Whether it was an act of accountability or arrogance, Mo Williams had put the pressure atop his sinewy shoulders with his series guarantee. But it was LeBron James who had to carry the true weight of those words with little help. And although James needed little help on Thursday evening, he got it anyway.
The Cleveland Cavaliers found their playoff moxie in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals and delivered a balanced 112-102 reminder that they have playoff breath remaining.
James added to his burgeoning postseason resume and had a direct hand in 32 consecutive points scored by the Cavaliers in the third and fourth quarters, including their first 28 of the fourth, as the Cavaliers sent the best-of-seven series back to Orlando. They trail the Magic by 3-2.
PHOTO: AP
James’ mind-set?
“Just close out,” he said.
He did with resolve.
“We just gave him the ball and said ‘Give us some good looks, big fella,’” Cleveland coach Mike Brown said.
With the Magic seeking to double-team James, the Cavaliers inserted him at the high post, where he could either pass or make a path to the basket, a move that routinely resulted in a foul.
“That’s what great players do,” Brown said. “Great players put their teams on their back and everybody steps up when the ball comes to them. But you have a player like LeBron who puts them on his back.”
James’ twisting drive through the lane with 2 minutes, 22 seconds remaining resulted in a finish at the rim, Dwight Howard’s fouling out and a revitalization of the series.
With chants of “MVP” raining down from a delirious Quicken Loans Arena audience, James put the Cavaliers ahead 102-93.
His encore was a long two-point jumper, then an assist with a quick flick of his wrist to Anderson Varejao.
James got his first triple-double of the series with a stunning 37 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists. He scored 15 of his points at the free-throw line.
For once, it was not a solitary effort and James was free to fully dissect the Magic’s defense. Williams, who scored 24, became the first Cavalier other than James with at least 20 points in a game in the series. Zydrunas Ilguaskas chipped in 16 points on eight shots and Daniel Gibson connected on three of his four three-point attempts.
“That’s what I need from those guys,” James said. “I don’t add no pressure on my teammates, but they know we’re a very strong team when they make shots.”
The Cavaliers climbed to a 22-point first-quarter lead, then gave all but a wisp of it up by halftime, leading by only 56-55 at the break. The game swayed entering the final quarter with Orlando ahead 79-78, before James opened the period with his assists to Williams and Gibson.
He went on to score the Cavaliers’ next 10 points. Orlando had no answer.
“They hit shots and basically we’ve got to do a better job of containing LeBron at the top of the key,” Howard said. “He got a lot of easy shots and he creates for others.”
The win moved the Cavaliers one step closer in an arduous path that runs against the grains of NBA history. Only eight teams have rallied from a 3-1 deficit in NBA history; 190 have tried.
“We feel like we’ve been put in a lot of different situations and we feel like we can handle any situation that may come our way,” Brown said.
The Cavaliers are still grappling with how to best defend Orlando’s arsenal of three-point shooters and the interior presence of Howard. They did not stymie Howard on Thursday and seemed resigned to foul him. Howard still collected 24 points and 10 rebounds on a relatively thrifty 10 shots.
Hedo Turkoglu scored a team-high 29 points for the Magic, but Rafer Alston, who had the hot hand in Game 4, made only one of his 10 shots.
Brown sought advice from San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich on how to suture the Cavaliers’ defensive leaks.
When asked before the game if he had the answer, James said: “I don’t know. If I had a great answer, it wouldn’t be 3-1 Orlando at this point.”
They did have a steady, if completely realistic, game plan for their own mental approach.
“We’re going to approach every game like it’s our last,” James said. “It’s the panic button. Not panic like it’s the end of the world, but we’ve got to play three good games.”
One down, two to go. Every game could be the Cavaliers’ last. But for a night, at least, their hopes lived on with a little backup for James.
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