Cleveland Cavaliers' Road To Destiny Still Runs Through Orlando

Some people would have you believe a trip to the NBA Finals is a foregone conclusion for this year's version of the Cleveland Cavaliers, but in the glow of the Cavaliers' spectacular regular season, the Orlando Magic are forgotten.

The Magic finished the regular season one position better than they did last year, but for some reason their status as the Eastern Conference's reigning champion has been diminished by the assumed coronation of LeBron James.

Overlooking Orlando could be a dangerous proposition, especially since the popular theory that says the Magic regressed this season is wildly over-blown.

Cleveland's loss in the Eastern Conference Finals last season was dictated by match-ups, and conventional wisdom says the advantage the Magic held dissipated once Hedo Turkoglu was signed by Toronto.

Turkoglu, along with Rashard Lewis, gave the Magic two 6'10" players who were  comfortable on the perimeter, and the Cavaliers didn't have anyone on their roster who could defend them.

Although Dwight Howard caused Cleveland problems, the battle was lost due to the inability of any of the Cavaliers' post players to play efficient defense on the perimeter.

Turkoglu may be gone, but he was replaced by a more athletic Vince Carter, and the other upgrades the Magic made to their roster has resulted in them becoming one of the deepest teams in the league.

Orlando also added Matt Barnes, Jason Williams, Brandon Bass and Ryan Anderson, and when you add those players to Orlando's nucleus of Howard, Carter and Jameer Nelson, you have a team more than capable of competing for a championship.

And not just an Eastern Conference championship either, because the Magic, more so than the Cavaliers, feel their destiny lies in a return trip to the NBA Finals where they lost in five games to the Los Angeles Lakers last season.

It's widely known that Howard and Nelson chose to sit on the bench and watch the Lakers celebrate their championship on Orlando's home floor, enduring the pain of loss to use as motivation for the next year.

The goal from that point on has been a return to that stage, and Orlando's basic offensive scheme gives them a decent shot to achieve their goal, despite roster moves Cleveland made to eclipse them.

Orlando likes to place Howard in the post and surround him with three-point shooters, and in most cases this will cause match-up problems regardless of who the Cavaliers may have on the court.

Cleveland prefers to play with a more conventional lineup, and even though they have players who are able to defend on the perimeter, the problems are caused by Orlando's scheme, not the match-ups.

In order for the Cavaliers to defeat the Magic, they will have to stay disciplined in their defensive assignments and resist the urge to double team Howard in the post, even when instinct says it's the right thing to do.

It's easier said than done, and in four regular season games between the two teams, many of the same match-up problems still existed, because Cleveland still had problems defending the perimeter.

Orlando thrives on the ability to hit three point shots, and they are the only team in the playoffs who have successfully used that model to go deep into the postseason.

Other teams such as Phoenix rely on their perimeter game, but none of the other teams have a physical presence in the post like Howard to make it work.

Cleveland added Antawn Jamison, Anthony Parker, Jamario Moon, and Shaquille O'Neal with the sole intention of competing for a championship, but in order to get there, they must first defeat Orlando.

Last season Cleveland appeared headed towards a presumed Finals matchup with the Lakers, which would have featured two of the game's brightest stars in James and Kobe Bryant, but Orlando had other plans.

Just like last season, the Cavaliers are once again in the position to make David Stern's dream of a Cleveland-Los Angeles Finals matchup a reality, and just like last year, Orlando once again stands in Cleveland's path.

The Cavaliers' fans would have you believe the Magic are an afterthought, nothing more than a speed bump on the way to Cleveland's first NBA championship, but there are lessons to be learned from the past.

This may be the season in which James and his Cavaliers make the leap to NBA royalty, but having played in last season's Finals, the Magic are already a member of that elite club and have designs on a repeat journey to that same stage.

One thing is certain, in order for Cleveland to realize their dreams of a championship, they must first conquer the nightmare which was last season's Eastern Conference Finals, and the task will not be simple.

After all, it's the Magic who are defending their turf as Eastern champions, and regardless of what Cleveland does in the postseason, they will remain the champions until they are defeated.