Cleveland Cavaliers Lose First Game, But Panic Isn't the Answer

The Cavaliers lost Wednesday's game against the Orlando Magic 107-106. It was a confidence booster for the Magic in a series that they are not favored to win.

Should this loss panic people? No, it absolutely should not.

Yes, they gave up their 16-point lead that they could have kept alive, but Cleveland hasn't played in forever.

For the Cavaliers to come out and play as well as they did and for it be as close as it was is an amazing accomplishment.

LeBron James scored a career playoff-high 49 points. Some may say with that good of an effort, you shouldn't lose games—but you can't forget this one at least went down to the wire.

James noticed his team was struggling. He put the team on his own shoulders, however they fell just short of victory.

I think this is going to be a great series, and I don't think Cleveland will lose again. If last night is how James plays without competing for so long, then I can see him really turning his team's intensity up for game two.

I think this team needed a loss to remember how much they hate losing, and in the end I think this game will do more good than harm.

When you look at the Lakers' losses, they were huge against teams you would think would be no match for them—but the Cavs had a bad game and still lost by one point.

In order for me to be right, Delonte West and Mo Williams will both have to shoot more consistently for Cleveland not to drop another game.

They made shots to keep the Cavaliers in it, and Williams made that huge buzzer beater before the half. But he also missed some wide-open shots from the perimeter.

I wouldn't hold my breath just yet, and I think the Cavs may retaliate stronger than they have this season after a loss. Look for James to be more of the assist man in the game Friday to get his team in it early.