NBA Playoff Picks – Atlanta Hawks vs Orlando Magic

It’s been ten days since the Orlando Magic have played any meaningful basketball. The Magic swept the Bobcats and they have been waiting patiently for a second round opponent. The Atlanta Hawks have just battled their way through a seven game series with the upstart Bucks, they have played nothing but meaningful basketball in the past ten days. When these two teams meet in Orlando tonight, the question that needs to be answered is how much rust will the Magic have to shake off after such a long delay.

The NBA Odds makers don’t think the game rust will be a problem as they have set the NBA betting line with the Orlando Magic huge -9 point favorites.  They might be long odds but some predict the Hawks have a chance to catch the Magic sleeping in this one, if they can they will pay +425 on the moneyline. The game total is set at 192 points.

NBA Betting odds
May 4, 2010
Atlanta Hawks   +9 -110                 +425     
Orlando Magic   -9 -110                  -550
Game total         192

Location: Amway Arena, Orlando Florida
Game Time: 8:05 PM
TV: TNT

For the Magic, this has been the longest they’ve gone without game compition since the summer. The players have been practicing everyday trying to keep fresh. They handled the Bobcats with such ease in round one it hard to imagine the Hawks putting up much of a fight in Orlando tonight. 

The Hawks had lost six straight to the Magic until the play of year by Josh Smith with a dunk to win the final meeting between the two teams this season.

In the Milwaukee series, the Hawks had a distinct advantage on the inside by with Josh Smith and Al Horford but they couldn’t capitalize they way they should have. It’s the main reason their series went seven. They won’t have the same luxury against the Orlando Magic as Dwight Howard is a beast, superman, you can use whatever superlative synonym you want to describe the big man and you won’t be wrong.  In four games against the Bobcats however, Howard looked a little human, averaging less than 10 points a game and 5.5 fouls.

If you remember in last year’s playoffs, Howard had the same trouble with fouls but he turned it around midstream and the Magic made the finals. The Hawks will need to get Howard in foul trouble if they stand a chance but that will be their only chance.

In tonight’s game, there will be a lot of experts who predict a down night for the Magic because of all the time off and claim the Hawks have a chance to steal one because they are still in game mode after their seven game series. I don’t see it like that, I see the Orlando Magic pacing like a caged animal waiting for the Stan Van Gundy to swing open the doors and release them on to their prey, in this case the Atlanta Hawks. Magic may miss early but they will catch fire in the second half and run away with it.

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