If it’s really “just nerves,” then Orlando is done
Photo. Orlando Sentinel
The audio aftermath of last night’s 25-point Lakers rout of the Magic in Game 1 has two distinct sides: L.A. fans sticking their chests out and bragging, and Magic fans rationalizing, “It’s just one game. It was just nerves. We’ll be OK.”
And that’s where they’re wrong. If in fact bad nerves — or “first-game jitters” or whatever you want to call it — is the problem, Orlando is not going to be OK. I’ve gone on record that I want the Magic to win this series, and that they are capable of winning. But it’s not looking good. And if you’re going to lean on the “nerves” argument to justify such a bad loss and you still think the Magic can win this thing, then you’ve got to answer this question: When have you EVER seen an NBA team overcome bad nerves in the Finals and still win the championship?
This isn’t the All-Valley Karate Tournament. This isn’t Matt Saracen‘s first game in “Friday Night Lights.” This isn’t Hoosiers. This isn’t even the first or second round of the NBA playoffs. If you’re still battling nerves by the time you get to the Finals, you’re done. Maybe you can take a game or two (or three), but that big gold trophy is ultimately going to the other team. Look at the last 25 championship teams and find one that had to overcome bad nerves in the Finals and still won the ‘chip:
2008 Celtics, ’07 Spurs, ’06 Heat, ’05 Spurs, ’04 Pistons, ’03 Spurs, ’02 Lakers, ’01 Lakers, ’00 Lakers, 1999 Spurs, ’98 Bulls, ’97 Bulls, ’96 Bulls, ’95 Rockets, ’94 Rockets, ’93 Bulls, ’92 Bulls, ’91 Bulls, ’90 Pistons, ’89 Pistons, ’88 Lakers, ’87 Lakers, ’86 Celtics, ’85 Lakers, ’84 Celtics, ’83 Sixers. And we could go even further.
The only time you could even argue that maybe nerves in the Finals was a factor for the winning team was Miami in ’06; carried by a young Dwyane Wade, dropping their first two games to Dallas before winning four straight. But even then, do you really think a team boasting vets like Shaq, Gary Payton, Alonzo Mourning and Pat Riley had bad nerves?
This is where the experience factor that everyone talked about going into Lakers/Magic shows itself. Kobe‘s five previous Finals appearances, Fisher‘s five, most of the other guys having played last year, and Phil Jackson‘s two handfuls of title rings. The only Orlando player who actually has a ring, Tyronn Lue, hasn’t been seen wearing a uniform since the League switched back from synthetic basketballs. The other guy with Finals experience, Anthony Johnson, registered a DNP in Game 1. Despite what the presidential election in November taught us, in most avenues of life, experience does matter.
So if I’m an Orlando fan, it doesn’t serve my team’s interest at all to chalk up Game 1 to nerves. That’s like the kiss of death.
Instead, I’d argue that, seeing as the first quarter last night was so close, nerves wasn’t an issue at all. That this is an Orlando team that beat the Celtics on the road in Game 7, that closed out a scrappy Philly squad while Dwight Howard was sitting out a suspension, that went into Cleveland where the Cavs were supposedly unbeatable and beat The Best Player in the World. I’d argue that last night the Magic just got ambushed by a very good team on their home court on one of Kobe’s vintage “Nothing you can do” nights. I’d argue that Stan Van Gundy needs to figure out his rotations (i.e. Jameer vs. Rafer) and defensive game plans (i.e. how to best guard Pau Gasol), for which there’s still time.
I’m staking my team’s title hopes in the knowledge that Kobe can’t do that EVERY game in this series, that my shooters will eventually come around, and that things will even out when the series moves to Orlando.
Bad nerves? I’m not buying that argument. At least not if I want Orlando to stand a chance.
Photo. Orlando Sentinel
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June 5th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
Lakers Nation says:
the nerves are always going to be there now that they’re always playing catch-up – @LakersNation was killin it last night in the tweet-off against Orlando as well – we’ll give them that cuz of nerves too
June 5th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
Bron42 aka Had Springs Before Slamball says:
theres a big difference between “wow its the finals” nerves and “oh were not good enough nerves” I still say it was big stage nerves, which isn’t a big deal to me. THe lakers had the “we’ve done this before” vibe in the second half and that magic shot like a team of blind kids…won’t happen all series and they still got 3 games in orlando to help calm them even more.
June 5th, 2009 at 6:03 pm
dk says:
” This isn’t the All-Valley Karate Tournament. ” lmfao Daniel-son. Get em’ a body bag! to Johnny. lol Classic…
The young Fagic have 0 chance of survival and if they dont look ” well ” tomorrow and then back down in O- Town, well, break out the broom…
June 5th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
dk says:
@ bron
Your wrong about the nerves bro’ . Also, the Finals isnt set up for rookies. Lakers win two of jump then your boys got to defend for 3 straight games, lmao, it wont happen. There is no way in hell it could get past six. Ill put the house up, where do I sign?
June 5th, 2009 at 6:42 pm
Biggeddy says:
It doesn’t matter… Orlando is going down like a crack whore looking for her next fix.
Also, Kobe does his best work in his Sunday Whites (see: 81 point game, dual buzzer beaters vs. Phoenix). Orlando may win 1 or 2 at home, but L.A. should already be planning the parade.
June 5th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
doug says:
I love how all the Lebron Fans and Celt fans are littering blogs everywhere with there hate. Getting behind Orlando because you hate the Lakers doesn’t mean anything but another nightmare to both of your already hellish seasons.66 plus wins put out by the team we just beat by 25 points, Kobe is still the best player in the L until Lebron takes that title from him, which he can’t do with just one MVP trophy. Celt fans you guys are the worst,90% of you just started owning up to being Celts fans when you guys won the ship, real sometimey but this notion that you guys would have beat us with a healthy KG is ridiculous and a testament to your ignorance. We beat yall this year with a full unit including KG in LA and we beat yall this year with a full unit including KG in Boston and we didn’t even have Bynum. What math or you idiots doing that makes you think you guys could’ve stood a chance against us this year. We would of beat you guys last year if we had Bynum and if Ariza was healthy. But by gones are by gones we lost to you guys we didn’t make excuses we just came back the next year finished with the 2nd best record in the L and are 3 games away from winning it this year. Yall show some respect we’re the best team this year…and said to say we’re young…it’s just going to get uglier for yall haters the next 5-6 years make the finals our permanent home. Anyway I gotta go making arrangements for our victory parade on Figueroa. Fall way back haters it’s our year.Bron42 aka Had Springs Before Slamball get a life your boy aint ready man…Kobe is still that dude..Bron won’t be a man until he swallows the whole pill of defeat and stops believing all the hype about himself…He’s good…….but still he’s not as good as Kobe.
June 5th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
JayTea says:
I sure hope SVG doesn’t have to figure out his rotations at this point. You gotta at some point recognize the East is weak, the 4th seed Atlanta with 47 wins doesn’t even make the show out in the West. So I think that there are a couple good teams in the East but I don’t think Orlando has seen this level of play yet.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:06 pm
Flip says:
“(i.e. how to best guard Pau Gasol)”
I’m glad you guys finalley figured out that the most important and most efficient player on the Lakers besides Kobe is Gasol and not Lamar Odom… took you quite a while!
June 5th, 2009 at 8:19 pm
Austin Burton says:
#6 — “We would of beat you guys last year if we had Bynum and if Ariza was healthy. But by gones are by gones we lost to you guys we didn’t make excuses…”
That’s classic.
June 5th, 2009 at 9:25 pm
craig990 says:
this article is shit!
i dont see anything wrong with.. OMG we’re in the finals nerves.. cuz thats what it was!
Orlando will be fine… plus.. I would rather loose a Game 1 by a blowout.. than by a close back breaker….Orlando played terrible and the Lakers looked unstoppable.. things will even out soon enough. Orlando’s shots will fall, the Candy Man will disappear and the Lakers will again not show up a game or two.
Lakers will prolly still win the series.. but don’t count the magic out yet!
June 5th, 2009 at 9:34 pm
craig990 says:
no offense austin…
June 5th, 2009 at 9:37 pm
craig990 says:
lose*.. but who cares for errors right?
June 5th, 2009 at 9:52 pm
QQ says:
That’s the argument we are saying because that is what happened. We ain’t like you fools who defend your favorite team and player without perspective. Yall just defend for the sake of defending.
It was bad nerves last night, it was us not making our threes, it was Kobe going ballistic. We see it. We fucking ADMIT it. Hopefully, we gonna make our adjustments. And seeing how Stan outcoached the ‘Coach of the Year’in the East Finals by making adjustments on the fly, I am sure we will be fine.
June 5th, 2009 at 10:29 pm
B-Balla#1 says:
Bottom line is this … Orlando just cannot match up 1-5 legitimately with LA and since they depend SOOOO much on the long ball if that aint hitting… they are good as done. This is not to mention that LA has superior talent in terms of players capable of defending the 3 (see Game 1 as a prime example) Sorry but if your Orlando fans… might as well as start planning for the offseason without a title banner
GOGO LA… DOWN WITH FA__OT ASS ORLANDO !
June 6th, 2009 at 7:44 am
dk says:
@9 Wish I read that last night drunk, it would have been TWICE as funny…
@10 Whats ironic is the last Orlando team, outside of Shaq, had the same issue…. and stood no chance of defending the shake, I cant wait to see MP defend Mamba again tonight,lmao….
Why is Kobe hated so much? It stems from millions and millions of years of evolution, men respond with un- acceptance when faced with inferiority. MJ was accepted, because he was greater than man, Kobe can not be accepted because he feels greater than MJ. Im sure hes blamed for visions of grandeur, but its not the case. Its a different era, a differnet time. There was Jesus Christ, there was Tupac Shakur, and many more before an in between that were persecuted for teaching the truth, the truth and relevance pertaining to time, Martyrs. Kobe is a martyr, our basketball martyr. After his next few championships Ill be waiting for him to bring the commandments down from the mountains, and I will follow because I know the truth..
June 6th, 2009 at 7:51 am
dk says:
@ the Orlando Fagic fans
I cant believe articles were actually written to boost the faith of the follwing that Micheal Pietrus was the perfect proto-typical defender for having a shot at defending fucking Kobe, lmfao. Hes 6’6″ 200 and some odd pounds, athletic with reach, the perfect cock! lmfao Im a witness!
June 6th, 2009 at 7:54 am
dk says:
@QQ Real rich bro’ ” Coach of the year ” , thats pretty dick, and dont forget you dropped the MVP…. IM sure Phil Jackson and Kobe were supplied with plenty of motivation for being called ” second best ” , Pilsung.
June 6th, 2009 at 11:54 am
Bron42 aka Had Springs Before Slamball says:
does this doug guy ever say anything that makes sense? since when was I even a lebron fan lol
June 6th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
tk20ketch says:
Magic win in 7 with nerves.
June 6th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
QQ says:
@ 18:
Confused me too. LOL.
I think he assumed your a Bron fan, and then proceed to make a fucking rant.