As is always the case, LeBron James led the way for Cleveland. He had 36 points, eight rebounds and four assists in 39 minutes. He hit 13-of-23 field goals and 8-of-9 free throws. Mo Williams, who joined James in the All-Star Game last season, had 28 points and six assists.

Vince Carter was the lone bright spot for the Magic. He had 29 points and five rebounds in 35 minutes. Howard, who dominated the Cavs last year in the playoffs, was limited to just three field goal attempts on his way to 11 points and seven rebounds.

With the win, the Cavs improve to 5-3. The loss dropped the Magic to 6-3. The two teams play again on Feb. 11 in Cleveland.

LeBron James and the Cavs got revenge (Image: Zuma Press)

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Howard had 25 points and six rebounds in only 23 minutes as he battled foul trouble. Anderson, who is starting at power forward while Rashard Lewis serves a suspension, had 20 points and ten rebounds. The second-year bigman was acquired in the trade during the offseason that sent Vince Carter from the New Jersey Nets to the Magic.

The Suns, who were outscored 64-48 in the second half, were led by Amare Stoudemire’s 25 points and 15 rebounds. Steve Nash, who has been playing very well early in the 2009-10 NBA season, was held to 12 points and four assists.

The Suns next take on the Boston Celtics on Friday night, while the Magic play the Detroit Pistons on the same day.

Dwight Howard and the Magic and very good once again (Image: Zuma Press)

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Against the Hawks, Vince Carter led the way with 26 points in 27 minutes. He was 9-for-10 from the field, 5-for-5 on three-pointers and 3-for-4 at the line. Dwight Howard had 25 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks. Ryan Anderson chipped in with 18 points, while Brandon Bass had 14.

The Hawks didn’t exactly end their preseason play in style. Jamal Crawford came off the bench to lead the Hawks in scoring with 14, while Randolph Morris, Joe Johnson and Josh Smith were also in double figures.

Orlando will try to continue their hot play when their regular season schedule starts on Monday versus the Philadelphia 76ers. While the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics deserve respect, the Magic are quickly proving to the world that they should be the favorites in the Eastern Conference.

Dwight Howard - Orlando Magic (Image: Zuma Press)

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Orlando Magic Go Undefeated in Preseason

In preseason action, the Magic smashed the Hornets by a final score of 121-86. Orlando was led by Ryan Anderson and Vince Carter — two players they acquired via a trade with the New Jersey Nets. Anderson had 22 points in 19 minutes, while Carter had 18 points in 33 minutes. Combined, the two players hit 9-of-14 three-pointers.

For the Hornets, David West and Chris Paul led the way. West had 14 points, while Paul had 13 points and six assists. Julian Wright, Devin Brown and Marcus Thornton were the other players in double figures for New Orleans.

The Magic, led by superstar Dwight Howard, have a stacked roster and look very capable of winning the Eastern Conference once again. The Hornets also improved in the offseason and should see more wins this year — but they’ll have to do much better than they did on Tuesday.

Dwight Howard has even more help this season (Image: Zuma Press)

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5. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
Coming off of a championship season and surrounding with a lot of talent, Kobe Bryant won’t have to put in enough work to win this regular season award.

4. Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets
Chris Paul has established himself as one of the best players in the league. If the Hornets can get a first or second seed in the West, Paul has a chance at the MVP.

3. Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic
Already considered by many as the best bigman in the world, Dwight Howard may be able to get considerably better. If that’s the case, watch out.

2. Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
Last season, Dwyane Wade bounced back from years of injuries and re-established himself as a great NBA player. If he can stay healthy again, Wade will be a top MVP candidate.

1. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
Everything seems to point to LeBron James winning the MVP award for the second straight season. His pending free agency will keep all eyes on him and LeBron still has to prove that he can win when it matters. Expect greatness again in the 2009-10 season.

Will LeBron James get revenge in the 2009-10 NBA season? (Image: Zuma Press)

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Earlier in the offseason, the Hawks signed Joe Smith to add more size to their team. Collins is further insurance at the bigman positions.

After playing with the New Jersey Nets for the first six and a half years of his career, Collins has split the last one nd a half years with the Memphis Grizzlies and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Last season with the T’Wolves, the 7-footer out of Stanford averaged 1.8 points and 2.3 rebounds in 13.6 minutes per contest.

While Collins isn’t a very good scorer or a very good rebounder, he’s a fantastic post defender. When defending against the bigger and stronger players in the league, there are few defenders as effective as Collins. With the Hawks, Collins will be helpful in certain matchups — namely against Dwight Howard and Shaquille O’Neal.

Jason Collins signed by the Atlanta Hawks (Image: Zuma Press)

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I’m really surprised at how good his form his. He’s not using his back and there is no bouncing of the bar which is more than you can say about a lot of weight lifters. From what I’ve read, Howard gets 365 lbs max. That shows a lot of power with the amount of extension he needs to finish the lift. Compare how far a lengthy person like Howard has to go to a person with shorter arms and a thicker chest. I’m impressed.

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Marcin Gortat - Orlando Magic Match Offersheet (Image: Zuma Press)

Not only do the Mavs have to be upset about the turn of events, Gortat himself is apparently upset. Guy Zucker, Gortat’s agent, said that Gortat really wanted to play with the Mavs and doesn’t think he’ll have the opportunity to show his true worth as a member of the Magic.

On the Mavs, Gortat was expected to start at center. Even though he hasn’t played many minutes in the NBA, his per-minute stats have been very good.

On the Magic, Gortat will likely continue to backup Dwight Howard at center. Once he’s eligible to be traded (in December), the Magic will likely field offers.

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However, don’t think that Howard has given up hope. In fact, he’s brimming with confidence.

Said Howard: “You want me to get up here and say the season is going to be over tomorrow? That’s not what anybody should do or anybody should think. I believe that we’re going to be going back to L.A.”

Belief is also what head coach Stan Van Gundy thinks is most important. Van Gundy, who has questioned his own coaching following the Game 4 loss for Orlando, made it simple for the Magic players.

Said Van Gundy: “I think when you’re in this situation, the key thing is do you still believe you can win the championship? If you don’t think you can go to L.A. and win the championship, then even though you’re saying one game at a time, it’s pretty easy to let go if things aren’t going well.”

Although it would definitely be a long shot for the Magic to come back and win the 2009 NBA Finas, this is a team that has already come back from series deficits in the first round against the Philadelphia 76ers and the second round against the Boston Celtics.

As long as they believe, they have hope. At least in Game 6.

Dwight Howard and Stan Van Gundy both still believe (Image: Zuma Press)

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Dwight Howard Still Believes in Magic

Win is what the Magic did. Holding off a hard charging Lakers team, Orlando’s hot shooting was enough for the victory. For the game, the Magic shot 62.5% from the field — an NBA record — and won by a final score of 108-104.

Leading the way for the home team was superstar bigman Dwight Howard. He finished with 21 points, 14 rebounds, two assists and two blocks.

Dwight Howard wins his first game in the NBA Finals (Image: Zuma Press)

Rashard Lewis and Rafer Alston were also huge for the Magic. Lewis had 21 points, five rebounds and five assists, while Alston totaled 20 points and four assists.

For the Lakers, it was the Kobe Bryant show early and often. After scoring 20 points in the first half, he totaled 31 points and eight assists for the game. The Lakers also got 23 points from Pau Gasol on 9-for-11 shooting from the floor.

Game 4 will prove to pivotal. If the Lakers win, they’ll be on their way to the 15th championship in their franchise’s history. If the Magic win, we’ll have a competitive 2009 NBA Finals on our hands.

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