Cleveland overcomes clunky Pistons surge.
I think I like the games on TNT the most. Charles Barkley’s response to Ernie’s question regarding Sheed’s optimism about flipping the series: “…he must be drinking…Bran is on a mission…” I like Sheed’s optimism, but I personally thing he must’ve said that yesterday, when he was smoking. Maybe that long face is a passive-aggressive ice grill after all. Charles is always talking about Ernie’s big head but his stomach looks like he’s been eating babies. He’s rocking AF1’s with a brown suit! The Wolverine tie-in where iron claws pop out of his fist like a switchblade is hysterical.
Cleveland is now semi-official with Mike Brown as coach of the year. Big up to him; it’s some consolation he’s like the new Lenny Wilkins.
Seeing Big Z run the floor early on the break is crazy. At the start of his career he had some serious health issues that nearly sidelined his career but now he’s playing up to his potential, knocking shots down from just below the arc with consistency. He’s come a long long way. Why Sheed isn’t sticking him on defense is a mystery to me since McDyess isn’t really getting a hand in the big-man-who-never-smiles face. He’s still pretty awkward though because he still can’t move his feet well enough to recover off a broken trap when Sheed and McDyess peel off in opposite directions for wide open shots on the perimeter.
If I already know the Cavs are going to win this but do the Pistons know it too? It’s pretty obvious.
When the Cavs go up by 10 at the end of the first the crowd goes wild like they smell blood. The Pistons are just getting outworked, the Cavs are starting to work them over and the Pistons’ knees are buckling.
Varejao is such a clown. He misses a one foot jumper and then jumps up to get beat down after a “hard” foul on Lebron to draw the T. The slowmo of him laughing in Johnson and Afflalo’s faces afterwards is priceless. Like he’s saying “You got punked, beyotches!” Bron has the green light now and he cranks up the pressure by taking it hard to the hole a couple times and knocking down threes. Detroit’s bleeding profusely and it’s not even the end of the first half!
Stuckey and Bynum are scoring at will against the Cavs guards when they go to the hole. Stuckey is beasting Mo Williams, out muscling him and getting the roll on some heavily contested shots. Stuckey’s even more aggressive than the first game but like the last but he’s not directing the offense enough to execute. Detroit’s big three are as clunky as their counterpart in the auto industry. They’re so frustrated they’re starting to resort to the lowest common denominator: violence. Kwame Brown’s is getting a lotta face time tonight. He probably feels like a sucker for getting mopped on the boards at the end of the half. The Cavs could’ve put the Pistons away when they were up by 17 but didn’t close the door and instead went into the locker room up 14. And only because Delonte West knocks down a shot at the buzzer.
Chuck and Kenny have it right about the Pistons packing it in for Cancun. All Cleveland has to do is stick a fork in them in the second half.
The Heineken “Screaming Room” commerical had me LMFAO the first few times I saw it but now it’s tedious. I don’t usually pay attention to the commercials consciously but something about that one is lodged in my psyche.
The back cut is still working to perfection in the second half for Cleveland every time the Pistons double LeBron, which at this point is way past the point of futility. How many double teams do you figure LeBron’s seen at this point in his relatively short career? They definitely have the killer instinct. They’re sticking the fork into the Pistons even further when they go up 20 early in the second half when the Pistons’ subtle strategy is revealed. They’re luring them into a false sense of security by getting Mike Brown to throw in the subs too early. Curry is even more of a genius than Brown!
The fact that the Pistons do come back, and off the strength of their reserves, exposes what is perhaps Cleveland’s Achilles heel: the bench. The bench can’t get it done and Coach Brown has to bring the starters back. Against a better team this would sink them. Mike Brown’s got a look on his face like “WTF?” What if this were in Detroit? What if Mo Williams would’ve broken his jaw on that concussive pick from J. Maxiell? What if Detroit came back and won it? LOL! No. LMFAO!! Still, the “oh no not again” look of the hushed crowd is priceless however fleeting.
It means nothing for Detroit. They’re officially beyond back-to-the-drawing-board mode, forget rebuilding, Detroit is a scrap yard! The courtside analysis hits the nail on the head in pointing out how it went from bad to worse forDetroit so fast with the trade for Iverson and the fit not being right. The question is will Sheed resign (sic) for less money? What about Tayshunned, can his days in Detroit be numbered? That deal for Maxiell definitely wasn’t a steal, or was it? Will Iverson even be able to make it through next season? Maybe it doesn’t matter since Stuckey is the answer to that question.
More important, what team will Cleveland face in the next round where they’re obviously headed. And how will they handle the pressure of having their bench have to step up to help win games?
This year’s series between the two teams are no where as exciting as their matchups in past years since the two teams are the opposite of what the other used to be. I bet Ben Wallace is really glad now that he got out when he did. What do you think? I think Rodney Stuckey looks more and more like 50 every day the way he’s bullyfooting Cleveland’s backcourt. Derrick Rose and Rajon Rondo are much better than Stuckey who’s a tough customer. Ben Gordon, Andre Miller, and Mike Bibby are tougher.
LeBron James hasn’t had a bad game yet so the rest of the team really hasn’t been tested. Detroit scored less this game than they did last game. LeBron outscored Detroit’s bench and other ridiculously one-sided stats.
This game was like a rolling highlight reel.
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