By John Schuhmann,
ORLANDO -- When you've got the MVP on your team, a guy who has played at a level much higher than any other player in this postseason, you've got a better chance than most to come back from a 3-1 series deficit.
But in order for the Cavs to force a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference finals and get that chance, they've got to get a win at Amway Arena, where they've lost five in a row.
Do the Cavs carry momentum into Game 6 (8:30 p.m. ET, TNT), having played their best game of the series on Thursday? Or are the Magic just a bad matchup for the league's best regular season team, having beaten Cleveland 11 of the last 16 times they've met?
One thing is for sure: What happens in any particular game in this series is impossible to predict. So don't bother. Just watch and enjoy the drama as two great teams battle for the chance to meet the Lakers in the 2009 Finals.
In three of the five games so far, the Cavs have had a shot to win the game in the air as the final buzzer went off. While one of those shots is considered to be the greatest in Cavaliers history, the other two were offline. That's the difference in this series so far, and why the Magic have the opportunity to close it out in their own building.
Who's the pressure on? Both teams, of course. The Cavs are down to their last out, while the Magic don't want to put their season on the line in a Game 7 back at Quicken Loans Arena.
"A team is dangerous when they know they are on their last limb, especially with us," LeBron James said on Friday. "I think we are very dangerous at this point. I mean, it is going to be a crazy atmosphere. We look forward to the challenge."
Here are five keys to Game 6...
1. Turnovers
In Game 4, the Cavs hurt themselves by committing nine turnovers in the fourth quarter and overtime, with James responsible for almost all of them. In Game 5, turnovers continued to be a problem as Cleveland let its 22-point lead slip away. The Cavs coughed the ball up eight times in the first half and another four times in their first nine possessions of the third quarter.
But after that, they took care of the ball, not turning it over once in their final 35 possessions of the game, and the result was a 34-point fourth quarter and a late-night flight back to Orlando.
Meanwhile, the Magic coughed the ball up eight times in the second half of Game 5.
"At key times, we turned the ball over and allowed them back in the game," Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy pointed out afterward.
When games come down to a possession or two, taking care of the ball becomes priority No. 1. Not only do you lose a chance to score, but you also put your opponent in a better position to get an easy basket.
2. The Point Guards
Mo Williams' shooting, along with his psyche, was the Cavs' biggest issue through the first four games. Williams was shooting just 32 percent from the field through Game 4, unable to make the Magic pay for focusing their defense on James.
Things changed in Game 5, as Williams shot 7-for-14 from the field and 6-of-9 from 3-point range, hitting multiple big shots and scoring 24 points. Now, the question is whether or not Thursday's performance was the start of a turnaround for Williams, or just an aberration.
"There is no doubt in my mind in any way, shape or form that Mo's not going to come through for us," Cavs coach Mike Brown said Friday.
On the other end of the floor, it's no secret that the Cavs want Rafer Alston shooting the ball. The strategy burned them in Game 4, as Alston scored 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting, but paid off in Game 5, as he made just one of his 10 shots from the field.
In the Magic's two losses so far, Alston is shooting just 2-for-17 (12 percent) from the field. Clearly, his ability to make shots is a key in this series.
"They left me from the start of the game until the end," Alston said after Game 5. "I just didn't make them like I did [in Game 4]. I look forward to them leaving me again on Saturday."
3. LeBron at the Nail
The Cavs had terrific success in the fourth quarter of Game 5 by isolating LeBron James at the middle of the foul line, a spot on the floor dubbed "the nail."
Catching the ball at the nail makes James a true triple threat. If you give him space, he can knock down a 15-footer. If you play him tight, he can drive around you and get to the rim with just one dribble. And if you send a second defender at him, he can find an open shooter on the perimeter or a big man cutting to the rim.
The Magic doubled James at the nail just a few times on Thursday, mostly leaving Mickael Pietrus alone with the MVP. We'll probably see a different approach in Game 6, and the success of the Orlando defense in that situation will depend largely on whether or not James' teammates are knocking down shots.
4. Free Throws
The most offensively efficient game in this series so far was Game 1. Not coincidentally, it was also the game with the fewest free throws, as the teams combined for just 31 trips to the line. Over the last four games, they've combined for an average of 68.8 free throws per contest.
The result has been some ugly games where both teams tend to lose their offensive rhythm at one point or another. In Game 3, when the Magic attempted 51 free throws, the Cavs never scored on more than three consecutive possessions.
Both coaches want their teams to play good defense without fouling, because not only does putting your opponent on the line give them free points, but it also allows them to set up their defense and make it harder for you to score on the other end.
5. Late-Game Execution
If you haven't figured it out by now, these two teams are very evenly matched. Three of the five games so far could have gone either way in the closing seconds, and the stakes in Game 6 will be higher than they've been all series. If the Cavs lose, their season is done. And if the Magic lose, they're looking at a Game 7 in the toughest building to win a game this season.
Both teams will do everything in their power to avoid going down by double-digits at any point. So expect another close game in the final minutes. The winner will be the team that makes plays and gets stops down the stretch.
Can the Cavs slow down the pick-and-roll and keep Dwight Howard from getting position under the basket? Will guys like Alston and Pietrus step up and knock down shots for the Magic?
Can Orlando keep James out of the paint? And will the MVP get the help he needs from his supporting cast?
Tune in and find out.
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