5/20/09
Live Blog - Cavs vs. Magic Edition!
Welcome back to Subway Scriptures! The last time we did something like this, it was the NFC Championship game between the Cardinals and Eagles. Since that one was so much fun, we decided to do it again. Thanks for reading!
8:39 – Tipoff. The tip goes to Cleveland and immediately we get to see the LeBron show in action. It begins with an easy assist to Varejo. LeBron doesn’t seem to have any rust on him.
8:53 – Dwight Howard’s dunk just broke the shot clock and we have a short delay coming up. I actually wasn’t watching when it happened but came back during the delay and knew something was wrong. It took just one quick Google search to find out what had happened.
Which reminds me: for all the publicity and rah-rah that things like Twitter and Facebook get, isn’t Google the single most important aspect to the Internet since high-speed Internet became a household necessity? Finding anything is infinitely easier because of Google. It’s hard to remember what life was like before Google became the go-to search engine. Those were some dark days with search engines like AltaVista, Lycos, and Ask Jeeves (now just Ask) vying for market share. Oh what better days we live in now…
8:59 – LeBron’s: 18 – Magic: 6. Orlando’s bread and butter (3-point shooting) is not on tonight. If they can knock down from long range, Orlando has a legitimate shot at beating the Cavs, but if they can’t, they’re likely to be facing BIG blowouts wins by the Cavs. Howard isn’t a good enough scorer by himself to carry a team that can’t knock down shots.
9:01 – “Say you’re a college student…” I think Blackberry or Windows needs to make their own commercial that says, “Say you’re sick of Apple being all in your face with how sweet their phones are.” Don’t get me wrong – I love my iPhone. But I think Apple needs to lay off a little bit and show some modesty.
9:06 – At some point I’m going to be forced to step away from this live blog and do some homework. Yes, homework. I’m thinking I’ll do it at halftime…
9:07 – The camera just panned over to Stan Van Gundy pointing on the sidelines. He’s wearing a very unflattering gray turtleneck under his suit jacket. Remember when the NBA forced players to “dress properly” on the sidelines, and the NBA basically had to teach them how to do that since every other player had no idea? They should enroll Stan Van Gundy in that class. It should be titled, “How to look presentable despite being a body-double for one of the world’s most famous male porn-stars.”
9:08 – LeBron just got a ticky-tack foul called on him when he bumped into Anthony Johnson in the backcourt. Mark my words: There won’t be another call like that all series. (I might be exaggerating a little.)
9:11 – Last two Cavs possessions: Dunk by LeBron, then a transition 3-pointer by LeBron. If he can develop a consist shot from range, he is actually going to be unstoppable, and won’t even need the 4 ½ steps that the refs are giving him now.
9:14 – How many 3D-glasses do you think they put in the DVD case for My Bloody Valentine? I think it’s only one, because anyone who would buy that movie probably doesn’t have a single friend who wants to watch it with them.
9:17 – WNBA tips off June 6!!
9:18 – Watching Ben Wallace check into the game reminded me of Ron Artest for some reason. We all know Artest was involved in that turrrible brawl at the Palace back in 2004. But since then, there hasn’t been a single player in the league who has done more to turn around his image than Mr. Artest.
Playing with the Rockets this year. All Artest has done is play solid defense, give the team a swagger that neither Yao nor T-Mac could give them, and became one of the fan favorites in Houston. There was a time when seeing Artest run into the stands would scare David Stern half to tears, but this year we’ve seen Artest run into the stands and literally sit down and share popcorn with the fans. All the while keeping the best haircut in the league.
9:23 – Very excited for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Call me a nerd or whatever you want. That game is going to be sweet.
9:24 – Some girl just walked by me wearing the exact same polo I was wearing. Now I can never wear this polo again.
9:36 – I’m willing to bet LeBron spent a lot of his free time this past week learning low post moves to use against Orlando. Also Varejo is down on the ground, convulsing like he’s going to throw up. Does it make me a bad person if I don’t care, and am a little glad to see this happening?
9:43 – LeBron’s last drive to the hole: a spin moved where he picked up his pivot food twice, then two more steps. Just saying.
10:22 – No one on Orlando seems like they want to stand out in tonight’s game. Howard has been playing sporadically all night. He has 24-ish points at this point, but he just got stuffed by LeBron on a dunk attempt and picked up a tech for yelling at the referee. Where is Turkoglu’s European-killer instinct?
10:25 – Follow me on Twitter as SubwayScripture @ http://twitter.com/subwayscripture. Please and thank you!
10:28 – That KFC grilled chicken bucket sounds about as healthy as the milk that sits in the fridge just a little bit too long, but you drink it anyways because even though it smells funny, it’d be wayyy too much work to go all the way to the store and get more milk.
10:34 – Magically (get it?) it’s a two-point game. The next play down the court LeBron drives and gets a foul called. We’re going to see many more whistles like that for LeBron heading into the 4th quarter. But will we see Dwight Howard step up and do something?
10:42 – End of the 4th. Orlando is down by 4. Can they steal game one in Cleveland? Remember that they beat Cleveland twice this year.
10:51 – Orlando takes the lead for the first time tonight! From 16 down! I said at the beginning of the night that if Orlando could hit their shots they would be a serious threat to these Cavs. They started hitting their shots and look where they are right now. Just under 10 minutes to go in Game 1.
10:52 – A miserable looking pass from Rashard Lewis actually was tipped by LeBron. This is followed by yet another stop-and-pop (missed) by Turkoglu. Sigh…
10:54 – Howard gets another alley-oop of a backdoor roll away from his defender. I don’t know why big men don’t guard against the backdoor more and leave the entry pass wide open. Unless Howard is within arm’s reach the hoop (admittedly that seems like 15 feet) he doesn’t have many post-up moves to help him get into his range. Easier said than done I guess. Orlando up by 1, 7 minutes left.
10:57 – Cleveland had two losses this year at home. One was against the Lakers, the other against Orlando. People will remember that the Orlando game was the last of the regular season, with home-court clinched and LeBron sitting. That being said, that win means more than people give it credit for. Winning is winning, and just like it’s so hard to break a losing mentality, believing that you can walk into the Q and win is an irreplaceable attitude. The best athletes are the way they are because they’ve learned how to win. Athletes with potential that never pan out often get that way because no one ever showed them how to win. Van Gundy is far from the first guy you want as an example of winning, but that game in Cleveland to end the regular season definitely helps this underdog Orlando team.
11:02 – Game tied at 90, 5 minutes to go. The “Let’s go Cavs” chant from the Cleveland crowed officially lasted just two more “Let’s go Cavs”’s after the PA announcer stopped.
11:04 – Turkoglu hits a deep 3. If I had to make an all-NBA ugly team, he would be on it and it would look something like this: PG – Sam Cassell, SG – Turkoglu, SF – Tayshaun Prince, PF – Joakim Noah, C – Pau Gasol.
11:06 – A few possessions later, Orlando is up by 1 with just under 3 minutes to go. I’m just waiting to see LeBron step up and be a closer. I think he can do it; it’s just a question of whether or not he will. Also, I guarantee the Magic don’t go to Howard in their final possessions. The ball’s going to Turkoglu or Lewis, no questions asked.
11:09 – In case anyone was wondering, I did my homework during the 3rd quarter. That’s what that break was from 9:43 and 10:22. Also, I was on the phone. It’s called multi-tasking.
11:10 – I wonder what a typical Mike Brown practice would be like. Would he just sit in his office and let LeBron do whatever he wants with his teammates/pawns? I would.
11:11 – When have you EVER seen LeBron tired or winded on the sidelines?! I’m telling you that those 8 days off were a big deal, even if LeBron won’t admit it.
11:12 – Is it just me or does Mo Williams look like he has a little Asian heritage in him? Also the announcers just mentioned how it’d be interesting to see if Howard got touches in the final possession. You’re welcome TNT announcers.
11:15 – Turkoglu (told you) just shot and made two free throws. Orlando by 4. LeBron’s a good facilitator and makes good passes, but now the ball needs to be in his hands. Winners want the ball at the end of games. I think that was from The Replacements.
11:17 – A Cavs bucket followed by a Magic miss followed by a DELONTE WEST 3!! The Buffalo Wild Wings down the street (I’m writing from Columbus, OH) might have literally just exploded. Cavs by 1.
11:20 – After an Orlando bucket, LeBron drives for the layup and hits the free throw to make it a 3-point play. Cavs by 2 with 25.6 left on the clock. But just as importantly, Dwight Howard just fouled out. Hate to say I told you so but…
11:22 – LEWIS HITS FROM DOWNTOWN!! Live by the three, die by the three. Right now, the Magic are 14-some seconds from winning (again) in Cleveland.
11:24 – What’s so special about “special edition” deodorant?
11:25 – West misses a three! Scramble for the rebound! JUMP BALL!! Can LeBron catch and shoot in one second?!!?!.........NO but my god it was close!
11:30 (Post-game) – Tonight ended Cleveland’s chances of sweeping through the Eastern conference. What stood out to me most was how LeBron refused to take over the game in the final minutes. Yes, part of what makes him so special is that when he drives, other players are open. But the final two shots, the two shots that could potentially win the game, were taken by players not named King James.
Orlando did everything you would expect them to. They shot from three, they ran backdoor plays for Dwight Howard, and Howard was a non-factor down the stretch. That’s the Orlando Magic formula. When they’re hitting those deep balls, like the one Lewis hit that eventually became the game winner, that formula is pretty hard to stop. But it’s also pretty hard to count on in a seven-game series.
Cleveland may have lost Game 1, but the hunger and fury inside of LeBron after this loss is going to be off the charts. Prediction? Game 2 will be a blowout by the Cavs, with LeBron having an astronomical game. But this will definitely be a series.
