So this is where all of ESPN’s advertising money goes: one 90 second spot before the finals. Can’t wait for the Pussycat Dolls at the end of the quarter.
Tony Parker has been playing out of his mind for the past three months. Usually, this would be the point where he’d stop driving to the rim. Is this what happens when you get married? Do you lose all sense of self-awareness and stop worrying about your body? Maybe the decision to marry Eva was Gregg Poppovich’s idea.
Thankfully, he’s been handed a blessing in this Finals by getting the hobbled Larry Hughes as his defensive assignment. But look for the Spurs to try and break away with him on the bench–he’s still an utter liability on that side.
LeBron is way off right now. It doesn’t worry me at this moment (first quarter jitters), but he’ll need to start picking it up if the Cavs want to stay in this game.
What? Sasha Paplovic, driving to the rim?
That’s what you need to do LeBron…attack the rim, get to the line…what you don’t do is dribble the ball for twelve seconds and back into Ginobili. Pretty disjointed first quarter for the King.
If Jacque Vaughn starts knocking down jumpers, this series will be done quickly.
Cavs might seem confident in the pregame, but other than Gibson, the Lebronettes are a little jittery with the ball. It’s pass to LeBron, stand, wait for him to create. Not a great strategy to beat the Spurs.
20-15 after 1. Excellent. I barely even noticed we’re headed for scoring apocalypto.
One of the reasons the Spurs will have trouble with the Cavs is their long arms, which allow them to poke at the ball on transition, causing turnovers. It’s especially frustrating to someone like Ginobili, who thrives on transition offense. Cavs are hanging around despite their horrid shooting.
Okay, this is in good fun, but that Duncan-Popovich feature was strangely homoerotic. We’re happy for your special relationship though. All the best!
Spurs are becoming the stagnant team. I haven’t had many great things to say about Mike Brown in this playoffs, but changing the matchups on Duncan (single teams on Ilgauskas, forcing him into that little jumper, occasional double team, bizarre triple team) definitely force San Antonio to change up the way they run their plays.
And just when I say that, Tony Parker creates 9 points in 1 minute. What is in that stuff Eva’s giving him?
LeBron James is not playing well at all on the offensive end (his defense on Parker has been pretty good though, should be guarding him all the time). Down by 5, Cavs should be happy.
NBA announcers have never been giddier to say ‘Boobie.’
The frightening thought of Stu Scott post-game interviews makes me almost root for the Spurs. Almost.
The only adjustment I’d make is keeping LeBron on Parker at all times. After that…uh…well, worry about what Ginobili does.
These great NBA moments commercials are a step up from Cirque du Soleil. One step. Really confusing.
The Duncan-Popovich relationship fluff makes Gigli look like an epic love story.
There’s a reason you don’t get enough credit Tony Parker. It’s because you have Tim Duncan. Just wait until Duncan retires and your defensive liabilities get exposed. It’s going to be a fun road out.
Too much ball holding by the Cavs, especially LeBron. Bruce Bowen doesn’t even have to do anything and he gets slurped. James should be taking it to the basket, or working a little off the ball.
At this rate, I will be watching no NBA Finals games overseas. Can’t really see the Spurs blowing this series if LeBron’s going to make two shots by the end of the third quarter, and if Cleveland keeps on throwing up gag-worthy 3rd quarters (what the hell are you doing at halftime Mike Brown?). The only bright side is that there should be no David Blaine.
With this game pretty much over (San Antonio won’t surrender an 18 point lead), looking ahead to Game 2, LeBron needs to be more aggressive off the bat. There’s a lot of bad offense going on, so little Daniel Gibson (best Cavalier so far in this game), questionable defense off running in the lane (who the hell guards Jacque Vaughn off the weakside?), and James holds the ball way too long, which leaves Cleveland entirely static on the offensive end. The dynamic completely favors the Spurs in the open court, which they’ve been running all through the 2nd half.
Really like how Paplovic and Gibson have been playing. The rest of the Cavs are eh; lots of missed jump shots. Donyell Marshall’s presence is inexplicable.
Wow, this Shaq reality show seems more interesting than the NBA Finals…but then again it’s Shaq.
Hello LeBron, welcome to the NBA Finals. Hope you show up earlier for Game 2. 2nd quarter would be optimal.
How does the Fantastic Four Movie go from looking like a subversive comedy to an all-out thriller for the future of mankind?
Typical Spurs game this playoffs: Take a dominating lead, let the opponent sneak back, then most likely close it out with one or two stops in the last three minutes. Spurs have to be concerned though if LeBron shows up for the full 48, since he does have several reliable role players (Gooden, Varejao, Gibson, Paplovic) who can create off of his passes. Should be a more competitive Game 2.
Seriously hope the Cavs dust off the youth thing and get to playing by Game 2. LeBron needs to speed up the game instead of holding, staring, staring, then dribbling. Just way too slow against a Spurs team that can outrun a static offense like the Cavs were today. Get the pace up. And play more fucking Daniel Gibson, Mike Brown. 7 for 9 in the Finals? He can take Tony Parker apart if you give him the minutes. Other than that, well…don’t screw up too much?
Oh yeah, and good job, good ol’ San Antonio. The real advantage that the Spurs have is the Oberto/Elson combo with their ability to rebound and hustle, creating those open shots. Very valuable to have those sort of players around in the playoffs. And Tim Duncan and Gregg Popovich have a very special relationship. Good for them.Be back for Game 2. See ya.
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I have to say, that I could not agree with you in 100% regarding inals Blog: Game 1, Live, but it’s just my opinion, which could be wrong