Last year the Orlando Magic took the nest step as a franchise, and beat the best 2 of the best teams in the NBA en route to the NBA Finals, where they ultimately lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in 5 games.
This year, through 2 rounds, the Magic are perfect with an 8-0 record. The east semifinals were a stark contrast to last year’s semis for them.
This year’s dismantling of the Atlanta Hawks by more than 20 points multiple times was much easier than last year’s 7 game struggle with the then defending champion Celtics.
Dwight Howard is the best center in the league, and has improved his offensive game immensely.
Howard is now an elite scorer to compliment his amazing defensive skills, earlier in the playoffs he was awarded with his second straight NBA Defensive Player of the year.
The Magic have many excellent three point shooters, which make Howard’s offense easier. When the Magic shoot well from the three point arc, they are nearly unbeatable.
But they need to play great defense to win against the Celtics or the Lakers, who are teams with high-pressure experience.