There Are No Moral Victories
Now it is officially over. The Cavaliers were suffocated right off the basketball court at the Palace in Detroit yesterday.
You could see it coming after the Cavs failed to clinch the series in a two point loss on Friday on their home court. This Pistons team is not the type to be beaten in a game 7 on their home court. And they weren’t.
They suffocated the Cavs in the second half holding them to only 23 points in the final two quarters. That, and the Cavs helped by shooting very poorly. But either way, the Pistons won. They were able to ward off what nearly was a huge choke job. The team that clearly dominated the regular season didn’t want to be shut down by a conference rival in round two. And they weren’t.
The majority of this team will be back next season. Lebron, Larry Hughes, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Anderson Varejao and others. Hopefully Lebron signs the max 5-year $75 million extension to stick with the Cavs until he is 26 years old. The key to the deal is that nobody can offer him more money under the rules of the NBA, and hopefully this year’s run showed enough commitment from the organization that they will try everything to win in Cleveland.
While I don’t believe in moral victories, this has been about as close to one as I can imagine. It clearly isn’t good enough to make it into the playoffs and past the first round only. I want a team that will challenge for titles year in and year out. At the same time, you can’t help but feel like this first trip to the playoffs since 1998 was a clear step forward. The Cavs beat the Wizards in a heavily contested game 7. They got smashed two games in a row and then showed some heart in ripping three straight from the team that is arguably the best team left in the entire playoffs. That doesn’t mean I will be celebrating or anything, but it does help fuel the hunger for the beginning of the next NBA season.
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I did not like the pregame coverage trying to spin last nights’ game like it was game 7 of the NBA finals.
It was the Eastern Conference semi-finals if I am not mistaken. It was not a huge heartbreak for the Cavs to lose last night.
The series started and I thought the Cavs would be lucky to win one game. For the Cavs to take the series to 7 games is great considering the Cavs are a mediocre team with no previous playoff experience.
Last nights game should not be compared to “the drive” , “the shot” or Game 7 of the 1997 World Series. The Cavs did not choke and despite having the chance to close out the series at home in game 6, they were never even supposed to compete with the Pistons.
I really don’t like those major networks and their sports coverage.
By the way whats going on with Barry Bonds? Why can’t I get some updates about his chase for the home run record.
I also thought it was a stretch for them to link this in with the Cleveland Sports Misery Index. The Cavs weren’t favored in the series at all. If anything it would have registered that way for Detroit if they had choked it away.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. The Pistons won, but now you Cavs fans are looking FORWARD. We Pistons fans get to continue mastering our wringing of the hands, worrying about the inevitable collapse that IS professional sports in Detroit of late.
And besides, you’ve got the Warehouse District and West Side Market.
Lebron leading the Cavs in the playoffs this year was enough to make me ocassionally pay attention the the NBA scores, and even made me consider watching a few minutes of NBA playoff basketball. I didn’t actually watch any, but just getting me to consider watching was a big step forward. I have never really been a fan of the NBA. I used to watch some of the playoffs when Barkley and Jordan were playing but I don’t think I’ve seen 5 minutes of NBA action in the last five years.
The NBA is getting to be as much of a put on as professional wrestling. Each series almost always goes 7 games, just so they can maximize the TV proceeds. They toy with each other, but they know who is going to win in the end.
Craig,
Do you know these people posting? As a sports elitist I have to vent.
The guy who doesnt watch NBA playoffs should not be commenting on anything.
The guy complaining that Game 7s mean fixed series is not a fan either. This has been the best postseason in the last ten years. This doesnt always happen, so enjoy it.
I do feel that Lebron is the best player I have seen at getting to the rim since Jordan. The only problem I forsee for the Cavs is that the rules nowadays are so strict on bumping and hand-checking that alot of players(Arenas, Wade, Kobe, Nash, and even some lesser players)are getting to the rim at will. This might negate some of the advantage that Lebron has.
If he improves his jumpshot, which I think he will, he will win 10 rings. In Cleveland, thats another debate.
Chris D.
If I said I didn’t watch the playoffs, then analyzed the games, then I shouldn’t be commenting. But I was just pointing out that the NBA doesn’t interest me. And I’m a big sports fan otherwise, so the NBA is the outlier. The point I was making, although not overtly, is that Lebron has the capability to draw people like me back to at least watching the playoffs.
I’m with you, Andrew, in that the Cavs’ run made me tune into a sport that, for a year now, I had disregarded. I’m planning on checking out a lot more games next year, provided we see half the effort they showed in the playoffs. To come up short of a title is disappointing, but you have to sit back and say, ‘That was fun.’
I do know these people.
By the way, all indications are that Lebron is going to sign the 5-year extension at max value.