1st Quarter:
- The Pistons come out attacking the offensive glass. They are going to need to do that to win this game.
- James is setting it up for Larry Hughes - Hughes has two threes early off LeBron assists.
- Turnovers are killing the Cavs; both teams are shooting over 60% early (the score is 19-15 Detroit).
- Extreme closeup on Carlos Delfino - yep, definitely Argentine. We're a good looking people.
- Okay, Cleveland finishes the quarter on a 12-2 run, thanks to their bench outplaying the Pistons' bench (Nazr Mohammed? WTF?).
LeBron's 1st quarter stats: 2 FTs for 2 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assist. No FGs.
Uh oh. A 21 minute delay to start the second quarter, because the shot clock is broken?!? This is a bad omen for the Cavs. Advantage: Pistons. Detroit is an older team, whose starters have been playing heavy minutes. This always them to take a long break, which means they can come out and play their starters for most of the 2nd quarter, too. As we saw at the end of the 1st, Detroits' subs are wretched.
SML predicts the second quarter will be in favor of the Pistons (note: you can actually see my time-stamped prediction in the comments over at The Starting Five).
2nd Quarter:
- The 2nd quarter will be played with the PA announcer counting off the time left on the shot clock.
- As predicted, the Pistons start off on a roll. A 7-0 run brings them within one, 31-30. Will LeBron step up now? He hasn't hit a FG yet.
- Daniel Gibson ends that run with a big three-point play. Tough call on the Pistons, looked like a charge. 34-30 Cavs.
- Why is LBJ on the bench? Didn't the 21 minute delay provide enough of a rest?!?
- Rip scores 4 in a row for Detroit to cut the lead to 36-34.
- The Detroit trap forces another turnover by Cleveland (#7 so far in the 1st half); a foul on the ensuing break sends Billups to the line. He hits one of two FTAs (36-35 Cavs).
- Boldfaced reminded that LeBron is only 22 years old: Craig Sagler reports: "Lebron says "We have to get this [shot clock] fixed, we have to get this fixed."
- LBJ has 5 assists, 6 rebounds, and is 0/2 FGs (with 5 points from the line) with 4:30 left in the half.
We're gonna say it:LeBron's Potential is the groundhog. It peeps out of its hole, looks at its shadow, and goes back into its hole for another six weeks.
- Ilgaukas is stripped by Billups (turnover, Cleveland!), and Rip scores to make it 41-41. Rip now has 16 points (including 10 in the quarter).
- What if this shot clock thing comes back to haunt Cleveland? Will it be the called "The Clock" game?!? Why is Cleveland cursed... I guess that's what you get for naming your baseball team "The Indians". But then again, the "Redskins" are far worse... hmm. Maybe it's Chief Wahoo's fault? I don't know what it is, but Cleveland - you need to change your life, yo.
- LeBron drives hard, gets fouled. Good idea, Detroit. Do the Vince Carter defense on him - foul him hard when he drives, so that he settles on jump shots from the perimeter. I would bet LeBron doesn't have the heart to keep going into the lane if Detroit keeps hacking him. He hits both, 43-41 Cavs.
- Rip with a nice assist to Webber underneath the basket, for the bucket and one. 44-43 Detroit. Detroit is shooting 22% this quarter, Cleveland 21%. Disgusting.
- Oops, extra minutes for the Detroit starters also equals extra foul potential. Webber and Rip both have three fouls now.
- The half ends with a 48-48 tie.
Rumors of the King's Arrival have proven to be premature, once again. He'll get here when he gets here, ya heard.
3rd quarter:
- LeBron hits his first field goal with 8:00 left in the third, and the foul! 56-55 Cleveland.
- A 9-2 Cavs run ends with a Rip three to tie the game at 61-61. Rip is carrying the Pistons' offense.
- Lindsay Hunter hits a big three to make it 67-66 Cleveland. Wow, Lindsay Hunter is still in Detroit. I remember when he used to start ahead of Allan Houston. Houston had an entire career, retired, is allegedly planning a comeback, and all this while Hunter has been shooting threes off the bench in Detroit. Dude gets the Johnny Newman "holy sh*t, you still making a living?" award. Also known as The Orosco in baseball.
4th quarter:
- Damon Jones just tried to put a juke move on someone. This is bad comedy. But he kicks it out to Daniel Gibson, for three. 70-66, Cavs.
- Hunter hits a technical 70-67, Cavs.
Tay Prince travels. What a horrible series for Prince. I would drive 4 U, if I was U.
- Gibson again for three. 73-67, Cavs. 18 points now for Daniel Gibson. Wait, isn't this how Game 4 went down? Holy sh*t, did LeBron have his second banana all along in Gibson, and nobody knew it?!? It's like The Alchemist - all along the treasure was right there.
- I hate Gibson's nickname, "Boobie". You're a grown man now, you shouldn't have any nickname that in the diminitive. You're old enough to be just Boob now.
- If I was fat, I would be real excited to try this Zone Chef diet out.
- LeBron with the steal, drive to the basket, gets hacked, hits it and one! And a huge emotional release, too. He gets up pointing at the fans and screaming, pounding on his chest. That's the way, LeBron! Keep taking it hard to the basket - you are the biggest, strongest, quickest dude on the court.
- This 9-1 run makes it 76-67 Cavs. Detroit needs a big shot.
By the way, that LeBron play ended a string of 11 straight points by Gibson for the Cavs. Gibson is the King?
- Rip responds with a big basket. Who else but Rip is scoring tonight for Detroit? 76-69 Cavs.
- Rasheed gets T'eed up and ejected. He's pissed. It's gonna take a seven nation army to hold him back from clobbering some refs. Anyone see Rasheed as Ben Grimm?
- Gibson again for three! 86-71, Cavs. Insert Cam'ron:
See Boobie grinning
He looked and said Bron, I know that you be sinning
Naw, I'm a changed man,
look at my range man
I got a whole new game plan
Looked and said that's nothing but game Bron
He was right; He was out of his range man
Dropped him off in the paint, now I'm flippin' the cell
That's right I had to call up L
[Cam And Juelz Together]
Yo L, what up, I hit, what else, plus dome, say word
And we got it on tonight
So Bron, what's up, let's drive, all right, all right
And we gon get it on tonight
Um, sorry. Point is Boobie's real. Back to the game.
- Gibson hits two free throws. He now has 22 points in the last 8 minutes, and 22 of the Cavs last 26 points.
- Gibson with a deuce off a floater in the paint. That's 24 of the last 28! Um, Daniel is showing everyone how easy LeBron's feat in Game 5 was, huh? Wonder how many articles about where this performance fits in the greatest playoff performances of all time will be published tomorrow!
Not that LeBron's performance on Thursday wasn't bad ass. It certainly was, and it is a great performance that everyone in Cleveland will no doubt remember, just like they'll remember Gibson's performance tonight. And just like somewhere out there people remember Anthony Toney lighting up the Celtics, Dominque vs. Bird in the 80's (one of my earliest non-Knicks series I saw, amazing to see those two go at it), etc. Great playoff performances happen all the time - and someone has to get credit when their team wins. But giving the Eastern Conference to LeBron and the Cavs for the next 10-12 years based solely off that performance? That's craaaazy.
On the other hand, the Pistons look done. Flip is going to get fired, and rightfully so. Webber is gone (let me be the first to say this: Damn it, the Knicks are gonna sign him to a mid-level exception. Isiah wants him, and while he can certainly help, I'll rather not pay him... but that's all for later). Billups may be gone, too - if not the Lakers, then the Heat might be interested (if they can pawn off Jason Williams one-year left contract). It'll be interesting to see what happens with the Pistons in the offseason. As a Knick fan, I like the idea of exchanging Frye and more for Jason Maxiell, but I don't know if the Pistons will go for it.
Anyway, let's end with some YouTube of Daniel Gibson's performance:
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23 Comments
Comments
You can have Sheed and Maxiell for Marbury and Frye... obviously the salary has to work out somewhere, but you can have Sheed
Hmm, that might not be a bad trade. I would take Sheed, and he fits our needs (PF with outside touch). Losing Marbury would be tough, especially since Isiah hates Francis, but... let's say the Knicks move Crawford to the point, and uses Collins alot.
Sheed's contract runs as long as Marbury, so it works for the Knicks that way. Maxiell is a solid young talent, but Frye fits in better with Detroit.
I would say this trade could work, but would never happen. Isiah likes Marbury too much, and James Dolan would be against taking back Sheed. And Dumars wouldn't trade one of his young up and coming players (Maxiell) and a proven winner (Sheed) for Marbury and Frye. But as a fan, I think both teams could benefit from such a trade.
Love the Delfino picture. I know I'm the only person in America clamoring for more Delfino playing time, but I really do think he would have been better than Tayshaun.
Tell me again why Isiah is such a good GM if you can see his bad moves coming months in advance? I kid.
By the way, love The Orosco mention. Lindsey Hunter is one of those guys video games don't have to worry about being any worse or better when they "rate" them. Just give him a 72 or so every year until he retires. Maybe it is his name. He is old enough to go by Linds now, right?
Thank you for mentioning my book. Remember to follow your dreams...To realize one's destiny is a person's only obligation.
Dig it... you got TSF commenters checkin out the SML show, righteous.
Ayo, I didn't even recognize your home boy Delfino in that old photo. He's really fattened up on all them US dollars he's earning!
Ok, some real questions: why wouldn't the Pistons let Maxiell go? Cat didn't play much in the ECF, although he should've, of course. Someone explain this to me, please. Why would the Pistons keep a cat who the coach refuses to play? Or are you saying that the NEXT coach will play him?
Also, why would Miami want to sign Chauncey - was he not exposed just a little this year? Actually, it wouldn't be so bad if 07 was the only year and the ECF v. Cleveland was the only series in which he'd been exposed. But, more specifically, why would Miami want him when White Chocolate himself, the man Chauncey'd be replacing, exposed "Mr Big Shot" in game 6 of LAST YEAR'S ECF?
A final point about Daniel Gibson (I'm with you, Miguel, no point in calling a grown man "Boobie." This is a point I must stress repeatedly to my cousins "Man-man," "Sugar Bear," "Muffin," and "Coco." Um yeah, "Coco" is a dude (they all are). He's 6-4, 'bout 260 lbs of overweighted-ness, and 25 yrs old - ahh family...) [see the poet shaking his head slowly] Moving on, considering all the Marbury haters out there (perhaps I need to post this comment over at TSF), how do you all feel about the shoot-first PG NOW? Let's see, does er'body love Leandro? Check. Does er'body love Monta Ellis? Check. Now Daniel Gibson is getting the love. All this love that the "ol school" shoot-firsters never got, like Marbury and the immortal AI. All of these players are variations on a theme, with AI serving as the archetype - meanwhile Marbury actually does have passing skills! But where is the love?
Just curious...
Please Educate Allah's Children with Equality (an Insider for SML...)
LP! Whatup!
Actually, I was going to do a post on the Pistons, but I haven't had time yet because of work - maybe tonight. Basically, it was inspired by reading Simmons and everyone's post about how the Pistons need to be blown up... I'm like, why?
Nutshell: The biggest problem I saw with the Pistons is too much time for the starters, and no bench. When they did go to the bench, it was McDyess (dude was DUN when he was on Layden's Knicks four years ago!), Lindsay Hunter, and Nazr. Yo, you don't go with old vets off the bench against the Cavs young'ems - not only did the Cavs win the 2nd quarter in Games 3, 4, and 5 (and 6, if not for the The Clock delay), but they won the fourth quarter, too. That's because of tired legs, man.
Seriously, instead of playing those cats, why wasn't Flip sending out Amir Johson, Maxiell, and Delfino. Those guys totals:
Game 3: 6 minutes. Prince - 43 minutes. Rip-38. Billups-37. Sheed-36.
Game 4: Maxiell got 11. Prince-45! Sheed-40. Rip-36. Billups-45.
Game 5: Maxiell-27. Got 9pts, 5 rebs, 2 blks, 1 steal. Drew fouls. Prince-49. Sheed-45. Rip-48. Billups-53.
Get the picture? The bench was there all along, but Flip relied too much on his starters, wearing them down for those fourth quarters. Hence they couldn't close out on Gibson or LeBron on the defense.
Or that's my theory, anyway.
Meanwhile, Cleveland did that young/old thing (I saw that on some site, forgot which one, so excuse me for the lack of credit), meaning for every vet they could flip a young'em - Ilgaukas/Anderson, Gooden/Sasha, Gibson/Hughes/Jones/Snow. They used their bench well. And LeBron's not gonna be tired because he's been coasting all season (and postseason until Game 3)!
Like I said, I'll try to expand on this later, but those are my early thoughts on the 'Stons.
Nice reference at the end - I know it's an old skool 5%er... can't remember which one - is that from the Poor Righteous Teachers, or Brand Nubian? Shoot, now I'm gonna have to dig out my old tapes, man!...
thats a reallll good point about the shoot first PG fad comin in...and its gonna keep goin next year! the top 4 H.S. prospects goin to college, if im not mistaken, startin with OJ mayo, are pretty much shoot first PGs. And that whole bench detroit thign is the reason im sayin hang onto too all these young players on the knicks (except frye, and nate and morris) cuz they cud all either develop into good complimentary starters or at LEAST bench players for (insert marquee free agent from 2010 free agent splurge)
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Damn it, the Knicks are gonna sign him (Webber) to a mid-level exception. Isiah wants him, and while he can certainly help, I'll rather not pay him... but that's all for later
High comedy.