The NBA playoffs are simple: win or go home.

The task couldn’t be more basic. Yet, as one might expect, it is an assignment far easier said than done, particularly when the series at hand is the Finals. It takes just the right amount of skill, luck, and determination to win it all on the sport’s grandest stage. And just for good measure, a little bit of preparation wouldn’t hurt either. This iswhere your humble correspondent comes in.

Both teams have a series of key strategies that, if utilized successfully, could swing the series their way. These are those strategies most important for each team from my vantage point. First up, Keys to Success for Orlando.

Keep Dwight Howard Out of Foul Trouble: Generally speaking, it is best practices for a team trying to win a championship to have its best player be available and on the court as much as possible. This insight is not overly complex and certainly does not require advanced basketball insight, yet its simplicity should serve to highlight its importance. Howard battled foul trouble for the majority of the Conference Finals, a product both of poor officiating and his own overaggressive defensive play. If the Magic are to have any shot at winning it all, Howard must stay on the floor, even if it means allowing Los Angeles a few more uncontested looks at the rim each night. By wildly chasing shot blocks, he is failing to see the forest for the trees. Orlando needs him on the floor for at least 38 minutes a night, which he wouldn’t be able to provide with cheap, early fouls.

Rest Jameer Nelson: At present, the main push for Nelson to play is coming from his teammates and not the All-star guard himself. If the Magic are wise, it will remain that way. There are simply too many variables in play in reactivating Nelson to feel comfortable handing him the keys of the offense again after almost a five month layoff. No matter how talented he is, Orlando would struggle to reincorporate him into its offense and in doing so give serious momentum back to the Lakers. The payoff of having Nelson at 75% is not worth the risk his return could be to chemistry.

Do Not Double-Team Kobe Bryant: I need not sing the praises of Bryant in this space for the umpteenth time, as my views on his brilliance are well-established. It would seem then that I’d think double-teaming Bryant would be a reasonable response by the Magic. This could not be more false. On this Lakers team, Bryant is far, far more dangerous when he is looking to facilitate for others around him in place of trying to single-handedly win by himself. Constant double-teaming would force Bryant to create for others, which is precisely when Los Angeles is its most dangerous. Mickael Pietrus may not shut Bryant down completely one-on-one, but the Magic must trust that they are better off letting Bryant put his head down and go it alone than creating shots for open teammates off switches.

Do Not Make Howard Your Focal Point: Howard is an All-star and the certifiable face of the Orlando franchise. He is a former Slam Dunk champion and an advertiser’s dream. What is he not though is a polished offensive player. He scores his points almost entirely off putbacks, fast breaks, alley-opps, and uncontested dunks. No one is going to confuse him for Hakeem Olajuwon. If the Magic force to ball into Howard in the post too much, they will ignore their greatest match-up advantage in Rashard Lewis. Lewis can play timidly at times (similar to Lamar Odom) but generally speaking he is Orlando’s most dangerous player on offense. They would be wise to feed him the ball on the wing accordingly.

Continue to Relish the Role of Underdog: As a general philosophy, the Magic seem to work best when they are doubted, or at least when they are not the favorite in a particular series. They proved as much two rounds ago against Boston, and then again last series against a heavily-favored Cleveland team that everyone presumed was destined to make a Finals appearance. Now with talking heads and general fans everywhere appearing to heavily favor the Lakers, Orlando must tell itself that no one is giving them a chance to win. This is by no means true of course, but the Magic need to behave as though it is so to channel great play being driven by their sense of honor.

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