NBA

[Dzimas]

Whiskey, is Grant being consider to take Donovan's place?  Last I heard he was coaching at Virginia Commonwealth.

[bodiddley]

Thanks.
I'm having computer problems and so haven't read any articles or the boxscore.
Also, I missed the 1st Q, but did see a replay of a hard Detroit foul.
I assumed that hard foul was the reason the refs were calling every little bump.

Anyway, it seemed like a real grind it out kind of game, with both teams trying to keep it close and finish strong.  Here and there Billups and Rip had flashbacks of past glory, but they weren't a match for LeBron.  Detroit took a lot of long ugly 3's towards the end of the game.  Also, after Prince was tearing it up in the 3rd, the Pistons didn't go back to him until one possession late in the 4th.

[whiskeypriest]

Whiskey, is Grant being consider to take Donovan's place?  Last I heard he was coaching at Virginia Commonwealth.

That's what Andy Katz seems to think.  A job at VCU is not the type of job that stops you from going to Fla.

[Dzimas]

Especially given the talent Grant would inherit.

[whiskeypriest]

You cannot stop Boobie Gibson.  You can only hope to contain him.

[Kam]

Congrats to Scot Pollard for finally making the finals.

[bodiddley]

Clearly those teams were evenly matched.  Every quarter was close except for the last one.  Props to the Cavs and Gibson for clinching it.  You knew it was over when Sheed had his meltdown. Detroit was lucky that Cleveland only got 2 points off the 4 FT's.

Detroit just looked uninspired.  Cavs got almost every loose ball.  Last two games, Pistons offense was almost all one-on-ones, yet they didn't exploit Gibson's smurfiness or Marshall's old legs.  They just never passed the ball around to find an open man, or even go back to the same player to get someone off (though they sort of tried this with the Rash One.  Billups hardly shot, Rip shot into the front of the rim constantly (tired legs from last game and guarding LBJ on and off?).  And what happened to Maxiell for Game 6? 

I liked Gibson's confident performance: nailing his 3's and Free Throws.  But couldn't Detroit realize he was hot and keep a man on him, forcing an extra pass  and letting Marshall (who chucked up an airball 3 earlier) or someone else have the open shots?
Anyway, I just wished Cavs had a harder road to get to the top of the East.  Wiz were diminished, Nets too thin, and Cavs didn't look so great getting by those two.  Just shows how big it was for the Bulls to lose that last game and swap playoff seedings with Cleveland. 

Can't say I'm excited about Spurs v. Cavs.  Or the long wait.  Bowen on LeBron?  Varejao and Gooden on Duncan.  We'll see...

[Kam]

Bo - The long wait is crazy. But LeBron looks winded and SA is an older squad so its good for them.

ALSO on the Bulls. That last day of the season saw them Lose as you mentioned and lose the CAVS road but also Eddy Curry tipped in that game-winner inthe Knick finale which caused the Knicks not to tie Portland and thus not ose Oden to the Bulls.

[Kam]

So things could be worse.

Bulls could have been in the finals and had the #1 pick coming to them.

Tough end of season for Bulls fans.

[Dzimas]

Great end for the Cavs, and nice to see Gibson come through once again in beating the aging Pistons.  Cavs should match up pretty well against the Spurs.  I will be pulling for them, but the Spurs know how to close out a series better than anyone, even if it takes Horry to clear the bench for the other team.  Hopefully, the Cavs won't let themselves be suckered into a similar situation in this series.

[Dzimas]

Well whiskey, I don't know what happened but it seems Donovan is heading back to Gainesville.  It couldn't be for the money, as I doubt Foley will be able to match that offer.  It seems that Donovan figured his long term prospects were better in Gainesville than in Orlando, and now Van Gundy will be left with the task of bringing the magic back to Orlando.  Hard to believe this was a team that once threatened to establish a Chicago-like legacy before everything fell apart in the 1995 NBA Finals.

[Dzimas]

If LeBron's heroic effort in Game Five is supposed to finally lift the albatross from around Craig Ehlo's neck,

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AvS1t5wZt9t.3jZaY1sF9MI5nYcB?slug=aw-cavaliers060607&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

then why has it become the focus of sports columnists again?  I had completely forgotten about the Cavs-Bulls series back in '89.

[whiskeypriest]

If LeBron's heroic effort in Game Five is supposed to finally lift the albatross from around Craig Ehlo's neck,

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AvS1t5wZt9t.3jZaY1sF9MI5nYcB?slug=aw-cavaliers060607&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

then why has it become the focus of sports columnists again?  I had completely forgotten about the Cavs-Bulls series back in '89.

I haven't.  No one here has.

[Dzimas]

Here, as in Cleveland or as in Ohio?

[whiskeypriest]

Here, as in Cleveland or as in Ohio?

Cleveland.  There are those of us who still see it in our sleep.  Jordan's jumper, Mike Davis's interception, Jose Useless Pile of Horse Excrement Mesa's triple shake off, Byner's fumble, the whole freaking drive....