I Think I'll Go To Boston....

The Cavaliers have tied up their series with the mighty Boston Celtics 2-2 and are heading into a crucial Game 5 at the Garden. If they want to win this series they have got to go in there and stun Boston Wednesday night. As these playoffs have moved along, we have seen the Cavs finally start to come together as a team. Here is what I have been noticing. I am also in a great mood after Game 4, so this is a very positive column. Also, Bill Simmon’s column this morning about how Doc Rivers has no idea how to coach makes me laugh. It is awesome to see frustrated Celtics fans vent. So much for the best team in the NBA huh?

-The defense is back to where it was a year ago. No one seems to want to talk about this, but the Cavaliers have held their opponents under 90 points in 8 of their 9 playoff games. They played this same kind of shut down defense a year ago that propelled them to the finals. Anderson Varejao did an amazing job on Kevin Garnett in the fourth quarter, not allowing him to score a point. He also hit a few open jumpers, something he has not been doing the entire playoffs. He finally stopped trying to drive when he receives the ball and trying to make some crazy shot. Andy is at his best when he is rolling to the hoop for a lay-up, or hitting open 10 or 15 footers, not when he is trying to create on offense. Monday night Andy got back to playing defense and rebounding, the things he does best. He had not helped this team until Monday night, and the Cavs need to see more of it.

-Players are finally starting to find their roles. I must admit I was not a huge fan of Wally Szczerbiak when he arrived in Cleveland. He was hyped as a great shooter, yet struggled with his shot and often tried to force things when he received that ball. He would back a defender down and shoot a fadeaway jumper or force up a bad three. He seemed to be trying so hard to score and impress his teammates that he forgot what kind of player he was, and was also a step slow on defense. But in this Celtics series, Wally is one of the few players who is knocking down shots consistently, and that is because he has learned his role. Wally needs to be a Peja Stojakavich type of player for the Cavs. Getting open for threes and then being able to go off the dribble to the hoop when his 3’s are falling. He has been huge in this Boston series.

-What can you say bout Boobie Gibson? The kid looks like he is 12 but has ice for veins. Hitting backbreaking 3’s is what Gibson does, and has a beautiful shot to go with it. If the kid could drive a little bit more he would make the defense respect him ten times as much. He has got to start hitting those big three’s on the road. LeBron will always find you Boobie, keep shooting.

-Delonte West has really impressed me. He has been extremely aggressive in this series, especially at times when LeBron has seemed a little passive. He is fearless going to hole, as was evident in game 3 when he hit a floater over KG in the paint. He pushes the ball, and although careless at times, he has really been the X-factor for the Cavs in this series. He has played great defense too, he was the one that got back on defense when Paul Pierce had a breakaway lay-up, and he made him miss it. Boobie then hit a 3 on the other end, and that pretty much sealed it.
-A big shoutout to Ben Wallace and Z. Ben is in Detroit form with his rebounding and defense, and Z is everything you could want him to be, tapping in offensive rebounds and putting up his smooth J.

-The offense still gets stagnant, to many times is the shot clock down to 5 before the Cavs even get a shot off. This team could be amazing if they ran a better halfcourt set. I noticed, especially when leBron went out in Game 4, that the offense really stood around while Wally of all people dribbled the ball for much too long. LeBron even yelled at them from the bench “MOVE THE BALL!” It seems so simple yet the Cavs cannot figure how to be consistent on offense.

-I can remember so many moments when LeBron has thrown down an absolutely devastating dunk that has shot energy through my body. His dunk over Delonte West when he was with Boston, his dunk over Damon Jones in Miami, and his dunk over Rasheed Wallace in last years playoffs. But the ferociousness with which he dunked over KG Monday night was unbelievable. It changed the game and could ultimately change the series like his dunk over ‘Sheed last year did. Both dunks sent me running out of the room, yelling like a maniac. The man is special and I am thankful I am alive to be watching him. When LeBron retires (hopefully as a Cav) I will look back and remember each time I was sitting watching a Cavs game and he got me out of my seat because of a ridiculous dunk he had. Let’s get it done in Boston on Wednesday!

Jay-z is rapping, Deshawn is throwin bows, and the Wizards are down 3-1

-Do you think the Wizards are getting tired of losing on last second shots to the Cavs? Damon Jones, LeBron James, Delonte West. I’m surprised that the Verizon Center didn’t just empty as soon as Gilbert hit that shot to tie it up with about 28 seconds left. “Well honey start the car, LeBron has the ball with 28 seconds left! Who wants to go to Mickey-D’s?”
It’s like, back when the Patriots were winning Super Bowls. If Tom Brady had over a minute to drive his team down the field for the winning score, that game was over. This series is done and over with and I am damn glad it is. I hate Washington more and more every game.

-Sure, I am a Cavs fan, but the Washington Wizards make me sick, like when you Google search the word pooh bear and all of the sudden up comes a picture of a guy doing a bear. Yea, you know what I am talking about. Brendan Haywood dunks over Boobie Gibson then decides to put his nuts Gibson’s face. Boobie ends up with a technical because he retaliated. Give me a break. This whole Wizards team is going to remembered as a decent team with one guy who wrote a funny blog but could never get out of the first round of the playoffs.

-I think that DeShawn Stevenson is the Freddie Mitchell of the NBA. For some reason, this mediocre basketball player continues to feel that he has some sort of right to talk shit about LeBron James. Yesterday he said LeBron is not the type of player you lose sleep over, like Kobe is. Does DeShawn think he is now a supposed analyst on TNT? Congratulations on being able to sleep the night before you play LeBron James. I hope your dreams are excellent. You still are about to lose the series though, so does it really matter? DeShawn Stevenson will have just about as famous of a career as his boy Soulja Boi will.

-In case anyone was wondering if Hubie Brown listens to hip hop, he does not. He instead rocks out to smooth jazz and he has sex with his wife while Nancy Grace plays on the television.

-Mike Tirico really does not like Soulja Boi. At all. At least three or four times he referred to him as a one-hit wonder and said he has getting a lot of media time he doesn’t deserve. It is safe to say the Mike might be jamming to some smooth jazz on that ABC bus with Hubie.

-DeShawn partied with Soulja Boi after Game 3. Soulja Boi is underage. I am currently waiting for those drunken pictures to surface.

-This whole LeBron-DeShawn thing has gotten a little out of hand. Jay-Z has officially made a song dissing DeShawn. In the meantime, DeShawn is being supported by Soulja Boi and some rapper from D.C. who no one has ever heard of rapping over Hova's own "Public Service Announcement" beat. Kind of fitting for the series huh? DeShawn being backed by nobodies while LeBron has the kingpin of hip hop by his side. Note to Drew Gooden and DeShawn, please do not ever have a beard growing contest again. It looks awful for both of you, and I know your women per night average has steadily declined.

A Little Playoff Update

The Cavaliers took games one and two from the Wizards. Game 3 was ugly. Here is my expert analysis.


What a difference homecourt makes in the playoffs. After blowing out the Wizards in Game 2 by thirty, the Cavs lost Game 3 by 36. Yes ladies and gentlemen, 36. After watching the Cavaliers play one of their best games of the season, they come out with this awful performance. DeShawn “I wave this hand in front of my face because when I retire no one will ever have heard of me so it’s like you can’t see me” Stevenson actually had a good game, while everything Jamison put up went in. The Cavs played absolutely horrid defense and reverted back to their old selves on offense. You know, the old, stand around while LeBron dribbles the ball for 15 seconds then lazily puts up a jumpshot. With Washington’s crowd chanting “overrated” you would have thought Bron Bron would have come stronger than that. Speaking of Washington’s crowd, let’s go through some of the big names that came out to see their team play. Colin Powell everyone! He was part of one of this worst presidential cabinets in history! Ladies and Gentleman, Soulja Boi! Single-handily ruining hip hop! I understand the rivalry here between these two teams, but really Washington fans? You guys are going to chant “Overrated” when LeBron is at the line? Didn’t he boot you guys out of the playoffs two years in a row? Didn’t he just drop 30 plus on your guys two games in a row? Didn’t he average 30 8 and 7 this year? That chant made all of us Clevelanders and everyone watching around the U.S. chuckle. Come up with a new cheer there Washington crowd. Glad you guys showed up for once.
The Cavs have got to win Game 4. I don’t want to see this thing go back to Cleveland all tied up at 2 a piece. The Cavs must move the ball around on offense like they did in Game 2, and Boobie has got to hit those threes on the road like he did at home. Z has to be more involved down low. Hopefully Coach Brown makes adjustments and the Cavs take Game 3, because tonight was an embarrassment.

Jay Crawford Really Hates Skip Bayless

Over the years I have watched ESPN's Skip Bayless on 1st and Ten, and over those years I have come to believe that Skip Bayless is one of two things. Either he is being paid by ESPN to just disagree with anything anyone says so that their show can have some flare to it, or he is just really the dumbest sportscaster in American. I really hope it is the former. If it is not then I am ashamed that ESPN has kept this man on the air after all of these years.
Being a Cavaliers fan, I especially take offense when the man refuses to give LeBron James, pretty much the best player in the NBA right now, any credit for what he has done in this league. I want to give you an example of 1st and Ten episode from Thursday. Jay Crawford, also an Ohio native who can be seen squirming in his seat as Skip spews out idiotic sentence after idiotic sentence, asked Skip and his opponent to grade LeBron's two triple double's in a row. This was a dumb question to begin with, how can you grade a triple double? Isn't that always an A+? Anyway. Skip gives LeBron James a B for his performance and proceeds to lay down all the reasons why LeBron James pretty much had nothing to do with the win over the Pacers that night. This is where Jay Crawford becomes my hero. As Skip is making ridiculous comments such as "Larry Hughes was the one that hit the dagger 3 in the corner" and "Zydrunas Ilgauskas was the one making the big shots" pretty much discrediting the 31 points, 15 boards, and 11 assists LeBron had. Crawford begins to jump and and team up with his other co-host to make Bayless look like the idiot he is. Jay begins with a soft blow, such as "So you are telling me LeBron had no part in the outcome of this game?" and then starts going harder. He makes a great comment, as heis face gets redder, saying "Yes, because Zydrunas is the focus of the Cavaliers offense and really makes them go, really won the game for them." Then, as the topic ends, Jay looks at the camera and makes the best comment of the day. "Step it up LeBron, you are really slacking out there." Jay was about ready to fight Skip, great TV.
But honestly, can we just give LeBron the MVP trophy right now? He just led a team with two D-leaguers, Eric Snow, and Damon Jones (who actually played unbelievable with 27 points) to a win over the Wizards. Man, it must be rought to be a Wizards fan right now. We welcome Big Ben, Joe Smith, Wally World, and Delonte West on Sunday, I cannot wait.

Looks Like I Picked the Wrong Day to Follow the Trade Deadline

I sat on my bed Thursday afternoon, television tuned to ESPN and computer open to ESPN.com, ohio.com, and hoopshype.com. My lap was slowly burning because these damn Macintosh computers get freaking hot. But I was not going to let that deter me. Because today was one of the most anxious days, besides the NBA lottery in 2003, I as a Cavs fan have experienced. It was the day of the trade deadline and the entire city of Cleveland, although they may not want to admit it, all knew deep inside that to have any shot at making the NBA Finals again Danny Ferry needed to make a move. But would he pull the trigger? Would the deal actually help this team? I could Tarentino this post and start at the end, but that would completely ruin everything, so I won’t, in fact I do not know why I even suggested it. So, I will start at the beginning.

It began Wednesday night. I was watching Shaq make his debut with the Suns on ESPN and following the Cavs on Gamecast as they took on the Indiana Pacers. One of my favorite sportswriters, who also happens to cover the Cavs and I have had the pleasure of shadowing last year, the Akron Beacon Journal’s own Brian Windhorst, blogs during every Cavs game. Since I am all the way out here in Missouri and cannot watch most Cavs games, I rely on Brian’s insight to get me through until I return home. Brian usually puts up a blog post at halftime, so when halftime hit I logged onto ohio.com and went straight to his blog to see how he thought the Cavs were playing. What I saw there would pretty much ruin any chance I had of studying or doing anything productive that night. Under the header of ‘Halftime”, his blog read something along the lines of this: I have not watched much of the first halftime because I am pursuing a potential blockbuster trade that the Cavaliers are involved in. More info to come.” The adrenaline started pumping right then and there. A blockbuster trade? With who? Brian also said the deal was not for Mike Miller, which was pretty much the only trade I had heard the Cavs were looking into. I spent the rest of the night browsing the Internet to find some information on what it could be until Brian updated his blog. I could find no information anywhere, which frustrated me because I knew that between choosing to study for Microecon and waiting to see what the Cavs were up to that Microecon was going down in a five second K.O. I began reading Cavalier’s forums online, which is an awful idea because you either end up getting extremely angry at the comments certain people post, such as, ‘Chris Bosh may be coming to the Cavs!’ which gets you really excited for a second before you realize that in no way would that trade ever go down. So you leave an angry post saying something along the lines of calling the guy a loser who is in his mom’s basement and has nothing better to do until you realize you are sitting in your dorm room at 1:30 in the morning and you have been refreshing hoopshype.com every 10 seconds, so are you really any better? No, you aren’t at all. But I digress.
Finally, Brian updates his blog a few hours later. His post not only made things even more stressful for me, it could possibly make me lose sleep. I was tempted to go on a search for some Nyquil for the rough night ahead. Brian told us a big trade was going down but that he could not tell us the team or players involved in order to protect his sources. Well thank you Brian. Really. I appreciate that excellent information you left us. Now I have thoughts of Michael Redd running through my head like sugar plums in that line in ‘T’Was A Night Before Christmas.” Who could the Cavs be after? I spoke to many a Cleveland friend, throwing around names like Sam Cassel, which would only be considered a blockbuster because the Cavs would be trading for a player who is not actually human, and anyone else we though warranted blockbuster status. But there was really no one out there who fit that profile. As I climbed into bed that night I knew I would be dreaming of Ric Bucher and Marc Stein, which isn’t weird at all ok so don’t judge me. The night would be a long one for us Cavs fans, but I was ready to wake up at the break of dawn…or 9 o clock because that is when my first class is, and go right back at it again.

Waking up Thursday morning, I could not wait to open up my computer and see the big headline…Cavs Trade Entire Team For Kobe Bryant….on the home page of ESPN.com. Alas, it was not the case as I surfed the net 5 minutes before my philosophy class was to start. No new information was up, Mr. Windhorst could still not update us and I was readying myself to listen to my philosophy teacher drone on about whether or not we actually know we have hands. I was dismayed with my findings on the Internet. Cleveland has always been the sports city that has never pulled the big deals or signed the big free agent when we need to. Last year, Danny Ferry had a trade lined up for Mike Bibby at the trade deadline that fell through. I got that familiar feeling in my stomach that this trade, whatever it may be, was going to fall through as well. So as I trudged back from class in the sleet/snow/hail, whatever the hell they call this shit that falls from the sky in Missouri, I was ready to accept defeat and watch the Cavs move on with the same guys they had when the day started.

Maybe I just wanted the Cavs to make a move for the sake of making a move. With all of this hype surrounding this mystery trade, not finishing the deal would be like a bad case of blue balls. The more I looked at the Cavaliers roster though, the more I knew something had to be done to have a legimate chance to raise another Eastern Conference Champiosnhip banner to the rafters of The Q. No way LeBron can carry this team by himself in a seven game series against the Celtics or Pistons this year, although never say never with this kid. We tire so much in Cleveland of hearing the Cavs being called a one man team. We know that with one good shooter, one decent point guard, the Cavs would be world above anyone in the East. So as I turn on ESPN at 1 o clock to tune into their deadline special, I pray that something happens. That is when I also entered Chad Ford’s chat on ESPN.com where he was reporting the Cavs were in talks with the Chicago Bulls for Ben Wallace. I started to freak. Ben Wallace? Why would the Cavs want the guy? I stared at Ric Bucher on the television wishing his shiny gold hair would tell me something, but nothing came. My heart rate was skyrocketing, I am sure of it. Damn this computer is hot, I thought to myself. More details came in. Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden to the Bulls for Chris Duhon, Wallace, and Joe Smith. Finally, at just past 3 o clock, ESPN News reported the final deal. The Cavaliers receive Joe Smith, Ben Wallace, Wally Szczerbiak, and Delonte West while giving up Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden, Donyell Marshall, Ira Newble, and Mark Price. Could it be? The Cavaliers pulled of a huge trade? Am I dreaming?
As my phone began to rang off the hook like a PBS telethon, I took in the trade. And this is what I think.

I really like the deal. Goodbye Larry “I complain about playing PG but wouldn’t really play well at any position you put me in” Hughes, and hello Wally Szczerbiak and your 42% shooting from point land. LeBron James driving and kicking it out to either Wally World or Boobie Gibson, both who shoot over 40% from three? It will be nice not hearing the rim clank as much. Is Larry Hughes going to replace our rims as part of this deal? Hope so. Goodbye Donyell “ I think after my first year in Cleveland I will stop working for rebounds and just stand outside the three point line” Marshall, hello Delonte West. West, a pg, will bring better shooting, better dribbling, and the ability to really let LeBron play off the ball. Goodbye Ira “Everyone calls me a great defensive player, for what reason I will never know, I usually defend the Gatorade cooler” Newble, hello Big Ben! Wallace will be able to just focus on defense in Cleveland, and add to something the Cavs do better than anyone, rebound. Goodbye Drew “I still don’t know how to play defense after four years in the same system” Gooden. Although I will miss his 13 ppg and his ridiculous facial/neck hair. Sometime I think Common just comes into the locker room at halftime and asks Drew if he can play the second half. Hello, Joe Smith. A great veteran who can shoot it and play much better defense. Yes we give up Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden, a core part of this team’s coming of age the past two years. But Larry was never the player we needed him to be, and we will no longer have to worry about replacing Drew on the court in the fourth quarter. How Ben Wallace performs is huge, but when you play with LeBron, it makes you want to work harder. It as a great day for Cavs fans today, and a great day for a college student to skip class to watch his team make a big move. GO CAVS!

Will the Real Larry Hughes Please Stand Up?

Larry Hughes. Once a promising young player who averaged 22.7 points per game in 1999-2000 for his Golden State Warriors. Larry Hughes. Who once averaged 22 points per game in 2004-2005 for his Washington Wizards. Larry Hughes. Who once shot 46% percent from the field. These were the qualities that the Cleveland Cavaliers saw in Larry after the 2004-2005 season. After being spurned by Michael Redd and Ray Allen, the Cavs turned to Larry. Not only was he just coming off winning Defensive Player of the Year award, Larry also averaged 22 points playing alongside Gilbert Arenas, who may possibly have the ball in his hands more than LeBron James does. Gilbert averaged 25 points that year. All of these qualities led the Cavs to overpay Larry, as most free agents of the time were. Cleveland was ecstatic. A good defensive player who did not need the ball and could feed off of LeBron James. But his stay in Cleveland has been awfully disappointing. His season was cut short his first year in C-town because of injuries. Then his free throw attempts dropped by one hundred since his last season in Washington. His field goal percentage has never been over 40% here. He has become a career 30% three point shooter. Everyone says he does not fit in Cleveland because he is not a shooter, and LeBron creates open shots for people. But this is where I disagree with people.
Larry Hughes has stopped being the player that earned him that big contract in Cleveland. He is a very streaky shooter. But he has games like last night where he scores 40 points and you watch him drive to the basket with no mercy. You wonder where that has been all season. It comes in random spurts, but never for more than 2 games in a row. Just because he is playing alongside a superstar that needs the ball in his hands does not mean that he needs to change his game, which he has. He drove to the hole in Washington, so why not here? He has become a jump shooter. He will shoot a 3 with 23 seconds left on the shot clock. Then he will slash to the hole and drop in a beautiful layup. It leaves us Clevelanders with a severe case of blue balls. If Larry could average 20 here in Cleveland like he did in Washington this team would be in the finals every year. He has the potential to do it. He has great handles and could go to the hole whenever he wants. But he has settled for the long jumper, for reasons I do not understand. Tonight, Larry scored 40 and LeBron dropped 29. That is 69 points between our two stars, and look at the outcome, a win. So Larry Hughes, stop having random great games where you score 30 or more. String them together. We got to the finals without you doing that, just think what we could do with you scoring. Will the real Larry Hughes please stand up?