The Oklahoman’s Sports Writers Were Right
I can admit when I was wrong. And I was. The Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA Finals in five games.
However, there weren’t flaws in my arguments. The Magic had, to that point, played better when no one believed in them (see Games 2-4). And, with the exception of the first and last games, the Magic were not adversely destroyed by poor matchups against the Lakers. The Orlando Magic were not beat by the Los Angeles Lakers, though the Lakers helped some. The Orlando Magic beat themselves.
I didn’t realize the Magic’s lack of an ability to finish games. If the Magic had the ability to close out when given opportunities, the series would have been 3-1 Magic going into Game 5 in Orlando. In that situation, I would have been right and the Magic would be celebrating.
However, the Magic apparently can’t finish games or capitalize on fourth-quarter closing-seconds opportunities. In nearly identical situations, games 2 and 4 were tied with mere seconds on the clock and the Magic had the ball. Game 2: In-bound to the only person I wouldn’t in-bound the ball to. Lee misses the game-winning layup, Lakers win in overtime. Game 4: With four seconds to work with, the Magic couldn’t get a crucial shot to tie the series up. Lakers win in overtime.
Maybe it was the Magic’s inability to finish games that The Oklahoman’s NBA Finals predictors saw that I didn’t. Maybe it’s because I’m an intern and they’ve been doing what they do a long time. Either way, I was wrong. They were right. And the Magic disappointed me.
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Comments
I’m a Magic fan, who was very happy when Orlando beat the Celtics (Chicago is my second love) and the Cavs, (who doesn’t like seeing the underdog triumph?) to go the Finals (where no one thought they’d be). The Lakers had the same problem with finishing games for the past couple of years. They blew a 24-point lead against Boston in Game 4 of the 2008 Finals, and they lost to Memphis(!) in 2007. It’s tremendously disappointing that the Magic couldn’t finish games against the Lakers this year, but they know they need to finish games and if their smart they’ll make learning how to play the full 48 minutes a goal for next year. (They’re already making extensive upgrades talentwise.)
I’m a Lakers fan, with that said Orlando dissapointed me as well. Naturally I wanted L.A. to win but I wish Orlando would’ve at least lost with a strong will and passion for the desire to win. It was quite sad to see their faces at the beginning of the 4th quarter, they looked like someone just stole their favorite candy bar. And this is why they could never win a championship game, it requires determination until the end, even if you are about to lose the biggest game of your life.