7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7

Breathe, Breathe...

My God... I am still trying to process game 6.

Like, part of me is really pissed that they had a chance and they blew it. How many offensive rebounds that last mintue? 3? 4? 313? Damn.

I will say this, even though the Cavaliers lost, I'm pretty sure that was one of the best games I've ever seen. Wow. What a series.

And yes, part of me is mad that they had their best shot and blew it yesterday, but part of me is just kinda glad that this is a series. I wasn't really expecting 7 games out of this, especially not after that first game.

Also, this loss was not on par with any of the 'big' Cleveland losses of the past. This was a back and forth game all night and it's not like the Cavs actually blew the game. They didn't choke. Sure they made mistakes (they should've rebounded the ball at the end, Z sat too much in the second half, Varejao got some dumb fouls (he shoud've gotten those rebounds at the end), the Cavs should've called a timeout and LeBron should've shot the 3 himself) but none of these come close to Mesa throwing only fastballs or Byner fumbling; it is a tough loss but not a loss that deserves a name.

But I find it hard to really fault them for these mistakes. I've said it before, the Cavs are playing with house money. This is all gravy, the goals for this year were to make the playoffs and win a series. Mission accomplished.

What I am trying to say is this: don't get too bummed out about this loss. This has been a really fun ride so far, and contrary to what all the experts will say, this is not over. We've seen the Cavs win a big game in Detroit already, who says they can't do it again. Remember, the Cavs have the best player in this series. All the pressure is going to be on Detroit tomorrow; they'll be at home trying to avoid one of the worst upsets in NBA history. Flip Saunders will be coaching for his reputation. The Cavs should be playing loose and fun; they have nothing to lose. No one expected them to be in this situation, no one expects them to win in this situation.

Finally, I will say this: Last night, well, the whole series really, I've felt like I've been watching history. I think last night is one of those "Classic NBA Playoff Games," that was one for the ages. I mean, wow. This whole series has everything you want. If you can't watch these NBA playoffs (3 2nd round game 7s!!!) then the NBA just isn't for you, go watch NASCAR.

We are watching a superstar mature before our eyes. He's Cleveland's own, he very well could be better than Jordan. I mean, at 21, he leads this team to the brink of the Eastern Conference Finals, against the number 1 seed, in his VERY FIRST PLAYOFFS. This is awesome. Soak it up Cleveland.

I cannot wait until Sunday....

I agree

The Pistons are not the Spurs.

Game 5 and 6 Thoughts

It's been almost 2 days since the Cavs played the Pistons in game 5, and I still don't really believe it happened.

This isn't supposed to happen, this is not the script LeBron was supposed to be following. Michael Jordan lost his first 3 playoff series, LeBron won his first. Jordan had to struggle vs the Pistons before he took off, but LeBron may have a chance at one of the greatest upsets in NBA history.

This flies in the face of all I know about Cleveland sports. My sports teams lose and lose hard. When my teams lose, the losses get names. Red Right 88, The Drive, The Shot, The Shot II, The Fumble, The Mesa (okay, I made that one up). My teams lose in extra innings of game 7 in the World Series. My sports franchises trade guys because they have drug problems, even though they don't have drug problems (and yes I'm still bitter about the Harper-Ferry trade, even though I was 6 at the time).

Cleveland is the city who loses its NFL franchise, even though Browns preseason games get better local TV ratings than Indians playoff games. The Browns had the number 1 overall pick 2 years in a row (followed by number 3 the following year) and they get no Pro-Bowls out of eitehr of them. The NFL refs change the rules for a game while the Browns play (the bottle throw game, everyone mentions how dumb Cleveland fans are, and I agree, retarded, but the refs did review a play after another play was run... um... thats not allowed).

Indians mid season pick ups break their arms while warming up (John Smiley). Our players get assualted by their wives (Chuck Finely, William Greene) or arrested for gun charges while going to the party of Steeler player (Gerrard Warren).

When the Cavs won their last game of the regular season of the 02-03 season, I knew that they blew their chance for LeBron (they tied with the Nuggets for a whopping 17 wins; I saw one of them in person, vs Golden State, so ya, I'm a true fan).

Part of me feels like I've seen this before, just last year with the Indians. Young team, full of stars (no big James like star, but a multitude of young all-star talent) makes a run that no one thought they should make. They were playing their best baseball late in the year, and they were challenging the White Sox for the division AND the Yankees and Red Sox for the Wild Card. This wasn't supposed to happen, not this soon. I got my hopes up ("if they can get into the postseason, they're the hottest team in baseball... they could do it!") as did the rest of Cleveland. Well, the Indians choked. Sure it was still a good year, better than anyone could imagine, but they choked at the end. They made the run when no one expected them to, and when the pressure was on, they folded. Ah, Cleveland.

So the Cavs win game 4 and head to Detroit for game 5. No one in the world gives them a chance versus Detroit, in Detroit (especially because the Pistons are so mad and focused). I just hoped they would play close and not get blown out, so they'd still have confidence for game 6.

Then the unthinkable happened: they won. What the fuck? Howwhywhat?! I was speachless. My God they did it. They weren't supposed to have the balls to go into Detroit and take game 5. LeBron didn't even go off for 40+. If they lose the series to Detroit, it will feel a lot like the Indians last year. Sure they were better than anyone expected and it was a great season by all accounts... buuuuuut they had a shot and they blew it.

Here's some Random Thoughts on Game 5 (and 6):

Told Ya. Z needed to play well for the Cavs to have a chance in this series. Sure he stunk up the place the first two games, but he played decent in games 3 and 4 (shot a high percentage and got a few blocks). As Michael Reghi would say, Z gave the Cavs a man-sized performance in game 5. Z set the tone early with his 4 first quarter blocks. He also scored on some nifty post moves, which gave the Pistons just one more option to think about. Sure he fouled out, but he had 14 points, 10 rebounds and 6 blocks. I'll take that.

I like the aggressiveness a lot, but contain it. The Cavs out hustled the Pistons in games 3-5, but in game 5 they almosted hustled themselves out of the game. Anderson and Z picked up some really dumb reach fouls throughout the game. Z went over the back of Rip Hamilton and Andy had some dumb reaching/over the back fouls during some post entry passes. I love the energy and effort that the Cavs are bringing, I just hope they use it more intelligently, if game 5 went into over time, the Cavs could've been really hurt by the fouling out.

LeBron still hasn't been ridonkulous. Well, he has, but not the scoring LeBron. James hasn't gone off for a 40 plus game this series. I know the Pistons are the best defensive team in the league and all, but LeBron hasn't gotten off yet, and it's surprising. His jumpshot wasn't really on in game 5, he airball'd more than one jumper, and had some ugly misses. LeBron kept driving the rim and drawing fouls, so it wasn't like he was out of it offensively. But there has been times this year where he'll get 10 points in a span of 3 minutes or get 25 in a quarter. This hasn't really happened in this series yet, I'd like to think that he's due.

Role players have stepped up. Big time. Eric Snow, Donyell Marshall, Anderson Varejao and Damon Jones are a HUGE reason why the Cavs are up 3-2 right now. Snow has come through in the postseason, sure he'll miss a few jumpers still, but he seems to realize that he can get to the rim when the Pistons forget about him. Varejao has been a life saver in this series. He seemed to be the only guy who wasn't afraid or intimidated by the Pistons. He's gotten shoved around a few times, and I'm kinda suprised there hasn't been more fights between him and the Wallaces.

Pistons seem shellshocked. It seemed like the Pistons thought they were destined to go to the finals and the first two rounds of the playoffs were just a formality. It also seemed like a lot of NBA experts thought the same thing. Detroit seems totally unprepared to be in a series right now. Everyone likes to point out that Detroit has been down 3-2 before (I think something like 3 times in the last 2 years or so). But lets remember, the time they were down 3-2 vs the Nets, they were the underdogs. And even being down 3-2 vs the Heat, game 6 was in Detroit (game 6 was in NJ during that series). Now the Pistons are down 3-2, going to Cleveland while being the overwhelming favorites to win the series. That is a bit different scenario. Oh yea, neither New Jersey or Miami had A) the intensity that of Gund Arena will have tonight (New Jesery is nortorious for having lame fans and Miami actually puts t-shirts on seats to hide the fact that no one showed up-IN THE PLAYOFFS!) and B) LeBron James.

I love the NBA playoffs. Every year around March we always here this shit about how the NCAA tournament is sooooo much better than the NBA playoffs. Now, don't get me wrong, I love the Tourney, but it doesn't compare to a tough 7 game slugfest. For a basketball junkie like myself, the NBA playoffs are where its at. Plays that worked so well in game 1 now get stopped cold in game 3. Players can go from goat to hero in a manner of seconds. After 3-4 games, the teams actually hate each other. You think Rasheed Wallace wouldn't like to go off on Varejao?

It's only the second round! My god what the hell is going on. The Cavs are a game away from one of the greatest upsets in NBA history. The Suns are going to have to play back to back 7 game series vs a team from Los Angeles. Oh yea, the Suns came back from 3-1. The easiest second round series was Heat-Nets and everyone and their mother had the Nets upsetting Miami before the playoffs started. The Western Conference Finals is in round 2. Are you seeing this San Antonio - Dallas series? After the Cavs game tonight, watch game 6 from Dallas, that is a hard fought series by two evenly matched teams. Just wow.

I love TNT. I've said it before and I'll say it again, TNT has the best halftime/postgame show on television. There isn't really a TNT announcer combo I don't like (I cannot say the same for ESPN, ABC, FOX or CBS). Jalen Rose as a sideline reporter? Steve Kerr, my all-time favorite player growing up, working with Marv Albert. Bringing in Mike Fratello, Doc Rivers and Jeff Van Gundy for comentary? YES! (Okay, Rivers sucked, but having Van Gundy call the Cavs-Wizards series and taking thinly veiled shots at Tracy McGrady was awesome "when your superstar works this hard, it makes it easier to coach"). And don't even get me started on Ernie, Kenny and Charles. I could listen to those 3 talk basketball for hours.

Game 6. I'm not going to predict the score or the outcome (though I will say this, I told my friend Justin that the Cavs would either win in six or lose in 7, saying that I don't think the Cavs have the intestinal fortitude to win a game 7 in Detroit- not sure if I believe that now).

I think the game will be close and one of two outcomes will occur: Cavs win and Gund Arena explodes or Cavs lose a heartbreaker, and we all commit mass suicide.

I think Drew Gooden will have a big first quarter, as he'll feed off the crowd's energy.

I think Z will continue is strong play for 4 straight games.

I think I love you, but what I am so afraid of.

I think if Damon Jones and Donyell Marshall hit 3s, Gund Arena will explode.

I think James is due for a monster game.

I think Tayshawn Prince will score some killer buckets.

I think Ben Wallace will miss free throws (I know... going out on a limb).

I think we'll get at least one tech out of Rasheed Wallace (and I wouldn't bet against 2).

I think the Pistons whine about fouls more than any 'great' team in memory (this goes back to last year).

I think everytime they show Larry Hughes on the bench the crowd will go nuts.

I think I hate Ronnie Duncan.

I think I'm scared of getting my hopes up. My Columbus friends are all pumped and excited (if you live/hang out with Sepe, Maiberger and myself, you will begin to like Cleveland sports) and I'm apprehensive. I don't want to get too excited about the possibilites here. I mean, if they can beat Detroit, couldn't they beat Miami? We all know that the Heat can't guard small forwards... See, I can't think about this! No dreaming.

I think the Pistons flop like motherfuckers. Rip Hamilton literally took a dive last game. He actually jumped forward and onto the ground. Lindsey Hunter comes in the game and within 5 minutes he's on the ground at least 130 times. Sure, Z and Andy flop every now and then. But this is getting out of hand.

I think as much as David Stern wants a LeBron-Detroit game 7, he wants a LeBron-Wade-Shaq 7 game series.

I think the Mavs close it out tonight.

I think I think that I think the Cavs win tonight.

WTF?

WTF?

In other Pistons-Cavs skirmish news, Antonio McDyess said Anderson Varejao bit him while going for a rebound in Game 3. He showed the teeth marks on his arm to Detroit reporters before Game 4. Varejao, who fell to the court and held his mouth following the play in question, said he didn't bite him.

I know they aren't supposed to... but

whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin? whatiftheywin?

I think we can all agree

that if there is ever a movie about Pat Riley, Al Pacino gets the role.

Also, Kevin Spacey will have to play Mike Dunleavy (with Ron Jeremy as Stan Van Gundy and Stanley Tucci as his brother Jeff).

Random Thoughts

The last West Wing was tonight. It was good, if uneventful. It just kind of went about their last day in office. Nothing really happened, no Toby, no Vinick (well, very very very very brief). Was it a nice finale? Ya, not a Six Feet Under, but not a Seinfeld either.

Al Gore had a sweet appearence on SNL last night. Just amazing.



Bush wants to militarize the American-Mexican border. Growing up in Hudson, with Roseann Canfora as my teacher for 3 years, and with my sister attending Kent State, I've heard a bit about the National Guard/May 4th stuff. I'm sure sending the National Guard to the border will really calm things down.

The Indians suck. First the Royals... now the Tigers. Come on fellas.

Cavs Stuff

Some random thoughts on last nights game and Roger Brown:

LeBron is good. That is all.

The Cavs got some breaks. It isn't like they got 'the calls' or anything, but the ball did bounce their way tonight. Usually I would point out an example of this, but the game isn't fresh enough in my mind.

Nothing has happened yet. Yea, it's nice for the Cavs to win a game, but if they lose tomorrow it might as well be over. Going back to Detroit down 3-1? Yikes.

Anderson Varejao hustles a bit. I loved how he kept setting picks. Anderson would try and set a pick for LeBron, but it wouldn't work. So he'd go run around, then come back and set a pick for LeBron. LeBron wouldn't take it, so he'd run around some. Finally, he tries a 3rd pick, LeBron takes it, Varejao rolls and LeBron gets him a dunk. Not only was this comical to watch. this floppy haired guy running around setting picks mindlessly, it actually worked. I've said this before and I'll say it again, if Drew Gooden gave Varejao's effort, he'd be an all-star.

Roger Brown: He hates Z, he wants to trade Marshall and Jones and re-sign Flip Murray. I hate Roger Brown (to be fair, he wants to get rid of Gooden; I'm down with that).

Lets take a lookat his ideas: Again, lay off Z, he had a decent game 3 (some easy dunks and he did alright in the 3rd, a nice little turn around) but he still needs to do more. If the Cavs didn't sign Z, the only scoring option would be... LeBron. All season long. Plus no center. Or a shitty one like Jerome James. That'd be sweet.

Marshall. He hustles, which can't be said for everyone on this team. Does he fall in love with the corner 3? Yea. But he's been getting big offensive rebounds all postseason. When he plays his entire game he is really effective.

Jones. I'm kinda torn on Jones. I like him, he spreads the floor for James and Z, plus he adds some swagger to the team. Also, if the Cavs get rid of Marshall and Jones, who shoots the 3? What stops teams just jamming the lane for LeBron and daring his teammates to shoot? Snow and Hughes? I'm not comforatble with that. Ira Newble? Please God no... what about... At the same time, he was really annoying when he was showboating while not making 3s or playing defense earlier in the season, that had to end.

Flippy Murray. I like Murray a lot, he's played really for the Cavs, but I am scared off by him. He's in a contract push right now, so who knows how he'll react once he gets paid. And how much can the Cavs afford to pay him? They just gave Larry Hughes a huge deal, Damon Jones got a nice chunk, Eric Snow is overpaid, for some reason they still employ Ira Newble and, oh yea, that James guy is gonna get a new contract sooner or later. Flip Murray could command a pretty big contact this offseason, the last thing the Cavs can afford right now to throw big bucks at a player who is neither A) a legitmate pass first/defending/3 shooting point guard or B) a brusing rebounding power forward.

Tomorrow night is gonna be tough. I could either watch Cavs vs Pistons game 4 OR President Bush. Hmm....

Is Roger Brown Making Things Up?

Or am I just out of the loop?

Brown has a column today, advising LeBron James not to reject the Cavs contract offer this summer (only the Cavs can offer an extension this summer, James would be a restricted free agent the summer after, meaning the Cavs could and would match any offer from another team, finally it won't be til the next summer til he'd be an unrestricted free agent).

I wasn't aware James was considering rejecting the Cavaliers up coming max offer. Did I miss something? I'd figure if James was thinking about rejecting the deal, ESPN would be running "James to the Knicks" stories 24-7.

Or is Brown just trying to stir up some shit?

I hate Roger Brown, his columns either A) rip on Cleveland players (Z most notably) and B) tell the readers other people's opinions on Cleveland teams aka "the Sporting News gave the Browns draft a B+" which is great Roger, that's why I read the Sporting News. What are you opinions on the draft, besides every Browns player sucking ass or being overrated.

Apple vs Apple

Holy Shit

Larry Hughes' brother passed away, he was 20.

At this point no one knows if he's gonna play in game 3 on Saturday, but who could really blame him if he didn't.

TV Shows

I've said it before and I'll say it again, the last 15 minutes of the series finale for Six Feet Under is the best 15 mintues of televisions I've ever seen in my life and the last 5 are amazing (the montage, with their deaths the Sia's 'Breath Me' playing. Loves it).

Speaking of sweet TV show music, Rescue Me has a soundtrack coming out on May 30th, which happens to be the same day that season 3 starts. Cannot wait.

Sam Cassell

If the Cavs don't offer this guy a two year deal in the offseason I'm gonna freak.

Hey, a point guard who's won championships, passes firsts, can control a game, can shoot threes, hits big shots and can post up. Yes please.

West Wing

The series finale is next Sunday and it was supposed to be accompianied by a 1 hour retrospective. But NBC, for whatever reason, nixed that deal and we get to see the pilot instead.

West Wing has been one of the best shows on TV for some time now. Even a 'bad' West Wing episode is still better than most other TV shows out there.

I've enjoyed the show for a long time, and while this season is a bit different (most character stuff, less policy wonk stuff) it is still a good hour of TV.

Would I have liked to see Alan Alda as president? Yes. Seen more of Jimmy Smits as president? Yes. But this does seem like a fitting way for the show to end its run.

On the flip side, Aaron Sorkin (the creator of West Wing) has a new show (Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip) coming out which may be taking E.R.'s Thursday slot.

Cavs lose

It wasn't a great game, but the Cavs held tough tonight.

Sure they were down early and LeBron didn't really do much in the first half, but I think the Cavs got some confidence going home for Saturdays (god damn it NBA... 3 days!?) game.

Some random thoughts for the game:

LeBron should be aggressive all game, not just the second half. LeBron got to the rim a lot after halftime. Was it because the Pistons became lax? I dunno. But he found his rhythm in the second half of the game and the Cavs made a run.

The Pistons are good. La di da.

Hey, Ben Wallace can't shoot. The Cavs are starting to apply the 'Eric Snow defense' to Ben Wallace (good call by my bro). They're doubling with Wallace's man and making the Pistons work harder for shots. The Pistons are one of the best offensive teams in the league, but having the shot clock on the mind doesn't hurt. The problem was, the Cavs left Wallace open for dunks. Not just open, wide-the-fuck open.

Why not leave Varejao and Marshall in? In the fourth quarter the Cavaliers made a run to get the lead down to 10 and 8 points, and they made most of this run with Anderson Varejao and Donyell Marshall in the game. After they got the lead close, Mike Brown subbed in Drew Gooden and Larry Hughes. Brown isn't the only coach who does this, but I'll never understand it. The starters are in and the team gets down big. Then the bench guys come in, play great D and make a run. So once the game is close again, in come the starters. I don't understand. We seem to have Varejao and Marshall on the floor a lot during the end of games. Why Drew Gooden and Larry Hughes came back in I have no idea. Gooden does look good in spots, but how many times does he finish games? The guys over at Mistake by the Lake are big Gooden guys, but I've watched a lot of Cavs games and I am not pleased.

The Closer. You're ideas intrigue me, I wish to subscribe to your new letter. Or see more ads. Either or.

Learning Experience. Blah blah blah. King James will get his first taste of failure. Blah blah. He's soooo like Jordan.... blah. Team game vs Superstar... I'm gonna puke.

fyi

for those of you looking for 'the posts' (and there were 2 maybe 3) don't bother. they are no longer posted

Ha

ColDayMan: btw, my site sends about 20ish visitors a month to your blog

Hi, everybody! *waves*

so apparently, this blog has a little bit of a larger readership than I thought...

[update] i'm an idiot

Game 1 summed up

I think this about sums it up better than I ever could, from YAY! Sports:

What about this, though? If you'd heard the Cavaliers had shot 50% from the floor, outrebounded the Pistons, and only had six turnovers in the first half, would you ever guess they would've been down by 22?

Futurama returning?

Looks like Fox may put it on Sunday nights. Hypno-toads for everyone!

Cavs-Pistons

I'm not really surprised by the Pistons win today. Nor am I surprised by the amount that they won by.

The Cavs had just finished up an emotional series with the Wizards, where they won 3 games by 1 point and the last two in overtime. They were coming to Detroit, where the Pistons had been waiting after kicking the crap out of the Bucks.


The Cavs started off nice, even had an early lead. But Detroit got hot and I start flippin channels (hey, Law and Order was on). I'm not overly worried about this series for one reason: No one (including me) excpects the Cavs to beat Detroit.

I've gone as far as saying that Cavs could get the series to 7 games if they play perfect (like the Lakers did in their wins vs Phoenix- execute perfectly), but I see no way they could win game 7 in Detroit.

Despite the terrible loss today, there was signs of hope. The Cavs got to the hoop early and got some decent shots off. They were feeding Z, who had some nice shots and some not as nice. The Cavs got a decent amount of offensive rebounds, however, they gave up their fair share as well.

The Pistons biggest advantage in my opinion is their bench. Their bench is full of veterns (playoff and otherwise), while the Cavs have some guys without a lot of meaningful experience anywhere.

Also, I doubt the Pistons will start off 11-12 (it may have gotten higher, but again, I tuned out) from three point range. That alone killed the Cavs. I mean, Lindsey Hunter was shooting 30 foot bombs in the second quarter. While impressive, improbable to happen again.

Finally, my biggest peeve is the scheduling of this series. The Cavs last played Friday night and now they are turning around and playing on Sunday? That sucks. The NBA couldn't have waited til Monday? Game 2 is Tuesday, so every other day... but game three isn't Thursday or Friday (throw a day in for travel)... its Saturday. God damn it! The Cavs could've gotten a day off today, played Monday and Wednesday and still played Saturday. But hey, I'm glad we all got to see a tired Cavaliers team on Sunday afternoon. NBA its faaaaaaaantastic.

More Wizards Whining

This was written before the series ended, so it's not like this is post-series bullshit (there may be some of that out there, but I haven't looked). Plus, I just found it today, so there.

This is Tom Knott's pre-game six article for the Washington Times. Notice the constant name calling (what bugs the shit out of me is that THEIR OWN COACH may have changed the refs more than anyone else, and led to the whole Wizards team whining in game 4. At least mention this you big bitch). This isn't some Wizards blogger, this is a columnist in a major newspaper.

Now here is his article following game six. No name calling here.

I'm not gonna lie, reading that first column after seeing game six feels really good.

Awesome

Tom Knott is a Bigger Bitch than I Thought

he takes cheap shots at James and Z after game one.

He rips James after game two.

He takes another cheap on at James after game three.

Finally, after game four, a great Wizards win, he still feels the need to bring James down a peg.

Now, I know the Washington Times isn't exactly the best newspaper out there. But come on, this sounds like a pissed off 12 year old. Ugly faces? Blaming the refs. LeBrons inner whimp? God damn, Tom Knott is a bitch.

The Wizards and Cavs Defense

Apparently, not that good.

All the talk is going to be how James drove to the hole on his last shot, and how the Wizards let him.

But to me, the bigger story is how other Cavs players got to the rim. Flip Murray scored a lot when James went out in the 3rd quarter due to fouls (10 points). Larry Hughes got to the rim a lot (and hit closer jumpers) all night long. And during the overtime, Eric Snow practically took over the game, he got to the rim 3 straight times to start off the OT.

This is what I've been saying the entire time. Be agressive. There is no reason why the Cavs should be forced to take jumpshots vs this team. Sure James has gotten a lot of charges called, but last night proved that other, slower, players can get to the hole too.

The Wizards defense sucks ass.

Not that the Cavs are way up there. I've never seen more dumb fouls committed by a playoff team in my life. Arenas drive the lane and one Drew Gooden will rotate over and foul. And not a hard foul that stops the 3 point play. No, why do that. But a cheap ass "going for the block but I'm out of position" foul. I've played enough organized basketball to know when I'm going to foul. As in a guy gets to the lane and I go to challenge the shot, I know if I have a chance to block the shot or if I'm going to contest and foul. And if I foul, that balls isn't going anywhere near that rim. The Cavs haven't really gotten this through their heads.

The Cavs have a lot of these dumb fouls. A lot of time they rotate late and their out of position but they still try to take the charge. They get (rightfully) charged with the block and since their trying for a foul and not for defense, the Wizards player can just lay the ball up for a 3 point play.

Also, I'm still waiting for someone to smack Arenas like Haywood smacked James. Anyone?