NBA Finals-Game 1 & 2

“There is no defeat except for those who give up”. This definitely should be what the Orlando Magic puts in their minds after their double defeat in the NBA finals. Many of us were excited to see how the NBA all stars-Dwight vs. Kobe, Lewis vs. Odom and Turkoglu vs. Gasol match-up and many Magic and even Cavalier fans were hoping for Magic to beat the Los Angeles Lakers but to everyone’s disappointment they lost by 25 points in the first game, 100/75 and 101-96 in the second game. Obviously, with the Lakers long championship history of nine wins, their capability shouldn’t be underestimated but all expected more from Magic! After all, they were the team who beat the Cavaliers and erased everyone’s dream of Kobe meeting Lebron in the final! What exactly happened in this most awaited Celebrity game? Does Magic still have a chance or is the trophy as good as Lakers? Let’s have a quick review.

The Lakers contained the Magic thoroughly, inside and outside, in Game 1 of the NBA Finals with Kobe Bryant scoring 30 points over the course of about 18 minutes and finishing with a total of 40 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists! Magic made a good start in the initial 16 minutes of the game, with Turkoglu, Rafer Alston and Jameer Nelson taking the court with the dribble until Kobe took over the game in the 2^nd quarter. Though the NBA Celebrity, Nelson was back in action after his right shoulder injury sidelined him since early February, his point guard combo thing did not work out as well wished and still left Magic taking the ball out of the net after another Laker shot.

How about second NBA all-star game? Many who watched this second Magic blow would agree that the major mistake repeated throughout the game was missed opportunity- too many missed shots and 20 turnovers, resulting in 28 Laker points leading to the 101-96 overtime loss to Los Angeles. Despite these statistics, Magic still kept in the game and did great in their defense against Kobe with Pietrus, J.J. Redick and Hedo Turkoglu all taking turns on the offensive-Kobe. The NBA all-star- Dwight also did great in the interior. A big improvement from Game 1! Offensive wise though, it was another dark night for Magic as they couldn’t seem to keep the ball for long, ending up with them turning the ball over 20 times, as Rashard Lewis put it: “Turnovers were the reason we lost the game tonight”. Howard also expressed the same sentiments saying: “I’ve just got to do a better job of finding my teammates and being aware of the guards coming in the paint for strips. As a team, we’ve just got to do a better job of not turning the ball over. That’s how they got going on the offensive end, because of our turnovers. And it gave them the game tonight.” Despite Magic’s carelessness, they only had a 5point loose!

The first two games haven’t been what anyone expected but keep everyone on the edge of their seats and glued to their TV screens anticipating what the rest of the NBA celebrity all-star games have to offer. If Magic learn their lesson and make a good offensive, keep their eyes on the ball and improve their teamwork, we just might witness their first victory in Game 3.For the Lakers: “Be careful that victories do not carry the seed of future defeats.”

Tags: basketball, NBA, NBA all star celebrity game, Sports News

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