Working That Magic

I caught games 2 and 3 of the ECF, and I have to say, Orlando is a really, really interesting team to watch. They run tons of screen/rolls like New Orleans or Phoenix, except they do it with huge guys like Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis. The chaos that ensues when defenders switch is really something to see. Hedo is especially confounding to watch, as he actually moves like a point guard, sometimes dipping and dropping away from traps on the perimeter, sometimes tiptoeing the baseline under the basket for kick-outs.



Doug Collins compared Lewis’ and Hedo’s ability to run the screen & roll to Grant Hill’s, and while neither of those guys are even close to being as good as Hill was as a Piston, they do possess a couple of qualities that set them apart - 1) they both pretty much have infinite range, and 2) they’re both 6’10”. Lewis was always a little overrated (and clearly overpaid) in my opinion, faster and more driven than a Tim Thomas, but lacking the craftiness and overall skill of a Dirk Nowitzki. Hedo on the other hand, is the real deal as far as I’m concerned. A power forward’s size, a point guard’s instincts, the ability to get up shots at will, and absolutely CLUTCH. In a pair of conference finals featuring players like Big Shot Billups, Kobe, and LBJ, I’d have to put Turk up there as one of the guys that I’d want to take the last shot in a game. If it’s any indication of how good he’s gotten, he only made one bucket the other night but was still probably the 3rd or 4th best player on the floor. The thing about the run & gun teams of recent years like Phoenix and Golden State is that while they had the right idea in wanting to have versatility at every position, they eventually began to overstock on swingmen. Orlando is fortunate enough to have a pair of 6’10” sharpshooters to create matchup nightmares for opposing teams, but they’re big and mobile enough to not be total liabilities on the defensive end.

Of course, LBJ is the league’s ultimate matchup nightmare, so you’d have to be crazy to write off the Cavs just yet. Regardless of who comes out on top this year, I think it’s safe to say that LeBron James and Dwight Howard will get their rings eventually. The last time we got to say, “Wow, this guy is a freak of nature,” was when Shaq came into the league, and now we’ve got two of them playing against each other in the East semis. Simply put, guys that are built like LeBron and Howard should not be given the ability to fly. It’s not fair to everyone else.