Magic brush off ‘guarantee’
ORLANDO (AP) – Tinted sunglasses concealing the cuts and bandages framing his puffy left eye, struggling Cleveland guard Mo Williams plopped down on a table inside a ritzy hotel ballroom Monday and quickly proclaimed the Cavaliers were not in any trouble.
Far from it.
“We’re the best team in basketball,” he said.
Really? The Cavaliers, winners of 66 regular-season games and their first eight straight in the playoffs, certainly haven’t looked superior to the Orlando Magic.
They can’t stop Dwight Howard inside. They can’t contain Orlando’s squadron of outside shooters. They are missing easy, open shots. They’re not giving LeBron James enough support, and they trail 2-1 in the Eastern Conference finals.
Williams remains confident.
“They deserve respect,” he said. “They are a good team, but we are the best team in basketball. I don’t feel that they’ve had to adjust to us one time in the series.”
So, Mo. You’re sure the Cavaliers will win Game 4 Tuesday night and rally to win the best-of-seven series. Willing to guarantee it?
“Guarantee we’re going to win the series? Yeah, yeah,” he said. “We are down 2-1, but there is nobody on this team and definitely not myself that says we are not going to win this series. Yeah, it is going to be tough. We know that. We get this game tomorrow, go home, still got home-court advantage.
“We don’t see ourselves losing two out of three at home.”
The Magic brushed off Williams’ boast.
“We just got to go out there and play,” Howard said. “We can’t worry about what other guys are saying.”
James didn’t flinch when told Williams had guaranteed the Cavaliers would advance.
“He should. There’s no other reason why we should be here,” he said.