As we head into the final minutes, let me just note that there's something a bit odd about a rivalry that's this intense -- driven by three-straight first-round playoff matchups -- between teams that are basically unimpressive. I mean, it would be a genuinely shocking Black Swan event if either of these squads won a championship. Probably nobody outside of DC or Cleveland really cares about this matchup, but we care a lot.
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Wiz-Cavs III
19 Apr 2008 02:56 pm
Comments (27)
A whole lotta talking by Washington, same old result - Cavs win again. Lebron dominates Stevenson and makes him look like the pathetic hack that he is.
What was up with the jump ball at the end?
Statement delivered.
Good point Petey, but just think how much MORE compelling the series would be if Drew Gooden were still with the Cavs: We'd have a Beard-Off of truly historic ramifications...
I guess, the way the Wizards shot in the 4th quarter, DeShawn can probably feel his face right now.
As a displaced NE Ohioan living in Washington, DC now...I can definitely say this rivalry means a lot to me personally. I loved watching the games two years ago that seemed to go down to the wire night after night.
And, admittedly, I enjoyed seeing Gilbert Arenas back, even while he was hitting 40-foot jumpers. He is truly one of THOSE players and deserves to get back and healthy. The rust showed a bit down the stretch, though.
Just back from row 5 at the Q -- good game, but LBJ just owned DeShawn. Owned him.
The jump ball at the end was very odd, as was the scuffle just before half time. They didn't replay that one on the big screen, so I'm not entirely sure what happened.
It's kind of like faculty politics, it's so heated because so little is a stake.
It's odd the series is so heated, sure, but it's not unusual that no one outside Cavs/Wiz fans really cares much about it. That is the case with nearly every rivalry. Even Yanks/Sox isn't that big a deal to fans of other teams, it's just that there are huge numbers of Yanks/Sox fans and they happen to both be NE teams. SEC fans don't give a shit about OSU/Michigan etc etc etc.
As a Cavs fan I'm happy to see Washington trying to make LeBron as mad as possible. That's a strategy with a history of success.
As a Celtics fan, I'm pretty interested in this series. But I have to admit what struck me watching the fourth quarter (and, big caveat, only the fourth quarter; I missed the first three) is that these teams are really not playing at a very high level. Not that that's a big surprise, or anything, I just didn't expect it to be so apparent.
I suppose the rustiness of Agent Zero made this more glaring than it would have been otherwise, though. And the only scary thing about this game, for a Celtics fan, was-- quel surpris, again-- LeBron James. He does appear to score at will late in games.
Anyway, going from Cavs/Wizards to Suns/Spurs was an even bigger jump in quality of play than I was expecting. Now _that_ was a game.
The sad thing is that the Spurs played unpleasantly like ass in the first half. And then Phoenix kept answering runs. We'd get it down to five, and they would bump it back to 11. The first time I thought we had a real shot was the Shaq goaltending on the Finley three. When weird stuff like that happens, then you know it is your day.
Duncan is a pretty decent three point shooter. His career stats are terrible because the only time he takes them during games is when there is a second left on the shot clock.
I can't decide whom to cheer for in the games tonight. The west is going to be a ride, and the team that emerges is going to be playing some great ball.
I only watched the end of the game (preferring, instead, playing with my son and watching Blackburn blow its lead against ManUre), but I did see the last 5 minutes. The jump ball was really odd. It was a clear steal of the inbound pass - I think the referee knew he blew the call but didn't want to admit it was an inadvertant whistle. Luckily it didn't affect the outcome.
Missed Wiz-Cavs, but my god, the Hornets-Mavs game is on now.
Chris Paul. Wow.
He's a human "oh-no-he-didn't!"
Matthew,
Your blogging on today's game shows your lack of understanding of professional basketball or professional sports in general. Given that LeBron James is on the short list of greatest athletic talents in the world and the fact that he could be the most popular player in the NBA, worldwide, it is enormously ignorant to claim that nobody outside of Cleveland or DC cares about this series. The mere fact that James is playing in the series makes it interesting to many outside of both cities. It's a similar case for Kobe Bryant with the Lakers, Michael Jordan with the Bulls in the 90s, and Larry Bird and Magic Johnson with the Celtics and Lakers, respectively, in the 80s. People care about any playoff series in which those athletes participate. Why? Superstar talent sells, and that alone makes any series with Cleveland interesting and appealing to a mass level of viewers. Combine that with the bad blood that is brewing between both teams, you have a really entertaining series. If you want to make the claim that only those in Cleveland or DC care about who wins the series, then that's fine, but one could say that about any matchup in the playoffs. Not having a stake in who wins, though, is not the same as saying you do not care about the series. You should stick to blogging about politics and current events instead of sports, a task at which you are marginally better.
Kenny - all due respect - LeBron's a great player but he's overshadowed this year by other great players. You've surely noticed that LeBron is being named after Kobe, CP3 and Garnett on most MVP voters' ballots.
As for what fans like to watch - yes, they like great individual players. But they also like pretty offense and watching teams that might go the distance. Cleveland isn't really your team there. If you have no rooting interest and just like watching a fun game, why on earth would you be more interested in watching Cleveland-DC than, say, New Orleans-Dallas or Lakers-Nuggets? Even San Antonio-Phoenix holds some promise, on a revenge factor/serious grudge basis.
I'm not from any of those cities, and that's an awfully easy one for me. Maybe if Cleveland or DC starts playing crazy-good basketball, like the Warriors did last year against the Mavs, then I'd perk up. But absent that, I'm staying away because I expect a grinding, low-fun series that a couple of (admittedly awesome) LeBron dunks can't redeem.
(One final thought - assuming you're a Cleveland fan - did you just die a little bit inside in February when they traded for Wally Szerbiack, Delonte West and Ben Wallace. What a collection of faulty old parts. I felt very sorry for LeBron.)
It is interesting how Chris Paul is having a better season than LBJ, yet they have such a different physical make up.
And I think that has to be the big concern for lebron fans.
Yes, he's a beast. he's a linebacker with the athleticism of a wide receiver.
But he is inefficient and takes a beating as the year progresses. Last year he was too drained to compete against the Spurs in the championship series.
Why will this year be different?
It is interesting how Chris Paul is having a better season than LBJ, yet they have such a different physical make up.
And I think that has to be the big concern for lebron fans.
Yes, he's a beast. he's a linebacker with the athleticism of a wide receiver.
But he is inefficient and takes a beating as the year progresses. Last year he was too drained to compete against the Spurs in the championship series.
Why will this year be different?
Wizards-Cavs is about the least consequential first round series. Every other match-up features at least one team that can go the distance. These two jokers are also-rans.
Last year he was too drained to compete against the Spurs in the championship series.
You're talking about LeBron here? He wasn't too drained for the Finals last year; first, the Spurs were better as a team than his by ridiculous orders of magnitude, and second, they gameplanned and guarded him well. He still had a good series. It was just the most lopsided Finals matchup in some time, even worse than Lakers-Nets earlier in the decade.
Last year he was too drained to compete against the Spurs in the championship series.
You're talking about LeBron here? He wasn't too drained for the Finals last year; first, the Spurs were better as a team than his by ridiculous orders of magnitude, and second, they gameplanned and guarded him well. He still had a good series. It was just the most lopsided Finals matchup in some time, even worse than Lakers-Nets earlier in the decade.
did you just die a little bit inside in February when they traded for Wally Szerbiack, Delonte West and Ben Wallace. What a collection of faulty old parts.
Which would've been a bad thing had the Cavs not given up equally faulty parts in the trade.
But [LeBron] is inefficient and takes a beating as the year progresses. Last year he was too drained to compete against the Spurs in the championship series.
Inefficient?
In any event, had LeBron not been drained I sincerely doubt they'd have beaten the Spurs anyway. The Spurs were (still are) a damn fine team and I think people vastly overrated the Pistons last year- and so getting swept by a much higher quality team in the Finals was anything but shocking.
Lebron is an amazing player.
But still, Kobe/Chris Paul scored more effortlessly this year (and by that I mean more efficiently too). And I think the same could be said of Jordan too.
But yes, I will admit, the spurs were a much better team than the cavs.
To say that Paul or Kobe or Garnett had a better year than LeBron is nonsense. Each may have a better case for the MVP, but that is because their teams are far superior to what LeBron has. Kobe is the only one that people consider a better player than LeBron, and at this point that may just be a result of people having called Kobe the best player in the league for so long.
James is one of the msot efficient players in the league, is the best 4th quarter player in the NBA, and is unguardable 1 on 1.
If they were to make every player available in a draft, it is insane to think anyone besides LeBron would go #1 overall for the majority of teams.
I'm a Clevelander and I'm not especially fired up about this series, nor is anybody else I know. We assume that the Cavs will win this year, just like they do every year. Sure, the Wizards trash-talking will make the eventual victory slightly more amusing, but that's about it.
If the Cavs end up facing the Pistons again, then I'll be fired up. (haven't looked at the seeding to see how likely this is)
Either of these teams winning would not be a Black Swan event. This shows a failure to absorb what a Black Swan event really is. It's unlikely, but in a very straightforward, easily quantifiable way. They have calculated odds just like anyone else, they are just worse odds.
A Black Swan event would be the NBA calling off the playoffs, or Garnett and Kobe injuring each other in a car crash. Not only extremely unlikely, but essentially unpredictable.
Either of these teams winning would not be a Black Swan event. This shows a failure to absorb what a Black Swan event really is. It's unlikely, but in a very straightforward, easily quantifiable way. They have calculated odds just like anyone else, they are just worse odds.
A Black Swan event would be the NBA calling off the playoffs, or Garnett and Kobe injuring each other in a car crash. Not only extremely unlikely, but essentially unpredictable.
Comments closed May 03, 2008.
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Heads in the Sand
"Probably nobody outside of DC or Cleveland really cares about this matchup, but we care a lot."
DeShawn's beard makes the series compelling nationwide.
Posted by Petey | April 19, 2008 3:05 PM