Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers, although tired from a
tight-scheduled trip, played hard and staged a good show of the NBA
games Saturday in Macao in the last of this year's NBA China Games
series, coach Stan van Gundy said.
"Both teams played hard and gave the audience a good show of the
NBA games, given the circumstances," the Magic head coach told a
post-game press conference, adding he had enjoyed good receptions
in Shanghai and Macao on the "beneficiary" China trip.
With only two preseason games to go, both teams had been trying
to gear up for the NBA regular season, which is to start on October
30.
Magic beat Cavaliers 90 to 86 Thursday in the first of the 2007
NBA China Games series in Shanghai, defeated the China All-star
Team 116 to 92 just one day later in Macao and wound up its China
trip by clinching a second victory over Cavaliers in Macao
Saturday.
Both Cavaliers and Magic started with their most powerful
lineups in the game Saturday, allowing an enthusiastic and huge
local audience of around 15,000 an intense experience almost
comparable to that of watching the NBA regulars.
Cavaliers, with good defense, managed to maintain a lead of less
than 10 points through the first half, with only two ties as Magic
tried to catch up in its 3 game in four days.
James, who has been hugely popular in China by the nickname
"King", contributed four points and did slam dunk to loud cheers
from the audience.
But it was Dwight Howard and Hedo Turkoglu who, with slightly
more points in the paint, led Magic to a final victory 100 to
84.
Six Magic players, led by Howard with 17 points, eroded
Cavalier's first-half advantage by scoring double-digit points.
Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown changed his lineup several times
in the process of the game. The team had 19 assists in total, which
Brown said showed unsatisfactory transition and "sometimes did not
push the ball down the floor and attack."
He said he was still trying certain combinations out in the
game. "For some of the combinations, I am not going to throw them
out in the regular season," he said.
LeBron James said the team was defeated because "we did not have
all our starting five in," echoing his comment on the previous day
that "both teams are trying to improve and win or lose does not
matter much to either side."
James said he was confident of his own further improvements in
the coming season, both as a leader and as a player and that he
would not limit himself to scoring points.
"I would not limit myself to scoring points. I am not that kind
of person. Basketball is not a game about scores. It's a game about
winning," he said.
The NBA China Games returned three years after the first ever
NBA China Games in Shanghai and Beijing 2004. It was the first time
ever for NBA games to be staged in China's southern special
administrative region of Macao.
People in China loved and respected the sports of basketball,
James has said, adding that he believed other NBA teams may
follow.
(Xinhua News Agency October 21, 2007)