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5. Kobe has to cool off. I’m not saying Orlando have to stop him, but if Kobe plays they way he did in Game 1, the Magic are done. You could file this under ‘Mickael Pietrius has to contain Kobe’, but we all know that the only person who can stop Kobe is Kobe. The Magic can’t win if Kobe drops 40, period.

4. Orlando has to spread their offense. In the first half of Game 1, Orlando was doing a great job of this. If they spread the floor, Orlando sharpshooters will have to be man marked, leaving Dwight Howard in a one-on-one situation in the low-post.  If L.A. want to double-team Howard, they’ll have to live with leaving either Hedo Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis, Rafer Alston or Courtney Lee, all of whom can hit the three, open.

3. Orlando’s shooters have to hit their shots. Those same four players were a combined 10-40 shooting in Game 1.  This has to improve.  If the other four players in Orlando’s starting line-up is shooting 25% from the field, there is no reason for the Lakers not to double or even triple-team Howard.  If these shooters make their shots, just watch the space open up.

2. Dwight Howard has to take control. Some say it was surprising that Howard only hit 1 of his 6 Game 1 attempted field-goals. I was more shocked by the number 6 than the number 1. Howard has to demand the ball in the low post, then power to the basket. This was his game plan in the first game, then he picked up an early offensive foul, and then he seemed to shy away from future opportunities. In Game 6 against the Cavaliers, Howard took 21 shots. If Howard takes less than 10 shots, the Magic will lose.

1. Orlando needs to play team defense. With shutting down Kobe an impossibility, Orlando needs to eliminate passing and driving lanes. Make the Lakers shoot threes. The Houston Rockets did this to perfection in the semi-finals. The Lakers are not a 3-point shooting team. They can make threes, but they can’t live on threes. Take away the inside post play by swarming Gasol and Bynum when they get the ball. Eventually the Lakers will start to get frustrated and settle for bad shots.

Steve’s Prediction: Lakers in 6.