In honor of a certain namesake (and because there's a remarkably gay photo of Dice and Lindsey doing the Mississippi Belly Bump), I add this story by one Roscoe Nance:

[USA Today]

Pistons trample Cavaliers 113-86 to take 1-0 lead in second-round series
The Cavs faced little defensive resistance in defeating the Washington Wizards in six games to reach the Eastern Conference semifinals for the first time in 13 years. But it was a different story against the Pistons, the defending conference champions who posted a league-best 64-18 record this season.

"We got our behinds kicked," Cleveland coach Mike Brown said.

[Detroit News]

Chris McCosky's Game 2 preview
The burden of adjustment is obviously on the Cavaliers for Game 2, but don't think for a minute the Pistons were wracking their brains to come up with counters.

"I haven't thought about that at all," Chauncey Billups said. "They will make adjustments, but really, it's about us and what we do well. Whatever they are going to do, we've seen it before. Teams have tried a lot of different things to combat us over the last few years. We've seen it all and it won't take us long to adjust to whatever they're going to do."

Dumars: Re-signing Ben is top priority
AUBURN HILLS -- You never really know with Pistons president Joe Dumars, but he might have been sending a message to all the teams that might be harboring a desire to pry Ben Wallace away from the Pistons this summer.

Don't waste your time.

Pistons weren't sole factor in defeat
Brown said he will stay with a small lineup to try and match the Pistons' speed in transition and get the offense going. He said his team isn't in a state of panic and has the guts to even the series.

"Teams that don't have any hope are the team's that aren't going anywhere," Brown said. "We have guys that can respond."

The King's Court
"Sometimes in the past, where something might make me lose focus or I would go home after a game where I thought I could have played better and I would let it hang over my head for a long time when it shouldn't," James said. "But now, being a parent, I go home and see my son and I forget about any mistake I ever made or the reason I'm upset.

"I get home and my son is smiling or he comes running to me. It has just made me grow as an individual and grow as a man."

Second place doesn't suit James
Cavs center Zydrunas Ilgauskas had his own theory on why James didn't get the nod in his third season as a pro.

"Maybe they (media voters) are afraid to give it to him," Ilgauskas said. "Because if you give it to him now, what are you going to do for the next 10 years? You know he's not going to get any worse."

Best bet
Because of the early 7 p.m. start, fans are asked to give themselves extra time because of anticipated traffic jams.

Giveaway item: The first 10,000 fans will receive a free hard hat, courtesy of Rock Financial.

LeBron, free-throw line should be no-talk zone
Sorry, but this bordered on punk behavior. Even the newly crowned King should not be given a free pass on this.

Once the player is at the line, no opponent should be able to approach him. Snicker at him, jaw at him, say anything you want, but don't go near him, and certainly, don't whisper in his ear. There's no rule -- none that I could find -- that enforces such a rule, but it seems like the decent thing, especially during the playoffs.

You've got game if you have a Chauncey jersey
Sure enough, Pistons jerseys -- especially ones with Chauncey Billups' name on the back --are the leading must-have items as fans stock up on team merchandise during the cagers' latest run in the playoffs, according to merchants.

Fandemonium
At home in West Bloomfield, he is Jacob Binke, first-grader at Gretchko Elementary.

In the NBA world, he's Jake the Dancing Kid.

[Detroit Free Press]

Coach hopes film study helps
"We have to do a better job contesting the shots," Brown said. "They did hit some tough shots, but we have to do better. We're not going to sit back and say, 'Oh well, they hit tough shots and that was it.' We have to figure out a way how to contest a little bit harder, a little bit closer, a little bit better and hope they miss some of those shots that they hit last night."

Plan for Game 2: Just forget Sunday
"We obviously could have some slipups," Billups said. "And if we do, it might not just be us, it might be them just playing great. But we learn from those situations. We talked about that in the Milwaukee series last week, and in that Game 2, we came out aggressive and played pretty good. We're going to come out and be aggressive and do the things we do."

Still, the Pistons expect more from Cleveland tonight. They expect LeBron James to fight for more transition baskets. They expect him to use the running game to get foul calls and take more than the two free-throw attempts he had Sunday.

Secretary of defense
o other player has won the award four times in five seasons, as he has. Only one other player -- Dikembe Mutombo -- has four to his name at all. One more, and Wallace can share the other four trophies with each of the Pistons' starters, guys he credits for helping him earn the recognition in the first place.

MICHAEL ROSENBERG: Cavs hope sequel mirrors original
Before Michael Jordan completed his ascent, he lost three straight playoff series to the Bad Boy Pistons. Those Pistons had much in common with the current group. They had balanced scoring, led by a quick, clutch-shooting, first-team all-league point guard. They won their first championship after acquiring a talented, much-maligned forward in a midseason trade. (Mark Aguirre was the pickup then; Rasheed Wallace was acquired in 2004 in a steal that can only be described as "felonious.")

Playoff dunk
Game 2 TODAY
At Detroit, 7 p.m.
TV: TNT

Game 3 SATURDAY
At Cleveland, 8 p.m.
TV: ABC

Game 4 MONDAY
At Cleveland, 7 p.m.
TV: TNT

[Akron Beacon Journal]

Plan of attack
The Cavs can't beat the Pistons if they make 15-of-22 3-pointers and shoot 60 percent, as happened during the guts of the 113-86 loss Sunday. Drastically changing their game plan due to one magical shooting game, however, would be falling into the Pistons' trap.

"They shot the ball well and they did great, but their staple is defense and that's how we're going to win games,'' Cavs guard Eric Snow said. "They can say all they want about offense and guys shooting and scoring, but as you progress in each round, their defensive intensity picks up.''

TERRY PLUTO: Cavs show LeBron franchise can win if he stays
James has never said much about his future plans, other than he likes playing here and has expressed little interest in leaving.

The bottom line will be this question: Can the Cavaliers seriously contend -- and eventually win a title? Do they have the ownership and front office to make it happen?

Big Ben big obstacle for Cavs
"You have to be aggressive when you go to the hole because he's capable of blocking your shot or stripping you,'' Cavaliers star LeBron James said of Wallace.

"He is the key to this train they've got going, especially defensively.... He is the best defender in the league.''

[Booth Newspapers]

Cavs hope Pistons cool off from 3-point range
And while the temptation to shoot more 3-pointers may be there again tonight, Pistons head coach Flip Saunders said his players will be able to resist.

"The threes we made early were inside-outside basketball (passing from the interior back out to the perimeter)," Saunders said. "We've learned to understand what is a good three, what is not a good three."

A. SHERROD BLAKELY: Game 2 preview
You might as well put a "Property of LeBron James" label on the free throw lines in Game 2, because that's exactly where he'll be most of the night. He only had two free throws in Game 1. He'll have more than that in the first two minutes in Game 2. Tayshaun Prince was quick to give credit to his teammates for their help in defending Bron-Bron, but let's keep it real for a minute. It wasn't Tay's teammates who got back and swatted Bron-Bron's bunny lay-up away. And it wasn't his teammates who showed that if you make LeBron work a little harder on defense, it just might take a little somethin-somethin' away from his game at the other end of the floor. Still, Bron-Bron is going to make a major impact on the game tonight, just like he has every playoff game he's been in. If he scores less than 30, Tay had a good night defensively. EDGE: CLEVELAND

Wallace takes defensive play to another level with another award
AUBURN HILLS -- Hall of Fame center Bill Russell is expected to present the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year award to Detroit center Ben Wallace tonight before the Pistons' playoff game against Cleveland.

It's fitting, considering Russell embodied all the attributes needed to be a great defensive center during the 1950s and '60s.

[Detroit Bad Boys]

Why the rest of the series will be competitive
Of course, I'm still banking on a Detroit victory — if this thing goes longer than five games, I'll be awfully disappointed. But the above four factors helped create something of a perfect storm for the Pistons on Sunday, and I just don't think it'll be quite this easy the rest of the way.

[Need4Sheed.com]

Ben Wallace Defensive Player of the Year Wallpaper
New Ben Wallace Defensive Player Of The Year Wallpaper located in the Wallpapers section of the website. Available in Widescreen and Standard resolutions.

[Fox Sports]

CHARLEY ROSEN: How LeBron can get back on track
On many, if not most, of LeBron's possessions, the Pistons simply triangulated him: James usually received the ball on the right side of the court anywhere from a step above the baseline to the vicinity of the nearest elbow, i.e., the meeting of the foul line and the lane marker. While Prince played him tightly (thereby discouraging any easy jumpers), a Pistons guard assumed a zone-position near the elbow, while a big man crossed the lane to a legal spot near the right box. This alignment offered Prince support whether James drove right or left — and was the same tactic that the Pistons had employed in their regular-season meetings with Cleveland.

The worst trade in Cavaliers history

Before he was an assistant on Flip Saunders' coaching staff, and before he won any of his five rings as a player with the Bulls and Lakers, Ron Harper was once a rising star with the Cavaliers. Born and raised in Ohio, he led his hometown team in scoring as a rookie, scoring 22.9 points [...]

David Stern throws ABC under the bus

Look, I've repeatedly said that I don't have a problem with the Pistons/Bucks series being played on NBA TV; it was godawful boring when compared with the ball being played in at least 6 of the remaining 7 series. And I'm willing to shrug off the 6:00pm start time to the Pistons clincher in [...]

He is a lawyer after all...

Jake Gone Wild!

So yeah, Jake the Dancing Kid.
I wasn't planning on touching that article since I have mixed feelings about the whole thing, but now I don't have to — YAYsports! did for me.
I know Jake the Dancing Kid is supposed to be cute, and I'm sure he brings the house down when he [...]

I fear that Jake may succumb to the same pressure that ruined many a child star. What happens when he gets older and some other little kid is dancing with no shirt on, stealing his limelight? Is this how streakers are born?

It’s wrong. It’s even more wrong they show it on TV. It is disturbing. So are the Spare Tires. I’m sure a qualified psychologist could explain how this behaviour is textbook post-brawl fallout.



50% off Links! Everything must go!

BootlegSports says the Pistons Getting Away With Murder.
Farlane racks his brain and comes up with a list of Things Faster than Antoine Walker.
Sam Anderson thinks the NBA playoffs aren't as fun without Kobe Bryant.

Getting away with murder article is a must read.

Counterprogramming: Why the series won?t be competitive

I understand that Game 1 of Cavs v. Pistons was a bit off the script. I doubt very many people expect a repeat performance of the 27 point pimpslap laid upon the Cavs Sunday. But just as Matt supplied the reasons why this series could be more competitive moving forward, I'll supply some [...]

Pistons-Cavs: Game 2

Pistons 97, Cavs 91
Recap to follow, but feel free to get the discussion started in the comments.

[Associated Press]

Wallace Pumps Pistons to a 2-0 Lead
UBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) -- LeBron James almost made the Detroit Pistons regret getting bored. James scored 23 of his 30 points in the second half, but Rasheed Wallace had 29 points and Tayshaun Prince added 20 to lead Detroit to a 97-91 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night - and a 2-0 lead in their second-round series.

Comeback Gives Cavs Some Hope
"It showed that we can play with them," Cavs center Zydrunas Ilgauskas said of Cleveland's second-half comeback fueled by LeBron James, who scored 23 of his 30 points after halftime. "Now, we've got to play with them for the entire game."

[Detroit News]

HOLDING ON: Pistons overcome lax effort, Cavaliers rally
The Pistons won this game with their leading scorer -- Richard Hamilton -- making one field goal. Fifteen of his 17 points came from the free-throw line. They were outrebounded 51-38. They gave up 17 second-chance points. The Cavaliers shot better (44 percent to 41 percent) and made more field goals, 35-28.
At one point late in the third quarter, the Cavs had one more field goal and 12 more rebounds than the Pistons, but were losing by 19.

James' patience pays dividends in Cavaliers' late comeback
James did what he does best late in the game when the Cavaliers needed him most. He turned up his game another notch and took advantage of what Pistons coach Flip Saunders called his mistake when he left his starters in in the second half.

The Pistons, Saunders said, looked and played a bit fatigued, which he suggested might have contributed to the Cavaliers' late, spirited run.

No disrespect intended
The Pistons were surprised and mildly amused that the Cavaliers went to the Hack-a-Ben strategy in the first half, but they didn't think it was in any way a dirty or disrespectful ploy.

"I just thought it was going to be a real long game," coach Flip Saunders said. "I don't think it was a matter of them trying to show anybody up. You do what you think you have to do to win the game. (Cavs coach) Mike (Brown ) felt that was something they needed to do."

Game report
The Pistons had a huge advantage from the foul line. They made 31 of 42 to 15 of 22 for Cleveland. The advantage was Cleveland's in second-chance points, with 17 to 11 for the Pistons. Cleveland had 13 offensive rebounds. The Pistons had five.

Three stars
Rasheed Wallace, Pistons: Cleveland apparently isn't convinced that the big man can shoot from behind the arc.
?He did it again, making 5 of 8 three-pointers, and led the Pistons with 29 points in 41 minutes. He also had nine rebounds and two blocked shots, and did not have a turnover.

Russell praises Big Ben
"Players have tendencies. In order to counter them, you have to understand their tendencies. So that when a guy gets to that same spot, his first step is to go to the next spot. If you know where that next spot is, you can cut him off at the pass. I watch him do that and I enjoy it."

[Akron Beacon Journal]

TERRY PLUTO: Better, but not good enough
The Cavs lost this game early as the first quarter was another 16-point disaster, just as in Game 1. They had a three-second call, a five-second call and a 24-second call.

All in the first nine minutes. All utterly unnecessary.

Consider that the five-second call came after the Cavs called timeout, set up a play -- and then guard Eric Snow could not get the ball inbounds.

Cavs' run might pay dividends later
Using a zone defense and trapping entry passes to the post, the Cavs were able to force the Pistons to take jump shots out of rhythm. On offense, the Cavs isolated James to make it harder for the Pistons to double-team him, and it left James freedom to find space for drives and pick-and-rolls.

The Cavs outscored the Pistons 31-19 in the fourth quarter and held them to 31 percent shooting in the second half. James scored 23 of his 30 points after halftime and filled the stat sheet with 14 rebounds and seven assists.

Russell's prophecy is worth fulfilling
Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell, an 11-time NBA champion, said if the Cavs surround LeBron James with quality teammates, "He's the guy who can come closest to our domination.''

Wow! [But right now, he's surrounded by Pistons.]

[USA TODAY]

Pistons hold off pesky Cavs in the fourth quarter for 97-91 victory
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — The Detroit Pistons went back to their roots, hard-nosed defense, Tuesday night to turn back the Cleveland Cavaliers 97-91 and take a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series.

[NBA.com]

Pistons Start Fast, Hold Off Cavs For 2-0 Lead
AUBURN HILLS, Mich., May 9 (Ticker) --The Detroit Pistons are threatening to turn the Eastern Conference semifinals into a very short series.

Rasheed Wallace scored 29 points to lead a balanced attack as the Pistons again asserted themselves early and demoralized the Cleveland Cavaliers with a 97-91 victory that opened a 2-0 series lead.

Postgame photos and quotes
Flip Saunders: “We go to Cleveland, its 2-0. No one’s going to keep track of what the score is in the game, its 2-0. We did what we had to do at home, now we know we’re going to go there. So for us, they did some things we’ll look at and there’s some things that we can evaluate and probably do a little bit better, and I’m sure there’s things that they’re going to evaluate and think they can do better.”

On the fourth quarter: “Whichever team is the most aggressive is the team that’s going to make runs and I thought that they got aggressive and we didn’t. As a coach, I took a calculated gamble trying to have our starters start the fourth and maybe try and push it up. Our guys, there’s no question, they were tired in the fourth quarter.”

[The Mighty MJD]

Pistons 2, Cavs 0

Not really a lot to say about this one. The one positive for the Cavs is that they were able to make the game somewhat close at the end, which will hopefully build a little confidence for them in Game Three. The other good news is that they’ve got a few days to rest, change up the gameplan, find different ways to get LeBron involved… The bad news is that none of that is going to matter, because they still have to play the Detroit Pistons, and they aren’t good enough to beat them.

[Detroit Free Press]

King Pinned
Saunders can take the blame if he wants, but there's another theory that seems to make sense. Up big at home, the Pistons just let up, assuming the game was over.

"We had the game going so good through three quarters that I thought we got a little relaxed," said Chauncey Billups, who scored 15 points but shot 4-for-13. "We kind of went away from our defensive schemes and LeBron started to hurt us."

Playoff dunk
Larry Hughes missed 7 of 11 shots and fouled out in the fourth. Damon Jones' leopard-skin jacket is making more noise.

DREW SHARP: Rasheed is straw that stirs the Pistons
Nobody else has frustrated the Cavs more than 'Sheed through the first two games.

"There's no question in my mind that he's the most talented big in the game," Lindsey Hunter said. "There are times when I think he might be too talented for his own good. And you could see this team gradually taking his personality as much as anybody else's. He's our edginess."

MITCH ALBOM: If you can't attack, you can always hack
Look, if you don't want to play, you don't have to. But don't start hacking Ben Wallace. In the second quarter? If that's the best the Cleveland Cavaliers can come up with, maybe they should rethink this whole second-round thing.

True, they were already trailing by 20. And yes, they were clearly out of ideas. They had already used the 24-second violation, the five-second violation and the three-second violation. There's not much left. Maybe pass interference.

Here we go again. Some might see this as desperate, but I assure you it is not.

We've got dozens of registered members who read the news, and don't post. Members who have never introduced themselves, asked a question, come out of the shell. You know who you are.

This is a fan driven site. There are no ads. There are no fees. We don't email you or give out your email address. And several of us give up our valuable personal time to present the news to you.

All I ask in return, is that you pay it forward. Kick back to us some love. Introduce yourself. Say hi. Rant about Flip. Poopoo on Mo Evans. Remind us what Darko is up to.

I've pleaded a few times, and with the exception of two members (out of dozens and dozens), we've got no feedback. And on a night like tonight, while I scrape the walls of cyberspace, marvelling at the daily precision of news posters like Zoso and LanierFan, question why we gather the news for strangers.

So please, give a little back. 5 minutes of your life to show you appreciate the news and want to keep it going every single day. It's a small price to pay for the quality of team news we provide that other teams' fan sites do not enjoy.

With that said, HERE WE GO....




A real hack job
Fouling backfires on Cavs, and Pistons survive late comeback
by DANA GAURUDER

AUBURN HILLS - The NBA's TV partners want a LeBron-A-Thon. What they're getting is a Hack-A-Thon.

LeBron James and his befuddled Cleveland Cavaliers teammates are so helpless guarding the Pistons at times, they have to resort to fouling. Hack-A-Ben, Hack-A-Sheed, Hack-A-Rip, Hack-A-Dude Wearing White.


Cavs' Hack-A-Ben strategy doesn't work
by DANA GAURUDER

AUBURN HILLS - Ben Wallace looked down and shook his head.

"Second quarter?" he said. "I don't know, man."

That's when Cleveland coach Mike Brown told his players to start intentionally fouling the league's worst free-throw shooter. That strategy has been used many times since Wallace joined the Pistons.


Pistons hold off Cavs
Quick, someone find anyone who can help out LeBron
by KEITH LANGLOIS

AUBURN HILLS - This market report brought to you by Pistons' presenting sponsor Rock Financial, a Quicken Loans company: Mortgage rates could be affected as lender extraordinaire Dan Gilbert could be forced to borrowing mode.

Gilbert, who made his millions after founding Quicken upon graduation from Michigan State and who bought the Cleveland Cavaliers at an age when most men are trying to scrape together enough money for a paddle boat, is forced to such action in a desperate attempt to keep the Cavs alive longer than the four games the NBA is still foolishly insisting their playoff series with the Detroit Pistons must last.

Dan Gilbert is a poor man's Mark Cuban. I like Cuban. I don't like Gilbert. It ain't right that Rock Financial is the presenting sponsor. Is LeBron going to get courtside seats at the Palace again this year during the late rounds? We'll be sick of him 10 fold by then.




Pistons survive furious Cavs' rally, win Game 2 97-91
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
By A. Sherrod Blakely

AUBURN HILLS -- The Detroit Pistons have seen teams intentionally foul center Ben Wallace when the Pistons have taken big leads.

But in the first half, of a playoff game?

Yes, the Cleveland Cavaliers got that desperate on Tuesday, all but waving a white flag before halftime.

Actually Sherrod, they were trying to disrupt the Pistons. Not the best idea but a rookie coach doesn't have all the answers in his first playoff run.

Wallace humbled by comparison to Bill Russell
by A. Sherrod Blakely

AUBURN HILLS -- Picking up his fourth NBA Defensive Player of the Year award wasn't the only honor Ben Wallace received on Tuesday night.

Presenting him with the award before the Detroit Pistons' 97-91 victory against Cleveland was Bill Russell, an 11-time NBA champion who is regarded as one of the greatest defensive players ever.

"It means a lot because people say he's the game's best defensive player ever, and he's got more (championship) rings than anybody," Wallace said. "It's more surprising and humbling that people are comparing me to him than the fact that I just won this for the fourth time."

Ben has a lot more class than Chauncey. I can just imagine Chauncey saying, "yeah, Bill Russel was great, but I'm great too! Right D Hall?"

Playoff Primer

Highlights of the Detroit Pistons' 97-91 NBA playoff victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers Tuesday:

Key play: After Cleveland cut Detroit's lead to five points late, Pistons guard Richard Hamilton was fouled while making his only field goal with less than a minute to play. The Pistons' lead wasn't threatened again.

Hero: Detroit forward Rasheed Wallace got it going early and had a team-high 29 points on 10-for-17 shooting from the field.




Jumper reliance might be Detroit's flaw
by Brian Windhorst

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- It took the Cavaliers a game and a half to finally find a glitch in the Pistons' engine.

It was too late to save Game 2 Tuesday and maybe too late to save the series, but it is an issue the Pistons will need to address because it was out for all to see. The Pistons won, 97-91, and took a 2-0 lead but not without getting handled in the second half by the Cavs and needing a few big plays in the final minutes to hang on.

Wow. Someone must have been reading this forum. I'd say that after 89 games, the jumper is not flawed. But what do I know, I liked Larry Brown as a person.

Page 2
By Scoop Jackson


When the shirt arrived it was like Christmas in May.

Witness

That's all it said.

Because that's what we all are.

This guy should change his name to Snoop Jackson. He tries to play this "I'm black, I'm urban, I can talk street to these guys. I hang at their cribs and wear their kicks". If LeBron doesn't make it to the ECF next year (consider that the Cavs will face Detroit in the second round unless they backslide into the 6th playoff seed) his credentials should be revoked.



D up, King James
By Dan Wetzel

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – Whereas these Eastern Conference semifinals quickly have turned into The Education of LeBron James/The Maturation of the Cleveland Cavaliers, there is one thing King James can do that would be worth bearing witness and worth building upon for inevitable future playoff glory.

Play defense. We're talking nose-to-nose, baseline-to-baseline, no-frills, Henry Iba-style defense.

Yes. But how does one defend against 4-1/2? Sorry Ben.



NBA wrong to withhold Pistons' due
by John Harris

Apparently, the Detroit Pistons are too good for their own good.

For all of their recent success, the Pistons remain largely unappreciated outside of Detroit.

Ooooooh. Pistons disrespect. Let's beat this drum again.




Cav Lose Again, Need Makeover

Detroit 97 Cleveland 90

The Pistons were just too good for the Cavs. That's the collective feelings of everybody as Detroit took a 2-0 lead in the series against Cleveland. They led the Cavs by as much as 22 points only to take it easy in the 4th quarter. ' No we were not bored ' answered 'Sheed Wallace when asked the reason for easing up on their opponents. LeBron James had a hard time being his usual high scoring self for 3 quarters. ' They are a great defensive team' said LBJ .

You can say that the Pistons triple team on the phenom worked . I believe some of the Pistons fans called this strategy ' Tame The James ' . The Cavs were so desperate that their coach tried the hack-the-Shaq technique on Ben Wallace. It was abandoned after Ben made 2 of 4 free throws. Coach Brown has to try everything ' to stop the bleeding ' he said to explain the move.

The Cavs don't have enough finishers to play transition offense. Until they learn to execute in the half court, they will always be susceptible to teams like Detroit that DO execute and can limit turnovers.




Dead Team Walking

After getting home from Game Two, the 97-91 win over Cleveland that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated, I tuned into the TNT broadcast of the Spurs – Mavericks series. Magic Johnson was a guest analyst and said that the Cavaliers comeback from 22 down to get within five points in the late going would “Give them confidence for Game Three,” and Magic was now willing to concede them one victory in the series.

Kenny Smith disagreed, calling the comeback an illusion that doesn’t fool anybody. In either case, Game Three becomes the Cavaliers World Series and Super Bowl. If they lose again, they’re looking at getting swept. If they win even one game against the Pistons they’ll feel much more strongly that their season was one of great growth.

Kenny Smith is overrated. Magic Johnson is clueless in the studio. For all his buffonery, Chuck "Thump and Bump" Barkley is the only legit mind at that desk. The thing about Sir Charles, is that he isn't afraid to be wrong, which leads to him being right more often than not.