Carter, Magic Handle Struggling Cavs
By John Hollinger
ESPN.com
ORLANDO, Fla. -- It's amazing how much perception can change in half a week.
Coming out of the trading deadline, the Eastern Conference playoffs shaped up as the Cleveland Invitational. With the Cavaliers' acquisition of Antawn Jamison, it seemed nobody could hope to topple a Cleveland team that was already running away from the rest of the East.
But after the Cavs' 101-95 loss on Sunday to their rivals from Orlando -- and make no mistake, this has become one of basketball's biggest and baddest rivalries -- all those assumptions must be called into question. The loss was the third straight for Cleveland since acquiring Jamison -- their longest streak in two years -- even though the newest Cavalier played very well (19 points, eight boards, and a game-altering stretch to start the second half in which he scored on four straight possessions).
The Magic, meanwhile, are rounding into shape after a choppy start. The win was their 12th in 16 games, and they've moved up to third in my Power Rankings -- a spot ahead of Cleveland, for those who are keeping score. The Cavs, who entered the All-Star break with an imposing seven-game lead in the Eastern Conference, have lost some of their luster of invincibility by dropping all three games since the trade.
In the case of Sunday's game, everything about it was old school -- from the beatdown physicality in the post, to the Magic's reasserting their advantage over Cleveland, to the plays Vince Carter ran and executed to win it down the stretch.
Let's start with Carter, since he's been the bellwether for Orlando's progress this season. The shooting guard spent much of the season passively settling for forced 20-footers, and the first three quarters Sunday followed a similar pattern.
But in the fourth, Carter exploded. He broke out a retro dunk over Anderson Varejao from his "Half-Man, Half Amazing" days to jump-start a 17-5 Orlando run in the middle of the fourth, and the Magic never looked back.
"I kind of surprised myself," said Carter, who has had trouble finishing at the basket this season.
He didn't finish there. Running a series of screen-and-roll plays with Jameer Nelson that ended with Carter on the block, he hit a tough post-up over Anthony Parker and a driving layup. Nelson, meanwhile, took advantage of the renewed attention on Carter to hit two 3-pointers and a long 2.
The play, as it turns out, was one that coach Stan Van Gundy put in Saturday because it had worked for Carter in New Jersey. Carter's stellar numbers this month -- 21.4 points on 51.2 percent shooting -- after a miserable January undoubtedly gave Van Gundy some added encouragement to run more offense for Carter.
"We put him in the post a little bit and I think that got him going," Van Gundy said. "It's a pretty simple play, hardly genius stuff. We're looking for ways to get him into some of the stuff that has been more comfortable for him."
"From my old days from New Jersey," said Carter. "When he called it, I was like, 'Yeah, that's what I'm talking about.'"
Carter kept attacking down the stretch, most notably in the final minute. Carter helped deliver the knockout blow with the Magic leading 97-93 with 30 seconds left. He came off a high pick-and-roll against Shaquille O'Neal, and instead of pulling up, Carter kept penetrating to the baseline. He went under the basket, found Rashard Lewis wide open in the corner on the other side, and delivered a pass that Lewis converted into a dagger 3-pointer that effectively ended the game.
"He had his struggles in January, but he's been much more in attack mode," said Van Gundy. "I didn't really give him a chance to get into that game a whole lot until the fourth."
That play was the capper on a game that felt like the good old days of last season for Orlando. The Magic lost their first two meetings with Cleveland this season after dominating the matchup last season -- seven victories in 10 games, including a six-game win in the Eastern Conference finals.
Unfortunately for Cleveland, it was the same old story on their end, too. Much like last year's playoffs, the Cavs got a huge game from LeBron James (33 points, nine rebounds, six assists), but little or nothing from the backcourt.
Mo Williams, who dominated in Cleveland's win here in November, provided a harrowing reminder of his Eastern Conference finals performance, scoring only four points on 1-of-9 shooting; overall, Cleveland's four guards combined to shoot just 4-of-23. That won't get it done, and it wasted huge games from O'Neal (9-of-10, 20 points) and Jamison.
And as with last season, James eventually ran out of gas and the Cavs' attack petered out. When James mustered just one point in the final quarter until a meaningless layup with 15 seconds left, Orlando made its run.
The game itself was reminiscent of last year's playoffs, too, both in terms of fan interest and physicality. Orlando's crowd was jacked up from the start, with the combined impact of the Cavs and now-hated former Magic center O'Neal riling up the locals.
"A [heck] of a game" said Van Gundy. "Physical, tough competitive … [and] the best players were all really good."
Meanwhile, the contest on the floor was as physical as any NBA game I've seen this regular season. O'Neal and Howard -- the league's two most imposing physical specimens -- slammed bodies in the post at each end, starting with Shaq's follow-up dunk on the first possession, and hard fouls at the basket were the norm when anyone got free.
"They let us play on both sides," said O'Neal.
Orlando's J.J. Redick bore the brunt of it, taking an especially hard -- but clean -- hit from O'Neal in the third quarter that left him sprawled on the floor. "I wanted him to make a decision," said Redick, "and he decided to hammer me." He added that it was the hardest he'd ever been fouled.
We can look forward to six or seven more such contests in late May and early June between these two if the present standings hold up and the postseason holds to form. While nobody will dismiss Cleveland as the result of one bad game, or even one bad week in February, Sunday's result at least brings some doubt as to the eventual conference champion.
Meanwhile, Cleveland will try to rebuild and regroup from the first whiff of adversity to hit the team since it lost two games to open the season. Jamison started the second half after coming off the bench at the beginning, portending a likely role in the starting five for the rest of the season at the expense of J.J. Hickson; Jamison could be an even greater factor in the next meeting between these two clubs on April 11.
"We are just going through a little transition period right now trying to figure out lineups and figuring out certain sets," said James.
The Cavs almost certainly will figure it out and play better. But after Sunday's display, the same can't be said for observers of the East. Orlando provided enough cause for optimism, and Cleveland presented enough of a case for pessimism, that we can again engage in a healthy debate as to the eventual identity of this year's Eastern Conference champ.
• LeBron James managed just three points on 1-for-5 shooting in the fourth quarter as the Magic handed the Cavaliers their third straight loss.
• The Cavs are now 0-3 since entering the All-Star break on a 13-game win streak.
• Dwight Howard led the Magic with 22 points and 16 rebounds, his 20th straight double-double.
• The Magic have won nine of their last 11 home games.
• Antawn Jamison bounced back from his disappointing Cavs debut with 19 points and eight rebounds
Magic too Much for New Look Cavs
www.si.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Dwight Howard sat on a chair in front of his locker and plopped his son, Braylon, onto his lap. The 2-year-old was wearing a blue shirt with the Superman emblem stamped on the chest.
Statement? Hardly. The big man did that on the court.
Howard had 22 points and 16 rebounds in a bruising battle with Shaquille O'Neal, and the Orlando Magic beat Cleveland 101-95 on Sunday for the Cavaliers' first three-game losing streak in two years.
''He's a big load,'' Howard said of O'Neal, who had taken offense recently to Howard being called Superman. ''You just got to get in there and fight him. You got to get out there and wrestle with him. You got to make him work.''
They both did plenty of that.
Howard was 8-for-13 shooting and added four blocks, and Vince Carter had eight of his 11 points in the fourth quarter to help the Magic beat Cleveland for the first time this season.
O'Neal made his first eight shots and finished with 20 points, and LeBron James had 33 points and nine rebounds for the Cavaliers, who were eliminated by Orlando in last year's Eastern Conference finals.
''Dwight is one of the only true big men left. I'm sure he doesn't mind a little bit of physicality,'' said O'Neal, who avoided any verbal jabs at Howard after this one. ''I darn sure don't mind it. Two big, strong guys. Old ball, young ball going at it. Fun game to watch.''
Stayed tuned. Might be plenty more matchups this season.
Although the Cavaliers' losing skid - all since acquiring Antawn Jamison from Washington - comes on the heels of a 13-game winning streak, they still lead Orlando by five games. And with the Magic starting to play their best basketball, a conference finals rematch might be in store.
''We play the way we're playing, they play the way they're playing, we'll eventually meet,'' Howard said.
The hoopla surrounding the Howard-Shaq squabble over the Superman nickname finally lived up to the billing, and for a February game it sure felt like June.
Carter made a two-handed dunk over heavy traffic, and followed that with a layup over Jamison, pumping his fist to the crowd in celebration. Jameer Nelson came back with a 3-pointer to put the Magic ahead 96-88 with about 2 minutes left.
O'Neal tipped in a missed shot, and Anthony Parker made a 3-pointer to trim the deficit to three. But after James missed a 3-pointer on Cleveland's next possession, Rashard Lewis made a 3 - from the same spot where he sent the Game 6 clincher into overtime last year - with 20.1 seconds remaining to seal the Magic's win.
Jamison, acquired from Washington earlier this week, had 19 points - after starting his Cleveland career 0 for 12 - but still doesn't know what it feels like to win with his new team.
''I think Antawn is really going to benefit us, we are just going through a little transition period right now trying to figure out lineups and figuring out certain sets,'' James said.
Until the last few minutes, though, it was Superman vs. Superman.
O'Neal has been known as the comic book superhero for most of his 17-year NBA career, and he had taken exception with Howard getting the same nickname. It didn't help that Howard has erased much of O'Neal's shadow in Orlando - where he spent four years in the mid-90s - and has restored the Magic to prominence.
''I am not concerned with that,'' said O'Neal, who has called Howard an ''impostor'' among other things. ''When I am done playing, I will have four, five or six (titles). I am not concerned with useless titles.''
He'll also be remembered for putting on quite a show.
O'Neal grabbed a rebound and caught Howard under the basket, hammering a powerful one-handed dunk over the young center in the opening quarter. Shaq added a put-back dunk, an alley-oop tip and a three-point play over Howard all before the half.
At the other end of the floor, Howard used his youth and agility to wiggle around O'Neal almost at will, slicing through the paint for layups and hook shots and making the elder center sprint down the court. Howard also banked a jumpshot from the wing and his defensive presence helped Orlando go ahead 46-35 late in the second quarter.
''I don't think he smiled tonight so that should make everybody happy,'' said Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, referring to how some perceive Howard as a happy-go-luck center. ''He's playing as well as anybody in the league.''
And suddenly, so are the Magic.
''Sometimes people do forget that we're the defending Eastern Conference champions,'' Lewis said. ''That's OK. We just got to keep playing hard, because we know we might see them again.''
No comments:
Post a Comment