It just wasn't our year...

I've been refraining from writing here since the start of the NBA Finals, lest I throw out any unknowing jinxes. Now that these Finals are all but over, it's time to weigh in.

Sorry, dude. Fate was sealed when James made a mid-post pass to Varejao….what Varejao didn’t realize was that he was supposed to give it right back to LeBron….instead he threw up some European hook shit. --e-mail from a co-worker of mine this morning

In complete honesty, I can't be mad at my team; they advanced further than I thought they would, and they ran into a team that is just dominant at the two most important positions on the floor. An ugly Game 3 has all but sealed the Cavs fate, as they played great defense and still lost, 75-72. I'm now officially in "I'm just happy we made it this far" mode, as it is clear there was never any way the Cavs could win this series. They simply were just not ready.

LeBron looks tentative, and frustrated. The Spurs have prepared well for his tendencies (both shooting/driving as well as passing out of double teams). The Cavs are a young team, and it really has been showing in this series. They looked overwhelmed by the weight of the situation they found themselves in during the first two games. They regrouped, played much better defense at home in game 3, but folded under the pressure on offense.

Many are discussing the lack of a call on LeBron during the final shot, but the more I look at the replay I doubt that even if the foul is called that they give him the continuation on the shot, and so he only gets 2 shots with 3 seconds left and no time-outs. The Cavs probably aren't winning. Even if he gets the continuation, what are the odds that he makes 3 free throws?

Lars is upset (and I don't necessarily fault him for it, because fans like to see some backbone from their teams) about the Cavs' lack of overt anger at the officials. One could argue that it's just time for Mike Brown to blow up at the officiating and draw a fine or two. As Harry Doyle once said: "'Bout time... it's eight-nothin'."

Call me a softy, but I find it refreshing that the Cavs aren't making excuses. I get so tired of hearing players whine and whine and whine that it's nice to hear a team simply say, "You know what? We lost." And the Cavs lost. Whether the officiating has been questionable (and it was, definitely, at times during the games in San Antonio) or not, the Cavs still wouldn't be winning this series. They just don't have enough depth, enough offense to answer the Spurs' runs.

And, while I agree there were probably some no-calls in game 3, even still...

The really frustrating thing is that it wasn't the fouls. As much as I dislike a lot of his coaching moves and philosophies, Mike Brown was right: that no-call on LeBron at the end wasn't why they lost last night. If they could shoot better than 35% (they got A LOT of open looks last night; it wasn't like they were forcing things, with the exception of Varejao at the end...) they'd have won. If you had told me that:
1) Duncan would only play 34 minutes because of fouls and only score 14 points;
2) Parker would only score 19 points
3) Ginobili would only score 3 points
4) The Spurs would only score 75 points

I'd have told you we would win by at least 15 points. You can't blame the refs for the fact that NO ONE could make an open jump shot.

Again, I just have to keep telling myself that they got further this year than I thought they would, and that San Antonio is just a juggernaut. The Cavs' core is all 25 and under and they play in a weak conference, so I can hope they'll get another chance for a title run. They learned a lot from last year's playoff loss to Detroit. Here's hoping they've learned a few things about this Finals run that will fuel them next year. Detroit is basically done. Other than the Bulls and maybe the Wizards, who in the Eastern Conference is going to be a contender next year? All things being what they currently are, it's the Cavs' conference to win for the next few years.


All in all, thanks Cavs. It has been a great ride. Game 6 of the ECF was the most fun I've had in a long time watching a sporting event. The city rallied behind you, and you made many people turned off to basketball fans again, myself included. And, you can only get better.

So it goes.