Friday, May 14, 2010

0-for-103*

I was born on December 26th, 1975. Chronologically, I'm approaching 34-1/2 years old. In Cleveland sports terms I'm 0-for-103. Thankfully, fate intervened in 1994 and brought an MLB strike, thus no World Series winner (err loser), or it would likely be 0-for-104. That's a lot of failure. Just once I'd like to know what it feels like to see my team holding a trophy.

Now I'd like to consider myself a bit more hardcore than your average local sports fan. I distinctly remember when I first fell in love with a Cleveland sports team. My first real memory of crushing defeat (at least in my eyes) is back in 1985 when the Cavs of World B. Free and George Karl lost a hard fought series to the mighty Celtics, 3 games to 1. All games were nailbiters. And this was a Cavs team that began that season 2-19 and defied all odds simply by making it into the playoffs. It was my first experience rooting for my local team rising up and nearly doing the unthinkable. I loved the hope it gave me. Little did I know the disappointment of that ending would be such a common theme throughout my tortured sports life.

I have similar stories about the Browns and Tribe around that time period. Anyone else remember, "Tribe 85... this is my team!"? I watched Pat Tabler, Tony Bernazard, Brook Jacoby, Mel Hall, Otis Nixon, Andre Thornton, Joe Carter, Brett Butler, Mike Hargrove, and Mel Hall religiously that summer. This was an awful team that ended up losing 102 games. But they were my team damn it, and always would be from that summer on.

The Browns of 1985 brought in a rookie quarterback named Bernie Kosar. They finished 8-8 and somehow won the old AFC Central. I remember how fun it was watching the newly-nicknamed Dawgs back then. I remember calling my grandpa at halftime of the wild card playoff game when the Browns were up 14-3 over Dan Marino's Miami Dolphins. I remember confidently barking into the phone, full of hope that this team was going somewhere and I was along for the ride. They of course ended up losing that game in the first of many crushing playoff losses that would follow over the next 5 or 6 years.

My point is that 1985 was somehow a formative year for me as a Cleveland fan. I was filled with youthful optimism and hadn't really considered this a "cursed" sports town yet. 25 years and countless sports letdowns later, I'm starting to harbor some serious doubts about whether it will ever happen for the great fans of this city.

The latest of the epic collapses came to a merciful end last night as the Cavaliers walked off the court in Boston. To me, this one doesn't hurt quite as much as last year when they lost to a much formidable Orlando Magic team in a much closer series. Don't get me wrong - it still hurts - just in a different way. I felt sick for the players last season. Now I just feel sick for myself. Sick that I believed in this team so much and in the end they simply let us all down. Give the Celtics credit for seizing the opportunity. But it was an opportunity laid at their feet by a Cavs team that couldn't handle its own success and lacked the playoff fire that we've obviously come to take for granted from this franchise. And given the magnitude of this game, and the potential ramifications of this meltdown, we're once again left wondering if there is any hope on the horizon.

I toyed with the idea of writing an open letter to LeBron in this space today. But I doubt that would have been much of an original idea right about now. And honestly, what can I tell him that he doesn't already know? Something was clearly wrong with him and the team in this series. Whether it was internal strife between the roster and the coaching staff or Elbowgate really existed, none of it really matters. At the end of the day, the Cavs joined a long list of failures that have come to define this region. Of course ESPN had the highlight reel cued up at the end of the game listing all our failures. Would it have killed them to add the 2007 Tribe ALCS collapse while they were at it? I mean, I want to forget it too but it did happen.

I guess if I could say anything to LeBron it would be this: Don't give up on us. We haven't given up on you. Despite all the venom I saw being spewed towards LBJ on message boards and e-mails floating around this week, LeBron is Cleveland. The constant drumbeat of LeBron bolting Cleveland within the national media finally seemed to come to a head this week with some "fans." And coupled with LeBron's less-than-stellar play in this series, many of them seized the opportunity to pounce on the King. I was actually quite shocked by some of the things I heard and read. I won't go that route. I've seen him exceed every expectation since he came into the league. He's the sole reason I became a season ticket holder back in 2003. I remain a season ticket holder to this day and I signed on for next year with full confidence that he'll be back.

Of course my confidence has been shaken by everything I've seen unfold over the past couple weeks. But my gut still says that LeBron will ultimately do the right thing and atone for this latest disappointment. The storybook ending would come if/when he decides to use this failure as a launching pad for his eventual Jordan-like drive to multiple championships. Maybe it's silly for me to hope for such a thing. But I refuse to believe that my hope as a Cleveland fan throughout my lifetime hasn't made a difference. Otherwise it's all been for nothing. I continue to hope, even in the face of endless disappointment... unless LeBron is wearing a Knicks jersey next year. Then I'll just jump off a building. Fuck.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Humiliation at its finest

I'm at a complete loss for words to describe the level of disappointment the Cavs have supplied in their latest tank-job to the Celtics. Game 5 was beyond description. I thought walking out of the Q after Game 1 against the Magic last year was deflating. But last night had a shocking finality to it that I don't think I've ever felt in my years of rooting for any Cleveland team. Many of us just sat there stunned during the fourth quarter, trying to come to grips with what had happened in the arena where we have been so dominant.

There's not even a sadness like there was lingering after last year's ECF letdown. At least then the Cavs fought hard and just lost out to a team that executed at a higher level, victimized by some nightmare personnel matchups. But this year's team was supposed to be new and improved. Ready for anything the playoffs would throw at them. And that's what makes the mystery of what is going on now even more baffling. Where is the heart? The pride? The only evidence I saw of that last night was clad in ugly green uniforms.

There's absolutely no excuse for how flat the team was last night. It was the first loss I've witnessed in person for the Cavs in the 18 or so games I've personally attended this season. I can handle losses, but not in this fashion with this much at stake. I'd be more angry if I thought the team cared as much as I do, but judging by their words and collective demeanor afterward, they don't. Last night's humiliation should be the type of turning point that motivates a team to something greater. But does anyone out there get the sense that it will?

Game 6 will likely define LeBron James' Cavs career thus far - if there even is a career in Cleveland beyond this spring. All I know is that last night at the Q is not how this was supposed to play out. That cannot be the way it ends here for #23. Watching him and his teammates just go through the motions with a complete lack of energy and focus is not what I envisioned from this bunch. Finding a scapegoat at this point is fruitless. I'm sure there will be wholesale changes for this franchise if/when they ultimately go down in this series. But how will this team immediately respond to this level of adversity? If I were a betting man I'd say they will melt under the pressure in Boston. Prove me wrong MVP. Please.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

A three game series

Well, I got my wish. I wanted the Cavs to at least get a split in Boston and they stomped their way to a 29-point win on Friday night to at worst guarantee a 2-2 tie coming home for tonight's Game 5. So why am I down on them? Because of the way Game 4 went on Sunday afternoon. After looking so focused on Friday night, the Cavs looked equally as passive and disinterested on Sunday. It's like they were satisfied to get the split and just ended up conceding the loss in Game 4.

Anyone who reads this blog knows that I will defend most everything LeBron does. I don't think I've ever called him out on this site for anything he's done. But I am now. It all starts with LeBron and he was passive and tentative again on Sunday. As LeBron goes, so go the Cavs and he set the tone again on Sunday with his passive play. One play in particular stands out to me. It was a crucial possession midway through the fourth quarter when there was a Celtics miss and three Cavs standing in the paint. LeBron was the only one not boxing out and the ball squirted to Rajon Rondo for what seemed like his 200th offensive rebound, which he easily converted for a big basket to help start the finishing run that killed any hopes of a Cavs win. As the broadcast went to commercial I made a point to rewind this play and re-watch it in slow motion to single out which Cav missed his assignment. And it was just one example of a missed assignment on Sunday. I won't even begin to try to figure out how a hobbling Kevin Garnett can beat the entire Cavalier defense down the court for a long pass that ended in an easy layup...

History says that LeBron will bounce back tonight and have a big performance. I'm not doubting that. But MVP players on championship teams usually don't rely on the ability to flip the switch. They know when it's time to squeeze the life out of their opponents. My original prediction for this series was the Cavs in 6. That may still be the way it plays out. But I wouldn't have predicted such a passive/aggressive nature in the way this team has shown up at various times. It's extremely frustrating to see how well they can play, but at the same time never knowing when to expect it. Tonight would be a good time to flip the switch back to "on" and keep it there for the remainder of the season.

I get that the Celtics are a proud team and they won't roll over for anyone. That's fine. And it will probably ultimately end up being a good thing that the Cavs have been challenged in this fashion, while the Magic have been handed a free pass through the first two rounds. But it's only a good thing if the Cavs win this series. I almost get the feeling that they only have one eye on Boston and the other looking ahead to Orlando, even if no one on the team will ever admit it. There needs to be a sense of urgency (a tired but appropriate sports cliche) from here on out. This is a scary time to be a Cavs fan given everything that is at stake. I don't want to think what may happen if they don't take care of business tonight.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Win or go home

"Win or go home." That's TNT's long-running playoff slogan. I see it everywhere. On TV. On the web. It's even on two or three billboards off of I-480 along my commute to and from work. And that's exactly what the Cavaliers need to do either tonight or Sunday afternoon. Win or go home. They go down 3-1 and you can stick a fork in them.

Am I nervous? Yes. I've had four days to stew over the mess of Game 2 and I still feel no differently. I just want to see them on the floor again tonight. No more talk of injured elbows, lack of energy, defensive matchup problems, etc. Let's just play basketball. I already have that sickening dread/excitement feeling in my stomach that only a big playoff game can bring about. The game is still 7 and a half hours away. I'm gonna need some alcohol to help coax me through this one. And in nearly-desperate times, it always helps to modify the famous Shawshank quote:

I find I'm so nervous, I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it's the anxiety only a Cleveland fan can feel... a Cleveland fan at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain. I hope Mo can get hot again. I hope to see Antawn finally make a difference. I hope LeBron's elbow injury is as irrelevant as it has been in my dreams. I hope.
Pull out your lucky shirts tonight fellow Cavs fans. Sit in your lucky spot on the couch. Yell at the TV. Do whatever you have to do to help the wine and gold pull out at least one win this weekend. Preferably tonight. Go Cavs.

Random Notes:
  • Tonight's officiating crew is Bennett Salvatore, Ken Mauer, and Zach Zarba. Food for thought - the Cavs were a combined 11-0 in the regular season with either Salvatore or Mauer on the crew. Let's hope the trend continues. (Update: Thanks to camakazee at www.realcavsfans.com for the updated info - Cavs are a combined 18-1 with any of these three refs working their games this year. 15-1 in the regular season and 3-0 in the playoffs.)
  • Not sure how to stop Rondo, but his constant waltzing through the paint needs to stop. How about a hard foul or two right from the start?
  • I'm begging ESPN to throw us a bone and at least give us Hubie Brown and Mike Tirico tonight. Again, I don't ask for much.
  • I remember the Eastern semis back in 1992. The Cavs were down 2-1 going into Game 4 in Boston and they pulled out a double-OT win and eventually won the series in 7 games. My heart really doesn't need that kind of stress again, but I guess I'd take it if it meant we win the series.
  • My decision to attend the Pearl Jam show on Sunday night at the Q hinges on whether the Cavs can get the win tonight. C'mon Cavs, do it for Eddie Vedder.

Monday, May 3, 2010

The 'Game-Changer'

It happened with 5:20 left in the third quarter on Saturday night. I immediately called it a "game-changer," but it ultimately could end up proving to be a series-changer. The Cavs, looking lethargic for the better part of two and a half quarters, found themselves down 11 points at home in Game 1 to the Celtics. They were shooting terribly, giving up way too many offensive rebounds, and just lacking overall energy and heart. They looked to be on their way to a possible shocking Game 1 loss that could have been a crippling early playoff blow. Then Mo Williams stole the ball and left me and thousands of others shocked and confused. He threw down the first dunk I've ever seen from him, and it was not a cheapie.


From my vantage point in the Q, the play was confusing to me because I was expecting Mo to lay the ball up and when that didn't happen I assumed that Paul Pierce had blocked the shot. And judging by the reaction of those around me, others were as equally confused. I couldn't figure out why the crowd in the lower deck was going nuts. And it still took a few replays on Q-tube to actually confirm what I missed the first time. The video guy for the Cavs must have been as equally shocked because the replay was run at least 6 times.

And that dunk was all it took. That ignited a 21-10 run by the Cavs (including a personal 10-0 run by Mo) that turned an 11-point deficit into a 1-point lead entering the fourth quarter. The Cavs ended up winning 101-93 thanks to some late-game heroics (yet again) from LeBron and some timely baskets (finally) from Shaq. But the difference in the game was that last 5:20 of the third quarter. Without that run, the Cavs probably would have found themselves in a 1-0 hole this morning.

I said earlier that Antawn Jamison's arrival would prove to be a difference for Mo in these playoffs. And so far Mo has delivered, aside from one rough game in the Chicago series. Jamison himself only notched 7 points on just 6 shot attempts in Game 1, but judging from moments like this one, the fire is there. He did add 9 rebounds and provided some stout defense against Garnett. I don't recall Antawn ever playing in such a pressure situation so far in his career and I expect to see him more involved in tonight's offensive game plan. And that's the beauty of the Cavs. There will be different guys stepping up on different nights to help out the two-time MVP in his quest for the ultimate trophy.

There's plenty more to write about this series, but I'll save that for tomorrow when we recap Game 2. My gut still says Cavs in 6, especially considering how well the Celtics played for so long in Game 1. They are one team that won't be intimidated by the environment at the Q. But if/when the Cavs take this one tonight, the writing should be on the wall for the proud Celtics. They won't go down without a fight, but it will be fun to see them go down. Go Cavs.

Random Notes:

  • How cool is it to see LeBron include his teammates in yesterday's MVP ceremony? And consider the fact that all 14 teammates showed up to see the King accept the award. I challenge you to name me another NBA team for which this would actually happen... and two years in a row now. Somehow I just can't picture Ron Artest showing up for a Kobe MVP celebration. I'm laughing just trying to picture it.
  • It's still fun to talk trash to Celtics fans. Walking down Bolivar towards the Q on Saturday we spied two green-jersey-clad C's fans enjoying drinks outside Local Heroes. I said something to the effect of "hope you didn't pay too much for your tickets boys." There may or may not have been some profanity included. And my comments were greeted by a look of confusion/anger from both. Do you honestly expect not to be called out when you show up in that attire?
  • What is up with Tony Allen and Brian Scalabrine on the C's bench? I don't think both of them were sitting simultaneously at any point during the entire 48 minutes on Saturday. It was fun to see Allen finally get whistled for a technical, but not so fun when Mo missed the free throw.
  • Is Usher the ultimate fair-weather Cavs fan? I've been to my fair share of Cavs games this year (at least 17 by my own unofficial count) and this is the first time I've seen him there this season. Excuse me for not getting excited to see him there.
  • It would be silly of me not to mention JJ Hickson and his 11 points in 12 minutes in Game 1. The truth is obvious now for Mike Brown/Z/the Cavs organization. JJ has to be part of the rotation, and will be. Doesn't mean we don't love you Z, but we've got a title to win.