The Orlando Magic were ready to push the Cleveland Cavaliers to the limit. Victor Oladipo’s career-best game had them on the ropes. But the Cavs prevailed.
The Cleveland Cavaliers got pushed. That much they can say. But they also had the quiet confidence that they would finish out the game.
Never mind Victor Oladipo scoring 45 points, setting a new career high and becoming the first Magic play to hit that mark since Dwight Howard in Jan. 2012. Never mind the Magic continuing to fight back and give themselves a chance to steal a game from the Cavaliers.
Cleveland got the big shots they needed. It was Kyrie Irving making difficult 3-pointers and getting to the basket. It was LeBron James whipping the ball to the perimeter as the defense sucked in to stop him. It was Tristan Thompson scratching out a big offensive rebound.
Cleveland had all those plays. And they shut out the Orlando Magic’s best weapon on the day — Victor Oladipo — in the fourth quarter. The Magic could not get it to their other key players and their offense faltered.
That put the pressure on the Magic to execute better and finish off defensive possessions. That is when the Cavaliers thrived most and held on for the win.