Disneyland vs. Disney World

Dwight Howard scored 40 points to lead the Orlando Magic to a 103-90 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers Saturday night in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The win propelled Orlando to their 2^nd NBA Finals appearance in franchise history where they will square off with Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. LeBron James scored 25 points for the Cavs but received little support from anyone else, as the team with the league’s best regular season record was sent long “Gone Fishing” for the summer. Game 1 of the 2009 NBA Finals is set to begin Thursday in Los Angeles.

Still Holding Court.....Cavs take Game 5

King James lead the way with the fourth triple double of his 59 game postseason career: 37 points, 15 rebounds, and 12 assists to lead the LeBron’s past Orlando 112-102 at Quicken Loans Arena. Cleveland came out blazing from the start, as this battle was very one-sided early. Feeding off the energy and emotion of the hometown crowd, the Cavs raced to a 32-10 with 4 minutes left in the first quarter behind 4 three pointers from Mo “don’t call me Casper” Williams. Orlando was able to overcome the initial onslaught from Guarantee Ghost and end the half on quite a run. The Magic all but completely erased the Cavs big 22 point first quarter lead with Rashard Lewis’ three pointer pulling the Magic with in one at 56-55 as we hit intermission. While walking to the locker room, you could almost hear Mike Brown thinking; “do we realize this is an elimination game, and it lasts 4 quarters?”

(Note: While the Magic were making their run in the 2^nd quarter, I witnessed something that I’d yet to notice. This actually had nothing to do with LeBron. Dwight Howard actually posted up Zydrunas Ilgauskas, spun across the lane with power and finesse, ala Amar'e Stoudemire, and finished at the rim while drawing the foul on Big Z. If someone that young and raw can ever fully develop that aspect of his post game, he truly could be unstoppable down low. Not just LeBron James unstoppable, but Wilt Chamberlain “I will average 50 ppg in any decade” unstoppable. Obviously the self-proclaimed next “Superman” still needs a jump shot, or any shot for that matter, but that’s what the off-season is for. In a short time he will become much more than the best defensive center who can only dunk.)

The second half was much more tightly contested, back and forth, until the Cavs finally wrestled control around the five-minute mark of the fourth. Thus started the typical parade to the foul line, as is usually the case come playoff crunch time. In the end the LeBron’s were able to defend the King’s Court, and promptly send the series back to the Magic Kingdom for game 6 Saturday night at Amway Arena. Cleveland was able to cover the spread (-8) in Vegas tonight, with the over/under (191) hitting as well. One positive: the growing personal foul epidemic did find a temporary antibiotic this evening, with Orlando committing 27 to the Cavs 25. Although 75 free throws were attempted between the two teams, there were far less of the head scratching, jaw dropping, unbelievable displays of officiating ineptitude that have seemed to plague a few recent playoff matchups. Celebrities in attendance at the Q included rapper Jay-Z, quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger and Brady Quinn, as well as Yankees stars Alex Rodriquez, Mariano Rivera, and C.C. Sabathia who were in town for a 4 game series with the Tribe starting tomorrow evening.

Pt. 2 final crumbs....

Smart move toward the end of regulation by Stan Van Gundy; Pietrus fouling LeBron, and in essence avoiding the home fans from having to “Witness” a re-enactment of Game 2. He did however make both free throws to force overtime. Props and respect to the Magic in the end. They keep punching the Cavs in the mouth. Ultimately, there is no other way. To be the best, you have to beat the best. Sounds cliché’ but it stands the test of time. Orlando deserves to win this series and if King James is able to bring the LeBron’s back, then that in itself will be of historic proportions. Something tells me that won’t be the case though. It would have been one thing to had LeBron making guarantees, but Mo Williams? He’s got about as much playoff credibility as Tracy McGrady. The Cavs may get game 5 back at the Q, but I don’t see them getting game 6 in O-Town. Not this year, and not this time, because for once, it looks like David Stern won’t have the final say in who plays for the Larry O’Brien trophy this season.

Killer Instinct & the LeBron's Pt. 1

The more I’m playing around with the idea of this new bog; the more and more I’m drawn into the world of the Internet and the vast and endless possibilities. I’ve discovered the many different widgets and gadgets to use with my new column, and it’s almost overwhelming. I will continue to explore the vast reaches of the farthest realms still unbeknownst to my personal computer literacy level. I have already received one sound bit of advice from my first loyal reader, and I will apply it accordingly. In the meantime, Orlando is really doing a number on Cleveland. It will be hard for even the King himself to climb out of a 3-1 hole. I’m not saying that it can’t be done, but the numbers do not lie. Only 8 teams have ever come back from a 3-1 series deficit in NBA history, with one of course being the Suns ’06 comeback against the Lakers sans Amare. I’m a little skeptical of Cleveland and how much experience they actually have. Yes, they did make it to the Finals in ’07, but Boobie Gibson, Big Z, Pavlovic, Varejao, and LeBron are the hold-over’s. And the San Antonio Sterns did mop them up 4-0; “shout out to Doug Franz at Sports 620 KTAR for that moniker by the way.” And my gut feeling, the way this year has went throughout the sports world, with the Cardinals making the Super Bowl and all. I wouldn’t be utterly dumbfounded if Orlando does make it to the Finals. In fact, with the pure disdain I have for David Stern, I would love to see a Denver/Orlando matchup in the 2009 NBA Finals. Marketing nightmare for the league, but a nice poke in the belly for DS nonetheless. But back to the Cavs, other than LeBron, they just lack the killer instinct, and if they don’t survive game 4, it could be the end for King James and his Royal Cavaliers! As I type this LeBron just sank the second of two free throws to give Cleveland the lead 98-97 with :21 seconds left.