The Parallel Purple People Eaters head down to the Magic Kingdom to do some Darlin' stomping tonight. Meanwhile, the Cavs look to take a 3-0 lead in the Real Finals.*

On a more serious note, it looks like Orlando's luck has finally run out. After being utterly dominated in Game 1, the small things stopped going their way in Game 2 and they managed to lose to a Lakers team that looked like they hardly wanted to play. It's likely they can take at least one game in Orlando, but is there anyone on the planet at this point that thinks Cleveland/LA wouldn't have been a better Finals matchup? I'm not saying we'd have won, but the Magic are starting to look like they played about their heads to get here.

*On a super sad note, I actually planned a long weekend trip to Cleveland this weekend in anticipation of at least catching a Finals game. I may not be too active on here starting tomorrow, but suffice it to say I'll have more time on my hands, sadly

Is it November yet?

Apologies for the late Game Thread... if anyone's interested anyway.

Anyway, Parallel LA leads the series 1-0 after a dominant performance in Game 1. Will the Darlings even things up, or continue to prove they were just on a a ridiculous hot streak against the Cavs and have now reverted to what everyone knew they were?

Meanwhile, the Cavs lead the real Finals 1-0 and look to take down a Lakers team sans Kobe after his double technical in Game 1.

As we're all aware by now, the Horsemen of the Basketball Apocalypse overcame near impossible odds and dispatched Orlando's Disney Darlings in an epic Game 7 showdown this past Monday. LeBron James was in full Kerosene mode, dropping 50/13/12 while Bizarro Howard fouled out with ten minutes to go in the third quarter. The NBA Finals are scheduled to start tomorrow night at the Q, with our Cavs firing on all cylinders and looking to take down the Purple People Eaters of LA.

Problem is, no one seems to be covering the Finals this year.

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The Orlando Magic did what they had to do, avoid a Game 7 in Cleveland, by beating the Cavs 103-90 to win the Eastern Conference Finals 4 games to 2. 

I start this by congratulating the Orlando Magic.  They were the better team and deserve the shot they are getting at a Title.  I'll be rooting for them, because, as a Cavaliers fan, if you are going to get beat, get beat by the best.  There is no shame in defeat, not at this time of year.  Best of luck in the NBA Finals, Magic.  Make the Eastern Conference proud.

This series was alot closer than this one game will show.  There are blowouts in the playoffs all the time.  Look at the Houston/LA series.  What it comes down to are 3 games, Games 1, 2 and 4.  Either team could have won each of those games.  The Magic won 2, which earned them the right to play this game, a deciding game, in their arena.  Kudos to them.

As for the game, what more is there to say?  We have seen the issues the Magic present the Cavs.  Tonight, we saw all of them at once.  That means it was plainly visible for all to see what the Cavs need to do in the off-season to get back to this point.   While a series with Boston may have meant a shot at a championship, long term success depends on the Cavaliers revamping some of their roster.

There will be plenty of time for that.  For now, let's take a moment to tip our collective caps to the Magic, and celebrate what has been the greatest season in Cavaliers' history.  It didn't end the way we all wanted, of course, but that doesn't mean it was a complete failure.

Try and remember that as you decompress from the game.  It is disappointing, sure, but remember the rules of this website.  Stay classy, Cavs fans, even if other fans do not.

GO CAVS!

Here is the discussion thread for the 2nd Half....

Daniel Gibson needs his shooting touch tonight in Orlando

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	Vs
11-7		10-3
Magic Lead 3-2
May 30th, 2009
Orlando, FL
8:30 PM est
Radio - WTAM / TV - TNT HD
Magic Coverage -- Third Quarter Collapse
Probable starters:
Rafer Alston	PG	Mo Williams
Courtney Lee	SG	Delonte West
Hedo Turkoglu	SF	LeBron James
Rashard Lewis	PF	Anderson Varejao
Dwight Howard	C	Zydrunas Ilgauskas

It's do-or-die time for the Cavaliers...again.  I win tonight would mean the greatest moment in sports - a Game 7.  The Cavaliers busted their butts for 81 games this season to get that game in Cleveland.  To take advantage, however, they have to win a huge road game tonight in a place that hasn't been too kind to them recently.

The Cavs have been a one-game-at-a-time team all season, never looking too far ahead, never looking to far behind.  That mentality should help them as they try and climb their biggest hill of the season.  The Wine and Gold have answered every challenge put in front of them.  Win or Lose, I have a feeling the Cavs are going to make it very, very difficult for the Magic to get that 4th win.

This isn't a post about cockiness, or being a homer.  I'm a Cavaliers fan, which is obvious since I run a Cavaliers fan site.  I consider myself a realist, however, in everything I do.  I try not to get to high or too low in life, especially about my sports.  Perhaps its because I have young children. 

Before, if one of my teams lost, I could yell combinations of vulgarity never heard of, or throw the cat.  My 5 and 2 year old daughters appreciate the cat flying across the room, my wife wouldn't like the profanity.  So I have learned to internalize, and this blog, of course, is great therapy for me.  I can get everything off my chest right here, instead of yelling at her about it, or sitting up all night festering.

By now you are wondering where the hell I am going with this.  I just wanted to give you a little background on me.  I don;t drink the kool-aid all the time, and I can be critical.  It's called tough love, and we all need it sometimes.

What the Cavs have in front of them is the hardest task they've seen.  After 5 games, there aren't going to be any miracle adjustments, no secret formula to fix the Cavaliers' vulnerabilities that have been exposed.  I'm not a huge stats guy, either.  Sure, they tell some of the story, but numbers can be presented in any way'd I'd like to suppoprt a certain argument.  No, the most important stat is the most basic - the final score, and through 5 games, the two teams are seperated by 2 whole points.

Tonight is going to come down to execution and efficiency.  Like the first 5 games, expect the Cavs to look good at times tonight, and expect them to look awful.  It's been the case the entire series and will be that way tonight.  They are going to struggle at times with Dwight Howard, and Orlando's perimeter players are going to get open looks.  Just expect it to happen.

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Guts, grit, determination, and even a few demons exorcised.  The Cavaliers did a little bit of all of it tonight at The Q, warding off elimination and staying alive  112-102.  Starting anywhere else than with the greatest player on the planet would be simply unfair, though what else can we say about LeBron.   James scored 17 points in the 4th quarter, while nailing down a triple-double.  In fact, at one point, LeBron had scored or assisted on 32 straight points, a true indication of how great he was down the stretch.

A far cry from the way LeBron finished Game 4, when he looked tired.  Hell, at the end of the 3rd quarter, with the Magic leading by 1, James looked spent as well.  Something happened, however, something we have been waiting for all series long -- James got some help.  It started with a Mo Williams three, followed by a Daniel Gibson triple.  LeBron seemed energized by the fact his teammates were finally hitting open shots and decided that it was time to take over. 

Whether it was attacking the basket, hitting long range jumpers, or creating easy looks for his teammates, LeBron did it all as the Cavs outscored the Magic 34-23 in the 4th, the first time the Cavaliers had won a 2nd half quarter the entire series.

While LeBron was the story, the help he has been looking for, the help he has received all season, finally arrived.  Five Cavaliers scored in double-digits, lead by James with 37.  Mo Williams added 24, the first time someone other than #23 scored more than 20 points.  Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored 16, Delonte West 13 and Daniel Gibson, for one night at least, regained his shooting touch, scoring 11.

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