HELLO, CLEVELAND!!
I’m an Optimist. We’ve calmed down, we’re all back together in the homeland – and we’ve got a LOT of work to do.
People, I’ve got a ton of miles on me. They’re city miles, too. Like a car that parents give their kids in high school.
I’ve been a fan of the Cavaliers since we’ve both existed and I’ve been an employee since TheBron was drafted back in 2003. And I can’t, to date, remember a more important game than the one that’s about to go down tonight at The Q.
The first two games of the NBA Finals are history. They were painful.
Because it’s been hashed and re-hashed, I’m not going to go over any of the numbers, with the exception of Numeral 23’s.
On Sunday night, TheBron finished with 19 points, nine assists, eight boards, four steals, one block and a game-high SEVEN turnovers.
Immediately after the game, as he always does, the four-time MVP owned it; said he had to be better, knows he has to.
Having that many miscues in a loss – (and failing to keep his 25-game streak of postseason games with 20-plus points intact) – would, in his lexicon, probably constitute a “bad” game.
And that plays right into our hands …
Because I have long-theorized (and could probably back up with hardcore analytic data if I didn’t have to do laundry) that TheBron never, ever – EVER! — has two bad games in a row.
Earlier this week, the Zen Master – Phil Jackson – said that the Pride of Akron should channel Jordan and play “like a man possessed.”
“I think for me to go out and be who I am and play as true to the game and as hard as I can and try to lead this team, that’s who I am,” said the 12-time All-Star. “Not anybody else. I’m not Michael. I’m not Ali. I’m not nobody else that’s done so many great things for sport. I am who I am, and if I’m able to go out and put together a game like that, it wasn’t because I was possessed. It’s because I worked on my craft all season long and that’s the result of it.”
To me, that sounds like TheBron is going to come out on Wednesday night like a man possessed. (And if not, just hold out until Draymond Green flexes them pipe-cleaners at him for the first time.) EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW From where to catch all the action to Wednesday’s game notes, cavs.com has you covered. Where to Watch: Tune into ABC. Pre and postgame coverage on FOX Sports Ohio. Where to Listen: WTAM 1100, 87.7 FM La Mega, ESPN Radio Game Notes: More stats about Game 3. Discuss Forum: Get into the conversation with other die-hards. Keys to Success: Joe G. has your keys to victory. Of course, it’s about more than the King. Although he led everyone with 26 points on Sunday, Kyrie has struggled from the floor. Kevin Love took an elbow in Game 2 and is listed as questionable for Wednesday. J.R. Smith continues to claw through the Finals for the second straight season and the bench, aside from Richard Jefferson, has been decidedly outplayed. Irregardless! Whether the Wine and Gold lost by one point or 33 or 15, the truth is that a 73-win team held serve in two games. They did what they were supposed to do. But for those of you feeling blue, think about last year. Last year at this time, the same pundits that are writing off Cleveland now were saying that the Warriors were the ones whose goose was cooked. They took three of four and changed the narrative forever. Two weeks ago, the Warriors were down 3-1 to OKC – losing back-to-back games by 52 points. The Cavaliers cannot win the series tonight. And even if they were to double Golden State’s score tonight, NBA rules stipulate that they still get only one victory, and not two. So let’s start with Wednesday night. Let’s get one win. And we’ll go from there. Tonight, let’s see the real Cavaliers step forward. Let’s see a hungry, tenacious, electric bunch. Let’s see ball-movement, precision shooting, voracious defense. Ty Lue’s squad has worked too hard to change lanes now. Tonight, Matthew Dellavedova steps up. Tristan Thompson doubles-up. And J.R. Smith finds his stroke. Coach Lue has also promised to unveil a new, undisclosed lineup wrinkle. It’s OK to be nervous about tonight’s Game 3 matchup. I won’t even waste your time on any fakakta historic crap no matter what PR wunderkind Jeff “Schaef” Schaeffer has to say. Between the milk thing and the food-snobbery, he really gets exposed in a seven-game series. So that means if you’re curious about the Icelandic volcano – Laki – which, On this Date in 1783, erupted for eight straight months and killed over 9,000 Vikings and caused a seven-year famine, I can’t help you. And if you came here to celebrate the Birthdays of Jerry Stiller or Boz Scaggs or Bryant “Big Country” Reeves, that’s hard cheese too. And if for some reason you tuned into today’s column hoping to read about legendary Cleveland Indian, Satchel Paige – who was an MLB rookie at age 42, won the ’48 World Series with the Tribe and was the first Negro League Player inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame – and who Died On This Day at the ripe old age of 133 and is Still most likely Dead – you’ve tuned into the wrong column, bud. Because the final thing I have to do here is to invite you people into the bunker. You hear it all the time in sports: “bunker mentality.” That’s what we need tonight, friends. Tonight, it’s Cleveland Against the World. I’ve read the Twitter and I’ve watched the TV analysts. The outside world doesn’t care about Cleveland. A story and a title are the same to them. But not to us. For every Dan Shaughnessey that understands our cause, there’s ten Bill Simmons – who’d love to throw dirt on it if only he knew how to hold a shovel. It’s US vs. THEM tonight. The Warriors are going to go on a run tonight. Maybe more than one. Your job – if you choose to accept it – is to lift the Wine and Gold through thick and thin. If they ever needed – really NEEDED — The Land, it’s tonight, at The Q and around the world. So I’m asking, please … Keep the faith, Cleveland Your pal, The Optimist
Earlier this week, the Zen Master – Phil Jackson – said that the Pride of Akron should channel Jordan and play “like a man possessed.”
To me, that sounds like TheBron is going to come out on Wednesday night like a man possessed.
(And if not, just hold out until Draymond Green flexes them pipe-cleaners at him for the first time.)
Tune into ABC. Pre and postgame coverage on FOX Sports Ohio.
WTAM 1100, 87.7 FM La Mega, ESPN Radio
More stats about Game 3.
Get into the conversation with other die-hards.
Joe G. has your keys to victory.
Of course, it’s about more than the King.
Although he led everyone with 26 points on Sunday, Kyrie has struggled from the floor. Kevin Love took an elbow in Game 2 and is listed as questionable for Wednesday. J.R. Smith continues to claw through the Finals for the second straight season and the bench, aside from Richard Jefferson, has been decidedly outplayed.
Irregardless! Whether the Wine and Gold lost by one point or 33 or 15, the truth is that a 73-win team held serve in two games. They did what they were supposed to do.
But for those of you feeling blue, think about last year. Last year at this time, the same pundits that are writing off Cleveland now were saying that the Warriors were the ones whose goose was cooked. They took three of four and changed the narrative forever.
Two weeks ago, the Warriors were down 3-1 to OKC – losing back-to-back games by 52 points.
The Cavaliers cannot win the series tonight. And even if they were to double Golden State’s score tonight, NBA rules stipulate that they still get only one victory, and not two.
So let’s start with Wednesday night. Let’s get one win.
And we’ll go from there.
Tonight, let’s see the real Cavaliers step forward. Let’s see a hungry, tenacious, electric bunch. Let’s see ball-movement, precision shooting, voracious defense. Ty Lue’s squad has worked too hard to change lanes now.
Tonight, Matthew Dellavedova steps up. Tristan Thompson doubles-up. And J.R. Smith finds his stroke. Coach Lue has also promised to unveil a new, undisclosed lineup wrinkle.
It’s OK to be nervous about tonight’s Game 3 matchup. I won’t even waste your time on any fakakta historic crap no matter what PR wunderkind Jeff “Schaef” Schaeffer has to say. Between the milk thing and the food-snobbery, he really gets exposed in a seven-game series.
So that means if you’re curious about the Icelandic volcano – Laki – which, On this Date in 1783, erupted for eight straight months and killed over 9,000 Vikings and caused a seven-year famine, I can’t help you.
And if you came here to celebrate the Birthdays of Jerry Stiller or Boz Scaggs or Bryant “Big Country” Reeves, that’s hard cheese too.
And if for some reason you tuned into today’s column hoping to read about legendary Cleveland Indian, Satchel Paige – who was an MLB rookie at age 42, won the ’48 World Series with the Tribe and was the first Negro League Player inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame – and who Died On This Day at the ripe old age of 133 and is Still most likely Dead – you’ve tuned into the wrong column, bud.
Because the final thing I have to do here is to invite you people into the bunker.
You hear it all the time in sports: “bunker mentality.”
That’s what we need tonight, friends. Tonight, it’s Cleveland Against the World.
I’ve read the Twitter and I’ve watched the TV analysts. The outside world doesn’t care about Cleveland. A story and a title are the same to them. But not to us.
For every Dan Shaughnessey that understands our cause, there’s ten Bill Simmons – who’d love to throw dirt on it if only he knew how to hold a shovel.
It’s US vs. THEM tonight.
The Warriors are going to go on a run tonight. Maybe more than one. Your job – if you choose to accept it – is to lift the Wine and Gold through thick and thin.
If they ever needed – really NEEDED — The Land, it’s tonight, at The Q and around the world.
So I’m asking, please …
Keep the faith, Cleveland
Your pal, The Optimist
