We just dominated the Wizards to the tune of a 30-point victory in Game 2 on Monday, which sources tell me is the largest margin of victory in Cavaliers postseason history!
Did you hear that? The biggest ever!
And you know the best part? It happened in front of 20,562 screaming, Rise Up! t-shirt wearing, rally towel waving, diehard fans. I swear tonight was the loudest I've heard The Q all year.
My throat hurts from screaming so much, my feet hurt from jumping up and down, and my arm hurts from waving my rally towel like a helicopter. But it's a beautiful pain. One that I will sacrifice for 14 more games. Fourteen more games until the Title is finally ours.
Okay let's actually talk about the game itself for a moment.
All 12 members of our team that were in a uniform, played tonight, and every single one of them scored. His Royal Highness was thisclose to nabbing a triple-double, posting 30 points, 12 assists and nine boards. Zydrunas Ilgauskas was just one rebound shy of his own double-double (16 points, nine rebounds). Wally Szczerbiak came to life, recording 15 points on 6-9 shooting from the field. And Daniel Gibson was perfect from beyond the arc and the free throw stripe.
Total domination.
As my buddy Brandon likes to say, we "established dominance."
If we thought Saturday was intense, the tension on the court tonight could have been cut with a knife. It was that thick. There were a lot of hard fouls throughout the game, exemplified by Brendan Haywood's mugging of LeBron in the third quarter. Haywood got ejected after picking up a type 2 flagrant, and there are rumblings of a possible impending suspension. There is certainly bad blood between these two teams. Blood, just like what was running down LBJ's arm after his run-in with Haywood. I definitely lost my voice singing "na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye."
But now we're up 2-0 and heading to our nation's capital for Game 3 on Thursday.
And I knew it was going to be when I woke up to a sunny 75 degrees in Cleveland. I knew that was a good sign.
Tipoff wasn't until 12:30 today, but I just wanted to be downtown at The Q, to be around the Playoffs atmosphere. To be amongst my fellow fanatics and bask in the sunshine...and the Wine and Gold.
I got down to The Q around 11, which gave me plenty of time to check out Fan Fest before I headed inside. I tell you what, Fan Fest is the perfect place for me. I mean the Cavalier Girls were there, the Scream Team, even Ahmaad and Nicole, all getting us fans ready for Game 1. And it worked. I watched a dance contest, shot some hoops, got my face painted, and just talked about our team with a bunch of other enthusiastic fans. It was the appetizer, and then I was ready for the main dish: a big helping of Wizards.
When I got inside, I saw something that almost brought tears to my eyes.
The fro was out.
Big Ben clearly was ready to Rise Up! For the first time since coming to the Cavs, Ben unleashed the fury of the fro. Which is exactly what all of us fans have been waiting for.
I knew that was an omen.
Let me just say for the record, the Cavs organization killed it on the intros. That was AWESOME! And with all the fans waving their rally towels and wearing their new gold Rise Up! t-shirts, the atmostphere just couldn't get any better.
So let's talk about the game itself for a minute.
Tensions were definitely running high, you could feel it all the way up in Loudville. And you know what I love about Cavs fans? The way we rally around our team. Mess with our players, mess with us. So needless to say it made me so proud to hear the boos echoing throughout the arena every time Gilbert Arenas and DeShawn Stevenson even looked at the ball. Way to stand behind your team, fans!
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't sweating during that game. It was a close one! But even when the diff wasn't in our favor, I had no doubt that we would pull it out. And we did. And now we're up 1-0 on the Wiz heading into Game 2 on Monday.
We can't talk about the game without talking about the dunk. As AC would say, L-Train took it hard to the hoop. Did you see that thing?? That ball was at least a good two feet BEHIND his head! But the Chosen One unleashed his go-go-gadget arms and slammed it home. And that is why there will be a monument erected in his likeness outside this arena one day.
The Cavs really took control the last few minutes of the fourth quarter. And it made my heart feel good to see the way all you fanatics were on your feet screaming the whole time.
So now I am just spent. I am drained. Tomorrow will definitely be a day of rest, because I have to save up for Monday. Game 2 is on. And I will be there, rally towel in hand.
It's official. I'm pumped. Excited. Stoked. Call it what you want. I thought I was already ready for the Playoffs. Then I got down to The Q today.
Have you seen that place?? It is decked out head-to-toe in Rise Up! garb. I was just there on Wednesday for Fan Appreciation Night, and it was your typical, everyday scene. But not anymore. That place is ready for the Playoffs. Ready to Rise Up! And now, so am I.
Wait til you guys get down there tomorrow for the game. You will instantly be inspired by the images of the players hanging on the sides of the arena. Larger than life versions of Delonte, Wally, and the rest. Larger than life, just like how they're going to play against the Wizards.
I've put up a few photos that I took while I was down there. But it doesn't even do it any justice. You have to see this for yourself. And what better time than tomorrow for Game 1. Fan Fest starts at 10a.m. No better way to start your day! See you there!
I heard this morning from a reliable source (thanks BTL) that the Cavs staff was going to be signing the court today. As in the real, we're-playing-a-NBA-Playoff-game-on-here-tomorrow, court.
I couldn't just sit idly by as the team behind the team got to leave their permanent mark on the hardwood. I had to leave my own mark. I had to let my team know that I will be supporting them through the second season that's about to start.
And I did!
Thanks to BTL (because of the highly sensitive nature of this sitution, I will only be using initials), I got into The Q around lunch time, made my way down to the court, had a moment of silence to respect the mecca of basketball I was in, and then signed the court.
It was truly a religious experience.
Check out these photos. As you can see, there I am, leaving my lasting impression on the court. I will be there when Z and Big Ben are blocking Wizards shots.
And fellow fanatics, know this: I did not just do this for myself. I did this for all of us. Because I represent the best of the Cavalier faithful. So by signing "The Fanatic" on the Cavalier hardwood, I was sending our team the best from all of us.
