Well, for one night the Cavs changes all paid off handsomely. They looked like a championship-caliber team with depth in Wednesday's impressive win in Orlando. LeBron James was his usual self, Shaquille O'Neal got Dwight Howard in early foul trouble and played Howard well, and the entire team seemed into the game. The play of Mo Williams was vital. He was the polar opposite of the guy who struggled in the playoffs against the Magic. Orlando was without Rashard Lewis, but the Cavs treated this game with the importance it deserved.
Some other takes:
ESPN's John Hollinger: "While the Cavs used this game to show they may have overcome some of the early hurdles that plagued their offense, the Magic demonstrated that their early 5-1 start may be something of a mirage."
Interesting how James acted when the game ended.
Tim Povtak, a friend who wrote Shaq would be embarrassed against Howard before the game, had to change his tune after: "If Dwight Howard wants to keep that Superman moniker — if he wants to deliver on his promise to bring an NBA title to Orlando — he better turn his game up another notch real soon. Playing Shaquille O'Neal — who is well past his prime and 14 years older — to an uninspired standstill like he did Wednesday night won't get his team anywhere close to the Finals again."
Chris Tomasson of AOL hyped Mo Williams' big game.
Finally, prior to the game, SI.com's Chris Mannix wrote this of Shaq: "I spoke to an executive from one of O'Neal's former teams last week and he warned that if things stay status quo in Cleveland, Shaq will start to divide the locker room. 'It happened to us,' the executive said. 'It will happen to them.'"
