Posted on 05/30/2009 8:11:07 PM PDT by doug from upland
Orlando defeats Cleveland 4 games to 2 and will travel to Los Angeles for Game 1 on Thursday.
(Excerpt) Read more at sports.espn.go.com ...
Cleveland was my birthplace. While my parents were alive, and God rest their souls, I thanked them all the time for having the good sense to move to S. California when I was 5.
One man does not a team make.
Lakers in 6.
- Michael Jordan
Agreed. But, I wouldn't be surprised if it ends in 5....
I was still surprised at how Orlando seemed to own them. Without the James miracle last second shot in game 2, they would have swept.
My folks were from Erie, and had the good sense to move to SoCal before I was born.
I watched the hockey game over the basetball game. Sounds like I made a smart decision. Orlando is clearly the better team. I could have very easily been a 4 game sweep for Orlando. It might be an interesting NBA Finals. You probably have to favor the Lakers. Probably in 6 games.
I would actually not be shocked if Orlando won.
Go Cavs!!!
"Ain't no 'we', either." - Leon
Idiot. Go Magic!!!
dfwgator is right -- one man cannot get it done at this level. It was enough in the first and second rounds but they were definitely exposed by Orlando as being a one-dimensional team.
The Lakers, for example, have several weapons in addition to Kobe....
GO MAGIC!!!
BEAT L.A. !!!!!
THIS IS THE MAGIC’s SEASON TO WIN IT ALL....
lol
It should be a good matchup.
And it gets worse...
It is virtually certain LeBron James will wear a Knicks jersey next year.
Magic. The Orlando freaking Magic?
Do they show jazz hands before they take the center jump?
Oh yes - it’s an oblique reference to Disney World and the other theme parks.
It’s still an idiotic name for a male sports team.
I thought LeBron would join the Nets once they move to Brooklyn.
That shot joins the Mets Endy Chavez' spectacular home run theft in Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS as on of the most meaningless spectacular sports highlights in history.
Ought to be an interesting finals.
Jordan was a great player, but he never got past the 1st rd of the playoffs without Pippen on his team. His first 3 years they were swept twice in the 1st rd and lost another 3-1(Best of 5). Pippen showed up, and things started to change. Also had Horace Grant, BJ Armstrong and some others on the 1st Bulls dynasty. When he came back he had Pippen, plus Rodman, Kucoc, and Ron Harper, 3 other all star caliber player. Pippen and Rodman are 1st ballot hall of famers and two of the greatest defensive players in NBA history.
Lebron has nowehere that kind of support. He has Mo Williams, Anderson Varejao, Ilgauskas, West, etc... Without Lebron, Cleveland struggles to win 30 games. Without Jordan, the Bulls won 55 games and were a absloutely horrendous foul call away from going back to the finals.
That said, Jordan is still better, but I was just trying to correct the notion that some have that he won all by himself.
Doug Henning thinks it's ok...
The Magic are 2-0 vs. the Lakers this year.
The LA minus Shaq have been unimpressive.
I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Orlando beats LA.
Yep, they should call this series the “Life After Shaq” Series.
I followed the Bulls closely from before they drafted Jordan. Of course you are correct. I just think it is a funny quote and though gator would get a kick out of it.
That said, you are absolutely correct. It was fascinating to watch the evolution of the Bulls from the year they drafted Jordan to the 1st championship.
People forget that his supporting cast prior to the championship years included the likes of Dennis Hopson, Brad Sellers, Orlando Woolridge (who wasn’t bad), Dave Corzine, and others..
They added piece after piece until they were finally able to get past the Pistons and it was all about team.
To me, it will always be about adding two people: Phil Jackson and Bill Cartwright. Those two were the final pieces.
JMHO.
Who cares, the Lady Gators are two wins away from winning the Women’s College World Series.
To this day, I am convinced that Bulls team would have won the finals. Of course, we will never know.
IT’s amazing to think of what might have happened there.
Lets say that call isn’t made, the Bulls win game 5, close out the Knicks back at Chicago Stadium. They woned IND in the reg season. They go to the finals. Maybe they beat Houston. Who knows?
But they show they can do it without Jordan.
Does he even come back the next year? If they win without him. Does he come back for another team? Was he really suspended for gambling? Would a young Barack Obama have been so overjoyed in the championship celebration in Chicago he decides he’s wasting his time as Community organizer and decides to move into sports?
All but guaranteeing that he won't ever win a championship.
LOL, I loved that show.
Absolutely. Plus, Pippen could be the floor general, at least for short periods of time, while Jordan rested. Lebron just doesn't have that.
I think that team that won Jordan his fourth title, was the greatest team of all time. Suck it Lakers fans.
For those who don’t know, ESPN has a gamecast that is just behind real time.
Houston was pretty good and Hakeem was unstoppable that year, but who knows. The Knicks took them to 7 and The Bulls should have taken the Knicks out in 6.
That finals was the one that happened during the OJ Bronco chase. They had the chase on and the game in the corner. Remember that?
Pippen is one of the more underrated players in NBA history. He could do everything. Could have scored 25-30 a game if he wanted. Should have been MVP in 94. Total defensive stopper. Also, almost helped lead POR to the finals before they melted down against the Lakers in 2000.
Jordan too gets lost in the shuffle. People forget how good he was. How he took it to the basket like no one else. Relentless getting to the foul line. Do you remember that year I think it was 88 that Collins had him play point? He averaged a triple double for the 2nd half of the season, and put up 12 straight and 14 of 15 at one point. And of course the 91 finals with “A spectacular move by Michael Jordan!” 92 with the shrug on Robinson. 93 stopping Charles Smith. Wow, those were great days.
It’s shame NBC doesnt do the finals. Their intro music was the best. Nothing like that theme coming on and psyching you up for the game.
Those Bulls teams, particularly the 96-98 version had incredible talent. You could probably take the 96 Bulls without Jordan, put them in today and they beat either LA or ORL in the finals.
It is nice to see the Magic back in the finals. Remember Nick Anderson blew those free throws at the end of game 1. He was the huge hero when he stole the ball from Jordan(one of the most amazing plays I’ve ever seen. It was like finding out Sanata Clause isn’t real). Then he blows the game, and his career was never the same. He was an all star guard and he basically did nothing after that.
Chinese predict Yao-Lebron pairing after investment report
By Nick Mulvenney
Reuters
Tuesday, May 26, 2009; 12:42 AM
BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese basketball fans are already gleefully predicting Yao Ming will join LeBron James at the Cleveland Cavaliers after reports a Hong Kong-based company is set to take a minority share in the NBA franchise. U.S. media reported over the weekend that New World Development Company was to take a 15 percent holding in the Cavaliers, the second-largest stake after owner Dan Gilbert.
The NBA is hugely popular in China with hundreds of millions tuning in to games involving Houston Rockets center Yao and the report has been met with great enthusiasm in Internet chat rooms.
“It’s very clear that the Cavaliers’ next step is to buy Yao Ming,” one netizen said on Sina.com. “And then to win the league championship, and then to build a Cavaliers’ dynasty!”
When does football season finally start?
I think Boston is much more talented than the Lakers are and the Magic beat them and the Cavaliers.
Orlando over the Lakers (of course) in 7. It would be a sweep, but the refs will make sure the Lakers stick around for a few games.
All well and good, but the team I just saw lose to Orlando would not have a chance against the Lakers, so the one guy would just have made it an embarrassment...............
Interesting that you mention the hockey game, since the Red Wings take playing as a team to the highest level. A number of those players could make tons of money playing elsewhere, but the chance to skate around the rink with the Stanley Cup every year is more appealing to them. If it were me, I would take less money if it meant I got some honking big rings in return, but too many star players just want the money, so they end up floating from team to team, turning them all into losers as their attitude gets worse. Maybe Lebron will realize this and work with management to build a championship caliber team, because until he gets a championship or three, he is just another Allen Iverson.
The Magic have owned the Cavs for the last 2, 3 years. I think they were 8 and 3 against them in the last couple of regular seasons.
Here’s the problem for the Lakers: the iffy front line play of Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. Dwight Howard and Hedo Turkoglu are going to have a field day over this.
They should feel right at home in California then ;-)
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