Orlando Magic 99, Cleveland Cavaliers 89
by Evan Dunlap on May 25, 2009 4:32 AM EDT
in 2008/2009 Recaps
Email
PrintIn an ugly game marred by poor shooting on both sides, 58 personal fouls, and 86 free throw attempts, the Orlando Magic defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers, 99-89, to claim a 2-1 advantage in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Magic withstood another herculean effort by league MVP LeBron James, who finished with 41 points, 7 boards, and 9 assists. It was a shame that their own franchise player, Dwight Howard, was saddled with foul trouble the entire game and managed to play only 28 minutes before fouling out. He led the Magic with 24 points, and one wonders--given the ease with which he scored against the Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Anderson Varejao--if he and James could have wound up engaging in a classic, high-scoring duel with one another had Howard been allowed to stay in the game.
| Team | Pace | Efficiency | eFG% | FT Rate | OReb% | TO Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cavaliers | 87 | 102.3 | 40.4% | 33.3 | 25.6 | 17.2 |
| Magic | 114.0 | 47.6% | 61.9 | 20.5 | 15.0 |
As has been the case throughout this series, the Cavaliers simply did not provide sufficient support for James: Mo Williams and Delonte West were the only other Cavs who scored in double-figures, with 15 points (5-of-16 from the field) and 12 points (5-of-11), respectively. Ilgauskas, Varejao, and Ben Wallace were adequate on the glass, but they did not provide enough offensively to keep Cleveland in the game. And the lack of production from the other Cavaliers has proven to be their undoing in this series, as the Magic have been able to get solid contributions from almost everyone else across the board:
Hedo Turkoglu did a bit of everything except make shots, as he went 1-of-11 from the field. Still, he led the Magic with 10 rebounds and 7 assists, and his foul-drawing ability put the Cavs in the penalty early and often;
Mickael Pietrus scored 16 points off the bench, adding 6 rebounds--including a crucial offensive rebound with the Magic up just6 and 1:08 to play-- and 2 steals for good measure;
Rashard Lewis scored 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including 2-of-4 from three-point range;
Marcin Gortat was not the offensive force Howard was, but played excellent defense in relief of Howard, helping the Magic essentially tread water--they were outscored by 2 points with him in the floor--as Howard dealt with foul trouble;
and Rafer Alston gave the Magic's offense a lift early, with 11 of his 18 points in the first quarter, shooting 5-of-6. He missed 6 of his last 7 shots for the game, but his assertiveness on the offensive end helped the Magic hold a 7-point lead at the end of the first period.
I expect the Magic's depth, as well as the officiating, to be the main talking points about this game tomorrow. The former point is encouraging, but the latter point is distressing. I don't like to discuss the officiating here, or anywhere, and it's quite honestly a shame that the first things anyone wants to talk about regarding this game are the three men who are supposed to be more-or-less invisible. It's not just the fans. Here's how Cavs coach Mike Brown started his post-game press conference:
"It will be interesting to go back and look at the tape and look at the fouls. You know, to send them to the free-throw line 51 times is a lot."
True, Brown did not explicitly blame the officials for the Magic's parade to the foul line, later saying "we have to be careful defensively when we do it [foul] out on the floor." But when the first topic of conversation after an NBA playoff game of this magnitude is officiating, and not the performances of the teams on the floor, it's a sign that something is wrong. And when what had been a rowdy, raucous, incredible home crowd before the game is essentially a non-factor during it despite the home team's leading for much of the way, it's a sign that something is wrong. There should have been, and could have been, much more to cheer for tonight were the game called a bit more loosely, on both sides. I say this not because Howard picked up his 6th foul on what appeared to be a clean rejection of a James three-point attempt, but also because all the Cavs' big men picked up touch fouls trying to trap Magic ballhandlers, and Turkoglu in particular, on the pick-and-roll 20+ feet away from the basket.
But back to the game. Neither team played particularly well--although, as Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said afterward, "both teams fought extremely hard"--but then again, that might have something to do with neither team being able to get into a rhythm. Cleveland shot 37.2% from the floor and 19.2% from three-point range, while the Magic shot 42.9% and 35.3%, respectively. So did both teams just play great defense? Not according to the coaches. Here's Van Gundy:
"I thought our defense was better. I will know more after I watch the film. But they also missed some good looks [....] And there is a bit of a caveat to the defense, too, because when you take one guy [James] and put him on the line 24 times, it is hard to say that your defense is great."
... and Brown:
"[...] I think some of our looks throughout the flow of the game or the meat of the game were pretty good, were pretty good looks. If we're stepping into some wide-open looks, then hey, I'm going to live with that, because we have good shooters."
It's safe to assume that coach Brown considers Williams, at 46.7% this season, a good shooter. But in three regular-season games against Orlando, he shot 38.1%, his worst showing against any Eastern Conference opponent. Further, he's at 32.1% in this series, suggesting his poor shooting is not a fluke. To what does he attribute it? Pressure from a combination of sources, namely the Magic's aggressive closeouts and his own desire to lighten James' scoring load:
"Today I knocked a few [shots] down. But I get--I doubled over for a second, I see a guy running at me full speed. At the same time you got to give them credit. Sometimes they made me rush my shot. Sometimes I feel like I need to, you know, get a big bucket, take some pressure off Bron, you know."
If any Magic players feel similarly pressured to help Howard, they aren't showing it. Tonight, none of them forced the action offensively. An example: when Lewis drained a deep three-pointer to give the Magic a 75-66 lead with 8:33 to play, he looked completely calm. It speaks to the resiliency of this team, which has faced adversity in several forms throughout the season, that a key player can cold-bloodedly hit such a huge shot and not bat an eye. There's no pressure on the Magic, who are--to use a common expression in these playoffs--"playing with house money" in these Conference Finals. No one expected them to get this far, especially not without Jameer Nelson, their second-best player and best leader.
...just don't tell Williams that:
"We giving these guys too much respect. They are a good basketball team, but so are we."
The Magic are happy with the win, but they can't stop here. As Rashard Lewis said after the game, the Philadelphia 76ers took a 2-1 lead on the Magic in the first round, but didn't win a single game the rest of the way. Dwight Howard believes he knows how his team can extend its series lead:
"All we got to do is come out and play Magic basketball. We run, move the ball and defend. Like I have been telling you guys, we can beat anybody. And those are going to be the three things. Run, move the ball, and play defense."
We'll see how they do this Tuesday in Game 4.
75 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Mo Williams need to let his game do the talking....and just shut up!!!
…him calling out AJ for a cheap shot when he clearly barrelled into him and all AJ was trying to do was get a shot off is complete B.S. and typical of the Whine and Gold. Maybe if he didn’t crashing into AJ head first he would have caught the elbow in the first place!! Along the same lines..i’m starting to lose respect for Lebron with all this whining and flailing he’s doing on the court….is he taking pointers from Anderson Varejoe or something? Was he always liike this Seriously all this flopping and acting is getting a little ridiculous….for God’s sake they even have Ben Wallace flopping now!! That call on Lewis for “throwing” “Big Ben” to the ground on the rebound was hillarious. Ben should retire tonight if Rashard can throw him out of the way barely touching him despite giving up probably 40 pounds. I hope the NBA competition committee take a long look at all the actors masquerading as basketball player and start issuing techincals next year for unsportsmanlike conduct or something!! Officials are getting baited into calling ridiculous fouls by all these floppers and arm flailers…yes you too Hedo. It has to stop…it’s ruining the NBA. Maybe the Cavs should stop trying to induce foul calls with their theatrics and practice more on putting the ball in the basket and playing defense!! Great game for the Magic overcoming all adversity once again. Let’s take the wind out of the Cavs sails in game4 and close them out on their home court like we did with the Celtics!! Go Magic!!!
"if you're going to cry...go cry to your mama"
Orlando just needs to take it one game at a time.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
Sorry for the typos...but you can get the meaning i'm sure....
…LOVE breaking in a new post!!!!!
"if you're going to cry...go cry to your mama"
Congrats to the Magic.
I didn’t watch the game (and I didn’t miss anything according to the recap :P) but as expect Orlando just took a 2-1 series lead and the Cavs are starting to doubt a lot. Sure, this series is far from over, but Cleveland is way less dangerous on the road, especially in Orlando, and LeBron is all alone. The more there is pressure, the more his teammates disappear.
Anyway, Mo Williams has definitely achieved the “Can’t stand this guy” status with his comments :
At the postgame press conference, Williams, looking like someone who’d been roughed up by some wise guys, didn’t mince words. Asked if he thought Johnson nailed him with a cheap shot, he said, "Most definitely.’’
Then he talked about how Johnson hit him in Game 2, when they both flew into the front row at Quicken Loans Arena while going for a loose ball. "This is the second time,‘’ Williams said. "He gave me the elbow then.’’
Williams, who got his nickname from his love for mob movies, said he won’t retaliate against Johnson. But in doing so, he nailed the Orlando backup with a cheap shot of the verbal variety.
“I got bigger fish to fry,‘’ he said. "I got to go and figure out how I can make some shots and get open looks. I couldn’t care less about Anthony Johnson — he plays 12 minutes a game. I couldn’t care less.’’
Wow… maybe he should play well in his 40 minutes a game before crticizing Anthony Johnson who contributes more to his team in 12 minutes. How can you say this kind of things when you’ve been struggling throught the series (and the playoffs) and when your team is down 2-1?
LeBron James had his worst game shooting in the playoffs, too
…just 11 of 28 from the field, including 1 of 8 from three point range.
This was the first time LeBron has shot under 40% in a game since April 3rd when he shot just 7 of 20… against the Magic, of course!
"Why not us... why not now?"
by Mike from Illinois on May 25, 2009 5:41 AM EDT up reply actions
Thanks, sir.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
Hedo had an off night with his shot but..
he led the team with rebs.10 and assists 7. Created plays.
The Surfdog
You know LeBron's face when they read him that quote was pretty funny
It’s like even if you think that, you don’t say it to a bunch of reporters, Mo
We Are All Believers
by Stan in a Van (Down by the River) on May 25, 2009 9:32 AM EDT up reply actions
Mo has been speaking his mind way too much in this series.
.. right when he said that, I shook my head. I didn’t care that Williams said it but the media eats that up.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
Yea i was actually so happy he said that Ben.....nothing like feeding the Magic's fire!!:) Smart move Mo
"if you're going to cry...go cry to your mama"
by MagikFanatic on May 25, 2009 2:27 PM EDT up reply actions
Outstanding job making free throws in the second half from the Magic
After making just 9 of 16 FTs in the first half, the Magic really came through in the second half, drilling 30 of 35 (85.7%) FTs. D12 deserves a great deal of credit, making 14 of 19 free throws for the game, and making Cleveland’s strategy backfire of fouling him whenever he got the ball down low. If he makes just 9 or 10 FTs instead of 14, the Cavs would have had a much better chance of coming back late in the game.
The Magic’s superior depth over the Cavaliers once again came into play for Game 4.
Nice to see Pietrus playing 26 minutes off the bench. He was a big factor once again for the Magic. Even his missed threes were close, as several of them went around and out.
The Magic had attempted only four free throws in the game with 6 minutes remaining in the first half; the remaining 30 minutes of the game, they went to the FT line 47 times!
I can certainly understand the frustration on both sides with some of the calls, but Magic fans shouldn’t complain too much because the Magic wound up with a 16 free throws attempted advantage.
Good recap by Ben as always.
Have a nice holiday today, everyone!
"Why not us... why not now?"
by Mike from Illinois on May 25, 2009 5:33 AM EDT reply actions
it's true
that we got to the stripe more often but that was cleveland’s game plan. we weren’t looking to foul like they were so getting to the magic getting to the line more often makes sense.
it’s awesome seeing pietrus become such a big factor this post season. i was afraid we messed up for a while.
Nah' mean, nah'm sayin
Agreed, on both points.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
Thanks, Mike.
Have a good holiday, too.
As for Orlando’s FT advantage, that stat is skewed because Cleveland was purposely hacking Dwight.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
Numbers don't always tell the true tale...
+16 you say….well you can knock 8 right off the top for the intentional fouls by the Cavs at the end of the game and free throws for the 2 technicals. Also…it was part of Mike Brown’s defensive strategy to Hack-a Dwight leading him to shoot 9 more FT than his season average, 11 more than Game 2 ,and 17 more than Game 1, all this in only 28 minutes as opposed to 38 minutes each in the first 2 games. Take also into consideration that Cleveland effective settled for jumpers most of the game , including Lebron, while Turk , Courtney, Pietrus, Raefer, Rashard, and even AJ were consistently attacking the paint. Heck even 7’3 Big Z from the Cavs was taking more 3 pointers than jump hooks….kind of hard to draw fouls when your doing that. So really the cavs can only blame themselves for the discrepensy. If you just take out the difference in Dwight’s season average, the T’s, and the intentional fouls at the end of the game, that would be 17 FT’s. The fact that the Cavs were shooting jumpers and the Magic were driving the lane on top of that…discount any argument that the Magic got the benefit of the refs whistle….quite the contrary. And while in principal, i don’t agree with calling ticky tack on the perimeter like those called on Turk’s defenders, this have pretty much been probably the most consistant pattern in NBA officiating…any contact on the perimeter…it’s a foul, in the paint…they let it go….and there clearly was contact in all cases. Heck Dwight usually picks up more fouls trying to set screens that he does battling under the boards. I really wish they would use someone else..it’s not like he hardly ever gets the ball back after the screen on the roll. For Mike Brown to continually try to pressure Turk on the dribble with double teams after they clearly were consistent in calling perimeter fouls , which they have all playoffs and all season….was definitely a bad coaching philosophy. Lol…and then he had the nerve to mention the FT difference after the game!! Definitely not COY stuff….
"if you're going to cry...go cry to your mama"
by MagikFanatic on May 25, 2009 2:52 PM EDT up reply actions
Correction...the T's were on the Magic....so subtracting those from the 17 would be 15 to knock off the Magic total..
"if you're going to cry...go cry to your mama"
by MagikFanatic on May 25, 2009 2:57 PM EDT up reply actions
Ah, I understand now.
Their strategy wasn’t to hack Dwight. Their strategy was to hack Dwight, get called for fouls, and then act like they’re shocked that the refs are calling SO MANY fouls on them (for hacking Dwight).
Yeah, and we broke your damn shot clock too.
Zing!
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
i just don't get it
how can you call foul on dwight for that block,and in same time let LBJ make 3 or 4 steps in his charges,not calling him for travelling at least once?
man,he is running sometimes. i know nba has somewhat liberal rules,but he is making a fake while jumping,making a 2 steps from landing,and laying up(from game 2)
Refs were calling the game pretty tight, contact-wise.
.. even though Howard got the block, he shouldn’t have tried.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
What is it with the Magic and opposing point guards?
I fail to see how there was any intentional foul on Dad’s part. He moved his arms about as much as anyone trying to get a shot off.
I don’t like how this sounds, but honestly, Mo’s face was just in the wrong area during that foul. I’ve had something similiar happen to me, going up for a rebound. I was just a half second late on the jump and I was going up as the other guy was coming down with it. His elbow connected with the bottom of my eye socket. It rung my bell for a second but I kept playing. Within 15 seconds, my eye swelled nearly shut. Worst black eye of my life. :)
The eye socket area gets injured easily. The elbow is a hard object, and carries a lot of leverage, due to human biomechanics. This was clearly an accident.
Furthermore, (on Williams) the ball chucking incident from game 2 was way out of line. That was an easy tech, and Williams was apparently able to explain it away. I REALLY appreciate Rashard Lewis’ cool head in situations like that. He might be the most unflappable guy on our team.
It is really sad that we’re talking about officiating, and I don’t believe the NBA should allow this type of bunk to continue. Then again, any idea of a review board is probably worthless, because the NBA is trying to lengthen series and make matchups in the playoffs.
I don’t see many Magic players getting away with ugly/sneaky fouls, although Hedo is classic for throwing the ball up and jumping into people. I just don’t think the Magic have that win at all costs and conscience be damned attitude.
Apparently Cleveland does.
I think you meant Dwight Howard, not Rashard Lewis.
.. that’s the person Mo threw the ball at.
As for Dad’s elbow, just inadvertent. Cleveland will call it cheap because the team has no choice. But an objective observer or whoever else will point out that Johnson had no malicious intent against Williams.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
It was just as blatant at Varejo's (not sure who it was, but I think it was him) elbow to Rashard's face in game 2 where Rashard was called for the foul...
…but no flagrant was called there. I guess they thought Rashard put his face in front of the opposing player’s elbow. shrug
Orlando Magic ECF-bound!
LET'S GO MAGIC! LET'S GO!!!
It was a bad call...in a game marked with bad calls....
..the NBA officials are really starting to embarrass themselves!
"if you're going to cry...go cry to your mama"
by MagikFanatic on May 25, 2009 3:17 PM EDT up reply actions
NBA begrudgingly release a new advertisement
Check out some of my photos: My Flickr Account
LifeOfAGiant.com - My photo-life-blog is coming soon
by big aaron on May 25, 2009 8:24 AM EDT reply actions 2 recs
Nice. Love the picture choice.
We Are All Believers
by Stan in a Van (Down by the River) on May 25, 2009 9:26 AM EDT up reply actions
LOL .. nice one, man.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
Thats awesome..lol
"if you're going to cry...go cry to your mama"
by MagikFanatic on May 25, 2009 3:09 PM EDT up reply actions
The strategy works:
Let LBJ do his thing, and block everybody else. The Cavs’ win came when he scored less than 40. Scored 49 and 41 in the losses.
AC/DC + Tampa Bay Rays = Big Balls on a Budget
Yeah, that appears to be the winning formula.
.. which goes against the grain, given that the Cavaliers coming into the series, were 27-3 when LeBron scored 32 points or more. Credit the Magic for being able to shut down the role players, effectively.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
Brian Schmitz answers a question from SportsCenter this morning on the 9am live show
(Rough estimate)
SC: What was the Magic’s reaction to LeBron’s buzzer-beater in Game 2:
BS: “Ho hum. Whatever.”
AC/DC + Tampa Bay Rays = Big Balls on a Budget
Nice, Brian.
.. next time I see him, I’ll give him a ‘high-five’ for that response.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
That Peaches offensive rebound was HUGE.
I had caught him flying around the court trying to get one in a couple earlier plays and then didn’t even see him til he was (what seemed like) 10 feet in the air for that one.
I agree with everyone with the disgust over Mo Williams. Here I was coming into this series thinking Varejao would be my least fave Cav. Sure Varejao is annoying with all the flops, complaining and heckling but makes JUST enough stupid mistakes & fouls to go along with his low scoring to give Mo Williams the prize.
I can’t fathom anyone else saying “We are respecting [the team who just beat us] too much”.
But to bring it back to the Magic, I love how an unlikely trio is just showing no fear (esp against LeBron): Pietrus, Lee & Gortat. As we were saying on Twitter: “America, Poland & France, don’t believe in monarcy & are joining the Revolution to overthrow the King”
We Are All Believers
by Stan in a Van (Down by the River) on May 25, 2009 9:26 AM EDT reply actions
My favorit play from MP was when he had missed 2 3 pointers and got another open look from the corner
He pumped faked,lost his defender and drove for the layup………..He wouldn’t have done that in the regular season. His basketball IQ has gone up big time in the playoffs
by AB's triple double on May 25, 2009 11:51 AM EDT up reply actions
That play was awesome. I was definitely surprised & impressed that he made the adjustment
especially since he tends to be a good finisher at the rim.
We Are All Believers
by Stan in a Van (Down by the River) on May 25, 2009 11:52 AM EDT up reply actions
Peaches is just playing with confidence right now and making the right plays. It's nice to see.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
I agree he's really stepped up his game.....
….i’ll actually CONSIDER taking back all the bad things i said about him in the regular season if he keeps it up!! Lol
"if you're going to cry...go cry to your mama"
by MagikFanatic on May 25, 2009 3:41 PM EDT up reply actions
the flopping is aggravating
but i’m just glad that i don’t have to watch paul pierce and rajon rondo’s theatrics on the floor. that was ruining basketball for me.
Nah' mean, nah'm sayin
Zing!
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
I think the NBA should look into calling technicals for flopping and theatrics for unsportsmanlike conduct...
…i realize this would go against everything i believe that the refs already have to much influence…but flopping is bad for the game. Beside if they can call techicals on Gortat for facial expressions and complaining in Polish…and on Dwight for merely talking to the other bench…not even looking at the ref…how much worse can it really be???
"if you're going to cry...go cry to your mama"
by MagikFanatic on May 25, 2009 3:45 PM EDT up reply actions
That's an incredible quote, Stan. That's what's up.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
Howard's 6th "Foul"
Was just unbelievable. Even with my crappy SD TV i could tell it was a clean block! I couldn’t believe that call, and the replays of the block over and over just made it worse.
Eh, it's fine.
Like I said last night in the game thread, Howard shouldn’t have gone for the block .. even if it was clean, just because the refs were calling the game real tight and I knew Dwight was going to get called for a foul.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
I remember back in the day with Shaq in Orlando
he had a similar problem with the refs.Always in foul trouble. It was about in the same time in his career too. Now he can do no wrong.(almost)
The Surfdog
AJ Speaks......
…..you know fellas, I am not used to this media attention. I once dropped 40 on Jason Kidd in a playoff game and got a whole lot less attention. And that Mo guy thinks I am taking cheap shots?? I been in the league a long time, and I still thought he was in in Milwaukee. Now they tell me he is an allstar?. Isn’t Rondo still in the league?? I thought we just played him. He is pretty good. That Mo guy made the all star team ahead of him? I must be living in bizzarro world.
Anyway…just wanted to tall ya all I didn’t mean to hurt Mo’s feelings or even his eye. Its the NBA…stuff happens. I was surprised when Joey Crawford told me that its was gonna be an ejection. Me and Joey share stylists and I think he gets his dome shined before a game. Its blinding….but you gotta respect an old guy that can get a shine like that. Joey is a good ref, and looked at the tape and spared me the ejection. Good thing too, cause I don’t think Tyrone was wearing his uni under his warmup tonight. We woulda had to run Hedo and Rafer at the point, and we all know what a horrid disadvantage that woulda been.
Anyway, wanted to check in, got some team leader stuff to do today and get ready to play my 6-10 minutes Tuesday. Mo Williams plays in Cleveland now…really? And they payed him alot of money to come there? And is an all-star? I have always made it a point to focus on my game and help the team. Guess I better start reading the papers.
A Johnson (the one still playing in the playoffs, not the guy that used to coach Dallas and talks like a girl).
I am just happy Mo didn’t throw the ball at me or anything, that mighta stung
Waiting on LeBron and the Cavs
LOL .. nice.
Been a while since Dad “spoke” to us ..
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
Yup.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
Dude...you should be a comedian..
…that’s funny stuff man!!! You should put that on Dwight’s Facebook…he would die laughing at that..lol
"if you're going to cry...go cry to your mama"
by MagikFanatic on May 25, 2009 3:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Not the greatest game to watch thanks to the officiating...
…but Orlando overcame that and showed they were the better team through and through. Great win
Operation Smite-a-Dwight: failure to execute
"I was playing in the streets one time and my friend broke off a leg to a chair and threw it at another guy through his heart and he died." - Ron Artest, QB's finest
Thanks for the kind words.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
Can't believe nobody's mentioned Gortat's two blocks
Please don’t sweep that under the rug guys. The dude had two clean blocks on the best wing player in the league. I was shocked on the first, and had to laugh when the second happen. Congrats Gortat.
Two to go, something tells me the Cavs simply can’t beat ORlando three times. Won’t happen. Get ready to buy your Finals tickets everyone.
One Freaken Second
Don't jinx it, man.
This series is far from over .. just need to take it one game at a time.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
Barkley was saying they got nobody to block shots when Dwights out.
I was thinking he obviously hasn’t seen The Polish Hammer in action. Boom!
The Surfdog
Pietrus got him too....!!!
..I thought it was the Hammer’s third on James but the replay showed it was Pietrus from the backside that got him in the 4th quarter!!
"if you're going to cry...go cry to your mama"
by MagikFanatic on May 25, 2009 3:51 PM EDT up reply actions
gortat is sick
it was like someone put a seven foot mirror on the court when he and big z were playing together. are there really no finances to keep him around next year? there has to be some clever finagling that could keep him around.
courtney lee is becoming one of my favorite basketball players. dude is a stud
“someone needs to tell that boy he’s a rookie”-barkley
Nah' mean, nah'm sayin
Gortat is gone, unless Otis Smith does some shrewd roster shuffling (which I doubt will happen).
.. it’s better for Marcin’s career if he left. Can’t play behind Dwight Howard forever.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
When Dwight went out i said here comes The Polish Hammer to save the day.
and he did, With his Defense. Shocked the hell out of The Incredible Man!
The Surfdog
Gortat played honorably.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
It's so bittersweet...it's like watching your kid graduate
You know it’s best for him to spread his wings and fly away but you hate to see him go lol
We Are All Believers
by Stan in a Van (Down by the River) on May 25, 2009 4:05 PM EDT up reply actions
Well said.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
That's fine. Let 'em talk.
.. only fuels more fire for Orlando.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
Here's the funny thing tome
It’s much more difficult to argue that Cleveland could be up 2-1 in this series than Orlando being up 3-0.
Evil Cowtown Inc: Screwin' Suckaz over since Nineteen Eighty-Five.....
No mistakes in the tango, darling. Not like life. Simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get all tangled up, you just tango on.....
Good stuff with the quotes, Ben. Thanks.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
Something I wish I had mentioned: the Magic really were not fazed by LBJ's 3ptr
Rafer said in his presser they joked about it on the plane, teasing Lewis for not even doing jumping jacks in front of the inbounder.
This team does not g.a.f. sometimes, which is refreshing.
Yeah, not surprised.
Anyone who’s been following this team closely knows this team is almost never fazed. Ever.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
I definitely agree here...
…the effect of Lebron playing 1 on 5 on his team mates is allowing…they spend all that time watching Lebron do his this, which is admittedly very impressive, and in return it throws them out of their own rhythem…so when comes to crunch time…we can pressure Lebron with double teams and he’s tired, while his team mates have lost their shooting touch in the meantime…..the same thing used to happen to Kobe ..and even Micheal…althought much less because he had a much better supporting cast.
"if you're going to cry...go cry to your mama"
Great news for us...bad news for the Cavs...
Rashard Lewis had his worst game in points since the 3rd game of the Sixers series (14 games), Turk went 1-11 from the field…Dwight only played 28 minutes….and we still won going away by 10!! Credit Raefer for really stepping up his game and getting us started after a poor showing in Game 3, and to C.Lee and Pietrus for their continued hustling defense and clutch offense. Also proud of Turk for finding other way to contribute when his shot wasn’t falling and Howard for making clutch FT’s in the 4th…i think he even had a better % than MVP Lebron if i’m not mistaken!! Great team effort…great win!!
"if you're going to cry...go cry to your mama"
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Orlando Pinstriped Post
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
Contact Us
In Association With
Ball Don't Lie - NBA - Yahoo! Sport
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, ‘Jeopardy!’ is no place for your dirty mind (VIDEO)
- Steve Blake, wife receive death threats via Twitter after Lakers’ Game 2 loss
- Caron Butler dunks make Tim Duncan walk away sad (VIDEO)
- Lance Stephenson made a choking gesture at LeBron James (VIDEO)
- Dwyane Wade clashes with his coach, the Pacers dominate the paint and take the series lead (VIDEO)
