The 2009 NBA finals are set, it will be the Orlando Magic and the Lakers battling it out for the rights to be crown Champions of the 08 - 09 NBA season.
The Magic advanced to the NBA finals, by winning series against teams in the Eastern conference round such as the likes of: Philadelphia, Boston, and the Lebron Cavaliers.
In comparison, the Lakers of the Western conference advanced to the NBA finals by way of winning series against teams such as the Utah Jazz, the Houston Rockets and the Denver Nuggets
For the first time in fourteen years, since the Shaq days the Orlando Magic will be making their second NBA finals in the team twenty year history. Orlando first time around was against the Houston Rockets in the 1995 NBA finals led then by star center at the time Shaquille O'Neal.
It should be noted that under the guidance of Shaq the Magic were swept in four games. What also should be noted for this up coming finals is that in the summer of the 1996, Shaq bolted from Orlando as a free agent to the Lakers and took the money and run.
Which leads me to my next point on this series. In 1996, Shaq singed a seven-year, $120 million dollar contract with the Lakers, and turn down a front loaded contract offer from Orlando of 115 million over seven years with 24 million alone in the first year.
Needless to say, from that point on the Lakers became the Magic hated rival while Shaq was playing for them against the Magic in Orlando. Magic fans would let Shaq know on how they felt about that move in he had made in the summer of 1996.
Payback would have too wait two years, till the day Shaq cane back as a member of the Lakers while playing in Orlando against the Magic.
All Magic fans including myself remember that date. It was a Sunday, in late February, the exact date was February 22, 1998.
Shaq was back, playing in Orlando for the first time since signing with the Lakers two years ago.
Every time, Shaq had the ball in the game weather it be he was passing or about to take a shot he was booed, and hollered at by the more then 17,000 plus at the then named Orlando Arena.
In that game, O’Neil totaled twenty points, but that alone did not help his Lakers win that game as the momentum was all Orlando as the Magic would ruin his return and beat his Lakers by a score of 94 - 96.
This season in the year 2009, Both teams have played one game at home against each other. the Orlando Magic have visited southern California once and the Lakers have visited Orlando once. During those games the Magic came away victorious in both games.
In the first game, the Magic defeated the Lakers in Orlando, by a score of 106- 103 defeating the Lakers by three points. In the second game, the Magic defeated the Lakers out west in California by a score of 109 - 103 defeating the Lakers by six points.
Enable for either the Lakers or the Magic to be crown champions they will both have to take advantage of their home court, as well as steal a win from each other arenas. In my view, if the Magic take either game 1 or 2 out in Los Angles, the Magic will win this series. Game one is on Thursday night at 9 pm EST all game are on ABC.
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