On Second Thought, the Cavs Could Be in Trouble

Guess I asked for this when I said Kris Allen beating Adam Lambert on Idol last night was as improbable as if the Magic beat the Cavaliers.

Magic 107, Cavs 106 in Game 1. In a building that Cleveland was 43-1 in games they fielded an NBA team in.

Don't ambush me for sounding overdramatic here, because when push comes to shove, I still think the Cavs win this series on the strength of having a superior all-around club.

But the Magic drew first blood, in spite of:

1. LeBron James playing one of the most remarkable playoff games I've ever seen. 49 points, 20-30 shooting, 8 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 steals. The discussion over best player in the NBA is laughable. D-Wade and Kobe(yes in that order) are incredibly gifted players that are as competitive as anybody who's ever stepped onto the deck. But LeBron makes basketball look like a video game. He seems to be playing a different sport. Not sure we were ever praising Jordan in that manner.

And the idea that LeBron lost Cleveland the game because he went into selfish one-on-one mood is just asinine. He wasn't selfish. Selfish players don't have 8 assists. Selfish players don't set up Delonte West and Mo Williams on the two biggest shots of the game. The Cavs lost because the trio of Z, West and Mo Williams couldn't hit a shot inside of 65 feet.

2. Cleveland not only taking a 15-point advantage into the locker room, but precisely executing their game-plan of defending Dwight Howard straight up, and trying to wipe out Orlando's bombs away attack and eviscerating their pick and roll game. At least for one half. Then we learned that Rashard Lewis is a horrible matchup for Anderson Varejo, who's not used to extending himself to the three-point arc on defense. And that Mo Williams in a clutch spot, still can't guard a chair. And that Stan Van Gundy transformed himself from the Master of Panic back to a coach capable of carving out a Hall of Fame career. Moving Hedo Turkoglu to a point forward role(4-11 shooting but 14 assists) and thus making others besides LeBron guard him was a masterful stroke.

3. And while I am in the Dwight Howard is overrated camp, he's unstoppable within 5 feet from the basket. And this is surprising to say about the No. 1 defensive team in the NBA, but I don't think Cleveland has anyone who can force Dwight Howard out of that comfort zone. Z is immovable at this point. And the other three "bigs"(Varejo, Wallace, and Smith) work hard but are undersized. I think we took Kendrick Perkins defense for granted because that's the guy you need on D-12, the 6-11, 275 pound widebody defensive lineman. The Cavs are bereft of anyone even close.

The summary is this: I still expect Cleveland to win this series. But it will be quite a series.

And just for the record, I expect Denver to even it up tonight at Staples. They were the more impressive team in Game 1, despite Chauncey Billups and J.R. Smith shooting 7-20. And there's no evidence the soft Laker defense can stop Carmelo.