What a Performance!

I've been purposely avoiding writing about my Cavs and Indians, because I didn't want to "jinx" them (not that I believe in such things). Case in point: I mentioned the Browns a few weeks ago, and they drafted Brady Quinn - ugh! Not only did they draft him, but they traded away next year's number one pick to do it, which is almost unheard of in the NFL. Well, unheard of if you support a good team that's run by a good organization.

It's been fun watching the Cavs "grow up" as a team this year, at least during the playoffs. Last night, Lebron turned into THE man in front of our very eyes! Unbelievable! He WILLED the Cavs to victory in double-overtime by scoring Cleveland's last 25 points, and 29 of its last 30, in a 109-107 triumph. His totals for the game were 48 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists. There's no doubt that this was one of the single greatest playoff performances in the sport's history. Dare I say it, it was Jordanesque. Or Birdesque. Or Magic-like. The key is to see if he can consistently carry a team, or will it be a once-in-a-lifetime performance similar to Dominique Wilkins against the Celtics 20 years ago (Bird was just a little better, and 'nique was scarcely heard from again in the post season). I'm hoping for the former, obviously.

A random thought - You know, with the Bulls being on the verge of being pretty good, it would be fun for Lebron to torture them like Jordan tortured the Cavs in the 90's? It's kind of like how Ohio State now owns Michigan, after suffering through the Cooper era. Maybe all of this stuff is cyclical? Then again, the Browns haven't won a championship since 1964, and have never been to a Super Bowl, so maybe it's not…

Another random thought - I watched the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie last weekend. Yes, it was too long. Yes, the plot was convoluted. No, I didn't particularly like the ending (did you stay for the "extra" scene after the credits?). However, it did have moments of brilliance. Most people don't complain about watching a three-hour sporting event for those "moments," but why do folks complain about watching a 2:47 movie that has just as many or more moments of brilliance? Heck, millions of people paid $50 or more to watch De La Hoya fight Merriweather Jr., and it had about 5 seconds of brilliance! Barbosa, Turner, and Captain Jack were as great as ever, and worth the price of admission. Neither Pirates sequel captured the magic of the first, but isn't that usually the case? What did everyone expect? (See Doom, Temple of, for further explanation.)

Back to hoops. The Cavs were exactly in this situation in the series against the Pistons last year. Have they turned the corner? If they're truly on the verge of something great, they'll put away the series at home on Saturday, like great teams do.