RSS
Home
Game 2: A running diary
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
.jpg)
.jpg)
LeBron hugs it out AP Photo/File
It’s April in the D, if for some reason you forgot, which is almost impossible with the incessant way Fox Sports plays that song. But with the Red Wings, Pistons and Tigers all playing tonight, I thought it would be a good time to do a running diary of Gam2 between the Cavaliers and Pistons, in case your attention was focused elsewhere. So without further ado, let’s get down to it.
7:57 Deciding between watching the game on Fox Sports Detroit Plus on standard def or watching the game on TNT in high def. Easy choice here, TNT in a runaway.
7:59 A gut wrenching courtroom scene on TNT’s Law & Order segues into the start of the game. Probably a bad omen for the game, as I’m sure my gut will be wrenching after watching LeBron cut through the Pistons D.
8:02 Charles Barkley and the TNT crew talk about Eric Dampier’s vendetta to knock Tony Parker on his butt. Speaking of posteriors, Barkley is challenging Rick Mahorn for largest backside of any retired basketball player. Which would put them in the running for biggest of all time.
8:04 Barkley blurts out that Michael Curry must have been drinking when he said that the Pistons still could win this series. Let’s just hope he wasn’t driving, eh Chuck?
8:06 My prediction for tonight: the Pistons 88, the LeBrons 98
8:08 Mike Brown awarded the coach of the year trophy during pre game warm-ups. I don’t get this pick. Brown knew his offensive knowledge was limited, thus he brings in an offensive guru this summer to design an offense, that isn’t limited to standing and watching LeBron, and they go on to win 66 games. Did he get the award for his hiring ability?
8:09 Pre game dances. Rasheed Wallace must hate all the attention LeBron James and the Cavs get for their pre game dance routines. This used to be his moment to shine.
8:16 Four minutes into the game and the Pistons are down eight already and haven’t had a well-run offensive possession yet. Can the Pistons hire an offensive guru this off-season as well?
8:18 Kenny, Charles and E.J. do an in studio promo for X-Men Origins: Wolverine. This is fantastic, can they please do this for every up coming movie? I would love Kenny and Charles to talk about Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, and I think it would go something like this.
Charles: Wow, Kobe is really off tonight. It’s like he's being haunted by visions of all his ex girlfriends, with one in particular really scaring him.
Kenny: No, Chuck. You’re thinking of the New Line Cinema’s new movie called Ghosts of Girlfriends Past starring Matthew McConaughey as a lothario who his haunted by all his exes.
Charles: Ummm, yeeaaah. I was.
8:26 Doug Collins goes on a two-minute love fest of LeBron James’s amazing skill and I really can’t blame him. I could go the whole game without talking about someone else. I'm betting next season that nba.con broadcasts an entire game with just an iso-cam on LeBron. Or at least I’m hoping this happens.
8:30 The whole commercial break is spent promo-ing TNT’s upcoming series. I would make a joke about this but Jack Donaghy taught me to “never badmouth synergy. It’s bigger than all of us”.
8:33 Curry comes out of the timeout with huge lineup of Antonio McDyess, Kwame Brown, Rasheed Wallace, Tayshaun Prince and Rip Hamilton. They give up a couple offensive rebounds, a 3-pointer to Boobie Gibson, and turn the ball over. Time to go back to the drawing board.
8:38 Lisa Salters interviews Curry before the start of the 2nd quarter and asks him how well do you think they are defending LeBron? Curry thinks they are doing a pretty good job. Well, LeBron has 8 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists, which is on pace for 32 points, 16 rebounds and 8 assists. How is that “pretty good”.
8:39 James starts the 2nd quarter on the bench, Pistons need to take advantage.
8:45 They don’t.
8:51 Amir Johnson comes in and immediately does what? You guessed it, fouls. This times he does his best Paris Lenon impersonation as LeBron fights through his arm tackle on his way to the basket. And if that wasn’t enough, Amir follows his missed tackle with a push to Anderson Varejao and gets slapped with a tech. And he wonders why he isn’t getting any minutes.
8:58 Collins makes a great point that Detroit doesn’t have anyone to blame but themselves for their low playoff seed after blowing 12 4th quarter leads this season. Adding insult to injury, LeBron comes down and nails a pull-up three for a 17-point lead. This is getting ugly
9:03 Collins calls Stuckey a scoring point guard, just like Chauncey Billups was at the start of his career. Another good point, Collins is on fire tonight. Now, if only he was coaching... Sorry, I almost forgot that he never won a playoff series with the Pistons either.
9:08 Big Z gets a tech, but Rip misses the free throw. Somewhere Chauncey Billups is smiling.
9:11 Kwame Brown misses an easy two footer, flies past Boobie as he hits a long 2 in the corner, then gets into a staring contest with Darnell Jackson, and shoves him to get a technical. I would say the Kwame Brown experiment is over after this season ends. Has anybody gotten more second chances based on just being a 7-footer with potential? Oh wait, Darko Milicic. Forget I asked.
9:13 During the halftime interview Mo Williams tells Lisa Salters that he isn’t overly concerned about the Pistons making a comeback in the 2nd half. I concur.
9:19 Great stuff at the half. Kenny quotes the Chappelle Show by saying that the Cavs needed to “diversify their funds” offensively. Charles compares the Jackson/Brown wannabe stair down to him kissing Dick Beveta. Then EJ asks Kenny who is that more of an insult to? Kenny’s answer: Basketball.
9:21 If not for the halftime show, the surprisingly good commercials, and this running diary, I would’ve already switched to the Red Wings game. Remember, I’m watching so you don’t have to.
9:33 The Cavs are up 14 to start the 2nd half. If not for my man-crush on LeBron or simply the fact that he is a generic superhuman, I would say the Pistons only chance at winning this series is Lebron tearing his ACL. Neither is likely to happen.
9:48 LeBron drives and effortlessly slams home a huge two-hander. Kevin Harlan labels the dunk as “two-zip”. More like “sweep”.
9:51 Stuckey’s turnover leads to a LeBron double-handed windmill dunk. If that last dunks says “two-zip”, than this one could be called “NBA Championship”.
9:55 Are the Wings still on?
9:56 Stuckey clanks another 17-footer. I believe in Rodney Stuckey, I do. But his summer diet needs to consist of 200 jumpers, 100 threes and two hours of film study of Isaiah, Chauncey and Chris Paul.
10:02 Delonte West nails a three to end the 3rd quarter, putting the Cavs up 27. I think I’m going to submit this… I stupidly decided to write a running diary of the Pistons game, now they’re down 27 to start the 4th. FML
10:06 Mike Brown says the Pistons are still “trying” during the between quarters interview. If by “trying” he means giving up, then I agree.
10:09 Curtis Granderson starts the game off with a leadoff homerun! Opps, you caught me switching channels. But, can you really blame me?
10:10 Will Bynum gets some love from Collins. Well-deserved, good season, Will!
10:19 Stop the presses! the Pistons get within 14 points and force LeBron and the other starters to come back into the game.
10:20 Jason Maxiell sets a bone-jarring pick on Mo Williams. Where was he all game? Check that, all season? He should always be the first big off the bench. If he’s not going to play that much, let’s at least let him play tight end for the Lions. Can someone make this happen, please?
10:27 A Maxiell tip-in makes it an 8-point game. Funny what happens when a team shows some effort?
10:30 Bynum misses a long jumper, you can feel the second unit is running out of steam.
10:31 LeBron falls onto the lap of a woman sitting courtside and then gives her a hug and a kiss. What does this guy not do right? Can we just give him the MVP award for the next 10 years already?
10:37 LeBron seals the game with a full court chest pass (ridiculous) to a wide-open Mo Williams for a layup plus a foul.
10:41 Game over. Pistons fall 94-82 and go down 2-0 in the series.
I think Charles Barkley said it best when he prophesied at halftime that the Pistons already “had one foot in Cancun”.
Bring on the Mojitos.
Related Articles:
Add a Comment
