NBA Finals 2009 - Game 1 Magic @ Lakers - This Ain't Disneyworld, This As Real As It Gets!

Hey Coach, didn't these guys beat us twice during the regular season?

Orlando Magic at L.A. Lakers 6 PM on ABC

So Vitamin Water didn't get their little match-up of Kobe and LeBron? We all knew what they consequences of that were....

But who expected Dwight to get in the Vitamin Water mix?

Mo dunks than a donut shop!

Honestly, how can you not love Dwight Howard? This guy's hilarious! Second only to Mikael Pietrus of course...

At the beginning of the season, who believed in the Magic? Not even Ronald McDonald would have thought that they would have come this far...ESPECIALLY after they lost Jameer Nelson to a season ending injury. But here they are in the Finals, taking after Kevin Garnett and yelling out - "ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE."

This is becoming quite the David vs. Goliath story. Underdogs are always fun to watch - very few think they can do it, and when their backs are against the wall, they tend to fight back hard. In the pregame interview, Dwight showed he had the right attitude.

"We’ve always been overlooked," Howard said. "We were overlooked in the first series against Philly. We were overlooked against Boston. We were overlooked against the Cavs, and we’re still overlooked. We don’t want to be a team that everybody picks to win, because I think as a young team, once everybody starts saying, ‘OK, you’re this or you’re that,’ sometimes you tend to forget what got you there.

"Everybody picking against us motivates us. It drives us to do something greater."

On the other side of the spectrum, we have a one, Kobe Bryant, a man that is quite detested by players, coaches, and even Warrior fans. He's already got three rings, says that Kobe-LeBron puppet commercial, but who doesn't want a fourth? Especially since all sports analysts claim that he can't do it with the original Man of Steel- Shaq. Always great to hear him speak...

"Not at all," Bryant said. "It means nothing. To me, it’s about winning another one, just because I want to win another one. "People think Shaq would have won a championship without me on that team. They’re crazy."

Crazy...we'll see. Maybe Pau will by your new big man? If I recall correctly, that didn't quite work out for your last year.

However, I will say this - just like the Ball Don't Lie, Stats Don't Lie either.

The Lakers have won 14 titles. Orlando, 0.

The Lakers have won 61 finals games. Orlando, 0.

Jackson has nine championship rings. Orlando’s Stan Van Gundy 1—but he got it as an assistant and doesn’t know where it is.

It's going to be hard for the Magic, no doubt to keep The Black Mamba from spitting his poison (who came up with that nickname anyway?) Pietrus is changing his kicks for the matchup - think that'll change his game too?

Orlando has knocked off the favored Celtics, Cavaliers and can now dispatch the Lakers.

No team has ever beaten three 60-win teams in the same postseason.

Howard thinks the Magic can nail the trifecta.

"I like our chances of winning this series," he said. "If we defend, rebound and run, we should have a title."

You forgot to add in score Dwight. You have to score.

It's going to be a daunting task - no doubt. But I'm always in favor of the underdogs. SEE WARRIORS VS. MAVERICKS 2007 PLAYOFFS.

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