It’s frustrating to be an Orlando Magic fan today. It’s difficult because last night the country watched Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers tell the world they are not going down without a fight as they built a 22-point lead in the first quarter.
How did the Cavs dominate so hardily? Mo Williams had 11 points in the first, Delonte West had 6, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 4. The reason the Magic were able to jump out to a 3-1 series lead and have emerged as Eastern Conference favorites was that Lebron had been the only guy in Cleveland. When the other four start to help him out, things get dangerous.
Although many would have guessed the game was all over with the Cavs leading 35-18 at the end of the first, the Magic staged another spectacular comeback making up 16 points in a single quarter. Through a tough defensive stand and a hot shooting streak Orlando was able to come within 1 56-55 as the half came to a close.
It is still frustrating to be a Magic fan. It’s challenging because after watching the boys in blue deflate the Cavaliers in the second quarter, Magic fans watched “King” James lead a comeback of his own. Although the teams remained close throughout the third quarter, Cleveland pulled away in the fourth as Lebron was given 6 of his 24 free-throw attempts and scored 17 of his 46 points. The Magic fell to the Cavs 102-112.
It is frustrating to be a Magic fan because Lebron James gets fouled a lot. Or at least he gets foul calls a lot. James was given 24 free-throw attempts. That is a lot. He was given so many free-throws because he drives into the paint and draws fouls. Sometimes they are real, and sometimes they are not. The general rule has been that if a defender fails to move out of Lebron’s way, he is called for a foul.
The Magic have had a difficult time stopping Lebron from driving for dunks and layups because if they don’t clear the way for him, the NBA has decided that is a foul. I don’t blame the NBA though; put yourself in their shoes.
What do fans like most? Dunks, drives, and layups. Who is the most acrobatic and amazing to watch do those things? Lebron James. Why doesn’t Lebron do that all the time? He is a great jump shooter.
If you’re the NBA and you have that set of facts, you have one problem to solve: How do we motivate “King” do drive more often? The answer they have clearly devised: We will give him every call we can so that his layups are often worth three.
The non-foul foul-calls hurt opponents like the Magic because they are not actually fouling Lebron and detracting from his shot attempt. This makes it much easier to convert a three-point-play than if he were actually fouled. I don’t believe the NBA is out to get the Magic or fix the series, but I do believe they want to provide incentive to make the most interesting basketball move take place often. By providing Lebron with this incentive, they are really killing Magic fans. It is very frustrating.
The Magic host Cleveland in a critical game 6 on Saturday night. Look for Bron to drive early and try to get Dwight Howard in foul trouble. If Lebron isn’t getting calls, that will be very good for the Magic. Maybe even good enough to help them get the win.
