It’s a known fact that I despise the Los Angeles Lakers. As a life-long Celtics fan I couldn’t possibly hate them any more than I do. Unfortunately they are inching closer to Boston’s NBA record 17 championship banners. In other words, it’s probably a good thing I didn’t write this post last night. It would have been a 800 word column laced with expletitives. My brain would have likely exploded.
So what happened? The Magic were up 5 with like 40 seconds left. They lead by 3 with 7 seconds left. How could they have possibly lost?!?!
Ironically, the answer isn’t “Kobe Bryant.”
Orlando lost for obvious reasons. The main concern that killed them throughout the entire game was also a significant factor in the closing moments: free throws. A huge burden was lifted off Nick Anderson’s shoulders last night. Up three with seconds left in regulation, Dwight Howard bricked two foul shots that would have sealed the game. While Anderson may have missed four free throws (instead of two), his failed attempts from the charity stripe occurred in game 1 of the 1995 NBA Finals. Game 1! Sure, Nick Anderson single-handedly lost that game for Orlando, but he can’t be held accountable for blowing the series since it was so early. Conversely, Howard’s two errant free throws took place in game 4, and would have evened the series at 2-2. Superman could have tied the 2009 NBA Finals, and the Magic would be headed into a game 5 in Orlando with plenty of momentum. The Lakers would still be the favorites to win, but at least we’d have a series on our hands!
How many times do you hear an announcer complain when the team playing defense doesn’t foul when they are up 3 with seconds remaining. Reach in, go for the steal, do SOMETHING to prevent the opposing player from attempting a shot. It’s common sense. Yet you rarely see this happen, and it seems to always result in a game-tying three point field goal that totally shifts the momentum towards the team that sent the game into OT. Last night, Derek Fisher was able to convert an uncontested three pointer as time nearly expired. If Fisher was fouled, this whole scenario wouldn’t have happened. I thought Jeff Van Gundy was going to murder Jameer Nelson after that play. If Nelson is found dead in a hotel bathtub missing a kidney or two, I think we know who to blame.
Finally, an extraordinary number of turnovers further doomed the Magic. They turned the ball over 19 times last night. It’s amazing Orlando didn’t lose by more than 6. Of those turnovers, almost half were credited to Dwight Howard, who was frequently stripped when he put the ball on the floor. He was handling the basketball like it was a hand grenade.
With a 3-1 advantage, along with two more games at the Staples Center, it’s only a matter of time before we see Kobe Bryant kissing the Larry O’Brien trophy. I cringe just thinking about it.
2 comments:
How did the Magic lose that series? Game 1 (LA 1-0), I can see. Game 2... should have had (TIED 1-1), Game 3 they actually won (ORL 2-1), I won't even dignify explaining how they should have won game 4 (ORL 3-1), and with Game 5 at home, that could have been it.
IMHO, their downfall was inconsistency. Nobody could give them 20 every night, although they had 4, maybe 5 guys that could score 20 on a given night.
I'm most interested to see how this offseason plays out. I feel like nobody will really remember who won this year.
Scottie, write an article on the years that people forgot who won it, like the 2004 Diamondbacks or some college team. I feel like it's a question we ask in every sport, every year: "Who won it that year?" and someone has to look it up on Wikipedia.
Just in case everyone was wondering, the Diamondbacks won it back in 2001, so I'm still off, which proves my point.
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