40 was the new 20 in the major leagues today as a record 7 pitchers in their 40's were listed as starters. I thought this was kinda cool. I like Maddux, and he won. I hate Clemens, and he lost. Here's how all the oldies did today (6/27/2007).
The New York Yankees' Roger Clemens (44) - Lost 0-4 to Baltimore.
Philadelphia's Jamie Moyer (44) - No decision as Phily lost 6-9 to Cincinnati.
Detroit's Kenny Rogers (42) - Game postponed.
San Diego's Greg Maddux (41) - Won 4-2 against San Francisco.
New York Mets' Tom Glavine (41) - Won 2-0 against St. Louis.
Houston's Woody Williams (40) - No decision as Houston lost 3-6 to Milwaukee.
Atlanta's John Smoltz (40) - Won 13-0 against Washington.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
STAT to ATL - WHAT??
KG is still in Minnesota but it feels like he has already been traded to the Celtics, Suns, Lakers and now back to the Suns. The KG rumors came around full circle today as the Suns are now back in it. But apparently it's a three way and it involves the Atlanta Hawks. And now they say the Suns are going to send Amare to the ATL! Thats a shocker. Why Amare and more importantly why Atlanta? Suns were saying they'll trade Marion and never STAT. I guess this trade helps the Suns in that Amare goes off to the East, but apparently the T-Wolves don't want STAT either. Really surprising because Amare is the closest to 100 cents they are going to get for the dollar bill called KG. Of course Suns fans will argue STAT is 110 cents for the dollar. As far as I can tell, more Suns fans hate losing STAT for KG and only a few like the trade. May be Minnesota is thinking his knee is still somewhat shaky or may be they are just trying to go for a clean slate and start a complete rebuild. Not a bad idea sometimes. Thats exactly what Denver did before they drafted Melo. They were bad for a while and they tried different things, but finally they blew the whole thing up, took a step or 2 back and rebuilt from scratch. May be thats what the T-Wolves plan to do. Whatever it is, apparently the trade will send both the 3-Rd and 11-Th pick from ATL to Minnesota and ATL gets STAT. That would be some team in Atlanta if that happens. Th Suns can kiss their (ATL's) pick next year good bye!
As for the Suns, I definitely think it makes them better for the next 2 years. I would do it just to give KG, Nash and Marion a shot at a championship the next 2 years. KG is better defensively and on the boards than STAT and will fit well with this offense and on this team. But 2 problems that make it a bad trade. STAT is essentially KG in a younger body. In fact, he will eventually be better than KG offensively, if not already. So the Suns are mortgaging their future for KG. Secondly, KG makes ridiculous money and with his and Marion's salary next year, they might have to gut the team again next year for money reasons. If the Suns were trying to cut payroll this year, how do they plan to pay these guys next year when all their salaries go up?
But it's definitely a tantalizing deal for the Suns and they can go for it all the next year or two.
As for the Suns, I definitely think it makes them better for the next 2 years. I would do it just to give KG, Nash and Marion a shot at a championship the next 2 years. KG is better defensively and on the boards than STAT and will fit well with this offense and on this team. But 2 problems that make it a bad trade. STAT is essentially KG in a younger body. In fact, he will eventually be better than KG offensively, if not already. So the Suns are mortgaging their future for KG. Secondly, KG makes ridiculous money and with his and Marion's salary next year, they might have to gut the team again next year for money reasons. If the Suns were trying to cut payroll this year, how do they plan to pay these guys next year when all their salaries go up?
But it's definitely a tantalizing deal for the Suns and they can go for it all the next year or two.
Draft time.
This should be one of the most interesting NBA draft season in years. It's almost single-handedly compensating for the horrible NBA finals. This draft is fun for 3 reasons. One, it features 2 franchise players right at the top in Greg Oden and Kevin Durant. Two, there are way too many super-stars who are in the trading block or who want out of their team. High draft picks are always rumored to be part of these high profile trades involving names like KG, Marion, Jermaine O'Neal, Kobe or even Paul Pierce. Thirdly, this is one of the most talented draft class in recent times because it's really 2 drafts rolled in to one. The Commish implemented the age rule last year. So a lot of high school stars like Oden and Durant who would have been drafted last year are now in this draft along with the guys who would have come out this year anyways. So the talent level is very high in this draft. There are those top 2 picks and after that, there are 8 guys who are all at similar talent levels and can all have tremendous impact on their teams. I can't wait for the draft and see who goes where.
As for the story-lines, the following items are very interesting.
1) As a Suns fan, I like the fact that they are trying to get into top 10. It's sad the ping pong balls conspired against them and they didn't get Atlanta's pick this year, but they still are hoping to get a top 10 pick for some package that might even involve Atlanta's pick next year. I like this move because next year's draft is going to be weak and Atlanta is scaring me a little bit. They have a whole lot of young talent and I wouldn't be surprised if they finally come through next season and end up with a worthless pick in the teens. Of course, the other teams know this too and will they take that pick away from the Suns?
2) Of course any KG rumor is big. It started with some Suns rumors, but now the focus seems to be on the Lakers. That should be a scary sight for the Suns to imagine Kobe with KG in LA. That doesn't guarantee anything, but the Lakers will be formidable with that combo to say the least. By the way, how did we go from Kobe moving out to KG moving in?
3) Who goes first, Oden or Durant? Very important question except that I have always been convinced about the answer. As great as Durant is, and he is awesome, Oden is number 1. I liked Durant so much that I picked Texas to go deep in the NCAA tournament just because of him, which ended up destroying my bracket. But still you win NBA championships with talented big men unless you have a player called Michael Jordan. So Portland can't pass up on Greg Oden. He is way too big, way too athletic and way too good defensively to pass up in favor of a wing, even if that wing player is a freakishly talented 6'9" Durant. The easiest job here belongs to the Seattle GM. He just has to pick whoever Portland doesn't.
4) I am fascinated by the talent Florida is pumping in to this draft. They have 3 guys in the projected top 10 with Al Horford, Corey Brewer and Joakim Noah. The Gators will probably have 2 other guys drafted in the second round, may be even 3 if Lee Humphrey gets drafted. Thats amazing. The guy who probably lost a lot of dough is Noah. He could have made a lot more if he declared last year when he was better and the draft was weaker. He would have been a top 5 if not top 3 last year. Now he is projected to go to Chicago at 9.
5) What does Boston do with the 5-Th pick? Looks like Danny Ainge is not really interested in keeping this pick. He is trying all kinds of trades to bring a talented veteran in and convince Paul Pierce that he and the guy coming in can win big. He can get a great talent in this draft at 5, but neither him, nor Pierce nor the fans seem to have any kind of patience for re-building. Also, nobody wants to go to Boston anymore as KG, Marion and J-O'Neal have all said "no" to Boston.
6) Atlanta has 2 picks - 3 and 11 and I am very curious to see what they do. There is a lot of vested interest here as the state of the Atlanta Hawks in 07/08 will have a direct bearing on the state of the Suns may be over the next decade or so. I am very interested in their 11-Th pick. Apparently they might get Luke Ridnour from Seattle for that pick. That could help the Hawks a lot because Luke is a decent point guard and he should help that young nucleus real well especially with Joe Johnson sharing the play making duties. In terms of immediate impact, that trade is bigger than them drafting Al Horford at 3, though Al will be a stud eventually.
7) Speaking of Atlanta, there's also a rumor that Nelly is dangling Monta Ellis and something else for Atlanta's 3-Rd pick so he can pick that Chinese guy Yi Jianlian. Typical Nelly! Trying to chase these "versatile" 7 footers who can shoot threes from the perimeter. He is willing to trade a conventional talent like Monta Ellis who was considered untouchable just a few months ago. This might actually explain why Nelly doesn't win championships! Of course, Atlanta would probably not even give up their 11-Th pick for Monta. Monta is an awesome talent, but not a great point.
As for the story-lines, the following items are very interesting.
1) As a Suns fan, I like the fact that they are trying to get into top 10. It's sad the ping pong balls conspired against them and they didn't get Atlanta's pick this year, but they still are hoping to get a top 10 pick for some package that might even involve Atlanta's pick next year. I like this move because next year's draft is going to be weak and Atlanta is scaring me a little bit. They have a whole lot of young talent and I wouldn't be surprised if they finally come through next season and end up with a worthless pick in the teens. Of course, the other teams know this too and will they take that pick away from the Suns?
2) Of course any KG rumor is big. It started with some Suns rumors, but now the focus seems to be on the Lakers. That should be a scary sight for the Suns to imagine Kobe with KG in LA. That doesn't guarantee anything, but the Lakers will be formidable with that combo to say the least. By the way, how did we go from Kobe moving out to KG moving in?
3) Who goes first, Oden or Durant? Very important question except that I have always been convinced about the answer. As great as Durant is, and he is awesome, Oden is number 1. I liked Durant so much that I picked Texas to go deep in the NCAA tournament just because of him, which ended up destroying my bracket. But still you win NBA championships with talented big men unless you have a player called Michael Jordan. So Portland can't pass up on Greg Oden. He is way too big, way too athletic and way too good defensively to pass up in favor of a wing, even if that wing player is a freakishly talented 6'9" Durant. The easiest job here belongs to the Seattle GM. He just has to pick whoever Portland doesn't.
4) I am fascinated by the talent Florida is pumping in to this draft. They have 3 guys in the projected top 10 with Al Horford, Corey Brewer and Joakim Noah. The Gators will probably have 2 other guys drafted in the second round, may be even 3 if Lee Humphrey gets drafted. Thats amazing. The guy who probably lost a lot of dough is Noah. He could have made a lot more if he declared last year when he was better and the draft was weaker. He would have been a top 5 if not top 3 last year. Now he is projected to go to Chicago at 9.
5) What does Boston do with the 5-Th pick? Looks like Danny Ainge is not really interested in keeping this pick. He is trying all kinds of trades to bring a talented veteran in and convince Paul Pierce that he and the guy coming in can win big. He can get a great talent in this draft at 5, but neither him, nor Pierce nor the fans seem to have any kind of patience for re-building. Also, nobody wants to go to Boston anymore as KG, Marion and J-O'Neal have all said "no" to Boston.
6) Atlanta has 2 picks - 3 and 11 and I am very curious to see what they do. There is a lot of vested interest here as the state of the Atlanta Hawks in 07/08 will have a direct bearing on the state of the Suns may be over the next decade or so. I am very interested in their 11-Th pick. Apparently they might get Luke Ridnour from Seattle for that pick. That could help the Hawks a lot because Luke is a decent point guard and he should help that young nucleus real well especially with Joe Johnson sharing the play making duties. In terms of immediate impact, that trade is bigger than them drafting Al Horford at 3, though Al will be a stud eventually.
7) Speaking of Atlanta, there's also a rumor that Nelly is dangling Monta Ellis and something else for Atlanta's 3-Rd pick so he can pick that Chinese guy Yi Jianlian. Typical Nelly! Trying to chase these "versatile" 7 footers who can shoot threes from the perimeter. He is willing to trade a conventional talent like Monta Ellis who was considered untouchable just a few months ago. This might actually explain why Nelly doesn't win championships! Of course, Atlanta would probably not even give up their 11-Th pick for Monta. Monta is an awesome talent, but not a great point.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Marion on the move - why?
For a team thats this close to a championship and not particularly that old, the Phoenix Suns are surprisingly at the corss-roads. It's mostly due to their intention to reduce payroll. They are staring at a significant luxury tax and trading Shawn Marion seems to be the solution as far as the payroll goes. The problem is, that sets them back big-time. I am not sure if the Suns and some of their fans realize it. Marion is a very versatile player who does a lot of things on both ends of the floor and is generally under-rated as a star. His biggest problem is that he can't create his own shot and hence is not a superstar, but he still does a tonne of crap for this team that goes unappreciated sometimes. He will be tough to lose for any team, but he is especially critical for this Suns team for two reasons. People understand how important Nash is to the fast-break offense, but Marion might be the second most important guy for the run and gun. Secondly, he compensates for a lot of their defensive deficiencies and the Suns sure have a lot of them!
I am not going to tell Robert Sarver how to spend his hundreds of millions and how to run his business. The Suns and Sarver are free to run their business any way they want and they can cut cost and even build for the future. But lets be sure about one thing. Lets not kid ourselves that any of these rumored Marion trades will make the Suns better next year. Excluding the trades involving hall-of-famers Garnett or Kobe, the other rumored Marion trades will all set the Suns back. You are not getting better with Theo Ratliff, Delonte West and the fifth pick. You are not getting better with Antawn Jamison. You lose Marion now, you drop behind the Spurs and the Mavs in the West. I read they are even considering a Diaw-Amare front-line. No offense to Diaw - I actually love him as much as the next guy, but he can't even carry Marion's jock in this offense or defense. So this is purely a business decision and let the front-office not kid itself and us the fans by trying to explain it any other way.
The exception of course is if you can get a Garnett or Kobe and you are giving up Marion. Then obviously you are upgrading and that'll work. What I am saying is, in this case, you can tell who's getting the better end of the trade just based on how the trade is called. If Marion is traded for Garnett, it'll be called the "Garnett trade" and not a Marion trade. The Suns get better with those trades, but the trades like the rumored one with the Celtics will be called a "Marion trade" and those will not work for the Suns in the short term. Thats the biggest problem for the Suns. They need to think short-term for 2 reasons. One, they are real real close to the Spurs. Secondly, Nash is 33 and cannot play at this break-neck speed for more than a year or 2, may be 3. So this salary issue is really coming up at the wrong time for the Suns. You could potentially end up with a better player than Marion with the Celtics 5-Th pick, but where will Nash be when that kid hits his peak potential?
GM Steve Kerr has to handle all this. And what complicates matters even more is stars like Kobe and Garnett are on the block and they both say they want to play for the Sun. Not surprising because the Suns are a true contender, they play a fun style and they have Steve Nash. I don't think the Lakers will trade Kobe in-conference and definitely not in-division to the Suns, but Garnett can still happen. Apparently the Suns want to trade Marion and some other pieces for him but the Wolves want Amare. I don't think they should trade Amare for KG. He is essentially the same player, but 7 years younger. But I would give it a close look though. KG is at his peak and pairing him with Nash and Marion will give the Suns a great shot the next 2 years. He is way better than Amare defensively and has no ego. He will fit perfectly in this team since he is athletic enough to play this style. Losing Amare will be bad for the future, but the question is, does this trade get you closer to a ring in 08 or 09? I am tempted to say "yes".
Of course pairing KG with Amare would just be beyond awesome. I still think the Suns can make it happen. May be make it takes a three-way with Boston and moving Marion there since the Wolves don't want him. But will Sarver be willing to spend more if we get KG (or Kobe) and get a real shot at a championship? I think he should because if you make it to the finals and win a championship, your revenue jumps up too. Also if you get a player like Kobe, you make a lot of merchandise money too with his jersey etc. So Sarver should totally roll the dice if they have a shot at KG or Kobe. Interesting times for Kerr. He needs to cut salary, lose Marion and get better all at the same time while a couple of hall-of-famers are saying they would like to play for the Suns. He needs to manage all of this very tactfully. Otherwise the Fans will rip him and Sarver to shreds in about 8 months time. This is a true trial by fire for the rookie GM.
I am not going to tell Robert Sarver how to spend his hundreds of millions and how to run his business. The Suns and Sarver are free to run their business any way they want and they can cut cost and even build for the future. But lets be sure about one thing. Lets not kid ourselves that any of these rumored Marion trades will make the Suns better next year. Excluding the trades involving hall-of-famers Garnett or Kobe, the other rumored Marion trades will all set the Suns back. You are not getting better with Theo Ratliff, Delonte West and the fifth pick. You are not getting better with Antawn Jamison. You lose Marion now, you drop behind the Spurs and the Mavs in the West. I read they are even considering a Diaw-Amare front-line. No offense to Diaw - I actually love him as much as the next guy, but he can't even carry Marion's jock in this offense or defense. So this is purely a business decision and let the front-office not kid itself and us the fans by trying to explain it any other way.
The exception of course is if you can get a Garnett or Kobe and you are giving up Marion. Then obviously you are upgrading and that'll work. What I am saying is, in this case, you can tell who's getting the better end of the trade just based on how the trade is called. If Marion is traded for Garnett, it'll be called the "Garnett trade" and not a Marion trade. The Suns get better with those trades, but the trades like the rumored one with the Celtics will be called a "Marion trade" and those will not work for the Suns in the short term. Thats the biggest problem for the Suns. They need to think short-term for 2 reasons. One, they are real real close to the Spurs. Secondly, Nash is 33 and cannot play at this break-neck speed for more than a year or 2, may be 3. So this salary issue is really coming up at the wrong time for the Suns. You could potentially end up with a better player than Marion with the Celtics 5-Th pick, but where will Nash be when that kid hits his peak potential?
GM Steve Kerr has to handle all this. And what complicates matters even more is stars like Kobe and Garnett are on the block and they both say they want to play for the Sun. Not surprising because the Suns are a true contender, they play a fun style and they have Steve Nash. I don't think the Lakers will trade Kobe in-conference and definitely not in-division to the Suns, but Garnett can still happen. Apparently the Suns want to trade Marion and some other pieces for him but the Wolves want Amare. I don't think they should trade Amare for KG. He is essentially the same player, but 7 years younger. But I would give it a close look though. KG is at his peak and pairing him with Nash and Marion will give the Suns a great shot the next 2 years. He is way better than Amare defensively and has no ego. He will fit perfectly in this team since he is athletic enough to play this style. Losing Amare will be bad for the future, but the question is, does this trade get you closer to a ring in 08 or 09? I am tempted to say "yes".
Of course pairing KG with Amare would just be beyond awesome. I still think the Suns can make it happen. May be make it takes a three-way with Boston and moving Marion there since the Wolves don't want him. But will Sarver be willing to spend more if we get KG (or Kobe) and get a real shot at a championship? I think he should because if you make it to the finals and win a championship, your revenue jumps up too. Also if you get a player like Kobe, you make a lot of merchandise money too with his jersey etc. So Sarver should totally roll the dice if they have a shot at KG or Kobe. Interesting times for Kerr. He needs to cut salary, lose Marion and get better all at the same time while a couple of hall-of-famers are saying they would like to play for the Suns. He needs to manage all of this very tactfully. Otherwise the Fans will rip him and Sarver to shreds in about 8 months time. This is a true trial by fire for the rookie GM.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Kobe, Sammy and Pacman
NBA is over, but the fun is just starting. Like Bill Simmons wrote on ESPN.com, this might be the only league where the off-season is lot more fun than the finals. This is especially true this off-season with all the Kobe talk. Looks like he took a week off to keep the finals in focus, and is now back on the horse. Apparently he met Dr.Buss in Spain and reiterated his demand to be traded. He is still maintaining that position on his website. Looks like the Lakers are still in a state of denial and they are saying they wont trade Kobe. But Kobe is walking around talking to random people outside malls and restaurants and blasting Mitch Kup-cake and teammates like Bynum. An amateur video is going to be available for 2 bucks on the internet with this rant. What's wrong with this kid? Kobe is just nuts and is quickly burning through all the goodwill he built over the last 2 years. It looks like when all is said and done, Chicago is going to luck out and end with number 24.
Now that the NBA playoffs are over, we can all turn our attention to baseball. If you are in to college baseball, the CWS is going on right now with a liberal dose of "PINGGGG" sounds from the aluminum bats. But I am all about the pro leagues. Sammy hit his 600-Th home run yesterday and it's amazing how insignificant this moment was. It was nowhere near the event Bonds 600-Th home run was a few years back. Thats how bad the league is affected by the whole steroid controversy. People always say baseball is not affected too much by the steroid controversy and they point to increasing revenues and attendance as proof of this, but moments like this look and feel totally different these days. 600 home runs used to mean a lot of publicity, jersey sales and huge fan interest. Not anymore and definitely not with a "tainted" dude like Sammy. Of course the big one is coming up with Bonds 756, and the apathy surrounding it is even worse. The commish doesn't even know if he should be part of that event. Thats how tainted these events have become these days. There has also been some talk about whether or not Sammy belongs in the Hall of Fame. I would say no with all the steroid and corks hanging over his head.
In the NFL, pacman jones is still the story of the off-season. This dude is still committed to "making it rain" across America as a few more of his strip club trips came to light. It's funny that this guy went to a club the day before he met the Commish. Sometimes you wonder what goes through the minds of these guys.
Now that the NBA playoffs are over, we can all turn our attention to baseball. If you are in to college baseball, the CWS is going on right now with a liberal dose of "PINGGGG" sounds from the aluminum bats. But I am all about the pro leagues. Sammy hit his 600-Th home run yesterday and it's amazing how insignificant this moment was. It was nowhere near the event Bonds 600-Th home run was a few years back. Thats how bad the league is affected by the whole steroid controversy. People always say baseball is not affected too much by the steroid controversy and they point to increasing revenues and attendance as proof of this, but moments like this look and feel totally different these days. 600 home runs used to mean a lot of publicity, jersey sales and huge fan interest. Not anymore and definitely not with a "tainted" dude like Sammy. Of course the big one is coming up with Bonds 756, and the apathy surrounding it is even worse. The commish doesn't even know if he should be part of that event. Thats how tainted these events have become these days. There has also been some talk about whether or not Sammy belongs in the Hall of Fame. I would say no with all the steroid and corks hanging over his head.
In the NFL, pacman jones is still the story of the off-season. This dude is still committed to "making it rain" across America as a few more of his strip club trips came to light. It's funny that this guy went to a club the day before he met the Commish. Sometimes you wonder what goes through the minds of these guys.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Brooms in da house! - NBA playoff notes - 06/14/2007
The Spurs thankfully put this dog to rest as they swept the Cavs and ended one of the most boring NBA finals ever that recorded some of the worst TV ratings. The Cavs seemed to fight and give it a good effort in game 4, but they are just not in the same class as the Spurs. No Timmy, no problem for the Spurs as the finals MVP Tony Parker led the charge again. He scored 24 on 10/14 shots and Ginobli had 27 on 8/19. Timmy had an off-night shooting just 4/15 for 12 points and 15 boards. Cavs were led by LeBron's 24, but he had a tough shooting night hitting just 10/30. Trial by fire for LeBron as he had to face a tough Spurs team in his first finals and just couldn't do much.
This defeat might be the best thing to happen for the King because all his limitations got exposed. He usually skates through the regular season with his raw athleticism, but when you get to this level, only the best of the best survive. Also the microscope is on you as everybody is watching. They are not going to just catch a glimpse or two of your dunks on Sportscenter and say you are the best. Experts like Bill Walton and Tim Legler pointed out how his game is still growing and pretty limited. He is not a great jump shooter, he doesn't really have a dependable mid-range shot and his post-up game is not yet there. All areas of improvement for him if he takes the criticisms positively. I think this will wake up the King and motivate him. He can't just blame his teammates for all this, his game has to improve too. But the Cavs better work on their team as well because the King needs some help. They can use a new coach too if you ask me, but it'll be hard to change Mike Brown after a finals trip.
As for the Spurs, they are now a dynasty having won 4 rings out of 9 years. These playoffs were great for them just looking at the development of Tony Parker. This guy took another step in his growth and is now becoming an unstoppable force. His jumper is becoming very reliable and is even starting to hit 3's. The league better watch out for this stud. With Ginobli and Duncan already at their peak and Tony joining them there, the Spurs should be good for another ring or 3. They'll try and win it back to back as thats one thing they have not done yet. That'll cement them as a dynasty and I am sure Pop has already started using that as the motivation for next season.
San Antonio @ Cleveland - 83-82
This defeat might be the best thing to happen for the King because all his limitations got exposed. He usually skates through the regular season with his raw athleticism, but when you get to this level, only the best of the best survive. Also the microscope is on you as everybody is watching. They are not going to just catch a glimpse or two of your dunks on Sportscenter and say you are the best. Experts like Bill Walton and Tim Legler pointed out how his game is still growing and pretty limited. He is not a great jump shooter, he doesn't really have a dependable mid-range shot and his post-up game is not yet there. All areas of improvement for him if he takes the criticisms positively. I think this will wake up the King and motivate him. He can't just blame his teammates for all this, his game has to improve too. But the Cavs better work on their team as well because the King needs some help. They can use a new coach too if you ask me, but it'll be hard to change Mike Brown after a finals trip.
As for the Spurs, they are now a dynasty having won 4 rings out of 9 years. These playoffs were great for them just looking at the development of Tony Parker. This guy took another step in his growth and is now becoming an unstoppable force. His jumper is becoming very reliable and is even starting to hit 3's. The league better watch out for this stud. With Ginobli and Duncan already at their peak and Tony joining them there, the Spurs should be good for another ring or 3. They'll try and win it back to back as thats one thing they have not done yet. That'll cement them as a dynasty and I am sure Pop has already started using that as the motivation for next season.
San Antonio @ Cleveland - 83-82
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Close, but still ugly - NBA playoff notes - 06/12/2007
There was a pivotal sequence towards the end of game 3 that was symptomatic of Cleveland's problems. The game was on the line, time was running out and the Cavs were down by 2 or 3. LeBron drove the lane, but Timmy closed it down. So LeBron had to dish it out to Varejao who was open since he was Timmy's guy. If you freeze that moment, you'll see the problem with the Cavs. What can Varejao do with the ball? Nothing really. He can give it back to LeBron and the King can start all over again. The point is, the other guys are worthless in this series. The Cavs got nothing, definitely not enough for the Spurs. I like Z and Snow and Gibson and even Varejao in their own ways, but this is not a finals cast by any stretch of the imagination. As if to prove the point, Varejao didn't kick the ball back to LeBron. Instead he put the ball on the floor, drove, spun and threw up a wild shot. Ball game over. Series and championship for the Spurs. Whenever Vaejao puts the ball on the floor, it's an adventure, but this one came at a horrible time for the Cavs.
This game was close, but was uglier than the first two since nobody could shoot the basketball. King himself had an OK game with 25-8-7. He cut his turnovers down from 6 to 5! They finally shut down Larry Hughes and started Daniel Gibson only to see him shoot 1/10. Pavlovic shot 5/15 and the Cavs just didn't get the job done. The Spurs were not as good as they were at home either. Timmy had just 13, Tony had 17 and both didn't shoot that well. Ginobli was totally off shooting 0/7 for 3 points. The Spurs were saved by their three point shooting as they shot 10/19 from 3 with Bowen and Barry shooting 4/5 and 3/4 respectively. The Spurs just can hurt you in so many ways and one thing or the other always works out for them plus their defense is always there to save their life.
So the ugly finals continue, but not for long I suppose. The Spurs should wrap it up in a game or 2. I don't think the Cavs or their fans are really upset by any of this. They are just happy to be there. They think they are way ahead of schedule and I agree. But here's the problem. If they don't make solid additions to this team, they can very easily lose in any round of the playoffs next year. Remember, they got the easier half of the bracket and the King just stepped up big time against the Pistons to get them here. Their path to the Eastern finals will look a lot different next year. You watch the Cavs ugly offense and you wonder how great a fit Mike Bibby would have been for this team. It would have been a genius move if only it had went down as planned. His shooting and ball handling would have just changed so many things for the King and this team. May be thats the kind of off-season move they make to keep this growth on track.
San Antonio @ Cleveland- 75-72
Finals schedule for 06/14/2007
San Antonio @ Cleveland - It's all academic now. Will the Cavs win one? Will King dominate at least one game?
This game was close, but was uglier than the first two since nobody could shoot the basketball. King himself had an OK game with 25-8-7. He cut his turnovers down from 6 to 5! They finally shut down Larry Hughes and started Daniel Gibson only to see him shoot 1/10. Pavlovic shot 5/15 and the Cavs just didn't get the job done. The Spurs were not as good as they were at home either. Timmy had just 13, Tony had 17 and both didn't shoot that well. Ginobli was totally off shooting 0/7 for 3 points. The Spurs were saved by their three point shooting as they shot 10/19 from 3 with Bowen and Barry shooting 4/5 and 3/4 respectively. The Spurs just can hurt you in so many ways and one thing or the other always works out for them plus their defense is always there to save their life.
So the ugly finals continue, but not for long I suppose. The Spurs should wrap it up in a game or 2. I don't think the Cavs or their fans are really upset by any of this. They are just happy to be there. They think they are way ahead of schedule and I agree. But here's the problem. If they don't make solid additions to this team, they can very easily lose in any round of the playoffs next year. Remember, they got the easier half of the bracket and the King just stepped up big time against the Pistons to get them here. Their path to the Eastern finals will look a lot different next year. You watch the Cavs ugly offense and you wonder how great a fit Mike Bibby would have been for this team. It would have been a genius move if only it had went down as planned. His shooting and ball handling would have just changed so many things for the King and this team. May be thats the kind of off-season move they make to keep this growth on track.
San Antonio @ Cleveland- 75-72
Finals schedule for 06/14/2007
San Antonio @ Cleveland - It's all academic now. Will the Cavs win one? Will King dominate at least one game?
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Over matched - NBA playoff notes - 06/10/2007
The Finals got even uglier in game 2 as the Spurs showed once again that the Cavs don't belong on the same court as them. They started well, but more importantly, the King got in early foul trouble. The game was over right there. The Cavs are barely competitive with LeBron on the floor and without him, this might as well be a finals between the Grizzlies and the spurs. The spurs opened a 11 point lead after one and extended it to 25 at half time. Thats pretty bad. It was a 27 point game entering the 4-Th.
As always, the Spurs let up a little bit in the fourth and the Cavs made it close with a furious rally in garbage time. This game actually got tighter than game 1 as the Cavs cut it to 8 with plenty of time to go. But the refs let Tony Parker travel and hit a ridiculous shot off the glass at a crucial moment to kill the rally. Tony also hit another big shot and Manu put the game away with a 4-point play. Pop was later self-critical and said his defensive calls and substitution patterns were responsible for the game getting real tight in the 4-Th. The big 3 were spectacular again. The Cavs still have no answer for them. Timmy had 23-9-8 on 9/16 shooting. He surely is the groundhog day. Manu had 25 and Tony scored 30 hitting 13/20 shots. He is enjoying this finals more than anybody else.
For the Cavs, King had a decent game and a good 4-Th quarter. He had a 25-7-6 night on 9/21 shooting. But he also had 6 turnovers. He needs to stop turning the ball over for the Cavs to do good. Daniel Gibson had another strong game as he scored 15 on 6/12 shooting. Larry Hughes scored 0 points and still appeared on the Sportscenter highlight reel thanks to Tony Parker's pass to Duncan right through his legs. He is hurt and he needs to sit on the bench. A lot of the talk was about the 4-Th quarter and what it meant moving forward. Some people say it's good for the Cavs since they played well, but some people actually say the Spurs will feel good about holding the Cavs off despite the late run.
Cleveland @ San Antonio - 92-103
Finals schedule for 06/12/2007
San Antonio @ Cleveland - Must-win for the Cavs. Tickets are being scalped for 15000 dollars and the Cavs better make it a worthy investment.
As always, the Spurs let up a little bit in the fourth and the Cavs made it close with a furious rally in garbage time. This game actually got tighter than game 1 as the Cavs cut it to 8 with plenty of time to go. But the refs let Tony Parker travel and hit a ridiculous shot off the glass at a crucial moment to kill the rally. Tony also hit another big shot and Manu put the game away with a 4-point play. Pop was later self-critical and said his defensive calls and substitution patterns were responsible for the game getting real tight in the 4-Th. The big 3 were spectacular again. The Cavs still have no answer for them. Timmy had 23-9-8 on 9/16 shooting. He surely is the groundhog day. Manu had 25 and Tony scored 30 hitting 13/20 shots. He is enjoying this finals more than anybody else.
For the Cavs, King had a decent game and a good 4-Th quarter. He had a 25-7-6 night on 9/21 shooting. But he also had 6 turnovers. He needs to stop turning the ball over for the Cavs to do good. Daniel Gibson had another strong game as he scored 15 on 6/12 shooting. Larry Hughes scored 0 points and still appeared on the Sportscenter highlight reel thanks to Tony Parker's pass to Duncan right through his legs. He is hurt and he needs to sit on the bench. A lot of the talk was about the 4-Th quarter and what it meant moving forward. Some people say it's good for the Cavs since they played well, but some people actually say the Spurs will feel good about holding the Cavs off despite the late run.
Cleveland @ San Antonio - 92-103
Finals schedule for 06/12/2007
San Antonio @ Cleveland - Must-win for the Cavs. Tickets are being scalped for 15000 dollars and the Cavs better make it a worthy investment.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
UHHHGGGLY! - NBA playoff notes - 06/07/2007
The San Antonio Spurs are really everything thats good about sports. They play hard. They are a bunch of guys who play as a team. They seem to genuinely like each other. They are very well coached and are very fundamentally sound. And they have one of the unique super-stars in all of Sports in Tim Duncan who is so unassuming, unselfish and just a class-act. With all that said, the Spurs are single-handedly killing the NBA! They are just boring and they make the game boring for everybody. This was proven again as game 1 of the Finals got the lowest ratings ever inspite of featuring The King with a 6.3 overnight. Sunday could get even ugly for the NBA as the game goes against Soprano's final episode - not the season finale, but the series finale.
I figured out what the problem is with the Spurs when it comes to NBA entertainment. They are just too good defensively. Of course, thats why they win, but thats what makes their games un-watchable except for the die-hard fans. If you want to see King James play and dominate, but the Spurs lock him up, fans lose. Good defense works for the fans in the NFL and the MLB, but it just doesn't look that great in the NBA. It's just as effective in the NBA when it comes to winning, but it's not great TV. I agree with Greg Anthony that the Spurs are actually exciting offensively. They don't have the charisma and Duncan's low-post domination is boring, but Parker is pretty quick and fun to watch on offense. And Ginobli is probably one of the best things going in the NBA. Still it's their defense that makes them boring. They just absolutely stifle the opposition, especially one-trick ponies like the Cavs who have nothing except James. Only really good offenses like the Suns or the Mavs can operate against these guys and thats why those games are fun to watch. NBA should call Pop to request him to take it easy on James to make this series interesting. The funny thing is, the Spurs are actually good enough offensively to outscore teams if they ever choose to slack off a little bit on defense! They consistently show that against the Suns.
So this game was all about the Spurs defense. King james didn't get his first field goal until well into the third quarter. He ended with 14 on 4/16 shooting with 6 turnovers. Bruce Bowen and Ginobli bodied him in the perimeter and Duncan and the bigs were waiting for him in the paint. Bowen also forced him to go one side or the other and made sure he went exactly where they wanted him to go in the paint - straight in to the waiting help defenders. The Cavs got nothing out of the role players either and they just scored 49 points in 3 quarters. Thats ugly anyway you look at it. They did score a bunch in garbage time in the fourth and made the final score and their total points look respectable. But this game was over in the third and was a blowout. The Spurs were paced by Duncan's 24-13 and 5 blocks. This guy is having a tremendous playoffs. Tony Parker did whatever he wanted in this game. He had 27-4-7 on 12/23 shooting. Ginobli scored 16 to help out. He also defended James at times and took charges as always. As I predicted earlier, the Cavs have nobody to defend the Spurs big 3.
Now King James has to come back and do something, anything in game 2 to make this series interesting. I don't expect the role players to turn it around on the road though Daniel Gibson had a good game shooting 7/9 for 16 points. The Cavs coaching staff need to fix their unimaginative offense overnight and get the King going. He is big enough to post Bowen up, but the problem is. he is a good 2 years away from acquiring an effective post-up game. They have to figure something out. ESPN's Tim Legler says there is no way the King gets to the rim against the Spurs and the only way he can even hope to win is if he takes more jump-shots. Interesting thought, but he may be right. The Cavs might have to live and die with LeBron's jumpers. After all, they did live well with it in the Detroit's series.
Cleveland @ Sn Antonio - 76-85
Finals schedule for 06/10/2007
Cleveland @ Sn Antonio - King James has to come strong. The supporting cast may play better when they get back home to Cleveland, but this might be King James's game all the way.
I figured out what the problem is with the Spurs when it comes to NBA entertainment. They are just too good defensively. Of course, thats why they win, but thats what makes their games un-watchable except for the die-hard fans. If you want to see King James play and dominate, but the Spurs lock him up, fans lose. Good defense works for the fans in the NFL and the MLB, but it just doesn't look that great in the NBA. It's just as effective in the NBA when it comes to winning, but it's not great TV. I agree with Greg Anthony that the Spurs are actually exciting offensively. They don't have the charisma and Duncan's low-post domination is boring, but Parker is pretty quick and fun to watch on offense. And Ginobli is probably one of the best things going in the NBA. Still it's their defense that makes them boring. They just absolutely stifle the opposition, especially one-trick ponies like the Cavs who have nothing except James. Only really good offenses like the Suns or the Mavs can operate against these guys and thats why those games are fun to watch. NBA should call Pop to request him to take it easy on James to make this series interesting. The funny thing is, the Spurs are actually good enough offensively to outscore teams if they ever choose to slack off a little bit on defense! They consistently show that against the Suns.
So this game was all about the Spurs defense. King james didn't get his first field goal until well into the third quarter. He ended with 14 on 4/16 shooting with 6 turnovers. Bruce Bowen and Ginobli bodied him in the perimeter and Duncan and the bigs were waiting for him in the paint. Bowen also forced him to go one side or the other and made sure he went exactly where they wanted him to go in the paint - straight in to the waiting help defenders. The Cavs got nothing out of the role players either and they just scored 49 points in 3 quarters. Thats ugly anyway you look at it. They did score a bunch in garbage time in the fourth and made the final score and their total points look respectable. But this game was over in the third and was a blowout. The Spurs were paced by Duncan's 24-13 and 5 blocks. This guy is having a tremendous playoffs. Tony Parker did whatever he wanted in this game. He had 27-4-7 on 12/23 shooting. Ginobli scored 16 to help out. He also defended James at times and took charges as always. As I predicted earlier, the Cavs have nobody to defend the Spurs big 3.
Now King James has to come back and do something, anything in game 2 to make this series interesting. I don't expect the role players to turn it around on the road though Daniel Gibson had a good game shooting 7/9 for 16 points. The Cavs coaching staff need to fix their unimaginative offense overnight and get the King going. He is big enough to post Bowen up, but the problem is. he is a good 2 years away from acquiring an effective post-up game. They have to figure something out. ESPN's Tim Legler says there is no way the King gets to the rim against the Spurs and the only way he can even hope to win is if he takes more jump-shots. Interesting thought, but he may be right. The Cavs might have to live and die with LeBron's jumpers. After all, they did live well with it in the Detroit's series.
Cleveland @ Sn Antonio - 76-85
Finals schedule for 06/10/2007
Cleveland @ Sn Antonio - King James has to come strong. The supporting cast may play better when they get back home to Cleveland, but this might be King James's game all the way.
Monday, June 04, 2007
Boobie-Trap - NBA playoff notes - 06/02/2007
Daniel Gibson has a stupid nick name - boobie, and today, the pistons got boobie-trapped. Pistons did to LeBron what they should have done all of game 5, trap him and get the ball out of his hands. They focussed on him so much that he had just 3 field goals all game. But the Cavs were very much in the game for 3 quarters because it was a home game and as expected the role players stepped up. Hughes hit some big 3's in the first quarter and guys just made shots. There was a huge break between the first and second quarter due to shot-clock difficulties and the Cavs were really concerned that the crowd was taken out of the game by this extended break. Pistons got back and tied the game up in the second. The game stayed close through three quarters.
Then Boobie took over. His performance in the fourth was almost as good as The King's in game 5. He went on a personal run and made a lot of 3's. The only difference was, it was not in end-of-game situations and it was all off of LeBron getting trapped and double-teamed. Gibson ended with 31 points in 5/5 3's. LeBron had a 20-14-8 game on just 3 field goals. He did drive to the hole several times and get to the line 19 times. For Detroit, Rip had a great game with 29 on 10/20 shots. The rest of the Pistons were not really there except for C-Webb's 13-6. There's some talk that Billups has actually cost himself a lot of money with his poor performance in this series. Sheed had a horrible 5/14 shooting night for 11 points and just 2 boards. He also lost it completely late in the fourth and got ejected on back-to-back technicals. The Pistons as a team unravelled in the fourth as the Cavs kept pulling away.
Great times for The King. I did not expect him to break-through the Pistons and get to the Finals this soon. Looks like he is on a faster track than MJ. I don't think he beats the Spurs, but he should get back to the Finals several times if the Cavs build the team right. As for the Pistons, it might be an end of an era. Flip Saunders might get fired. The poor guy never got any credit. All losses were his faults and all the credit for the wins were shared by the veteran players and their chemistry and Joe Dumars for putting them together. It was always Larry Brown's team and Flip never got any ownership of this team despite all his changes to the offense and defense, though some of his defensive strategies in this series were real bad. Now with the impending free agency of Billups, C-Webb and Dice, it may be time to change both the team and the coach. But I think Dumars will sign Billups and keep the starting 5 intact.
Now on to the Finals. NBA is probably happy that the King made it from the East and gave us all a reason to watch these finals. Nothing captures the attention of NBA fans like a transcendent star like LeBron. It would be interesting to see how much better the ratings are compared to the Pistons-Spurs series 2 years back. Of course, much will depend on how the King plays in the earlier games in the series. I can't see the Cavs beating the Spurs though. The Spurs are so professional and business-like, they could play these games in a suit if the NBA allows them! Also their talent is no joke either. I can't see any great defensive antidote in the Cavs roster for Timmy, Tony or Manu and thats scary. But nobody gave the Cavs a shot against the Pistons either. It's 1-VS-5 again and this time, The King has to go against even superior talent, plus a defensive stopper in Bruce Bowen. Spurs in 6.
Cleveland @ Detroit - 98-82
Finals schedule for 06/07/2007
Cleveland @ Sn Antonio - The Spurs should win this series 4-2. They may be vulnerable in game 1 though.
Then Boobie took over. His performance in the fourth was almost as good as The King's in game 5. He went on a personal run and made a lot of 3's. The only difference was, it was not in end-of-game situations and it was all off of LeBron getting trapped and double-teamed. Gibson ended with 31 points in 5/5 3's. LeBron had a 20-14-8 game on just 3 field goals. He did drive to the hole several times and get to the line 19 times. For Detroit, Rip had a great game with 29 on 10/20 shots. The rest of the Pistons were not really there except for C-Webb's 13-6. There's some talk that Billups has actually cost himself a lot of money with his poor performance in this series. Sheed had a horrible 5/14 shooting night for 11 points and just 2 boards. He also lost it completely late in the fourth and got ejected on back-to-back technicals. The Pistons as a team unravelled in the fourth as the Cavs kept pulling away.
Great times for The King. I did not expect him to break-through the Pistons and get to the Finals this soon. Looks like he is on a faster track than MJ. I don't think he beats the Spurs, but he should get back to the Finals several times if the Cavs build the team right. As for the Pistons, it might be an end of an era. Flip Saunders might get fired. The poor guy never got any credit. All losses were his faults and all the credit for the wins were shared by the veteran players and their chemistry and Joe Dumars for putting them together. It was always Larry Brown's team and Flip never got any ownership of this team despite all his changes to the offense and defense, though some of his defensive strategies in this series were real bad. Now with the impending free agency of Billups, C-Webb and Dice, it may be time to change both the team and the coach. But I think Dumars will sign Billups and keep the starting 5 intact.
Now on to the Finals. NBA is probably happy that the King made it from the East and gave us all a reason to watch these finals. Nothing captures the attention of NBA fans like a transcendent star like LeBron. It would be interesting to see how much better the ratings are compared to the Pistons-Spurs series 2 years back. Of course, much will depend on how the King plays in the earlier games in the series. I can't see the Cavs beating the Spurs though. The Spurs are so professional and business-like, they could play these games in a suit if the NBA allows them! Also their talent is no joke either. I can't see any great defensive antidote in the Cavs roster for Timmy, Tony or Manu and thats scary. But nobody gave the Cavs a shot against the Pistons either. It's 1-VS-5 again and this time, The King has to go against even superior talent, plus a defensive stopper in Bruce Bowen. Spurs in 6.
Cleveland @ Detroit - 98-82
Finals schedule for 06/07/2007
Cleveland @ Sn Antonio - The Spurs should win this series 4-2. They may be vulnerable in game 1 though.
Saturday, June 02, 2007
The Coronation. - NBA playoff notes - 05/31/2007
LeBron is one of the biggest stars in the NBA, the second biggest name in the game after Kobe. He has been called a variety of nick-names ranging from "The chosen one" to "The King" and it has been that way since he was 15. I still remember his baby-face on the cover of SI when he was just a high-school junior. I routinely refer to him as the King in this blog. He is expected to carry this league much like MJ. So it feels wrong to say "he arrived today" because he pretty much arrived when he was 15! Still a lot of the hype and attention was for his future potential as much as for his current greatness. This game 5 showed us that the future may be here already and it will end up as one of the defining games of his career.
James had a 48-9-7 game on 18/33 shooting in a double OT game, but thats not even half the story. The story was, how thoroughly he dominated the second half of the 4-Th quarter and both overtimes. The guy scored 25 straight points to end the game and 29 of their last 30 points! Yes, you read that right. Thats the most ridiculous stat you might ever see. And this was against a great defensive team in Detroit, on the road, in the playoffs, in the Eastern Conference finals. I have seen a lot of basketball, but never seen anything like this. Stars go on big personal scoring runs. Even Leandro Barbosa had scored 12 straight or 15 straight in the second quarter in a couple of games. But never have I seen a single player score ALL the points at the end of a close game. I mean, you would expect the other team to trap and get the ball out of his hands at least after he had scored every single bucket in the last 5 minutes of the fourth and the entire first OT. The Pistons for some reason, didn't aggressively trap him or double him. The double teams were usually soft and it came after he was already committed to a move. And he did hit some ridiculous fade-aways over the trap a couple of times, but I am not sure why Detroit didn't trap him every single time and make him give the ball up.
The guys on TNT were pretty on point with their criticism of the Detroit D, but this night was about The King. He missed a few FTs in regulation in what could be his only weakness, but he more than made of for it with spectacular drives and dunks at the end of the 4-Th. Again, not sure how the Pistons of all teams could let him dunk like that. Poor defense against a great talent. Once the game went to OT, it was more of the same. It didn't matter if he was taking tough fade-aways or driving to the cup, he just scored routinely. There was a stretch in OT when the other guys got a few shots and Sasha Pavlovic actually tried to help him out with some aggressive scoring attempts, but they all came up empty every-time. The Cavs had nothing else working, literally nothing, but the Pistons still couldn't stop the King. He was literally playing 1-on-5 on offense and still dominated. And these were all high-pressure minutes and clutch shots, one after the other. His final lay-up to win the game was another gorgeous move that just completed his coronation.
This game will be remembered as the game he broke through, the game when he took that next step. Of course, the Cavs still have to win another game and this game will be ESPN classic material by the time Saturday rolls around. In fact, they blew the same 3-2 lead last year and they might need another spectacular effort from the King to avoid that this time. I was complaining about how these playoffs have suddenly gotten boring, but LeBron is one reason we have to watch every game. This is how stars change the course of teams and leagues. We are seeing it right in front of our eyes. This series still features a boring style and some bad coaching (what was Mike Brown doing burning all his timeouts at the end of the 4-Th ?), but still you can't take your eyes away as long as the King is on the floor.
Cleveland @ Detroit - 109-107 (2 OT)
Playoff schedule for 06/02/2007
Cleveland @ Detroit @ Cleveland - What will King James do now? The game is almost secondary to that question. Cavs better finish things here.
James had a 48-9-7 game on 18/33 shooting in a double OT game, but thats not even half the story. The story was, how thoroughly he dominated the second half of the 4-Th quarter and both overtimes. The guy scored 25 straight points to end the game and 29 of their last 30 points! Yes, you read that right. Thats the most ridiculous stat you might ever see. And this was against a great defensive team in Detroit, on the road, in the playoffs, in the Eastern Conference finals. I have seen a lot of basketball, but never seen anything like this. Stars go on big personal scoring runs. Even Leandro Barbosa had scored 12 straight or 15 straight in the second quarter in a couple of games. But never have I seen a single player score ALL the points at the end of a close game. I mean, you would expect the other team to trap and get the ball out of his hands at least after he had scored every single bucket in the last 5 minutes of the fourth and the entire first OT. The Pistons for some reason, didn't aggressively trap him or double him. The double teams were usually soft and it came after he was already committed to a move. And he did hit some ridiculous fade-aways over the trap a couple of times, but I am not sure why Detroit didn't trap him every single time and make him give the ball up.
The guys on TNT were pretty on point with their criticism of the Detroit D, but this night was about The King. He missed a few FTs in regulation in what could be his only weakness, but he more than made of for it with spectacular drives and dunks at the end of the 4-Th. Again, not sure how the Pistons of all teams could let him dunk like that. Poor defense against a great talent. Once the game went to OT, it was more of the same. It didn't matter if he was taking tough fade-aways or driving to the cup, he just scored routinely. There was a stretch in OT when the other guys got a few shots and Sasha Pavlovic actually tried to help him out with some aggressive scoring attempts, but they all came up empty every-time. The Cavs had nothing else working, literally nothing, but the Pistons still couldn't stop the King. He was literally playing 1-on-5 on offense and still dominated. And these were all high-pressure minutes and clutch shots, one after the other. His final lay-up to win the game was another gorgeous move that just completed his coronation.
This game will be remembered as the game he broke through, the game when he took that next step. Of course, the Cavs still have to win another game and this game will be ESPN classic material by the time Saturday rolls around. In fact, they blew the same 3-2 lead last year and they might need another spectacular effort from the King to avoid that this time. I was complaining about how these playoffs have suddenly gotten boring, but LeBron is one reason we have to watch every game. This is how stars change the course of teams and leagues. We are seeing it right in front of our eyes. This series still features a boring style and some bad coaching (what was Mike Brown doing burning all his timeouts at the end of the 4-Th ?), but still you can't take your eyes away as long as the King is on the floor.
Cleveland @ Detroit - 109-107 (2 OT)
Playoff schedule for 06/02/2007
Cleveland @ Detroit @ Cleveland - What will King James do now? The game is almost secondary to that question. Cavs better finish things here.
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