All the buzz was about Trevor Ariza's offense when in fact it was his disruptive defense on Turkoglu that really made a difference for the Lakers. Hedo would normally set up on top of the key behind a screen, but Ariza wouldn't let him. Trevor would deny him the ball, and if Turkoglu would get it Ariza would sneak behind the screen and paste himself onto Hedo. Turkoglu couldn't pass it, couldn't create, coudn't drive to the hoop and certainly coudn't shoot it. Ariza was just tenacious.
None of the other Magic players was capable of creating his own shot like Kobe. In my mind it was the defense on Turkoglu that turned the tide. Odd that as good a coach as van Gundy is that he could not introduce a wrinkle to counteract that.
I think J.J. Reddick could have played a valuable role for Orlando, if he wasn't always looking to shoot first. Even worse he would invariably miss.
In the end Turkoglu is a better player than he showed in the championships. He has many qualities that Magic Johnson has. A great court awareness, excellent passing skills, good outside shooting and an ability to go into the paint to snag a rebound or drive to the basket. These are definitely desirable skills and many an NBA team is willing to pay big bucks for them.
