The Cavaliers are good even when they win ugly: While We’re Waiting…

Good Friday morning everyone, it’s my turn at the helm. I don’t have a lot to say about Cleveland sports, but I do want to double down on what Jess said yesterday about the Finals 15. I don’t think it was just happenstance that my playoff-watching buddies set the meet-up location last night for Oak and Embers in Chesterland for some massive amounts of caloric sustenance during the Cavaliers game. I also don’t think it was an accident that after reading the words of warning, I doubled down on the grub and had wings and a platter of smoked sausage with cheesy succotash and mac and cheese as sides. Believe it or not, I couldn’t even get to more than a couple bites of the cornbread. I might have achieved my 15 just last night. Might have been worth it too. If you’ll excuse me, I have to go jogging and not stop until the Cavaliers play again on Saturday at 8:30 pm.

The Cleveland Cavaliers led the entire second half by 10 or more points…

Before we get started, how about a LeBron James highlight?

The Cleveland Cavaliers are good. They’re not necessarily playing the prettiest basketball we’ve seen them play this post-season – and I think the Toronto Raptors are uglying up the game against the Cavs – but the Cavaliers are outclassing them just the same. Just as we’ve talked about all post-season, the blowout factor in the playoffs is more about games rather than margin of victory. In the case of the Cavaliers and Raptors it’s actually both. The Cavaliers are up 2-0 – as a part of a super gaudy 10-0 playoff start – and they’re up on the Raps with pretty emphatic margins as well. Even though it’s not the kind of basketball that inspires a lot of confidence the way the barrage of threes did against the Hawks, the Cavs are doing it well. Period.

There’s some paranoia even in winning with the Cavaliers. I think a lot of it hearkens back to the 2009 playoffs where the Cavaliers rolled through Detroit and Atlanta in back-to-back sweeps, but the way in which the Cavaliers started playing against the Hawks didn’t project well. Then, of course, the Cavaliers got beat by Orlando in the East Finals. It’s probably just paranoia or more indicative of team construction problems and coaching issues, but there is history for Cavs fans that could lead one down the path of thinking winning isn’t always good enough when it’s against inferior talent. I don’t really think those fears are founded in these Cavaliers who have adapted their style a few different times and still just keep winning, but I do understand where the propensity to pick apart the team comes from. But this team has been too impressive for that, so far.

They’re doing it easy. I watched the game at a bar last night and LeBron’s game – while great – shocked me when I finally noticed his stat line and triple double. LeBron’s been able to do things quietly in the playoffs and a lot of it has to do with the level of competition. Even against bad competition however, when you’re a perfect 10-0 to begin the playoffs, it eliminates some of that second-guessing or at least it should.

I don’t know what else to say about the Cavaliers, so I’ll let Dave and Dylan finish this one off.

Your weekly moment of soccer zen…

A nutmeg pass to a long strike goal! Boom!

Criminally underrated band Tonic…

Some people hate Tonic. I admit it was weird when 2002’s “Head on Straight” was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock Album, but it ended up losing to “The Rising” by Bruce Springsteen anyway. And I just re-listened to that album recently and it’s really damn good. Tonic is a bunch of personal pop rock songs with formulaic writing including big choruses. It’s accented by solid playing and really soaring vocals by Emerson Hart, who is just that damn good a singer. I know a lot of people hate Train, and I don’t like a lot of their songs, but there’s no denying Pat Monahan’s singing talent in that band. Same goes for Emerson Hart. So anyway, screw cool points. Good music is good music. Talented musicians are talented. I’m playing some Tonic this fine Friday morning.