With help from an Eastern Conference scout, here are three things to watch for when Orlando plays Cleveland in the Eastern Conference semifinals:
» Matchup issues: Orlando does not have anyone who can handle LeBron James. Not many teams do, but the Magic suffer greatly in this area. On the other hand, James can defend Hedo Turkoglu, so he might find it much harder to excel offensively than he did vs. Boston.
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The other Cavalier that the scout thinks will be tough for Orlando to defend is guard Delonte West. Neither Courtney Lee nor J.J. Reddick match up well vs. him, partly because West is so adept at creating shots for himself off the dribble.
» Where Dwight Howard catches the ball: If it’s outside the paint and he is forced to put the ball on the floor to get to the basket, it’s a major plus for the Cavs. Their guards, West and Mo Williams, do an excellent job at “digging” the ball out of the paint. They’re quick enough to help inside, force Howard to pick up his dribble and pass it back outside. The further Howard is away from the basket, the shorter the distance they must recover.
“They do a tremendous job of that,” the scout said.
» Orlando’s size: The Magic are big on the perimeter, which will limit Cleveland’s ability to play small ball, as the Cavs like to do. The problem is, if Cleveland goes small, it won’t be able to stop Orlando from scoring.
“It would be more of an offensive game,” the scout said, “and that’s not what Cleveland wants.”