Lil Red Machine

Before I put my opinions and give my personal analysis, there’s one thing we need to get straight here:

Orlando is the better basketball team. The Magic have an inside/outside game that we cannot guard against, or duplicate on our own end, they have a multitude of players who can create their own shot and shoot from anywhere, and quite frankly, they just have our number, and have had it for years.

Keep that in mind when analyzing this past game 4, and the series as a whole. If the Cavs are to win, it will be because they have the best player, and that guy will have to go absolutely bonkers. It is crystal clear at this point that the supporting cast just isn’t good enough. Also, they will have to have a lot of luck on their side, and will have to play with a grit and determination that is superior to that of the Magic.

Lets take a step back and look at the game that just transpired. Once again, we didn’t close out on their outside shooters, as they went 17-38 from downtown. Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis weren’t quite as spectacular as they had been. It was Rafer Alston who raised their level of play in the second half, and it was Dwight Howard who carried them in overtime.

Cleveland played better than it did the previous game. LeBron’s teammates were slightly better–but only slightly. Delonte West and Mo Williams combined for 35 points, but it wasn’t nearly enough. They needed more out of these guys–and didn’t get it.

As for King James, his statline was ridiculous, as he totaled 44 points and collected 12 rebounds. However, he made some crucial mistakes in the overtime.

The ball movement, quite frankly, sucked at times. There was a lot of dribbing around and just flat out pounding the basketball into the court. It’s been a consistent theme this series. Guys are getting their shots. It’s not just LeBron taking all the shots, but periodically, the offense has just fallen apart.

Coach Mike Brown tried to make adjustments. Sasha Pavlovic, who was a big part of the plans in game 4, was nowhere to be seen last night. Wally Szczerbiak, Daniel Gibson, and Ben Wallace got a boost in playing time, but it wasn’t enough.

Game 5 is Thursday night. Perhaps the Cavaliers win the home affair. They take a lot of pride in their homecourt and will be determined not to go down meekly. Hoewver–and I hope I’m wrong–it’s just hard for me to imagine that the Cavs have what it takes to bring down this Magic team in three straight, given everything I mentioned.