Shaq's has a new Home!

Well, I have not posted in awhile because I felt there has really been nothing interesting to talk about. Now not only can I talk about the USA soccer team beating the best team in the world, but talk about how one of the best centers to play the game is coming to the Cleveland Cavaliers. As everyone saw in the Eastern Conference finals, the Cavs had no answer to Dwight Howard. That has all changed now because the Cavs now have the Diesel to shut down so called "Superman" Dwight Howard. Now I know Shaq is not the player has used to be, but he is still a person every team has to worry about. I can not wait to see the MVP Lebron James play with another proven all star. Not only does Shaq bring a force into the middle, but when playoffs come around his leadership and playoff experience will help out the whole team. If Lebron doesn't win a championship this year, there is no doudt in my mind that he is leaving. They brought Shaq here to make sure this doesn't happen. Alll we can do is wait and see how good Lebron and Shaq will play together, but I cant wait to find out.

Leave Lebron Alone!

Lebron James probably had one of the most epic performances EVER in this past Eastern Conference Finals. He had a last second shot that reminded me of Jordan over Ehlo and he had a line of 47-12-12. Those two games alone put him in the next atmosphere of great NBA players.

These people that have the nerve to bitch and complain about Lebron need to shut up! How ridiculous do you sound? Lebron is the best thing that could have possibly happened to this city.

People actually attend Cavs games. We play half of our games on national television. He has increased the value of this organization by about 100x. He won a Gold Medal. He helped Mike Brown win Coach of the Year. He was the MVP. He makes all of his teammates potential All-Stars. He was runner-up for Defensive player of the year. And most importantly he plays for US!

The Cavs winning the draft lottery was us literally winning the lottery.

All the haters need to shut it. Okay. Lebron not shaking hands with the Magic or not talking to the media is being completely blown out of proportion. This guy has poured every second and ounce of strength into this entire season trying to bring this city its first championship since 1968. He literally carried his team on his back against an opponet who just matched up against them better. He was emotionally drained and didn't want to deal with all of the stupid questions that were going to be asked.

I don't know about you, but I have spent a good part of the last few years competing in a sport that I really do love. I may not work as hard to put as much into it as Lebron, but I know the feeling of defeat. The last thing that I want to do after I am defeated is to talk to my opponet of talk to outsiders about it. I need to get away from it all and just deal with it on my own. I may not be Lebron, but I'm pretty sure he was feeling the same way.

Then you have David Stern getting all pissed off about him not talking to the media. Dwight Howard goes on ESPN and says that he's hurt for not Lebron shaking his hand. ESNY, I mean ESPN, is covering this situation like he just got found a cure for cancer. It's just annoying!

Leave Lebron alone and Lebron should tell Stern to take his $25,000 and tell him to wipe his ass with it.

Cavs Still Alive!

Well the Cavs did what they had to do for Game 5. The whole team finally showed not just Lebron. The only way they are going to win this series is if they get solid production from the supporting cast. Four of the five starters were in double digits which was huge. Of course, I have to mention Lebron's sick triple double with 37 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists. The fact that he had something to do with every point in the 4th quarter is unreal. He is showing why he is the most valuable player in the league. He is going to do everything in his power to make sure his team does not lose this series. It is going to be a very tough game on Saturday in Orlando, but if they play like they did in game 5, I think we have a good chance.

What Happened to the Cavs!

Once again a Cleveland team dominates during the regular season, but doesn't show up in the playoffs. Being from Cleveland, I have learned never to think that our sports team would actually win a championship. I have no idea what happened to the defensive and the bench contribution. It looks like a completely different team out there and it really makes me mad when I watch them. I hope somehow they win game 5 so they don't get completed embarrassed like they did in the Finals. It seems like there is no stopping Dwight Howard at all. Z gets completed dominated by him and there has to be a point where you have to play Ben Wallace more because he can actually man up and play some defense. Well, all I know is if they don't win a championship this year or next year you can say farewell to the royal King!

Cavs Struggling

I have no idea what is going on with the Cavaliers. I am so dumbfounded how you go from the best team in the NBA to sweeping Detroit and Atlanta to being down one game in the conference finals. No one can blame Lebron in this series. He is doing everything he can to keep this team in the series. He has no help from anyone bench or starters. I have no idea what happen to Mo Williams and Delonte West shot. It seems like they don't know how to play in the playoffs. There is no way the Cavs can beat the Magic without help from other players besides Lebron. It seems like Mike Brown is getting out coached this series. The Cavs have no answer for Dwight Howard or the great three point shooting by the Magic. If the Cavs lose game four there is no doudt in my mind that they will lose the series. Mo Williams guaranteed that the Cavs will win the series so I hope he shows up to back up his statement.

Denver Ties Series with Lakers

Both of the conference finals have been very entertaining to watch. I am glad to see that the Lakers are having a hard time getting past the Nuggets. It seems with each game , both teams come out with a different mentality. The Nuggets beat the Lakers despite the fact that Carmelo had the flu and the worst game of the playoffs. This is a good sign for the Nuggets because this shows they can beat the Lakers without having their star player on his game. The Lakers have to do a better job with their perimeter defense because the Nuggets lit them up behind the three point line. I am fairly sure this series is going to a game 7 and that is when Kobe Bryant shows why he is one of the best players ever to play the game.

Lebron's Sick Shot

This guy is just UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You have to watch this

Cavs Keeps the Brooms Out

The Cavs swept the Atlanta Hawks just like they swept the Detroit Pistons. The Cavs seem like they are not even trying in these playoffs. They have only been tested once in eight games in the playoffs which could be bad, but when they were challenged the team showed that they could handle the diversity and the challenge. The team is playing unbelievable basketball that should get them to the NBA finals. I will admit the Orlando Magic and the Boston Celtics are way better teams then Detroit and Atlanta, but not good enough to beat the Cavs. The Celtics and Magic are going to a game seven which means they will play Sunday. This is great news for the Cavs because they get more then a week rest. This will help all of the little injuries the players have to heal up and make the team at 100% physically and mentally. The other teams will be tired from playing a seven game series, which should make them easier to beat. This is why sweeping the teams you play in the playoffs is so important because a healthy rested team is more likely to win then a tired injured team.

Cavs Undefeated in the Playoffs

What else can I really say about the Cleveland Cavaliers except they are unbelievable this year. The Cavs keep looking stronger and stronger with every game in the playoffs. They look so good that it doesn't even look they are being challenged by the weak teams of the East. It seems like every player on the bench playing or not playing is having fun. There are no arguments or anything like that, they just want each other to be a team and win a championship. It only makes sense that the best team in the NBA has not lost a game in the playoffs. The Cavs are the only team to not lose a game yet and that only shows they are the real deal. Lebron is out of his mind lately and I feel he is so determined to bring a championship back to Cleveland.

Lebron James Gets MVP!

Well finally a Cleveland Cavalier has become a MVP. Lebron James was announced today that he was the leagues MVP. There was no one in the NBA that even compared to Lebron this year. He averaged 28 points, 7 assists and 7 rebounds for the whole season. Those numbers alone says why he deserved to get this amazing award. Not only did he have great numbers, but he lead our team to a franchise best record which was 66-14 and 32-2 at home. Maybe this will be Cleveland on the map to show other doubters that we are good and here to stay. Lebron James is a freak of nature and seems to dominant the NBA without even trying his hardest. This is going to motivate him to perform as a MVP should in the playoffs which is just bad news for Atlanta. The Cavs will start the second round of the playoffs on Tuesday at 8 o'clock at the Quicken Loans arena. I have a feeling Lebron is going to come out the locker room to show everyone why he is the Most Valuable Player of the NBA.

How Long Are The Playoffs?

I have a been a Cleveland Sports fan my entire life and there have not been very many times where I have been fortunate enough to watch my teams be successful in the playoffs.

Luckily, this year the Cavaliers are on an amazing run and it looks like there is the possibility of them playing deep into the playoffs.
Believe me, I am very excited and hoping that this will be the end to the championship drought in the city of Cleveland. We haven't won a championship since 1964 and it's about time that it comes. OOO I forgot, we were indoor soccer champs multiple times in the 90's with the Cleveland Crunch! How could I almost forget that?

I am trying my hardest to enjoy this playoff run and it is the NBA's job of hyping and getting as many viewers as possibly. But, here lies the problem. The playoffs last for almost 2 months. That is absolutely ridiculous! Almost as ridiculous as 8 teams making it in each conference, 16 teams in all, under .500 records and those 16 teams being half the league.

I just think that the playoffs last almost 2 months is ridiculous! What is more ridiculous are first round series being best of 7. The first round should be either eliminated because there are too many teams or they should only be best of 5. Those series are usually not the best basketball and only last 4 or 5 games. I know this year was an exception because Boston-Chicago and Atlanta-Miami went 7 games but the 7th game was lame anyways.

The majority of the time a first round series is over like the Cleveland -Detroit series and the basketball is below average. The worst part about this problem that the NBA is facing with this stretched out playoff system is that the best team in the NBA, the Cleveland Cavaliers (It still makes my heart stop when I hear that and I have to pinch myself), has to sit around and be punished for closing a series out so quickly.

We are not going to play a playoff game for 10 straight games. THAT IS RIDICULOUS! I don't care how good you are, you are going to be rusty after not being competitive for a long period of time. Why should we be punished for doing our business and putting away a much weaker team? Especially a team that shouldn't even be in the playoffs.

The NBA really needs to adjust this playoff system and especially the amount of days off in between games. Your telling me that these world class athletes that have the best facilities and trainers in the world can not play back-to-backs or every other day. That just boggles my mind!

Hey NBA: Shorten the Playoffs and make it more excitting for those teams that actually have a chance of winning it all!

A Salute to the Favorites

While watching the Bulls and Celtics play Game 4 of their first round playoff match-up this afternoon, I got to thinking about past playoff series' I absolutely loved.

Right now, this Bulls/Celts series has been flat out awesome to watch, and it's quickly creeping up my list of best series' I've seen in my lifetime. The list includes Lakers/Kings from 2002, Boston/Cleveland from 2008, Chicago/New York from 1992, etc. Basically, it takes some real dramatic, gritty, transcendant basketball to make this list. I'm talking multiple momentum swings, players you love and truly despise, young players who flip the switch and put themselves on the NBA map, aging veterans who lay it all on the line, and, of course, the All-Stars who turn on the fifth gear. Right now, the Bulls and Celtics have all this going on at once, and it's great.

Going into the series, Boston was the clear favorite, and in my book, still is. They don't need Kevin Garnett to beat the Bulls, who are one of the most inexperienced playoff teams in the bunch. But the Bulls are making the case that they can pull off the upset. When they won today in two overtimes, my brain started spinning, and I thought back to 2007, when the eighth-seeded Golden State Warriors completely shocked the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks in six games in the first round.

Now, this is a seven-seed against a two, but the similarities are there. In '07, I openly pulled for the Warriors. My conclusion after today is that I won't pull for Chicago anymore.

Even though I hate the Celtics, I want them to advance. It's nothing personal against Chicago, but I'd prefer the balance of the NBA to stay exactly where it is.

It's not because it wouldn't be great to see them lose right now and disappear from the collective NBA fan conscious for the summer, but because it would mean another underdog moving on to a series they couldn't handle.

The '07 Warriors got hot at the right time against Dallas, but looked awful and got bounced in five games in the Western Conference Semifinals against Utah. The Jazz dismantled the Warriors and made them look like a J.V. team. It wasn't even close.

Because of that, I want all the favorites to move on and eventually play each other. Underdogs are the most overrated aspect of sports in terms of entertainment value. It goes for literally every sport.

I look at it like this: underdogs winning is like a one-night stand. It feels great in the short term. It's a quick thrill that gets the adrenaline going. But the next day, or in the NBA's case, the next round, it just feels awkward and doesn't seem nearly as worthwhile as the alternative. In this year's NBA playoffs, we don't need upsets.

I mean, wouldn't you rather see the big boys play each other for all the marbles in a month rather than watch this year's Cinderella seven or eight-seed get humbled and destroyed in a four-game sweep by one of said big boys after they shocked a top team early? I know I would.

A song said the waiting is the hardest part. To NBA fans, I say tough luck. Get some patience. The great baskeball you long for is yet to be played. If you stop looking for the early upset, you'll get the memories and highlights you crave. Don't settle for the one-night stand.

Cleveland/Boston, Cleveland/Orlando, Lakers/Portland, Lakers/Denver, Lakers/Cleveland. They're all top seeds, they all have every quality you look for in good, entertaining basketball, and they all need to advance.

Leave the underdogs in the dust.