…and win a LeBron MVP tshirt like the one shown on tthe right. If  you click on Products above, you  can see a closeup of the  shirts. They come  in blue, red, and black and in all sizes.

Ok, pick  the winner of Cavs-Magic game tonight against the spread. The  Cavs are giving 7.5 points according to today’s Plain Dealer. As a tie breaker, pick the total scores of both teams. Good luck. Click  ‘Leave a comment’ below, cast your winner against the  spread and total points and dont forget  to  leave your name and  email  address so we can contact you.

Click here to leave your vote!

Good luck  and  Go Cavs!   

Nick

I think the Cavs are going to beat Orlando
tonight by 11. The final score being 101 to
90. I think they’ll lose the series in Orlando
though because they’ll have given there all
tonight.

This sucks

I was really hoping that Boston would win against Orlando in the previous round because we just don’t match up well against Dwight Howard. Our greatest hope for the rest of the series is that the 3-point shooters on the Magic take the night off and that Dwight Howard remembers that he sucks at free throws. Otherwise there’s no way we can defend them with Zydrunas Ilgauskas making his case for “Slowest Man in the World” and Anderson Varejao fouling out in 20 minutes a night.

Sidenote: Z reminds me of the scene in Jurassic Park where they’re talking about the Brontosaurus not receiving pain signals until a couple seconds after its been attacked. He’s that slow.

Simply put, we need to get to the hoop and finish. We’re not a 3-point shooting team (even when they’re wide open). If we can score points in the paint and get them in foul trouble, then we have a shot of wiping that stupid smirk off of Hedo Turkoglu’s face. Who knows? Maybe Rafer Alston will stop blowing kisses to the referees…

It could happen.

Unfortunately I won’t be around to watch the game since I’m leaving for a field exercise this weekend. I won’t have a clue what’s going on in the series until I get back on Sunday (if we’re still in a series by then). Don’t text me or call me about the game. I don’t want a Cavs loss to add to my misery of sleeping in the mud and hiking around the hills with a 50 lb. pack on.

But until then… 

-Jason “F.ingers crossed” Cocca

Today feels like the beginning of the end for the Cavaliers. The best record in the NBA notwithstanding, only sees us going down in flames. 96% of teams with a 3-1 lead in a 7 game series, go on to win. But, it’s not over til it’s over, I guess.

Why does it feel like we’ve been here before? We have plenty of reasons going all the way back to Red Right 88 but I really dont feel like re-visiting our history today. Instead I want to dwell on the last few moments and overtime of yesterdays game.

This was the turning point of the game. Approximately 15 seconds left in regulation and the Cavs clinging to a 1 point lead. Alston shoots and misses a 3 and Delonte chases down the long rebound. West was pushed by Howard and was sprawling out, reaching for the ball as it trickled off his hand and out of bounds. If he had simply let the ball go out of bounds, it would have been our ball, game over. I’m told by my son, Zak, that it’s very hard to let that ball go in the heat of battle and you try everything in your power to control it. I can’t argue with that, but I sure wish West would have let it go anyway. Suddenly the Magic have the ball back and Lewis hits a huge 3 to give the magic a 2 point lead. NOW COMES THE KICKER..pay attention!!!

Lebron drives the lane with 6 seconds remaining and gets fouled..no doubt that was a foul. He steps to the line for 2 free throws with .5 seconds left. He swishes the first. Steps to the line and shoots..ball bounces on the rim and hangs on the front side for what seemed like an eternity and defying gravity, falls backwards into the net. HERE’S THE PROBLEM! IF that ball had bounced out instead of in, Anderson Varejao was RIGHT THERE to tip the ball in. Did anyone notice that? HE WAS RIGHT THERE to put the ball back in for the WIN, not the tie. Figures! Just another brick in the wall, if you know what I mean. Moniker ‘The Bounce’. You heard it here first. lol

I’m not going to complain about Lebron’s turnovers in overtime. Nor am I gonna criticize Mo, Delonte, Daniel, Z, Wally or Sasha. I am gonna complain a bit about Mike Brown being out-coached. Van Gundy makes all the adjustments while Brown just can’t seem to find the right formula. Is that bad luck or mediocre coaching? How long must it take for us to finally cover their perimeter shooters?

Enough of my thoughts for now. My view is we should be 2-2 in this series with a few right bounces here and there. But man, can the Magic shoot! What do you think? Leave a comment right there *points down* Contest coming for next game. Free Lebron tshirt to the winner who calls the winner against the point spread. Total points as tie breaker.
Go Cavs! Nick

I need to start off with The Indians Blow! (whew got that off my back).

Well, we had Orlando right where we wanted them. We didn’t take a huge lead into halftime and how many of you said ‘I like being down a few rather than blowing a huge lead?’ Other than the first quarter turnovers and sloppy play, the first half was hopeful. The 2nd half was another story. For two years now, the 3rd quarter is like quicksand for the Cavs. No matter the circumstances, they seem to get into negative scoring. The officials didnt help but I’m not going to blame them, even though I thought I saw referee Joey Crawford about to T-up the Cav’s Ben Wallace for snickering on the bench, just like he did Tim Duncan in 2008.

Mo, Delonte, and Z have to wake up from this nightmare. Besides not shooting, they look clumsy on the floor. Bad dribbling, sloppy ball handling and overall poor playing is littering the court in their wake. I feel Lebron is the only one who can be trusted with the ball in his hands. But he has to make his free throws down the stretch. 7 for 12 is not good when the game is on the line. Remember Lebron, they’re free!

On the other hand, Orlando looks like the better team. They space well, pass crisply, shoot extremely well and generally seem to have a plan with their inside-outside theme. The Cavs are playing helter skelter basketball. When I see big Z pumping up 3’s and huffing and puffing as he tries to get back into defensive position after another one of his misses, all I can think of ‘really, is this how Mike Brown envisions this team winning a title?’ Maybe Yao Ming will be pursued by the Cav’s new minority owner, New World Development, a huge Chinese conglomerate (NBA board of trustee’s approval still required). Not a big fan of Yao, but he’s probably one of the top 3 centers in the league right now.

Good luck Tuesday night in Orlando. Do or die once again. My prediction: Cavs pull out a squeaker.

Did we really have to see Helio Castroneves win his 3rd Indy 500? Yawn! This guy has had a great fiscal year. Won Dancing with the Stars last year, beat an evading taxes rap with the US Government, and now the Brickyard 500. Impressive, I guess, but I’m still yawning over here. Danica Patrick would have made it more interesting had she won. She came in 3rd. I wonder if she has some sort of celebratory dance planned ala Brandi Chastain..hmmm. Maybe she would have burned her helmet in jubiliation or punched out Marco Andretti for tailgaiting.

The Indians blow! (did I already say that?)

Come on Cavs, gotta make it happen.

Nick the SportsProfit

Well how do you feel today? Was that roller coaster ride worth the price of admission? I dont know about you but that game about did me in. Every emotion known to humanity was used..not to mention every word in the English language.

If we analyze this came closely, it was practically identical to Game 1. Cavs take big lead into halftime, lose big lead in 3rd quater, continue downfall in 4th quarter and find themselves down by a point with 1 second remaining. Sound familiar? This time, Lebron wasn’t jump balling or passing to his teammates. This was much too serious for such antics.

Cavs ball near midcourt with Mo Williams inbounding. He juked Hedo Turkoglu out of his jock with a quick move to the basket and bounced back out to the 3 point line where Williams delivered a perfect pass. Lebron, poised to shoot upon catching the ball, rose above the defending Turkoglu, and shot a high arcing ball. I swear, it seemed to be airborn for 20 seconds, a slow motion sililoquay where time seemed to stand still..floating but slashing through the air as you saw the red light glow above the basket and the buzzer growl telling us time had expired..as the breathless crowd witnessed the ball rattle through the basket …miraculously tying the series 1-1 heading to Orlando. (Confess, did you jump out of your seat and scream?)

On the 20th anniversary of Michael Jordon’s shot beating the Cavs, this seemed like a redemption shot where we finally get to be the ones shooting arrows through our opponent’s hearts. Lebron was 4 that day and probably riding his Tyco. (or practicing his jumper in the driveway)

For all of you who feel like me, one worn out, cynical, Cleveland sports fan, this game falls into ..well, I don’t think there is a category. Maybe just a new day..a new era. Now we travel to Orlando and see if the momentum can carry us through to one victory in the Magic kingdom and snatch back home court. Savor this day but try to shut down Rashard Lewis. We did a great job on Howard but that won’t be enough. One more hour, one more practice, one more shot, 3 more wins. Give me your input. Yes, we are witnesses but are we believers?

I’m not depressed YET, but I feel those familiar pangs that we Cleveland fans start to feel every time one of our teams get deep in the playoffs. Need I remind you of the Cavs being swept two years ago by San Antonio in the NBA finals or the Indians choke a couple years ago against the Red Sox in the ACLS Championship? How about the Browns..ok nevermind.

Last night was one of the most frustrating games I’ve seen the Cavs play this year. We had a 15 point lead at half and should have cruised to a win. I cracked open another beer at halftime and my buddys and I were all smiles and high 5’s as we threw some brats on the grill.

We watched in horror as the 2nd half developed and Lebron began ball-hogging the rock, dribbling at the top of the key for 15 seconds before hoisting up a 3 ball. At one point he missed 7 consecutive shots which led to a major case of the yips for the rest of the Cavs shooters. Everyone treated the ball like a hot potato….i don’t want it, you take it, mentality. Mo Williams and Delonte West shot a combined 10 for 30 with Williams missing a 15′ prayer at the buzzer for the win.

The philosophy seemed to change after halftime. The sharp crisp passes ceased to exist, ball movement was stagnant, and everyone separated so James could orchestrate alone. One on 5 basketball never succeeds. I trust the coaching staff can come up with a strategy that consists of more than James waiting for 3 seconds on the clock and hoist. Attack Howard in the paint early and get him in foul trouble early. Dish off to the wing shooters off the drives. Get everyone involved.

The first 24 minutes of the game were a thing of beauty with teamwork, passing and good shooting. The last 24 minutes seemed like a 180 degree different game. Come on guys, have a clue and play like you have for the past 90 games, not like that last one.

Well, Sports Time Ohio has its work cut out for them. They’ve contracted to show all the Tribe games this year and I’m sure they’re going to have a difficult time selling advertising for this team. STO is slowly becoming a first class organization but having the Tribe derail this early in the seaon has to hurt their future revenue.

Not just Sports Time Ohio, but the announcers are getting cranky. Rick Manning is showing his disgust for the results on the field and has become sarcastic on-air. Hopefully the Indians can turn it around or at least find a new player to introduce to the team that will bring some appeal. I thought LaPorta might provide that spark but Wedge won’t play him consistently.

In the meantime, keep up the good work Sports Time Ohio. If I have one major criticism, it would be that they dont keep the score posted on the TV screen at all times. It’s as if they are afraid the viewers will change stations if they see the score (and the Indians behind again). Is that the deal?

Some random thoughts today. The Cavs had to be licking their chops after seeing Game 7 between the Magic-Celtics. Orlando looked good breaking out to a 20 point lead at halftime but a listless and tired Celtics team pulled within 4 before the Magic held them off to win handily. Even though the Cavs dont match up particularly well with the Magic, they are the best challenge for us. If the Celtics had been our opponent and we beat them, we’d hear that they wern’t full strengh with Garnett being out. So drawing the Magic is a good thing..for now.

The Indians…Where do I start? I dont want to blame the manager, Eric Wedge, but you have to question his decisions. Ryan Garko playing left field is NOT a good idea. If you saw him butcher that ball Sunday you know what I mean. Sizemore is still batting first when he should be batting 3rd. Also, you have to look at the luck factor. The Indians have not caught a break yet. Bad calls against them and bad karma around them. Maybe some garlic beads and cosmic intervention will help…and some good bullpen pitching. Anyway, I’m still keeping the faith, at least until June.

Just as we thought it couldnt get worse, the Tribe blows a 7-0 lead and loses 8-7 on a walk off homer in the 9th by the Ray’s BJ Upton. Wedge’s frustration got him thrown out in the 4th when he argued a play at the plate. Replays proved DeRosa was safe and Wedge went off on the umpire..rightly so. The bullpen, namely Jensen Lewis and Luis Viscaiano this time, completely blew this game. Anthoney Reyes pitched ok and deserved a better fate. But honestly, our starters have to go 7 innings..not 5 1/3. Slowly the Rays came back with a run here and there, a homer here and there and finally Upton’s blast off Viscaiano in the bottom of the ninth won it. Viscaiano? Really? Another washed up pitcher off the junk pile. If the Indians had any balls, they’d go after Pedro Martiniz (who I hate) and get rid of the Dulluci’s and the Lewis’s and the Viscaiano’s of the team. And while I’m venting, are we really going to keep Aaron Laffey in the bullpen when we can use a solid pitcher on the starting staff?

Thankfully, Sowers was sent back to the minors (his days with the organization may be numbered now) but the braintrust (I use that term lightly) are keeping Laffey in the pen still. All I have to ask is why? We are making one bonehead move after another and becoming the laughing-stock of baseball. If you can’t get the job done, Shapiro, then hand it off to someone who can!