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Who will win?
Cleveland
1. Lebron James - There were no secrets, no trick plays, no deception. It was the fourth quarter, a tight game and the Cleveland Cavaliers were facing elimination, facing an uncertain future. No one was going to mess around.
Give it to LeBron.
2. Cleveland Offense - In general, it seems to me, the Cleveland offense is good when it features movement. Shooters, cutting, passing, layups, dunks ... this is what this team has learned to do! At its worst, on the other hand, ten players are standing still. This patented Cleveland bog down, most of the time, is a victory in and of itself for Orlando. LeBron James, catching the ball on the move, is probably the most efficient scoring machine in the NBA. With James alone with the ball, and everyone standing still watching, that can't happen.
3. The Supporting Cast - Everybody in Cleveland line up should take a shot and make some offense around Magic. If they don't they can't match up Magic offensive power.
4.-5. Again its all Lebron James - We give LeBron the ball and get out of the way,” West said. Added Cavs reserve Daniel Gibson(notes), “we’ve got 23,” referring to James’ jersey number. Whether Cleveland can beat the Magic in a seven-game series with that strategy remains to be seen.The often one-versus-five approach has been enough to keep the Cavs in this series. If not for James’ buzzer-beating 3-pointer in Game 2, the Cavs might already be on summer vacation. James’ struggling teammates have given him little support. Even with Mo Williams(notes) and Zydrunas Ilgauskas(notes) having one of their best games of the series Thursday, it was James who rescued the Cavs from a fourth-quarter deficit.
They just spread the floor and let James go to work.
ORLANDO MAGIC1. Dwight Howard - Dwight Howard scored 10 points in overtime and Orlando, raining down 3-pointers like a Florida thunderstorm, withstood 44 points and the last-second fling by James for a 116-114 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night to take a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.
2. Magic's Magic - Rafer Alston knows he is perceived as the “weakest link” in the Orlando Magic’s starting lineup.He’s the smallest. He’s the oldest, and he’s replacing an All-Star in injured point guard Jameer Nelson.“I’m probably not the most consistent one out of all the bunch as far as making 3s,” Alston admits. He also knows anytime Orlando struggles, he’s usually the first one blamed. After all, the Magic had the best record in the NBA in January with Nelson at the helm. But it’s Alston who’s helped them survive time and advance in the playoffs. Alston kept the Magic’s championship hopes within reach when he was acquired from the Houston Rockets at the trade deadline. He did it again in the biggest spot yet, scoring a season-high 26 points in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals to give the Magic a commanding 3-1 series lead and help end any doubt that they can’t win a title without Nelson.
3. Offensive Fire Power - Yes, Orlando's comeback from that 22-point, first-quarter deficit was every bit as impressive as the comebacks the Magic engineered in Games 1 and 2 (they actually went ahead by eight in the third quarter, marking a 30-point swing). But they had the finishing kick of a mule, not a thoroughbred, and they had run their biggest race of the season at half-speed with blinders on. "I think we've proven to the nation that we have mental toughness and will fight back, but we don't need to do that by falling behind by 20 each night," Van Gundy said. So they move on to Game 6 on Saturday, back at their own gym, a place where there hasn't been an NBA Finals game since Shaquille O'Neal was 40 pounds lighter and sporting a flattop haircut.
David Mikael Taclino
Inyu Web Development and Design
Creative Writer
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