Friday, June 12, 2009
By Jim Feist

In the City of Angels, there is euphoria, with the Lakers forging a 3-1 series lead in the NBA Finals. In Orlando, Florida, a combination of frustration and deja-vu. Frustration because the Magic completely collapsed in Game 4, blowing a 3 point lead at home with 10 seconds left AND their own player at the foul line for two shots. Make one or two and it's pretty much over.

Instead, Dwight Howard gagged at the line and Derek Fisher hit the most memorable three-pointer since, well, since his three-pointer against San Antonio in 2004 with 0.4 seconds left. In overtime, you knew Orlando was toast and they played like a team in shock, scoring only 4 points.

The inside story of this series is free throw shooting. LA has been very strong all season from the line, while Orlando is one of the worst in the NBA because of Howard. He needs to remove that Superman cape and spend more time practicing freebies, or develop a new style from the charity stripe. Orlando was 22-of-37 from the line in Game 4, an embarrassing, Shaq-like 59%. Howard missed 8 (6-of-14). If he goes 7-for-14, the series is probably tied 2-2 with the all-important fifth game in Orlando.

Instead, it is deja-vu for Orlando basketball fans. Deja-vu because in 1995, their last trip to the Finals, a different Orlando team led by Shaq was also awful from the charity stripe and it killed them. In Game 1 at home, Nick Anderson bricked 4 free throws in a row late in the game that would have clinched it, allowing Houston to attempt a three-pointer to force overtime. They made it (sound familiar?). Houston won in overtime on the way to a four-game sweep.

LA will be celebrating its 15th title soon. Oh, and Kobe Bryant went 11-for-31 in Game 4. Think he will shoot that bad in any remaining games?

While the NBA Finals has taken center stage, in another sport, the Boston Red Sox wrapped up another three-game sweep of the Yankees, making the Sox 8-0 against NY in what is shaping up as a strange year in the AL East.

Ace C.C. Sabathia hasn't fared well in his last couple of appearances against the Sox. They roughed him up twice in the 2007 ALCS (0-2, 10.45).New York's starters are 0-6 with a 7.04 ERA against Boston this year. The Red Sox have a deep bullpen, the best in baseball, and a patient offense that wears down opposing pitching staffs. J.D. Drew got on base seven times in the series (four hits, three walks) and now has a .526 on-base percentage in eight games as the No. 2 hitter, where he has had a profound impact on the Red Sox offense.

Interesting that, counting switch-hitters, the Yankees have seven lefthanded batters in the lineup with only Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez batting exclusively from the right side. But they need to upgrade the bullpen and get the starting staff straightened out (Wang, Hughes). You need to focus more on the details of baseball handicapping like this, because the NBA Finals will be over soon.