Thoughts after the first week of the NBA season...

It's Friday afternoon and I'm on a Northwest Airlines flight to Minneapolis, hoping I'm the only guy on the plane who's using a laptop.  If you didn't chuckle, do a Google search for "Laptop Northwest pilots."

Heading out for the Cleveland Cavaliers third game of the season.  Flight was delayed for an hour-and-a-half.   The plane isn't big, but the guy sitting next to me, taking up about 65% of our two seats, is.  Ah, the joy of airline travel.  I left the team in Toronto Thursday morning and returned to Northeast Ohio for our final high school football game on FOX Sports Ohio.  Avon Lake beat up Amherst Steele, 34-6. I'll say this - if you ever get to Steele High School, make sure it's on a day that chicken paprikash soup is being served in the cafeteria.  Oh my.

In the home opening loss to Boston, a guy behind me said, "Boston looks like a team that's been playing together for a couple of years."  That summed up the game to me.  The Celtics played well together.  The Cavs looked like a good team that had several new guys in the rotation, and wasn't quite sure what everyone was supposed to be doing.  On both offense and defense.

Shaquille O'Neal is the largest human being I've ever seen.  Even bigger (slightly) than the guy next to me in Seat C and part of D.  

It's been interesting to watch Shaq and Zydrunas Ilgauskas on the floor together. Worked against Boston and Rasheed Wallace and Kendrick Perkins. Didn't work against Toronto and the quicker and more mobile Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani.  Mike Brown will have to pick his spots with the Z and Shaq combo, but it could become a valuable offense tool for the Cavs.

If there's a nicer bunch of folks on the planet than Canadians, please tell me where. I'd like to go visit.  All the folks at the Air Canada Centre (note the fancy French spelling of "Centre") were smiling, happy to be there, and happy to see we crazy Americans.  The Canadian behavior is a key part of my theory on worldwide temperament.  Here it goes... ( stick with me)...  The closer to the equator people live, the more angry and less happy they are.  The farther away you get from all the heat, the happier the folks.   Who wants to be hot and sweaty all the time?  It makes everyone edgy. Move farther North, put on a sweatshirt, be happy.  I know what you're thinking --- snow, freezing temperatures and all that.  I hate it too.  But the Canadians eat it up!  It's a great bonding factor - everyone pulls together to make it through winter, smiling all the way to their 70-degree summers.   Don't buy my theory?  Where is most of the chaos in our world???  In areas near the equator. Where do we never hear of anything bad or wacky????  Closer to the North and South poles.  Direct correlation ---- The level of chaos and wackiness in the world drops with the temperature as you move away from the equator.   It's not like the Theory of Relativity.  But it's mine.  Use it if you'd like.

Went out for a sandwich at lunchtime in Toronto.  A guy at the hotel told me to go to Flo's Diner down the street.  Had a chicken sandwich, french fries and glass of iced tea that was refilled once.  Bill arrives.  $18-plus!!!!!!  I look at the bill in disbelief.  The iced tea was $3.00!!!!!  AND THE REFILL WAS $3.00 MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I repeat, THE REFILL WAS $3.00 MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   I spent $6.00 on iced tea!  AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!  At least it was freshly brewed.

Two other things about Flo's Diner.  They played 1950's music over the speakers. That didn't make the iced tea worth $3.00 a glass, but I love 50's music.  And I think some guy who is or was on Saturday Night Live was at the next table.  Don't remember his name --- looks like David Spade only with brown hair.  He and his buddy kept talking about television - "Curb Your Enthusiasm" in particular.  He said nothing funny.

Cab fare from the hotel to the airport --- $60 American, including meager tip.  

Cab fare for a second ride to the correct terminal after the cabbie told me he dropped me at Terminal 3, but really dropped me off at Terminal 1 (I discovered the goof when I hit the door, turning around to watch the cabbie drive away) - $20 American.  

A guy in a limo gave me a ride.  Took about five minutes tops.  All I had was a twenty.  

That's $80 for a ride to the airport.  Nice.

Cab fare from airport in Minneapolis to the team hotel --- $42.  

Twelve hours later, after the Cavs win their first game of the season against the Timberwolves:

Mike Brown said before the game that the Cavs needed to play with more energy than they did in their two losses.  They did against the Timberwolves.  I know, it was the Timberwolves.  Doesn't matter.  The Cavs needed a good performance, and they were very solid both offensively and defensively against Minnesota.

Great to see the Cavs depth inside at work.  Shaquille O'Neal was in foul trouble. Zydrunas Ilgauskas played minutes, scored 15 points and had five rebounds.  Shaq had six points and seven rebounds in 19 minutes.  Anderson Varejao had 13 points and 11 rebounds.

In our preseason roundtable show, Shaq had a great line.  He said that he and Z combined - the two of them together -  would be the best center in the NBA. Interesting point.  At the very least, good health permitting, the Cavs will be better at center than most every team they play.  And that's a huge advantage.

Food on the flight home from Minnesota --- catering from P.F. Chang's.  Some chicken, shrimp and beef goodies.  I traveled with the team for a couple of months a few years ago.  I learned very quickly --- if you eat every time food is made available, you will gain five pounds a month.  At least.  My goal this season --- lose weight by working out in the hotel fitness rooms, and not eating every time food is available.  Wish me luck.  I'll need it.

Thank you citizens of Minnesota!  You provide more evidence for my "Closer to the Equator, angrier the people" theory.  Not as nice as the Canadian folks (that's not possible), but a friendly, happy bunch who deal with sub-zero temperatures on a regular basis.  Put on another coat, another pair of gloves, and keep smiling.  And yes, it has already snowed in Minnesota.  Folks still happy.