Orlando Comes From Behind to Beat Cavaliers 107-106, Takes 1-0 Lead
NBA May 21st. 2009, 10:00amCleveland had a 15-point lead going into the half at home. LeBron James scored 49 points. They still lost. You can’t spin that positively, unless you are Mike Brown.
“This is good for us,†Brown said. “We didn’t expect to go undefeated.€Â Yes, but don’t you want the wake-up call in Game 3, rather than immediately coughing up home court?
Rashard Lewis was money in the second half. Is this why they gave him $118 million?
Is this a hiccup on the way to the Cavs’ inevitable title? Or, was Charles Barkley right about Orlando?
181 Responses to “Orlando Comes From Behind to Beat Cavaliers 107-106, Takes 1-0 Lead”
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May 21st, 2009 at 10:02 AM
For some reason, I cannot stop saying this
May 21st, 2009 at 10:06 AM
we fly high, no lie, you know this!
May 21st, 2009 at 10:07 AM
BALLLLLIIIIIIN!!
May 21st, 2009 at 10:07 AM
I wear mean dark pair of shades…..
May 21st, 2009 at 10:08 AM
Dwight had 30 and 13. Rashard had 22. Hedo had 15 points and 14 assists. great comeback by Orlando. never gave up and they played hard for 48 minutes. Orlando bench 25, Cleveland bench 5 points
this series is far from over
May 21st, 2009 at 10:09 AM
Is there an official rule that says LeBron can’t take his 4th quarter free throws while sitting down on a chair at halfcourt? Might help.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:09 AM
varejao is equal to a female canine
May 21st, 2009 at 10:09 AM
you cant see my eyes unless my head is bent, you dig
May 21st, 2009 at 10:11 AM
There is a rule that Lebron is able to change pivot feet…or completely hack someones arms to get a block
May 21st, 2009 at 10:11 AM
500 Horses stuffed in my ferrari hood (SPEEEDDDINNNNN)
/REMIX’D
May 21st, 2009 at 10:13 AM
varejao is equal to a female canine
nice acting job
Dwight had a powerful dunk in the first quarter. nasty
May 21st, 2009 at 10:13 AM
This is gonna sound crazy, but I think this is a series where JJ Hickson will be sorely missed… Ben Wallace is looking like pure mierda out against Gortat and Howard
May 21st, 2009 at 10:15 AM
LeBron has no help, this is why I picked Orlando in 6. As has been said before, if your team is counting on Mo Williams and Delonte West to hit open jumpers in an important game you are in trouble.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:15 AM
If you watch that video, it is awe-inspiring watching the whole camera-shotclock set-up CRUMBLE after the dunk
May 21st, 2009 at 10:16 AM
Air France has been ballin during these playoffs. 13 points off the bench last night
May 21st, 2009 at 10:16 AM
There’s also a rule that if dwight Howard is scoring from the post you must call him for 2 insanely bad offensive fouls
May 21st, 2009 at 10:17 AM
A great second half by Orlando and a complete collapse by the Cavs, who looked like the old Cavs on offense after halftime. Lots of standing around and hoping Lebron would do something.
If the Cavs continue to play like that on offense, this could be a close series. I suspect they won’t though, and Orlando won’t shoot that well either. I still see it going 5, 6 at best.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:17 AM
http://www.nba.com/video/channels/playoffs/2009/05/20/nba_orl_cle_dwight_shotclock.nba/
just in case you wanted to watch it again Jersey
May 21st, 2009 at 10:18 AM
That was a great game last night. I thought the Cavs were gonna get it back when Pietrus missed thst 3 from the corner and the Cavs took the lead back BIG shot by Lewis.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:18 AM
If you cant trust a 44% 3 point shooter and 40% three point shooter to knock down threes, who can you trust?
May 21st, 2009 at 10:19 AM
There ought to be some kind of a strategy that an NBA coach of year can put into place on the defensive end. If a guy is an absolute animal, but can’t make shots outside of 7 feet, or free throws, let’s try to get him a little further from the basket. I guess it’s difficult to use a Lithuanian statue, a frizzy haired woman, the ghost of Ben Wallace and ordinary Joe Smith to accomplish that one on one.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:19 AM
Courtney Lee’s dunk was nice!
May 21st, 2009 at 10:19 AM
In a big game? Not them.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:20 AM
But feel free to ignore the 3 second lane violation rule when he is on defense… actually you are not free to ignore it, you must ignore it
May 21st, 2009 at 10:20 AM
No.
Why? How many big 3s does Delonte have to hit? He won a playoff game versus Washington last year. He hit a big 3 last night. He won’t make all of them, but no one will.
On the defensive end, the problem was Lebron guarding Hedo in the 4th Q when he clearly wasn’t right. Swamp Thang had limited Hedo’s effectiveness big time in the 1H. If Lebron is ailing, hide him on Pietrus, who is a stand still shooter.
Bad move on Coach Brown’s part.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:21 AM
I too think Orlando had a good shot to win this series, but the above statement is sheer stupidity.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:22 AM
I think he got called for a d 3 seconds last night
May 21st, 2009 at 10:22 AM
NickP, I like you, I follow you on twitter, I was actually concerned for your personal health last night (kind of like a mom)… but Z, J Smith, and the corpse formerly known as Ben Wallace aren’t gonna get it done the way it should be against this team
May 21st, 2009 at 10:24 AM
I already discredited him here.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:25 AM
@Jersey: You may be right, but JJ is not the answer. Maybe D-Block (Darnell Jackson) could come in and hack the shit out of Dwight, but JJ is too stupid at this point in his career to see real minutes in a playoff game. He’s hurt anyway.
/Who are you on twitter?
May 21st, 2009 at 10:25 AM
I thought the officaiting was weak last night. LeBron got away with assault on several occasions, and then up the floor DHO would get some ticky tack foul called on him. I still like the LeBron’s in the series (and def. tomorrow), but I hope maybe, just maybe this will make Cavs fans come down from their high just a bit.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:25 AM
Bad move on Coach Brown’s part.
Many times over, last night.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:27 AM
I guess it’s difficult to use a Lithuanian statue, a frizzy haired woman, the ghost of Ben Wallace and ordinary Joe Smith to accomplish that one on one
Dwight had his way last night. He needs to stop picking up bullshit offensive fouls and stay out of foul trouble
May 21st, 2009 at 10:27 AM
Thats a big game? The same Washington the Cavs have owned in the playoffs for 3 straight years. At no point was that series ever in doubt.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:27 AM
NickP,
You think the problem was guarding Hedo? I thought the bad matchup was with Howard and Lewis. Lewis causes all sorts of problems since the Cavs can’t really go small and put LeBron on him. THe only wing player the Cavs have on the bench is Wally (maybe Sasha), and he’s not going to help with either Hedo or Lewis.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:28 AM
The defensive gameplan in the first half was nearly flawless. Delonte on Hedo was a great decision.
I was fine with single covering Dwight, and there’s no way he makes those running hooks and left handed shots all series. The only thing I didn’t like was Ben and Joe (and Wally) not using all six of their fouls. Those guys are only going to play limited minutes. They need not worry about getting in foul trouble.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:29 AM
Kobe would not have passed that ball.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:29 AM
Courtney Lee’s dunk was nice!
real nice. rookie sensation
May 21st, 2009 at 10:29 AM
Jake Peavy just got traded to the White Sox
May 21st, 2009 at 10:30 AM
Howard was running people over, Im amazed he doesnt foul out more often. That and him standing in the lane for about 5 seconds on both ends of the floor. LeBron getting constantly hip checked = no foul. But there were 3 or 4 cheap fouls called on the Cavs away from the ball in the 4th quarter. You saw this as helping the Cavs?
May 21st, 2009 at 10:31 AM
Dwight had his way last night. He needs to stop picking up bullshit offensive fouls and stay out of foul trouble
But if he’s throwing down at a 70% clip on easy shots, and dunks, and everybody on that team feeds on that, why not start hacking him immediately, or at least send a double immediately, regardless of the consequences. They were doing it a little in the first half, but from the wrong spot. You have to double down, immediately, and not try to send the designated doubler off of Rafer Alston, because Rafer Alston can just go hide.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:32 AM
You got serious problems if the Coach is drawing up the final play for anyone other than James, his free-throw shooting notwithstanding.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:32 AM
@Mike: He wouldn’t. You’re right. But that’s why he has one of the worst “last shot in basketball” percentages of any player in the Association the last few years.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:32 AM
no way lebron goes close to 70 percent ok mainly jumpers either…Howard probably finishes better with his left hand
May 21st, 2009 at 10:33 AM
yeah, Mo Williams (3 fouls in less than a minute, one for getting absolutely creamed by DHo) can tell you how bad the officiating was.
Lebron initiates most of the contact he gets into, at least on offense. He just barrels down the lane over and over, so yeah, he’s gonna get bumped.
That is, when they run last year’s offense.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:34 AM
I’ll let you know on a reply on twitter
May 21st, 2009 at 10:34 AM
This is asinine (thought I know your just stirring the pot). Kobe deferred plenty of times late in the 4th quarter in his game as well. LeBron was pretty well covered on that last play and he made the right decision.
I will say after watching the two games though, that there is a difference between watching Kobe down the stretch vs. watching LeBron down the stretch. LeBron has surpassed Kobe as the best all-around player, but as many have pointed out, Kobe is the best closer.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:35 AM
I assume you are referring to the West missed 3. If so, I disagree with you. Kobe made a near-identical play where he hit Fisher for a three. I think if he saw Fisher that open–becuase West was WIDE open–he would pass it. Though if the same situation goes down again tomorrow, will the King make that pass again? I think yes, but I wouldn’t be shocked if he chucked one up.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:36 AM
@clown: The play was to let Lebron go to the basket and make the correct basketball decision, which he does way more often than he doesn’t.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:36 AM
The Magic played well in the 2nd half got some stops and hit shots. Cavs didn’t move the ball on offense at all in the 4th. Guys just started standing around watching Lebron.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:37 AM
Orlando shot somewhere in the ballpark of 55% in the 1st half last night. The only difference in the 1st half was turnovers (Cle had 1) and a ridiculous shot to end the half.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:37 AM
The defensive gameplan in the first half was nearly flawless
And then, 2nd half, not so much? Why? Because even the master of panic (joking, irish) makes halftime adjustments. So, in the 2nd half, that nearly flawless plan had become flawed, and wasn’t adjusted.
I’m back to Mike Brown.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:38 AM
Agreed being that Kobe passed the ball to Derek Fisher for the last go ahead fg of the game with 2:30 left down 2. LeBron was a man last night… he was flying around on defense against a hot team in a game where they shouldn’t have had to go back and forth in the 4th quarter
May 21st, 2009 at 10:39 AM
I’m waiting at a Dallas airport and see the score is Cleveland up by 16 and think “Game over.” I get off the plane in Houston and see the score and now Orlando is up by 2 and I can only think “WTF happened?!”
That said, Cleveland could have still pulled that game out. And I’m sure we’ll see a meaner Cavs team in Game 2…But this series feels like it’ll go 6-7 games.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:40 AM
And where is the All-NBA defense from James that I’ve been hearing about? Alston beat him off the dribble, he can’t keep up with the screens for Hedo, and Howard dunked on him in the paint. His only defensive plays seem to come when he’s not guarding anyone.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:42 AM
Still amazed that Andy backed off Lewis to give him an open 3. He was afraid Lewis would drive? He hasnt went to the hoop since high school.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:42 AM
damnit…fucking meetings.
im not concerned at all for the rest of this series. cavs still in 5 or 6.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:44 AM
I’m talking about the final shot.
I just would have liked to see LeBron pull up and show off that jumper of his.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:44 AM
Alston 4-10, Turkoglu 4-11. Yeah they owned him.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:45 AM
Clown: He is so good at roaming (and sometimes laying a jackhammer that goes uncalled). Man-to-man I don’t think he is all world, but he has a freakish wing span and he plays help d very well.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:45 AM
It’s called fatigue… he is playing 2 ends of the court as hard as physically possible. Like when he jammed the ball on one end, blocked Howard at the other then hit a 3 at the other end.
/Can’t believe no one has talked about that sequence
//So we lean wit it pop wit it, Byrd, Jones mean with the top missin
May 21st, 2009 at 10:45 AM
perhaps you haven’t been watching the playoffs duder that’s all lewis has done really
May 21st, 2009 at 10:46 AM
im not concerned at all for the rest of this series. cavs still in 5 or 6.
Some adjustments have to be made, though, right spencer? You can’t just keep letting Howard loose inside of 3 feet, right? And if Orlando is going to give Lebron the 27 footer all night, and clog the lane for his inevitable “3rd down and 3″ rush for the hoop, don’t you have to run some plays where he gives the ball up and then moves without it, instead of just having him hold it?
May 21st, 2009 at 10:47 AM
I think he was referring to beating him off of the ball. Not necessarily scoring, but setting guys up. I think Hedo had 14 assists or something like that, so I’d say that was pretty good.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:49 AM
It was nasty for sure. But he fouled the shit out of Howard and they lost the game. Had West hit the open 3, you’d hear about that play for the next 3 weeks from NickP.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:49 AM
of course.
sure you can as long as your perimeter D is good enough like it was in the first half.
the biggest thing the cavs need to do is to simply get back to the offense that got them there. they need to move the ball, and the shooters need to knock down outside shots. this isn’t the lebron show, it’s the cavs…
let me say this tho…if lebron keeps hogging the ball like he did last night, the cavs aren’t winning this series.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:50 AM
I just would have liked to see LeBron pull up and show off that jumper of his.
I’m not sure he’s even considered pulling up from a drive and shooting a jumper in his entire life. And 99.5 percent of the time, why would he?
May 21st, 2009 at 10:51 AM
Lewis had one layup and FT yesterday the rest of his points were 15 foot jumpers or longer.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:51 AM
Jersey – the dunk, block and 3 sequence last night was unreal.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:51 AM
Irish- boy was a wrong to write off the Magic. Impressive comeback, and even more impressive win.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:52 AM
Hedo had 14 assists or something like that
career playoff high 14 assists
May 21st, 2009 at 10:53 AM
As clean as a block can be. All ball, no body. Are you a Magic fan?
May 21st, 2009 at 11:00 AM
This series is over in 5 unless David Stern gets involved.
May 21st, 2009 at 11:01 AM
Again, I’m not sure why you guys maintain that your first half D was that good.
May 21st, 2009 at 11:04 AM
May 21st, 2009 at 11:04 AM
no kidding. since when is 48 pts a bad offensive first half? especially in the playoffs?
May 21st, 2009 at 11:05 AM
but nobody else did shit
nobody else did shit? what game did you watch?
May 21st, 2009 at 11:06 AM
48 points and 50%+ shooting.
May 21st, 2009 at 11:06 AM
probably when you have 9 turnovers in a half with a ton of possessions.
May 21st, 2009 at 11:08 AM
The cavs are Lebron and nothing without him.
May 21st, 2009 at 11:10 AM
you could say that about every good team in the NBA and their respective stars…bring something more substantial.
May 21st, 2009 at 11:11 AM
and so it starts.
May 21st, 2009 at 11:12 AM
so it was marked down to good instead of great. seriously man, the cavs didn’t play good defense in either half.
May 21st, 2009 at 11:14 AM
this is true, since only 9 franchises have won titles in the last 30 years. only 1 team during that time period didn’t have someone that was a considered a “star” (2004 Pistons).
May 21st, 2009 at 11:18 AM
Rasheed
May 21st, 2009 at 11:19 AM
That wasn’t meant to be offensive. Simply put, the Cavs have an offense and it’s called Lebron driving to the lane and a) kicking it out to open shooters that are supposed to hit shots or b) slamming it home (while getting fouled). The added bonus is if LBJ is hitting the 20-25 footers. Last night the offense wasn’t working like it did say against ATL and DET. If some of the shots go down, like they did against my Hawks, then it is a different game. I guess I get tired of hearing how phenomenal Cleveland’s players are when in reality it is only Lebron.
May 21st, 2009 at 11:20 AM
the nba: where if you are superstar you can run with the ball like it kindergarden league basketball
/looking at you lebron
the nbe: where if the best player on the team made all of his free throws his team would have won.
/yup still looking at you lebron
May 21st, 2009 at 11:21 AM
I can’t believe Verajo isn’t taking more shit. That was dog shit defense against Lewis. You can only lose if they get a 3, so Verajo stands in the paint while lewis is chilling at the 3 point line. Totaly lost his man, absolutely unacceptable. And then to not get in his jock and make him put the ball on the floor was equally as bad.
I still think Cavs in 7, but if I’m a Cavs fan I’m gripping hard right now. Lose this series and you’ll be oh so close to losing Lebron.
May 21st, 2009 at 11:21 AM
Sheed was a excellent role player that fit perfectly into that Detroit system. I wouldn’t call him a star.
MJ, Kobe, Shaq, Bird, Isiah, Hakeem, Dr J, Moses Malone, Wade, Duncan….Sheed? Really? you think he fits the mold with the rest of those guys?
May 21st, 2009 at 11:22 AM
You just described an amazingly efficient offense.
May 21st, 2009 at 11:24 AM
Where most stars shoot 100% from the line in every game. Gimme a break.
May 21st, 2009 at 11:26 AM
No argument. It’s the same offense the Hawks have except, as my brother put it so elequently, you have a tank and we have a VW Bug.
May 21st, 2009 at 11:26 AM
Jameer may play this series
May 21st, 2009 at 11:28 AM
so far, I’m disappointed. Just one “Kobe has the worst last shot in basketball” percentage from Nick? That’s underwhelming.
May 21st, 2009 at 11:28 AM
I still think they should have let Varejao leave a couple years ago… there are other guys in the league they could have gotten to give more production…. Or maybe its because Varejao is the only person I hate on that team
May 21st, 2009 at 11:30 AM
mj would have never been dunked on by courtney lee.
/sa
May 21st, 2009 at 11:31 AM
yea…and if they were able to sustain that D, then it would’ve been a relatively easy win.
im sorry, but i just find it incredibly hard to think all doom’n'gloom after last night’s game. the cavs have played 8 games in a month and a few weeks…there is a rust factor noted in their conditioning and cripness on both ends of the floor for an entire game. but i’ll go with that wonderful 82 game sample size and im confident they’ll be able to turn it around.
one game does not spell doom for the cavs.
May 21st, 2009 at 11:32 AM
Nick P, I said before this series and I’ll reiterate now, there is no hiding on defense in this series for LeBron. The Magic put too much pressure and if you fall asleep at at or try to roam, they know how to make you pay. It’s a big part of the reason he was noticeably exhausted last night down the stretch.
Still an epic performance by LeBron, that was wasted b/c it was one of the rare games all season that his very underrated cast did not make it happen.
Problem is, some of these matchups aren’t going to magically get better overnight. No thought of putting DPOY runner up on Lewis? Either way, the Magic will make LeBron work on defense, something Detroit and Atlanta couldn’t do.
By the way, Brian Windhorst wrote this today “”LeBron James totally flustered Rafer Alston guarding him”
Are they downgrading Windy’s seats? B/c that wasn’t true at all.
May 21st, 2009 at 11:32 AM
Sheed was a star player in Portland and was considered one of the best PF’s in the league. Those other guys you named were superstars and I definitely wouldn’t put him in that category. But when he came to the Pistons, he improved their defense big time as well as giving them a low post option. He was a star for Detroit that year. His problem is that he’d rather play the background and never let his game live up to his talent.
May 21st, 2009 at 11:34 AM
Oh by the way, four of Ho’s six fouls were literally not fouls at all. They aren’t even debatable. I can’t believe SVG didn’t try to get ejected in the first half.
Magic got some of it back in the second with those puzzling off-the-ball fouls.
May 21st, 2009 at 11:34 AM
Cavs will win game 2, no doubt. Orlando isn’t stealing two in Cleveland. Too early for anybody to say which way this series will go until game 4 in Disneyworld.
May 21st, 2009 at 11:35 AM
the first paragraph is funny.
Darrell- he was one of the best PF in the game, agree. but i guess what I meant was superstar. he probably could have been if he wanted to. that’s the big difference between stars and superstars. the superstars want it more.
May 21st, 2009 at 11:36 AM
Windhorst is garbage
May 21st, 2009 at 11:37 AM
get the fuck out of here…he’s one of the best beat writers in the business. how can you hate on him with the effort he puts in and the quality of his work?
May 21st, 2009 at 11:39 AM
he is the david eckstein of beat writers.
May 21st, 2009 at 11:40 AM
Irish, gotta disagree, I’m a big fan of Windy (who I know reads this site).
But still disagree about LeBron “flustering” Rafer? Was that when Rafer had four different blow-bys in the first half? Or when LeBron was roaming and not even guarding him? Puzzling statement to say the least.
By the way, enough about LeBron/Kobe/Wade and their defense. There’s not a GM in the league that would those guys are better defenders than Shane Battier. Not one.
May 21st, 2009 at 11:40 AM
Nah, you can’t roam off Lewis. Keeping him on Alston is the better bet. Skip had a decent game, but he has a history of doing dumb shit with the ball late in games, and his three point shooting is streaky at best.
May 21st, 2009 at 11:43 AM
last comment before i have to start getting ready for more fucking meetings…
i know everyone likes to get in their licks at cleveland/cavs fans (especially for the amt of shit we talk), but don’t go overboard with the instant analysis…it was a game where the cavs played as poorly as possible in the 2nd half, completely abandoning the things on both ends that got them to this point, and still were an inch away from winning the game.
feel free to talk aall the shit you want, but it’s far from doomsday. keep a level head here people. nothing happened that can’t be adjusted on the off day.
and for all the shit everyone’s been saying against the cavs, think of this…who’s going to stop lebron on the magic? and considering lebron’s history after losses (what he did to detroit, how he came back with a vengence this year driven by the celtics loss in last year’s playoffs), are you really going to bet against him?
May 21st, 2009 at 11:44 AM
Mak, I’m saying, why not have him check him. I realize that’s not Mike Brown’s defensive M.O. – he loves using LeBron as a rover. But in this series, that just aint happening. He’s going to have to guard.
May 21st, 2009 at 11:44 AM
@cursed- i read his book. not bad. Like you, i disagreed with this statement about Lebron on Rafer
May 21st, 2009 at 11:45 AM
No one will touch his technical fouls record.
May 21st, 2009 at 11:45 AM
last comment before i have to start getting ready for more fucking meetings
who gives a shit?
May 21st, 2009 at 11:46 AM
and i have no problem with this.
cavs should think about running small.
May 21st, 2009 at 11:47 AM
i do…fuck meetings when id rather be talking shit all AM.
May 21st, 2009 at 11:50 AM
How many times did you say fo, fo, fo, fo on here? really?
May 21st, 2009 at 11:54 AM
cursed where were these great teammates LeBron has that you always talk so much about?
May 21st, 2009 at 12:00 PM
Duder, I see the agenda working. I never said they were the best. But you cannot refute that consistently, the bench has come in all season (especially in the first two rounds) and actually extended leads..they had five points last night.
Delonte and Mo have been killers all year. Am I supposed to have an about face after one game? How many times have we seen Kobe’s supporting cast play like dog shit in these playoffs? Does that make them all terrible?
So i’m not sure what you’re trying to get out of this.
May 21st, 2009 at 12:08 PM
Didn’t have time to read all of this, but are you guys really criticizing LeBron for letting Raefer Alston get past him, dude is 7 inches shorter and 100 pounds lighter, for fucks sake I hope he’s quick enough to get past him.
May 21st, 2009 at 12:09 PM
Coop, that’s not a criticism, it’s a reality. I think you misinterpreted what I wrote. I was reacting to Windy’s words about LeBron allegedly “flustering” him.
I don’t expect LeBron to keep guys like Rafer in front of him at all.
May 21st, 2009 at 12:13 PM
Kobes teammates won game 1, LeBrons lost game 1. This is fact, just look at the start of the 2nd quarters when both were on the bench. LeBron sits for 90 seconds in the 4th and the 4 pt lead is now a 1 pt deficit. This has happened all year. If you have stats suggesting otherwise I would love to see them. The Lakers are loaded, this is why they will cruise to a title.
May 21st, 2009 at 12:18 PM
LeBron for letting Raefer Alston get past him, dude is 7 inches shorter and 100 pounds lighter, for fucks sake I hope he’s quick enough to get past him.
So, his “freak of nature” size and strength makes him an unstoppable force when he drives to the hole, but that same trait causes him to not be blamed for not playing D? Got it.
Has GOTS (Greatest Of This Season) been able to hobble off the court yet? It’s only been 13 hours, and the cameras are off now.
May 21st, 2009 at 12:19 PM
Yeah, newsflash, you’re not winning Conference finals games by yourself. Jordan didn’t..nobody does.
Again, are you really trying to refute how well the Cavs bench has played all year, especially the playoffs where they’ve extended leads routinely? If so, then there’s no point in trying to debate things.
May 21st, 2009 at 12:25 PM
You mean the game where the Cavs had a 30 point lead against Detroit after 3 and the bench couldnt even play well enough to let LeBron sit more than 4 minutes?
May 21st, 2009 at 12:29 PM
Here’s a stat: 4th quarter free throws, Kobe v. LeBron
May 21st, 2009 at 12:35 PM
a bunch. but did you really take that seriously?
May 21st, 2009 at 12:35 PM
Scores of playoff games at start of 4th with LeBron sitting until when he comes back in:
Det
1- 13 pt lead down to 8
2- 27 pt lead down to 14
3-doesnt sit
4-doesnt sit
Atl
1- 16 pt lead out to 19
2- 30 pt lead down to 20 doesnt play 4th
3-doesnt sit
4-doesnt sit
Orl
1- 4 pt lead now 1 pt deficit
May 21st, 2009 at 12:36 PM
but did you really take that seriously?
i knew you were confident. Trust me, i know it is far from over. We stole one in the mighty Q
May 21st, 2009 at 12:38 PM
irish, Magic in 6?
May 21st, 2009 at 12:38 PM
confident, yea. but not foolish enough to think any team could waltz thru the playoffs without one loss.
May 21st, 2009 at 12:39 PM
The Cavs don’t have anyone to go small with. What kind of lineup do you want? Lebron with one of the bigs, West, Mo, and Boobie? Or Wally? I don’t think that’s going to work. I agree that going small and putting LeBron on Lewis would be the ideal, but I don’t think the Cavs have the personnel to make it work.
May 21st, 2009 at 12:41 PM
irish, Magic in 6?
im not making any predictions regarding Orlando. im just not. I picked Denver in 6 though
May 21st, 2009 at 12:42 PM
NSR…yea, i’ve been thinking about how they’d do that since the 2nd quarter yesterday. i got nothing, really, unless sasha pavlovic or wally could do anything defensively against hedo, which is about as likely as me sprouting breasts.
May 21st, 2009 at 12:42 PM
And I agree with SPence that we shouldn’t overreact. This is akin to when the Sixers stole game 1 after the Lakers had a huge layoff. That was the last game they won that year.
The Cavs do need to solve the Howard/Lewis matchup though.
May 21st, 2009 at 12:44 PM
The Cavs do need to solve the Howard/Lewis matchup though
what about Dwight?
May 21st, 2009 at 12:45 PM
where’s tonya harding?
May 21st, 2009 at 12:46 PM
So will you quit saying coaches’ votes in post season award mean something in basketball when they clearly don’t?
May 21st, 2009 at 12:48 PM
The Cavs could go small with Lebron and AV.
Delonte on Hedo.
Mo on Rafer.
Wally on Lee.
May 21st, 2009 at 12:51 PM
nick…the minute pietrus steps on the court, that lineup is worthless tho.
May 21st, 2009 at 12:52 PM
Air France is ballin baby
May 21st, 2009 at 12:55 PM
Except the Sixers had the halftime lead on the Lakers in Game 1, while the Cavs had a double-digit lead on the Magic yesterday.
May 21st, 2009 at 12:55 PM
Duder, where are you first quarter bench stats? Or do you only produce the stats that help your argument. And why do your stats only reference when LeBron is off the floor? Does LeBron only play with the original starting five? When evaluating supporting casts, is it only relevant when the superstar is on the bench, or do the supporting casts also play with the superstar?
Of course not. They all made a pact this season to let video coordinators do the voting. Didn’t you see that on Truehoop?
May 21st, 2009 at 12:57 PM
didnt look them up but you really think the start of 2nd quarter is any different?
May 21st, 2009 at 1:01 PM
Duder, seriously, with the Cavs it is. LeBron has gotten the team out to great starts, and the bench has not only preserved those leads, they’ve extended them. I’m not saying the Cavs supporting cast is the best in the league, but they were vastly overrated all year.
I just don’t understand why you’re acting as if what they did in game one is what they’ve done all year. It isn’t. Delonte and West have outplayed (let’s take the lakers cast, which has been touted as the best on paper all season)..Fisher and Ariza all season. AV has been arguably the second most important player on this team (although it’s a tough matchup in this series with Lewis).
Z’s been serviceable… very respectable all season. Joe Smith was a great edition, even though I made fun of it and didn’t think it would be that big of a deal (needs to get more minutes in this series).
May 21st, 2009 at 1:02 PM
Underrated..is what i meant.
May 21st, 2009 at 1:05 PM
Except the Sixers had the halftime lead on the Lakers in Game 1, while the Cavs had a double-digit lead on the Magic yesterday
exactly Clown. But NSR must be talking about Denver, not Philly
May 21st, 2009 at 1:09 PM
wow cursed youre right they are actually +20 in the playoffs at the start of the 2nd quarter w/no LeBron
May 21st, 2009 at 1:11 PM
I don’t want to live in a world where the Global Icon defers the most important possession of the season to Mo Williams and Delonte West. He also did a great job of going to the basket waaaaaaay too early on the last possession.
39-2 at home, and now it doesn’t mean shit. BTW, Cavs are a mediocre at best road team.
Lebron just needs to practice more of those behind the basket, out of bounds shots. That’s what game 2 is gonna come down to.
May 21st, 2009 at 1:14 PM
I’m talking about the Finals in 2001(?). After the loss everyone was wondering how the Lakers were going to matchup vs. AI (Tyronn Lue).
May 21st, 2009 at 1:20 PM
my fault NSR
May 21st, 2009 at 1:24 PM
Irish, where did you hear that about Nelson? What’s the time table?
May 21st, 2009 at 1:25 PM
@quin- good to see you on here. they interviewed him last night. Dont know the time table. sorry
May 21st, 2009 at 1:28 PM
Helluva game last night. Can’t believe the Magic stole it. Magic have now won nine of the last 12 games against the Cavs.
May 21st, 2009 at 1:30 PM
We match up well with Cleveland. Dwight had a great night last night. I just want to see him blocking more shots
May 21st, 2009 at 1:32 PM
Jordan passed game winners to Paxson and Kerr…
May 21st, 2009 at 1:33 PM
Yea they do. Just having Dwight in the middle to make Lebron think twice about driving is an advantage. They can dare Lebron to shoot three’s all series. I think the Magic have a better shot of beating the Lakers. I’m not looking forward to having to play them after the Magic beat em both times this year. Dwight would own Gasol/Bynum.
May 21st, 2009 at 1:36 PM
How many titles did he have at that point?
I remember him NOT passing up a pretty significant game winner in CLEVELAND. I think they call it the shot.
May 21st, 2009 at 1:38 PM
i want him to keep trying to block shots…all those goaltends were a nice little cherry on top.
May 21st, 2009 at 1:39 PM
all those goaltends were a nice little cherry on top
still didn’t help the final score
/burn
May 21st, 2009 at 1:40 PM
On top of the Cavs blowing a double-digit second half lead? How are Cavs fan’s so calm? Your season is done.
May 21st, 2009 at 1:44 PM
because we’re not overreacting to one game in a 7-game series where they only lost by one.
the cavs have beaten better teams in past playoffs with a far weaker squad, without lebron playing the way he is…
if they lose friday, you’ll find me in a bathtub with assorted appliances. kinda like how the dude from super troopers killed himself in the ring.
May 21st, 2009 at 1:47 PM
irish…yea, i got nothin to come back with on that.
May 21st, 2009 at 1:48 PM
Spencer can you give me an honest answer on one question:
What do you think of LBJ passing up that final shot, with no Howard in the middle, when he’d been getting calls at the rim all night, and you KNOW the refs were just waiting to bail him out?
May 21st, 2009 at 1:54 PM
I dont know if orlando would have won in OT w/o Dwight. That is why it was huge that Rashard hit that money 3.
How bout the Polish Hammer though? dude is the man
May 21st, 2009 at 1:54 PM
Quin…id be lying if i said i didn’t want him to take that last shot. that said, he didn’t do anything wrong there. mo was open, and mo made the right choice to get it to delonte, who was even more open. those two shot over 40% from 3 this season, so i don’t mind it all that much.
it was the smart basketball play, so i can live with it, but i would’ve still liked to see lbj take it. that goes without saying.
May 21st, 2009 at 1:54 PM
It’s ok to pass only if you already won a championship? Gotcha.
That didn’t end up leading to a championship. Hell, wasn’t that a first round game?
May 21st, 2009 at 1:56 PM
Even Cursedcleveland isn’t blaming LeBron for passing that last shot.
/really cursedcleveland
May 21st, 2009 at 2:00 PM
See, my personal feeling is that it’s never ok to pass up the game-winning shot when you’re single covered. I fucking hate it when Kobe does it and if I was a Cav fan I would hate it when LBJ does it. Why even put that pressure on your teammates? You are THE GUY and you should take the fall. It seems like a major cop out to me, ESPECIALLY to pass it up in a game in which LBJ was playing so absolutely dominate. AND with no HOWARD!
And Mak if you want LBJ to keep passing those last shots that’s fine. I’m sure the Magic are happy that he did.
May 21st, 2009 at 2:04 PM
Quin…but he wasn’t single covered, the magic clogged the paint.
game winning shots aren’t just about taking some bullshit mid-ranger. it’s about getting the shot that has the highest percentage of going in, which for lebron, is a layup or dunk.
a wide open 3 from the corner is a way more high percentage shot than lebron trying to force a layup and get a ticky-tack call with 4 magic defenders surrounding him in the paint.
May 21st, 2009 at 2:06 PM
I’m not a Cans fan. Not a Magic fan either. I thought the d was collapsing on Lebron on the shot and passing to a wide open teammate made good basketball sense. But the flip side is also true, LBJ driving to the whole like a runaway train has rarely failed.
May 21st, 2009 at 2:07 PM
cans= Cavs
/cleveland sucks
May 21st, 2009 at 2:14 PM
See, I’m not a basketball stats guy. I think some people thrive in pressure with the game on the line. Horry and D. Fish were some of the worst by-the-numbers shooters on the floor in the final minutes. But somehow, they always seem to hit those big shots.
With LBJ passing it out to Mo, I’ve never seen Mo take a big shot in my life so I (or LBJ) has no idea how he would respond. Swinging it to Delonte makes more sense, cuz he has hit big shots for the Cavs before. But with basketball there’s alot more to take into consideration than just who shoots the better percentage when taking the final shot.
May 21st, 2009 at 2:14 PM
aren’t you from louisiana? when your whole state is filled with incestual, racist, yaw-yaw cajun and smells like a fucking sewer, you’re probably not the best authority on what sucks.
/but seriously, cleveland sucks
May 21st, 2009 at 2:15 PM
LeBron was triple covered on the final play. Did you even watch it? And Pietrus ran into LeBron, fell down and then tripped LeBron. A foul could have been called there and no Magic fan would have argued. LeBron had nowhere to go after Pietrus tripped him so he passed it out as any great player would. This led to a wide open 3 from a guy who is supposed to be able to shoot.
May 21st, 2009 at 2:18 PM
I could never have put that so eloquently, well said.
May 21st, 2009 at 2:19 PM
i thought it was filled with black people and thats why george bush didnt care about it. and if it sucks as bad as you said it does i would say that makes mak the authority on what sucks.
May 21st, 2009 at 2:19 PM
Quin…Mo has hit a fuckton of big shots for the cavs late in games this year. his bawls aren’t in question.
there really isn’t tho. it’s always smarter to take the most efficient option, even if you don’t think stats tell the whole story.
a wide open jumper for a guy who routinely nails wide open jumpers is a much better shot than a dude being hacked to pieces by 4 defenders. every single time, no exceptions, even for lebron.
May 21st, 2009 at 2:20 PM
nice tidbit
In the LeBron James era, prior to Wednesday night, Cleveland was 100-5 (.952) in the regular season and 10-0 in the playoffs when it held a lead of more than 15 points at home
May 21st, 2009 at 2:23 PM
good point.
May 21st, 2009 at 2:24 PM
While all that might be true(you forgot corrupt, and violent), it’s still not as bad as Ohio.
May 21st, 2009 at 2:31 PM
If your state is east of Arizona, south of Ohio, and west of South Carolina then yes, your state is in fact worse than Ohio.
May 21st, 2009 at 2:53 PM
Kobe says Melo is stronger than Lebron
http://www.dailynews.com/lakers/ci_12416972