Cleveland's Lack of Composure: Their Poison Pill

The NBA's best team may not be the "best team."

Or perhaps they are.

Either way, the Cleveland Cavaliers are proving to be the outmatched team in the Eastern Conference Finals. Going into tonight's Game Four, they are down 2-1 against the Orlando Magic. Many would probably agree that win tonight is crucial. As of now, though, Cleveland is struggling to just keep up any momentum that they create.

Sometimes, they lose it all and falter in the end.

In the first game of the series, Cleveland was showing itself to be a team that can beat the Orlando Magic. They led for a majority of the game, and didn't let up in anything. Unfortunately, they lost control of the game, and it became close.

Rashard Lewis was left open for a three-point basket, which sailed through the net to give the Magic the lead, and the win. Cleveland was handed their first loss of the playoffs.

The second game initially indicated that Cleveland learned their lesson. A 23-point lead was built by the Cavaliers, and it left the Magic in a gap. The lead slowly started to vanish though, and Orlando led again.

If it weren't for a miracle buzzer beater by NBA MVP LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavaliers would be down three games to none as of today. Their chances at winning their first NBA championship would be jeopardized.

The third game of the series proved to be the one that showed Cleveland at its worst. The Orlando Magic put a world of hurt on the Cavaliers, and capitalized on a bad shooting night for the team. The final score was 99-89, in Orlando's favor.

Now, the Cleveland Cavaliers had a problem. They have a strong opponent. Its name is Orlando.

The Cavaliers have a predicament. It's a two-games-to-one series that isn't in their favor.

The Cavaliers have a weakness. It's called a lack of composure.

The Cavaliers have a poison pill in their mouths—and they're about to swallow it whole.

Cleveland has to make a turn-around tonight of all nights if they plan to continue their quest for the NBA championship. There are a variety of things that they need to do, and it all begins with composure.

The Cavs can't always rely on LeBron James. His 41.6 ppg during the playoffs are wonderful, but will mean nothing in the end if the Cavs cannot win against the Magic. The rest of the team isn't stepping up, and they are more than capable of doing that.

LeBron James spent most of Game Two shooting at least 50 percent of the team's shots. When that happens, you know that his team isn't doing what they need to do. James cannot take a game upon himself and win it for them. Every player has to have his role in this series, or else they'll have to wait until 2010 to get a shot at the NBA title again.

The team must have composure.

The Cavaliers must stop the Orlando Magic's three-point shooting. If they don't, then that's it. Orlando's already won. You can't make two miracle buzzer beaters, but you can make sure your opponents miss their shots.

Cleveland has to pressure Orlando. Close, tight defense should cause offensive mistakes such as turnovers and hopefully misses from three-point range.

Either way, it takes composure.

Cleveland has to make their shots. Again, LeBron can't do it alone. In Game Three, he had an off night, and couldn't make his shots. If Mo Williams, Delonte West, or Anderson Varejao could make their shots, then James' misses would mean little. The team would be doing their jobs.

It takes composure to do that.

Tonight is the night that Cleveland shows what type of series they want to have. There will be a Game Five for sure, but tonight determines if there is a Game Six. It will ultimately be up to how Cleveland plays.

If they don't maintain control, then they'll have swallowed the poison pill in their mouths. And it will all be from a lack of composure.