No. 2 Orlando Magic (59-23) vs. No. 7 Charlotte Bobcats (44-38)
The No. 2 seed Orlando Magic take on the No. 7 seed Charlotte Bobcats in a first-round, Eastern Conference playoff series. This is a best-of-7 series.
Orlando won the season series against the Bobcats, 3-1.
The Magic finished the season with the second-best record in the NBA behind the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team they beat in the Eastern Conference finals last year, and everything seems pointed towards a mega-rematch between the two teams. Orlando has the best big man in the lead in Dwight Howard and the perfect mix of supporting players in Vince Carter (VC is a team player now!), Rashard Lewis and Jameer Nelson. Behind them, even, is an array of talent. This team, in no short order, is a monster built for the postseason.
So we all agree that in order for your team to make a run — an underdog, at that — everybody needs to be locked in and focused. On the same page. That is not the Charlotte Bobcats. Thursday’s ESPN news cycle repeatedly spit out the same Larry Brown to Philadelphia-story over and over again, no doubt throwing a bit of a kink into Charlotte’s preparations for its first playoff series in franchise history. With Brown, where there’s smoke there’s fire æ.æ.æ. so expect him to be out after the season. An atomic distraction at the worst possible time. Not that the Bobcats had any shot of beating the Magic anyways.
The odds makers have the Magic at -10 -point favorites.
Orlando has a lot of weapons, but they go as Dwight Howard goes and the big man has shown a willingness to step on the other teams’ necks, so to speak. Charlotte is so new to the playoffs that just being here is a step in the right direction.
Prediction: Look for the Magic to roll up the playoff newbies and win the series in five games.
Orlando Magic vs Charlotte Bobcats 2010 Playoff Schedule
Game 1: Sun, April 18 Charlotte at Orlando 5:30 pm EST on TNT
Game 2: Wed, April 21 Charlotte at Orlando 7:00 pm EST on TNT
Game 3: Sat, April 24 Orlando at Charlotte 2:00 pm EST on TNT
Game 4: Mon, April 26 Orlando at Charlotte TBD on TBD
Game 5: Wed, April 28 Charlotte at Orlando TBD on TBD*
Game 6: Fri, April 30 Orlando at Charlotte TBD on TBD*
Game 7: Sun, May 02 Charlotte at Orlando TBD on TBD*
* If necessary
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