Assuming the Pistons finish second to Boston in the
Eastern Conference, who would they prefer to play?
Though Orlando has beaten them two of the last three
meetings, you better believe the Pistons would rather
deal with Dwight Howard than LeBron James in the
second round. The Pistons beat Orlando eight times
last season, including a playoff sweep.
The Magic's frontcourt is better - Hedo Turkoglu is
having a career year and Rashard Lewis is a solid
player - but they don't have enough defense or
rebounding. They struck out in their efforts to
acquire another big man before the trade deadline.
Orlando's backcourt can be exploited. The Pistons
relish the thought of Mo Evans and Jameer Nelson
matching up against their All-Star backcourt. The
concern there would be Keith Bogans, who never misses
a shot against them.
If Cleveland remains in the fourth spot behind
Orlando, it would match up with Boston in the second
round. That's a great scenario - let LeBron and his
new cast of characters slug it out with Boston's Big
Three in a seven-game series. The survivor will be
worn down by the time the Pistons face them in the
conference finals.