And then there were two.
That primal scream you may be hearing today is no doubt coming from the offices of various television networks. TNT is the leader in the clubhouse, as they will be the first casualty of the astonishing three sweeps in the second round of this year's playoffs...for you see, after tonight's Cleveland vs. Boston game, San Antonio at Phoenix would have followed. Alas (he said with an evil grin), there will be no breathless description of an upcoming game out west to thrill Cavs' and Celtics' fans tonight, thanks to the Suns' sweep, no free throw attempts minimized to allow graphics advertising the late game.
Of course, tonight's TNT anguish pales in comparison to tomorrow night's, as not one, but two, games which would have been will have to be replaced in the line-up, probably by a new Law & Order spin-off...maybe Law & Order GPS, where the detectives use hand-held technology to find their way back to the precinct every night or something. Dastardly Orlando and the devious L.A. Lakers muddied up the works by also sweeping through their second round series against Atlanta and Utah, respectively.
On Thursday, the good folks in Cleveland and Boston will once again watch Charles, Kenny and Ernie (and might stick around to also watch the game). And then, at some time, roughly, between ten and eleven, TNT will once again have to find replacement programming...I am liking that new 'Law" spin-off I have heard so much about....Law & Order Boo-hoo-hoo, where an Atlanta branch of the crime-fighters spends time tracking down the whereabouts of the above mentioned primal screams.
Friday night ESPN loses out, as the NBA becomes, for them, an equal opportunity annoyer. Of course, ever the intrepid spirits, I am guessing that ESPN, if they do not have commentary or some obscure sporting event to watch at the ready, can always invent a new sport just for this special occasion when basketball has an unexpected night off. It would be no shock to see the First Annual Professional Door-Knob Opening and Closing Classic filling the NBA void.
Saturday? I am not so sure about Saturday being such a wash-out, as only true fans of their teams would be likely to have watched anyway. So whether games would have been on ABC, or ESPN, there will not be a horrid drop-off from having no games to see.
Of course, Sunday, it is safe to say, there will be a game on ABC involving Cleveland and/or Boston, either against each other or the Magic, and then on Monday, L.A opens against Phoenix, and all will be right in the TV world, at least for a while.
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Okay, seriously...who'd a thunk it? Pretty astonishing stuff, to see three teams bow out this quickly. Sorry, Hawks' fans, there is not so much surprise over your early exit: The difficulty you had brushing Milwaukee aside was a clear indication of what was about to come, and, much as it pains me to say it...the Magic are pretty darned good. The Lakers should never surprise when they turn on the jets, yet even so, I did not expect Utah to go down without winning at least one game. And San Antonio being swept out? Major surprise there, although one thing that remained a constant was Steve Nash needing medical attention when playing a series against the Spurs.
Of immediate relevance to Boston and Cleveland was Orlando's sweep. Much will be made of the Magic duplicating the Cavaliers' feat of last year in sweeping the first two series. That discussion is for another date. But for now, I can't really hear any such discussion, for, you see...
My ears are ringing too loudly from primal screams.