CLEVELAND (AP)—The message was quickly scribbled on the dry-erase board inCleveland’s locker room. It said little and said it all: 1:00 AM FLY.
The Cavaliers are heading back to Florida, their wondrous season stillalive.
LBJ wouldn’t let it end.
James, showing off every dimension of his unstoppable game, had 37 points,14 rebounds and 12 assists, and Mo Williams, who boldly predicted the Cavs wouldcome back and win this tight-as-can-be series, added 24 points in a 112-102victory over the Orlando Magic in Game 5 on Thursday night.
“It was win or go home,” James said.
Instead, it’s back to amped-up Amway Arena for Game 6 on Saturday night.
You expected anything else?
The Magic overcame a 22-point deficit but missed their first opportunity toclose out the Cavaliers, who are trying to become just the ninth team since 1947to rally and win a series after being down 3-1. Orlando will have two more triesto reach the NBA finals for the first time since 1995.
“They deserved to get this one,” Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said of theCavs. “As poorly as I thought we played, we still were there with chances towin and didn’t get it done. We have to get ready to go on Saturday.”
For Cleveland, a city banking on James to deliver a championship after a45-year drought, the MVP was again in a league of his own“His intensity and his passion are out of this world,” Cavs guard Daniel Gibson
said. “We will follow him. When he gets it going, there is nothing youcan do.”
James scored 21 points in the second half—17 in the fourth quarter—andhad a hand in Cleveland’s first 29 points in the final 12 minutes. The lastplayer to post at least 37-14-12 in a playoff game was Oscar Robertson in 1963.
Hedo Turkoglu scored 29 for Orlando, and Dwight Howard
had 24 points and 10rebounds before fouling out with 2:22 remaining while trying to stop James on adrive.
Not even Superman was denying James.
“I was attacking anyone in the way, no matter who it was,” James said.“There’s always a sense of urgency when you are on the brink of elimination.”
And this time James got plenty of help. Williams, his trusty sidekick allseason but a near no-show in this series, made six 3-pointers. Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored 16 points, Delonte West 13 and Gibson made two huge 3-pointersin the fourth quarter—both on assists from James.
“He got his teammates involved and then took over,” Orlando’s Mickeal Pitrues said. “That’s what great players do.”
The Magic have twice ended series on the road this postseason, winning aGame 6 in Philadelphia and a Game 7 in Boston. For a while it looked likeOrlando might do it again, taking a 79-78 lead into the fourth quarter.
James, though, had other plans.
He picked up his first assist of the period on 3-pointer by Williams and hissecond on a 3 by Gibson. Cleveland then turned to its superstar every time onoffense, spreading the floor and forcing the Magic to defend him. If he wasn’tbacking down the lane, he was getting to the line or setting his teammates upfrom the perimeter.
James also had four rebounds and four assists in the final quarter.
“The game is basically all LeBron, all the time,” Van Gundy said. “If hegets in the paint, it’s automatically a foul. One of the things we have to do,we can’t keep putting him on the line 20 times a game. We have to find a way tostop that.”
Down 32-10 with 3:40 left in the first quarter, the Magic started knockingdown 3s and outscored the Cavs 45-24 the remainder of the first half.
The Magic, who made just eight 3s after hitting 17 in Game 4, then openedthe third with nine straight points as Turkoglu hit a 3-pointer—of course—and Orlando was within 94-93 after Turkoglu made three free throws with 4:46left. James then whipped a pass to Gibson for a 3 to make it 97-93.
Orlando missed on its next trip and James dropped a jumper. Pietrus missedthe next time down and James was able to foul out Howard, who smiled as heheaded to the bench knowing he and his teammates are still in control of theseries.
Maybe.
Williams, who came in shooting just 32 percent from the floor and 22 percenton 3-pointers, set the tone early. He made three 3s in the first 4:38, and theCavaliers, playing perhaps their best quarter of the entire playoffs, started10-of-11 from the field while opening a 22-point lead.
But the never-say-die Magic made it go poof!
Orlando, which overcame 16- and 23-point deficits, respectively, in Games 1and 2, whittled away by capitalizing on Cleveland’s offensive sloppiness andimpatience, and were within 56-55 at halftime.
Notes
West suffered a hip pointer with 3:33 remaining. The Cavaliers said hisstatus will be updated Friday. … Cleveland, hoping to host Game 7, improved to44-3 at home. … Celebrity row included New York Yankees Alex Rodriguez and CCSabathia, rap mogul Jay-Z, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Browns QBBrady Quinn. … James said playoff pressure doesn’t rival playing for anOlympic gold medal. “You’re playing for Cleveland and Los Angeles and Denverand every other city in this country,” said James. “That was way more pressurethan what’s going on here.” |
發表於 2009-5-29 06:45 PM
| 
春有百花秋有月
J
N
