How Seriously Should we Take Orlando?

Up until this point, I have refused to answer the above question with anything along the lines of "very". It's THE year for LeBron, right? And knowing that, I have simply refused to acknowledge the idea that any team in the East could pose any sort of threat to the Cavs.

But that might have to change. As Andrew Abides has pointed out, the Hawks are the worst. I know. But they are still a group of breathing men, and the Magic have been making it appear otherwise during this series. And it's hard to listen to Stan Van Gundy or Vince Carter talk about the selflessness of this team without believing that could legitimately give them an edge. I don't give a fuck how much we hear about how badly the rest of the Cleveland team wants to get LeBron his ring. I call bullshit. Yes, they all want to win a title. I want to win a title. You want to win a title, too. But wanting to win a title for an individual--whether it is yourself or someone else--is different from wanting to win a title with the specific group of people with whom you have been placed.

This Magic team seems to be comprised out of players who all genuinely like each other. And, I should mention, it seems to be comprised out of players who have been assembled with the idea of a well-functioning team, not a "supporting cast". I think this is important. They want to win because they would like to share a moment of congratulatory joy with each other, right? They're having fun.

Can you say the Cavs all like each other? Do they like anything? Okay, Z likes adopting kids and Shaq likes yoga, but come on. I don't see any affection. I don't see any fun. I see fear about the future that would come after losing to Orlando, a fear that as of today, I'm not sure can be avoided.