Memorial Day Open Thread
May 25, 2009Game 3 post-mortem from Orlando
May 25, 2009While We’re Waiting aims to be the round-up of the recent WFNY-esque information for your morning viewing. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email in the sidebar.
We will have full Cavs-Magic Game 3 recaps and analysis coming later today and tomorrow. We also have an all day Memorial Day open thread below to vent your frustration or display your optimism about the Cleveland sports scene. In the interim, here are some Memorial Day links.
Are the Cavs out of gas: “This boggles my mind. I can understand why a team would be feeling the effects of a long season as it plays its 95th game, but if Orlando, Los Angeles, and to a lesser extent Denver aren’t dragging, why are the Cavs? The team that saw limited minutes for its starters all season due to all those Cleveland blowouts. The team that waltzed through the first two rounds, even more blowouts, with five fewer games than Orlando to get to this stage, and a youth advantage at nearly every turn. Don’t tell me that they somehow went out of shape during the layoff between the Hawks and Magic series. But there Delonte West(notes) was, dragging. Mo Williams'(notes) shots were short. James seemed fine from beginning to end, but you couldn’t help but think back to Game 1, when he could barely get up and down the court. A little over a year ago, this guy was piling up the minutes (look at these game logs). What happened?” [Kelly Dwyer/Ball Don’t Lie]
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It could be a tense scene at Progressive Field this week for a number of reasons: “After playing four testy games at Tropicana Field May 14-17, the Indians and Rays meet again Monday night at Progressive Field for the start of a four-game set that could make for some good viewing. MLB has issued a cease and desist order to all parties by fining Indians catcher Victor Martinez, closer Kerry Wood and Rays manager Joe Maddon.” [Paul Hoynes/Plain Dealer]
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OSU baseball team learns their fate today after missing out on hosting a regional: “The waiting will continue for the Big Ten champion Ohio State Buckeyes. The NCAA Division I Baseball Committee announced the 16 regional sites for the 63rd annual NCAA Division I Baseball Championship today on NCAA.com and Columbus, Bill Davis Stadium and the 40-17 Buckeyes were not chosen to host one of the 16 regional sites.” [OhioStateBuckeyes.com]
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LBJ happy with the Chinese investment group purchasing a minority stake in the team: LeBron James said before Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday that he was excited about the prospect of the Asian investment. “It’s a big market; they love the game of basketball,” James said. “I’ve been over there the last four or five summers, and I know how much they are inspired about the game of basketball. So it could be good. It should be fun.” [Brian Windhorst/Plain Dealer]
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Cinderella story Michael Allen brings home the title over at Canterbury: “It’s heady company for someone who hasn’t won in 334 starts on the PGA Tour and was so discouraged with his game in the mid-1990s, he quit playing professionally to become an assistant club professional at Winged Foot and also dabble in the home construction business. The unheralded Allen played like a champion Sunday. The Arizona resident started the day with a one-shot lead and he ended it there even though at one point he trailed Mize by two shots.” [Craig Dolch/PGA.com]
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SVG, Magic fans, and this Orlando columnist are ramping up the “LBJ gets every call” rhetoric: “Seriously, have you ever seen so many invisible fouls? Dwight Howard fouled out on a phantom call on LeBron. Hedo Turkoglu was called for another. During a timeout while the Magic dancers were on the floor, LeBron actually walked right through the middle of their routine. Amazingly, none of the dancers were whistled for a foul.” [Mike Bianchi/Orlando Sentinel]
(AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
12 Comments
I loved how SVG said something coming out of halftime about “we can’t be worrying about the foul calls.” Are you kidding me?? Magic = 51 FTs. Cavs = 35 FTs.
They’re like politicians trying to spin/control the message.
The call which fouled out Dwight on the 3 pt attempt by LBJ was bogus. I would have to agree with that assertion. I think LBJ gets the same sort of contact calls around the rim that Hedo gets out away from the hoop.
Funniest moment in a while… The woman with cross-legs threatening to do a “Basic Instinct” with a few minutes to go in the Cavs game. Then a guy puts a logo of some company between her legs. Funny stuff. Marv and Doug had no idea!
Yea, I have to laugh at SVG’s constant harping on the refs when his team gets a 16 FT advantage. Certainly the call that fouled Howard out was bogus, but should Howard have even been in the game at that point? He had blatantly tripped Mo Williams earlier with no call. Not to mention his moving screens. I’m just having trouble mustering up much caring for him and SVG.
Even worse than Dwight Howard’s fouls is that he might as well be grilling steaks in the paint, both on offense and defense. There used to be a 3 second rule in the NBA.
“The call which fouled out Dwight on the 3 pt attempt by LBJ was bogus.”
That call was a make-good for the previous call on Z, when he clearly had a clean block on Howard.
50% of calls last night were bad calls, 49% were make-up calls.
I’ve never seen such bad officiating.
He’s the Cinderella boy, gonna hit about a seven iron.
I think Stan was right in one regard, the Cavs were trying to foul Dwight…while the Magic weren’t trying to foul LeBron.
Officiating was certainly bad though, but I don’t think it was as one-sided as I did yesterday when I watched it live. The third quarter though did stick out, as the Cavs were being whistled for handchecks.
LeBron does indeed lead the league in the chase down statistic..the chase down and either goal tend or foul maneuver that he’s patented. That was such a goal tend last night! (but refs are 50 feet away so their depth perception prevents them from knowing if the ball is over the cylinder).
And getting back to the fouls, I’d say less than half of D-Ho’s fouls have been actual fouls this series, so the Cavs have gotten a big break in that area.
I will refer everyone to #5, Matt, above. If DH is going to spend the ENTIRE time he is on the floor right under the rim, her deserves what he gets.
Um…to SVG: if the Cavs are getting all the calls then how did Mo get called for a block when he handed off the ball to Lebron, did not move, and was run over by Pietrus? Or how about the TWO hand check fouls called on West just over half court when his hands were crossed in front of him on his chest (the last one being his fifth and just after he hit a big three that could have got him going, maybe).
Everyone knows the refs have been bad, so I won’t continue to harp on it. Except for the fact that Hedo is allowed to be the Heisman when he handles the ball. He’s always dribbling with 1 arm holding the defender back. How is this allowed? and how does that constitute a foul on the D?
Last game made me lose so much respect for the NBA, not to mention the refereeing for the whole NBA this year. Pathetic