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The 2009 Playoffs have started, check out how the teams are doing! The results game results are posted.

Status: Conference Finals

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Game Results

Wednesday May 20th Game Results

Magic 107
Cavaliers 106

All-NBA First Team

Here are photos of the 5 NBA players who made All-NBA First Team.

Player Insider of the Week

Born: February 22, 1986 in Louisville, Kentucky

Height: 6 ft 1 in

Weight: 171 lb

High School: Eastern HS (Middletown, Kentucky)& Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Virginia-Senior year only)

College: Kentucky

Draft: 21st overall, 2006-Phoenix Suns

Pro career : 2006–present

Salary: $1,646,784

Favorite NBA player growing up: Isiah Thomas

Major: Communications

Favorite car: Lamborghini

Favorite movie: Cinderella Man

Favorite pregame meal: grilled chicken

Favorite actor: Will Smith

Quote:

"People don’t believe we can do it ... They say we’re too old. And now K.G.’s out, Leon’s out. There’s a lot of excuses that people make for us. But we still think we can win the title."

Cavaliers Zone

What's new with the Cavs from www.curseofcleveland.com


Game 2: Cavaliers 96, Magic 95

*Tonight, the CofC staff tried something different. Both J.V. and Kirk had a take on tonight's game, and in this article, you'll hear both of their perspectives. J.V.'s portion is in navy, while Kirk's portion is in wine.

I don't believe in miracles; I believe in LeBron James. The Cleveland Cavaliers used a last second 3 point shot from LeBron James to even the Eastern Conference Finals at one game a piece. The Cavaliers' play mirrored Game 1 almost exactly. The only difference is the final shot went in. Cleveland used a few adjustments to keep Dwight Horward under control, but still have no answer for the size advantage Orlando has on the perimeter. As a Cavs' fan, I am happy we got the W and evened the series up, but as a Cleveland sports fan, I see the past heartbreaks lurking.

Tugging on Superman's Cape - The Cavs changed some things up tonight and kept Dwight Howard in check. Howard finished with 10 points and 18 rebounds. There is not much you can do to keep Howard's huge frame off of the boards, but Cleveland cleaned up their interior D and only allowed Howard to score 10 points (20 less than game 1). The Cavs fouled Howard early and often. In Game 1, Howard only shot two free throws and was 14-of-20 from the field. In Game 2, Howard was only 3-of-8 from the field and made 4-of-8 free throw attempts. One adjustment Cleveland made was to force Howard to become a passer by sending the big man double team, and it was effective early on.

Three Blind Mice - Tonight's officials were by no means a good officiating crew, and one play proves it. On what was an obvious technical foul, Mo Williams threw a chest pass at Dwight Howard after a dead play love tap from Howard to Williams. Granted, Howard needs to realize he has the deadliest elbows in the league and doesn't need to try to swipe at a meaningless shot when he could hurt someone, but Williams needs to hold his composure and let it go. Even though Williams lost his cool for a second, there was no penalty because the refs decided to watch something else besides the game. Not one of the three referees was watching the ball. That's a big break for the Cavs. In the fourth quarter, the calls just got better (or worse, depending on how you look at it). Sasha Pavlovic attacked the rim from the right baseline with reckless abandon, and he bowled over Marcin Gortat for an and-one opportunity. The only problem was, it looked like Gortat was set, and Gortat received a tech for his argument afterward. Gortat's technical proved to be a key turning point and momentum swing for the Cavaliers in the fourth. Next, Anthony Johnson slid into position late and got the offensive foul call on LeBron James in the first of two quick offensive fouls for James in the fourth. It looked like Johnson leaned and LeBron moved to the side when contact was made. Finally, the LeBron travel call with 30 seconds to go is an absolute joke. Yea, he traveled, and he travels every time he goes to the basket by definition. If you're not going to call it in the first quarter, why in the hell do you call it with 30 seconds left with the game on the line, Monty Mccutchen? It's because he's an idiot.

Paging Sasha Pavlovic - After essentially not being a part of the first nine games of this postseason, Sasha Pavlovic was called upon tonight and was big off the bench. Sasha provided 9 points for a bench that is struggling with the size of Orlando. Sasha gave the wine and gold an offensive spark off the bench, but I believe that it is his size and agility that should give him more minutes in this series. Cleveland needs to use Pavlovic more to match up with Orlando's perimeter players. Turkoglu and Lewis have too much size and quickness for Daniel Gibson and Wally Szczerbiak to be effective for any amount of time.

No MO Excuses - I will be brutally honest... Mo Williams has not played well at all this series. Now, I am not taking away from his great regular season, but Mo has to put on his big boy pants in the postseason. I would say he hit the biggest shot besides LeBron's shot tonight, but you can tell Mo is trying to do too much at times. He is taking quick shots, drifting on his shot, rushing possessions, and not keeping his composure. I keep finding that Mo is leaving his player to collapse the lane on someone he has no business helping on; in turn, the Magic get a wide open three pointer. Mo is just 13-of-40 from the field for 32.5% and 3-of-14 from 3 point range for 21.4% in this series. For the Cavs to have a chance to steal one in Orlando, Mo Williams will need to start hitting shots. It's put up or shut up time for Mo.

At the Half - Once again, Cleveland held a double digit lead at the break. The major place Cleveland made an improvement was points in the paint. At halftime, Cleveland had a 26 to 8 advantage in that category. This is an area that Orlando dominated in Game 1. Another positive stat for the Cavs was the +9 Cleveland was without LBJ on the floor in the second quarter. If Cleveland is going to take control of this series, the second unit has to take charge. Cleveland also held Orlando to 4-of-12 from 3 point range at the half.

Haven't We Had This Bad Dream Before?: With a 12 point halftime lead, you got the feeling that the Cavaliers and everyone else were just waiting for the Magic to make a run much like in Game 1. No surprise here that it happened again in much similar fashion; Orlando caught fire from the land of three once again. Rashard Lewis had 9 third quarter points to help the Magic's cause. The Magic made 4 of their 7 attempts from beyond the arc in that span. Meanwhile, the Cavs shot 0-of-7 from deep in the third. The Cavaliers lead had been cut to six by the end of the third, similar to the four point lead they clung to in Game 1 after 36 minutes.

"The Shot" 2.0?: Not to get ahead of ourselves here, but LeBron James made easily the best and most important shot of his career tonight. To recap, the following was on the line in that final second: 66 regular season wins, a Central Division Championship, the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference, homecourt throughout the playoffs, eight straight wins to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, and a realistic shot at winning the title. All of that was pushed onto the table and the Cavaliers were in essence "All-In". James answered the prayers of his inbounder Mo Williams and the entire city of Cleveland collectively. By no means did I expect the Cavaliers to hit a three to win it with just 1.0 seconds left, but I did believe they would go for the 3 and the win given the circumstances and that 1 second is plenty of time to get a clean look off. Did anyone else get the feeling from the camera angle that we were watching a shot eerily similar to Michael Jordan's Shot on Craig Ehlo in the First Round of the Playoffs back in 1989? The Magic defended the play quite well; the only thing they could've done was double team LeBron and even then they probably would've still found a way to get him the ball and a chance to throw it up.

Double Digit Lead Dilemmas: In this series, the Cavs have gotten out to two excellent starts in front of the home crowd. But, after leading by as much as 23 in the first half, the Cavaliers get into a funk where they start playing like they are down when in fact they hold the double digit lead. It starts with not valueing possessions and respecting Orlando's three point ability and the quickness with which they can make a comeback. Heading to Orlando, it is highly unlikely that the Cavaliers will be able to sprint out to that type of a lead on the road, but if Orlando does take a double digit lead, it is important to keep plugging away for the simple fact that Orlando is due to go ice cold at some point. Orlando has now shot 55 and 48 percent in the two games in Cleveland. During the course of a seven game series, you have to believe that Orlando will struggle in one if not two of those games shooting the trey. Also, the Magic have blown big leads against the Sixers and Celtics, some of them at home. Philadelphia and Boston each won a game in Amway Arena, so the Cavaliers have to be confident that they can take one of Games 3 and 4 and head back to Cleveland squared 2-2 with homecourt back in possession.

Game ball goes to: LeBron James. LeBron, in addition to hitting the shot of his career, posted 35 points on 12-of-23 shooting, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists. He has posted 84 points in the two games, carrying the team on his back, just waiting for someone else to answer the bell and help him guide this team forward. Honorable mention goes to Sasha Pavlovic for his 22 minutes of hard-nosed defense and 9 points on 4-of-7 shooting. Also, Zydrunas Ilgauskas virtually equalized Howard's 10 points and 18 rebounds with 12 points and 15 rebounds of his own.

Bottom Line: The Cavaliers were able to survive 48 percent shooting from Orlando including 10-of-23 from three point range (44%) thanks to winning the rebounding battle 38-30, key late shots and hustle from Mo Williams and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and of course LeBron's greatness. The assists, steals, blocks, turnovers, and free throw attempts were all virtually the same. It came down to Hedo Turkoglu leaving the door open a crack after his amazing shot and LBJ kicking that door down on the way to victory. For Orlando, Rashard Lewis shot just 6-of-15, but he hit 4 of his 7 threes for 23 points total. Hedo Turkoglu, in addition to hitting what would have been the game winning shot had James' not fallen, scored 21 points on 9-of-17 shooting. He had just 4 assists tonight after having 14 last game. Cleveland's scoring was more balanced than last time as Mo Williams (19), Delonte West (12), and Zydrunas Ilgauskas (12) all were in double figures. They also got 14 points from the bench (9 from Sasha Pavlovic, 5 from Joe Smith). The Magic bench still outscored the Cavs' bench 26-14.

What's next?: Well, to be honest, this article was very close to being a virtual obituary on the Cavaliers' season. Now, the Cavaliers hope to carry the momentum from this shot and home victory down to Orlando for Game 3 on Sunday night. The Cavaliers, if they hope to have a realistic shot, must win either Game 3 or Game 4 to knot the series at two heading back to Cleveland for Game 5. The Magic are not invincible at home, and for them to take a 3-1 series lead would mean that the Magic shot incredible for four straight games in this series (I consider 48 percent tonight pretty darn good especially when they hit 10-of-23 threes). LeBron has historically played to a higher level on the road, but he absolutely needs more prodcution from Mo Williams and Delonte West. Also, the Cavaliers have to face the mismatches they face head on. The best lineup the Cavaliers can put out there against the Magic's starting five is Mo Williams, Delonte West, Sasha Pavlovic, LeBron James, and either Zydrunas Ilgauskas or Anderson Varejao. The Cavaliers need Pavlovic and James guarding Turkoglu and Lewis to try and limit their production. To be honest, the best plan of attack is probably to make Dwight Howard beat you and continue fouling him in spots. The Cavaliers showed the heart of a champion tonight, but they still have a long way to go in their quest to get back to the Finals.

Cavs Roster

G #1 Daniel Gibson: - 6 ft 2 in - 200 lb - Texas

F #21 J.J. Hickson: - 6 ft 9 in - 242 lb - North Carolina State

C #11 Žydrūnas Ilgauskas: - 7 ft 3 in - 260 lb - Lithuania

PF #00 Darnell Jackson: - 6 ft 9 in - 253 lb - Kansas

F #23 LeBron James: - 6 ft 8 in - 250 lb - St. Vincent-St. Mary HS (OH)

G/F #8 Tarence Kinsey: - 6 ft 6 in - 189 lb - South Carolina

G/F #3 Sasha Pavlović: - 6 ft 7 in - 235 lb - Serbia

F/C #32 Joe Smith: - 6 ft 10 in - 225 lb - Maryland

G/F #10 Wally Szczerbiak: - 6 ft 7 in - 240 lb - Miami (Ohio)

F/C #17 AndersonVarejão: - 6 ft 11 in - 260 lb - Brazil

F/C #4 Ben Wallace: - 6 ft 9 in - 240 lb - Virginia Union

G #13 Delonte West: - 6 ft 3 in - 180 lb - Saint Joseph's

PG #2 Maurice Williams: - 6 ft 1 in - 190 lb - Alabama

F/C #55 Lorenzen Wright: - 6 ft 11 in - 255 lb - Memphis