Magic Victory over Cavs Could Have Big Impact on League Mindset

Dwight Howard grabs a rebound over the Cavs (photo courtesy: Sports Illustrated)

By Stanley

The Orlando Magic win in three different ways: they get the ball to Dwight Howard, they make three pointers, and they get the ball to Dwight Howard.  Especially with an injured Jameer Nelson, the Magic are a pretty two-dimensional team, with Howard, Hedo Turkoglu, and Rashard Lewis being the only major scoring threats.  (Turkoglu and Lewis are basically the same player, so I'm including them as one dimension).  

I know I'm talking a little bit early, but what if the Magic happen to win the NBA Championship this year?  They would have done so without a good point guard and without a truly dynamic guard.  

So why will this change the NBA?  Well, no one can argue that a good point guard is important to have.  But teams may reevaluate after a Magic victory and come to the conclusion that a dominant big man is actually more important.  Basically, Orlando can prove that a great forward or center coupled with two sharpshooters can make a championship.  

Such a revelation could completely change the mindset of NBA teams.  The Magic would have defeated a Celtics team led by point guard Rajon Rondo and then a Cavs team with Mo Williams at the point.  In the Finals, they will either face the Nuggets (with Chauncey Billups) or the Lakers (with no really good point guard, but with Kobe Bryant).  A Magic victory would place way more emphasis on a big man than a quick guard.  

Sure, guards will continued to be valued and will continue to succeed.  But maybe a good big man is more important.  Look at the last few NBA Champions.  The Celtics last year won solely because they had Kevin Garnett.  The previous year, the Spurs won because of Tim Duncan's presence.  The Heat took home the title in 2006 largely because of guard Dwyane Wade, but Shaq's presence was the reason that the Heat were able to beat a team like the Pistons.  

The trend is clear: you need a good big man to win a championship.  This isn't any breaking news here; most NBA GM's seem to know this.  But an Orlando victory would give credence to the idea that while you must have a good big man, a good point guard is not necessary for a championship.  

On the other hand, the Cavs would finally be forced to ditch their strategy of having Lebron as their best big man.  Lebron actually led the Cavaliers in rebounds this year.  That is absurd.  If Lebron had a decent big man like Carlos Boozer, for example, they would be unstoppable.  However, they only have Lebron and a bunch of decent guards.  A Magic victory would show that you MUST have a big man to win.  

The Cavs are still far from done.  But if they lose, either in the Conference Finals or in the Finals, they will lose because they do not have a good big man.  If Orlando loses, it will not be for this reason at all.  If the Magic close out the Cavs, this series can teach us one thing: never bet against a team with a great big man when they play a team without a big man.  The Cavs can only blame themselves for not foreseeing this obvious fact if they lose.