The Ebb and Flow

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...

Yin - Overtime wins a-plenty.

You don't know, you betta aks somebody.

After 41 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, a monster "Fuck You!" block of a Richard Hamilton layup, and a jaw-dropping, off-balance-with-a-dude-in-his-face 35-foot almost-a-game-winner-in-regulation shot that was ruled (correctly) to be after the buzzer, and in spite of some horribly lopsided officiating, LeBron had carried the Cavs on his back to a much-needed overtime victory on the road in Detroit.

The Cavs now find themselves only 2 games back (albeit 3 in the loss column) of the Pistons for the division lead and overall #1 seed in the conference. In response to all of the blow-hards (Bill Simmons, I'm looking in your direction here, though I usually love your insights) who said LeBron was taking a step back this year, I think it's safely now apparent that he has just elected to save up for the stretch run. He was a top-10 player in the league while "coasting" through the first 50 games, and now look at him. You've all collectively unleashed hell on the rest of the league. I hope your crow tastes Mmm Mmm Good!

I think Lars said it best: "LeBron is definitely back, and while I would rather he give 100% in every game, he knows his body better than anyone else and if he felt he needed to save it for the stretch run and the playoffs, then that's ok with me. It is a little different than say baseball or football since virtually everyone with a half decent team will make the playoffs."

Couldn't agree more. Dude had a sore foot for a lot of the first half, and his team was treading water at 5-7 games over .500 while he was "coasting". Now that he's decided to reinforce the fact that he's the most unstoppable player in the league, his team has gone 9-4 in their last 13 and is 11 over .500, knocking on the door of the #1 seed. I know the Mavs are all-world, and Stevie Nash has some kind of deal with the devil, but if LeBron continues his Jordan-esque performance, and that in turn pushes the Cavs to the #1 seed in the conference, and he doesn't win the MVP, it will be a grave injustice.

The most telling thing about last night's game: the 4th quarter started with both teams tied at 70, and then the Pistons started out with an 11-2 run. Cue LeBron: "We didn't let that affect us," James said. "That shows growth. I'm proud of the guys. We could've easily tanked it. We've done that in the past. Tonight, we definitely didn't do that and we got a big win on the road."

A most welcome turning point, perhaps?


Too little, too late; but still nice to see.

The Blue Jackets have quietly won three in a row to ascend out of the near-basement of the Western Conference and earn some modicum of respect. First it was two tough road wins, including on the road in Dallas. Last night was a come-from-behind 3-2 overtime win in which the team grew up just a little bit more.

Now that Carter is gone, Berard is basically gone, and the Jackets are playing with some of the younger guys, it looks like they're starting to gain a little confidence. Hitch has them looking hungry, and they're hopefully building a foundation for a better year next year.

Since Hitchcock's hiring, the Jackets have gone 22-20-5 (49 points in 47 games, compared to 12 in the first 20 games with Gallant and interim-Agnew). 49 in 47 isn't exactly setting the world on fire, of course, but for a fairly young franchise that's never been near to being over .500 for a season, it's a start. They may not make the playoffs next year, but they could certainly be in the mix if they can continue to play at .500 or slightly above it for a longer stretch.

With the free-agency landscape of the NHL today, it's not unreasonable to think the Jackets are no more than just a stud defenseman and some better depth at goaltender away from a #7 seed in the playoffs next year.


Yang - Jamal Fucking Lewis??

Apparently, if you can't tackle him, sign him.

Seriously, the CNNSI.com lead says it all: "The Browns finally tackled Jamal Lewis." I don't like Joey Porter as a person; that said, I would have loved to have seen him on my team next year, because the guy brings it on Sunday and would have been an upgrade over Willie "I died 3 years ago" McGinnest. But Lewis? Perhaps the Browns are playing stop-gap until next year's draft and plan on picking high enough again to go after Slaton or McFadden. I mean, there's probably a reason the Ravens cut Lewis and locked up Musa Smith, no?

This, of course, doesn't even take into account his off the field issues. Just what the Browns need: a guy brokering coke deals in the locker room. Maybe they should bring Kevin Mack out of retirement just for that! Maybe Lewis can broker a staph infection (as Lars again aptly put it: "I'm hoping this is our 'big free agent' that ends up hurt with 10 years of staph infections. I thought Savage had higher standards for the people he brought to the team... oh well.").

The tarnished-silver lining: I'm glad the Lewis signing was only for one year. They kept saying when he visited Cleveland that he was shopping to get a multi-year offer from someone, and so I cringed this morning when I'd heard we had signed him. When I saw it was only a 1-year deal, I was much less upset (to put it in perspective, it'd be like finding out your girlfriend cheated on you, but then hearing that it wasn't with your best friend: you're still pissed, but not as pissed as you could be).

I guess just hope that we're not broadcasting to the world that we're not going to draft Peterson (trade down value), and if this means we're going to draft Brady Quinn, I will light myself on fire.