Recap: 2009 NBA Finals, Game 4

Turn out the liiiiiiiights, the party's ooooooooover.

I forget which song that comes from, but that's the best way to describe the NBA Finals right now. Forgive me for not live-blogging Game 4, I wasn't watching it at home. But fear not, loyal readers, I'll still give you my two cents about the contest.

-- Orlando choked. Let's be real. They were up 12 at the half, they were up for most of the 3rd quarter, and they were up 3 with only a few seconds left in the 4th quarter...and still lost. There's really no excuse for them to lose that game. None.

-- Kobe didn't play his best game but still had 32, 7, and 8. That's pretty silly. He scored several times down the stretch in the 4th quarter and overtime, but didn't seem to force things as much as he did in Game 3.

-- I'm sorry, but Dwight Howard isn't yet an elite player. He still is unable to put the team on his back when they need a basket, which hurts them in close games like this one. Yes, he's an athletic freak and is chiseled out of granite, but he hasn't developed a game to match his physical prowess. Until his basketball skills improve, he won't crack the crowd of the League's elite.

-- I agree with Stan Van Gundy; "playoff experience" is an overrated aspect of any series. Did Boston's roster have any Finals experience last year? Nope. How'd that turn out? Did Detroit have any Finals experience in 2004? Nuh uh. They won, right? It's silly to suggest that LA is winning these close games because of their experience level. The real reason that Orlando can't close out is because they're a jump-shooting team that lives and dies with shots from 15 feet and out. Until they develop a consistent post presence to get them easy baskets, they're still going to be 50/50 when it comes to tight games down the stretch.

-- What was up with the discrepancy in free throws (15-20 for LA, 22-37 for Orlando)? I realize Orlando was one of the top teams this season in terms of drawing fouls, but so was Los Angeles. There's no reason one team should shoot 17 more free throws than another in a playoff game. The physicality and intensity is shared between both teams. Maybe not equally, but certainly not to that extent.

-- Mickael Pietrus shouldn't be suspended or fined for his flagrant foul on Pau Gasol at the end of the game. He was frustrated and made a very stupid play, but that's about it. It's nothing to get crazy about; it was simply a poor decision made in the heat of a frustrating moment. No need to blow it out of proportion.

-- By far the funniest moment of the game was towards the end of the 4th quarter when ABC was showing Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, and Mark Jackson at their announce location in order to set up the final minutes. Behind them, a young lady (who was fairly inebriated) was trying to wave and get her face on camera. Little did she know that behind her, her fold-up seat had folded up, leaving her nothing to fall back on...but she tried to fall back on it anyway. And to the floor she went. Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier! It was hilarious. God bless the gentleman who was kind enough to lean down and help her up...all while the cameras were still rolling. Man, that was quality stuff. Have another one, girl.

-- I saw no "GI Joe" trailers, but I saw trailers for "The Taking of Pelham 123" and "Public Enemies" so it was a good night in trailer-land. This has become one of the more intriguing subplots for me this series. The battle between movies that I want to see and a movie that butchered my favorite childhood cartoon. Which side can provoke the most animated behavior from me? Stay tuned.

-- In summation, this series is over. I expect Orlando to win Game 5 and take it back to LA, but there's no way Orlando wins three games in a row. None. Jumpshots don't fall for three straight games, and Orlando isn't going to win if they're not hitting jumpers (see: Game 1). You should still watch the rest of the games, because as long as Orlando is hitting their shots, the games are going to be exciting, but just know while watching that this series is curtains.

That's about all from here; if something else hits me about Game 4, I'll be sure to post it, but nothing more for now. Stay classy, good people, I'll see you on Sunday.

~~ Lank