Hand over the Championship – Lakers vs. Magic Game 5

The Magic Will Not Recover From This Beating

The alligator blood has run out. The Magic are out of tricks. The wind is out of the sails. And the momentum is handedly in Kobe Bryant’s corner. It’s been a defining series for Kobe Bryant and his Los Angeles Lakers. They are one win away from putting the Magic out of their misery, and from putting Kobe in to the annals of greatness with a championship all “his own” (read: honestly, this team belongs to Pau Gasol too, I don’t see why we aren’t talking about that more). Putting the clamps on a 3-1 SU lead in the NBA Finals while taking everything that the Magic have had to throw at them, and still winning, is proving that this Lakers team is indeed the very best in the league.

It’s not for a lack of effort on the Magic’s part. Dwight Howard has struggled to get on the scoreboard, but is absolutely dominating the boards. He finished Thursday night with just 16 points, but wolfed down 21 rebounds. To say that Dwight has not been effective is the most ridiculous statement of these playoffs. His defensive efforts have been outstanding, but getting him the ball has been a huge problem for the Magic. Offensively, he just can’t get the production that we saw when he dropped 40-points on LeBron James. With their resident Superman reverting more to the Clark Kent side of life, the Magic’s championship hopes are slipping away.

L.A. Lakers vs. Orlando Magic
Sunday, June 14th — Amway Arena, Orlando — 8:00pm EST
NBA Betting Line: Orlando -3 (198)

Here’s the difference between Orlando and L.A. If Orlando plays at 100% of their potential, they can beat the Lakers only if the Lakers are playing below their standard. Think about how good the Magic have looked in this series. How they play with a sense of purpose on every possession, and are ripe with passion as Hedo Turkoglu takes the team on his shoulders. Now think about the fact that they’ve never been able to hold off the Lakers who can close gaps better than an orthodontist.

NBA Betting Trends

• LA Lakers are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games
• LA Lakers are 19-6 SU in their last 25 games when playing Orlando
• LA Lakers are 9-4 SU in their last 13 games when playing on the road against Orlando
• Orlando is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
• Orlando is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home

The Magic are a very good team, but they do not have the talent to stop either Kobe Bryant or Pau Gasol. Black Mamba’s viscious relentlessness in these playoffs has made me like him all over again. The “I’m not smiling till the job’s done” Kobe is my favorite, mostly because he’s the arrogant prick he tries to hide most of the time in the public eye.

With the Championship on the line, and the Magic on the ropes, I fully expect the Lakers to dispatch of the Magic. Orlando knows it has an impossible mountain to climb, and Kobe is not going to let the Magic fade easily. He has dominated this series, and will do so one more time as we watch him raise the trophy on Sunday.

Hopefully, though, the Magic will make me eat my words. That would be magical indeed.

NBA Furious Free Pick: Kobe Bryant +3 (UNDER)