Heard in the Cheap Seats

The NBA playoffs are finally here and the Sixers have made it to the second season for the 2 consecutive years.  Once again, the Sixers are a heavy underdog.  Last year, they surprised a lot of people by taking the Pistons to 6 games, so what will happen in their series against the Orlando Magic? 

The Magic are a very different team since losing Jameer Nelson before the All Star break.  Before Nelson’s injury it looked as if the Magic had a real chance to contend for the best record in the Eastern Conference.  Rafer Alston has done a nice job filling in for Nelson, but the Magic are not nearly as dynamic as they were with Nelson running the show.  What the Magic do have going for them is Dwight Howard.  Although, the Sixers have defended him well in their 3 games during the season, it has led to the Magic having a field day from beyond the arc.  That is exactly how the Magic play, and we all know that the Sixers do not defend three point shooters well at all.  After one game against the Magic this season, Tony DiLeo remarked that the Sixers have to “pick their poison” when defending the Magic.  I’m not sure I agree.  I think if your objective is to stop Dwight Howard from going off at the expense of leaving the shooters open, it plays right into the Magic’s hands.  The Magic surround Howard with 4 shooters, including Rashard Lewis who is as dangerous as anyone in the league when he gets going.  I went back and checked, and the Sixers went 11-22 this season against the top ten 3 point field goal percentage teams in the league, including 3 losses to the Orlando Magic.  Some of those teams were not very good basketball teams either.  The bottom line is that the Sixers do not match up well with the Orlando Magic.  They have lost 8 of their last 9 games against them.  With or without Jameer Nelson, this is a tough match up for the Sixers.  Both teams struggled down the stretch, but the Magic were missing Howard for a game, Turkoglu for a game and Lewis for 2 games.  So, do the Sixers have a chance to pull off the upset?  Here are a few keys…

TURNOVERS- The Magic have a tendency to turn the ball over.  The Sixers need to win the turnover battle and jump start their transition offense.

DEFENSE- This is really their only chance in this series and it includes a million different things.  Every series has adjustments, so DiLeo will have to make them throughout.  But, as I said previously, I don’t think they stand a chance if the focus on Howard too much.  The Magic will shoot 30 threes a game if you collapse on Howard.  I think DiLeo should throw every defender he has in has in his arsenal and use up as many fouls as possible.  Be physical with Howard, and understand that occasionally you will give up some easy buckets to him.  But, what I wouldn’t do is double and triple team Howard and leave the shooters open.  That is a recipe for disaster.  I would hit Howard with double teams once in awhile to change up the looks.  The Sixers need to show up in this series defensively, because if the Magic are able to hit 50% of their shots, this will be a blowout.  Another important aspect defensively will be the Sixers transition defense.  The Magic are not necessarily a running team but what they like to do is spot up for threes on the brak as well as hit Howard on a quick low post.  It is important that the Sixers communicate and match up quickly in transition.

OFFENSIVE GLASS- I think the Sixers should have an advantage here.  Orlando is not a great rebounding team other than Dwight Howard.  The Sixers need to hit the glass hard and look to create as many second chance opportunities as possible.

BE AGGRESSIVE- It’s the playoffs.  The Sixers need everyone to be as aggressive on both sides of the ball as possible.  Take the fight to Orlando.  I don’t care if the miss shots, get it blocked, get called for a charge, or even a flagrant foul, they must show Orlando that they are ready to play.  Orlando has never struck me as a particularly tough team.  The Sixers need to be the tougher team.

I could go on and on, but I won’t.  Orlando is the better team.  They have shown themselves to be better than the Sixers on both sides of the ball.  In order to take this series, Andre Iguodala, Andre Miller, Thaddeus Young, and Lou Williams are all going to have to be at the top of their games.  Not just for one game, but for the entire series.  So, is it possible that the Sixers win this series?  Yes, it’s possible.  Do I think it will happen?  No, I don’t, but I will as happy as everyone else if they surprise me and pull it out.

PREDICTION: MAGIC IN 5