IT'S LAKERS VS MAGIC IN THE FINALS
The 2009 NBA Playoffs and reached the Conference Finals stages. The early stages proved to be a tight affair, with the first two games being split it each series. For Game 3 there was a switch in location that allowed two sides to regain the edge. In Game 4, the main headlines were made in the East, with the Magic taking a two game lead in their series with the Cavs - which resulted in flashbacks to the '05 Heat who got knocked out at this stages pff the back of a double sweep. In Game 5 there was another switch in location, but the focus remained in the East, with the Cavs extending their series with a win. For Game 6, it was another change in location - and a chance for the Finals lineup to be decided.
In the East, the Cavs faced the Magic in Orlando. The Magic were determined to put the number 1 seed away on their homecourt and went about it the right way. The Cavs tied the game at 8 with 7:52 left in the first quarter but other than that, had no answer. The Magic kept growing in the second quarter and their lead hit double digits midway through the quarter. They kept going from there and by half time the Cavs were floundering. The Magic led 58-40 at half time with Dwight Howard leading the way on 21 points. The team with the best regular season record in the entire NBA was staring down a barrel. Would they come up with a response.
Initially, the answer seemed to be yes, the Magic were held scoreless for the first minute of the third quarter. However the most the Cavs were able to do in the quarter was cut the deficit to ten with 6:47 on the clock, the Magic were still running the show. The Magic then hit the ground running early on in the 4th quarter, holding the Cavs scoreless for well over two minutes and in the end, that was what killed the Cavs off. The home side were able to cruise the rest of the way. The Magic won the game 103-90 with Howard coming up with a career playoff high 40 points. Rashard Lewis backed him up with 18 points. The Magic won the series 4-2.
Out West, the Lakers faced the Nuggets in Denver. Well despite being on home turf, things went downhill for the Nuggets to start with. The Lakers held them scoreless for alomst the first three minutes of the game and though the Nuggets started to look competitive late on in the quarter, they needed to step up a gear. Initially it looked as though the Nuggets would only tread water in the second quarter as well, but they then took the lead for the first time in the match and led 33-32 with 7:17 left in the half. However that proved to be shortlived, the Nuggets were then held scoreless for over five minutes. That allowed the Lakers to surge to a 53-40 half time lead with Kobe leading the scoring with 18 points.
The Nuggets gradually nibbled into the Lakers lead in the early stages of the 4th quarter and cut the gap down to nine with 6:57 left in the third quarter. However, the Lakers went on a series of mini-runs to leave the Nuggets in trouble. And in the fourth quarter they naver looked like getting out of it. It was all the Nuggets could do just to keep the Lakers lead under the twenty point mark and when the Nuggets hit another drought, even that went by the wayside. Eventually the Lakers won 119-92. Kobe led the scoring with 35 points with Pau Gasol backing him up on 20 points and 12 rebounds. The Lakers won the series 4-2 and will face the Magic in the Finals.