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Game 57|Cavaliers @ Orlando|February 21, 2010|1:00 EST

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I've had a few hours to cool down. The loss was frustrating. I cling to the fact that the Cavs are more talented and a MUCH better team this year than the Magic. I am not concerned what we will look like and how we will play come playoff time. I do not see a team out there who will be able to beat the Cavs in a seven game series.

I think one way to look at things is the fact we have picked up many new players over the past week:

Mo
Delonte
Jamison
Leon

It's almost like picking up 4 quality players including two real all stars.

I strongly feel the need right now to go with this starting lineup:

Mo
Delonte
LeBron
Jamison
Shaq

I'm not about to write out the rotation from there, but my thoughts on the starting five are firm.
 
I've had a few hours to cool down. The loss was frustrating. I cling to the fact that the Cavs are more talented and a MUCH better team this year than the Magic. I am not concerned what we will look like and how we will play come playoff time. I do not see a team out there who will be able to beat the Cavs in a seven game series.

I think one way to look at things is the fact we have picked up many new players over the past week:

Mo
Delonte
Jamison
Leon

It's almost like picking up 4 quality players including two real all stars.

I strongly feel the need right now to go with this starting lineup:

Mo
Delonte
LeBron
Jamison
Shaq

I'm not about to write out the rotation from there, but my thoughts on the starting five are firm.

I agree, no one in the east can beat the Cavs in a 7-game series. But I think Parker should start. Delonte is too valuable off the bench, and Parker's length is also valuable. I think starting Parker gives Mike Brown the versatility to have Parker guard the long starting shooting guards (Carter, Johnson, Kobe, Allen) and then have Delonte guard the bench point guards while Moon guards the bench shooting guards. Or, he can play Boobie at the 1, AP at the 2, and Moon at the 3, which is also a pretty good defensive lineup. Whether or not Mike Brown uses this versatility is a totally different story though....
 
Im not worried at all that we lost. This team really relied on having Z to back up Shaq and to use that second 7 footer against Dwight. Once he is back and Jamison understands what to do and what not to do on defense this team is going to be damn near unbeatable.

At least we know Jamison can score in a Cavs uni.
 
I've notcied the same thing during this 3 game slide that continually kills us..... Poor offensive execution in the clutch and poor free throw shooting. When are we ever going to learn?! :mad:
 
One thing I forgot to ever say but I get reminded of every time we play the Magic: there is a reason why Dwight Howard is in foul trouble more frequently than most players, and especially when he's playing the elite teams: the dude commits about 10 fouls per game. When he gets in foul trouble is when 6 of the first 8 of those fouls are called. When only three or four of those ten fouls are called is when he's not in foul trouble.

Seriously, he gets away with more shoves, pushes, bumps, hacks than anyone I think I've ever seen. Makes it pretty easy to be DPOY when every other game you're allowed to get away with just about anything.
 
Yeah I love ya Shaq I really do, but I don't see Dwight as a true big man. Dude needs to learn how to be physical without whining before he can be donned a true big man. He has a guard's mentality in a center's body.
 
When the Magic are doubling Shaq before he even gets the ball, we need to figure out a way to make them pay for it.

I think a good solution to this strategy by the Magic would be to have either LeBron or Mo with the ball on the wing, with Jamison in the corner and Shaq in the post (same setup as the play where Mo is on the wing, LeBron in the corner, Shaq in the post). This forces the Magic to have Lewis or whoever is the PF guard on the perimeter, which means that they have to do their double team with a guard or SF.

If LeBron has the ball, I think you put Mo in the opposite corner, Delonte on the opposite wing. Mo is pretty deadly from the corner, and this means that Nelson would be the guy doubling Shaq from behind, which is not much resistance. If they do double and prevent Shaq from getting the ball, LeBron can either skip pass to Mo or let Delonte swing him the ball for an open three. If Mo has the ball, then I think Delonte still stays on the wing with LeBron in the corner. I doubt they double off of LeBron, so that means Howard has no help on the entry pass. If they do dare double off LeBron, we throw the oop to LeBron.

This could also work with Moon in the corner going in for the oop, with LeBron or Mo with the ball.

The biggest thing is not allowing them to double with Lewis.
 
Just to add to some of the comments..Matchups were awful down the stetch..nobody could guard Nelsen..Lebron does need to be jacking up long 3's at will..when he;s not hitting he needs to come inside more....there were a lot of things annoying me..letting people just come inside is just ridiculous..
 
Just to add to some of the comments..Matchups were awful down the stetch..nobody could guard Nelsen..Lebron does need to be jacking up long 3's at will..when he;s not hitting he needs to come inside more....there were a lot of things annoying me..letting people just come inside is just ridiculous..

Me and my roommate were talking about this after the game. Why was Delonte not in to guard Nelson, as opposed to Mo? West was his teammate in college and I'm sure knows his game pretty well. In addition, Delonte is a better playmaker than Mo, in my opinion and he was getting to the rim on Sunday. Missed some close shots but had some no-calls go against him as well.
 
James was upset that he was aggressive driving to the basket, yet was only 8 of 12 at the foul line.

"One thing that hurts me is my size and strength," he said. "I go to the basket as much as anybody in this league, but I don't get the benefit of the calls.

"There were times I got grabbed, pushed and smacked and there were no calls. Dwight (Howard) is a great defender, a Defensive Player of the Year, but for him to go the second half and (get just two fouls) against him, we might have to check that."
 
I'm glad LeBron voiced his opinion that the officiating was BS, because it was. You could have easily called 8 or 9 fouls on Dwight in the game yesterday, yet he ends up with four.
 
Orlando shows it has mojo

George Diaz/ Orlando Sentinel

Shaquille O'Neal and his buddies concocted their own forget-me-not' arrangement after Vince Carter moved back here this summer to take up permanent residence in Isleworth.

They scattered toilet paper all over the lawn.

Carter shot back with some neighborly back-atcha' Sunday afternoon, a day that the Orlando Magic did much to squash the image that they are Charmin-soft. The Magic won a rough-and-tumble set against the Cleveland Cavaliers, 101-95, beating them for the first time this season.

Sure it's only one in the long grind of an 82-game regular season, but the Magic needed this one to get their mojo back against the Cavs. They had lost the first two games against Cleveland this season, and were now facing an amped-up lineup that included All-Star Antwan Jamison.

And so with a playoff vibe in the air _ as well as a few flying elbows _ the Magic gave the Cavs a forget-me-not-loss, a competitive reminder that the Eastern Conference banner still hangs at Amway Arena.

Cleveland is going to have to rip it from these guys.

"People can have whatever views they want of our team," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said, "and they've had the view for over 2 ½ years that we're a soft team, and so my response to them is to always go back and look at our record against the teams that are supposed to be too tough for us ... What matters in this league is results."

Cue the fourth quarter. While the rest of the world continued to obsess over Shaq and Dwight Howard tussling over merchandising rights to the Superman logo, Carter and Jameer Nelson showed that the little guys can own a basketball game.

Does 16 consecutive points work for you?

With the Magic trailing 85-80, Carter and Nelson went on a tit-for-tat barrage. They each scored eight points, capped off by Nelson's 24-foot jumper that pushed Orlando's lead to 96-88 with two minutes left.

But it was Carter's kick-out pass to Rashard Lewis for a 3-point shot that put this thing away with 20 seconds left.

"I've been around long enough that if you have the ball in your hands in the fourth quarter, yeah you want to score," Carter said. "But if you can penetrate and make plays, that's what makes this thing … It's just like scoring to me."

Carter's been in a bit of a transitional funk here at times trying to be the go-to-guy on a team that has a bunch of guys who aren't shot-shy. Van Gundy decided to help him out by putting in a post-up play for Carter during Saturday's practice. He might want to stick with it. On a pass from Nelson, Carter dunked over Flop King Anderson Varejao in a fourth-quarter poster shot that reflects Vintage Carter.

I don't know what was more amazing: That play or LeBron James whining about foul calls. "I feel I go to the hole just as much as anybody in this league and sometimes I don't get the benefit of the calls," King James said, sounding more like a Beauty Queen.

Despite the injustice in the world, LeBron still got 33 points, but three other starters only scored four points each. With Cleveland, it's all about damage control from the other guys. With Orlando, it's always going to be about balance.

Anybody could wear out the telestrator breaking down all the nuances of this rivalry, but here's the takeaway:

Either Cleveland or Orlando (sorry Doc) will win the Eastern Conference title. Both know how to beat each other. Both have superstars and Superman. Both have strong supporting players.

It's going to fabulous to watch.

So before everyone anoints the Cavaliers as the Beast from the East, here's something to remember:

Shaq and his teammates are paper lions unless they roll over Orlando.






Link: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/os-diaz-magic-cavaliers-0222-20100221,0,1241593.column
 
i would burn the orlando sentinel building if i could (and it wouldn't be considered arson)...everything i read from that rag just makes me want to go to the facepalm
 
The only good thing about this loss was the performance of Jamison. The guy was murdering Lewis until the shitty officiating removed him from the game.

I've said this before and I'll say it again---Lebron James needs to seriously reevaluate his game. Apparently he thinks he is Reggie Miller. I can't tell you how many times I've watched the Cavs play, only to watch James start chucking three pointers. He should be attempting no more than four a game and even that is pushing it. The Cavs are a much, much better team when Lebron is driving to the basket and kicking out to Mo, Delonte, Parker, and Gibson.

Also, I hate the Orlando Magic. I hate their style of play. I hate their players. I just hate that entire organization. I can't recall the last time an organization in its entirety rubbed me the wrong way.

Mike Brown is a moron. Do NOT double team Howard under any circumstance. Period. Stay at home on the shooters. As soon as the Cavs double, Orlando burns them every time with a three or with driving to the basket. The loss is particularly hurtful because Vince Carter realized that he can shit on the Cavs if he really tries.
 
I don't know what was more amazing: That play or LeBron James whining about foul calls. "I feel I go to the hole just as much as anybody in this league and sometimes I don't get the benefit of the calls," King James said, sounding more like a Beauty Queen.

What is it with these cheap shots from other teams writers? Where is the professionalism? You would never see Windy writing some garbage like that.

The Wizards writer (I think his name was Tom Knott) was the same way with all the childish name-calling BS.

Pathetic.

And of course you have Van Gundy crying about not getting respect as usual :chuckles:

I can't wait to knock ORL out of the playoffs. Their fan base is worse than the Wizards.
 

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