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.

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.
  

Who are these guys?

The Tribe completed an impressive series in Texas by taking all three games over the weekend. And that was on the heels of a sweep of the Royals at home last week. Overall the Tribe has now won 7 straight and is 15-7 in the month of August. They have also swept two consecutive road series, something the team hasn't done since the 2005 season. And they were 20-38 on the road prior to those two sweeps. All of this leads me to a couple of questions: 1) Who are these guys? and 2) Where have they been all season?

"This means a great deal to us," Wedge said. "We want to finish with the best record and as high in the standings as we can. It's about pride. It's about competitiveness."

Friday's 7-5 win featured a strong start by Fausto Carmona to earn his sixth win of the year. And Saturday's 8-7 win included a comeback from a 7-1 deficit. Then last night's 4-3 win had some more clutch hitting from Franklin Gutierrez (.328 BA, .955 OPS, 3 HR, and 12 RBI in August), a great start by Anthony Reyes (7 innings, 1 ER, 4K), and even some nice bullpen work from beleaguered reliever Rafael Betancourt.

A sight for sore eyes - Raffy Righty nailing down a save

So what does all this mean for the Tribe? Who knows. Maybe it's just the ebb and flow of a long season. Maybe it's the fact that all the pressure is off now and they are finally relaxing. But their recent hot streak is impressive when you consider all the changes to the line-up and pitching staff. Who knows how long the good play will last, but they have gotten themselves in position now to finish at least .500 if they can go 19-14 down the stretch. And considering where they were a month ago, any Tribe fan should be happy with where they are now. They move on to Detroit for a three-game series where they will look to leapfrog another team in the Central (only 1.5 behind the Tigers now!). Zach Jackson will get the start for the good guys tonight.

Other Tribe Notes: Sheldon Ocker says the Tribe's recent winning is a group effort. And Kelly Shoppach's play behind the plate is giving the Indians some options for the future.

Cavs Update: Call him 'Le-Bronze' no more. LeBron was able to shed that ridiculous moniker yesterday and now it's time to "witness gold" as he said in his post-game interview. LBJ led Team USA to the gold medal in Beijing with a 118-107 victory over Spain.

The moment he received his medal, James reached down, grabbed it and stared at it. He held it inches from his eyes and just gazed at it, transfixed. And when they handed him a bouquet of red roses, he held them to his nose and inhaled two huge breaths, the sweet smell of victory filling his nostrils and lungs.

And hopefully everyone noticed that the King was the one that started the nice gesture by being the first one to hang his gold medal around Coach K's neck and encouraging his teammates to follow suit. I have a feeling this isn't the first championship that LBJ will be winning, and I think this experience will only help to propel him in his NBA future.

Browns Update: I won't go too much into the Browns' lackluster preseason loss in Detroit on Saturday. In fact, I didn't even see one snap of their "dress rehearsal" for the season since we had a family commitment that day. I know there are a lot of worried Browns fans out there, and I'd be lying if I said I was comfortable with us opening up against the Cowboys in less than two weeks. But the fact remains that the Browns have been very shorthanded the last couple weeks, and the injuries are certainly hurting their preparation for the opener. The good news is that maybe we will be seeing a shorter preseason soon. I know I'm getting tired of shelling out $45/ticket for two games I don't even bother to attend.

Don't forget about Tony Grossi's Monday podcast at noon. You will likely be able to hear a lot of Browns fans being talked off the ledge today.