Can the Cavs Come Back?
Maybe this isn’t the year that LeBron James gets his first NBA championship ring. Until LeBron and his Cleveland Cavaliers met the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Playoff Series, it sure looked like it might be LeBron’s year.
The Cavs produced the best record in this regular season at 66-16. That secured the top seed in the playoffs. Cleveland then swept through the first two rounds of the playoffs without a loss.
But all that success has come to a grinding halt against the Magic. Game four was last night. Cleveland had a chance to even the series 2-2. But the Magic won in overtime, 116-114.
That puts Orlando ahead 3-1. Only 5% of the teams that have fallen behind by that margin have come back to win the series.
The odds are now heavily against LeBron and the Cavs. But LeBron’s whole career has been one that defies the odds. Game five Thursday in Cleveland will be great. The Magic will not just let the Cavs win, though.
Game four was a great one to watch for NBA fans. But for Cleveland fans, it was a heartbreaker. The Cavs led at half 58-50. Orlando’s Rafer Alston came out of the locker room hot, making the first seven points of the second half and bringing the Magic within one, 58-57.
The third quarter ended with Cleveland clinging to an 79-78 lead. Orlando again started the quarter strong and took a 88-83 lead with 8:11 to go in the fourth. The Magic still lead 96-90 with about four minutes left but then things got tight.
Cleveland pulled within one, 96-95, with 1:52 to go on baskets by Anderson Verejao and James. The teams then exchanged baskets and it was neck and neck the rest of the way.
Cleveland was ahead 98-97 with 1:05 left after James made a free throw. Orlando missed shots on its next two possessions but Cleveland was unable to pad their led.
With 6.4 Orlando had one more chance. After a timeout, the Magic in-bounded in their front court and then Rashard Lewis made a terrific turnaround jumper from the left corner to give the Magic a 100-98 lead.
That left 4.1 seconds for LeBron and the Cavs to try to tie or win the game. James drove the lane and was fouled with just 0.5 seconds left. James swished the first free throw but the second one almost bounced out.
It was a little short. It hit the front of the rim bounced up to the backboard, then back to the front of the rim. It almost bounced out from there but the King’s magic prevailed and it dropped in to force overtime.
In overtime Dwight Howard led Orlando with 10 of their 16 points, including three dunks. Howard tapped in a missed shot that gave the Magic a 111-105 lead with just over a minute left.
Cleveland still had hope after LeBron made a 3-pointer to bring the Cavs within one, 115-114, with about four seconds left. The Cavs fouled Orlando immediately and got a break when Lewis missed the first three throw.
He made the second and Cleveland still had 3.2 seconds to pull out a miracle. The Cavs got the ball to James in the backcourt. He dribbled across the half court line, picked up a screen and launched a 45-footer.
Unlike LeBron’s game winner in game two, this shot was off the mark. Orlando won and took the commanding 3-1 series lead. The series moves back to Cleveland tomorrow night and you can expect LeBron and Cavs to come out strong.
The Magic are a formidable foe, though. It will be tough for Cleveland to extend this to a game six. For NBA fans like me, I’m hoping for a game six and a game seven. This series is so dramatic, I don’t want it to end.
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