Sports Thread #3 for 5/30/09: Cavs vs Magic, Game 6 Thread (MAGIC WIN 103-90, ADVANCE TO THE FINALS!)

Photo from NBA.com

Once again, Mr.Durley-Petty aka "I even got Oliver Miller on lockdown at the spot" man with the preview:

Cleveland was able to narrowly survive elimination thanks to an imperial, preposterously disgusting fourth quarter performance by LeBron James. However, have they really turned the corner to win in Orlando and force a decisive Game 7 at the Quicken Loans Center or was it just a desperate fleeting mirage? Does Orlando have the killer instinct to bury the Cavs or will they gag under the pressure? Here are the keys it tonight's game.

Cleveland Cavaliers

MoWill you must be ill

Mo Williams finally awoke form his hibernation and delivered the type of performance that typified his all-star season, dropping 24 points connecting on 6-9 treyballs. The Cavs, and especially Born will need a similar production from MoWill in Game 6 in Orlando with more consistency throughout the game. MoWill may have erupted for 24 points, but he 14 came in the first quarter. Cleveland needs consistent scoring for the duration, not just intervals. MoWill is shooting a dismal 32 percent in the Magic Kingdom, and 19 percent off 3-16 on triples. Did MoWill remedy his shooting woes and is the torrid cotton caressing portable? For Cleveland's sake it better be.

Knights protect your king

In Game 6 The King got great support from his knights. MoWill had 24 points, Zydrunas Illgauskas 16, Delonte West 13 and Daniel Gibson rediscovered his smooth shooting stroke from the last two years busting 3 trifectas. Together they combined for 64 points and gave the Cavs the offensive stability they lacked the previous four games. The first four contest Bron's 42 points per game accounted for 41.7 percent of Cleveland's point total. However, in Game 5 The Chosen One 37 points only comprised 33 percent of the Cavs points. Cleveland will need a replication of scoring balance again tonight. It's also crucial Cleveland get off to a good start because they've habitually let 20 point leads dissolve quicker than glass of alka-seltzer and been thoroughly outballed in the second half of every game.

Choke Superman on the kryptonite

Dwight Howard has been a dominant force in the paint, effortlessly manhandling every Cavs big man who's unsuccessfully tried to guard him. He's went, up down, around, and incessantly banged on t heir heads like a hammer on a nail. When D12 gets the rock Cleveland bigs need to either hammer him hard and force him to hit free throws, or let him make the layup, but they can ill-afford to let Howard powerman his way and 1's and get Cavs inside players in foul trouble. Cleveland perimeter players also need to collapse hard on Howard when they double but recover quickly to Orlando shooters because the Cavs have nauseating apathetically given up a bevy of open triple looks. Granted Orlando only went 8-25 from the great beyond in Game 5, they fricasseed them with 17 treys in Game 4.

Mike Brown made a brilliant adjustment moving Bron up to the elbow/top of the key giving Bron space to isolate Mickael Pietrus. That gives Bron the option of driving, shooting the jab step face-up jumper, or if the defense converges on him kicking it out to open shooters, and it's imperative they knock down the shots. Bron is the most unstoppable force driving to the rack in the game and he's done a great job of drawing fouls on Howard. Bron has to continue to exploit Howard's penchant for fouls because he's fouled out in Game 6 and had four fouls in Cleveland's Game 2 victory. Removing the NBA Defensive Player of the Year off the court clears the lane for far easier drives. In Game 5, Bron had 37 points, 12 dimes and 14 boards. Bron is only the fourth player in NBA history to score at least 25 points in 15 consecutive games along with Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Jerry West The Cavs will need him to be the same facilitating mutilator again tonight.

Orlando Magic

Dho be smart bro

The Cleveland Cavaliers have absolutely no answer for Howard in the post. Howard has routinely eaten the Cavs interior players like a gorilla devours bananas. He's pummeled them on the boards, beaten them to loose balls, and utilized his quickness and strength to get buckets with his half hook or spin moves for ferocious bangs. There's just one problem- D12 has been in foul trouble in every game this series. Howard has been his own worst enemy and no one can stop him but him.

The big fella has certainly been some questionable poptart touch fouls, but Howard has to be conscious refs are officiating him differently. With Howard getting minimal leeway he has to modify his game and make sure he rotates to meet Cavs driving to the lane quicker, beating them to the spot because he has a tendency to be just a step late. That one step is the key to smacking a shot, drawing a charge, or being whistled for a block. Howard has to be in position to be in position to avoid petty fouls so he can stay on the floor. Superman is the epicenter of the Magic attack, and if he's dominating he creates open shots for Orlando shooters Hedo Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis, Rafer Alston, Mickael Pietrus and Courtney Lee to unleash their triple tsunami or Cleveland.

Don't be witnesses

In game 5 Cleveland head coach Mike Brown made a strategic move to place Bron at the top of the key in a 1-4 high set to provide Bron with better spacing and mitigate Orlando's convergence so he had more room to operate. The plan change worked to perfection, as Bron scored or assisted on the Cavs final 32 points. Stan Van Gundy and his crew were shook and disoriented by element of surprise, but they've now had a day to devise a counterattack to avoid getting bum rushed by the same move.

If Bron's positioned at the top of the key Pietrus or Turkaglu needs to overplay Bron to a side, preferably the left because he typically shoots his pull-up going left and drives to the rack right rarely ever stopping and popping. They should steer Bron towards a defender who should pinch hard and cut off his drive before he gets the chance to build up a head of steam because if he accelerates it's a taquito wrap. If Bron holds the pill for an extended period of time surveying the D like he often does the Magic can send a defender to double hard, or as soon as he dribbles forcing him to pass and putting the onus on Bron's teammates to consistently drain shots which they've been unable to do. That will should also help Howard avoid picking up cheap fouls making up for his teammates errors meeting Bron at the tin.

Hedo enjoy Orlando hospitality

Hedo Turkaglu is one of the rare players who actually plays better on the road than at home. In the East Finals Turk has averaged 22 points on the road and only 13 at home. Turk has to carry the same road mentality to Orlando and enjoy the friendly confines of his own crib. Turk had a great scoring game in Game 5, busting 26 points and snatching 6 rebounds, but more importantly he only had 2 assists. Orlando is at their best when Turk is using his versatility and dope handles to freak defenders off the bounce allocating the rock to teammates for open treys or D12 for monster dunks. Turk is the Magic leading dime-dropper at 5 a night and is the barometer for the team. If he plays well Orlando usually wins.

Rashard Lewis only had 15 points and missed a lot of open triples in Game 5 but he has a distinct advantage over Anderson Varejao off the dribble and the perimeter. Look for Shard to bounce back busting jumpers and posting up smaller defenders such as West and MoWill. Shard has also been instrumental tossing heart ripping daggers down the stretch off screens and kickouts from Turk.

Prediction

Cleveland may have won Game 5 but you can't feel too confident that they had to rely on herculean, disgusting, virtuoso legendary performance from Bron to do so. The Cavs are in a perilous position and that slim win wasn't reassuring has to leave you feeling leery. Bron will do everything within his power to send it back to his castle, but unless someone else has a huge game Superman and the Magic will send the king's empire crashing down tonight. It should be another raw scintillating battle but Orlando 108-104

Game Updates
Update 1: Explosive first quarter to this game. Dwight is ballin, LeBron is ballin, everyone is ballin. But the Magic are doing it a little better right now. 30-25 Orlando after one.

Ultimate Update: IT'S OVER. The Orlando Magic are the 2008-2009 Eastern Conference Champions, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 103-90. Dwight Howard, if he wasn't already, is a DEFINITIVE SUPERSTAR.