LeChoke. That says it all, sadly. The stat line may look good, but anyone that watched that travesty last night saw the same thing I did. Eight baskets. Nine turnovers. Nearly all of them coming at back breaking points in the contest.
I’m not sure what has been wrong with LeBron, but whoever that guy out there the last couple weeks with the glazed over look in his eyes wearing #23 was, that’s not the LeBron I know. Maybe the elbow is badly hurt. Maybe he’s going through some personal issues. Maybe it’s a revolt against Mike Brown. Or maybe he’s just a choke artist that can’t handle the pressure of being the favorite to win it all.
I’m sure we’ll find out in the weeks to come.
Matchups. Effort. Coaching. The Cavs were badly outmatched in all three areas. And you cannot win a seven game series when you have major matchup issues, get outworked, and you have one of the worst head coaches in recent NBA history.
The Cavaliers had absolutely no answer for Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett all series, and I think seriously underestimated what poor half court defenders Mo Williams and Antawn Jamison are. It’s ironic, the Cavs and Danny Ferry built last year’s team to beat Boston, and ended up getting blindsided by Orlando. They built this year’s team to beat Orlando, and the Celtics ended up being the nightmare matchup.
As far as Mike Brown goes, he should be fired this morning. If you were still sadistic enough to be watching during the final minute, he was screaming for the Cavaliers to foul Boston as the game was winding down. The team blatantly ignored him in an act of defiance. And then refused to publicly support him after the game. Another talented Cleveland team with a bum coach. Brown was absolutely owned by Doc Rivers in this series. And his players didn’t even play hard for him.
We now have 6-7 weeks to speculate on what may happen with LeBron, and I don’t have the time or energy to get into it today. But I’ll say this – if he leaves to go elsewhere for less money (the Cavs can pay him more than any other team per NBA rules), after going out like this, he becomes Art Modell.
He becomes the most reviled figure in Cleveland sports history. And rightfully so in my mind.
I just feel like a fool the mornings after tough losses like this. We invest so much into these sports teams. Time, money, emotion … we live and die with them over the grind of a six month season. Then when all the chips are in the middle of the table, a lot of times it feels like us, as fans, care more about the outcome than the players you’re pulling for. It’s a really hollow feeling.
I feel like sitting here and typing that I’m glad the season is over so I can be done with the emotional ups and downs and stress, and that I don’t care if LeBron stays or goes … and I do kind of feel that way this morning.
But that will all subside. I’ll get up off the ground, clean myself off, and the emotional wounds will heal. The disdain and disgust will begin to morph back into hope and optimism. Lucy will put that football down again at some point in the future, and I’ll be sure this is the time she isn’t going to pull it away. And then this will happen again :
Lather, rinse, repeat.
It’s what we do. We’re Cleveland fans.
Quote of the day …
“The fact that it’s over right now is definitely a surprise to me. A friend of mine told me, ‘I guess you’ve got to go through a lot of nightmares before you realize your dream.’ That’s what’s going on for me individually right now. I want to win. That’s my only thing, my only concern. I’ve always prided myself—it’s all about winning for me and I think the Cavs are committed to doing that. But at the same time, I’ve given myself options to this point. Me and my team, we have a game plan that we’ll execute and we’ll see where we’re at.” ~ LeBron James
Market …
Got retail sales data this morning from April that came in right around expectations. Overall, retail sales rose 0.4% amid expectations of a 0.2% increase over March’s numbers. However, if you extrapolate out auto sales, the increase was 0.4%, which was slightly below the 0.5% expectations.
Consumer spending is closely watched because it accounts for 70% of economic activity. Consumer spending rose in the first three months of this year at the fastest pace in three years and economists are hoping that better news on employment will bolster spending in coming months. The 0.4% bump in retail sales was led by a 6.9% surge in spending at hardware stores. Spending was also up at health and beauty shops and gasoline service stations. Most other categories either showed outright declines or smaller increases than in March.
Yesterday, stocks lost ground amid reports of widening legal probes of banks, disappointing traffic from retailers, and still elevated jobless claims. The Dow, down six of the last eight sessions, dropped 113 points, the S&P 500 fell 14 points and the Nasdaq fell 30 points.
The lingering debt woes around Europe also continue to weigh on markets. Data released this morning showed core inflation in Spain turning negative for the first time, raising questions about the country’s ability to grow out of its massive debt burden. An alleged threat delivered last week by French President Nicolas Sarkozy to pull France out of the euro also worried investors.
News …
~ Consumer Spending Rises 0.4% in April
~ Measure to Boost Capital Levels Passes US Senate
http://www.cnbc.com/id/37145558
~ PNC Honors National City’s History with Exhibit
http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2010/05/pnc_honors_national_citys_hist.html
~ Volcker: Future of Euro in Doubt
http://www.cnbc.com/id/37144724
~ Two Speed Recovery Drags on Consumer Confidence
http://www.cnbc.com/id/37132728
~ Stock Futures Point to Weaker Start
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-stock-futures-point-to-weaker-start-2010-05-14?dist=beforebell
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