Orlando Magic vs. Los Angeles Lakers: 2010 NBA Finals Forecast, Part Three

This is part three of my NBA Finals Forecast series. For part one (Lakers vs. Celtics) click here, and for part two (Suns vs. Magic), click here.

Could a possible 2009 NBA Finals rematch happen this year? Most likely not, but if it did, here is what I think would occur.

The Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers are two teams that are on completely different momentum swings. The Magic avoided being swept by the Boston Celtics on Monday with a 96-92 overtime win. Meanwhile, Los Angeles has lost two straight games at the hands of the Phoenix Suns.

One weakness that could doom Orlando if they play the Lakers is trying to contain the   "towers in the paint" that are Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum.

Dwight Howard may be able to contain Bynum, but there's no chance of an undersized Rashard Lewis containing Gasol.

Not only does Gasol have a three inch height advantage on Lewis, but Gasol is also one of the best defensive power forwards in the Association. He should be able to contain an already shut down Lewis if the Magic and Lakers meet.

In defense of Orlando, they are the sixth best three-point shooting team in the NBA, shooting 37.5% in the regular season, while the Lakers shot only 34.1%. If the Lakers actually play Orlando, they'd better defend behind the arc or the series would be over before it even started.

But that is the only advantage Orlando has over the Lakers. If they play them in June, they will have many issues to fix.  

Series Prediction: Lakers over Magic in six games (4-2)

(Check my profile tomorrow to see the fourth and final installment in the NBA Finals Forecast series: Phoenix Suns vs. Boston Celtics.)