Conference Finals!

I am still not sure how the Cavs lost game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. It is coming up on 24 hours since the game ended and I caught myself thinking that the Cavs had won and they should be even better in game 2. But then I remembered the second half of that game. At the beginning of the game Anderson Varejao scored the first 6 points of the game in the paint. Oops I typed that wrong, it was Lebron that scored those right? No, Varejao, in the paint, on defensive player of the year Dwight Howard. The Cavs' movement was so effective that when Howard was on big Z he was being drawn out by the big man's ability to shoot when open, and when they switched onto Varejao Howard was watching Lebron and would get lost. Everything was perfect, Lebron was distributing and the Cavs were kiling. No one can play with them when they play like that. Take the little run in the second quarter, Joe Smith blocks Dwight Howard, quick outlet to Lebron who took off from his front porch in Akron and dunked the ball and the Q explodes. The next trip down Lebron blocks Howard, trails the play and hits a three and gave the crowd a look that would straight up scare a man out of his pants. I thought this is the defining moment every team needs to become a champion. Ya know, the moment when the last seconds are ticking off the clock in the championship clinching game and the announcers say "you could really tell this team had a chance to win the trophy when...". That is a defining moment that every team has. If you don't believe me start researching and you'll see. Then the second half happened. The ball started sticking and everyone was watching Lebron light up on offense. Unfortunately, when any team starts standing on offense and going one-on-one there defense is really what pays the price. Lebron was scoring nearly every possession in the third quarter, but the Magic were scoring EVERY possession and hitting a lot of threes. All of a sudden the game started to tighten up and so did the Cavs (minus Lebron) and the Cavs' fans.

Could Delonte West and Mo Williams miss any better shots in the second half? Mo was missing in the first half as well, but both of them going ice cold in the biggest game of the year so far is a bad bad sign. I want to set the record straight. I don't want to hear everyone saying that the Magic just let Lebron get his 49 and shut down the rest of the Cavs. That is not a true statement. Lebron was shooting lights out and was still looking for teammates and setting them up for great shots. His teammates shut themselves down. I was convinced all season that the Magic's defense would be what gave the Cavs trouble in the playoffs. That is not it at all. The Cavs were getting shots that they normally would make and just didn't in the second half. Watch the first half on TiVo again and you'll see what I mean. All of a sudden it became a stand and watch game, and the Magic will beat you in a game like that, they shoot too well and don't give up too many offensive boards. The constant moving in the first half is what opened lanes for Lebron to pass and drive into and gave them better shots at rebounding because Howard was out of position. I can't talk about this anymore, I'm going to lose it. But I do want to say this. My new favorite three plays of the entire playoffs may have come from this game. 1) Lebron's dunk from somewhere in row 3, 2) Howard's dunk that broke the shot clock, 3) Lebron's block on Howard. All three were pretty unreal plays.

The Lakers-Nuggets series is going to get chippy once again. The Lakers have been part of a chippy series the entire playoffs. I'm beginning the think it's just them. I have always been a Kobe hater. Since he's been in the league I have never liked him. The last few games have reminded me on exactly why that is. If you have kept up on my previous blogs, I hate Duke. I despise Duke even. But Shane Battier (former Duke Blue Devil) gained all the respect I can give him considering his alma-mater this year. Kobe talked trash all game, yelled at him and the announcers about how he couldn't guard him, and Battier just kept playing and smiling at Kobe. I think we can all stop the Jordan comparisons (if we couldn't stop them about 10 years ago) with Kobe. Jordan talked trash and used the slightest things to motivate him to another level. But Jordan never had to draw attention to himself beyond playing the game. Kobe yelling at the announcers to let them know Battier can't guard him doesn't need to be done if Kobe just goes out and drops 40 on him. Instead, he yells and screams and pounds his chest because he feels that he needs to do that. Jordan would score 40 on whomever was guarding him without it appearing he said a word. He didn't have to, he made sure everyone knew he was better. Also, Kobe is a cheap player. In the Rockets series he threw indiscrete elbows or knees the entire 7 games. Now watching game 1, Kobe injures his finger and bumps into Kenyon Martin putting him to the floor. All of the other times Kobe has done something cheap he made it look like it was part of the game. This is probably just the Kobe Hater talking, but watch the replay of that play and look to see if Kobe doesn't just lay into Martin a little bit. Then think about all of the other times Kobe has thrown and elbow or landed with his knee on someone's face (Battier game 1 if you don't believe me) and tell me it isn't a little suspicous. Furthermore, Kobe is always yelling at someone. He never seems to support his teammates. The talking heads on TV always talk about how he is a great teammate because he treats them to dinner. That isn't supporting teammates. Support is slapping them on the head and letting them know they'll make the next shot instead of glaring and wishing he would get the ball to shoot. Watch Jordan on ESPN classic someday. Specifically game 6 of the 1997 Finals. Jordan tells Steve Kerr to be ready to shoot the ball when he gets double teamed. He trusts his teammates, and Kerr responds with yeah I'll be ready. His teammates trust him. Kobe doesn't have that, he never has.

Also, the Lakers are going to get more lenient technical foul calls on them because the NBA can't afford to have Kobe suspended for a game. In game 1, Melo and Kobe were battling for position and Melo got called for a foul. Melo said something that constituted a technical foul and was promptly given one. Later, Kobe takes about 3 or 4 trips up and down the floor screaming at the referees to give him a call. No technical until later when he slams the ball down and accidently loses control. If he keeps that ball in his hands it's probably not a T, and he wouldn't have gotten one all game. That has been bothering me all year and I am waiting for some legitimate sports writer out there to pick up on it and write about it.

Melo was something else in game 1. A lot of times when some player is dominant in high school and moves to college it takes him/her a long time to transition into the next level of play because the game is much too fast for them. You see it all the time with great players coming into the NBA as well. Well, the game has finally slowed back down for Carmelo Anthony. Not that he wasn't a great player before, he has finally found the motivation he needs to be an elite player in the league. He was killing Kobe down low in game 1 and I think that is going to have to be a key for the Nuggets throughout the series. Beat on Kobe on the defensive end so it slows him down on the offensive end. The Nuggets could steal a game in LA, they just need to remember what got them there. For instance, George Karl has become one of my favorite coaches in the NBA. However, why didn't he keep Chris Anderson in on the second to last possession and have him taking out the ball instead of Anthony Carter. When I was watching the game live I was yelling at the TV, then when he threw the ball away I had to walk outside to avoid throwing something through my TV. The NBA is all about match ups, and since Karl called the timeout he gets to look out and see who the Lakers have out there and when he saw the two bigs he should have known to keep Birdman out there because Carter wasn't going to beat Odom to the hoop anyway. Carter gave the Nuggets little or no advantage on offense and Birdman opens up the chance for offensive rebounding or a 50/50 ball that he will for sure beat anyone else to.

I'm excited for the rest of the playoffs though. Game 2 is going on as I write this in the Denver series, the Lakers are up 7. My picks after cheating and watching the first games are Cavs in six and Lakers in 5. The reason I'm still sure that the Cavs will win it is because they won't shoot that poorly again, and fatigue seemed to have set in a little bit toward the end. Lebron is probably one of the best conditioned athletes in the league and he was exhausted. They have their game lungs back but won't steal them both in Orlando. The Lakers just have too many favorable matchups in their series. The Nuggets have to either go small on Kobe or let Melo get tired on D and hope their seconds are better than the Lakers and I'm not convinced they are. We'll see though, I'm not the best at picking but that's why we love sports.

SHOUT OUT FOR THE DAY: Mike Brown, floorseat sitter somewhere near the Cavs bench, maybe coach sometimes? What happened in game one. Why does Mike Brown leave Varejao in to guard Rashard Lewis on the last play? Let Delonte West, who is an extremely underrated defender, and leave Varejao to take a spot up three point shooter so that he won't get broken down on the dribble. The Cavs had the shot clock in their favor. If they give up a two and the game is tied, Lebron can plow into the lane and not worry about turning it over and going to overtime without Howard. Instead, down one they had to play smart and he still got West the best look ever. Furthermore, Z can't guard Howard. I'm sure this is obvious but Mike Brown didn't notice. What does he pay his assistants for? When the Magic go big, put in Joe Smith and let Z guard Battie and Smith can move quicker laterally and stop that hook shot. Finally, what did he do with the playbook in the second half? The Cavs looked unstoppable and all of a sudden they just completely stopped. I don't know what happened, I just feel I need to keep repeating that. You are the coach of the year Mr. Brown, ready whenever you are to earn that award. Ugh, still not talking about it though.