Shaq's superstar dunk contest ...
Cavs, Lakers to get reacquaint...
Lakers-Cavaliers Preview 2010-...
MVP? It's debatable between Ko...
Cavs roll as Shaq reaches mile...
Presented By: 2010-01-20...
Timely baskets not in Raptors'...
ROSTER REPORT 2010-01-20...
NOTES, QUOTES 2010-01-20...
Shaq wants stars to dunk for H...
Kaspersky Lab, Kyrus Tech oraz...
Web viewing of NBA games may s...
LeBron is all-world unguardabl...
Rumors Talk: LeBron would go o...
Cavaliers sign Tarence Kinsey...
Clips forced to rebuild at sea
Brand has surgury
Clippers hosting Kings
Post subject: Is Al Thornton a
ïîñîáèå + ï
èùó ïàðíÿ
Interested In Roger Clemens Ro
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
 
 
Add to Google
Add to My Yahoo!
Subscribe in NewsGator Online
Add to Windows Live
News » Magic rally to stun LeBron, Cavs in Game 1


Magic rally to stun LeBron, Cavs in Game 1


Magic rally to stun LeBron, Cavs in Game 1
CLEVELAND (AP) - LeBron James chewed on his fingernails as he talked quietly with Mo Williams in the corner of Cleveland's muted locker room.

As they reviewed the game's final seconds, the two stars stared blankly at a boxscore floating in an ice tub above James' feet.

"It's a big victory," said Howard, who broke one of the shot clocks with a dunk in the opening minutes. "We kept fighting the whole game. We kept believing we could win."

Hedo Turkoglu scored 15 points with 14 assists for Orlando.

Game 2 is Friday night at Quicken Loans Arena, which fell eerily silent after the Magic's win.

As fans headed to the exits, they turned to observe James still on the floor and bent over in obvious pain. He was bothered by cramps throughout the fourth quarter and was tended to by Cleveland's training staff before slowly making his way to the locker room.

"I'm not hurt," said James, who felt the long layoff - the Cavs hadn't played since May 11 - may have contributed to the cramping.

Cleveland gave this one away. The Cavaliers lost their grip on the game with a stagnant third quarter that carried into the fourth. Also, the Magic shot 55 percent from the floor - 59 percent in the second half - against the league's top defensive team.

"That's unacceptable," James said. "We should have lost."

Orlando, which went 2-1 vs. Cleveland in the regular season, took its first lead at 85-84 with 10:06 left when Anthony Johnson buried a 3-pointer from the left corner. The bucket seemed to suck the air out of the raucous building and Cavs coach Mike Brown quickly called a timeout to stop the Magic's run and get James back in.

2009 NBA playoffs


Wednesday's game -- East finals

  • Magic 107, Cavaliers 106 (Magic 1-0)

Tuesday's game -- West finals

  • Lakers 105, Nuggets 103 (Lakers 1-0)

FOXSports.com analysis

  • Playoff results, schedule
  • 2009 NBA Playoff Central
  • Rosen: LeBron not enough in Game 1
  • Kriegel: Greed is good for Kobe, Lakers
  • Rosen: Breaking down East finals
  • Rosenberg: Kobe-LeBron final no given

Video

  • Hill: Nuggets-Lakers, Game 2 preview
  • Postgame: Cavs-Magic, Game 1

Photos

  • Eastern Conference finals, Game 1
  • Western Conference finals, Game 1

The Magic, though, kept making big shots with Lewis hitting a jumper with 31.6 seconds left to give Orlando a 104-103 lead.

James then drove and scored on a runner while drawing a sixth foul on Howard, who added 13 rebounds. James completed the three-point play for a 106-104 lead but Lewis came down and nailed his 3-pointer over a closing Anderson Varejao.

"You got to play 48 minutes," Lewis said. "The most important thing is to play 48 minutes. We played only one half but it was the second half."

On Cleveland's last possession, West missed his open 3 but James was able to tie up Turkoglu for a jump ball. James tipped it behind him to Williams, but his last-second prayer hit the back of the rim and the Cavs walked off knowing they had given up home-court advantage for this round.

"This is good for us," Brown said. "We didn't expect to go undefeated."

Williams ended the first half by swishing a 67-footer to give the Cavaliers a 63-48 lead.

Taking the inbounds pass with 1.7 seconds left, Williams dribbled once and sent a high-arching shot like the ones he and the Cavs' shooters work on at practice toward the basket. When it splashed through, James raised his arms and then wrapped Williams in a bear hug.

It was the third consecutive Game 1 in these playoffs that the Cavs have closed the first half with a buzzer-beating bucket. James did it against Detroit and Atlanta.

In the Orlando locker room, Magic coach Stan Van Gundy ripped into his players for not stopping James, who had 26 in the opening half.

"He told us, 'We're all witnesses,"' Howard recalled, using the slogan James has popularized with his commercials. "That got us fired up."

Leading by 15, the Cavs got complacent and lost their offensive rhythm in the third quarter. They stood around either waiting for James to do something or settled for jump shots that didn't fall.

Orlando seized the chance to get back in it and with Courtney Lee and Mickael Pietrus hitting 3-pointers, the Magic outscored the Cavaliers 30-19 in the period to pull within 82-78 entering the fourth.

Notes: Orlando's bench outscored Cleveland's 25-5. ... NFL Hall of Famer Jim Brown sat courtside. ... James isn't surprised that he, Howard, Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony - all members of the U.S. Olympic team that won gold in China last summer- are all still in the playoffs. "We all worked really hard," he said. "That experience was great for everyone."


Author: Fox Sports
Author's Website: http://www.foxsports.com
Added: May 21, 2009

 

 
Copyright © Cavaliershome.com, Inc. All rights reserved 2012.