2010 NBA Playoffs: A Complete Orlando vs. Charlotte Breakdown

The NBA Playoffs are here! The second-seeded Orlando Magic (59-23) are looking to defend their Eastern Conference Championship title from last season, while the seventh-seeded Charlotte Bobcats (44-38) are appearing in their first ever playoffs in franchise history.

Will the Magic prevail as most experts are predicting, or will the Bobcats shock the world by continuing to defy all expectations? Let's break the series down!

Season Series: Head-to-Head

The Orlando Magic won the regular season series against the Charlotte Bobcats 3-1.

However, it may be a mistake to think the Magic will roll over the Bobcats in the playoffs. Two of the Magic's victories came during the early part of the season when the Bobcats were struggling to find their feet, and the third game went to overtime. The final regular season game between the two teams saw the Bobcats come out on top in Orlando.

In the first game played on 10 November 2009, the Magic prevailed easily in Charlotte, 93-81. This was before Stephen Jackson joined the team from Golden State and gave the Bobcats an edge they never had before.

The second game took place just six games later in Orlando on 16 November 2009, and marked Stephen Jackson's first game with the Bobcats. The Magic won 97-91, sending the Bobcats to their fifth consecutive loss at the time.

By game three, Charlotte was beginning to find its form, though it didn't prevent their third consecutive loss to the Magic, 106-95 in Charlotte on 23 January 2010. Interestingly, the Bobcats stormed back in the forth quarter from 10 down to take the game into overtime, but that was when the Magic took over, outscoring their opponents 14-3 in the extra period.

The final game of the season series took place on 14 March 2010, where the Bobcats stunned the Magic 96-89 in Orlando. It was the Bobcats' sixth consecutive victory.

So while it seems that the Bobcats have improved significantly since the start of the season, will it be enough to unseat the Magic?

Who's Hot and Who's Not

The Orlando Magic entered the playoffs as the hottest team in the NBA, with six consecutive victories and just one loss in their last 10 games.

The Charlotte Bobcats, on the other hand, entered the playoffs with a loss (to the Bulls) and a 6-4 record in their last 10 games.

Individually, there have been no real standouts in the season series. Vince Carter led the Magic in scoring with 18.5 points per game, while Dwight Howard was relatively contained on the offensive end with 16.5 points, though he did average 14.3 rebounds.

For the Bobcats, Stephen Jackson played in three games and averaged a team high 18.7 points. The next highest scorer against the Magic was Raymond Felton, with 13.5 points per game. Gerald Wallace, however, was off his game, averaging only 11 points in three games.

In terms of recent form, Dwight Howard has not been as productive leading up to the playoffs, his season averages of 18.3 points and 13.2 rebounds dropping to 15.8 points and 12 rebounds in April. Rashard Lewis' decline has been even more obvious, with the swingman averaging only 11.6 points in April despite having a 14.1 point season average.

However, other players have been stepping up, including Jameer Nelson (15.1 points and 6.1 assists in April, up from his season averages of 12.6 and 5.4), Mikael Pietrus (12.8 points in April compared to season average of 8.7), and JJ Reddick (11.5 points in April, 9.6 for regular season).

For the Bobcats, most players have appeared to have cooled off towards the end of the season. Leading scorer Stephen Jackson, who averaged 20.6 points for the season, only averaged 18.4 points in the month of April, but this could be due to limiting his playing time leading up to the playoffs and to allow him to recover from niggling injuries.

All-Star Gerald Wallace has been even worse, his season average of 18.2 dropping to 14.6 in the final month of play.

Only Larry Hughes (who joined the team from mid-March) and DJ Augustin, who has been seeing more minutes of late, have picked up their play leading up to the playoffs.

Orlando Magic: Keys to Victory

The Magic may come into the series as heavy favorites, but it's imperative that they do not overlook the Bobcats, who have shown that they can beat anyone when their game is clicking. With Larry Brown, one of the best X-and-O coaches in NBA history at the helm, dangerous and streaky scorers such as Stephen Jackson and Larry Hughes, the Bobcats cannot be underestimated.

The first key for the Magic, a very good home team, is to protect their home court in the first two games. The Bobcats are a solid home team too (31-10), so if the Magic allow them to steal one in Orlando, that puts all the pressure on them.

The second key for the Magic is to keep their emotions under control. Momentum can swing a series in a hurry, and the Magic must remain calm and collected, especially with hotheads on the team like Matt Barnes. Stephen Jackson will no doubt be reminding the Bobcats how he led the Golden State Warriors to a huge upset of the first-seeded Dallas Mavericks in 2007 and telling his team that they can do it.

On the offensive end, everything needs to run through Dwight Howard. The Bobcats don't have a dominating inside force, and if Howard can get his touches on the inside, he'll be able to open up the outside for the rest of the team.

Defensively, it needs to be a team effort. The Bobcats have numerous weapons—penetration, outside shooting and post plays—and Larry Brown knows how to utilize them. Having Howard in the middle will help, but it's the perimeter players that need to do their job out on the wings.

The biggest key in my opinion is for the Magic to control the rebounds. If they can do that, victory should not be a problem for them in this series.

Charlotte Bobcats: Keys to Victory

The Bobcats are undoubtedly the underdogs in this series, but few believe they don't stand a chance against the Magic.

The key to victory for the Bobcats is momentum and surprise. Game One is their best chance to steal a game, and if everyone is in sync, that's not out of the question.

The Bobcats have shown this season that when hot, they can beat any team. The Magic have not been entirely consistent all year, especially Vince Carter, who went through a long mid-season shooting slump.

If the Bobcats can rattle the Magic by stealing home court advantage, that could give them the confidence and momentum they need to take the series.

Strategically, of course, the key is to stop Dwight Howard.

It will have to be a team effort because there is no single player on the roster that can stop him alone. Larry Brown will no doubt throw different combinations at Howard, including Theo Ratliff, Boris Diaw, Tyson Chandler and Nazr Mohammed. That's not a bad foursome.

Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace need to lead the way, but in my opinion, newcomers such as Larry Hughes and Tyrus Thomas could prove the difference. Both guys have shown in the last few games of the season that they can produce, and could provide the spark that the Bobcats need to accomplish the seemingly impossible task.

Prediction

Taking all factors into account, it's hard to not back the Orlando Magic in taking out this series.

Even though the Magic made it to the NBA Finals last year, they are still not considered one of the favorites to win it all, a fact they will use as further motivation.

They might not seem as dangerous as last year because the substitution of Vince Carter for Hedo Turkoglu has not been as smooth as expected. But when all said and done, the Magic simply have too many weapons for the first-timer Bobcats.

That said, I think the series will be closer than many experts predict. The Bobcats are a team with many weapons of their own, and on any given night, one of five or six players could give them 20 points. Led by Stephen Jackson, the Bobcats have this volatile fearlessness about them, and I feel they are going in with nothing to lose.

I can see the Bobcats winning a couple of home games, but in the end the Magic will be too strong for them.

Orlando in six.