Cavs/Magic Game 6 Recap
Howard dominates as Magic advance
How good was Dwight Howard in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals? Just ask the people who do Andrew Bynum’s dry-cleaning, because they’re going to find out. If Bynum sat through that game and didn’t feel, shall we say, nervous, then he darn well should have.
Howard finished with 40 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 assists in Orlando’s 103-90 evisceration of Cleveland, but it was his casting shadow and immeasurable presence, one that ended the series and the Cavs’ season in a 48-minute spree, that was the difference. From the moment those critical words (directed at Stan Van Gundy) left his lips in the aftermath of Orlando’s Game 5 loss to Boston in the East Semis 18 days ago, Howard has upped the ante. It culminated Saturday, where he was the best player on the floor.
Make no mistake, Orlando is the better team. Slow learners know that now. They so thoroughly dismantled Cleveland, not just in Game 6, but in five of the six games total, that they deserve to be making the trek west for Thursday’s Finals opener. The Magic’s improbable playoff run of dusting off juggernauts isn’t unlike the 1988 Pistons, who beat Jordan’s Bulls and Bird’s Celtics before advancing to the Finals to play Magic’s Lakers; this Orlando squad beat the defending champs in Boston, the best player in the world (James) and his league-leading Cavs, before arranging a date with Kobe and the Lakers. And to think, Orlando didn’t have homecourt advantage in either of their victorious series’ with heavily-favored opponents, or with this upcoming one. Yeah, the Magic deserve this. And they deserved to end this series at home.
Game 6 may have been close after one period, but it reeked of inevitability. James scored 13 in the opening stanza, with all but one of his field goals coming outside the paint. Unlike prior games, he wasn’t attacking like LeBron; ditto for his own team, but that was exactly like other games. Howard scored 11 seconds in, established the paint as his and his alone, drew two quick fouls on Varejeo, and his team never trailed.
To quote an unknown NBA home video that is lodged in my subconscious, the second quarter was less a contest than a coronation. Orlando, with Rashard Lewis and Howard taking turns landing hay-makers, extended their five-point lead to 18, and she was looking shaky for Cleveland. How shaky? LeBron went scoreless for the quarter, missing three shots from the field and two free throws. Start up the bus.
The second half served as a series snapshot. Cleveland threatened, albeit for fleeting periods, but Orlando’s superiority surfaced when it counted. They tied an NBA record for 3s made in a six-game series, and it could be argued that’s one of the many areas where the series was won; Orlando was potent and dangerous from the perimeter, Cleveland would have found throwing a pebble in a lake to be a difficult task.
Howard was dominant in the truest sense of the word in Game 6, providing an assortment of dunks, lay-ups, and hooks, with the Cavs providing no answer. He shot his usual high percentage – I mean from the floor (14-of-21), not from the line (12-for-16). Four of Orlando’s starters scored in double-figures (Howard, Lewis, Rafer Alston, and Hedo Turkoglu), flexing their pre-eminent depth, and Mickael Pietrus provided what is now routinely expected: Excellent bench play. The Cavs had the better player, Orlando had the better team. It ended at 103-90, and a 4-2 Magic win, but the final margin flattered Cleveland.
As for LeBron, well, what’s left to be said? He had the kind of series (38.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, 8.2 assists) that you build a statue for. But at last check, they don’t build statues for stars whose teams were thoroughly beaten. James was amazing all series; he might want to look for a higher league to play in. But in Game 6, he was worn - those broad shoulders just couldn’t lift his team any longer. Ironically, as much as he’d lifted them in the first place, that still wasn’t enough, his super-human efforts wasted on teammates ill-equipped to deal with the deeper, tougher, more athletic Magic.
James couldn’t turn the corner in Game 6; Magic defenders were loading one side, expecting and waiting for his forceful drives. He practically had a tent set up at the foul line in the prior three games, but on Saturday James got there “just” 11 times, finishing with 25 points. Like the other statistical gods of this sport, MJ (seven years), Wilt (eight) and Oscar (eleven), James’ initial title won’t come early in his career or easily. LeBron’s in a weird spot right now. His historical contemporaries, when facing playoff failures, all went back to the shop, refined and recast, and came back stronger. But when you look at James’ performance in this postseason, you could be forgiven for thinking it’s not him that needs to take a gawk in the mirror – it’s his teammates.
The manner with which the Cavs were beaten almost sours a 66-win season. Zydrunas Ilgauskas is aging, Anderson Varejeo is better suited to reserve/energy duty, and Mo Williams’ bark appears more potent than his bite. That’s not a good thing. Mike Brown was out-coached by Van Gundy, there’s no two ways about it. Yet at the same time, his adjustments (and subsequent re-adjustments) only outlined what we now know when these two teams meet: Frankly, Orlando is better. It’s not inconceivable to think that only one team in the league was better than Cleveland - the one that beat them. Who knows how the Cavs would have fared against Boston or LA, and I guess it doesn’t matter. This loss will humble… and hurt.
With this series, Orlando won over doubters and dethroned yet another more-favored team. Another one is waiting in Los Angeles, on a bigger stage. Are you doubting them?
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haha clevelanc
(Lebron, come in Greece if you want!!!!)
Mo Williams is a joke! He chickened out this entire series! For Cleveland, better start signing some quality bigs and a more reliable offensive threat or else LBJ is NYK! I am sensing the Cavs will be back from the dark ages.. This finals series is all connected to Shaquille Oneal.
It’s just dumb to say it’s LeBron’s fault when he has a versatile stat line of 38-8-8 .
The cavs simply need a better gameplan , so it isn’t that ‘easy’ to defend them ( Mike Brown Coach of the Year??? ) and they need players except LeBron that have the ability and will to execute when they are under real pressure .
But maybe this failure will help them like it helped other great teams in the past to grow and come back.
Anyways, today I simulate Lakers vs Magic on the LA’s homecourt. The Magic wins by 5 points while Howard had 23 points and 17 rebounds the most staggering stats was Rafer Alston with 20 points. Fisher was always one step slower, I guess if the game comes true the Lakers will try to trap Alston more on the game 2.
EBoy, still hating on SVG?
Even after being there last night, it’s still a great feeling.
Another round of basketball for people to doubt the Magic.
the whole coaching staff.. ha, even the trainers and scouts.
The Magic just owned them, straight up.
the cavs only game plan was give lebron the ball. that never works. you will find ways to stop him.
you cant blame lebrons team alone. c’mon they were the best TEAM in the nba with 66 wins. its lack of coaching…. from the coach of the year.
same thing happend to the blazers this year. 4th in the west, but the only thing mcmillin said was give the ball to broy. the team didnt get involved.
idk.
magic in 7.
click my link, and click the button.
“why hate lebron james”
and read.. if you kno how.
p.s. im not a kobe fan either.
-Fire Mike Brown
-Bring in a post presence and an athletic swingman
-Prepare for glory
Ps: Justin at times, is too cool. The school analogy? Amusing stuff.
2- Mike Brown got thoroughly outcoached.
3- The better team won. Regardless of records.
4- Bron should have congratulated Howard and faced the media. You like those cameras when you win, right?
5- Cleveland needs to roll the dices. They can’t come back with the same team and expect different results. That’s wishful thinking. Danny Ferry is going to have a busy summer.
Justin, “du bist heiss” or actually “du bist on fire”.
although I wouldnt sign any of those
If he has a post game and the Cavs hardly have any other capable post players on that team and hes 6′9 260+ and is surrounded by shooters, then why is it that their offense continually devolves into him dribbling away the shot clock at the top of the key before driving or pulling up for three? Why wouldnt he go to it more whether the Coach of the Year suggested it or not? Could his passing out of the post be just as integral to team success as anywhere else? Isnt it easier to score from the block? Its one thing to say he has no post moves whatsoever, I wouldnt do that. But he doesnt have a consistently dependable one. He has every tool to be one of the best post players in the league. But hes not.
I think there was a comment section where something along these lines were brought up and discussed, but this is precisely the reason why it is getting easier and easier to “hate” on King James. I just know that from watching this year’s postseason, I’ve somehow found Kobe more and more tolerable.
1- LBJ’s postgame is very solid, Myles. He doesn’t call his own plays as far as I know. That’s on Mike Brown.
2- Kobe has better footwork. Which doesn’t mean that Bron’s footwork is not good. C’mon, Kobe prolly has the best footwork in the L.
3- Bryan, how is being a better teammate and passer a detriment to his game? He avg 38 in the series while STILL dishing out close to 10 assts. How much points do you want him to score? 50 per?! Has Kobe ever done that?
4- Saying that Kobe is a better rebounder pound for pound means nothing. So I won’t comment on that.
5- Saying that Bron doesn’t commend respect in his locker room is dishonest.
6- Were you saying that Kobe didn’t have a killer instinct every year when he got ousted of the playoffs since the 3-peat?
7- LASTLY, if Bron doesn’t play like an animal in all of the games except Game 6, that sh!t would have been over in 4 games.
8- I’m not one of those unconditional haters that said that last year proved that Kobe sucks because the Celtics manhandled them. No, Odom and Pau didn’t show up. People can have preferences but some of the comments are crazy. Saying that the Cavs were overrated doesn’t mean that Bron was overrated. It was very clear after game 1 that they didn’t know what to do with the matchups and that they hadn’t practiced rotating all the way to the corner to protect the 3. SVG exploited that and planted Pietrus there. That’s just some effing great coaching. Z is not a solid 1vs1 defender and you can’t double Dwight because of the shooters. Nice job by Orlando. Cavs need to retool. I’m sorry guys, I just have problems pinning a loss on someone that averaged 38-8-8, regardless of his name.
2- S. Brown is getting sued over some sex-related stuff. I smell gold digging. The incident occured when he was still playing for the Bobcats and she’s filing NOW?!
3- good point, jrb. lakers know what its like to play in the finals. this magic team doesnt… yet.
4- magic could be scary good for a very long time. every core player is under 30 and nelson, arguably their 2nd best player, wasnt even playing! they just need to find a way to throw a lot of money at hedo this summer.
ENDS, I don’t think they hate them….but they need to win their next series to really be taken at face value. Otherwise, they’ll still be considered the third best team in the East. They did beat a resilient Celts team but it was a team without their leader and their best bench player so it’s not like they upset them. And it did take them 7 games to do it. But they deserve accolades for getting there.
I also think they’ll take the Cavs to six.
Let’s put it this way: If Kobe were to retire now, he’d be a bonafide Hall-of-famer.
If LeBron were to retire now, he’d be dancing that line between in or out??… I h@te to bring this up, but look at Bernard King. The man had the potential to be in the top 20 greatest players of all time. But his career was cut short due to injury. Now look at him? Most people barely give him the respect he deserves!
LeBron hasn’t passed that point yet, where, if he retires, he’s going to get the guaranteed props. If he were to retire early like Bernard King, they’d be in the same position.
Now, obviously, to some (me), Bernard King is a bonafide legend, and a personal favorite. Its just the way things are. You HAVE to stick around long enough to be “certified”.
Kobe and LeBron bashers are MAD annoying. They are what they are, so calm down!
LeBronx: “It’s hard for me to congratulate somebody after you just lose to them,” he said. “I’m a winner. It’s not being a poor sport or anything like that. If somebody beats you up, you’re not going to congratulate them. That doesn’t make sense to me. I’m a competitor. That’s what I do. It doesn’t make sense for me to go over and shake somebody’s hand.”
I digress… back to basketball. Read what I wrote about the careers of LeBron and Kobe, which I’m pretty sure you shouldn’t have a problem with.
Look with LeBron and Kobe, its pretty darn even. You could make arguments for both being the best, it just comes down to preference.
Lebron is way much overhyped, I was sure he’ll not make the final this year, I thaught the same about the Lakers but Pau Gasol Stepped up his game against the Nuggs and that why they get to the finals…
I completely dislike KB, but I think at this point, if I had 2 choose, i’ll take him over Lebron, it’s not much about bball skills, it’s about attitude, maturity and mindset and at this point, Lebron can’t compare
Fact 1 - Lebrons stats are a beast
Fact 2 - despite those stellar stats, he is on the losing side
Fact 3 - If it were anyone else but Lebron, people would be jumping on that person for either shooting too much to too little, giving up etc etc. He gets a free pass from a lot of blame
Fact 4 - This is the same team that won 66 games in the regular season. Suddenly they are inadequate?
I think what the seed is trying to say is that, we overrated the Cavs. They really weren’t hat good and we either didn’t see it or refused to accept it. The media and the public all went haywire when the Cavs whooped up on the Pistons and the Hawks like those two teams were really great teams! And just like the Lakers weren’t challenged until the NBA finals, the Cavs weren’t challenged until they played the Magic. The cavs were not a great team this year. They were OVERRATED and the Magic proved it. I think that’s what The seed was trying to tell you.
i dont think lebron or kobe is the best, i dont think either team is that good.
why do we always talk about these two?
dwade is better than kobe! by far.
and if rings matter dwade is better than lebron also.
why cant we add in WADE!
dwade is my fav. by far!
LeBron did do his thing against the Magic and the rest of the team didn’t. Imagine if this had been Kobe? We would have called him “ballhog”, “selfish”, “bad teammate”, you know, all the crap you haters say about him. but now it’s LeBron and it’s all of a sudden, “not his fault”, “he needs help”, “Competitor”. Don’t you think there’s a double standard just a bit. Everyone’s so quick to rush to LeBron’s defense but nobody else? Think about that one Z.
You’ve got to be kidding me! Before the Lakers picked up Pau, everybody on that roster played the same way the cavs are being accused of playing this year. if you watched the Lakers those seasons, whenver Kobe tried ot involve the team and they fell off, the media claimed that Kobe was “contained”, or “he gave up” and when he decied to take over, “ball hog” selfish” So, no we all cannot agree on that. Kobe has always been in this catch-22 that all of a sudden you claim that LeBron is in now. And for the free pass, yes, the media is attacking him but people in the same media are defending him as well! Open your eyes and stop acting like you can’t see what’s been going on.
That will make it easier for me to cheer for him.
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