Tonight's list is for all of those conspiracy lovers who wanted to run down the Association as being sold out for Kobe and LeBron. So go click and enjoy the slightly new content, or at the very least, in a shorter form.
This weekend in the NBA, two Conference Finals had the opportunity to go to a seventh game. For NBA detractors -- and yes, you are legion -- this was an easy time to bitch about the officiating, to call for a Kobe-LeBron fix, and to cite the presence of Nike puppets as something sinister.
And yet, for both conferences, the simple conspiracy was that the better team won in the minimum number of games necessary, without any officiating moment of consequence. The result is an NBA Finals that will feature Los Angeles and, gasp, Orlando, but not until Thursday night, or in just enough time for the national media to exhaust every man, woman and child on the planet with LeBron James 2010 Free Agency Speculation. (I don't think he goes anywhere, but then again, I thought he was going to force Game 7 tonight. So what do I know?)
A few notes on the vanquished. For all of the early talk in the series as to how Carmelo Anthony was making The Leap and Chauncey Billups was the best thing that had happened to Denver since the discovery that snow could create tourism... well, Occam's Razor is a fine way to keep your head in such matters, and it may be just that once Lamar Odom's back had recovered from the hard foul that he took in the Rockets series, this series was over. Kenyon Martin may look scary with all that ink, Nene is a nice player with active hands, and Birdman Anderson can block you all day from the weak side, but Odom is just a poor man's LeBron with the big man passing, and when he plays well, the Lakers don't lose, mostly because he makes Pau Gasol the most effective offensive center in basketball. The Nugget bigs are good defensively, but they aren't 2008 Kevin Garnett.
For Cleveland... I just had the sense, in watching the game tonight, that they knew they were beaten every step of the way. LeBron James might be the only player in NBA history who can get a near triple double without seeming like he's having anything close to his usual game, and when he takes "only" 8 free free throws in his first 39 minutes, that's just not the same guy that was in that laundry in the first five games. James had just four points in the fourth quarter tonight, 1 before the final minute of garbage time; his tank was long past "E".
Mo Williams is going to wear the goat horns for not showing up early in the series and then making the non-valid guarantee, but if Cleveland desperately needs to upgrade their bigs. Zydrunas Ilgauskas gave them 2 points, 7 boards, 2 steals and 4 fouls in 22 minutes, and if the Cavs allow him to get a year older and a year less mobile while playing meaningful minutes for them, they are absolutely insane. The same goes for Ben Wallace, of course; had the Cavs simply had a Kendrick Perkins / Joel Pryzbilla type to mix in as a true defensive stopper, they might have won this series. Hell, a Brad Miller might have done it for them, and I could easily throw out another dozen low-tier names. A team should not lose in the Conference Finals with home-court advantage because their best defensive play from a center is a Sideshow Vareajo flop.
It was also striking that, when the Cavs season was on the line tonight,for the first time in the series, the best player on the floor wasn't wearing a Cavs jsersey. Instead, it was Dwight Howard, just running wild without early foul trouble, taking advantage of the pick your poison single defender option that Mike Brown threw at him. Every team in the East has been wondering how on earth they could comppete with an unstoppable force, but given his age and power, it's possible that the force is in Florida. The signature play of this game was a lightning-quick spin and spike that made Sideshow Vareajo look like he was bolted to the floor. It's not like NBA history is absent the example of any big man just crushing everything in his path.With the Cavs shooting terribly at the line, and not getting there very often, against the Magic when they were hitting their threes... well, that's just about the living prescription of a game the Magic can't lose.
Lakers-Magic will get similar or better ratings that LA-Cleveland, though probably not up to LA-Boston last year. People forget that James was already in one Finals that no one watched, though the anti-Spurs bias probably had more to do with that. There would have been more interest in watching him this year, since he's a bigger star and on the radar for any number of NBA+ markets that look at him and dream of the future, but not so much.
And as for Cleveland Fan, who doesn't even get a signature play to pin this losing memory on -- really, the lasting memory of this series is still going to be James stealing Game Two at the buzzer... well, I just feel bad for you. Best record in the NBA in the regular season, best player in the world on the roster, two crushing sweeps in the first two rounds, and done. You aren't the only ones surprised by this, really.
Tonight in Cleveland, the Magic didn't need the game. The NBA didn't want them to win the game. The Cavs, especially on their home court, came out and established a +20-point lead fast. And then for three quarters or more, the home team was good and terrified, until a bench player saved them.
Let's just say that if you are a Cavs fan, you're not exactly filled with confidence that you are going to win this in seven.
Cleveland came out like a house on fire, building a 22 point lead in the first nine minutes with scoring from just about everyone wearing the laundry. Anthony Johnson and Michael Pietrus cut into the lead a little at the close of the quarter, which ended at Cavs 35, Magic 18. In the second, the Magic started chipping, as everyone in Cleveland knew they would, completing an 11-1 and then starting another, which is where my family obligations ended.
The lead got down to eight on a Rashard Lewis free throw make off transition. Delonte West made an old-school three on very nice use of continuation, but Hedo Turkoglu answered with a make. Martin Gortat got a flat-footed O-board, leading to a Turk turnover in traffic. Rather than get back, the Turk and van Gundy went nuts over a non-call, leading to a van Gundy technical. Mo Williams made it to push it back to 10.
I'm been trying to avoid talking about the zebras, because it's such a chalk argument to make. It's like going to a baseball or football game and bitching about the weather; it won't make you happy, and it will distract you from the game. And as bad as the officiating has been, I'm not sure what kind of golden standard we are comparing it to. I don't remember NBA officiating ever being good; it is what it is. I'm also not sure how it ever gets better. So, moving on.
After the Cleveland celeb crawl, Craig Sager talks to CC Sabathia, who gets to talk as a Cleveland fan despite, well, being a Yankee now. How the hell is that OK for Cleveland Fan?
Back to the micro blog, where the Turk hits a three to cut the lead to six, and the pick and roll has just murdered the Cavs; the run was 27-11 before Mo Williams connected on his fourth three of the night. James penetrated like a knife through butter, finding Joe Smith for an uncontested layup, and this is the Cavs team I picked to win the series. The lead went back to 11 with four minutes left in the half.
In the timeout, we hear Mike Brown telling his bigs that fouling Dwight Howard is better than giving him dunks. And to think, some people wonder about Mike. Not surprisingly, Rafer Alston left his jumper in Orlando, along with Dwight Howard's free throw stroke. The Cavs offense went stagnant in James' hands, and the Magic started to feed Howard with success, but Z rolled to the hoop for a slam, only a small respite before Howard owns him at the other end. Z can't even foul Howard right. Yeesh.
The Magic then makes another run as James can't avoid turnovers, the Cavs can't get back on defense, and Howard is just alone in the world as a big man with hops in this series. Howard with 14 and 4 at this point, 11 in the second quarter, and the Magic are doing everything but shoot threes. The Cavs just can't defend this team at all; the Magic are shooting 44% from the field, with tons of open misses, and yet they are in the game. Two LeBron free throws stops the bleeding until Lewis makes another easy runner. James can't make, and Lewis drains the three to close it to one at the half. Right now, it seems like the Cavs don't even think they can win this series. Cavs 56, Magic 55.
The third quarter began with a miss trade, and then the Magic took the lead with Howard owning Z. Lewis then stole from Z, and the Turk nailed a three, and it's a four point game and a dead, dead, dead building. Z should just fake a blown hammy at this point; he's putting up Maginot Line level resistance to Howard. A quick Brown timeout gets them a West turn and a Lee make, and that's a 7-0 run. After matching turnovers, the Turk hits a runner, and the Magic are up 8. West gets a make out of a stagnant set, but the Cavs are dead team playing right now, and Reggie Miller was openly begging for James to do everything.
Williams makes his fifth three pointer, and he has 20, to cut it to three. The Turk drove around Sideshow with ease, but can't finish. James gets a steal and Alston picked up a very iffy clear path foul call; James makes both and it's back to one. West missed the corner three, Lee did that, and that's the series in microcosm; instead of a Cavs lead, it's the Magic by four. Z gets an old school three with Alston doing the honors; kind of lucky there, but they'll take it. Z is 5 for 5 from the floor, and yet a crippling problem. Alston misses, James doesn't, and the Cavs take the lead back halfway through the quarter. That was fast, and yet Cleveland Fan was still on the fence about it.
The Turk misses a quick three, and Lewis drew his third. Z makes again, and the Cavs lead is three. Howard walks trying to punish Z, on his awful cross-court hook thing that makes me wonder if he's ever going to be a good post player. Lewis missed at the rim, and James take it a million miles an hour at the Turk, who puts him on the line in self-preservation. James missed both to stop the momentum, and the Turk scored, now has 18, to really kill it.
Reasonable ball movement ends with West not wanting the shot, but then taking and missing it. The Magic remember that they have Howard, and used him; fouls on consecutive plays puts him on the line, and he gets a ridiculous hop and roll to give his team the lead back. Z finally missed, a foul line shot that was easier than many of his previous makes. After a Williams miss and a Sideshow board, Z makes a good move to the hoop and draws Howard's third foul; one make ties it again.
Lewis with all day for the three, but couldn't get it. Z missed from the elbow, too much going through him now. Sideshow flops to no effect, and Howard slams for the fresh lead. Williams has to go to the dressing room with a cut. James found Sideshow for a runner and Howard's fourth foul, and maybe the Cavs can finally take advantage of his absence, given that the Magic haven't been hitting their threes (yet). The Sideshow miss kept it tied.
The Turk drew Vareajo's fourth, and that's a problem for the Cavs. Two makes send the lead back their way. Wally Sczerbiak missed, then fouled, putting Lewis on the line; the Zerb is not a part of a balanced champion's breakfast right now. Two makes and it was four. West with a nice make on a hesitation jumper. The Turk can do anything he wants to West on the other end, and he makes the jumper. James finds Gibson for the corner three, and Gibson's been huge for the Cavs tonight. Gortat can't finish, and James feeds the Zerb for a miss to end the quarter. It's Magic 79, Cavs 78, with twelve minutes left to close the series.
Williams starts the fourth with a three for the lead on James' ninth assist. Gibson dominates Johnson on defense, and van Gundy would have his first tech if he didn't already have one. James missed over the Turk, and he's just 5 of 14 tonight; the MVP then picked up his third on Pietrus. If James is going to win this game, he'll have to do it with penetration. Pietrus got one of two, keeping the Cavs in front. Williams moving nicely tonight, fed James who got blocked by Gortat, but Wallace got the o-board and the Turk's fourth. James gets his triple double in assists with Gibson's second triple, and West then turns the Magic; transition ends with James collecting the Gortat foul and two makes. The Cavs are suddenly up six, and van Gundy has seen enough for a timeout; Cavs Fan was getting loud.
I love the Association, but after 40 days of this, I've really heard quite enough of how Dylan McDermott IS DUMPING THE BODY! I mean, do I share my personal problems with him?
Better Cavs defense is spiked by Howard scoring over Wallace. Gibson missed a three, Wallace board, West missed... and Pietrus connects. Series in microcosm again, and it's 86-85 Cavs, with Brown going for the instacall timeout. James goes by Pietrus for the half-court layup that's his stock in trade as a ridiculously good player. Johnson's three stayed out. James drove on Lewis for no call. In transition, Z gives Howard his fourth, rather than a monster dunk, but Howard hits both. The Cavs got stagnant, but James picked up Pietrus' fourth late in the clock. van Gundy continued to hyperventilate, and James missed the second. Cavs by 2, seven minutes to play.
Z with a touch foul, his fifth, on a push to Howard's back. The end of this game is not promising much flow. Pietrus makes a high degree of difficulty three for the lead. James has to force and missed, but Williams gets it back with a transition steal, missed another three, then made a great hustle play to save the possession.
James then made the shot of the night (so far), getting Howard's fifth on a drive and scoop layup for the old school three. With six minutes left, van Gundy leaves Howard out there. The Turk missed a quick and not very good three. James missed a runner, no call. Alston missed another three, and he's 1 of 9 tonight and the sole reason why the Magic aren't ahead. James in stagnation over Alston to make it four. West buys a Turk fake and puts him on the line for three; wow, that's not a good play. The Turk makes three, and it's a 1-point Cavs lead.
LeBron drives on Pietrus, hits Sideshow in the hands, gets the stone deflection, then fed Gibson for another three. Yes, he's really, really good. Wow. Sideshow with a block on the Turk after the Turk walked. A bad Williams three and miss goes off Howard for the Cavs team board. James runs clock on an iso, then makes over Pietrus to push it to six, and while it's not exactly pretty to put the ball in LeBron's hands and watch him do everything, it's also effective, at least tonight. It also tells how much faith van Gundy has in Pietrus, that he keeps letting him try his luck even up; considering how much LeBron is doing without a jump shot, it's not even a bad tactic.
All series long, the Cavs have not gotten stops. Can they start here? Pietrus missed the three badly, and the Cavs run iso clock with LeBron. A great pass to Sideshow ends in a missed dunk and the O-board. LeBron wisely ran clock, then owned Pietrus, fouled out Howard, scored the runner, drained the free throw and, I think, cured cancer. I think we're getting Game Six, folks. Your fresh play of the day there, and start the highlight reel. Nine point game with 2:22 left, and Howard's gone.
Of course, the Magic Will Not Die. Pietrus gets Vareajo's fifth and the old-school three with an awkward drive that could have been a charge, but it's not and it's six. James runs iso clock again, then nails the jumper over Pietrus; huge. Alston's nightmare continues, and the Zerb gets the board. James runs iso clock, but mixes it up with a supreme bullet to Sideshow on the back door, who finally hits the open make and the free throw. The lead is 11, there's 67 seconds left, and Orlando can start the bus. For the first time this series, the Cavs will win a game and deserve it. James with 17 in the fourth, and his line reads 37-14-12 right now, and he's got the most points in Association history for someone playing five games in a conference final. Yes, he's very, very good. Ye. Gads.
The Zerb makes a bonehead foul, but Lewis misses the tech. Lewis fouls out Sideshow, the second straight game he's given all six; his 7-8-2 line tonight was useful, even if his point-blank misses were not. Lewis makes both to get it to nine, but with 62 seconds to go, they'd need to reach deep into the George Karl playbook to blow this one. Z converts on a Gortat foul; it's an 11-point lead with 60 seconds to go. The Turk gets a call on Z, and now he's fouled out as well, and the game will take three hours. Ow.
Williams gets the inbounds and is able to run some clock, blissfully. Williams makes two, and those are the first points in the last 32 (!) that James wasn't involved in. The Turk with a layup, and the Orlando press requires a Cav timeout. 31.2 left, and Just. End. It. Already... and it finally does. Cavs 112, Magic 102.
What it all means for Game Six? Hard to say. James was, if possible, even better tonight; he delivered on possession after possession late, even on a night where his jumper wasn't much. But the Magic were right there on a night where no one really shot very well, and Alston shot terribly. At home, with the refs probably reverting back to them after van Gundy planted seeds all game, it's far more likely than not that they will close it.
But James is simply playing better than anyone since vintage Jordan right now, and you pick against him at your peril. I just hope the game has flow, because as much as James's individual moments make the series riveting, three hours of free throws is just not as good as it should be. We'll see it on Saturday.
When you sit down to watch the Magic try to end the Cavaliers season tonight, they are going to look, to the non-NBA obsessed eye, like a lot of other basketball teams. But they aren't. Here's why.
What you have with the Magic is something of a unique hybrid that straddles a middle ground. On the far left side of the spectrum (yes, everything eventually goes back to politics here), you'd have a team like Phoenix -- fast shots, three pointers, run your opponent into the ground with superior conditioning and score easier points than them; the signature play here is a three in transition as a soul-crushing unequal trade for the opposition's hard-won deuce.
The downside of that approach is that the defense usually falls to pieces, because the coaching staff needs to spend all of their time getting the players to recognize good shots and forget their own numbers, despite the fact that compensation is based on numbers. Also, it's a team based on jumpers, and when they aren't falling -- particularly in half-court grind games, or late in a series when the legs aren't there anymore -- you lose. When this kind of team works, they are a joy to watch, and beloved by fans as if they were a champion, even though they almost never are.
On the far right side of the spectrum would be an old-school walk-it-up power team, like the Shaq and Kobe Lakers, the Billups-era Pistons, and on some level, the Spurs. Here, you stress the importance of every possession and try to make sure that you are always taking more shots than your opponent with superior rebounding and ball-handling; you also get to the line more. This kind of team is more consistent and less explosive, and the downside is that talent acquisition and evaluation is harder, because fewer elite-level players really want to play like this.
Even when it works, it's not very pleasing to the eye, and whether you like it or not, there's a level of artistry to pro hoop, especially among the best and most highly compensated, that has to be indulged. If you don't accommodate this to some extent, you get guys just executing the game plan, rather than being a fanatic about it, and in such differences, wars are won and lost. When this kind of team works, they seize games in the fourth like an anaconda, because the opponent is just unable to get points for 48 minutes against this kind of relentless pressure.
So here is the Magic, and to the naked eye, they look like the Shaq and Kobe Lakers, in that Dwight Howard resembles nothing more than a young and lithe Shaquille O'Neal. His hands aren't as good, but he's a better leaper and more committed on defense; he's also been better at the line, so that you aren't as afraid of using him late in games. It's not a perfect match, but it's 90 to 95% of the way there, and Howard's demeanor is also a good match for Shaq, in that he alternates between determined bulldozer to foul-prone flake.
But he has no Kobe. Hedo Turkoglu is a point forward with a good passing eye and fourth quarter confidence. Rashard Lewis is a matchup problem small forward who is very good from distance, but prone to giving you absolutely nothing if his jumper isn't falling. Neither has Kobe's all-around game, the ability to finish in a game and mood-altering way, or the curse/gift for scoring 1-on-5 if his teammates aren't bringing it.
In the backcourt, the similarities to the Shaq champions really falls apart. None of the Magic guards are the kind of oversized defensive stoppers that the Shaq teams employed. Instead, they are guys that can create their own shot off the dribble more than creating for others, and they all push the tempo. No one calls them tough, or defensive-minded, though they actually are, at least this year.
So are the Magic closer to the Suns-Kings axis? No... because those teams are, by necessity, defined by their point guards, who keep everyone involved and positive by meting out the opportunities to shine, like a conductor. The Magic have no one like that.
They also, and this is really where they aren't like any championship-level team I've seen, do not have a key player who you can neutralize as a tipping point to victory. When Howard is unavailable due to suspension or foul trouble, it makes for better ball movement on offense. When Turkoglu can't find the range, Lewis has a game that can compensate, and vice versa. Sporadic explosions from the guards -- today Rafer Alston, yesterday Courtney Lee, tomorrow Mickael Pietrus -- seem to come easily, because the opposition just has no one they can play off, and in pro hoop, unlike football or baseball, good offense always beats good defense.
When the Magic aren't committed, they look like a soft Euro team, just another in a long line of hoopsters that feel like a passing dome team in football -- i.e., a regular season mirage. But what they are really are, this year and this playoff, is a covert defensive hammer.
Cleveland came into this series as the lockdown masters of opposing three-pointers; after four games, that reputation lies in a smoking ruin. Cleveland has the best player on the floor and the planet, and honestly, I don't think I've ever seen a player better than LeBron James in the first four games of the series. He's a defensive monster, and breathtaking on offense. When he isn't scoring, he's generating some of the easiest looks you'll ever see in a playoff game. His teammates aren't hitting them, not because they are terrible basketball players, but because, despite the easy road in the first two series, their legs have been taken away by this Borg-like team from central Florida.
I've never seen anything like it before, and I don't think we're going to see it for very long, like, say, this year's Celtics. (That team was doomed as soon as they signed Marbury, Garnett injury or no Garnett injury, and now that he's in a career-ending way with that knee, they are a 50-win and timber mode, because Allen and Pierce can't stay this good. But I digress.)
The Magic will tune out Stan van Gundy soon enough. When Howard develops more of a post-up game (honestly, what he's got now is kind of embarrassing for a guy with this level of publicity; it's Ben Wallace-esque) and Jameer Nelson returns, the balance will be thrown out of whack. They also won't be able to keep all of the pieces over time, and the loss of someone like Pietrus could be as problematic for them as, say, the Celtics losing James Posey last year.
But for the time being, they are fascinating, dangerous, and could have the highest ceiling of any of the final four teams. For a club that looked vulnerable in the first round to a middling Sixers team, heart-free against the D-league deep Celtics, and the near-universal fast out against the Association's best regular season team with playoff rest and home court... well, it's all unprecedented stuff.
And no, I'm still not really believing it myself, because my faith in James is nearly absolute.
But with just one more win, they'll prove me, and the rest of the world outside of central Florida, definitively wrong.
At least for this year.
Straight to the micro-blog for the continuing saga of the best playoff year in the history of the Association...
I missed the first half as per usual for family obligations, but judging from the game trackers, Orlando came out fast in the first with threes, but the Cavs finally got some support for James. Mo Williams managed twelve in the first half on multiple trips to the line, and Boobie Gibson emerged from utter irrelevance to make two triples, one to close out the half. Add in a little Delonte West support, and the Cavs look like themselves again, and the half ended at Cavs 58, Magic 50. Looking at the numbers, it's hard to see how, but at this point in the series, the Cavs will take any lead they can get.
At the start of the third, Rafer Alston made three in a row on lax pressure from James to cut it to one, and in just 130 seconds, the lead was down to 1, and Magic Fan was alive. After the timeout, James got to the rack and picked up Howard's second on the old-school three. The Turk's new school three attempt was off, but the Cavs turned as James continued to look a little passive, at least in comparison to previous games. Lewis missed, leading to Williams scoring off the rebound, and Alston answered with his fourth three. West scored over Lee to make it five again, and then West found Vareajo alone at the rim for the flush. Doug Collins correctly called out Dwight Howard, who is just not into this game defensively, at least not this half. The Magic's run was answered.
After the timeout, the Turk hit the Magic's ninth triple of the night, and Vareajo missed a dunk. Lee missed the triple, and Williams tossed in a nice banked off side runner, adding in a Lee foul for the three point play. Z stripped Howard down low and got clocked for his trouble; incidental, but ye gads, and the big man is not pleased. Alston got a banked three to fall, and everything is going in for him right now. Z missed from the corer, and Alston picked up a charge on James to boot. Vareajo with a great steal on the Turk, but Williams couldn't get the three, and the Turk answered with a bank to get it back to two. West posts the Turk beautifully to stop the bleeding. Alston finally missed a three, and James drew Howard's third with a spin move; lazy, dumb foul on Howard, and Magic Fan doesn't cover himself in glory by howling at the replay. James made one, and Vareajo picked up a loose ball foul and some pain. Howard wrestled a loose ball away from the corner, and Vareajo tried to foul before the dunk to Howard's disgust. The refs want nothing of Howard's disgust, and that's his sixth technical of the playoffs, a major issue for the Magic. Patrick Ewing picks one up from the bench as well, and Magic Fan sings the Bulls*** Song very, very loudly. Hopefully, this won't lead to 18 minutes of free throws.
Once all that was over, it was 74-71 Cavs. West missed the corner three, but Howard continued his awkward play with a turnover rebound. James drains the three over Pietrus, and when he hits that, it's Crazy Time for his opponents. Alston with a bad miss, but West couldn't add ot the lead. Wallace battled Howard well down low, and the Turk took a foul to stop the break. Pietrus flops on James for a no-call, but Williams can't hit, and Pietrus answered with a three. Gibson couldn't make, and the Cavs are taking too many from distance right now. Two Turk makes cut it back to one.
Very physical defense from the Magic ends with Howard goaltending Wallace, and the Cavs are actually getting something from him tonight, as he follows up by taking a charge on Pietrus. James settles for a long three and misses, and Alston got the dish -- he now has 15 in the quarter, and 21 for the game -- to cut it back to one. James with another bad iso three, and Alston misses from 35 to close the quarter. It's a Magic win, but the Cavs still have the lead, 79-78.
Van Gundy hates his team in the TNT interview. Big surprise! Williams missed the jumper, and Pietrus gets Wallace in the air, but West goes hard for the block, and that's just playoff basketball, along with West's third foul. Pietrus misses both to add to West's karma. The Ghost of Wally Sczerbiak missed, and Howard gets hacked on the board. Pietrus makes a go-ahead three on great ball movement. James can't finish at the rim, but Z can to tie it; Alston responds immediately, and so does Z with his jump shot. Much more balanced attack from the Cavs, but Alston hits again, his sixth three pointer of the night. I'm not sure when Alston sold his soul, but Magic Fan isn't bemoaning the loss of Jameer Nelson right now...
The Magic got a ridiculous home-court call on the inbounds and that's a shot clock violation; I'm pretty sure the buzzer sounded before the ball was even touched. Lewis with the bank gave the Magic a five point lead, and the Cavs were on the ropes. A Zerb miss and a Wallace board leads to a James miss; Pietrus can't sink the dagger, but Williams can't finish tin the trees. Zerb flops on Howard before a dunk. With 8:05 left, the Magic lead by five, have the ball, and just look like the best team in basketball right now. Color me surprised.
The Turk and West return for Wallace and Lewis. The Turk misses from the baseline, but gets the O-board and finds Lee for the triple -- the Magic's 14th -- and the lead was 8. James to the rim in Determined Mode, and he gets to the line, but only makes one. The lead was 7. James blocks Howard from behind, but the MVP then missed Z with a pass for an unforced turnover. Pietrus to the tin, but can't finish, and the Cavs are sloppy but lucky with the ball. I don't like their game right now; it's all one on one, but at least its James doing it, and he gets the call on Pietrus, and two makes got it back to five. James with 27 now.
Howard walks and misses, just a sad move for a great player, and Z got the board. West hits from the post, but Lewis answered, and it's still five. James posts Pietrus and gets a layup; better offense from the Cavs now, and Howard continued his indifferent game with late weakside help. Lewis turns on decent defense from, of all people, the Zerb. It's a 3-point game with the Cavs having the ball at 4:55, and Magic Fan has to feel more antsy now.
Howard and Vareajo each have four fouls; no one else has that many. James with a great drive and dish, but West can't make the tying three, and Lewis nails the Magic's 15th from 30 attempts. I don't know if any team can lose when they shoot 50% from the arc on this many attempts. James turns it. The Turk misses, but the Magic get the team board on good Howard effort. Alston finally missed from the arc, and James finds Vareajo in the lane for the make and a Turk foul; his free throw cuts it back to three with 3 minutes left. The Turk walks baldly on a drive, and it's called. Just another classic game here; I don't root for either of these teams, and I'm totally into the game. I can't imagine how Cleveland Fan or Orlando Fan feels.
James elbows Pietrus hard on a spin and drive, and the Frenchman goes down for James' fourth foul and a bad turnover. Pietrus got up and stayed in the game. Vareajo turns a pass to Howard, but James turns it back, his second in a row. Pietrus with a three miss, and this time in transition James goes to the rack with killing speed for the flush. Vareajo has to foul Howard down low, his fifth, and Howard missed the first badly, and the second goes down; 2 point game, 100 seconds left. Wow.
West drives on Howard and scores; just nice. Alston missed. James to the lane and draws Howard's fifth, and he can give Cleveland the lead... but he missed the first badly. The second goes down, and that's a 1-point lead with 1 minute to go.
The Turk can't get the three, and it was an ugly possession. The Cavs match with James missing. No timeout. Pietrus can't get the three to fall, but West fell/was tripped on good hustle from Howard, and the Magic got the ball back with 6.4 seconds left. For every Association detractor who wants to talk about how the last minute takes forever, I give you this game -- it just freaking breezed by, mostly because I think both of these teams are too exhausted to do anything else.
Will Cleveland contest the inbounds, unlike Game Two? The Cavs bring in Wallace, and James doesn't contest until the last second, when the Turk calls for time; no Magic player was close to clear on that. Hmm. Some ref issue delays things, and Lee comes in for Alston. The Turk finds Lewis unconscionably open on the uncontested inbounds, and he drains the Magic's 16th three of the night. Wallace will wear goat horns for that and should, but give credit to Lewis for being that difficult a cover. The only problem is it might have happend too fast, as there is still 4.1 seconds left on the clock, and the Magic are only up two, but can LeBron James win two games in the same series with miracles?
Will the Magic guard the inbounds? It's Williams. He finds James, and with five tenths of a second left, James gets the block call on Pietrus. Conspiracy theorists will look askance at that call, but when the best player on the planet goes down in a tangle of limbs on a drive at the buzzer against a no-name defensive player... well, I'm sorry, Magic Fan, but that call will be made for the offense 100 times out of 100.
James had to make both to tie. The first is all cotton. The second just leaked in, and James knew he got away with something there. With half a second on the clock for the Magic to dodge overtime, Z guarded the Turk inbounds. A lob to Howard draws contact with Vareajo, and that's going to be a controversial no-call, especially after the James draw on Pietrus, but I'm not even sure that it shouldn't have been Howard to get the over the back call, or from hooking Vareajo's arm. Just an impossible situation for the refs; a no-call is probably their bet option. 100-all, and it's free basketball time.
The Turk is owned by Vareajo with a steal, and Gibson gets to the line in transition; he made both. Howard drove Vareajo into dust with an old-school Shaq dunk. James turns it. West and Vareajo fall, and Howard flushes for the lead. West missed, but Vareajo boards, and James hits the three to take the lead back. Howard again on Vareajo, too easy. James turns it, and Vareajo picks up his sixth by proximity; that's going to hurt, not that anyone is stopping Howard right now. Z replaces Sideshow.
Pietrus hits the three right away on the weak Cav pick and roll defense, which is the problem with Z. James misses from the arc at the clock, and the Magic now lead by four with he ball, and James looked tired on that miss. 100 seconds left. Alston's three front rims, but James turns it for the eight time in transition. The Turk walks and misses, but the first isn't called and the second is finished by the suddenly dominant Howard, and it's a six-point game with 72 seconds left. The Cavs look dead in the water. Again.
James scoops and scores; he has 39. The Turk misses on a bad drive, but James gets a call on Lewis on a drive, and he hits both to make it two points again. James just won't die. Howard gets it down low, and Wallace gives the foul; 21 seconds left. Howard makes both; huge, and he's got 27-14-4, 10 of the Magic's 13 points in overtime. The Magic let the Cavs back into this game with missed threes late; they've taken the lead in the overtime by forgetting about that shot.
James is blocked by Pietrus and Howard, and it's a jump ball call with 16.5 left. At this point, the Magic should really just win this game; Howard has the reach and height on James, and it's a two possession game with little time on the clock, really. James got the tip anyway, saving to West; James got Howard in the air at the arc, but the refs don't give the call. Z to to the line on a whistle against Pietrus, his fifth. Z made both to cut it two, and West fouled Lewis on the inbounds, the man the Magic want to have the ball here. Lewis makes both, and that should be that... and Lewis had 4 points through the first three quarters, and ends with 16. James makes an insane three off the catch, and I can't imagine the human that can do that at the end of 53 minutes. Lewis goes to the line and misses the first, and with 3.2 seconds left, it's, amazingly, still a game. He makes the second, and Cleveland has to inbound from their own basket. The inbounds gets to James, and from 40 feet, moving left to right against seemingly the entire Magic team... James finally misses. Magic 3, Cavs 1, 116-114, and what a game, what a series, what a year.
The most meaningful thing to take out of tonight's game is that the Magic took Cleveland's best shot -- balanced scoring from West, Williams, some support from Gibson and Z and Wallace, another 44-12-7 from James -- and won. They made 17 three pointers, got a 27-14-4 from Howard, and took the game they had to have, mostly because they limited Cleveland's assists and, well, rained down threes like a Biblical plague.
I still think Cleveland wins this series, because I've just never seen a team depend so much on three pointers go all the way... but the Magic are just a game away from making believers out of all of us. Or should I say... witnesses?
Tonight in Orlando, Dwight Howard was the best player on the floor, despite being on it for barely half of the available minutes. He led his team to a 2-1 series lead in a sluggish, foul-filled game that was compelling more for the stakes than the play, though there were still a half-dozen jaw-dropping moments, not the least of which is that LeBron James scored 41 on a night where his jump shot was less productive than mine. And now, the micro-blog...
In the first, the Magic came out with the usual home court bump and a sudden surge of usefulness from Rafer Alston, but didn't score enough, despite Cleveland turnovers, to take a big lead. In the second, the Cavs bench started with an 8 point surge to get it to one, but an offense of Joe Smith and Delonte West can only take you so far, and the Magic got useful minutes out of Martin Gortat and Mikael Pietrus. At the 7:30 mark, LeBron James was able to get Dwight Howard's third, and Magic Fan shows his Outer Redneck with a LeBron Sucks serenade; the makes cut the lead to 29-25, and allow Mike Brown to try to get Z Ilgauskas some comfortable minutes. Mo Williams hit a three to cut the lead back to a point, and a James make gave them their first lead with 5:44 left.
Orlando Fan sounds like he's not alone in the Amway Arena, which given their curious ticket distribution pattern (if you want to buy two tickets, you have to buy ten and find buyers for the other eight -- thank you, Dirty Davey, for that) isn't too surprising...
Anthony Johnson assaults Mo Williams with an elbow, and almost gets tossed with Flagrant Two, but since Williams is able to return despite looking like he's been in a street fight. Ball karma demands Johnson miss his free throws and WIlliams makes his, and that's exactly what happens; the Cavs then led by three. James went serpentine through the Magic to push the lead to five, and the Cavs have that Pissed Off Road Team feel to them right now. The Magic went cold in the second, and part of this is simply that the Cavs stopped turning it over. The game got chippy/slow with free throws. James let Pietrus go by for a layup, then took the inbounds and immediately counterattacked to get a Rashard Lewis foul, and that's an even or better trade. Sideshow Vareajo wants to guard Lewis, but want and can are two different things. James falls and still controls the ball; the possession ended with another Z miss, but still, holy crap. A Lewis slam cut the lead to one and provoked a Mike Brown timeout. Despite the game not being much on the eyes, it's still tight and clearly leading to something good... and if I were a Cav fan, I'd be a little bent at not being able to get more of a lead with Howard on the bench.
Craig Sager reported that Williams received four stitches from Johnson, and I wouldn't be surprised if it winds up helping him. Z couldn't finish at the rim because that's what happens when you are a finesse 7-footer. James continued to hit from the free throw line as TNT fitted Hedo Turkoglu for goat horns. James had 18 as Boobie Gibson actually gets on the floor; the man who owned Chauncey Billups in 2007 as a rook now isn't even in the rotation. Funny game, basketball. Gortat blocked James twice in the first half, both times kind of amazing. Gibson missed a three with no one within ten feet of him. James goaltends Gortat to give the Magic another lead, and LeBron airballs the three from the corner, then Gortat got to the line with 2.8 left in the quarter, an end game that clearly went to the home team, at least until the big man missed both free throws. Williams misses the three-quarter court heave, and the half ended with the Magic up by a point, 42-41. But of a grind of a game, with only two Cavs (James and Williams) able to do much; neither team can feel too good about their standing right now.
The third started with more Cleveland weaver work, but it didn't end with a make. Howard with his fresh legs burned Z for a super-easy make and old-school three. Vareajo knocked down two on an Alston foul, ans the Cavs have outperformed the Magic at the line. Lee made a corkscrew jumper to push it back to four. James took a head shot from the Turk to bail him out, and Magic Fan is outraged by an obvious call; not exactly covering themselves in basketball IQ there. After a team board on the second make, Orlando Fan really sang hard, just in time to see James make another and give the Cavs a lead. By my count, the madder the Magic's fans get, the better the Cavs played....
Howard collected another down low and made both free throws to change the lead again. James can't buy a jumper tonight, and Howard's half hook converts. James missed his 11th jumper of the night, a three pointer that hit every part of the rim and stayed out, and Lee drops the corner three for an instant 8-0 run, seven point lead, and Cleveland timeout. I realize that every NBA conference final has to go to the wire this year, but with James not hitting anything from outside, I'm wondering exactly how.
Lee steals and slams as Magic Fan sensed blood in the water. A Z miss is followed by Howard getting subdued under the rim, but it wasn't a shooting foul, and James then got to the rim after a miss, picked up Lee's third, and made both to stop the bleeding and cut it to six. Alston fed Howard for a slam, and the big man now had 15 points in 14 minutes. A Williams three answers to five, and Howard got an ofensive board, then punctuates it with an elbow that could have gotten him tossed, had it found a body. The Cavs reacted to it as it were a smoking gun in the parlor, which tells you just how much they are dreaming of Howard not being on the floor. Vareajo sits after a bad foul, and Alston pushed it to seven. Mike Brown puts in Ben Wallace, who is just an embarrassment at this point on offense. James couldn't make another jumper, but the o-board led to an alley-oop slam that sucked the air out of the building, and while the Cavs really weren't the best team on the floor so far, they were still freaking dangerous. The Turk got to the line from a Smith foul and made both. Williams missed from the corner, and while James still hasn't made a jump shot tonight, the Magic are still collapsing on him, giving up open looks to the supporting cast. Wallace is called for a foul on Howard, who cans one, and I guess Wallace still has a use for that. A West make brings it back to six, but Wallace's third is a block on Alston, and ye gads, Ben Wallace Is Terrible. Two Alston makes, and it was 8 again until West answered.
Smith picked Pietrus, then missed; a Wallace o-board led to another West miss, and as we go to commerce, Howard picked up his fourth on a push. Big moment there, as the crowd goes quiet all of a sudden, and compounded the error with a tech, his fifth of the playoffs, but Williams missed it. Howard is just two techs away from sitting, which could be a very big deal later. Worth watching.
West missed and Gortat with the board, but Smith erased Alston, and James feeds Wallace for a slam to cut it to four. James ripped Lewis, but Smith missed the open jumper. Cavs looked much more together with Howard on the bench and Alston missing forced jumpers, but good Magic defense led to Pietrus getting a turnover layup and old-school three; just an immense play in the flow of the game there, and the lead was seven again. Williams tried to do too much and blew the two-for-one possession, as the Cavs did bad things on the end of quarter again. Pietrus traveled baldly for the second time tonight, and the quarter ended with James scoring on a typically brilliant drive. At the end of three, it was Magic 68, Cavs 63.
Z tries to exploit Gortat, but it went the other way, and the teams combine to go 1 for their first 11 in the quarter. Yeesh. West got a call and a make to cut it to six, and with 9:28 left, Stan van Ron Jeremy Gundy gets antsy enough to put Howard back in. The fact that the Cavs are in a game at all while shooting 36% from the floor on the road is kind of amazing. Pietrus made two off a penetration drive, and it was eight again. A Z jumper actually goes down to cut it to six. Lewis drained a three off good ball movement, and that could be a dagger, especially after Mo Williams is whistled for a moving pick. With 8:19 left and commerce happening, it's a 9-point Magic lead and a growing sense that this one might not have last second drama, if only because I'm not sure the Cavs can score enough points to close this lead.
Z stopped Howard down low, and James bulls to the line for instant offense. but only one make. West's fourth foul got the Magic closer to the penalty. Pietrus missed from the corner, and West doesn't; just that fast, it was 75-70, but West got his fifth right after, and since that means Sasha Pavlovic has to come in, not a plus. Pietrus penetrated and finished, rather than take the corner three. James starting to feel it, and just bounced Howard away on a drive and make; wow. After a Magic turnover, James fed Z for a distance miss; Vareajo got the board and a Lewis foul. James missed another three that could have dropped, and the Turk answered with a drive to the line on the Pavlo Virus. Two Turk makes pushes it to seven halfway through the fourth.
Williams with a quality make off the dribble. The Turk might have gotten away with a walk on his driving miss, but Howard collects the board and went to the line, but only after five minutes of Tyler Perry Et Al. These Gatorade ads with Kevin Garnett are a lot easier to take this year!
Two big Howard makes pushed it to seven, and the Cavs haven't profited from putting him on the line tonight. Z avoids an obvious traveling call to draw a foul on Tony Battie, then makes both to get it back to five. Howard gets it down low and powers through a James block attempt to get to the line. A lucky roll on the first was followed by a miss, and we're at six. James draws a 50/50 blocking foul on Pietrus, and ball karma forces two bad misses. On the second, Sideshow Vareajo picks up his fifth and doesn't draw a Howard technical, and I can only imagine that was his intention on that play. With 4:40 left, Howard rams the first free throw in, and the second as well. The lead ws 8 with 4:40 left, and Howard was 11 of 15 from the line.
James finally gets a three to fall, and hmm... but Alston gets it right back in the corner. James airballs a three to Vareajo for an easy lay up. The Turk realized it was the fourth quarter, so he hits. Williams with a bad miss, but Lewis can't hit the killshot three. Pietrus put James on the line with 3:03 left and the Magic holding an 8-point lead; two James makes cut it to six. Vareajo takes his sixth with speed, rather than spend any more time in the presence of Mr. Howard. After commerce, Howard missed the first as TNT wonders about intentional fouls, and hits the second. The lead was 7 with 2:40 left.
James drives the lane, scores, and gets Howard's fifth foul. Holy diver. Old-school three cuts it to 4, and LeBron suddenly has 38. Z sends Howard back to the line with his fifth, and the real problem with fouling Howard at this point is that I'm not sure they'lll have enough guys to do it. It's especially ineffective when Howard makes both, as he did here. Howard with 24 points in 25 minutes. James missed the three but get the board, and Pietrus gets called for a blocking foul with 2:01 left for instant offense as van Gundy throws a rod. Karma misses, and it's six again. Alston's killshot three does not go. Williams boards, then James turns on loose interior passing to Z. The Turk runs clock and misses from the arc, but Pietrus gets the o-board that will more or less end this one, and West adds dumb to bad with a technical. Z fouls out stopping Pietrus, and the Magic are 68 seconds away.
TNT notes that there were 77 combined free throws so far tonight, and I can't say that I haven't noticed. Smith replaced Z as Lewis blows the tech. Pietrus is also not a good free throw shooter, but these two go down smooth, and it's eight and almost done. Pavlovic misses from three, and that makes them 5 of 23 from the arc, 39% from the field in total. The Magic run clock with the Turk missing. James gets Howard's sixth on a bad call from the refs, and he barely avoids the crippling technical on his way out of the game. With 36.1 seconds left, there still should be no way the Cavs escape with a win, but Howard can still eject himself from a future playoff game...
James was 5 of 10 from the line before the three attempts; after three makes, it's 8 for 13, and he now has 41 points for the night, only five of them on jump shots. Wow. Lewis makes just one, but the Cavs miss two three-point attempts, and that's that, really; what might have been a three-point game turns into eight after two Turk makes. James is blocked by Pietrus at the rim to punctuate things, and his free throw makes push the final score out. Magic 99, Cavs 89.
If you want to look at this from a Cavs perspective, they were in a game where they could not buy a jump shot from anyone. If you want to look at this realistically, they are a James miracle in Game Two from being down 3-0. Considering that the Magic were also down big in the first two games of this series, and... well, I'll be honest, I have no idea what to make of this series so far. But Orlando has the lead, the home court, the momentum, a 10-4 record against these Cavs, and a chance to put a hammerlock on this with a Game 4 win.
They also have Howard getting much less mileage than James; if James is losing his legs on jumpers from fatigue, which is very possible given how much effort he's had to put out in these first three games, the Cavs are done. I still think the Cavs are going to win this series, but you've got to give it up for this Magic team, who have lost multiple buzzer-beaters in the playoffs with no carryover from game to game. Give credit where due.
The best playoff year ever for the Association continued tonight in Cleveland. I can't state this enough: for sheer night-in night-out amazement, this year is taking a back seat to no sport and no year. But I'm going to take you there with the usual hyper-detailed micro blog, because it deserves it. Every single minute of it.
For the second straight game, the Cavs jumped out to a big early lead -- 15-5 after the first five minutes, and 30-16 at the end of the first -- but unlike last night's game, it's wasn't all LeBron James, and the ball movement was terrific. Midway through the second quarter, the lead was 23, and it looked like the Magic were just going to be happy to go home with a split.
But then the Magic do what they do -- namely, start making threes -- and while Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis combined to start 2 for 11, they finished 15 for 32. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
With 3:44 left in the second quarter, the Turk got a steal off James, and Delonte West refused to give him a shot at the old school three; even better, the refs didn't give up the flagrant call, showing that there wasn't going to be undue ref involvement to ruin this one. Cavs Fan liked that play a little too much; had this game been in Philly, I'm sure the national media would comment. A slam from LeBron showed the continued good ball movement, but the Magic were shooting better now, and the lead shrank to 14 before commercial.
The Magic then answered one of those Utter Devastation drive and dunks by James with a calm Lewis triple. Another ridiculous make for James was matched by a JJ Redick runner, and the Cavs' defense was starting to fail just like Game One. After a rare Magic miss, James went to the rim again and gets the call, and he's going so good then, he was even making every free throw. The Turk connected with high difficulty over the remains of Ben Wallace. James finally missed a free throw, and at the buzzer, Sasha Pavlovic gets the steal but no call, and that's it.
Now, please note that all of that was just the end of the freaking second quarter. At the half, it was Cavs 56, Magic 44.
TNT -- who, I have to say, I greatly prefer to the World Wide Lemur -- showed Stan van Ron Jeremy Gundy going back to his I Hate My Team routine that is going to cause him to wear our his welcomed in another 2-3 years, but it's working for now, and for the most part, I hated his team in the first half tonight, too.
The first possession of the second half was that old-school Cavs defense, and the fact that the home crowd didn't pick up on it showed just how much nerves they had. An absurd James three, followed by Z stopping Howard one on one, still doesn't quite get them loud as the lead went to 14. A bad Alston miss and a nice pick and roll for a James jumper got them a little more enthused, but a miss trade later, it was Howard at the rim with ease, and a miss later, the Turk abused West to bring it back to 12. The crowd had no confidence that this could end early, and they were right.
Sideshow Anderson made a tough reverse, but the Turk was driving easy to the bucket, and we're back to trade bucket mode, with the next swap being Mo Williams for Courtney Lee. And then Lewis made back to back threes, and in a blink, it was a 14-4 Magic run.
Coming out of the timeout, James went for yet another old-school three, but missed the free throw. I can't tell you, really, how good he is right now. Lewis missed a three badly, and Sideshow followed with an ugly dribble and bank. Rather than get discouraged by lucky offense, the Magic just rain down another three. That's got to be discouraging. James broke the line and got blocked, but recovered and drew Howard's third foul on another old-school three. Alston misses, but runs down Williams for a turnover; and on the trip back, Z and Williams stop Howard at the rim, with Mo calling time on the floor. The Cavs led this game by 10, but it might have been the least comfortable ten they've led by all year.
Midway through the third, Williams didn't want the three, and his runner wasn't any better. Lewis missed a corner three, the kind of shot he normally buries. The Turk picked up an odd loose ball foul, his third, the kind of play that's rarely called even if correct, but the fact that this was the most curious ref decision of the night tells you what kind of game they called. James only got off the floor to get his leg worked on, the same one that got banged in Game One, proving nothing other than that he bleeds like a normal man; as soon as he returned, he just went to the rim like normal. Rather than have any moment of hesitation, Lewis just scored. Howard picked up his fourth defending an alley oop, and with 2:22 left in the third, the Cavs still had that 10 point lead, and maybe a little better feeling with the Magic center looking bench-bound.
Here's the problem with that hope: while it's never a bad thing to get Howard on the pine, it's not like any of the Magic opponents have been able to take advantage. The Magic won Game Six in Philadelphia without Howard; when he's been on the pine, Gortat has played well. They might even move the ball better.
Joe Smith took his fourth foul on Lewis behind the arc, and Lewis reacted to the tap was as if he was shot. Despite the bad free throw karma, Lewis drains all three to make it a 9 point game. The Cavs turned it carelessly on their usual top of the key weave, and Smith got his fifth away from the ball, forcing James to guard Lewis... which just means the Magic use the Turk to hit the three instead, cutting it to six. A bad Cavs possession ended with a long three miss. The Turk missed, but the Cavs couldn't shoot in transition, and Pavlovic ended it by missing from the arc. A Lee runner is waved off as Ben Wallace is able to get the block call; huge stop for the Cavs there. The quarter ends with a flat and short three from James, and that's a 25-19 third quarter for the Magic, who are awfully close to taking a hammerlock on this thing. Yes, I'm amazed. Cavs 75, Magic 69.
Mike Brown notes that his team is having problems with the pick and roll. No, really? And to think, some people wonder about him. A James drive got nothing, and Pietrus fed Gortat at the rim for a stuff; it's a four point game. West answered, and Anthony Johnson sent James to the line as Gortat got crushed. Two makes pushes it to 8, but Gortat converted an ugly finish at the rim. James fed Pavlovic, who gets to the rim and scores over Gortat, who added a potentially justified technical for a blocking call when he was outside the arc. With just one make - Pavlovic has some ridiculous issues at the line -- the lead was nine again.
Pavlovic took a wrestling foul on Lewis on pick and roll coverage. Howard replaces Gortat, and the Turk drove and scored in his Mr. Fourth Quarter way. The Cavs moved the ball well, but they were also antsy about pulling the trigger, and it resulted in a Pavlovic air ball. Courtney Lee got a call and made both to trim the lead to five, the closest it had been since the first quarter. James turned it with a charge as Anthony Johnson got a little lucky; the refs then hit Turk with a make-up turnover. The Cavs continued their tense fourth with a James miss from bad distance, answered by a tough running miss from Lee. James then turned it on a bald charge on Michael Pietrus, who really should get more floor time for the Magic, and just to back that sentiment up, Pietrus drained a three over Vareajo to cut it to two. Vareajo compounded the error with a bad turnover. At the seven minute mark, Lee finally tied it on an easy drive, and wow, wow, wow.
James took the mantle and scored on a drive. Lewis owned West to tie it back up. The 11-2 Magic run had Cleveland Fan ready to tie off. TNT informed us that the Magic are 44-11 when they make nine or more threes, as they had at that point. James missed, got the board and fed West, who also missed from the arc. On the Magic's first attempt to get the lead, they converted -- first one tonight. Williams then refused the goat horns he had been modeling with a huge make to tie it back on a possession where the Cavs look diseased. The Magic turn it as Williams goes to the floor, and Lewis got a shot to the face for his blocking foul trouble. Williams then made a huge three off a James dish, and Cleveland Fan is alive with a three point lead.
The Turk, at this point, simply did not care, and scored on his usual easy fourth quarter drive. Z, of all people, hit a top of the key jumper off a James drive, and the Cavs looked like a basketball team again. The Turk picked up an offensive foul, his fifth, as he nailed Sideshow Vareajo, who sold an actual call for once. Cleveland turned it, but Lee missed. James fed Williams for a wide open three, but he isn't that big of a hero, and you know the game means everything when the 7-foot Z with the four-times surgery legs are hitting the floor and calling time.
After the time out, Z missed an open three, one of those shots that you have to be happy to see if you are one of those theoretical Magic fans. Pietrus converted a runner over a Cavs quasi-trap, but it was answered by Williams with a nice running make. Lewis missed an open three as Vareajo hit the floor. James tried to get to the rim for a killing spike, but Pietrus fouled him en route, and the Magic weren't in the penalty yet. James drove with no call, and the Magic responded with good ball movement and an ice-cold Turk three to tie it again. Good heavens, the Turk is just an assassin.
James called for a travel with 30.9 left, a call that even he admitted to after the game. The Magic were a make and a stop away from a 2-0 series lead that would just stun on every level. I can't imagine how awful Cavs Fan felt, but from the crowd noise, there wasn't a single man alive who believed.
The Cavs had a foul to give, and Pavlovic gave it with 13.6 left on a Turk drive. A bit of a cheap call, and it gave the Magic the shot at holding for the last shot and win. The arena had a clock malfunction just to prolong Cavs Fan Agony, and James needed more work on his leg. Just agonizing; I think if I were a Cavs fan, the temptation to leave would have been huge.
On the inbounds from Lewis, James does not pressure it for some reason. I get that you need to keep an eye on the inbounds passer, and Lewis is too tall to really pressure there... but still, harass the man. Instead, he gets it to the Turk easily, and he converted an awkward half-drive and high arcing jump shot over Pavlovic -- not James -- with a second left. Immediately afterward, TNT cut to a reaction shot of a small boy in a Cavs jersey that was just awful, child abuse, really. In my notes, I wrote, "Absent a miracle, the Magic will be up 2-0 with home court."
And then a miracle happened.
Williams inbounded from half court to James. Having watched the replay a dozen times, the striking thing is how no other Cavs players seems to have hope.
Only James was moving hard.
Only James had any sense of still winning this game.
Only James could drive the Turk to the paint as if he was going for a lob, then get separation for the catch behind the arc.
And only James could rise and can it from 25 feet for the absolute single-out suck-out win.
Cavs 96, Magic 95.
Somewhere, Craig Ehlo is smiling -- crying, perhaps -- because he's off the hook now.
And that, folks, was just Game Two.
With a few minutes left in the first half tonight in Cleveland, the hometown team was ahead by a comfortable margin, with King James putting it in cruise control on his way to 26 first half points. Dwight Howard collected his third foul, and had to sit despite his 8-of-11 start. With two seconds left, the Magic converted a dunk on a feed from Rafer Alston to Marcin Gortat to trim the lead to 12, which means the Magic will have won the second quarter, and at least showed a semblance of a pulse despite a big offensive half for the Cavs.
And then the Cavs inbounded the ball to Mo Williams, who was 3 of 13 at that point. He rose up and converted a contested three pointer. From 67 feet away.
At the half, it was Cavs 63, Magic 48, and honestly? I thought the series was going to end right there. The Magic looked dead, the Cavs looked like there were going for the confetti buckets, and seeing how the first half of Game 1 was supposed to be the Cavs Rust Half, the other 3.5 games weren't going to go any better for them, right?
Well, that's why they play the games. After eight straight games of having the opposition roll over and die for them, the Cavs didn't get that kind of service from the opposition. The Magic won the third quarter hard, with good runouts to open threes, and it became clear that both teams were bringing their "A" games. James was able to pick up Howard's fourth foul with a minute left in the third, but he then missed both free throws, and at the end of the third, only James was playing well for the Cavs. After three, it was Cavs 82, Magic 78, with the road team cutting the lead by 11.
Opening the fourth, the Magic cut further into the lead with Rashard Lewis doing damage and James on the bench for a couple of minutes, and an Anthony Johnson three completed the big comeback with a 7-0 run to start the fourth. A hustle hoop then switched the lead back to the Cavs, and Howard returned with 9:24 left. Orlando missed from distance, and James missed a bad three with no dribbling. Howard to the rim for an alley oop dunk to get the lead back, and again, the Cavs settled for a last-second three and miss. Howard dominates Ilgauskas for another easy one and a three point lead; Z answered from 18 to cut it back to 1.
Howard barely avoids Foul #5 on a screen, but Delonte West misses from distance and the Cavs seem tight. Pietrus misses a three. Another terrible Cavs possession with James waiting too long, then turning it over in the lane. Pietrus gets to the line with the subsequent break and makes one for a 2-point lead. James to Vareajo for a make and the 90-90 tie.
TNT can't show me enough of the cute blonde chick being Dragged To Hell. I'm thinking that Tyler Perry is involved.
Howard called for the travel after a very long ad timeout; 5:33 left now. Better ball movement from the Cavs ends with a Z miss; it's answered by a long Turk 3, and it's Danger Time for the home favorites. Z misses again, but Sideshow Vareajo gets the board. Williams misses a three badly. James picks a Turk lob and gets fouled before he can get the shot off; 4 minutes left, and he gets all the way for the stuff. James now has 43, but it's answered immediately by the Fourth Quarter Turk. Magic still by 3.
James to the left hand, rack and score. Alston misses a three that would have been huge, and Mike Brown calls time with 2:47 left. James misses on a drive, and a Lewis corner three makes it a four point game; the road team is just better right now. Williams forces a corner three and makes it; he was 5 of 17 before then, and remember, one of the five was the halftime heave. 98-97 with 1:57 left as the Turk gets to the line and hits both. Big and easy points there. 100-97 now.
Pietrus giving James trouble on the perimeter, but the MVP is able to corral it and get to the line. Courtney Lee got away with some hardcore harm on Williams; had that been on the ball, the Magic guard might have gotten a flagrant. James' single chink in the armor is free throw shooting, and he misses another to make it a 2-point game. The Cavs have lived on defense, but the Turk gets Vareajo in the air and gets to the line. Cleveland Fan serenades the zebras for the call, but the Turk refuses to heed bad foul call karma, and hits both to make it a 4-point game again; he's now 6 of 6, and when you are trying to steal a road game, gaining points at the line is a very, very big deal.
The Cavs move the ball beautifully and get a Sideshow layup. Pietrus take a quick bad three and misses. James finds West in the corner with a very nice feed, and his three point ball over the Turk gives the home team a lead again. Wow. 103-102 Cavs, 40.8 seconds left. James shows the kind of teammate he is; with 43 points and his teammates giving him nothing, he still makes the pass.
The Cavs need a stop for the win but don't get it; Alston to Lewis for a drained jumper and a one-point lead. The Cavs then make the reasoned decision to have LeBron James, and he goes to the rack, scores a ridiculous runner, and fouls out Howard. Howard just seems amused by the whole thing. Unreal. James completes the old-school three for his new career playoff high (49 now), and with 25.6 seconds left, the Cavs lead 106-104.
Once again, the Cavs need a stop for the win; once again, they don't get it. Lewis to Turk to Lewis who hits an absurd three, and the Magic take the lead back with 14.7 left. So much for the Cavs being able to guard the three. Lewis now has 22 points, and now it's the Magic needing a stop for the win. Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, the Magic have shown no fear.
James almost loses the inbounds, then gets to the rim and fires it to the perimeter. West has a clean look but misses, and the play ends with a jump ball scramble on the floor with just a second left. James wins the tip to Williams, who gets a better look than you ever get in this situation, but it stays out, and just that fast, the state of the NBA playoffs have changed. And just to give the NBA powers that be and Cavs Fan additional heart failure, James is gimping on his knee with bad cramping after the buzzer. (He seems fine later.)
Wow, wow, wow. Magic 107, Cavs 106, and Orlando leads the series, 1-0, and I really don't know what to think about this series now. Orlando came from 16 down and confetti bucket time to win. They overcame James shooting 20 for 30 from the field, and shot 7 of 12 from the arc in the second half. They also got absolutely must-have makes twice in the final minute on the road.
If nothing else, I now know this: this series is going long. And just like the West, it's going good. Hell of a year for the Association post-season.
Tonight in Atlanta, your punitive favorite for the next NBA championship actually had to play the entire game for the first time in the playoffs. Atlanta led after the first quarter, but not the second, third or fourth, and while the game was close throughout, close doesn't much count when you're facing the best player on the planet at the height of his powers. Despite the worst game of the playoffs for main sidekick Mo Williams, the Cavs were still able to put the Hawks away in four.
The next round might be just as easy, really. Boston and Orlando won't end until Thursday night at the earliest, and if (hah!) that series goes seven, the younger and better Cavs will have a full week to get ready for their home court defense. This much time off at this time of the year can cause rust issues, but when you look at how James is is driving his crew right now, I'm just not seeing that come into play.
Take tonight's game, for instance. Halfway through the fourth, in a game that the Cavs could have easily mailed in so that they could clinch at home, they were up four with the Atlanta crowd in full throat. No one was making anything for the Cavs, but they also were refusing to give up anything from that lead... and then James simply canned a 26-footer off a Delonte West feed, and voila, 7-point lead and Hawk Fan's dream of being the Milwaukee Bucks in LeBron's '82-'83 Moses Malone quest for perfection were dashed.
When the Hawks threatened again at the 2-minute mark, James got the old-school three to make it seven again. And at the 52 second mark, it was his drive and kick to Williams for the dagger three that sealed it. Your final: Cavs 84, Hawks 74, and the Cavs are now 8-0 in the 2009 playoffs. Yeesh.
For the Hawks, it's another year where they made progress -- last year the 8 seed and the first round loss to the eventual champions, this year the 4 seed and the second round loss to the eventual champions -- and the Association is like that; it's crawl, walk, run. But despite their many athletic pieces and appealing home-court advantage, I'm just not feeling the love for them in the long run. Part of this is simply my disdain for Mike Bibby's game (he was 1 of 6 tonight with, um, one assist), some of it is just not liking their bench pieces since they let Josh Childress take Euro dollars: Flip Murray is an NBA journeyman for a reason. I'm also just not getting past the nagging feeling that they made too many whiffs when they had high draft position to ever be a serious contender.
In 2006 with the fifth pick, they take Shelden Williams instead of Brandon Roy, Randy Foye or Rudy Gay; in 2005 it's Marvin Williams instead of Deron Williams or (gulp) Chris Paul. Give me this Hawks' team with, say, Paul and Roy instead of Bibby and Murray, and you've really got something dangerous, rather than just good. As much as I like Joe Johnson, he's never going to be better than he is right now, and what he is right now is nothing that causes James any real worry. And sitting around waiting for the murder of Williamses to be both good and healthy is less fun, really, then watching Paul and Roy.
Finally, we're going to need dangerous in the East soon, because the first time that James burns through the playoffs is entertaining... but the second through sixth? Take another look at that picture of LeBron, and tell me how he stays awake for the other championships...
The Atlanta Hawks have played nine games this postseason. Nine times, the game has been unwatchable; tonight's game was over, charitably, at the half, when LeBron James hit from 45 feet, more or less just to see if he could hit from there. Adding to the misery was a blown ankle for Joe Johnson; add this to the injuries to the big men, and this series could end in 3.
See for yourself. I think this happened in the third quarter.
Oh, and don't let the final score (105-85) fool you; this was 85-55 after three quarters, and the fourth was all deep bench players. Atlanta has a home crowd, and maybe they actually give the Cavs a game into the third quarter in game three, but if the Hawks win a game in this series, it's the upset of the year. They'll be well-rested for the Eastern Conference Finals.
Next round NBA playoff predictions (and in the picking contest, I'm up 75-50 on the Truth, with both of us going 1-3 in the West in the first round...):
Cleveland vs. Atlanta: Cavs in five. This was going to be Cavs in six originally, but when you add in the fatigue factor, along with how banged up both of these teams have become, it just got easier for the LeBrons. Like they needed the help. The Truth Picks Cleveland in four.
Boston vs. Orlando: Celtics in seven. What, you think the Drama Boys aren't going to go the distance again? Just like in the first round, the visitors have more talent, and will win one of the first two games on the road. They also won't finish, mostly because Dwight Howard is turnover and foul-prone, and the Magic don't shoot free throws well enough, either. Prepare for another 2 weeks of the Bad Tooth obsessing over his team. Don't worry, it won't go any farther than this. The Truth Picks Boston in seven.
Los Angeles vs. Houston: Lakers in six. If this was baseball, I'd like the Rockets; when it comes to putting together a roster with spare parts, glue and a sabermetric eye for talent, they can't be beat. This isn't baseball, the Rockets don't have a point guard that can exploit the Lakers, and Pau Gasol will be much better than Yao Ming. Also, eventually, Kobe Bryant will overcome Ron Artest and Shane Battier. Expect the close on the road to get more than a little ugly; I have high hopes for the end of Good Testy's year. The Truth picks LA in five.
Denver vs. Dallas: Denver in seven. The Nuggets were 4-0 against the Mavs this year, for two simple reasons: Carmelo Anthony is better than Josh Howard, and Kenyon Martin is the prototype defender to drive Dirk Nowitzki to distraction. I also think that Chauncey Billups is going to eventually own Jason Kidd, but that it will take a while, and that the Nugs will show us the knucklehead ways that will doom them to a fast exist in the next round. The Truth picks Dallas in six.
Here's how much the Cavaliers were worried about the Pistons coming back from a 3-0 deficit to make a series of it today in Detroit... as Mo Williams was leaving the court at the end of the first half with his Cavs up 51-42 and the arena evenly split between traveling Cavs Fans and the Pistons faithful, he actually talked about catching the Hawks-Heat game, since the winner of that tilt is who the Cavs get next.
Let's just say he's not too worried about closing the deal here. Or me, for that matter, seeing how I finished up this post a long time before Game 4 was put to bed.
And, well, why should he be? This Pistons team is as bad as you are going to find in a playoff. It's best frontcourt scorer, Antonio McDyess, left his knees behind in the Clinton Administration. It has guards that can dominate, but rarely integrate. The holdovers from the championship team (Rasheed Wallace, Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince) have a hard time going through airports, with the big fork action. And if you want to wonder what this team might look like with a Carmelo Anthony, a Chris Bosh, or any number of other actual basketball players from the Darko Mistake. I realize the Pistons have their ring, but they could still be contending for them had they not boned their pick in a way that makes Portland taking Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan (or, shh, Greg Oden over Kevin Durant) look excusable by comparison.
I'm not sure it would have mattered, given the Cavs' ability to turn it up on defense and get points whenever Bron Bron wills it. They'll have to try harder to get past the Hawks-Heat survivor, and they will. But at least they kept us from watching any more Pistons basketball, and for that, all NBA fans -- even, one suspects, Pistons Fan -- thank you.
With the next to last night of NBA action happening tonight, and my Sixers looking like the worst team in the post-season with their sixth straight loss (a 100-98 effort to a Celtics team that didn't have Kevin Garnett or much of a reason to play hard)... well, it's as good a time as any to rattle off my picks for the major awards. Let's get right to it, so I can get the stink of that game out of my mind.
Most Valuable Player -- LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
People have been trying to make this into a competitive race for months now, and the general public, for one, isn't fooled. James is simply the best player in the Association on the team with the best record. The year he's had hasn't been matched statistically since Jordan's glory days.
Which isn't to denigrate the year that Dwayne Wade had. He's the clear number two choice, will most likely survive the first round against the Hawks, and will scare the living hell out of whatever luckless high East seed has to deal with him. He's just not as good as James. There's no shame in that.
As for Kobe, I'm not feeling it. In the future history of this year, he might be remembered for a championship, and he might be remembered as the year that he finally trusted his non-Shaq teammates.
But this is the year in which the most talented player in the league -- James -- became one of the hardest workers, too. Getting back on defense to make a saving and spectacular block just seemed to be a nightly occurrence. The pregame hijinks showed that, in a very real way, he was embracing a leadership role. The way he incorporated and raised Mo Williams, and how the team didn't miss a beat even as personnel shifted, just speaks volumes. And the 39-1 and counting home record just served notice that this was his year.
It's his year. And we're going to keep saying that for the next decade. Get used to it.
Rookie of the Year - Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
Chicago is a playoff team, and Rose is their best player. That makes him the choice over Memphis's OJ Mayo, and New Jersey's Brook Lopez. Either of those guys might have actually been better players this year, but point guards just matter more, and it's not as if the Bulls were awash in talent this year, especially with Luol Deng hurt for much of the year. Rose needs to get better, and he will, but for this award, he's more than good enough.
Coach - Rick Adelman, Houston Rockets
There's a lot of thinking that this needs to go to Mike Brown of the Cavaliers, or the criminally under-regarded Jerry Sloan, who has somehow not won this thing for his entire damn career. You could also think about San Antonio's Gregg Popovich, who could get it every year, or the Lakers' Phil Jackson, who really did a fantastic job of making sure that his talent meshed. But for my money, I'm giving it to Houston's Rick Adelman, who survived Ron Artest, the auto-ejection of Tracy McGrady, a near-fatality to big man Carl Landry, a midseason trade of his starting point guard to Orlando, and his best player (Yao Ming) being a defensive sieve despite being 7'-5". I still don't like this team's playoff chances, just because Artest is far too crazy to survive national attention and pressure, but give Adelman his due. This could have been a train wreck, and instead, they are highly competitive.
Most Improved Player - Paul Milsap, Utah Jazz
Most folks go for the easy choice of guys who are scoring more points thanks to an opportunity (the Nets' Devin Harris), a second-year player just finding his range (the Thunder's Kevin Durant), or the slow rising action of an improving veteran (Indy's Danny Granger). I just can't get enough of Milsap's game, a guy who just came from nowhere to be a critical part of a potentially dangerous playoff team, and a guy who more or less Wally Pipped Carlos Boozer in Salt Lake. To me, the MIP is about rewarding this kind of player, not adding to the trophy closet of players who will find themselves getting honored enough.
Sixth man - Lou Williams, Philadelphia 76ers
Everyone takes Jason Terry on this one, but Terry's really not a sixth man; he's just a guy who, for some reason that no one outside of Dallas can really tell me, doesn't start. Williams, on the other hand, is a true bench guy; he doesn't start because he's not better than Andre Miller, Andre Iguodala or Thaddeus Young. But when he comes into the game, he is a real difference maker, having scored an ungodly number of points from that position without being, unlike Terry, a defensive matador. He's a big reason why the Sixers get to the line so much, have a cohesive second unit despite erratic talent, and simply deserves more play than he gets nationally, in that I'm pretty sure no one outside of Philadelphia knows about him at all. Give him the award.
Defensive Player of the Year - Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic
This one's not even close. Howard lead the Association in boards and blocks, the first time that's been done in forever, and he's the only reason why Orlando's situation (i.e., a bunch of guys who can shoot threes, none of whom are known for their defense) works. If he were hurt, you'd be looking at a .500 at best team, because their defense would look Phoenix-esque. I don't think they are a Final Four team, because I don't like their guard play that much, and when your best fourth quarter player is Hedo Turkoglu, that doesn't smell like a championship to me. But that's not what we're dealing with for Defensive Player of the Year. It's Howard, who is good on the ball, off the ball, and in every other way.
Classy, Ray Allen, classy. Note also how Anderson Vareajo, who will flop in the face of a strong breeze, goes nowhere under the sharp elbow to the nethers. I'd rather leave it to the reader as to why that is, but my own personal theories are that Sideshow Anderson *liked* it... or that Allen just has such form on his groin elbow that you just have to admire it, really.
Today in Cleveland, you wouldn't give the visiting Celtics much of a chance. They were facing the Cavs, who were a mere 38-1 at home this year. They were without their best player, Kevin Garnett. And they were facing LeBron James on a nationally televised game.
On the other hand, being down 31-9 at the end of the first quarter is a bit much.
The Cavs wound up running layup drills with confetti buckets in this one, winning 107-76 in a game were James didn't have to play most of his 30 minutes.
What does it mean, really, for the upcoming playoffs? Probably not much, although one wonders if Garnett's return is going to matter very much if Paul Pierce is going to unfurl more 4 for 17 games. You just have the feeling this year, after watching James more or less put both hands around the MVP award and crush it like an anaconda, that the playoffs could just be a coronation until we get to the finals.
He even has a bench now, since Darnell Jackson gives good minutes, Joe Smith can defend, Wally Szczerbiak can shoot and Ben Wallace now sits. With Delonte West and Mo Williams providing very good support from the back court, and Anderson Varejao finally getting the starter minutes he deserves (welcome to the conscious world, Mike Brown!), it's hard to see how Boston or Orlando really touching them in a seven game series.
And as for the Finals, it's clear that the Lakers have an open path now that the Spurs have lost Manu Ginobili for the year. Honestly, it's really hard to see how that the Rockets are supposed to win playoff games while relying on Ron Artest, the Blazers before they have any real experience, the Nuggets without any real defensive talent, or the Jazz with the same old half-court offensive issues and road ineptitude as previous years.
So, well, it's up to the Celtics to detail the LeBron Train, and who knows, maybe they can summon up last year's memories to get there. But, well... Garnett's good and all, but is he really that much better, to make up 22 points in a quarter and keep the game without reach?
Association fans seem to be frothing at the mouth about a three-way race for the top dog spot. Let's begin, and hopefully end, with some numbers.
LeBron James - 28.5 points per game, 7.5 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.76 steals, 1.27 blocks, shooting 48.7% from the floor and 77.2% from the line. The Cavs are 53-13.
Kobe Bryant - 28.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 4.9 apg, 1.27 spg, .47 bpg, shooting 47.5% from the floor and 86.8% from the line. The Lakers are 53-13.
Dwayne Wade - 29.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 7.6 apg, 2.26 spg, 1.41 bpg, shooting 49.3% from the floor and 76.7% from the line. The Heat are 36-30.
Now, let's see. One player has the best numbers in five categories, but his team is only six games over .500. Another has the best record in the toughest conference (and I'm sorry, West fans, but that's no longer you -- six out of the seven worst records in the league belong to you, and seeing how you don't have the defending NBA champions, the only argument you've got for being the better conference is historical), along with terrific all-around numbers; he's also got a pretty ordinary supporting cast. The final guy is more or less having the same year he's had for the past five years, give or take a little better shooting and less boards and assists, because his minutes are down.
And the choice for MVP is... um, really, still Kobe? At least for the Lemur's Chris Sheridan, who might be just trying to do that Bad Tooth thing that sports radio does, or might just be a freaking idiot.
Look, I don't have that much skin in the game. I'm not a Heat fan, or a Cavs fan, and my Laker Hate is greatly exceeded by my Celtic Hate, my general Spur Disdain, and my continued Maverick Shadenfraude. I like my Sixers, and fah on all of you for not feeling the love for our 6th seed finish and one-and-done against the Dwight Howards. But honestly, what exactly does the best player in the league have to do to be recognized as such?
Unlike the reigning MVP, King James does not have an All-Star offensive center with kitten-soft hands in his prime (aka, Pau Gasol). Kobe has the coach with the most rings of any active active, while LeBron has to make do with a guy (Mike Brown) that frequently does not seem to be able to find his sizable pantload with both hands and a map.
It's not even like the voters are rewarding the proven playoff performer. Kobe's el foldos against the Suns and Celtics were something even his most ardent apologists have a hard time getting past, where LeBron has fairly heroic doomed efforts against a home-court Celtics team that had three out of the four best players in the series, and a Spurs team that enjoyed similar representation.
Oh, and there's also this. LeBron James has never been accused in a public court of anal rape, along with an admitted case of marital infidelity. Pardon me for failing to Obey My Thirst and just forget about all of that. Pardon me, really, as the father of daughters for *never* forgetting that, and thinking that but for his money and fame, he'd be doing just about the hardest time that there is. And a final pardon, really, for making you remember that your hero had to defend his use of the back door screen in a jury setting.
Now, if you want to argue that Dwayne Wade should be the MVP, I'll take that. He's got ridiculous talent, slightly better numbers than LeBron, and unlike Kobe, isn't just having the same year he always has. I'd argue that the Heat would need to at least get into the top 4 in the East to make Wade a remote argument, but they do still have a fifth of the season to play, and that's not impossible. I'd still probably not buy the argument, because the Heat won't be catching the Cavs on record, and I think their talent is quite comparable. But at least you'd have an argument.
But this abject Kobe Worship... you do realize, Sheridan and the rest of Mamba Harem, that no matter how much you kiss the loon's ass, he still likes it a little rougher than that, right? Just, um, checking...
