At the other end, the Magic's long-distance dialers took heart and began to connect. The ball moved rapidly from player-to-player. Howard continued to dominate the paint. Screen-and-pops were wide open.

Here's a measure of how effectively the Magic moved the ball: They recorded 32 assists on their 43 baskets. Compare this to Cleveland's registering only 23 assists on their 43 baskets.

Also, Mickael Pietrus provided a spark off the bench for the visitors. Anthony Johnson forced LeBron into a costly turnover. The Magic's bench players combined to score 25 points. On the other hand, the Cavs' subs totaled only the five points tallied by Joe Smith. And except for a pair of clutch treys by West and Williams, the Cavs were essentially uninvolved on offense.

Meanwhile, Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis shared Orlando's go-to responsibilities in the end, with the former knocking down a 3-ball, a driving layup and all four of his attempts from the stripe. The latter, meanwhile, hit his last seven shots, including a baseline triple for the win.

And LeBron?

He, too, finished the game with a rash of points and assists (to West and Williams). James scored on driving layups and dunks, plus an incredibly acrobatic flip-plus-one. But he also missed three free throws in the deciding quarter, including one critical miss in the waning minutes.

Like Moses — and unlike Kobe — LeBron could only lead his team to the brink of the promised land in Game 1.