Game 5 Reactions
Written by The Puns   
Friday, 29 May 2009 08:41

 

The Magic once again came back from a big lead in the 1st, only to lose to LeBron James in the 4th. Here are our thoughts:

I 3 Freely
Good feeling gone. A 3-1 series lead suddenly doesn’t seem like much of a lead. Meanwhile, a 3-2 lead seems like a tie at best! Even though we all suspected that the Cavaliers would throw everything they have at the Magic last night, it still hurts to see it happen. I hate it that the average Cavaliers fan in Ohio is waking up to a shiny Friday morning. The Magic need to make sure that this coming Sunday morning is so miserable for Cleveland that an entire day at church isn’t enough to lift the gray clouds.

By tomorrow night, perhaps Stan will have sat Rafer Alston down and told him that one huge game does not make a superstar and that feeding Howard down low when he is being guarded one-on-one beats a bad three-point attempt every time. Perhaps there will be some additional free throw shooting for Turk and Lewis. Perhaps Stan will relax just a bit when he is back home in the O-Rena. And perhaps Magic Land will end this series Saturday and give Nike an extra few days to work on a new puppet.

Paul Ego:
Loved the come back last night in the first half, absolutely loved it. Only thing I loved more was Dwight keeping his composure as Z and Wally both took cheap shots trying to get him to retaliate. It would have been nice to close out on their home court, and a lot of us expected it being up 3-1, but then I remembered something, and I felt better. I picked the Magic to win in 6, they got the split in Cleveland and protected their home court. I expect the same Saturday night.

The Big Train:
Until last night, Cleveland's best game was game 4. They one upped that last night, coming out firing to take a huge first quarter lead. Basically, Orlando isn't going to get away with putting themselves in holes like that. LeBron had some teammates last night, as Z, Mo, and West all remembered how talented they are. So now we come back to Orlando for game 6 on Saturday. The question is, should Orlando fans be afraid? I guess. Did you really think Cleveland was going to lay down last night? Me either, and they are not going to lay down Saturday. LeBron will get his 40 points and 20 free throws, Dwight will get at least 5 fouls, and hopefully Orlando can help the rest of the Cavs play like they did in the first 4 games.

Supply and Demand:
Cleveland without a doubt played their best game of the series and still gave up a big lead and had a close game until late in the fourth. Winning in Cleveland is not the problem for the Cavs, winning in Orlando is. Four Magic players had subpar games (Lewis, Alston, Pietrus and Lee), I don’t expect that at home and I don’t expect Cleveland to shoot 50% from the field AND three point land without the friendly rims in the Q Center. I am 5-0 in my pre-series prediction now and fully expect the Magic to make it a perfect 6-0 by closing out the Cavs at home.

Jareth Cutestory:
I knew we would lose, but it still is a disappointment. Especially when the team again came back from a huge lead and nearly had a run going in the 3rd. LeBron was amazing, but some of the calls he gets particularly when going against Dwight down low are bothering me. Dwight is a superstar. Give him the call sometimes. LeBron is built like a football player and simply runs through the lane like a running back going through a pile of defensive lineman. How does he not get called for ANY offensive fouls? Come on. Rafer was awful last night, Shard couldn't get anything going, and the TO's and missed FT's came back to haunt us. Simple as that. Sure Mo Williams scored, but who cares? That barely had any effect on the outcome. It was all James, just like it's been the entire series. I'm somewhat optimistic going into Game 6, but who knows, this is anyone's series still.

Maxwell Effort:
Like most Magic fans I would have loved for this to be over last night but it was not in the cards. Lebron simply put his team on his back and carried them to victory. Though the box score says Mo Williams scored 24 he was not really a factor on the final outcome. Lebron even waived him off of a screen at one point just to go at it himself. He knows what needs to be done and I am sure they same strategy will be in play Saturday night. What plays into the Magic's hands is that they are a perfect 4-0 at home against the Cavs this season and really seem to play better there at least against Cleveland. It is such a cliche but for this team it is true. They need a full 48 minute effort on Saturday to close this out because I have my doubts about Monday if we have to see that game get played.

Comments (5)Add Comment
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written by curseofcleveland, May 29, 2009
You guys are priceless. Two of you said that Mo Williams had little outcome on the game. Well, he was the first Cavalier not named LeBron to score 20 points in a game this series. He gave the Cavaliers a good start (one they granted gave back) with an 11 point first quarter. He also hit a huge three in the second half. You guys rip Mo relentlessly then when he finally has a noteworthy game, you don't give him credit. If it was just LBJ last night, you guys would be celebrating a trip to the Finals by now.

Z and Wally taking cheap shots at Howard. Umm, okay? Maybe that was because Howard would've wiped Wally's face away if he had connected with a furious elbow he was unable to land. And, I think Z is getting tired of getting elbowed on every offensive rebound by Howard. There's a reason Howard has fouled out of 3 of 5 games. Yes, he is a superstar and a great one, but if any other star fouled like him, they would be in the same position.

We move to Game 6 now, one I wasn't sure would come after Game 4. Let's be clear; I don't expect Cleveland to shoot 50 percent on the road or from three either, but they made key adjustments on offense and defense that give them a shot in Amway. If Alston and Pietrus catch fire again, it's likely curtains for the Cavaliers, and if you held a gun to my head, I would say Orlando probably wins, but all I know is you guys better win Game 6, or the pressure is squarely on Van Crazy and company.
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written by I 3 Freely, May 29, 2009
Curse...I could be wrong here, but I'm thinking that you may be reading our material as if it was written by journalists who must maintain a certain amount of objectivity.
First and foremost, we are Magic fans. We just decided that it would be fun to write about the Magic in a way that we wish other actual journalists would do. So, hell yeah we're biased and we are likely to see things from a Magic-slant. But we make no apologies for it.
Thanks for continuing to read and for the comments....comments are always a good thing. We enjoy the interaction.
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written by curseofcleveland, May 29, 2009
I 3 Freely, I understand the bias because I do the same thing to an extent. You guys are entertaining, so I keep reading, and you keep the stirring the pot, so I keep commenting. In my mind, that's the mark of good blogging, so kudos to the Puns staff for that.
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written by Maxwell Effort, May 29, 2009
curseofcleveland, I did not mean to diminish what Mo accomplished in the 1st quarter but the reality is he only had one bucket in the 4th and that was at the very beginning of the quarter. To me that game was all about Lebron whether he was dishing or scoring in the 4th quarter. It is a big cliche but he put that team on his back and willed them to victory. I mean he looked like he was going to collapse but he just kept getting after it. Beyond the foul calls which of course I am bias on it was a truly remarkable superstar performance from Lebron. Can he do this for 2 more games I am not sure but we will know come Saturday.
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written by Jareth Cutestory, May 29, 2009
Curse, like Maxwell said, LeBron ultimately won that game by doing it all in the 4th. I believe he had a hand in damn near every possession that quarter.

I'm iffy about Game 6. Apart of me hopes we win it, but a very strange part of me thinks we'd be better off going into a Game 7. This team, which you learn after following them the past 2 years (the SVG era), tends to LOVE overcoming huge obstacles. This would be one. Is it smart? No. Does it cause me to have sleepless nights? Occasionally.

I just wouldn't put it past them. Then again, knowing they are sniffing the Finals for the first time in over 10 years, I'd think they'd know better then to risk this opportunity.

Also, to comment on Dwight, I know the exact plays you are talking about. I certainly had to review them myself, but ultimately realized Dwight is just getting people out of the way. He can't help he is a freak of nature, nor do I think he intentionally tried to elbow Wally. If you were a giant of a man and had little people jumping on you, hacking you, and surrounding you 24/7, you'd be trying to swat them off also lol.

Looking forward to Game 6 buddy. Best of luck, even though we both need it.




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Image of the day: Via Orlando Sentinel

The Mission. The Statement.

We are Terry and The Pump Fakes, Jareth Cutestory, Vile Feminista, Maxwell Effort, I 3 Freely, Paul Ego, Supply and Demand, El Fantasma de Carlos, The Big Train, The Nickel Steak, Ayo!, and Tyson J. Perfect. Together, we are Magic fans. We remember Nick’s steal against Jordan, Billy Donovan, Scott Skiles, Jerryl Sasser and Reece Gaines, The Mac Attacks, the NBA on NBC, and Grant Hill’s ankle. We also watch TV and read the internet, thus noticing the endless flow of unoriginal Orlando Magic related puns. We have combined to discuss the Magic, the NBA, and from time to time supply side economics and the life of Leonardo da Vinci. Together we are The Puns Are Starting to Bore Me.

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