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Magic stretch Cavs thin

Posted March 17th, 2008 by bwindhorst

Magic 104, Cavs 90

–Classic victory for the Magic. This is how they beat people, they get hot from the outside and it makes them very, very hard to guard. They torched the Cavs defense in the second half and shot 50 percent to score 64 points. I didn’t think the Cavs played poorly on defense either, it is hard to defend 6-foot-10 3-point shooters. Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis went 7-of-7 from 3-point range in the third quarter and it changed the game. The Cavs had to adjust their coverage and then Dwight Howard bombed them for 10 points in the fourth.
–When the Magic hit 3s, they are hard to beat. I don’t think taking 30 of them every night or giving up 100 points a game works in the playoffs. But I could be proven wrong. The Cavs are a shrink the floor defensive team and so are the other good defensive teams in the NBA and it is very hard to play help defense on the inside when you have to close out to 6-10 guys shooting 3-pointers. Then they come off the bench with Brian Cook and Pat Garrity, two more very long shooters. Ben Wallace can’t guard some of these stretch fours.
–That said, I don’t think Mike Brown did very well in the fourth quarter. The game was right there and he deploys Joe Smith on Howard? No, that doesn’t work and he got burned by it. Then after LeBron got to the basket three times in a row and cut it to five, Stan Van Gundy called timeout and changed his pick-and-roll coverage to blitz James. Mike didn’t put in his shooting lineup and the offense went dead. Not his best effort there.
–Zydrunas Ilgauskas paid on the back-to-back tonight, he went 2-of-10. Wallace didn’t have a rebound after the first quarter. The Cavs had at least eight unforced turnovers. These are issues you deal with on back-to-backs and the Cavs have had a lot of those lately.
–I think you can concede the No. 3 seed to Orlando, the Cavs are down 6.5 games and aren’t going to get the tiebreaker.
–Just before the second half started, LeBron came over an introduced himself to Tiger Woods, who was sitting in the front row. Turns out it was the first time they’ve met, which is amazing considering they are both Nike guys and Tiger spends a week in Akron every summer for the Bridgestone Invitational. Tiger smiled, said hello and said he’d call LeBron. Afterwards we did not ask LeBron to put meeting him in hip hop terms.

Recap:

Pregame

Starting lineups
Cavs: Delonte West, Sasha Pavlovic, LeBron James, Ben Wallace, Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Magic: Jameer Nelson, Maurice Evans, Hedo Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis, Dwight Howard

Officials
Monty McCutchen, Joe Crawford, Olandis Poole

–The Cavs are behind the 8-ball on rest again, the Magic were off yesterday and the Cavs played and flew two hours down here after the game. Also, it is yet to be seen how the ailing backs of Wallace and Ilgauskas will react on a back-to-back. Advantage Magic.
–A challenge in this one will be how Wallace deals with Lewis, who stays out by the 3-point line. In fact, the Magic like to penetrate and kick out to 3-point shooters when they are not pounding the ball into Howard and the Cavs will have to be crisp in rotations.
–Wally Szczerbiak’s minutes have been dwindling over the last three games. Mike Brown said before the game he hasn’t been pleased with Wally’s “technical defense.” That may be true, but hitting a few jumpers would be nice, too.
–Tiger Woods is supposed to be in the building tonight if you like to know that kind of stuff. No word on Soulja Boy.

Halftime — Cavs 45, Magic 40

–All things considered, Cavs played pretty well in the first half. They really fought Dwight Howard, sometimes triple-teaming him and he still has 12 points. They are scrambling when they can on defense but sometimes just living with the Magic’s 3-pointers and so far they are just 5-of-17. In my opinion, this is the Magic’s weakness. They often just hoist up those 3s but when they got hot they’ll kill you. I just don’t think that’s a great strategy in the playoffs.
–The Cavs had 14 fastbreak points in the first half, a clear difference in the game. They have trouble getting into the paint when Howard is in the game so getting easy baskets is important.
–Rashard Lewis had three fouls and no points in the first half, Hedo Turkoglu went just 1-of-7. You have to figure one or both of those guys will heat up.
–LeBron didn’t seem to be to into this game at the start, but his energy really picked up in the second quarter. He’s on pace to get near another triple double and has 14 points on just six official shots.

Postgame

Stars
Howard, 23 points, 13 rebounds
Lewis, 21 points
Turkoglu, 18 points
LeBron, 30 points, nine rebounds, six assists

Quotes
LeBron: “That’s a team that shoots the ball extremely well. They are making threes and we’re trying to make twos, we didn’t recover from it. It is tough to try to contain Dwight on the inside and contain their shooters on the outside.”
Brown: “Giving up 64 points in a half on the road…it’s going to be tough for us to get a win.”

48 Responses to “Magic stretch Cavs thin”

  1. JoeHoops (President, AlanTuckerFanClub.com) Says:

    This could be a MAJOR turning point in our season. Ben just dunked the ball. Finally.

  2. Tom Says:

    I really want to believe in Ben Wallace, but I have already seen a ball bounce off his hands 6 times. This game wouldn’t be close if the Cavs would collect the rebounds.

  3. Tom Says:

    Well now the Magic can’t miss from 3. Gotta hope they cool down in the 4th.

    Brian you called - they can kill you from back there.

  4. Brittle Fingers Says:

    Varejao looks unbelievably bad this game. Turnovers, fouls, miscues…..absolutely awful.

  5. LeCavalier Says:

    Another loss to a bad or overrated team. 50 wins is slipping away…

  6. seriously?? Says:

    cavs have competent scoring after the trade and the offense is still terrible. ummm bad offensive schemes?? I THINK YES.

  7. OUforSho Says:

    No offensive plays is just mind boggling… i mean do these guys know anything other than pick and roll or watch lebron do his thing?

  8. Basketball » Cavs at Magic Says:

    [...] bwindhorst wrote a fantastic post today on “Cavs at Magic”Here’s ONLY a quick extractPregame Starting lineups Cavs: Delonte West, Sasha Pavlovic, LeBron James, Ben Wallace, Zydrunas Ilgauskas Magic: Jameer Nelson, Maurice Evans, Hedo Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis, Dwight Howard. Officials Monty McCutchen, Joe Crawford, … [...]

  9. MJ Says:

    Only 6 minutes for Wally? I mean, I know he is the new Larry Hughes, but I was even shocked when I saw the box score. I think Wally’s problem is that he cannot pop his collar on his Cavs jersey. You know how those Miami bros love to pop their collars.

  10. Cavsdawg Says:

    What are the stats on Cleveland’s back-to-back schedule? How many times do the Cavs have to play a back-to-back setup and what are the winning percentages of the teams we play on the back end of those scheduled events. Finally, how does our back-to-back requirement compare to other NBA “elite” teams? Everytime I turn around, it seems Cleveland is playing the back end of a tough back-to-back assignment versus a more than decent opponent. I don’t follow the other NBA teams as closely so I don’t know if we have more than others, but it strikes me that we’ve had more than our share of these games…

  11. jk Says:

    Tiger and LBJ also have the same birthday.

  12. alan t. Says:

    What I found interesting was that oddsmakers think so little of LeBron’s cast of supporting stiffs, that the Cavs were 8 1/2 point underdogs in the first place.

  13. Brittle Fingers Says:

    Forget about the 3-seed…..they better focus on holding on to the 4-seed. Like Orlando, Toronto has a very easy schedule the rest of the way. The Cavs do not. As long as the Cavs win the games they’re supposed to win — all but one or two of their homes games and half of their road games — they should hold on to the 4. If they slip to the 5, the Toronto series becomes a lot tougher.

  14. Chuck Says:

    Actually, Alan, I’m in Las Vegas and played the Cavs +7. I watched the game in the sports book at the Venetian, where they got 6.5. Obviously, Orlando still covered:(

  15. eddie Says:

    things i Dont get

    why is wally so bad!!
    why has varejao been so bad!!
    mike brown has no idea who to play and when to the play them. only going toget worse when gibson comes back!
    this team is underachieving big time and thats because of mike brown!!
    why is wally so bad!!

  16. Tom Says:

    Everytime I see Joe Smith get pushed out of position or see a ball tip off Ben Wallace’s fingers I miss Drew Gooden. They guy had his lapses and all that, but Damn could he rebound.

    The Cavs aren’t doing the little things it takes to win. Energy, Defense, Rebounding, execution.

    Delonte is so inconsistent offensively, Wally is abysmal right now, Joe Smith is getting no plays run for him (a la Gooden) Ben Wallace can’t catch anything, and defenses are really loading up on LeBron these last 2 weeks. We need Boobie back fast, and something that resembles an offense.

  17. larry d. Says:

    What’s ‘pop his collar’ mean? Is that something Milli Vanilli would do, or it more along the lines of Jay-Z?

  18. alan t. Says:

    Chuck, there was a lot of late money on Cleveland. I was stupid enough to take the early big spread of 8.5, and still got screwed by the Delonte West All-Stars. Never again will I be lulled by a Cavs spread, it’s happened way too often. When a 150-year-old oval-headed Rasho Smits Nesterovic incredibly is considered to be the second-best player by a beat writer covering the team, from now on I’m keeping my money in my pocket. Maybe use my disposable income for noble purposes instead of blowing it, like maybe on a governor’s hooker, or something. At least “blowing it” will get me something for my $100.

  19. Biff Says:

    Didn’t watch a second of the game again tonight and once again, I’m not pissed of. This is amazing! My quality of life since separating from this team has gone through the roof.

    Unfortunately, however, I am scheduled to attend the Detroit game on Wednesday. I’m hoping that the Cavs don’t put on a display and woo me back into their arms.

  20. white man small johnson Says:

    you guys eat dodo,stop your darn whining, its only a freakin sport, get a darn life, life is more important then basketball. hey do anyone know what the tribe did in spring training last night?

  21. white man small johnson Says:

    it sound like to me that the honeymoon is over on the trade. bet you guys wish you had larry, donyell, drew, and ira back. hey from what i hear ira may be back, then what will you cry babies say. get off the board and read a book.

  22. kptb Says:

    Here is the difference:
    Dwight Howard gets doubled and everyone around him makes their shots.
    LeBron James gets tripled and everybody around tries to pass it back to him!
    The latter seems to be the Cavs’ story this year. Yes, LeBron is amazing, incredible and what not but even he cannot win every game alone - only about 55.9%.

  23. Mike C Says:

    Thoughts on the Cavs loss at Orlando:

    - It was disappointing to watch the Cavs turn a 10-point 3rd Quarter lead into a 14 point loss, but don’t call the Magic overrated. That’s a good team that is going to win over 50 games this year, and no one wants to bang with Dwight Howard for 7 games.

    - Brian is right, good defensive teams in the NBA keep things tight inside, making sure that they challenge the easier shots. As a result, you can shoot over any defense in the league if you’re making shots.

    - But I’m not sure that accounts for the utter lack of concentration and focus by the Cavaliers in the 4th. Too many passes and rebounds went right through the Cavaliers’ hands, because they couldn’t concentrate enough to catch the damn ball. Very sloppy, and very frustrating to watch.

    - Nice block by Delonte West on Jameer Nelson. West had a good game, but it’s obvious that LeBron is not going to let him run the offense in the second half. He has a different skill set than Gibson or Jones, but LeBron has relegated him to being a spot up shooter just like those guys.

    - The Cavs frontcourt amounted to four guys taking turns bouncing off of Dwight Howard and failing to jump for rebounds. Ben Wallace is currently making $15 Million/year, and he can’t play because of bad matchups defensively? Adding Wallace was supposed to solve problems defensively, not make new ones.

    - I think LeBron is the best player in the NBA. So it’s not a criticism when I say that if I had to build a team, I would start with Dwight Howard. It is so much easier to build a team around a post player than around a perimeter player. You can always find a Hedo Turkoglu or Rashard Lewis to put around Howard, but as the Cavs have proven, it’s a lot harder to find the combination of post players and role players to complement LeBron.

    - Speaking of post players, if I was LeBron I would be encouraging Jermaine O’Neal to get healthy and force a trade. Given the deterioration we’ve seen in the Cavs post players this year, they are going to need an upgrade if they want to keep moving forward.

    Go Cavs.

    Mike C.

  24. alan t. Says:

    Hey, does Windy still get a kick out of referring to that goofy-looking guy as Hedo Turkey Glue? I’ve seen no mention of it in these parts for awhile. What’s that guy gross, about $7 million a year? All the money these NBA players make, and that dude still can’t afford to go to Circuit City to buy a GPS to find a Barnes & Noble to get an English-Turkish dictionary to adequately translate the words “good plastic surgeon” and “rhinoplasty.”

  25. Eric Says:

    The Cavs are poorly constructed and coached. And why is it that lebron has been in the league for 5 years and he still can’t play in the post, shoot consistently or play defense? Where is his improvement?

  26. Josh Says:

    “Turkey Glue” is one Fugly dude…

    Orlando has a very good shot at knocking off Detroit, so any fans on here living in the past couple of years when Dwight Howard was still developing need to upgrade. That dude is right up there with LeBron, Carmello, Chris Paul and co in the rising star dept.

    Once again, the sky is falling because Mike Brown and LeBron cant seem to build Rome in a day. How dare they not win every game, on the road, during tough stretches of an NBA schedule, against the best teams in the world!!

  27. Brian A. Says:

    We need more details on Coach Brown. is he relying to much on assistants or vice versa? Whatever it is he needs to do the opposite. It seemed like they feel apart Delonte didn’t want to bring the ball up court even though he had 16. Turnovers, Again Sasha shot well and they went away from him alot in the fourth.
    He had 5 rebounds Ben had 4.

  28. doc Says:

    Why the circuitous route to get a English-Turk dictionary? Why go to circuit city? What’s he need a GPS for? Why even go to Borders? Just order it online.

    The Cavs just aren’t very good right now. Their defense evokes memories of the days of Ricky Davis and Darius Miles. Why so late on the rotations? It’s been years since average guards like Keyon Dooling could drive and dunk without a challenge from a big. Something’s happened to Varejao. All of a sudden he’s slow, awkward, and can’t catch anything. Joe Smith defending in the post is a disaster. Z valiantly plods on with his knock off Pumas filled with cement. Wallace is DONE. Those back spasms he’s been suffering from are more likely a result of having a giant fork sticking out his backside rather than any sort of neuromuscular issue. This is a soft, soft team boys and girls.

    What’s the next excuse? That “as soon as Boobie comes back, all will be fine?” Yeah right. All we need is this generation’s BJ Armstrong and we’ll be back in the Finals.

    Here’s the deal: The Magic are better than the Cavs right now. The Cavs are a legitimate 4 seed, maybe 5th when all is said and done. They’re positioned exactly the way they deserve. 46 wins and out in the second round of the playoffs and no cap flexibility this summer…..

  29. JoeHoops (President, AlanTuckerFanClub.com) Says:

    Its not looking good for the Cavs to get their act together in the next 13 games.

    The BIG trade appears to be just a so-so trade. Looks like they are going to start limiting Wally’s minutes…he only played 6 mintues last night because of his recent 30% shooting. Joe Smith is just playing average ball now and Wallace is also pretty ho hum…. 2 points and 4 boards last night?!?!?!?!

    West seems to be the best one of the four, although he did have several key turnovers last night.

    I don’t see how we get past a team like Detroit. They look better than last year. We are screwed.

  30. John Bagley Says:

    Same old same old from this board. Z is just getting back, the new players have been here just 12 games, nobody has played together, and Gibson isn’t back. What does this all mean? Transition. That is all this is about right now. The cavaliers just need to get healthy. My only concern (and it is only slight right now) is that Mike Brown doesn’t use good rotations. He sits people for long periods of time. He doesn’t play matchups well. And, above all, he now has a load of offensive talent and he doesn’t know how to use it. The Cavaliers had 22-3 fast break points last night. When has that ever happened? Brown has enough for at least 3 teams: an inside, pound it in team, a three-point shooting spread the floor team, and a running fast break team. He just has to know how to use them. If he doesn’t, and this team underperforms, Brown should be gone after this year. But I am still hopeful. They all need some time to figure it out. They will get the 4 spot and even if they don’t they are set for a long run in the playoffs.

  31. Robin Says:

    I watched the second half and thought the coaching decisions were really terrible. The Cavs were at a huge and unnecessary disadvantage because of the players they had on the floor. Why did Mike Brown feel the need to play a lineup with two big guys through the whole fourth quarter? You can’t expect Ben Wallace or even Joe Smith to guard faster players who can shoot threes (like Lewis and Turkoglu). When the Magic weren’t hitting wide open threes, they were easily driving past big, slow defenders. And it’s not like Ben Wallace or Joe Smith are players who can use their size to punish the other team on the offensive end. There just doesn’t seem to be any advantage there (except arguably on the boards, which doesn’t matter much if they can’t force any misses). Why not at least give your team a chance? It almost seems like Mike Brown is being stubborn about his big lineups. What do you think, Brian?

  32. alan t. Says:

    doc, I actually did first consider proposing that online solution as his quickest route to a more handsome appearance. However, I looked up “Turkish rhinoplasty” on Google, and there were only 16,500 results. But then I looked up “Turkish porn,” and there were 639,000 results. Accordingly, after some deep contemplation, I felt the circuitous route to Barnes & Noble was the simplest route for him to join James on the next cover of Vogue. Or McCall’s, Redbook, Good Housekeeping and Better Homes & Gardens. Or wherever LeBron intends to prostitute himself next.

  33. Eric Says:

    Josh, nobody is suggesting that James and Brown build Rome in a day. But you think after four years the foundation would have been laid down by now. Mike Brown should be fired. He is incompetent. The man simply doesn’t have a clue. Why Dan Gilbert would turn an offensive talent like lebron James over Mr. potato-head is mind boggling. No wonder James can’t shoot or has a post game.

  34. larry d. Says:

    Who should Brown put on guys like Lewis and Turkoglu–Damon Jones? They’ve only got one guy who matches up with tall quick shooters, which is LeBron.

    Isn’t figuring out rotations pretty much the hardest part of a ‘transition’? Brown is a system coach and it takes time. He’s proven he can juggle limited players pretty well.

    Why does everyone get fooled by Detroit? What’s changed from last year, when they ‘looked better’ than the season before, and were ‘tougher and deeper?’ They lost it when Big Ben slowed down three or four years ago and have been pretty much the same overrated, weak-willed team since.

  35. Josh Says:

    No no no… most of you seem to think the Cavs should just steamroll everyone they play, Wally and co should just slide right in and start knocking down 50% of their shots, and everyone will just be hunky dory. I know it sounds like a load of excuses to many of you, but the constant flux and the various setbacks of this season are a little ridiculous. Injuries, rough schedule, mid-season roster overhaul… cmon, that doesnt make it harder to win consistently in the NBA??

    I know many of you think I’m just a big Cleveland apologist, but maybe just a few of us need to be here to remind Cleveland fans how good we have it right now. Media whore or not, Alan, LeBron is the most entertaining player to watch in the league right now, and he’s so good that people forget how good he is. I mean, Michael Jordan *MIGHT* have been a media whore in his day, Chicago appreciated him, and lo and behold, he spent the rest of his career there (minus the baseball hiatus due to his gambling problem).

    Not one team in the East wants us in the playoffs. When this trade comes together and these guys get some confidence rolling, they’ll play with anyone. Have some faith, unlike last year.

  36. JoeHoops (President, AlanTuckerFanClub.com) Says:

    My point in the previous post was that I don’t think the Cavs have time to get things in sync. We only have 13 games left. And Gibson isn’t even back yet. Its just not enough time for these guys to get their Mojo going, especially when you consider a team like Detroit has been playing together for years. The only thing we can hope for is that they go on a good run towards the end of the season and enter the Playoffs while playing really well, like they did last year. Right now, the team just looks lost.

    I think the Pistons will represent the Eastern Conference this year, possibly Boston. But I like Detroit, with their experience and depth, is the team to beat.

  37. Kwame B. Says:

    “I mean, Michael Jordan *MIGHT* have been a media whore in his day, Chicago appreciated him, and lo and behold, he spent the rest of his career there (minus the baseball hiatus due to his gambling problem).”

    Uh, Michael didn’t play solely for Chicago. He also briefly played for the Wizards. I remember it vividly, because he made me cry during practice on several occasions.

  38. alan t. Says:

    Great comparison, Josh. You take Chicago, the third-largest media market in the United States, and then compare it to Cleveland, widely known as that white-hot vacation destination southwest of Ashtabula. Do you have a job printing pamphlets for the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce, or what?

    And actually, larry, I think the Pistons really aren’t the same team, simply because of the role players that Dumars has gotten. But the Cavs are a team of wall-to-wall role players. Take Juan Dixon as just one example. He’s nothing special, but he’s pretty much a guy who’s Gibson in a different uniform. But here we are, some people pointing to the lack of Gibson as an integral excuse, and that’s just ridiculous.

    By the way, assuming the Cavs get the fourth seed, and assuming they get out of the first-round, will they be playing Detroit or Boston?

  39. jmoe Says:

    Boston Mr. Tucker who is one injury away from a first
    or second round exit. Garnett and Pierce and Allen will
    crumble in the crunch cause they aint never seen it.

  40. Tom Says:

    Two years ago the Cavs played Detroit in April and got absolutely eviscerated. They were down like 40 in the first half. And they were a rebound away from going to the conference finals. Last year the Cavs blew a game to the Bobcats in March on stupid turnovers and fouls. I too, worry that they won’t get it together in time for the playoffs. But a healthy Boobie really does make a difference on this team. Someone said above: “LeBron gets tripled, passes out, and then his teammates give him the ball back” - Not going to happen with Boobie. Obviously, Varajeo needs to get back to pre-injury form, Boobie needs to get back to 2007 Playoffs form, and Sasha needs to play well if we are going to go far in the playoffs. There can’t be personnel holes.

    And if there is one thing I can’t stand, it’s when 1-trick ponies forget their trick. I saw Ben Wallace blow so many rebounds last night it made me sick. He should be reduced to Scott Pollard territory.

  41. Ran Says:

    This year’s Houston Rockets are last years’ Cavaliers (sort of):

    http://www.columbuscavs.com/?p=197

    Would love to get your thoughts!

  42. white man small johnson Says:

    jmoe wake up, the cavs will not advance in the playoffs, you say those things for shock value or the fact that you are just an idiot.

  43. JoeHoops (President, AlanTuckerFanClub.com) Says:

    My prediction for tonight…

    Detroit 87
    Cavs 76

  44. Josh Says:

    LeBron averages 50+ points a game v Toronto in his career, so I think we might advance at least one round. Apparently your “johnson” isnt your only lacking body part…

    I personally would love to see Boston in round 2. Acting like the East playoffs already happened should be a mistake we learned from last year, not one we repeat. I seem to recall the same people calling for New Jersey to dump us in 5 games last year… and after that, Detroit was supposed to sweep us. Am I the only one who remembers last year?

    Alan, I’m not really sure what your hangup is with ripping on Cleveland, and Ohio in general, but if you would like to go ahead and root for Chicago and/or Detroit, being that they’re so superior financially and otherwise, be my guest. I guess if you dont jump on the bandwagon and support your franchise, it’s easier to stand by and lob your own feces at said franchise when things dont go well. Speaking of which, shouldnt you be ripping Danny Ferry for making this trade any day now? Spewing rhetoric about the trades he SHOULD have made, like the twin turds (Larry and Drew) for Tim Duncan and San Antonio’s draft picks for the next 8 years?

    This season has been a disaster from almost every standpoint, and the excuses I listed above are valid. As it turns out, winning an NBA championship isnt as easy as it apparently looks to some of you…

  45. Terry Pluto's Hair Says:

    Alan…

    Can we stop talking basketball for awhile and get down to important issues? What’s the status on Mike Brown’s pants this season? Still as baggy as last year?

    I don’t get to watch many of the games from my minimum security facility, so I rely on you for sartorial updates.

    Thanks in advance.

    …TPH

  46. Rick Says:

    I heart Josh and TPH. Nice posts gentlemen!

  47. Josh Says:

    Besides the obvious uptick in morale it would provide, a win tonight over the unbeatable, juggernaut Pistons would almost assuredly cause Stephen A Smith and Charles Barkley’s collective gourds to explode, simultaneously.

    Here’s hoping the day off worked wonders…

  48. Jay Says:

    Josh that was great. Detroit is beatable we all know that. I think Boston is too. Cavs are insanely good at home so they need to get the 4 spot. Then in the 2nd round they have to split on the road so they get homecourt again. Sorry they are terrible on the road. One thing I noticed with the Cavs is they like to take quarters, a half, and even whole games off. It is like they show up to play contenders but not bottom feeders. Come on guys pull it together for the home stretch. Nice win tonight. Go Cavs!

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