Delonte West says one swing moment in the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals helped turn the Cavaliers-Magic series against Cleveland: Rafer Alston torching LeBron James.
On the Above The Rim with DH 12 podcast, West revisited the Game 4 matchup that came with Cleveland trailing 2-1 and argued that Orlando’s guard play changed the feel of the series.
“Jameer [Nelson] is not playing; this is our game plan,” West said. “We’re putting LeBron on Rafer ’cause he gonna cater to the other players.
Maybe this game would be too big for him. And then so LeBron can help off of him, and then every time he get the ball to Dwight [Howard], he can go down and double or something like that.
“He was gonna be the like the Free Safety,” West continued. “When I say Rafer Alston lit his a** up… He cooked LeBron a**.
Shout out to the basketball gods, even though he was on the opposite team, man. That was an amazing game.
He came through, and I think that changed the series. They kind of took the wind out of us.
He had like 30, 28, 30 points or something like that.”
West was most likely pointing to Game 4, when Alston posted 26 points on 10-for-17 shooting, plus two rebounds, four assists, and two steals in Orlando’s 116-114 overtime win. Cleveland had a chance to even the series at 2-2, but instead fell into a 3-1 hole that proved too deep to climb out of.
The Cavaliers still grabbed Game 5 in Cleveland, but the Magic ended things in Game 6 in Orlando and moved on.
Alston scored 13 points in that closeout game, and he finished the series with averages of 12.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.3 blocks. Orlando brought him in midseason after Jameer Nelson suffered a torn labrum in his right shoulder, and that move paid off.
The veteran guard had four double-digit scoring games against Cleveland, but Game 4 stood out above the rest. He buried 6 of 12 shots from deep that night, and Orlando’s shooting from long range was the real knife in the series.
The Magic hit 62 of 152 threes, good for 40.8 percent, and that kind of perimeter shooting makes life miserable for just about anyone.
James still put together a monster series, averaging 38.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, 8.0 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.2 blocks while shooting 48.7 percent from the field. It remains his highest scoring average in any playoff series.
West also held up his end for Cleveland despite struggling from outside. He averaged 14.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.8 blocks in the series, and he delivered a playoff career-high 22 points in Game 6. It still wasn’t enough to keep the Cavaliers alive.
In Other News...
Magic Open With One Early Issue Fans Can't Ignore
Franz Wagner took part fully in practice and is set to be available when the Magic open the season Wednesday against the Hawks, giving Orlando a key piece right away as it tries to start on solid footing. The workout also included Jase Richardson and Jonathan Isaac in varying capacities, a reminder that the first week of the season already has a few moving parts as the roster gets sorted out.
Anthony Blacks situation is the one that hangs over the day a little more than the rest. The guard is out Wednesday with a right ankle sprain, and his contract situation adds another layer after he and the team did not reach a rookie-scale extension before Mondays deadline, leaving his next step in Orlando uncertain as the season gets underway. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Opener Already Comes With A Rotation Concern Fans Will Notice
The season-opening injury report already gives the Magic a little more to sort through than they probably wanted heading into Wednesday. Orlando and Charlotte each released availability updates ahead of the opener, and the early list of absences is long enough to affect how the rotation pieces together in the first real game of the year.
Franz Wagner and Jase Richardson are expected to play, which helps stabilize the lineup, but the bigger question is how Orlando fills the minutes around them. Anthony Black, Jonathan Isaac, Noah Penda and Izaiyah Nelson are all listed out, so the Magic will have to open the season without several players who might normally help shape the depth chart and defensive structure. [Read more 🡒]
Franz Wagners Status Just Became A Major Magic Storyline
Franz Wagners preseason shoulder injury has quietly become one of the more important early-season storylines for Orlando, especially with the opener against Atlanta now on the calendar. Wagner addressed the media recently to talk through the injury, the recovery process and how the Magic have been handling a new system under Coach Sweeney, giving a sense of a team that is still sorting itself out while trying to build on the progress it has made.
For Wagner, there is also a personal edge to this moment after the disappointment of past seasons, and he sounded motivated by what the group has been trying to establish. The bigger question hanging over the Magic is how close he is to being available when the games start to count, and whether his shoulder will allow him to take the floor as Orlando tries to set its tone right away. [Read more 🡒]