Dwight Howard scored 30 points and Rashard Lewis added 22 as the Orlando Magic rallied from a 15-point halftime deficit to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 107-106, handing Lebron James first loss of the postseason on Wednesday in the Eastern Conference finals opener.
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Orlando Magic's Rafer Alston (R) dribbles around Cleveland Cavalier's LeBron James in the third quarter during Game 1 of their NBA Eastern Conference final basketball playoff game in Cleveland, Ohio, May 20, 2009. [Xinhua/Reuters Photo] |
James finished with 49 points, eight assists and six rebounds, but the league Most Valuable player walked off the floor with a slight limp after Cleveland's stunning loss, just its third in 46 home games.
Lewis made a 3-pointer with 14.7 seconds left and the Magic, who dethroned the champion Boston Celtics in the previous round, survived two shots by Cleveland in the final seconds. Mo Williams missed a catch-and-shoot jumper off a jump ball as the horn sounded and the Cavs fell to 8-1 in the postseason.
As fans headed to the exits, they turned to observe James still on the floor and bent over in obvious pain. He seemed to be bothered by cramps in the fourth quarter and was tended to by Cleveland's training staff before slowly making his way to the locker room.
The Cavaliers lost their grip on the game with a stagnant third quarter that carried into the fourth. Also, the Magic shot 55 percent from the floor, 59 percent in the second half, against the league's top defensive team.
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Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard scores on an alleyoop pass against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the fourth quarter during Game 1 of their NBA Eastern Conference Final basketball playoff Game in Cleveland, Ohio, May 20, 2009. [Xinhua/Reuters Photo] |
Orlando, which won two games and lost one against Cleveland in the regular season, took its first lead at 85-84 with 10:06 left when Anthony Johnson hit a 3-pointer from the left corner.
The Magic, though, kept making big shots with Lewis hitting a jumper with 31.6 seconds left to give Orlando a 104-103 lead.
James then drove and scored on a runner while drawing a sixth foul on Howard, who added 13 rebounds. James completed the three-point play for a 106-104 lead but Lewis came down and buried his 3-pointer over a closing Anderson Varejao.
On Cleveland's last possession, Delonte West missed an open 3 pointer and the Cavaliers failed to overturn the one-point lead for opener defeat.
(Xinhua News Agency May 22, 2009)
