Both Rashard Lewis and Thad Young came into the league as small forwards, but they’ll be matched up at the power forward for the next four-to-seven games. These guys playing power forward are the reason pundits call these teams “finesse teams” without any real shot at winning the title. And it’s at least partially true – when has a team with an undersized perimeter player at the 4 won an NBA title?

Young – who certainly doesn't lack confidence, telling the Philadelphia Daily News that "Orlando's a great team, but we definitely want to play them." – is a strong competitor who will come right at you. He fits right in with the Sixers, blessed with explosive athleticism but needing work on his ball skills and shooting touch. Only 20 years old, he really blew up this season and was a big part of the Sixers’ midseason surge that propelled them into the playoffs. He missed most of the Sixers’ six-game losing streak at the end of the year, which perhaps was the reason for the losing streak.

In three games against the Magic, Young scored 50 points but grabbed just eight rebounds. Eight rebounds in 109 minutes for a starting power forward? Unreal. Two of those games were played at small forward though, as Craig pointed out. Unlike Lewis, Young won’t play only power forward. The Sixers will bring in Reggie Evans, Theo Ratliff and Marreese Speights, at times moving Young to the small forward position. The Sixers have a lot of flexibility in their lineup.

Lewis’ defense has improved enough to where some people have him tabbed as one of the league’s most efficient players. At power forward, he’s more in his element than Young, who’s only 6-foot-8 and not as good of a rebounder as Lewis. Compared to last year, Lewis has looked comfortable at that position and deserves major props for his defensive improvement.

It’s interesting because both players thrive off creating mismatches for the other team. In this series, that won’t be the case. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Magic go big during small stretches, perhaps bringing out the Dwight-Gortat combo that they tinkered with a little bit during the season. How do the Sixers guard a lineup of Alston-Turk-Lewis-Gortat-Howard?

I’d expect to see a little bit more of Rashard Lewis in the post than we usually see. Lewis is stronger and bigger than Young, and should be able to put in some points down low. Young is incredibly quick, and he’ll be a tough cover for Lewis and his sore knee. Overall, though, I’d give the advantage to the experienced Lewis over Young, who could have the ability to be a major X-factor in this series.