Cavs Tie it Up then Mourn…
We’ll start with the trivial first…The Cavs found a way the other night, playing the Pistons style and winning their 2nd consecutive from Detroit. Even more-so than Saturday, Game 4 was often ugly and hard to watch, as many playoff games tend to be, but in the end, the Cavs and LeBron James were able to come up big when it mattered most. After playing what I thought were his best 48 minutes in his career in Game 3, LeBron might have played his worst, but still went 23/8/9 with 8 TO. In the 4th Quarter however, LeBron made just enough plays and sunk just enough Free Throws to get the win.
To me, this game came down to 2 plays…first, the flashy play - Anderson Varajao stepping over to take the charge from a driving Chauncey Billups. Varajao in becoming a monster right before our eyes. He has played incredible defense, but also sparked the offense, showing no fear in only his 2nd season. The second play, and even bigger in my eyes, was the hustle of Eric Snow in plowing Maurice Evans into the back-stop to break up a sure 2 points. The officials correctly called a Flagrant-1, giving the Pistons 2 shots and the ball, but Evans split the Free Throws and the Cavs defense was able to get a stop turning a sure two points into only one. The Cavs led by one at the time and it showed Detroit that there weren’t going to be any easy points. Expect the same thing tonite in Game 5.
Even better than simply winning the game, the Cavs were able to stick the sprained foot of Rasheed Wallace into his mouth after promising Game 4 would be the “Last game of the year in this building”. Now heading back to Detroit, all the pressure shifts to Detroit. Remember, they were EXPECTED to win the title by many, and at least reach the Finals. They now find themselves in a dog-fight they weren’t expecting, and the maturation of LeBron James and his Cavs teammates continues in warp speed.
After Game 4, the Cavs flew to St. Louis to join teammate Larry Hughes at the funeral service for Hughes’ brother Justin. Once again, the Cavaliers organization showed a tremendous amount of class and absolutely did the right thing. Basketball is a GAME, and this is real life. By showing support for Hughes, the Cavaliers showed by example what is REALLY important, and it is not Game 5 of some playoff series. Life goes on, and the Playoffs will continue, and the Cavs will need to cram to get ready for Game 5, but for a few hours the Cavs took the time to reflect and support one of their own. A Guru Salute to the Cavs for doing the right thing.
Finally, my thoughts on Game 5. This is goiong to be the toughest game of the year for LeBron and Co. In a hostile environment and facing a team that has had to listen to the media question their heart and desire for the last 48 hours, the Cavs are going to have their hands full. That being said, I stated earlier that all the pressure is on Detroit. If the Cavs can stay close and weather the storm in the 1st half, the noose will slowly tighten. The Pistons have been outscored in the 4th Quarter of every game in the series. Quietly they know they need to put the Cavs away in the 1st half to keep the growing confidence the Cavs have from getting out of control. They also know that LeBron is due and can go off at any time for 40-50 points. My pick in this series was for the Pistons to win in 6. Mathematically it is still possible, but the way it got to 2-2 was no where close to how I saw it happening. THe Cavs have a real chance in this series if they can keep playing the defense they have played the last 9 quarters. Keep contesting shots and getting in the face of the Pistons parimeter shooters. Keep spacing the floor so that TO’s don’t turn into points. And lastly, keep moving without the ball and avoid watching LeBron break down 4 guys.
Prediction:
I want to pick the Cavs with all of my heart, but that’s the problem….
Pistons 98-Cavs 90
