Tampa Bay Sports Blog

For those of you less educated folks out there who may not be familiar with the old idiom “feast or famine”, it means; either too much of something or not enough of something.

If you’re a fan of the Orlando Magic, you probably already know where I’m going with this. Yes, that “something” I’m referring to is EFFORT.

The Magic have been wildly inconsistent through the first half of this season, and much of that has to do with the lack of effort and intensity they bring to the court on any given night.

After returning home from a disastrous road trip that concluded with a disconcerting loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, in what was ’suppose’ to be a chance to avenge their defeat in the NBA Finals last season. The Magic apparently channeled their inner “Gooch”(pardon my reference to the old sit-com “Different Strokes” and the character who routinely harassed poor Arnold “what you talkin’ bout Willis”) and took their aggression out on two clearly overmatched opponents in the Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Queens…..Oooops, I meant Kings.

Before moving on, I’d like to address the Laker game if I may. I was honestly expecting Orlando to at least come out of the locker room ready to play and show some pride. Laker fans are notorious for showing up late to games, much like the Magic this season who usually get going around the 2nd quarter. So it would have been a great opportunity to take the crowd out of the game and build some momentum.

Unfortunately, the Magic chose to do things the hard way, waiting until the 3rd quarter to find their shooting touch. At this point, the Lakers already imposed their will on the game and simply dusted the Magic off in the fourth quarter, despite a lackluster performance by Kobe Bryant who has been hampered with an injured finger. As much as I hate Kobe (and believe me that hate runs deep…lol..), I have to give him respect for his willingness to play hurt. I wish Vince Carter had that kind of resolve.

The lone bright spot in the Magic’s loss to the lakers, was the 1st half performance of Dwight Howard. Superman was very aggressive, attacking offensively and even displayed a nice feathery touch on a few face up jumpers off the glass. Why the Magic went away from Howard in the second half is a mystery to me? Instead, they reverted back to chucking 3 pointers, a total of 33 on the night to be exact. When will Stan Van Gundy realize this Rick Pitino “Ken-Chucky Wildcat” approach is not going to get it done?

Wednesday nights game against the Pacers was another opportunity for revenge from their last meeting in Indiana where Roy Hibbert had a career night against Howard and company. Howard clearly seemed to remember as he dominated and showed why he is considered one of the best centers in the game. When Dwight plays physical and stays aggressive, there isn’t a player out there who should be able to guard him.  Matt Barnes also had a very productive game with 10 points and a rather impressive 16 boards for the slightly built Forward. Following the Game, Barnes summed things up perfectly stating “We(The magic)need to be the hunters more instead of just the hunted”.

Last nights game against Sacramento was much to do about nothing. So I will keep it short. Aside from Tyreke Evans “Rookie of The Year” campaign, the Kings have nothing left to play for this season. That was very apparent as the Magic took it to the Kings from start to finish. Dwight Howard was impressive once again, especially at the free throw line, where he was a shocking 11-12. If he continues to improve on his free throw shooting as he has of late, it will be increasingly difficult for teams to foul him.

As a former basketball player, I can tell you from my experience, it is much easier to shoot uncontested 3 pointers, compared to shooting with a hand in your face. Which is what happens when the Magic play inside out, as opposed to just coming down and spotting up. If you allow Dwight Howard to draw a double team and then kick it out to the open man, you will get better looks and ultimately, shoot a higher percentage. The Magic are loaded with great shooters, such as Rashard Lewis, JJ Redick and Ryan Anderson, who should benefit from Dwight’s re-emergence as an offensive force.

Even in the blow out wins against Indiana and Sacramento at home, the Magic are still relying far too heavily on the deep ball, and are not getting enough from their starting back court. Vince Carter, injured or not, has to play better on both ends of the floor and start taking better shots. As for Jameer Nelson, I’m afraid diagnosing his problems aren’t quite as easy. His outside shooting has been terrible, and the same can be said for his decision making and leadership. Since his return from knee surgery, he hasn’t had the same explosive quickness to get by opposing players, and his confidence seems shaken. The team plays much more fluidly when being run by back up Jason Williams. Maybe, the Magic need to insert Williams back into the starting role and give Jameer a chance to regain his form against the opposing teams second units.

Tonight Orlando heads back on the road to take on the “Red Hot” Charlotte Bobcats. Yes, you heard me right, I said the Charlotte Bobcats are currently the NBA’s “hottest” team, having won 9 of their last 10 games. Since acquiring Stephen Jackson from Golden State, the Bobcats have been playing much better basketball. And similar to last years Magic team with Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu, the Bobcats are giving opponents fits with the mismatches their line-up of Stephen Jackson, Gerald Wallace and Boris Diaw create.

I would love to see the Magic try and play Gortat alongside Dwight Howard, similar to the Lakers approach with Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. I’m just curious to see how teams would be able to defend, especially, with the shooters the Magic possess on the perimeter.

Let’s see if the Magic can carry their  home dominance with them on the road.

Technorati Tags: Andrew Bynum, Boris Diaw, Charlotte Bobcats, Different Strokes, Dwight Howard, Gerald Wallace, Indiana Pacers, Jameer Nelson, jason williams, JJ Reddick, Kobe Bryant, Marcin Gortat, Matt Barnes, Orlando Magic, Pau Gasol, Rick Pitino, Roy Hibbert, Ryan Anderson, Sacramento Kings, Stan Van Gundy, Stephen Jackson, The Gooch, Tyreke Evans, Vince Carter

The Magic took their show on the road hoping to capitalize on the momentum of their blowout victory against the surging Atlanta Hawks last Saturday.

Things began nicely, with a convincing win in Sacramento against the injury riddled Kings.

Then reality struck once again on Wednesday night in Denver as the Nuggets dissected the Magic en route to a 115-97 trouncing over Orlando. Playing short-handed without their leading scorer Vince “Cupcake” Carter for the secong straight night, Orlando simply had no answer for the physical play of the Nuggets. Dwight “The Coward” Howard struggled mightily against the likes of Kenyon Martin and Chris “Birdman” Andersen, managing a meager 8 points on 1-7 shooting. A far cry from the 30 points and 16 rebounds he collected the night before in Sacramento.

In what may have been the funniest sound bite I’ve ever heard from a player came from Dwight Howard after the loss to Denver in which he stated “the Nuggets took away the inside game and FORCED the Magic to shoot jump shots”. Excuse me if I’m missing something here, but have you ever seen anyone having to force Rashard Lewis, Vince Carter, Ryan Anderson or JJ Redick(let me stop here, before I name the rest of the roster) to shoot a jump shot?

In the last three games including last nights loss to the Blazers, which I will get to momentarily, the magic took 27,31 and 30 three point shots. So what was so different about the Nugget game as far as the game plan Dwight?

Now we move on to last nights debacle in Portland against the Brandon Roy-less Blazers. Portland came out strong building an 11 point first quarter lead, taking advantage of Orlando’s ritual of slow starts, and never looked back. Without Roy, the Blazers looked to Andre Miller and Steve Blake to lead the charge and also got a strong outing out of Martell Webster who scored 24 points(more than twice his average of 10 a game) and 9 boards. While Dwight Howard managed only 11 points playing against Juwan Howard. Yes, Juwan Howard is actually still in the NBA; amazing isn’t it?  Vince Carter, finally back after suffering a debilitating(wink wink) sprained shoulder, was a non factor, while his backcourt mate, Jameer Nelson, continued to get lit up by opponents point guards. First Chauncey Billups had his way with Jameer “The Steer”, then came Andre Miller( the slowest man on earth, getting paid to run) and Steve Blake to take advantage of the Magics fearless leader . The Tattoo on Jameer’s back reads ” All Eyes On Me”, and if that is the case, there are a lot of people out there witnessing him getting used and abused night in and night out.

Rashard Lewis remains MIA, and is either unable to adjust to playing with his new teammates(especially Vince Carter) or is simply missing his medicine. Remember, Lewis A.K.A. Mr. Softy, was suspended for violating the NBA’s banned substance list for the first 10 games of the season. Rashard is making close to max money and is playing himself into a possible reserve role. Look at what the Philadelphia 76ers did with their version of an overpaid, underachieving player in Elton Brand, who is currently coming off the bench. In the last two games Lewis has scored a total of 15 points and collected a staggeringly low 4 rebounds. The man is 6′10″ 230 pounds, plays power forward and manages to grab 4 boards in a combined 50 plus minutes of action. Pardon me while I scroll through my trusty thesaurus for alternative words for PATHETIC!

The fact is the Magic are a soft, finesse, jump shooting team masquerading as title contenders. Now if this is what they aim to be as an organization; let me be the first to issue a mea culpa: Mission accomplished.

Unfortunately, we all know this isn’t true. The Magic were successful last season because they played much better defensively, and Howard and others asserted themselves more both offensively and on the glass.

Chemistry is a key ingredient, one often overlooked by fans and GM’s alike, who simply look at players numbers and highlights and fall in love with the idea of having them on their team. This Magic team is severely lacking leadership and a sustained consistency. There is a phrase ”The whole is greater than the sum of its parts“. However, when it comes to the Magic, it seems the parts just don’t fit, and it’s time to start assessing the value of each individual piece of the puzzle. The trade market is plentiful this year with all the impending free agents and economic turmoil that has plagued the NBA this season.

If the players aren’t going to be aggressive on the court; management needs to step up and get aggressive off the court.

New Orleans is a prime example of a team suffering crippling losses financially; maybe the Magic can swoop in and pilfer Chris Paul away from the Hornets. Another option to look into is Chris Bosh. Toronto is almost certainly going to lose Bosh at seasons end, and the Magic and Raptors were able to orchestrate deals this past off season, so there is a good working relationship there.

At this point, anything the front office can do to bring about change will be welcome by Magic fans. In most cases the coach is usually the easiest target, and with Stan Van Gundy’s approach wearing on his players, I’m sure there wouldn’t be too much resistance to him being ousted.

The Magic face the lakers Monday night in Los Angeles, a rematch of last years NBA Finals, and I can only imagine what lies in store for them. One things for sure there will be plenty of Kobe Beef on the menu. Vince Carter better rest that shoulder and get ready to do battle, or else, things could get ugly. I’m almost certain we will be seeing a lot of Mickael Pietrus if things start going south early.

Technorati Tags: Andre Miller, Brandon Roy, Chris Andersen, Denver Nuggets, Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson, JJ Reddick, Kenyon Martin, Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers, Marcin Gortat, Martell Webster, Mickael Pietrus, Orlando Magic, Portland Trailblazers, Rashard Lewis, Ryan Anderson, Stan Van Gundy, Steve Blake, Toronto Raptors, Vince "Cupcake" Carter, Vince Carter

It may not have been what they asked for, however, all those Orlando Magic fans out there got something very valuable for Christmas: The Truth!

No I’m not referring to Paul Pierce, who didn’t even play due to a knee infection.

The truth I’m speaking about is the transparent state of the current Orlando Magic, a team with no real leader and a slew of finesse players. Hopefully, this serves as a wake up call, for the always asleep at the wheel GM Otis Smith, to finally make a preemptive strike and make some desperately needed changes to this roster.

On the surface, it may look like I’m another overzealous fan reacting hastily to a tough loss against a very formidable opponent. However, if we take a closer look at the numbers, I think there is genuine cause for concern. The Magic have no low post scoring presence, do not rebound well, with the exception of Dwight Howard,  and rely far too heavily on the 3 point shot to score. Not to mention they are missing one of the most important intangibles of a championship caliber team: Heart.

It was painful to watch the Magic repeatedly get beat to loose balls and out muscled for rebounds on a nationally televised stage against a supposed rival. Their depth and talent will continue to carry them against lesser opponents, but it’s simply not going to get the job done against the likes of the Lakers, Celtics or Cavaliers, who are all rounding into shape and playing excellent basketball.

Dwight “The Coward” Howard, Orlando’s alleged franchise player and dominant big man, only managed one field goal in 43 minutes to go along with 20 rebounds and 7 turnovers. This might be acceptable if he was Charles Oakley or Dennis Rodman, but this is clearly not a performance worthy of the “Superman” status Dwight “The Coward” Howard has somehow managed to acquire.

Could you imagine Shaq, Hakeem Olajuan, Patrick Ewing or David Robinson putting up a 1 for 7 showing in 43 minutes played?

The Magic have to come to the realization that Dwight Howard is not an offensive threat or franchise player. I’m not going to diminish his contributions as a rebounder or defender, where he performs at an All-Star level. However, you cannot continue to try and run an offense thru him. Sorry Patrick Ewing, but your stewardship as Dwight Howard’s offensive guru has been blown way out of proportion and in my eyes is a complete failure. Dwight still lacks the most basic low post moves, cannot shoot free throws to save his life and relies solely on the one signature move in his repertoire; the tomahawk dunk.

The Magic are in desperate need of a reliable low post presence and a player who can create off the dribble and draw fouls going to the rim. In years past, Hedo Turkoglu provided the Magic with a very unique option; a big man who could run the point, space the floor with his shooting and get to the basket.  Unfortunately, with Hedo’s departure to Toronto, the Magic are now left with Vince “Cupcake” Carter as his replacement and he is clearly not getting the job done. Sure, he puts up gaudy numbers and supplies us with some great highlight footage on occasion, but it never seems to translate to wins.

Referees don’t even respect Vince Carter. Look at how often his flailing fade way drives result in no foul calls. Turkoglu was a master at lulling the defense to sleep, then attacking the rim and drawing the foul. Heck, even Rafer Alston gave us a boost offensively last season after he was acquired in a trade and brought some much needed moxie along with him. I guess the old adage,  ”you never know what you got til it’s gone”, may be appropriate here.

What a prefect segue into my next topic of conversation. Welcome back Mr. Jameer Nelson, the Magics mythological leader and All-Star point guard. Shouldn’t we be able to notice a significant change one way or the other from your presence in or out of the line up? Rajon Rondo is probably, no definitely, the worst shooter on the planet. Yet, he managed to blow by Jameer Nelson, even when given a substantial cushion,  and carve up the Magic for 17 points, an impressive 13 boards and 8 assists.

Nelson, much like his replacement in last years All-Star Game, Mo Williams, benefits greatly from the talent that surrounds him and isn’t a game breaker. His size and fragility will, in my opinion, always limit his effectiveness.

Not to be confused with those who just rant and never offer any solutions, I have a few suggestions for Mr. Smith if he is listening. Carlos Boozer would be a great addition to the Magic, addressing both their low post scoring deficiencies and interior toughness. Boozer, will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and Utah will most certainly lose him for nothing. So I’m sure they’d listen to a legitimate trade offer, such as Marcin Gortat or Brandon Bass. There are other pieces such as Matt Barnes or Ryan Anderson who could be thrown into the mix to make salaries match.

Another option could be Nate Robinson, who seems to be in permanent exile in New York. He may be contami”Nate” to the Knicks, however, this guy has a ton of game and can provide the Magic with a much needed scorer off the bench, and some grit on the defensive end.

Don’t be afraid Otis, pick up the phone and make some inquiries. Remember the only dumb questions are the ones that aren’t asked.

Technorati Tags: Boston Celtics, Brandon Bass, Carlos Boozer, Charles Oakley, Cleveland Cavaliers, David Robinson, Dennis Rodman, Dwight Howard, Hakeem Olajuan, Hedo Turkoglu, Jameer Nelson, Los Angeles Lakers, Marcin Gortat, Mo Williams, Orlando Magic, Otis Smith, Patrick Ewing, paul pierce, Rafer Alston, Rajon Rondo, Shaquille O'Neal, Vince Carter

The Orlando Magic are riding a five game winning streak which included wins against a struggling Celtic team on the road and another three against sub five hundred ball clubs. With Jameer Nelson, the fragile starting point guard out once again for a long duration, things could take a turn for the worst if the Magic don’t pick up their defensive intensity and start executing better offensively as well. If Hedo Turkoglu was considered lackadaisical on the court at times, Vince Carter is now filling his shoes quite nicely.

There is no real true leader on this group, especially, with Nelson out of the line up, who is capable of inspiring championship caliber effort. While Stan Van Gundy may be perceived by some of his players as negative or too hard on them, the fact of the matter is if he doesn’t try to get the most out of his players, the majority will just accept a mediocre effort. Dwight Howard should try and assert himself as a leader and increase his game day intensity. Instead, he chose to ask coach Van Gundy to lighten up on the guys, especially, newcomer Vince Carter. Basically, summing up his lack of dedication to winning and improving his all around game, which is evident in his glaring offensive deficiencies soley relying on brute strength and athleticism, making him a liability in close games. I keep hearing the praise for Patrick Ewing when it comes to Dwight Howards growth as a player, yet I don’t see any significant progress. He is still a horrendous free throw shooter with zero post moves, relying instead on lowering his shoulder and trying to overpower his defender. No wonder he continues to struggle with foul trouble. Marcin Gortat has actually showed a more reliable offensive touch and  much better feel for the game. Kudos to Otis Smith for retaining Gortats services.

The Magic still have one thing going for them that will not change for the remainder of the season. They are playing in the National Basketball Association, where there are still only a few teams that actually have a realistic chance of contending for a Championship. This group does have a good core and there does seem to be an excellent chemistry amongst the players. If there is a player out there that the Magic can plug in to bring some grit and fight into the equation, I still believe they have the potential to be playing in June. Pardon me for being redundant, considering my previous post, but Allen Iverson is just the kind of player who could light a fire into this team. Jason Williams is proving to be serviceable, but lets be honest, he’s no where near the player of A.I. and he has a history of inconsistent play and bonehead decisions. Remember Rafer Alston’s performance in last years playoff run. He brought a swagger that was missing all year and disappeared in the Finals when Jameer Nelson tried to force his will on the series when he clearly wasn’t ready to play.

That is exactly the reason the Magic need to make something happen now. True, the NBA season is a long one, but time has a way of flying by. I hate when GM’s wait until after the All-Star break to add a player, never allowing enough time to gel and build that necessary chemistry. The elite teams in the eastern conference are all struggling out of the gate and have serious deficiencies which are becoming more and more evident with each passing game. Why not trump the competition  and add the final piece to the puzzle. The Lakers grabbed Pau Gasol early last season, and look at how the dividends payed off on that move. Remember Otis, the early bird gets the worm, or in this case the Crown!

Technorati Tags: Boston Celtics, Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu, Jameer Nelson, jason williams, Los Angeles Lakers, Marcin Gortat, Orlando Magic, Otis Smith, Pau Gasol, Rafer Alston, Stan Van Gundy

The finals have been good on both ends this year and there has been a lot of discussion and debate over a lot of crap. I think it’s time for me to toss my opinions out there on the whole thing and I really don’t care what anyone thinks. I’ll start with the Lebron/Kobe debate.

Kobe is still better than Lebron for one reason. He is a closer.  In my opinion, there is way too much talk about sharing the ball, game ending shots and officiating in these games. The thing that still stands out to me is this. Kobe finishes games like Lebron doesn’t right now. The ball sharing argument is stupid to me because of this. When it is time to finish off a game, you’re best player needs to do it. Kobe shares the ball early in the game but in the last couple minutes, when it matters, he has it and finishes things off. Lebron doesn’t finish games this way. He is still looking to dish the ball even though he is rolling right through the lane and that is a sign of a guy who doesn’t think he can do it. He hit the big three at the end of game 2, but he should have taken charge of that game way before that. Jordan, Bird, Magic, and Kobe have all done that consistently. Win or lose, you die with your star in the NBA. There are occasions where someone else MUST take the shot because the defense takes you out, but there shouldn’t be so much doubt with a guy like Lebron.

Now I’ll talk about the Magic. They are better than I thought behind guys I didn’t think would do it. First off, Rashard Lewis is way tougher than I ever thought and it’s time for me to bow down to him and take back every negative thing I’ve said about him. He has shown some serious nads on both ends of the floor that warrant some major ass-kissing. Without Lewis this team isn’t here.

Next up is Rafer Alston. Alston has shown some cold-blooded toughness that I think most of us didn’t think he had. I went back and realized that he has done this before with Houston and understand now that I underestimated him beyond belief.

Mickael Pietrus is an animal. There may be no bigger free-agent signing when it is all said and done than this guy. He has been great on both sides of the floor in the playoffs and has now made himself invaluable to this team.

Time to dog guys out now. Dwight Howard has shown no inside offensive game and is proving to be a young guy looking to find himself. With his size you would expect him to overpower people in a Shaq-like manner, but no. With his athleticism you would expect quicker less clumsy moves in the paint, but no. He has done decent on the defensive end but has been getting into foul trouble and losing his head too much. I expected a lot more from Dwight in this series against Lebron, but haven’t gotten it.

Hedo Turkoglu has proven that it’s not necessary to bring him back. Most, including myself, have made a lot of Turk’s ability to be the man in the fourth quarter for the Magic and that he is needed to make this offense work. He has proven in the playoffs that it is Lewis and not himself that is the most vital cog in the Orlando offense. His low FG% will always be over played because of the role he plays in the offense, but his poor decisions and turnovers late can’t be overlooked in the playoffs. He is flopping and complaining too much at the end of games, taking too many poor shots and not working the middle the way he should be. Thank god Rashard Lewis can make clutch three’s at the  end of these games or the Magic wouldn’t be where they are.

The bottom line with these NBA playoffs to me is this. The Nuggets and the Magic are the two best teams left even though it’s closer than made out. The Lakers will beat the Nuggets because Kobe can finish. The Magic will beat the Cavs because Lebron can’t. The Magic match up better against the both the Cavs and the Lakers so I will predict the Magic winning the title. It won’t surprise me if the Lakers win because of the Kobe factor, but I would be shocked to see the Cavs or the Nuggets come back.

The NBA is a strange world but I do think the Magic take the trophy home. It’s not a homer thing either, I just feel them doing it.

Technorati Tags: Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, Hedo Turkoglu, Kobe Bryant, Larry Bird, LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers, Magic Johnson, Micheal Jordan, Mickael Pietrus, NBA, NBA Championship, Orlando Magic, Rafer Alston, Rashard Lewis

The Magic jumped out to a big lead early and held on late to beat the Celtics in game one. Both teams are fighting injuries with Courtney Lee and Kevin Garnett down and this set up opportunities for some others to step up. The Celtics had no one to step up in Garnett’s absence against the Magic and they exploited that enough to win game one. From what I saw though there are some huge holes out there that the Magic can take advantage of and really take hold of this series.

We really shouldn’t expect Rafer Alston to do what he did to Rajon Rondo last night in every game, but he needs some props for what he did. Rondo still had 14 points and 8 dimes, but Alston helped force Rondo into seven turnovers last night and that was great. Alston was all over Rondo and this could be a short series if he keeps that up.

Mickael Pietrus stepped up off the bench with 17 crucial points and played with the toughness and intensity that this team needs. Let’s not forget that Pietrus was a starter earlier on the season until an injury allowed Lee to take over, so this shouldn’t be a surprise.

My last thought on things is this. The Celtics have no answer for Rashard Lewis with Garnett out and that should lead to Lewis having some big games in this series. If Boston keeps matching Davis up with Lewis, he will go off. Lewis is too quick and athletic for Davis to handle and that should lead to more opportunities for both Lewis and Turk.

It is troubling that the Magic let another big lead dwindle down to five, but it was in Boston and it’s not anything to freak out about yet, but we’ll see.

Technorati Tags: Boston Celtics, Courtney Lee, Hedo Turkoglu, Kevin Garnett, Mickael Pietrus, Orlando Magic, Rafer Alston, Rajon Rondo, Rashard Lewis

The Magic are going to be stuck playing the Celtics in the second round and that could be good. Dwight will do his thing against Perkins, Garnett or whoever squares up on him. Lewis will continue to be effective yet erratic. Turk will be the enigmatic figure that he has become with the injury. Alston will get torched by Rondo throughout every game. The key will be Courtney Lee.

Lee is fighting off an injury himself, but he’ll be there. Injury or not, if the Magic turn him loose, he’ll go off. Courtney Lee has shown what he’s capable of this year and hasn’t even touched the surface yet. Lee is quick, tough, athletic and a defensive animal that will leave the Celtics wondering what happened to them if Van Gundy gives him the keys to the offense.

Alston has helped and hurt at the same time. It’s obvious. He would be great behind Nelson, but that’s not an option. I loved the strides Jameer Nelson made and he’s is the biggest reason the Magic became an elite team earlier in the season. When he went down it was awful. Alston gave us hope and has done enough to keep the Magic alive thus far.

Now it’s time to play inside. Let’s stop relying on 400 three pointers a game to get by. Time to hit the hole hard and angry. Time to bring it with force, give facials and draw fouls. This sounds like porno movie script, I know, but it will be a winning formula for this team.

It looks like the NBA is angling for a Laker/Cavalier finals so this series shouldn’t be overofficiated too much. We’ll see what happens, but I’m keeping hope alive.

Technorati Tags: Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Courtney Lee, Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu, Jameer Nelson, Kendrick Perkins, Kevin Garnett, Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando Magic, Rajon Rondo, Rashard Lewis, Stan Van Gundy