We are all Witnesses

Wow! What a finish! Just when it seemed the Cavs were down and out, like the Cavs could not match up with the Magic, and maybe it would be the Magic in five, instead of the Cavs in six like I predicted. What a huge shot by LeBron, he not only won the game, but he might've won the series. If LeBron's 26 footer does not rattle in, the Magic are now up 2-0 after overcoming double digit deficts in back to back games and Cleveland is searching for answers. How do they stop Turkoglu and Lewis? How do they get Mo Williams back on track? Most importantly, how do they stop the Magic shooters? Just as Cleveland seems to take control of the game, Orlando shoots themselves right back in it. Even with LeBron's shot, Cleveland still needs to find answers to these questions. They were extremely fortunate to come out with a victory tonight and the series is still far from over. A couple years ago, Kobe Bryant hit a shot just as dramatic against Phoenix to give the Lakers a 3-1 lead in the series, the Lakers proceeded to lose the next three and the series. LeBron's shot also leads to another question, did Phil Jackson blow the game for the Lakers last night? The Lakers were in a similar situation, but instead of going to Kobe for the win, Jackson used arguably the game's best player (although, I am starting to change my stance) as a decoy and gave the ball to a player who is struggling throughout the playoffs and was 1-9 including the missed shot that could've tied the game!

Despite tonight's loss, Orlando can still hang their hat on a few things, a) Micheal Pietrus has really made things difficult for LeBron, b) they did get a win in Cleveland and now have home court advantage, and c) they've had Cleveland's number throughout the season and continue to give them problems. Even with these positives for Orlando, I have a major question for Stan Van Gundy, why not double LeBron with Rashard Lewis and force someone else to hit the shot? With one second left there was not enough time for more than one pass, and a double on LeBron does not allow for him to pop back out for the last second three. In my last post, I mentioned the Magic's mental toughness, we will see how mental tough they truely are and how they bounce back after getting hit with such a huge blow through LeBron's winner.