Thursday 5/31

Cleveland v Detroit (Cavaliers up 3-2) – What a game! A performance for the ages by LeBron James has Cleveland on the precipice of their first trip to the Finals in franchise history. Bron (48 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists & 2 steals) was unreal, and if you didn’t see it live, I recommend you take it in on ESPN Classic in the near future. James scored his club’s last 11 field goals, 25 points and 29 of their last 30 points taboot. Included in that were multiple deep off-balance jumpers, several rim rattling explosive dunks and a very key steal for good measure. Other heroes for the Cavs were Eric Snow, who in eight minutes of total work had two key steals in the last 1:54 of regulation, and played tough defense on Chauncey Billups down the stretch and in both overtimes. Anderson “The Agitator” Varejao had two MASSIVE blocks in the final :13 seconds of the 2nd overtime (one on a Rasheed Wallace turnaround and a slight deflection of Billups’ floater as time expired). Lost in all of this is that Cleveland finally played a good 3rd quarter for the first time all series.

I can’t shake the feeling that when “Mr. Big Shot” says, “We've been here before a lot of times. We've got to lock in and win one game.”, that he’s actually trying to convince himself and his teammates of that more than the media/public anymore. The Pistons had plenty of chances to win this game but their once unflappable chemistry as a unit seems to be fracturing apart right before our eyes. Detroit’s defensive scheme on LeBron’s game winning layup with 2.2 seconds left looked like the parting of the Red Sea to me. Where was the immediate double team to get the ball out of his hands? I mean, the guy had only scored 23 straight at that point. What makes it even more curious is that the Pistons have had a bunch of success in the last two games with their half court zone/trap. In Game 5 they also got off to a great start by employing a full court press/trap. I’d rather not waste a bunch of time on this, but the look on Detroit coach Flip Saunders’ face tells the tale. He seems to be wilting under the pressure, and if not, his demeanor surely doesn’t exude confidence to his squad.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that the NBA has a chance to breathe life into mass conspiracy theories by suspending Antonio McDyess for his blatant clothesline of Varejao late in the first quarter. I think the referees made the proper call last night (Dyess made NO play on the ball), but I can’t say I have any idea if the league office will follow suit. I’m of the mind that tossing him from the game was punishment enough, and I can only hope that Stu Jackson agrees with me.

If you thought this series was getting testy, just wait until Saturday. Expect the Pistons to pull out all of their “veteran tricks” and be focused like a laser beam right from the start. That’s why the Cavs need to be careful in Game 6. It’s very easy to fall into the trap of thinking the series is over when you have a close out game at home after a big win on the road. Cleveland *must* engrain it into their collective consciousness that they really haven’t accomplished anything yet. It’s one thing to say you’re thinking that way, it’s another entirely to really have that mentality. Even though I hate to type this, something tells me that we are heading back to Detroit for Game 7.