 series. So will Varejao and any other Cav attempting to defend Dwight Howard.
As far as forwards go, that brings us back to LeBron. His uncomparable talent gives Cleveland a huge advantage in this series. James is very Jordan-esque, because of his willingness and ability to make his teammates better. The 6'8 forward averaged 7.2 assists per game during the regular season.
How can Orlando stop the Cavs? They must contain Delonte West, Mo Williams, and Wally Szczerbiak. Every shot these players take must be contested. LeBron is gonna do what LeBron is gonna do. You can't stop that. What you can do, is counter punch with Dwight Howard.

Individual Matchups:

Centers:
Orlando- Dwight Howard 6-11 265 lbs, 20.6 PPG, 13.8 RPG, 2.9 BPG *(Has recorded 33 blocks in 12 playoff games and is averaging 16.6 rebounds per game during 09 post season).
Cleveland- Zydrunas Ilgauskas 7-3 260 lbs, 12.9 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 1.3 BPG

Power Forwards:
Orlando- Rashard Lewis (SF-PF) 6-10 230 lbs, 17.7 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 0.6 BPG
Cleveland- Anderson Varejao 6-11 260 lbs, 8.6 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 0.8 BPG

Small Forwards:
Orlando- Hedo Turkoglu 6-10 220 lbs, 16.8 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 4.9 APG
Cleveland-LeBron James 6-8 250 lbs, 28.4 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 7.2 APG

Shooting Guards:
Orlando- Mickael Pietrus 6-6 215 lbs, 9.4 PPG, 1.2 APG
Cleveland- Delonte West 6-3 180 lbs, 11.7 PPG, 3.5 APG

Point Guards:
Orlando- Rafer "Skip to my Lou" Alston 6-2 175 lbs, 11.7 PPG, 5.3 APG, 1.4 SPG
Cleveland- Mo Williams 6-1 190 lbs, 17.8 PPG, 4.1 APG, 0.9 SPG

Game 1 will be shown on TNT at 8:30 ET on Wednesday.