Will Dwight Howard be able to bounce back?

Can L.A.'s big men stay out of foul trouble?

Who is Stan Van Gundy's fifth man?
Orlando's coach has been consistent about four players he wants on the
court — Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis and Mickael
Pietrus. But the fifth? He can't seem to make up his mind. Rafer
Alston? Jameer Nelson? Courtney Lee? J.J. Redick? Tony Battie? All five
have seen their playing time fluctuate wildly over the course of the
series. Alston (pictured), one of Orlando's Game 3 heroes, was upset
when Van Gundy used Nelson for the entire fourth quarter and overtime
of Game 4. (Nelson didn't exactly earn that PT; his soft defense on
Derek Fisher helped cost the Magic the game.) Van Gundy says he goes
with whoever's playing well, which makes sense, but it's hard for
players to perform without an established role and the confidence of
their coach.

Will Kobe have another signature game?
After
his snarling, awe-inspiring, 40-point performance in Game 1, Kobe
Bryant hasn't really had a stellar series. Yes, he's averaged 33 points
in the first four games, but he's shot a shade under 43 percent and has
had uncharacteristic problems — seven turnovers in Game 2, five missed
FTs in Game 3, 20 missed shots in Game 4. Although he's certain to win
his first NBA Finals MVP award if and when the Lakers complete their
title run, he'd surely like to leave his stamp on the occasion with
another unforgettable outing.

Can you stick a fork in the Magic?
Officially,
the Magic aren't done. But mentally, they can't be in a good frame of
mind after squandering great chances to win Games 2 and 4, both of
which they lost in overtime. Collectively, they have to be at least
somewhat demoralized, if not traumatized, by the missed opportunities.
Individually, many of Orlando's players also have to try to shake off
their own issues — missed free throws for Dwight Howard and Hedo
Turkoglu (pictured), curious benchings for starting guards Rafer Alston
and Courtney Lee, rust for Jameer Nelson. The Magic have little chance
to take this series, but we'll see whether they're resilient and
prideful enough to prevent the Lakers from winning the title in
Orlando.
