Dwight Howard's winning dunk,
2007 NBA All Star Slam Dunk
image by mattlehrer
Superman Dwight Howard and his Magic eliminated the Cleveland Cavaliers 103-90 to capture the Eastern Conference Finals Championship in game 6.
Orlando earns a trip to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1995 when the Magic were led by the superstar tandem of Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway.
In similar fashion to the Cavaliers this season, the Magic were early favorites as young Shaq demonstrated his dominance early on. Orlando would later collapse as a closely contested Game 1 ended in disaster in favor of the defending champions Houston Rockets led by Hakeem Olajuwon. The Orlando Magic were unable to recover from the first game defeat.
Nick Anderson's missed four straight clutch free throws in game 1 proved fatal as the Rockets stole the opener and shattered the Magic's spirits. Houston eventually swept Orlando to win its second consecutive championship.
Dwight Howard was unstoppable tonight as he scored 40 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. LeBron James was clearly 'not into it' as he almost did not try hard in game 6 as much as he did in the first five games. James left the arena without a word.
The Magic's impressive run versus the Cavaliers will make them a tough foe against the Lakers. Conversely, the Lakers will be a tough match for the Magic.
Cleveland has suffered from a lack of versatility on its frontline in this series. Cleveland's big men were unable to generate consistent offense, drawing more attention to LeBron and making it a little bit tough for the King to handle. LeBron dominated in terms of individual performance though his teammates were unable to provide enough support. Credit the outstanding defense by the opposition.
Lebron James' numbers: growing each year.
*click to view larger image
Source NBA.com
The Lakers will prove to be different as Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, and even Luke Walton look to score when needed which will open up Kobe Bryant's game.
The Orlando Magic look to win its first NBA championship as they face Kobe and the L.A. Lakers June 4th.
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