Posted on 5/2/2008 7:22:17 PM

NBA Furious Playoff Preview – Orlando Magic vs. Detroit Pistons

By Tim Furious

Orlando Magic (52-30) vs. Detroit Pistons (59-23)

Saturday, May 3rd --- Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit --- 7:30pm EST

NBA Betting Line: Detroit -6 (188.5)

Introduction

The Magic cruised way past the hapless Toronto Raptors, while Detroit dispatched of a surly Sixers team from Philadelphia. Now the man-child Dwight Howard will face the Pistons Empire comprised of Chauncey, Rip, Sheed and Prince. Howard is a man-child, and with an underrated supporting cast of Hedo and Rashard, it’s not going to be easy for the Pistons to push past the Magic.

Size vs. Skill

It’s essentially size versus skill in this matchup. The Magic are a very tall team up front, with the monstrous Howard leading the charge. Hedo, Lewis and Howard are all 6-10 or taller and that is going to create open shot opportunities against a shorter Pistons team. Don’t’ forget that Orlando shoots 47.4 percent from the field, and that Lewis and Hedo are versatile enough to go inside or outside.

However, can the Pistons sharp team-play, superior coaching and chemistry overcome the physical side? Detroit held teams to 90.1 points per game and chipped in 97.5 during the season. That makes them extremely difficult to score on, and as they showed against Philadelphia, they can certainly bash with young, brash, athletic teams.

But Detroit will have to overcome a huge backcourt with the embattled Antonio McDyess, the now unproven Jason Maxiell and Rashard Wallace to counteract Superman and his league of upstarts.

Biggest Problems For…

Detroit: uh…Dwight Howard vs. Maxiell/McDyess/Wallace

Orlando: Chauncey demoralizing Jameer Nelson

Don’t Forget Last Year

The Pistons got crushed in the Eastern Conference finals last year when then-man-child, LeBron James, decided to have his coming of age party all over Detroit’s face. Will this year be the same for Dwight Howard? If his Slam-Dunk performance, his back-to-back twenty-twenty games against Toronto and his stunning prowess underneath the rim in the first round were any indication, then Detroit might become on the wrong side of the poster when all is said and done.

Betting Trends

Orlando is 8-2 SU and 4-4-2 ATS when playing the Pistons over the last 10 games. Granted, the last time these two met was back in February, where Orlando creamed Detroit 103-85, but you get the idea. They have also gone 7-3 in the OVER when playing each other with the average O/U being (you guessed it) 188.5.

Series Outlook

Detroit is a nasty team, but they proved in round one that they lack the size to seriously go deep in the playoffs. Samuel Dalembert had a tea party in the first three games before Detroit got its act together. What are they going to do against Dwight Howard and the height advantage in the front court?

They can’t. Despite the clear advantage they have at guard, Maurice Evens is a lot nicer with the round ball than you would believe and he was a nightmare against Toronto. The biggest thing to watch in Games 1 and 2 is how Nelson matches up against Chauncey. If Mr. Big Shot can take complete control of the under-sized point man in the opening rounds of the fight, then Orlando is in big trouble.

The Magic still have enough talent to overshadow that glaring mis-match, but will they be able to use it? Riding the mile-high talents of Dwight Howard, I’m leaning towards “yes”. But if we’ve learned anything from Detroit, it’s that this Empire is not done just yet.

NBA Furious Game 1 Free Pick: Orlando +4

Furious Series Prediction: Orlando in 7

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