15-05-2008

No Comments »

2008 NBA Playoffs R2G5: Homecourt Advantage Is The Key »

Three times, previous to Wednesday night, LeBron James had played in a Game 5 that would break a 2-2 series tie, and in those three games, he had scored an average of 41.7 points. His Cavs, of course, won all three games. So, basically: whenever he had the chance in a 2-2 series, even if it meant scoring 40-plus points, LeBron had never failed to give his Cavs a 3-2 lead. Until now. James, who shot under 26 percent in the first four games, was 12-of-25 from the field but made just four of his last 14 shots and missed all five of his 3-pointers. Cleveland, who led in the first half and trailed most of the second, cut an 88-77 lead to 91-87 on two free throws by Delonte West with 46 seconds to play. But, after running down the shot clock, Garnett got the rebound of his own miss and Paul Pierce hit five free throws in the last 16 seconds to ice the win. By the time the night came to a close, home teams in the four semifinal series had improved to a record of 19-1. Someone is going to have to beat the Celtics in Boston to keep them from winning their 17th NBA title. Boston has the home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, however, no team has ever won a title without winning an away game.

Source: nba.com, yahoo.com, getty | From LeBron_NBA_20…

Photos Copyright Notice: Copyright 2008 NBAE via Getty Images. Photos by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images, Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images, Elsa/Getty Images.