On Track… with Joanna Hayes

June 8, 2009

Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Orlando Magic was Sunday afternoon. And I was not motivated to watch it because if Game 2 was going to be anything like Game 1, then I wasn’t even about to waste my time.

Don’t get me wrong. I love basketball and I absolutely love the NBA playoffs. Watching the best teams and players in the world play the “win or go home” style of basketball excites me. But, game 1 was more like watching paint dry than the NBA Finals as the Lakers spanked the Magic from start to finish!

So, even though I was hanging out at my usual playoff spot with family and friends, I basically missed the entire first 3 quarters of the game and paid more attention to the kids running around, and people over talking each other and yelling at the television as if the players can hear them.

But, I decided to pay attention in the 4^th quarter and I am glad that I did!  Orlando actually decided to play tonight and showed that they were not ready to go down without a fight and head home for Game 3 down, 0-2.

It turned out to be a good game and it looked like the Magic were going to win it but, when Courtney Lee missed his second layup of the night as time expired, the game went into overtime.

It was all down hill from there and the 0-2 became inevitable, as Orlando fell 101-96. The Lakers proceeded to beat up the Magic for 5 minutes and it looked like Game 1 all over again.  I hope the Magic can step up their game at home because, to me, there is nothing worse than a sweep in The Finals. These are supposed to be the best of the best and, right now, it just looks like the best is the West.

I just want to witness a good game and see athletes step up and play their best basketball at the right time. And the right time is now. I am a Dwight Howard fan, but he is not playing his best basketball and maybe that is because the Lakers have adjusted to him very well and therefore he hasn’t been very effective.  But, Orlando is going to need him to be at his finest if they want to beat the Lakers.

Therefore, I am predicting that Orlando will win Game 3 at home. I believe they are a quality team because they would not have made it this far if they weren’t. They just need to make some adjustments and not allow themselves to be taken out of the series mentally.