Anyway, I cannot just help but remember the sad sight in the game, especially in the fourth quarter. After being down by double-digits, the Cavaliers stormed back in the final minutes to stage another late-game rally. But, as usual, they fell short. What dismayed me the most was seeing LeBron “King” James throwing brick after brick. He was after all shooting jump shots!

After leading Cleveland with a variety of twisted shots and drives, he opted to take shots from the perimeter instead of going back to the hole. Mike Brown should have told him that it was the final canto, and it was a must-win game for them! But nobody did. Was he tired?

Yes, it was the kid’s first Finals, but the great Michael Jordan, the original “#23,” won his first title on his first trip to the World’s biggest basketball stage, against no less than the legendary Magic Johnson. He was that hungry. LeBron was not!

Was he too young? Well Jordan was 28 when he won that title in 1991, and James is still now 22, a six year difference. I guess he really is just too young.

On a night when they were vulnerable for the first time in this series, wherein Manu Ginobili only had three points and was just 0-for-7 from the field, the Spurs got lucky that foolish Cavs forward Anderson Varejao decided to take the most crucial game tying basket. Trailing by just two, 70-72, Varejao got the ball from an off-balanced LeBron James down in the middle. He was supposed to pass the ball back to James, instead, he went for a high-looping-that-is-going-nowhere kind of shot. It was a big miss and the worst decision ever!

Then Bruce Bowen was back at his antics again! Down 72-75, James tried to hit the potential game-tying three at the buzzer, but he got hacked by Bowen, and no whistle was blown. The shot almost went in, and James was seen yelling at the official since the replays clearly showed he got whacked as soon as he took the shot. The Spurs had a foul to give, and Bowen has intended to use it. But to LeBron’s dismay, no court officials signaled a call, and Bowen got away once again with a huge foul!

What’s going on in the NBA? They are practically offering the title to the Spurs in a silver platter. First, that ugly Suns series, where all favors went San Antonio’s way, and now this! Everyone has been constantly complaining about Bowen’s hands holding on to who he is guarding every time they got past him. Vince Carter, Larry Bird, Isiah Thomas, the whole Phoenix Suns, everyone are belligerent about Bowen getting away with all these “antics.” All these complaints always fall to deaf ears. If San Antonio is not doing well in TV ratings, why is the NBA favoring them? I just don’t get it.

Hey, I’ve attached a Carter picture here when he was about to go at Bowen. How I wish he could have smashed that ass****’s face and send a message to the league. Bowen is no good defender! He is damn so dirty and the damn league favors him a lot. Logically, Tayshaun Prince could have done a better job guarding James since he is more athletic, faster and longer, but he wasn’t able to stop LeBron. But Bowen is riddled with age, slower, and shorter, and they say he is doing a better job on James. The main reason: Prince’s defense is clean, straight-up and makes use of his feet; on the other hand, Bowen uses his hands a lot, holding his man down when the guy got past him and planting those dirty feet under shooters, which is dangerous to the one shooting. So damn dirty!

The Spurs spearheaded by their “Big Three” of Ginobili, Tony Parker and Tim Duncan, led by as much as 28 in the first half, and even had a huge 27-point bubble at the end of the third canto. Parker led all scorers with 30, Ginobili added 25, and Duncan had 23. There’s no way you can beat the Spurs with all three scoring like that.

There was a bit of semblance of light from the Cavalier side, as they went on a 22-4 run in the fourth, cutting the lead to just eight with 4:53 left. But it was the closest they’ve been all night.

LeBron James somewhat redeemed himself with a 25-point performance on a decent 9-for-21 shooting. But he was nowhere near dominant. James needs to take over. And until he does, this series is over. I’ll give the Cavs some benefit of the doubt. San Antonio will finish them in five.

On his first NBA Finals appearance, the young 22-year-old Cleveland superstar choked, much to everyone’s disappointment and expectation. The San Antonio Spurs’ suffocating defense was just too much for LeBron James. Sure, the familiar three players were still thrown at him. But the Spurs were just so good at it, they seemed to cover every inch of the court.

Bruce Bowen, once again, was the primary culprit, staying in front of James all the time. When he got pass him, there’s Robert Horry coming from the weak side, and Tim Duncan was just waiting right under the basket. Tim swatted five shots in this one.

James tried once again what he did in the Pistons series, he passed to what-seemed open teammates. But the Spurs were everywhere. They were quick to rotate, easily guarding and having a hand on every previously-opened shooter. Zydrunas Ilgauskas was 1-for-8, Larry Hughes, 1-for-5, and Donyelle Marshall, 2-for-5.

LeBron was also forced to take a lot of bad shots. He went 4-for-16, a horrible stat for a guy compared to the great Michael Jordan. He only had 14 points, and had his first basket midway in the third quarter. It took him that long to make a shot. To make matters worse, he committed a total of six turnovers. Jordan scored 36 in his first NBA Finals game against Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers in 1991.

The lone bright spot for them was rookie Daniel Gibson, who topscored for the Cavaliers with 16, and shot 7-for-9, hitting two triples.

James needs to figure a way to fight thru San Antonio’s suffocating traps for Cleveland to have a glimpse of a chance in this series. They were down 18 at one point, and they could not be disadvantaged that much against the mighty Spurs. He has to bounce back in Game Two, and stamp a fighting heart. He’s got to lead. Or else this will just be a short one. (photo courtesy of yahoo nba)

I hate to discount the fact that the San Antonio Spurs are far a very better team than the Cleveland Cavaliers. Many experts claim that the Larry O’Brien is already in the Spurs bag. But I want to give Cleveland a chance.

I just want to mention this. The best thing that has ever happened to the NBA this postseason is the Cavaliers has finally advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. And I am so happy that it was not Detroit who would go back to the Finals. Such series is ugly, and NBA ratings would have plunged down to the abyss. Thank God, LeBron James was so determined to stop the Pistons, and his teammates did step up. Not many adorned them to beat Detroit beforehand. They were cancelled out of the Finals picture right before the Pistons-Cavaliers series even started.

Now, I should say that the Spurs and the Pistons play the same way. Almost! They play good defense, are loaded with veterans who’s got smarts, and have experience. They have been to the Conference Finals a number of times before. But San Antonio is better! Detroit does not have a Tim Duncan. And the Spurs have the deeper bench. The Pistons were short of a Finley, Oberto, Horry and a Barry who can contribute from time to time.

But I still could say that Cleveland can play the same way as they did the Pistons, and they have an outside chance of winning this whole thing. That is: believe in LeBron and in themselves. James will create the plays, he will hold the ball 99% of the time. His decision making is critical in this series. He should know when to shoot and when to pass that ball. It won’t matter to whom, but what will matter is where that teammate is when he receives the ball. Damon Jones, Daniel Gibson and Donyelle Marshall can receive the ball from beyond the arc, because they can shoot that three. Larry Hughes, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Anderson Varejao may best receive that leather when they’re underneath or cutting towards the basket. Drew Gooden can collect the ball at mid-range. And these guys should shoot the ball as soon as they obtain it, and without hesitation.

It is also a must for Cleveland to control the boards. They have enough big men to do it, but Coach Mike Brown should implement “gang rebounding.” They have to work as a team. They cannot allow the Spurs to get a lot of second chances. They should win the battle of the boards, both in the defensive and offensive ends.

Varejao will also play a crucial role in defending Duncan. Duncan is stoppable. And Varejao is the right man for the job to pest him all the time. Straight post-up defense won’t do the trick, but harassing him all the way will. Also, they should attack him. Cleveland cannot settle for outside shots. They should attack the rim. Put Duncan in foul trouble!

Their transition defense should also be in high gear. Hughes and Eric Snow might wanna put a clamp on Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker especially in transition. These two are notorious for sneaking in, and gearing up their speed at times. One to two Cavs should establish the defense in transition.
If the Cavaliers can accomplish those tasks mentioned above, they will win this series in six. I hope..

Everyone knew the ball would go to LeBron James 90% of the time. Everyone also knew that the Detroit Pistons would clamp on James, not allowing him to get easy baskets. But no one knew that a second-round draft pick Texas rookie would outshine everyone and make big shots.

Exactly just that transpired when the Cleveland Cavaliers trounced the Detroit Pistons, 98-82. Rookie Daniel Gibson scored 19 of his career-high 31 points in the fourth quarter as the Cavs pulled away from just a six-point lead at the start of the fourth. Gibson had three trifectas in the quarter, went 7-of-9 from the field in the game, made all five of his three-point attempts and went 12-of-15 from the free throw line. He further added six rebounds, two assists and only had two turnovers in just 29 minutes. Such a big game for a very young lad.

The game plan was simple for the Pistons: Stop LeBron at all cost and let someone else beat them. They did limit LeBron’s production to just 20 points, a far cry from his game-five-48-point performance. But they didn’t count on the rookie Gibson making big shots, and scoring big for Cleveland. It was just unfortunate for Detroit that the kid stepped up.

With the win, the Cavaliers advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history and will face the San Antonio Spurs in a best-of-seven duel. (photo courtesy of yahoonba)

James scored 29 points of Cleveland’s last 30 points in their 109-107, Game Five win. He also had nine rebounds, seven assists and two steals. He is averaging over 27 points in this series against a tough defensive Detroit team. He also scored all of the Cavaliers 18 points in two overtimes. He just wouldn’t budge, and remained focus in keeping what he promised at the start of the season, that they will reach the NBA Finals and perhaps win the Larry O”Brien trophy in the end.

But the Pistons have been here before. This series is very much similar to last year’s when Detroit lost all three middle games, before finishing the Cavaliers in Game Seven. They have the swagger, the discipline, the defense and the experience to do so. Again! If there is any other team that can easily come back from being down 2-3, it’s the Pistons!

They have done so, so many times. I can still remember that Tayshaun Prince swat on Reggie Miller that sealed the deal for the Pacers. It was a go-ahead lay-up and was supposed to put an end to the Pistons playoff ascension. But Prince ran the whole court and made that huge block.

These guys have played together for years. Though Ben Wallace is gone, there is another able man in Chris Webber to compliment their formidable four of Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Prince and Rasheed Wallace. They have reached the Eastern Finals for the fifth straight year, a feat in NBA record books. And anything short of an NBA Finals will be an utter disappointment. They won’t allow that. They are poised to bounce back.

But they have to stop King James. They can’t let him produce near triple-doubles every game. They should stop him as a team like they planned. And I believe they will. LeBron’s superhuman efforts can only go so far. And there will be an end to it. Remember that even Michael Jordan’s 63-point effort failed to defeat a tough collective team in Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics in the 80’s.

I can’t wait for Game Six. I still stay it will be Detroit. Not in six though, but in seven.

The fact is the NBA is getting boring and predictable. Right now, the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs are definitely going to meet in the NBA Finals. The Spurs are also destined to win the whole thing. And these two – they are the most boring basketball teams I have ever seen.

Why don’t we watch? The East is always a boring conference, save for Michael Jordan and his Chicago Bulls Dynasty in the 90’s and last year’s titlist Miami Heat and its star Dwyane Wade. Why should we watch LeBron James and his Cavs teammates? LBJ holds the ball 90% of Cleveland’s possession. His teammates can’t seem to find the hoop. Detroit is so methodical, that their game has become similar as life’s home-work-home routine. Well, for most people.

Then there’s the Utah Jazz and San Antonio in the West. These two don’t belong in the “Wild Wild West” actually. For neophyte NBA observers, they may mistake these two as Eastern teams, since they play the really lackluster type of play. “Alright guys, let’s hold the ball, play the full 24 seconds, get the ball to the post, screen a little, dish out if the shot isn’t there, or back on your man Tim, Carlos.” They run this play all the time. Not to mention, the Spurs cheated their way here. How much are they paying you Stu (Jackson)?

Last year, I sided with the Miami Heat and witnessed one of the more exciting Finals in recent years. Not to mention, NBA had the best playoffs in recent memory last postseason. This season is far from it. No wonder the NBA’s ratings have plummeted down to the grave. Even San Antonio natives failed to appear in Game One of the Western Conference Finals. They are smart enough to realize that their team is boring and dirty. Not worth the ticket and the time!

It’s a good thing the Detroit Pistons are up 2-0 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. But how they won those two games at their home floor is a different story.

The Pistons had to rely on their experience and Cleveland’s lack there of to scrape two close wins. Two amazingly similar three-point wins. Detroit should feel lucky that LeBron James passed off a potential game-winner to wide-open Donyelle Marshall in Game One, and Rip Hamilton was not called for a possible foul on James in the dying seconds of Game Two.

I should say Cleveland has done a hell of a job in stopping the Pistons supposedly balanced attack. Tayshaun Prince has been expending so much effort in guarding LeBron, that he has an empty tack in the offensive end. Chauncey Billups and Chris Webber have been struggling as well.

On the other hand, the Cavaliers rely too much on James to make the plays. All the plays emanate from him all game long, that’s why he’s tiring out in the end game. That spells the big difference in this series. Those two close games going the Pistons way will spell doom on Cleveland. It ain’t there time just yet.

Danny Ferry needs to add an All-Star playmaker before the Cavs franchise will be able to go the NBA Finals. This year though, they are just happy where they are now.

All the advantages go to the Pistons, as they will be in their fifth consecutive Conference Finals trip. Experience is on their side plus they won the season series against Cleveland, 3-1. LeBron James had to explode for 41 points for that lone win.

There is no secret recipe to Detroit’s success in the East. They play great defense, and they attack with balanced scoring. Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince have been to all of the team’s five conference finals appearance. Rasheed Wallace helped them win a title in 2004, and Chris Webber has been a perfect fit following Ben Wallace’s departure in the off-season. They all average in double figures.

As I see it, the Cavaliers have no chance in this series. They may put up a decent fight, but I don’t see them extending this match to seven games this time. Detroit had to pull-off two successive victories in last year’s second round match-up with Cleveland. They hacked out a 79-61 Game Seven win while limiting James to just a field goal in the second half.

The difference though is James had to make all the shots last season, but the Cavs bench has tremendously improved this year. Veteran Donyelle Marshall fired 18 points in Game Six against the Nets. Others like Drew Gooden, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, rookie Daniel Gibson, Damon Jones, Eric Snow and Larry Hughes may step-up, but Detroit is too good defensively to let that happen. The Pistons are a complete team, and Cleveland is on unfamiliar ground.

I say the Pistons will win this one in six.