While We’re Waiting… Magic’s defense on the final shot, Mo’s (Non)Technical Foul, Joe Tait’s Call

Thanks for posting Tait’s call! That was awesome.

Windhorst is basically right about our defense having been neutralized. LeBron alluded to this in his post-game, on-court comments. There’s a lot that those guys have to do still, to keep Orlando from bombing us out of competition.

My brother was on vacation and didn’t get to see the game. He asked me what happened. What happened? Here’s what I told him.

The Cavs jumped out to a 23-pt lead by early in the second quarter. Then it was a slow, agonizing downward spiral, like blood-letting, just as in Game One. The Magic simply could not miss a three-point shot for long stretches. The Cavs hit a few shots here and there, but the Magic seemed once again to have the basketball gods in their favor. They took the lead by a few points with about 4 and a half minutes left. Then the game see-sawed till about 10 seconds left, with the score tied. At that point, Hedo Terkoglu dribbled, dribbled, and dribbled, and just as Jordan had hit a shot from near the top of the key over Craig Ehlo, he shot the ball over a defender and sank it with a single second left in the game.

Orlando 95 Cleveland 93. One second left.

The oxygen in the building quickly exited. People dropped their heads everywhere, some started hitting the aisles. At that moment, LeBron told Mo that, whatever happened in the inbounds play, get the ball to him and he would make it. The play designed was a lob straight at the rim that LeBron was supposed to alley-oop in for a tie game. However, Terkoglu anticipated the play call and cut LeBron’s path off to the rim. With four seconds of five possible seconds already counted off on the inbounds time, LeBron jumped out toward the top of the key and received
Mo’s sharp pass across half the court. As he grabbed it, he lept high into the air, away from the basket, and Terkoglu went skying after him with his hands outstretched. Another defender did the same, at a different angle. The ball floated above their outstretched hands and made a giant rainbow over the rest of the players, who all looked up, frozen in place, as if they were watching a UFO appear over the horizon. The ball hit the back of the rim, the front of the rim, and after hitting the back of the rim once more, fell in. Mo Williams fell to his knees and started pounding the court with his right hand. People swarmed the floor. The whole place erupted in pandemonium.

Out of a long, slow, torturous death, LeBron had pulled one final trick and shocked every Cleveland fan with the intoxicating scent of sweet salvation.

@Phil. That’s pretty good stuff.

The Cavs guards are getting killed on the dribble drive. This makes no sense to me considering they’re smaller and faster than the Magic guards. This and that bloody moving screen that Howard gets away with on 8/10 picks are just maddening to watch.

I posted this on HP, too, but before Magic fans get too indignant over Mo’s should-be T, they should realize that–at best–that should’ve been a double-tech the way that Howard hammered Mo’s head a solid 2-3 seconds after the whistle.

I don’t think either team has much to grouse about in terms of refs missing calls this series.

Thank you Seaward. I was making the same case to my son. That’s a swipe at his head on a dead ball. He had a reason for throwing that ball at Howard.

I loved Z crashing to the floor for the loose ball last night. At the same time, I’d like a stat guru to add up the points (usually on 3s) made before and after clumsy Z misses in the games one and two.

Look at SVG in the background of the photo above. I HATE that miserable slouch.

Here’s the Orlando Sentinel recap – they have the video of Hedu and LBJ’s shots:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/basketball/magic/orl-sportsmagic-cavaliers-main-23052309may23,0,6991423.story

Mo Williams after LBJ’s shot = Thomas Hill after the Laettner UK-Duke Shot

@ bridgecrosser:

Perfect analogy. I hadn’t thought of that, but it’s spot on. I just got a picture of Hill saying “Oh my God, Oh my God” over and over – and that’s just what Mo was doing.