What Can Cleveland Lean on at this Point?

The Cleveland Cavaliers find themselves on the back end of four playoff contests in which three have gone down to the wire and could have been anyone’s game. However, the bad news is that the Orlando Magic have capitalized on two of those situations; game one on a Rashard Lewis three with under ten seconds to go, and most recently in game four in overtime off a LeBron James missed long three. The Cavs, who were the favorites for many to win this series, and perhaps the so-called “darlings” of the league, now need to become ferocious. If anything, there is one fact that they can lean on to fuel one notion they can believe in.

The Fact:

Cleveland this year was 39-2 during the regular season; one loss to the Lakers who they don’t have to worry about yet unless they both get to the finals, and the other to the Philadelphia 76ers in Cleveland’s final home game where they rested LeBron James and Mo Williams.

The Notion:

Although they lost one home game already in the post season (and no less to Orlando in game one of this series) they can still say “All we have to do is win one road game to get this series.”

The Conclusion:

It’s quite simple, but also a very realistic mentality to keep, and with that being said, if Cleveland wins game five in Cleveland, and then Orlando fails to close it out in Florida, well then my friends, I don’t think there will be too many people picking against the Cavaliers in a game seven at the Q.

The Magical Bums

The Orlando Magic are a team that has just downright gotten under my skin. It has hardly anything to do with a biased opinion. This literary lashing that is about to ensue is derived from their lack of effort but mainly their incompetence.

A lot of people probably thought the Magic would beat the Celtics fairly handily without Kevin Garnett, with the series going no more than six games, especially since they were 3-1 against Cleveland, 3-1 against Boston, and 2-0 against the Lakers in the regular season. You know why they had such great records against those teams in the regular season but don’t look like it in the post season (like the way they let the Philadelphia 76ers start out to a 2-1 lead in their first round series)? Because they keep playing like the team that looked so good in the regular season, as opposed to the type of team that it takes to get through the postseason… one with heart, and guts, and that wants to live up to the hype, rather than expecting to.

An example of this is Dwight Howard. How many times has he missed on his short hooks in this series? More than someone who is considered in some circles “the next Shaq.” He has the same expression and drive in playoff games as he does in the regular season games, and I would not be surprised if he never worked on that might-as-well-be eyes closed hook shot of his. And who is to say that he should try to live up to Shaq, but he sometimes seem to have an heir as if all the hype is true and that’s that…. no need to work on it or prove it.

Then you have guys like Hedo Turkoglu and Mikael Pietrus looking like all they can do is shoot three pointers. They need to play smarter than that. They are the three seed in the Eastern conference and sport the fourth best record in the entire league, not the three-balling 29-53 Golden State Warriors. Turkoglu and Pietrus need to trust their inside game more and try to force fouls on that Boston interior defense. They have no excuse. Like they say… “You live by the three and you die by the three.”

In game four, they were down by 10 or so with six minutes to go, and only had a little over 80 points total, and needed the help of a six plus minute Celtic scoring drought in order to catch up for the one point lead they blew on Davis’ jumper. Then, in game five, when they seemed to get it right as they had a ten or so point lead on Boston with about four minutes to go, they blew that, and lost by three! You know what that smells like? Pure, plain, and simple incompetence.

Until they change, I will be an advocate of what Charles Barkley said a few nights ago… “If they can’t beat the Celtics without Kevin Garnet, then how in the world do they expect to beat them with him?” It’s not a pity to say the following either, because they’ve only brought it on themselves… The Magic are the second round version of those loaded teams who can never get out of the first round. Except in this case they just can’t get out of the second.” – Alex V

 

 

Game 1 Road Victories Huge – Who has the Edge? Orlando or Houston?

Last night presented us with a pair of game ones on TNT that just about went down to the wire, but most importantly, had the road teams winning. The first game featured the three seeded Magic and two seeded Celtics in Boston with Orlando getting the W. The second game was the five seeded Houston Rockets at the one seeded Lakers in Los Angeles. with the road team pulling out a crucially upsetting victory. This is a great position for any team to be in, and especially a considerable underdog like the Houston Rockets. With that being said, who has the greatest advantage?

 

One advantage both teams earned with their victories is home court. Aside from that there are other mental factors that can provide advantages as well as some disadvantages.

 

The Orlando Magic looked solid and efficient as they worked their way building a huge lead which at one point was as high as 28 points midway through the third quarter. Their big four scorers of Dwight Howard, Raefer Alston, Hedo Turkoglu, and Rashard Lewis all posted 10+ points and they also received a boost from Mickael Pietrus who stepped it up adding 10+ points of his own. All in all it definitely looked like the fatigue from Boston’s seven game, multiple overtime series with Chicago was beginning to show.

 

That was until they began a spurt which saw them outscore the Magic 54-41 in the second half, and even close the gap to four points when there were less than two minutes left in the game. Now it’s one thing to win on the road and pull off a game one victory. But when you cannot keep the clamps down after building a 28 point lead in the third quarter against a team who is supposed to be tired and is playing without Kevin Garnett and Leon Powe, that should do more good for they psyche of the Celtics than it does for the Magic.

 

As for the Rockets, they managed to stay within their game the entire contest versus the Lakers. Even when L.A. converted a nine point deficit in the second half into a one point lead, Houston never waivered and stuck with their game plan a got back to holding onto comfortable leads of five to nine points. Much of that had to do with the careful and mistake-free ball handling of point guard Aaron Brooks.

 

On top of that, they received en emotional lift when Yao Ming was hurt after Kobe Bryant’s right knee banged into his own right knee. Yao was favoring the knee very heavily and he even walked off the court before pleading with his team trainer that he was fine and able to go back. All he did in his return was hit a big jumper and sink six free throws to keep LA at bay in the waning moments of the game. Now if that isn’t good for a fifth seeded team’s confidence faced with task of taking down the daunting L.A. Lakers then I don’t know what is.

 

Because of the Rockets consistent game play in their victory coupled by the determination of Yao Ming, I would give them the edge on the advantage end over Orlando. As for the Magic, it is great that they won on the road, but they were basically hanging by a thread as the game was expiring, and perhaps they have yet to face a fully alert and enthused Celtics team.

3-1 Deficits are Hard to Overcome – But Trail Blazers Have Plenty of Motivation

In NBA playoff history, only eight teams have ever come back from a 3-1 deficit. There have been plenty of times where the team facing elimination has forced games sixes and even games sevens, but it is just that hard to beat a team three straight times. The Portland Trail Blazers face that same dilemma and have already closed the deficit to 3-2. But what kind of motivation does this team have to win the series… it’s quite simple

 

The Trail Blazers seem to be a team suffering from the playoff willies. They’re young. However, they should convert that youthful inexperience into youthful enthusiasm to try and beat the Rockets tonight in Houston with the lingering thought in the back of their minds that if they can pull it off, they go back to Portland for game seven. They need to use this to remember that the pressure is on Houston as they definitely want no part of a game seven on the road.

 

I definitely think the Blazers can pick up the win as they were one of the hottest teams going into the playoffs, and in the final week of the regular season they beat Denver and L.A. who are the top two seeds in the west. So don’t be surprised if Portland becomes the ninth team in NBA history to win a series after being down 3-1.

Spurs Downed by Mavs in Five Games – Look Like Chumps

Last night on TNT the Dallas Mavericks swiftly dispersed of the Spurs as big scorers Jason Terry (19pts), Josh Howard (17pts), and of course Dirk Nowitzki (31pts) lit up the court with constant hope-crushing basket after basket. It was these same types of performances that powered the Mavericks to win all four games by an average of 12.75 points. And although the Mavericks feat is certainly props-worthy, this upset has as much to say about them as it does the Spurs.

If anyone said that before game one the Mavericks would beat the Spurs in five games you’d tell them they better not put any money on it. It is not as if it would have been a stretch to pick the Mavs to win the series, but in five games and with the purely superior display that they did it with, that is what makes this series an upset of almost monumental proportion.

The Spurs are not used to losing big, much less that many times to the same team and especially to an opponent that they have a history with. Yes, it is true they had no Manu Ginobli, but for them to lose by 12.75 points per game when they were the favorite is alarming. Next season they’re going to have to hope Ginobli is 100% and they may need to think about replacing the vets like Kurt Thomas, Bruce Bowen, and Michael Finley.

As for the Mavericks, more power to you!