Yeah, it’s bleak right now. We’ve played well enough to win but are still down 3-1. Is it over? Hell no. Here’s why.
1) We’re playing at home Thursday night in Game 5. Say what you will about the past week of basketball, but there is no house in the NBA that is tougher to win in than Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavaliers, in front of a raucous crowd, will do what they need to do at home. That crowd will not let them down and I do not expect the wine and gold to disappoint. Win a big game at home in Game 5, and we’re at a 3-2 series deficit.
2) Along the way in Game 5, we need to do one more thing as we get that victory. Irritate Dwight Howard. Anderson Varejao is great at that and he’ll be at peak performance tomorrow. Get under Howard’s skin just enough and he’ll get another technical foul, which would be his 7th of the playoffs. On his 7th foul, he gets an automatic suspension for the next game.
3) Game 6 without Dwight Howard? Do you think Orlando would have won a single game without him. It’s a perfect scenario for Orlando’s final home game in this series (and any other)….no big man in the middle. It would disrupt their offensive flow and allow us to defend the perimeter without having to give Z help on the inside. No Dwight Howard, and I see a Cavalier victory. That makes the series 3-3.
4) See point #1. We’d be at home for Game 7 and freshly rejuvenated. Victory at home? Yes, I see that happening too.
OK, it’s not really THAT easy, but it could be. We HAVE to come out strong tomorrow night and we HAVE to get under D12s skin. Do that, and we can see our path to The Finals more clearly. Fail, and we become another Cleveland story.
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