Game One? Spurs Win? Done and Done
Some thoughts on last night’s game:
1. Every analyst last night thought that Game 1 was going to be Cleveland’s best chance to defeat the Spurs because of the ‘rust’ factor. I thought the Spurs would break the 90 point barrier. Well, we were both wrong. I may have underestimated the rust factor (obviously evident during the 2-for-15 shooting drought in the second quarter), but the analysts seriously overplayed it. If you go back and check on this Spurs team, they are the oldest in the league. These are seasoned veterans. Even their youngest big minutes guy, Parker, has been playing professionally since he was 16. The majority of these guys have been playing in big games for a long time (Oberto, Ginobili, Duncan, Parker, Barry, Horry, Bowen, and even Vaughn to a degree). This is a team that needed rest more than regular playing time. With the combination of the coaching and experience, they were more than ready to play a finals game. Sure there was some rust, but not nearly as much as the analysts expected. I still say that the Cavs best chance to win is Game 3 where they ride the wave of fan support.
2. The Spurs fans were not very loud last night, which was somewhat disappointing. Perhaps they’ve grown accustomed to winning, or they just don’t realize how much louder they need to be. Remember, this is a group of fans that, at one time, used to pack the Alamodome with 35,000 people for NBA Finals games. I don’t think they have ever fully recovered from those moments. I am expecting more from them on Sunday night.
3. Can we stick a fork in Larry Hughes for the season? I know Cavs fans would probably like to see it. Hughes cannot move. At all. I’m being serious. Tony Parker looked like he was jogging and was easily cruising by Hughes. I am wondering why Mike Brown is not giving Daniel (I’m not calling him Boobie) Gibson more minutes.
4. If there is some concern about his ability to defend, hello, stick him on Bowen. LeBron should be on Parker full time. Coach Brown also needs to run more pick-and-pops run Big Z or Drew Gooden to try to get them going early. Gooden is a spaz. (Sorry, just felt like throwing that in there). The only way he is effective at all is if he is included offensively.
(Sidebar: I really cannot see why they Cavs signed him to a long-term deal. He is a complete liability defensively. I’m pretty sure Jeff Van Gundy wanted to kneecap him by the end of the game).
5. Can we please get rid of the ‘motion-sickness’ cam that ABC uses? I feel like my ninth Jaeger-Bomb shot just settled every time that camera is running. I’m not sure if I am seeing straight, and there is a 78% chance that I might throw up. I do not know if it is actually called the ‘motion sickness’ cam, or not. There may be several other names for it, like ’storm on the seas’ cam, ’stood up to fast’ cam, ‘lets spin real fast in circles’ cam, ‘proud drug induced soccer mom’ cam, “Wile E. Coyote after getting hit with Acme anvil’ cam, ‘beer olympics frat boy’ cam or what, but it is seriously making me ill. I just got dizzy thinking about it.
6. One more question, did anybody else notice that Jon Barry may have spent a little too much time on the Riverwalk leading up to Game 1? I felt like I was looking at John Candy in Summer Rental* after the beach scene. Man, he was red.
Game 2 prediction: Spurs 87 - Cavs 83
*Editor’s Note: Obscure 1980’s movie references like this is why God invented Netflix. Sure, you are thinking that God did not invent Netflix. But God invented man, who, in turn, invented Netlix. “Ipso facto,” God invented Netflix. That’s right, I hit you with an obscure movie quote (White Goodman, Dodgeball) while discussing my previous obscure movie reference (Summer Rental). Take that.
