I thought about writing about Game 2. I thought about writing about THE shot. I thought about writing about waking up on Sunday morning to the sound of my next door neighbor's son re-creating THE shot in their driveway (I guess I actually did write about them). But I'm not (even though I did). You see, as memorable as that moment was, it is over. It is a memory. Throughout this entire season, Coach Brown and the team has preached "one practice, one shot, one pass, one game, one shoot around." To relive that moment right now, goes against what made us great this year. There were many moments of joy and awe, but we didn't settle for them. We expected them. Sunday was a rude awakening. Monday was even worse. Today was, unfortunately, rock bottom for me.
We are down 2-1 in a best of 7-game series but we are not out. In a recent poll on Cleveland.com, 57% (and counting) of pollers think that the Cavs will not beat the Magic in the series because, "The Magic are too tough for them." These 57% (and counting) were probably the same ones shouting that the Cavs were going to win the Championship at the end of the regular season. These were probably the same fans who said that LeBron James would not allow the Cavs to lose in the Playoffs after he won the MVP. These were probably the same fans cursing the team for not doing anything at the trade deadline and then praising Danny Ferry at the end of the season for being the best GM in the league. It is easy to be support your team when things are going well. It is harder to support your team when you are the one of the few doing it. But then again, nothing that is worth doing ever is easy. The true test of a man and a team is not witnessed when things are going well, it is during times of adversity when we find out what individuals are truly made of. The Cavs will show us this tonight. I can only hope that as a "true fan," you show what you are made of during this time as well. All of one. One for all...PERIOD
The ECF is upon us. We are exactly 8 wins away from our ONE GOAL. However, we cannot do it unless we stay focused on the task at hand. Game 1. Tonight. Eastern Conference Finals. Cavaliers. Magic. Cleveland The Q. 8:30pm EST. TNT. WTAM-1100. LeBron. D'wight. Basketball. Nets. Fans. Fireworks. Qtube. #1 selling item in the Team Shop. I love lamp....sorry, I got carried away.
I never got magic. It never impressed me. I don't think you can saw a woman in half. You don't just randomly have the ability to guess a number someone is thinking or card someone pulled from a deck. I don't believe people can levitate or walk through walls or can make stuff disappear. Magic is not staying in a block of ice for 24 hours or suspending yourself in air in a box for a week without food...these are warning signs that someone needs professional help. David Blane is a...well, I don't want to get yelled at by The Fanatic again so I won't say it. (But Fanatic, it was the word you TOLD me I could use but I will excercise better judgement.) Houdini died doing a "magic trick," so what does that tell you? David Copperfield always took up time on TV when a good show would be on. Penn and Teller just makes me laugh. And the "Mind Freak," Criss Angel is, well, a freak...and who spells "Criss" like this? I don't believe in magic so why would I believe in THE Magic.
Tonight, we continue our journey. Step by step, win by win, we continue to work towards the One Goal that we all set. The Magic can have Superman, Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, Charles Barkley's perfect golf game, Nessie and all the magic tricks in the world because the fact of the matter is that none of them exist and neither does the chance for the Magic to beat us in a 7-game series. I don't believe in Magic. I believe in the Cavaliers and that it has been, is and forever will be: All for one. One for all.
When I was young, I often pondered the question, "Whatcha gonna do when Hulkamania and the WWE run wild on you?" I've had several years to think about how to answer this and in over those years I haven't been able to come up with a response other than soiling myself in fear. The Denver Nuggets may be doing this now as they prepare to literally come face to face with the entertainment giant that is the WWE.
Regardless, tune in on Monday night to find out the outcome. As Vince McMahon said in his interview on ESPN below, "Our trucks are rolling. Tomorrow they are rolling and they are headed to Denver."
Well, the ECF is set and our Wine and Gold Warriors are set to battle the Magic. Honestly, this is going to be a great series. I'll blog later this week about this series but after watching Boston's season end on Sunday, something really bothered me. Every game Boston played in the Playoffs this season, no matter the situation, the camera seemed to favor one player in particular. He wasn't making jumpers, diving for balls or throwing down sick dunks. He was in a suit on the sideline scowling, cursing and celebrating with his teammates as if his presence would evoke a "Willis Reed-esque" thought from the opponents that easily accounted for his +/- ratio being +12 by just being in the Arena. But after the smoke cleared and the finger walking on his hand gesture (by the way, if someone knows what that was, please post it as a comment) had subsided, Kevin Garnett was nowhere to be found for the camera. All of the verbal and physical antics were absent and the camera was forced to look upon the athletes from Orlando respectfully celebrating on the court of their fallen opponents. LeBron put KG on his "Dream Team" in a recent interview with Dan Patrick. My biggest disappointment is that a player, who not only is a future Hall of Famer but revolutionized the way his position is played, acted in a manner that would not even be tolerated by a Rookie in this scenario. You can cheer. You can celebrate. You can even play "mind games" or "talk trash" to the other team, but you can also choose to do it with the class. And if you are defeated, you can at least choose to lose with dignity and honor rather than quietly walking off, all of a sudden wanting to avoid the same spotlight that you so richly craved only a few moments before.
Boston's season is over, which is unfortunate for their team, city and fans (I hate them just as much as you do but we were in that position and it sucks)...but there is always next season and they can still look back 11 months ago when they celebrated on their home court by hoisting THE trophy. What is unfortunate is that KG may have completely changed the way fans view him not because of what he did on the court in a uniform but because of how he acted while watching it in a suit from the bench. He did for this fan...
