NBA Finals Missing More Than Lebron
Kobe Vs. Lebron was supposed to be the greatest matchup in recent NBA history. People were crowning the Cavs after dismantling a weak Pistons team and a young Hawks team. There were articles about them going 16-0! I quickly put things in perspective. I’ll be honest part of me is pretty happy that the hype didn’t come true. I’m never a huge fan of basing sporting events on the big superstars. The Kobe/Lebron matchup didn’t really excite me too much. What did excite me was the Cavs/Lakers matchup. It is obvious the casual fan is less interested in the Finals now that Lebron is gone. Hell, ESPN’s latest poll shows 43% of people less interested. I think it’s going to be more than Lebron that is missing from this series. Read more
Cavs Will Not Win Out
It has been a great start to the playoffs for the top team in the East. It has been so great that people are now wondering if they are going to run the table. Yes, that is right. People think this team is going to win every game they play this playoff season. I guess it isn’t completely out of the question, but it seems way to easy to start this talk. In order to truly predict what we think the Cavs can do, it is important to put it all in perspective. The right perspective requires us to look at the competition so far. Read more
Chauncey Amazing, Nuggets Dirty, Cavs Cocky
As a Pistons fan, let me comment on the play of Chauncey Billups. When he was traded it was one of the worst days of my sports fan life. Still, there was part of me that was able to see the logic even while I was in catatonic shock that my favorite player of all times was traded away. There is no way for me to rationalize this trade right now. What I can do is tell people to look four years from now. At that point, we can judge if this trade was worth it. The way Dumars set it up, the under.500 year should be the worst of the “rebuilding” years in Detroit. If that’s the case, I’m all for it because having Chauncey would have helped, but this team has way to many issues. Finally, CB is amazing and the article below outlines how amazing he is.
Cavs Clear Number One, Now What Happens?
It is now just a few days from the end of the regular season. I believe it is time to give credit where credit is due. The Cleveland Cavaliers are now 39-1 at home. That is not a typo. We have seen some great teams in the past play great at home, but I don’t remember seeing a team that has only lost one game. Possibly two or three, but never one. So, what is it about this team that is so special?
Well, the obvious answer is Lebron James. There must be something more though. I have been to “The Q” for a playoff game back in 2006, and, to be honest, it is a pretty jumpin’ place. The fans love the team right now, and they are probably a huge reason behind the team’s success this season. Cleveland has been somewhat of a contender for the past few years, but they have been missing an essential piece to the puzzle. What is weird to me is that I don’t feel like they have found the right piece to fill that missing space. Sure, they added guys like Mo Williams, but is that really the difference? Was picking up Joe Smith the type of move that can win you a championship? Well, to estimate by comparison, the Celtics utilized PJ Brown in their run last year so the pickup of Smith must be good for something. Additionally, and perhaps the biggest of questions when comparing Boston from last year to Cleveland this year…Does Lebron outweigh Boston’s Big 3 this time around? The answer is yet to be found.
We will find some answers when the playoffs start in about a week. As for now, let us all relax while the final seeding is sorted out. Sure, the Cavs did just beat the Celtics…wait, they destroyed the Celtics. The fact is that neither of these teams have anything to play for right now since their seeds are locked. It will be interesting to see if this Cavs team is for real come playoff time. I have a feeling they are. If they can keep up this insane pace that they have set at home this season, then there is no way to beat them. As a Cavs fan, however, I would worry about waking a sleeping beast. When the team is full, the Celtics are the most talented all-around team in the East. They obviously have a bone to pick with the Cavs, and if they can get healthy, this could make for a very interesting playoffs. Let’s hope for that so Lebron has a challenge before donning his first NBA Finals crown.
Losing Puts You In The Right Spot
The Daily Dime over at ESPN.com points out that with the Hornets loss last night actually will help them in the long run if they can stay at the six seed. The Lakers are clearly the team to beat in the West, and, the fact is, not many teams will have a chance to actually beat them. So, as Adande writes, the Hornets want to avoid the Lakers as long as possible. It is clear that you never want to lose a game on purpose, but it must feel nice to work hard for 48 minutes, lose, and then thing, “Oh, that turned out well.” There are not many times in life when you can lose and be happier than if you won.
If this “losing is good” thing is true, then there are four teams in the West fighting to get that sixth spot. The Spurs, Rockets, Blazers, and Hornets. The three teams outside of the Hornets are now two games ahead. The issue with saying that it is all good for these teams to drop to the sixth spot is that there are two teams right behind, a game behind the Hornets actually, that are trying desperately to avoid the Lakers in the first round. So, if we eliminate the Suns from contention, that leaves Dallas and Utah at the seven and eight seeds. These six teams have no worry about missing the playoffs but the worst seeds to be right now are the four, five, and eight. That leaves the six and seven, which is up for grabs.
Over in the East, there is a similar situation. The problem is we don’t know which Celtics team is going to show up come playoff time. If it is the championship team from a year ago, things change. For the purpose of this dumb post though, I would say that the Cavs are the only team people really want to avoid right now. Well, the Pistons and Bulls are tied for the seven and eight spots, and have all but clinched playoff berths. Meanwhile, Miami and Philly are a half-game apart for the fifth and sixth seed. When we use our logic we can see that it would be worthwhile for Philly to drop under Miami and face Orlando or Boston in the first round and then avoid the Cavs until the conference finals.
If you get nothing else from this article, you should realize that the playoffs are soon and every game counts now. Seedings seem to be more important than ever for the middle of the road teams.
West Playoffs: Avoiding the Lakers As Long As Possible [ESPN]
Lebron for MVP, Final Four Notes, Suton For NBA?
At this point in the season, Lebron James seems to be the clear choice for NBA MVP. His team is in first the East and looks like they’re going to the NBA Finals, considering Boston is pretty banged up. However, I wouldn’t crown him just yet. If somehow the Cavs lose before the Finals, I don’t think he deserves it. The regular season is one thing and his domination is undeniable, but winning in the post season is a whole new beast. I won’t be impressed until I see Lebron take over the series against Boston leading his team to the Finals.
Linked on Basketball
-Is Lebron this year’s NBA MVP? This guy seems to think so…
-Can UCONN win it all this year? They’ve got some work to do before that happens.
