The Great Tait! That says it all. Always has, always will. I'm old enough to remember Jimmy Dudley doing the Tribe, and of course ‘The Gibber’ calling Browns games and the moment I heard Joe, I remember thinking, he fits right in, and he could do this forever. In our business, nearly 40 years IS a lifetime, and only the rigors of travel are making this Joe's final season. Because, when it comes to calling games, he COULD do it forever.

What makes this man special, beyond his voice and talent, is his humility. Back in 1979, I was anchoring at Channel-8 with Jim Mueller, and we had both marveled at how Joe connected with listeners and the public in general. Later that spring, I had the opportunity to call Indians and Cavs games, and I recall it like it was yesterday, during a road trip, sitting down for lunch with Joe and Bill Fitch, asking them for any advice. Joe said it simplistically, "Be yourself, just be yourself.” Coach smiled, and nodded his approval. I chuckled to myself, because Jim had told me the exact thing when he brought me to Cleveland three years prior.

A few years later, about five seasons into my NBA life I sent Joe a tape to get some feedback. He listened, and when I called him he said, "you don't need my help, you're a professional." It was his way of saying I was being myself.

Joe has always been himself, and is to this day. That is the main reason I have always thought he is the best there is in the NBA. The ability to paint that picture, make you feel the game, and match the moment, all at the same time never wavering away from who he is.

So, when Joe accepts the ultimate honor of going into the Basketball Hall Of Fame there won't be a speech interrupted by tears, because that's not who Joe is. He's real to the core. But I'm sure Joe will be touched by the "Standing O" as he always says, not only in Springfield, but from 38 states and Canada.

Now that the Cavs have home court advantage back, and an overall playoff record of 6-2, the mindset is to come out of the shoot just as they did in Game 3...it would be unfair to expect a 36 point quarter and 67% shooting, but they expect to come out with the same defensive focus and make the Celtics make shots.

Defending Rajon Rondo is so key, and you can live with him getting 18 and 8 when Pierce and Allen are a combined 6 for 24...but those two guys are too good to shoot that poorly again. Mike gave player development coordinator, Bryant Moore credit for the extra ball pressure on Rondo, with Anthony Parker primarily picking him up before the play developed. Mike resisted the idea at first...then, AP, Delonte and Mo stressed the need to do that, and Mike relented, with the dividends, and gave those guys all the credit. Rondo took 11 jump shots of his 17 total shots, and made 5 of those, missing all 3 triple tries...you can live with that.

Mo said again today the Cavs all fed off LeBron's aggressiveness from the start, and they know when LBJ is carving up a defense the way he did, this team is hard to beat.

Antawn said he hardly slept the past few nights following Game 2, as friends and family kept asking and texting what's wrong with you guys...the answer became nothing, once they got back to playing Cavalier basketball. 'Twan's 20 and 12 game is what we expect...the fact he got 15 shots is huge.

More tomorrow from Boston and a potential stranglehold on this series if the Cavs can get that win.

Well deserved honors for LeBron and Andy for their All-Defensive Team nods...LeBron gets on the First Team for the 2nd year in a row, and for Wild Thing, his first-ever defensive recognition, as he made the Second Team.

The head coaches vote on the two defensive teams, and can not vote for their own players.

LeBron led the league in +/-, and of course has made the chasedown his personal signature play, recording 23 of them this season to date (including Tony Allen the other night in Game2)...But he does more than just make those momentum changers, which he somehow always keeps in play...We know how he has developed as a team defender and using his size and strength to lock down other small forwards...Plus, how many times have we seen him switch to cover the hot man down the stretch of games...Tyreke Evans and Derek Rose immediately come to mind...His most incredible block was the game saver at home against OKC...remember, final seconds, Kevin Durant driving, he got a step on LeBron to the left side of the bucket, and when Anthony Parker swung over to help, LBJ leaped over AP to swat away the shot with 0:09 left to preserve the win.

Mike said it best, "Every year LeBron has done a fantastic job of working hard to become a better player. Not only on the offensive end of the floor but in his leadership role and in his ability to defend on and off the ball. This honor is well deserved because as much as people think he has the ability to change a game offensively, he has that same ability to impact/change the game on the defensive end of the floor. Which, we've seen and will continue to WITNESS from him as long as he is in the NBA."

As for Andy, this was his best defensive year, as he finished 2nd among bench rebounders in the league, and 3rd overall in that +/- stat...In the past, Andy used his quickness to draw charges, finishing 2nd in the league last year...this season, Andy focused more on mastering the ability to go "straight up" inside that restricted area, which a defender is allowed to do, to bother shots without drawing a foul...He does that as well as any big man in the game...and what I think he does better than any 6-11 guy, or 7 footer, is keep a point guard in front of him, when making a "switch"...You have to have incredibly quick feet to do that.

Mike pushed hard for Andy much of the season to receive this recognition, adding this today: "Andy has worked extremely hard on his game at both ends of the floor. He has played a huge part in the success we've had over the years whether it's starting or coming off the bench. And, although our organization and fans see and understand what Andy brings to the gym on a daily basis it's great to see him get some recognition from around the NBA." For me, he is "Ele está todos os lados"....HE IS EVERYWHERE.

Kudos to both.

The MVP celebration felt like a pep rally at the JAR...not to fire up the guys as they go into battle for Game-2, but rather another coronation for the King...from the roars when he walked in, to chants of "MVP" to the crowd hanging on every word he spoke...I thought LeBron was relaxed at last year's award ceremonies, and this time he was even better...he always speaks from the heart, but for me, the highlight was when he called up all of his teammates...a scene similar to when Mike Brown was named Coach of the Year, and his entire team assembled behind him...
 
This time, LBJ called up his "family", as many had their own video memories to record...if you asked ANYONE on that team, they would tell you they felt a part of them won that MVP award...why? Because their leader makes them feel special...and not just for public show...but every single day!....in practice, on buses, flights and in the locker room...LeBron is just one of the guys, making it almost a fraternity feel...call it Phi Cava Jama (now that Mo is a dunker!) When your best player makes everyone around him feel equal and like a brother, you have something special...it may sound corny, but it's really true...I never come away from practice without chuckling about something one of the guys said, or did, and yet those moments never get in the way of the work at hand...
 
Mike summed it up so succinctly, when he said."good teams have great players....great teams have good teammates" Wow, does that ever hit the nail on the head with this team...
 
In another LBJ related note, I'll leave you with one aside from a friend who is a Cavs season ticket holder...he and his wife just came back from a Caribbean trip, and one of their restaurant servers along the way happens to live in Manila, the Philippines...when asked what part of America they were from, my friends said "Ohio....they specified, Cleveland"...it sort of rang a bell for the inquiring mind...then, when they said, "you know, Cavaliers...LeBron James" the waiter's face totally lit up, and he gushed that his his 10 year-old son "LOVES" LeBron!!! So, later that night, my friend presented the gentleman with a brand new Cavs T-shirt they had gotten during Boston's April visit ironically...the "gift" was met with such appreciation, no tip could possibly equal....So, The King IS global, and the world is his oyster...all from his hometown...
 
What a view off his world we have...we're all witnesses to that...

I think AP said it best after practice, both the Cavs and Celtics have somewhere they want to go, and both teams are standing in each other's way. Essentially, this playoff matchup, which we all figured since opening night was coming, is here. Do these teams like each other, heck no...bad blood? Depends on how many pints you want to add up to qualify as such. But those feelings won't get in the way of the each other's aim, and that is to move on to the ECF.

In 2008, it was the Cavs who gave the Celtics their toughest postseason test, a 7 game classic in which the Cavs actually outscored the Celts. But Boston had that look of a champion all season, and gained momentum after that memorable conference semifinal series. So, here we are again, two years later, with some roles reversed. The Cavs own homecourt this time, plus hold that motivation of having never tasted that champagne before (unless your name is Shaq or Leon).

Don't buy into the Celtics are "too old" theory. Doc Rivers was able to get the Big 3 some additional rest the final 6 weeks of the season, to the tune of a couple of minutes a game. It may not sound like much, but Boston is the healthiest they have been all season, and showed it against Miami. When the Celtics lock in defensively, they are a championship threat, and they are back in that mode.

You can throw out the regular season numbers, they really don't mean nothing this time of year. And the comparisons to '08, serve only in this purpose. Both teams are different; Rajon Rondo, Big Baby and Tony Allen have all improved; plus Rasheed Wallace can still make a difference.

For the Cavs, gone is 80 percent of the starting lineup from that series. When you add up the scoring of from Wally Szczerbiak, Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic and Joe Smith in that series, you get about 25 points a game. Now, the Cavs show up with Shaq, Mo Williams, Antawn Jamison and Anthony Parker in their place, and that foursome scored 44 a game during the regular season series vs Boston and 52 against the Bulls in the prior series. So, even if they manage 40 a game this series, that's a significant increase. Oh by the way, clearly LeBron has grown as a player from '08.

So, what does all this guarantee? Nothing, except the promise of a hard nosed, emotional series, where verbal zings won't be directed at the city of Cleveland, but at each other, where they should be, on the floor.

The next phase for the Cavs is upon us, preparation for their rivals from Boston.

LeBron laughed when asked if he would play if Game 1 was tonight. Of course was his response.

He said the numbness is not something he hasn't dealt with during this nagging ailment. He said he did not land on it, when he hit the floor in Game 5 vs. the Bulls, and hasn't taken a hit on it during this stretch. But I think he'll head into the next round with a clear conscious that there is nothing structurally wrong.

This of course is a rematch of the 2008 Eastern Conference Semifinals, but the Cavs are an entirely different team. The Celtics figure they are too with Rajon Rondo's development, but the Celts don't have P.J. Brown this time (remember his two hoops in Game 7, he was a huge difference).

More on the series tomorrow.

It's back home and time to get into the close out mode for LeBron and the Cavs. This will be the 13th close out type game in the LBJ era. The Cavs are 7-5 in those affairs, three of the wins coming at the expense of the Wizards when they had a guy by the name of Antawn Jamison.

Speaking of 'Twan, he finished 4th in the NBA player voting for the Joe Dumars trophy, annually given to the NBA Sportsmanship award. Terrell Brandon and Eric Snow have won it, in the past for the Cavaliers. Grant Hill is again this year's recipient, for the 3rd time in his career. He and Antawn remind me a great deal of each other, in the way they go about their business. You could see if from a distance when dealing with Antawn, but now you can really see it first hand. He gives a lot of credit to his parents of course and how he was raised. His father, J.J., always told him, no matter what kind of player you become, you always have your name, and must honor that by being a good person. Antawn says playing for Dean Smith also taught him the right way to approach his chosen profession.

Antawn continues to be asked about his assortment of flips, flicks and floaters. He says his teammates often chuckle in film sessions, like today, when he is able to convert them. I continue to try and think of anyone I've seen who can make those shots like he does. In some way, Derrick Rose has a knack, but using strength to do it. With 'Twan, it's timing and the element of surprise. Jamario says you can see him do it on film, but can never practice or plan against it. J-Moon says he has never played against anyone at any level, who has such an assortment of shots.

BTW, Jamario and Mo were wearing "Goosie" T-Shirts at practice, with a good looking Goose on the front, holding a ball and flashing a "gooseye".

Goosie and "3" on the back. Jamario says all the fun stuff with this team and this town is just crazy!

See you on the broadcast on FSO at 7:30.

We’ve all seen the King do it before, but it’s still a head shaker. No, I'm not about his triple-double, which was hist fifth of his postseason career. I’m talking about his 45 foot jump shot, and jump shot is the key. Are you kidding me? The strength to do that is ridiculous. Bill Livingston asked LeBron what his range is, and he said he wasn’t sure, but atleast to the midcourt line. And yes, he practices those. In fact, over two hours before the game, he was jump shooting from 47 feet, and he made 3 in a row at one point! And a couple of times he made back to back.

Jamario says that shot was a “double goosey”, one that “you have to put the shades on” as he put a pair of goosenecks to his eyes. As for the plexiglass goosey (LBJ’s 3 off glass) Jamario says he has to come up with a name for that one. He says to let him sleep on that one tonight.

I thought LeBron’s response that he has turned up his game OFF the floor, as far as intangibles was revealing. He did not divulge specifically what he meant, and he won’t. That’s behind closed doors, but it gets back to doing what leaders do and that can only mean good things ahead.

Antawn’s sincerity has been exactly what the Cavs knew they were getting, but I thought his comment about wanting to be known as a champion was interesting. He says for years he as been known as a good player, and a quality teammate, with character, all well and good, but what he wants to be known as is a champion. Just part of his motivation. He’s is pretty real.

See you Tuesday for Game 5 on FSO!

As we go into Game-4, the Shaquille O'Neal factor will need to come into play...Shaq said today he feels good, the thumb is not and issue, as he continues to get use to wearing the protective brace...He says he is ready to take on more minutes and touches if Mike Brown decides that is best...Mike definitely wants to get the big man more minutes, as he has averaged 20 a game so far, and has not played the final quarter of the last two games, as the smaller line-up has been effective...
 
Shaq says he is totally fine with any combination that is working on the floor, and if that means he sits, it's all about winning...Shaquille has taken 21 shots in the 3 games so far, and since he is a rhythm player, he feels he needs to keep shooting to get that rhythm back...obviously earlier in his career, when he was the total focal point of the offense, it was easier to gain that touch quicker..this is a different scenario, since he is in a support role...that being said, he feels he was close on many of his misses in Game-3...
 
While we always focus on offense when breaking down a series, it truly goes back to defense, and that is what Shaq says the modus operandi must be for the Cavs moving forward, making life tougher for Derrick Rose and Kirk Hinrich specifically...
 
Don't forget to tune into Fox Sports Ohio for the pregame coverage at 3pm, and then switch back to us for the most complete postgame coverage following the game...AC, Campy and Jeff will be in the studio ready to go...