Eastern Conference:

Orlando 107 - Cleveland 106

Rashard Lewis celebrates after hitting the go-ahead triple. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Orlando leads series 1-0

• Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic have a message to send to all those who wrote them off at the beginning of this series: They’re here to win, and they ain’t gonna let no team step over them that easily. The Magic came back from a double-digit deficit and stole home court advantage, handing the Cleveland Cavaliers their first loss of the postseason with a 1 point win in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. Howard powered the Magic with 30 points and 13 rebounds, and Rashard Lewis had 22 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 14.7 seconds left, and Hedo Turkoglu had 15 points and a career high 14 assists. Mickael Pietrus had a good game off the bench for the Magic, scoring 13 points (2 treys) and playing good defense on LeBron James late, which forced James to pass to his teammates, who couldn’t convert. Delonte West missed a three, and the teams got in a jump ball situation with a second left, with three Magic players rushing to James. James tipped the ball to Mo Williams, but Williams missed a catch-and-shoot off balance jumper from about 15 feet.
• The Cavaliers lost despite King James’ career playoff-high 49 points on 20-30 shooting. James added 6 rebounds, 8 assists, and a couple of steals and blocks, including one on Howard that earned the big man a technical foul after he complained to the officials. Anderson Varejao had 14 points and 6 rebounds, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 10 and 10, but Cleveland’s backcourt will need to step up in future games. Mo Williams and Delonte West combined for 28 points on 10-32 shooting. Each had 8 attempts from long range, but they combined for only 5 makes.
• Cleveland had built up a big lead, ending the first quarter up 33-19, but then got outscored over the next three quarters. Orlando bounced back from a dismal first quarter performance, and pounded the Cavs 30-19 in the third quarter. By this time, Rashard Lewis had started heating up, and even though LeBron would continue to score at will on mid-range jumpers, the rest of the Cavs couldn’t make enough baskets to tide the Magic’s rally.
• Upon looking at the box score, you could say that the Magic survived LeBron’s explosion. But the Cavs had a tough time with Dwight Howard too. His picked up his first two fouls on charges, and his fourth was the ill-advised technical after he was blocked by James. Without those ticky-tack fouls however, Howard had been displaying his dominance. If he can stop racking up fouls like that, he’ll do more than just wreck the shot clock, and the Magic will present even more problems for the Cavs. Rashard Lewis was channeling Ray Allen with his confident scoring late, and Turkoglu did a great job of initiating the offense even while not shooting well.


Rashard Lewis hits the game winning three over Anderson Varejao, on an assist from Hedo Turkoglu. (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)

• I’m reminded of the 2004 Pistons-Lakers finals, where the Pistons let Shaquille O’Neal have his way on offense, and then shut down the rest of the Lakers on their way to the title. It seems that Orlando has been opting for a similar approach, just challenging LeBron enough (but when his shot is falling like it was in this game, no amount of contesting can prevent him from scoring), and letting the other members of the Cavs beat them. It looks like Cleveland is still suffering from being a primarily one-man team, a negative perception that had seemingly disappeared through their record regular season. Now, however, it seems that the illusion is over, and the “Cleveland LeBrons” will have some adjusting to do if they still hope to pull off a series win. They haven’t been challenged up till now, and it remains to be seen how they will respond to this stunning loss. LeBron was bent over after the game was done, his leg cramping up and his shin bleeding. It seems like the long layoffs have been detrimental to Cleveland after all, and the image of LeBron beaten and bloodied is not a reassuring one for Cavs fans.
• Also, check out Episode 3 of The Triangle Offensive, our basketball podcast. In this episode, we talk about the NBA Conference Finals and the NBA Draft Lottery.

LeBron James grimaces as he leaves the court following their loss to the Orlando Magic. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)