2009 NBA Finals
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| Dates | June 4 - June 18 (if necessary) | |||||||||
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| MVP | TBD | |||||||||
| Hall of Famers | Coaches: Phil Jackson (2007) | |||||||||
| Eastern finals | Orlando defeated Cleveland 4–2 | |||||||||
| Western finals | Los Angeles defeated Denver 4–2 | |||||||||
The 2009 NBA Finals is the championship series of the 2008–09 NBA season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic will face the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers in a best-of-seven series.
North American broadcast coverage of the Finals will be produced by ESPN and televised by ABC in the United States and TSN in Canada.
The Los Angeles Lakers return to the Finals for the 30th time in franchise history, an NBA record, and for the second consecutive year, marking the first time that the previous year's runner-up has returned to the NBA Finals since the New Jersey Nets in 2002 and 2003. It is also the sixth appearance in the Finals in the 2000s decade for the Lakers (2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2008), the most of any NBA team in the era.
The Orlando Magic are in the Finals for the first time since their Finals debut in 1995, when they were swept by the Houston Rockets.
The Lakers were the favorite to emerge from the Western Conference, but their road to the Finals was a tough one. They played 3 physical series versus the Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets, and Denver Nuggets, winning in 5, 7, and 6 games, respectively. The Magic were overlooked by many to even reach the Eastern Conference Finals, as they played in the shadows of #1-seed Cleveland Cavaliers, led by regular season MVP LeBron James, and defending champion #2-seed Boston Celtics. However, after dispatching the Philadelphia 76ers in six games, the Magic stunned the defending champion Celtics by winning Game 7 in Boston, who were previously 32-0 when leading a series 3-2, and 17-3 previously in Game 7's at home. However, the Magic were favored to win that series as the Celtics played without Kevin Garnett. In the next round, Orlando was given no chance by many to defeat the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, but a combination of three-point shooting and the inside presence of Dwight Howard created a matchup nightmare for Cleveland on defense, and Orlando ultimately won in six games. In Game 6 Dwight Howard had 40 points and 14 rebounds.
The Los Angeles Lakers hold home-court advantage due to their better season record. Games 1, 2, and if necessary, 6 and 7 will be held at Staples Center in Los Angeles on June 4, 7, 16, and 18, respectively. Games 3, 4, and if necessary, 5, will be held at Amway Arena in Orlando on June 9, 11, and 14 respectively.
The Magic won both regular season matchups with the Lakers in close contests. However, pivotal player Jameer Nelson has since been injured and his status is questionable for the Finals.
Due to the proximity of both cities to each of their respective Disney theme parks (Disneyland for Los Angeles and Walt Disney World for Orlando), and of the Finals being telecast on Disney's broadcasting company ABC, this series has been dubbed as the "Mickey Mouse Series."[1]
Road to the finals
| Los Angeles Lakers (Western Conference Champion) | Orlando Magic (Eastern Conference Champion) | ||
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| 65–17 (.793) 1st Pacific, 1st West, 2nd overall |
Regular season | 59–23 (.720) 1st Southeast, 3rd East, 4th overall | |
| Defeated the (8) Utah Jazz, 4–1 | First Round | Defeated the (6) Philadelphia 76ers, 4–2 | |
| Defeated the (5) Houston Rockets, 4–3 | Conference Semifinals | Defeated the (2) Boston Celtics, 4–3 | |
| Defeated the (2) Denver Nuggets, 4–2 | Conference Finals | Defeated the (1) Cleveland Cavaliers, 4–2 | |
Regular season series
The Orlando Magic won both games in the regular season series:
Series schedule
- Games marked with an asterisk (*) will be played if necessary. All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4)
Rosters
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International broadcasts
Aside from ABC (U.S.) and TSN (Canada), other broadcasters across the world covered the Finals:[2]
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Footnotes
- ^ "The Mickey Mouse Series". FanNation. 30 May 2009. Retrieved 1 June 2009.
{{cite news}}: Check|url=value (help) - ^ Global NBA Programming, NBA.com
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