The Morning After
The (sort of) Morning After: Bleeding Me
by Turkmenbashi on May 31, 2009 11:32 AM CDT
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I want to apologize for posting so late. I didn't want to write anything about last night's loss. I thought that if I slept just a little longer, put it off for a few more hours, I could pretend I don't have to wait until next April to see our Horsemen riding into the playoffs again. The crushing finality of it all will set in when I hit "publish," and I didn't think I could bear it. Over the course of these playoffs, however, nothing has been more cathartic than bleeding out my emotions onto these internet pages, so I hope you'll all bear with me for a bit.
Last night, we watched our team -- the best Cavaliers team in franchise history, a team that set record after record and swaggered into the playoffs armed with the league MVP and greatest player on the planet -- get demolished by an upstart Orlando team. It doesn't make sense. Everything seemed to be going our way. Chemistry had never been better, we had seemingly found the perfect compliment to LeBron, half-court buzzer-beaters were dropping in our favor on what felt like a regular basis. This wasn't 2007, when we were just astounded and happy to be there in the Finals. This was our year, and we wouldn't settle for anything less than a title.
But some happened. We failed. We lost. The more time that passes and the more I think things over, however, one ultimate truth keeps floating to the top of my tumultuous sea of thoughts:
We got this.
And I've never been more sure of anything in my life.
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The (sort of) Morning After: Fighting Fire with Fire
by Turkmenbashi on May 29, 2009 11:26 AM CDT
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Before I get into my spiel, I just need to get something off my chest:
I told you so. All of you. We got this.
Now that that's out of the way, let's take a look at the Horsemen's glorious victory. Last night saw the fruition of a plan we've been executing well the past few games to unexpectedly poor results. No matter how much you'll hear about LeBron having been the only factor in this game, the truth is that what we've been doing all series long finally started working. We drove, kicked, shot, finished and swarmed on defense. We even pushed "Superman" to foul out of the game with more than two minutes to play. Though the Darlings again deleted a seemingly insurmountable lead, the Horsemen never backed down; we fought back until we emerged the clear victors.
How? Because we finally decided to fight fire with fire. Fortunately, we're always packing an industrial sized barrel of triple-double kerosene named LeBron.
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The Morning After: Broken, Beat & Scarred
by Turkmenbashi on May 27, 2009 8:58 AM CDT
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Last night was a punch in the gut. In a game of inches, our Horsemen fell just short in a valiant effort, 116-114.
Under attack from an unsaustainable barrage of three-pointers by the Disney Darlings, our boys were able to outplay Orlando in nearly every statistical aspect of the game and manage to keep the final score within two points. Make no mistake -- the plan worked. The defensive rotations were good, LeBron drove the lane with force, and we finally got some contributions from The Other Cavaliers. LeBron seemed to burn out a bit at the end, committing some costly turnovers, but he also hit some clutch free throws that kept us in it and a "how'd-he-do-that" fade away three that brought us within one and set the stage for another possible buzzer-beater. It truly came down to inches, and luck just wasn't on our side (despite the navy jerseys).
if Delonte snags that rebound with six seconds left, the series is tied. If LeBron's "LeShot 2" attempt is three inches to the right, the series is tied. If Orlando doesn't get the game of a lifetime from it's replacement starting guard, the series is tied. OK that last one isn't about inches but seriously, come on.
Now, we go home. But we don't go home defeated. We may be battered, broken, bloodied, bruised and a bunch of other "b" words that connote near defeat, but we're not done yet.
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The Morning After: Things that Should Not Be
by Turkmenbashi on May 25, 2009 10:38 AM CDT
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Last night's game being the closest we've had to a blowout at all in the Conference Finals, I don't have much to say that hasn't already been said. However, I wish to submit to you a list of things that should not and cannot continue to happen if our Horsemen of the Basketball Apocalypse are to ride on into the Finals.
- Mo Williams, Delonte West and Z continue to miss open looks: While no one here is stupid enough to argue that LeBron is a one-man team, we're all well aware that shot creation from people not named James is not our strong suit. It's all about drive and kick, and we've done a fine job of that so far in this series. Problem is, our shooters aren't knocking anything down. As far as I'm concerned, however, the game plan is working. As long as we keep getting guys open looks, good things will start happening. If Mo, Delonte and Z hit their averages, we're up 3-0 having won by 15 each game.
- Dwight Howard continues to do his best Mark Price impression from the free throw line: No way this is sustainable. If Orlando beats us by virtue of DH's free throw shooting, then so be it. But it's not going to happen.
- LeBron James doing his best Shaq impression at the line: LeBron James is the best player in the NBA. After last night's performance, no doubt he's at the gym practicing FT's for hours today. He knows that regardless of the team around him, he's got the biggest burden to carry, and The King is not one to take that sort of thing lightly.
- Our defense continues to fail to get fourth-quarter stops: This has been the key to the series so far, really. Our defensive scheme has completely broken down in the fourth, allowing the Disney Darlings' already deadly shooters to get open looks which, of course, spell doom. Adjustments need to be made and rotations reconsidered. These guys can kill us even when we're playing good defense, so we can't settle for non-existent D. Let Howard get his. Do whatever is necessary to take their assassins off their game.
- The Cavs continue to play as if they're the underdogs in the series: I don't care if we're down 2-1. We are the best team in the NBA, without question. And we need to start playing that way. We come to battle every night led by the Coach of the Year and the league MVP. No one can stop us, and that's a truth we collectively have to believe in. No more chucking up ill-advised jumpers early in the shot clock like nervous school children in a pickup game. No more LeBron dribbling for 20 seconds while looking like a deer in the headlights. No more collapsing around a third-tier backup center and leaving shooters wide open. Amway Arena was quieter than Walt Disney's tomb for most of last night. We need to take advantage of it. And can we really be scared of a team called the Magic? In their majestic blue pinstriped uniforms adorned with delightful stars? Nonsense.
This is our series, and this is our year. On Tuesday, we will come out and go face to face with these things that should not be. By defeating our own lingering demons, we clear a path to certain victory... and our Horsemen will ride on.
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The Morning After: It's Just a Freight Train Comin' Your Way, Orlando
by Turkmenbashi on May 23, 2009 10:13 AM CDT
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The dagger had been sunk. Orlando too the 95-93 lead. The Darlings would head back to Disneyworld up 2-0. After two of the most intense playoff battles they'd ever faced, Orlando saw the light at the end of the tunnel.
But one second remained.
The light seemed to be approaching at warp speed. They could taste it, and they began to savor the sweet decadence of beating the best team in the league twice on its home court.
But that was no light. It was a 6'8", 270lb freight train running straight to the gut of every Magic fan on the planet.
You have to understand; things like this don't happen for Cleveland. They happen to Cleveland. But what we Witnessed last night will go down as one of the greatest plays in the history of sports. And it's ours to savor forever.
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The Morning After: Luck Runs Out
by Turkmenbashi on May 21, 2009 10:12 AM CDT
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Last night's loss was soul-crushing, devastating, heartbreaking, and 1000 other negative superlatives. After a first half that saw nearly everything go our way -- offensive fouls on Howard, a 67-foot buzzer beater by Mo -- the second half left us wondering why our blog isn't called Third Quarter Collapse. And our luck ran out. A three-point attempt by Delonte in the final seconds was no good, and Mo's last-ditch effort off the tip missed by inches, proving he had spent whatever was left in his bank of good karma.
107-106.
Devastating.
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