blogsketball

The second-best group from Cleveland is visiting the Clippers tonight and I, for one, am a little bit excited. This is the first time I’ve gotten to see the Cavs since the finals and despite their rep for being a boring team to watch, I really enjoy them. For the most part it’s Lebron, but I’ve always liked watching defensive-minded teams. I’ve also got a bit of a soft-spot for the Clippers, the league’s perennial underdogs/underachievers. I just want to see them be consistently good.

First quarter highlights:

Drew Gooden shoots way too much. He always disrupts the Cavs’ offensive flow. He’s not good enough to be a second scoring option, but that’s how he plays. He reminds me of when Damon Stoudamire was on the Blazers. He’d get the ball and I’d kind of cringe, knowing that he’ll probably miss or turn it over. “Give it to Pip or ‘Sheed…damn, he threw it away again.” … Lebron is unstoppable when he beats his man off the dribble … Big Z is Chris Kaman from the future. “Chris, it’s future Chris…don’t let Coach drink the coffee. It’s poisoned.” Really, they play such a similar game. They just traded flat-footed dunks.

Second Q

Lebron with a big two-handed windmill. … Magette is such a scorer, 18 points at the end of the half … Dan Dickau sighting! He just stripped Gooden down low. Then he flipped his curly locks at the crowd. Pantie throwing has begun … Sam Cassell is a warrior. He’ll play until he’s 65. He just just threw up a nice tear drop in the lane … Devin Brown ends the quarter with an end-to-end run. Buzzer-beaters are neat … Lebron picks up his third foul late in the quarter … All the hate I gave Gooden in the first quarter probably isn’t justified. He finishes the half with 12 and 12. Also, I saw a funny interview with him the other day. He’s not as bad as Damon Stoudamire.

PS3 is selling for $399. Is it irresponsible to buy one? If anyone who reads this has one, leave a comment and let me now if it’s worth it.

Great stat: In the first six games, the Cavs have held the opposing starting sf to 10 points, 5 boards and 3 assists.

Quarter #3

James opens with a sweet drive that ends with a big scooping-finger roll … Boobie Daniels (hee hee) is fast … Cavs come out strong in the third. This team can run. They’re doing a great job of pushing the ball and catching the Clips sleeping in transition … Z is a crafty rebounder. He keeps finding himself in the right position to get the ball … Cassell does the Reggie Miller pump-fake from 22 feet and draws the foul on Boobie. I can’t stand that. Reggie’s legacy: a cheap move and bad shooting-form. Take that, Pacer fans … Midway through the third and the Clips are making it interesting, coming within four after a 9-0 run … Bron with a great block, then he takes it end to end and muscles the lay up … All LA offense is going through Kaman. Interesting fact: Kaman owns a small island in the south pacific that is inhabited by club-wielding men who wear tiger-skin togas. It’s like the Flintstones without the hilarious. I asked if I could visit but my forehead doesn’t cover enough of my eyes … Clips by 3 at the end of the q.

Now it’s time for the last quarter

During the break, a Clipper cheerleader hit a backwards, halfcourt shot … Inappropriate commentator remark: “that’s three in the key as Paul Davis pitches a tent down low” … Kaman gets the and-1 on a nice reverse and Z gets a T for spiking the ball off the basket support. Four point possession, clips by one, 8 mins left … Cleveland has a great defensive possession a couple mins later and it ends up in a Damon Jones fastbreak layup. They collapsed on the ball three times on that possession and forced a turnover. LA timeout. Nicely done … After the break, Cavs do the same thing again, forcing two more turnovers and getting 4 points in transition. 9 point lead five mins left … Commentators are talking about how much experience this team gained last year and I have to agree. They don’t come across as a young team, they play like winners, knowing exactly what they need to do to win. Mind you it’s only the 7th game of the season, they’re playing the Clippers and they were 3-3 coming in to this game, but they seem like a better team than last year … It’s Z’s world in the fourth … Lebron is guarding Cassell and doing a good job with him. He just poked the ball out of bounds … Final score 103 - 95. Gooden - 18 pts 17 rebs, James - 22 pts, 8 assists, 5 rebs, 6 steals, Z - 25 and 6. For LA, Cassell - 28 pts 5 assists, Maggette - 25 and 11 rebs, Kaman - 28, 8 rebs, 3 blocks.

Good game. Cleveland really came together at the end of the fourth and won with their D.

Also, the best group to come out of Cleveland…Bone Thugs N Harmony. See you at the Crossroads.