Random Thoughts from the Weekend

1. The Cavs had a nice, solid first win of the playoffs and, while there weren't a whole lot of highs that game, there weren't many lows either.

2. I had TNT on for the entire game and John Thompson got really annoying. Maybe it's because he lives in the DC area and actually does a sports talk show there. He might be a bit biased.

3. After the game I turned to FSN Ohio and saw that they had a 3 man booth of death. McLeod, Williams and Carr? My dear lord.

4. This is a lose-lose. The D-Team of TNT or the Cerberus of Cleveland announcing? Shoot me.

5. I like this line from Terry Pluto:

Even when he's at his best, Hughes plays on the edge of chaos. He forces some shots, makes a few bad passes and appears out of control. Often, one of the best ways to judge Hughes is by the box score and what others say. In this game, he had 27 points, shot 9-of-17 from the field, was perfect on eight free throws and nabbed seven rebounds.

6. Worst part of the win? No crazy Tom Knott column (I'm waiting for it. Man I hate that guy).

7. Nothing happened in this game that made me regret my 'Cavs in 6' prediction. The intensity just isn't there right now.

8. I'd have liked to see Gibson get some more PT, especially during a game (and series for that matter) that isn't in doubt. The Cavs need 3pt shooters; Donyell Marshall and 28 minutes of Pavlovic ain't gonna cut it.

9. We don't need 40 plus minutes of Larry Hughes. I'm not sure the rims can take it.

10. Caron Butler looks to be out for the entire series (good news for the Cavaliers. I was dreading a game 3 emergence).

10. Nene? WTF? The Nuggets look real good.

11. Baron Davis = Ridonkulous

12. I strangely echo these comments (and I've hated the Bulls for as long as I know):

My instincts are anti-Chicago, but the contrast between the loathesomeness of Pat Riley's Home for Aging Veterans and the vivacity of Chicago's squad of non-stars has brought me around. The decision not to include Luol Deng in a deal for Pau Gasol is looking perfectly reasonable to me. The rest of the Eastern Conference had better just hope nothing crazy happens in the draft lottery.

13. The Heat bug the hell out of me. The team taking the season off, Walker's shimmy, Zo's ridiculous celebration of every play and the whole ref factor (sometimes Shaq can do whatever he wants, sometimes he can't. Sometimes Wade gets touched and he's at the line, sometimes not. When it's reffed one way the Heat bitch, when it's reffed the other way, everyone else does. It's annoying).

14. These match-ups are great. Pistons-Magic is good, Bulls-Heat is great, Nuggets-Spurs and Mavs-Warriors just got real interesting, Rockets-Jazz is great for the basketball junkie and Suns-Lakers is great too. The only real stinker is the Cavs-Wizards....

15. Todd McShay has a new mock draft and he has the Browns taking Brady Quinn. Dammit.

16. He has this to say during the Lions pick: All bets are off if Oakland takes Johnson. Detroit could find a trading partner in Cleveland, but it wouldn't get much in return for moving down one spot (possibly the Browns' third and fourth-round picks).

17. I know it's just the 3rd and 4th round picks, but I still don't like. The Browns don't have the type of team that allows them to be giving away picks, they just don't.

18. This would be pretty awesome if it happened, but I'm wishing...

19. Vinny has a mock draft up and I just want to point out how easy it is to rationalize not picking offensive linemen. There's always going to be someone who falls that you can't believe is still there for the taking. All I know is, the Browns need to come out of the first day with at least one offensive lineman and I'd prefer it to be from the first or second round.

20. Speaking of the NFL Draft, if you want to me go insane and break stuff after the Browns make Brady Quinn the face of their franchise, come to Panini's on draft Saturday, sponsored by Swerbs Blurbs. Plus, if you want to watch the Cavs blow game 3 Washington, I'll be there for that as well...

21. Ouch, Peter King:

In many cities, the draft is bigger than the Super Bowl. Think about it: What engenders more hype, say, in Cleveland: a game your team's rarely in, or the prospect of taking a matinee-idol Notre Dame quarterback tutored by the same guy who made Tom Brady ... Tom Brady? Well, duhhhh.

22. Speaking of Swerbs... what the hell is he doing here?

23. As for not speaking of Swerbs, the Plain Dealer has an article about Cleveland sports sites and message boards (Real Cavs Fans gets a mention) and The Cleveland Fan is suspiciously absent. I can't imagine why they wouldn't care for it.

24. They also have a link for Don't Draft Brady Quinn. Keep up the good fight boys!

25. Dave Chappelle broke the record for longest stand-up routine, going over 6 hours. The previous record holder was Dane Cook at almost 4 hours... 4 hours of Dane Cook? No thanks.

26. More comedy: What if the Beatles were Irish:



27. Even more comedy: The Landlord:



28. Season Two of the Venture Bros. came out on DVD last week. Buy/rent/steal this DVD. The show is awesome. Here's an interview with its creator.

29. Heroes returns tonight. I'm too excited for this.

30. The new Arctic Monkeys album comes out tomorrow and so far, I like what I hear:

Brianstorm