The shaky Atlanta Hawks team takes on one of NBA title contenders Orlando Magic in Game 3. The Magic take a 2-0 lead as they go in Atlanta for tonight’s game. Atlanta are going through a disappointing postseason this year, as they hardly managed to go through the first round needing a Game 7 to defeat a Bogut-less Bucks team. Now they are seriously struggling against a Magic that’s without a doubt among the 4 best teams in the NBA right now.
Orlando are lead by Dwight Howard who was voted the best Defender of the year and host an amazing 84% FG in the first two games against the Hawks averaging 25.0 PPG! He is having great semifinals and the Hawks team just don’t have an answer for him simply because they don’t have a big center. Al Hawford is playing the 5 but he is not a match for Superman. He is not as tall as him nor does he have the weight to physically stop him.
Vince Carter exploded in Game 2 to help the Magic turn the game around and is now extremely motivated to win an NBA title for the first time in his career. At the age of 33 now, he won’t have a lot of chances for an NBA title, in fact this year is his best shot at it and he knows it better than we do. So he is super motivated to give his best night in and night out so expect a great performance from him as well.
Matt Barnes and Jameer Nelson are also playing very good this postseason. The Magic are one of the better Defensive teams this season while the Hawks don’t trust each other, they don’t move the basketball around in offense. All they do is rely on isolation, pass the ball to someone in half-court and rely him to play one on one. There is a problem with the team’s chemistry and you can clearly see it when they step on the court. Joe Johnson is simply not playing like his usual self. His shot is not there anymore, perhaps because all the pressure of becoming a free agent this summer and not having a clear future. Jamal Crawford is the only bright light in this Hawks team right now but that’s certainly not enough against a lengthy team like the Magic.
The Orlando Magic set an All-Time NBA record for most 3-pointers taken this season and with the inside presence of Dwight Howard, it looks like they are well on their way to sweep the Hawks and even go all the way to the 2010 NBA Finals for a second year in a row.
Here is the official Game 3 Lookahead by NBA.com:
Hawks vs Magic Game 3 Prediction: Orlando Magic will win this game and keep on without a defeat in the Playoffs. They will take a 3-0 lead and most likely wrap things up in Game 4 as well. If you don’t want to miss out on our wining sports pick everyday, all you have to do is get our 20 USD Monthly Pack and get notified via SMS hours before the game starts.
