LeBron James torches the Magic with 51-point blitz (Part -2)
LeBron James came into the match, already having some emotional scores to settle with the Orlando Magic. Seeing Dwight Howard mimic his signature powder ritual at the start of the game, didn’t make him any happier.
He knocked down the first shot of the match and soon Orlando started to realise the magnitude of James’ wrath. The dazzling forward was simply unstoppable in the first twelve minutes of the match. Not known for his jump shooting prowess, James scored the
first 16 of Miami’s 20 points on the back of mostly mid-range jumpers.
It was just that kind of night for James.
Orlando Coach Stan Van Gundy was surprised at the assault, but he too admired James’ effort. He said, "His numbers say that he's a pretty mediocre jump shooter, and tonight he was a great jump shooter”.
The self proclaimed king, certainly played like one, as he poured in one shot after another to spark the Heat to a 25-14 advantage within the first nine minutes. The Magic however, rallied back in the game with a 12-5 run to finish the first quarter at 26-30.
James finished with 23 points in the first quarter, which broke the franchise record for most points scored. This though, was not his only achievement on the night. After making good on all his nine field goal attempts in the first frame, James bludgeoned
two down the middle of the second. The feat which resulted, marked the first time James has canned 11 straight shots to start a match in his illustrious career.
However, James was just starting to warm up to the occasion.
James finished the half with 29 points, helping the Heat to a 55-45 lead at the break. His message was quite clear to his South East Division rivals – don’t mess with me again.
"Anybody that questions my competitiveness, they must be looking at the game the wrong way," James said at half time, referring to the infamous taunt from Otis Smith.
Orlando had a disastrous start to the second half. Ryan Anderson first missed two free-throws from the charity stripe and then missed a shot from long-range. Dwight Howard was the next to falter. He first turned over the ball that resulted in a James triple
pointer at the other end. After Jason Richardson had missed a three-point shot in the resulting Orlando possession, Howard caught the offensive rebound but was clinically blocked by Erik Dampier as he missed a layup. Their woes continued as Anderson fumbled
another long-range effort and Howard followed with another turnover.
The frustration soon caught up with the normally calm Howard. With less than 10 minutes left in the period, Dwyane Wade drove down the lane to make the ensuing possession count. Finding nobody to contest him down the middle, he went for a dunk. Howard though
was quick to realise his defensive blemish and presented a late block to the Miami guard. Wade was fouled and hit the floor forcefully. That was when the Heat called for a time-out.
The shooting guard however, was back on his feet soon and eventually walked gingerly to the bench. He returned after the timeout to claim the prize of two charity throws.
Jameer Nelson finally broke the dry spell, ripping one in from downtown. He backed it up with a floating jumper as Orlando crawled back at 60-50 with less than nine minutes left to play in the third quarter.
James however, stung the Magics again after he slipped another three-pointer, as Miami managed to keep Orlando at bay. The home team though was not willing to go down that easily. After Ryan Anderson finally managed to find the net, Jason Richardson initiated
a 6-0 spurt with a three-pointer as Orlando pulled back to within seven.
James however was relentless on the night. He sprung right back for the Heat with a three-point play, which set the foundation of a nine-point unanswered stretch to end the third quarter at 79-63.
Continued in Part 3
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