Eastern Conference Finals 2009: 5 Highlights

The Eastern Conference Finals 2009 highlights don't quite show how shocking the outcome was to us all. The Cleveland Cavaliers were supposed to be destined to meet Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in the Finals. It didn't happen. Lebron James and Kobe Bryant were supposed to go head to head in one of the greatest NBA Finals battles in the history of the game. It didn't happen. Instead, we all watched the Orlando Magic totally dismantle the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games. The pro-Cleveland fans could do nothing but sit there in awe as King James was reduced to no more than a high scoring court jester. Here are the five highlights of the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals that pretty much sealed the Cleveland Cavaliers fate.

1. Dwight Howard plays out of position. The Cleveland Cavaliers inability to expose Orlando's one glaring weakness is definitely a highlight of the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals. Dwight Howard is a veritable beast on defense. That's defense. He is a moron when it come's to playing offensively in the post. His free throw percentage is terrible and his post moves are all but nonexistent. He's nothing but a brute force in the lane, a mental midget. Some how, however, this guy had his way with the Cavaliers defenders including a 40 point effort in the deciding game. 40 points!?! How about fronting this guy with a quick guard, thus nullifying him on the offensive side of the ball.
2. Lebron's Last second launch. Yeah, Yeah it was a great shot. Yeah it was a highlight of the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals. But what it showed, was the total inability of Cleveland to impose their will over Orlando. Eight times out of ten that shot wouldn't have gone in. And if it hadn't the Orlando Magic would have won the series four to one instead of suffering an unlucky defeat in game two.
3. Lebron's Load. There's no doubt in anyone's mind that when Lebron James retires, he'll be mentioned with the all time greats of the game. His overall game play is simply awesome. He contributes greatly in all aspects of the Cavaliers' offensive and defensive duties. One of the few Cavaliers 2009 Eastern Conference Finals highlights was Lebron's individual play. He had 49 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds, 35,5, and 4, 41,9,and 7, 44,12 and 7, 37,14, and 12, and 25, 7, and 7 in the six game series. He was a wolf amongst sheep. Too bad the majority of the sheep were wearing Cavaliers jerseys.
4. No elevation. We all know that teams need to elevate their play in the playoffs. It's a given. One of the biggest highlights of the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals was the Magic's ability to contain all of the Cavaliers except Lebron. Mike had Scottie. Kobe has Gasol. Magic had James Worthy. In 2009, Lebron had no one. It wasn't that the Cavaliers played badly, it's just that no one elevated their game to match Lebron's intensity.
5. Maybe next year. The greatest highlight of the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals was the Magic's ability to get every sportscaster in the country to eat their own feet. No one expected Dwight's boys to advance to the finals. No one. There were commercials airing months before the playoffs pitting Kobe versus Lebron. LBJ versus KB24 never happened. It just goes to show you that any team can cause damage in the playoffs. Nothing is certain, and just because Lebron is one of the greatest doesn't mean he deserves a shot at the NBA title. He has to earn that trip.

References:
ESPN