Lebron James is more of a choker than John Holmes first girlfriend. Good player, too much hype though…but he is proof you cannot win big games/series without a supporting cast or at least a second all star/threat.

The only thing as Pistons fans need to do to get all hyped up for this series is watch sportscenter. The amount of LJ love is annoying. And what would this series be like if Larry Brown got the job with cleveland that he was looking for a few years ago? I am sure this will be an entertaining series. Once again we meet an opponent that has made “the next step”. The bulls were just happy to be there and their fans were already looking forward to the draft after the 3rd game. What is the over/under on cleveland fan doing the same?

And oh yeah if that moron PA guy screams “cleveland basketball” I am going to throw my tv out my window.

What’s with this schedule? There are 3 days each between games 1, 2, and 3. The NBA must be afraid it’ll be a short series …

Well, as a Cavs fan (and the first to respond to this post, I see), I guess I’ll take the bait.

Justin, please don’t talk about any PA people screaming anything. While I thought the “Cleveland Basketball” thing was dumb for the same reasons Pistons fans thought it so, I think the original is just as bad. Granted, as an opposing team’s fan, I’m supposed to feel that way, but I’ve never liked the high-volume, super-personality, in your face style of announcing in any sport.

On the topic of Cavs fan craziness, I really don’t know what to say other than something happens to sports fans here when one of the team gets into the higher levels. Our inferiority complex kicks into overdrive and the we can’t keep the thoughts from spilling out (however irrational and loud they may be). Sure, it doesn’t help that we have to put up with countless made up news stories about our biggest homegrown star leaving town THREE YEARS before his contract is up by every major news outlet and big city (sorry, last time I use caps, I promise).

As for the series itself, I’m thinking the Pistons in six. The one caveat with that prediction has to do with desire (how cliche, right?). Both teams have a habit of taking games off and playing down from time to time (the Cavs a little moreso than the Pistons). I do think the only for sure is that both teams fans will be frustrated by team effort by the time the series is over.

I actually have to agree with Matt the Cavs fan re: PA guys. Mason’s style makes for a great fan experience at the game, but I can’t imagine it translates well for opposing fans watching on TV.

I think it’s interesting that LeBron’s free throw shooting percentage has dropped every year. I think the media/fans/everyone saying that he cracks under pressure at the free throw line has actually caused him to crack under pressure at the line. If people stopped talking about it, he’d probably be fine. But every where he turns, I bet he runs into, “LeBron is playing great……except for those clutch free throws.”

As long as Larry Hughes doesn’t get trigger happy and Lebron can hit his free throws, the Cavs will win in 6.
This will be an entertaining series with lots of hard playoff fouls. X-Factors – Daniel Gibson, Sasha Pavlovic.

Go Cavs!

As a Cavs and LBJ fan, I gotta agree. Cleveland and Ohio sports fans can be some of the dumbest, most ignorant fans around. Instead of just cheering for their team, they have to go to the Michigan or Pittsburgh sucks or Tayshaun Prince is ugly. I guess it’s because it hasn’t exactly been championships galore around here in the last, well since Jim Brown was in town so fans are bitter, nasty, and have bought into the whole “cursed” notion.

That said, it’s totally absurd for anyone to say LeBron is a choker or not that good, etc. and it the same statement then say he couldn’t win without a supporting cast anyway. Which one is it? LBJ has done nothing but live up to the enormous hype his whole career. If we want to label someone as overhyped, not good, etc. let’s look up Larry Hughes’ #. Doesn’t it make LBJ better, not worse to achieve with a horribly flawed supporting cast?

Joe,

I thought it was interesting that you brought up the “Michigan/Pittsburgh sucks” and the Tayshaun Prince is Ugly, since I have no recollection of any of these chants during the E. Semis last year.

In fact, Chicago’s loud and clear chant of “Detroit Sucks” this year was the first time I remember an opposing team’s arena crapping on Detroit since the Sacramento fiasco a couple years back.

I think it is pretty hard to say that Lebron has lived up to the hype considering how early in his career it is. Ultimately, we won’t know whether Bron Bron has lived up to it until the waning moments of his career when NBA fans can collectively look back at his career and say, “Man, that was special.” I know I can do that with MJ, despite all of his flaws (namely commenting on the Detroit Bad Boys and not knowing when to let go) and if Lebron truly lives up to all the hype, I know I will be able to appreciate his awesomeness as well.

Well, I’m now partially convinced that we’ll have some good Cavs fans to banter with over the next two weeks.

Sidenote: Matt Watson…43 dozen times? By my calculations, that’s a grand total of 516 times! Are you sure about that?

Frank B.

I was at Game 3 last year at the Q, and you could clearly hear in the crowd, and later on the TiVO recording, the Cleveland fanns chanting Detroit sucks. I’ll add this also just to pile on a bit, I overheard the toolbags (yes, they were toolbags) in front of me at the game talking about how Tayshaun should eat a cheeseburger.

Actually, the Bucks and the Cavs fans last year chanted it.

Rocky,

I believe the over/under is 518 times, so I’d say that is a good bet on Matt’s part.

Boney,

Good call, I tend to shut out the bad memories of last year. Having said that, I think Tayshaun should eat a cheeseburger too. They’re dang good and nutritious too.

If I were the PA announcer, I would only yell “Cleveland Basketball!” on possessions where the non-LeBron Cavs stand around on offense for 23 seconds and watch LeBron hoist a contested 3 pointer. Now THAT is “Cleveland Basketball.”

Matt, loved your comments about the Cavs fans. Fight the good fight brother.

Cavs Series Ramblings from around the blogosphere…

Ira Newble is in Detroit at YAYsports! NBA
The majority of the internet – nay, the world – are picking the Detroit Lasers to defeat the Cleveland Retarded Cameleons in the Eastern Conference Finals.
……

if i have to read the words ‘witness this/that…’ one more time!!!

Chicago fans have been chanting “Detroit Sucks” for years, not just this year, not just in the postseason, and not just if the Bulls were winning.

Lebron is the best player in this series. The 6 next best players are on the Pistons. Hughes is not better than any of the Pistons starters. Detroit in 5.

Matt – nice prediction with the Pistons in 5, 6, or 7!

Garrett: I agree about LBJ’s free throws — it’s kind of like how LBJ missed all those game-winners for the first few years of his career until finally breaking through last year. Clearly, though, he still has something to learn about being “clutch.”

P.Latch: Yeah, I’m definitely hedging with the number of games, but if I had a gun to my head, I’d stick with six.

As for the “Detroit sucks” chant, that’s hardly new (or unique to one set of fans). But I do find it hilarious that the Cavs show pictures of a U-M football helmet on the big screen when they need to get the crowd fired up, even when they’re not playing a team from Michigan.

Am I the only one that doesn’t understand the Detroit “lasers” gloss is all about? Maybe I am but can someone help me out with that.

Justin: Early in the playoffs, it seems like everyone was remarking about Detroit’s “laser-like focus,” which YAY picked up on and immediately parodied. I was debating whether I should explain that with the quote above, so I doubt you’re the only one confused…

P. Latch, good to see you sticking around!

My prediction is Pistons in six as well, for the record.

Okay come on now. I am a born and bred Clevelander and proud of it. I have traveled to many different cities to see Cleveland sports teams play and I don’t feel our fans are much different than others. I have been yelled at, had items thrown at me just because I was rooting for my team. In Buffalo I was called a Cleveland whore (may be true but they don’t know that, it was the middle of winter and I was fully covered). I was harassed relentlessly in Detroit last year with the famed “hey you are a Cleveland steamer” or “hey look its someone from the mistake on the lake”. For god sake I wasn’t even born when the lake caught fire but people remember it and feel the need to scream it in my face because i’m not rooting for their sports team. Then there are just the straight up hisses and boooooooooooooos as I walk thru different stadiums. That is what happens when you travel onto someone elses turf. It is the nature of sports. I however do not base my view on those cities harassment I have received as a Cleveland fan. At any given game thousands of people were polite while a handful of drunks and/or idiots were not. Okay I am done with the defense mechanism kicking in.

Here is my theory on who will win:

Cleveland created Rock & Roll
Detroit created Motown

Rock & Roll is more raucus and in your face.
Motown is more rythem and lets dance.

Rythem always beats raucus though it is not easy. Detroit wins it in 7.

“please don’t give me a reason to hate your team, your city or your state more than I already do.”
….That’s just a good note to end the article on.
Detroit in six nothing more and nothing less. and the cavs will steal one in detroit. AND it will be the game i stay up all night to watch.
how’s that for a prophecy?!

Help me out here: Why is Cleveland such an overwhelming underdog in this series?

They finished only 3 games behind the Pistons and beat them late in the season in their own house when the division was up for grabs.

They have competent big men, depth, and they play good defense.

They have the most explosive talent in the league in LeBron.

The Pistons have far more pressure on them to win now then do the Cavs.

Why is everyone so certain the Pistons will win this?

Does any canadians know what canadian channel it will be on (name of station not channel number) since we dont have tnt?

Pistons sweep! We beat them last year with a half a Rasheed and a unfocused big ben, not this time. The Pistons will get revenge on the CAV’s and Spurs while bringing home championship #3!

With all the TNT hype of Tayshaun V. LeBron I’m surprised they didn’t use the King V. Prince angle. Should be good though.

game 4 of last year’s cavs series was my first post at this site. all to commiserate with fellow pistons fans thru those 3 crappy middle games. memories…

First off, it would be championship number 4, motownman.

Second of all, I respect what disclaimer towards Cleveland fans. It is valid and it needed to be said, particularly regarding their ignorance (while offering a legit reason for it). However…

I was born in Michigan and have lived here all my life. I bleed for Detroit sports.

That being said, Detroit fans, while being some of the most knowledgeble and well-versed in the country, are also known to be some of the coldest and meanest. Similar to Philadelphia or New York, our fans are smart and passionate (which is what comes from being a four-sport city for the better part of a century) and that has been known to manifest itself as taunts and jeers for any invading team.

So the bickering of whose fans from what city say which derogatory things seems at least moderately irrelevant. We can concede that a lot of cities act as havens for jackasses.

Especially Miami. God, do I hate the city of Miami.

Joe from Cleveland hits the nail on the head. Cities where the fans have not see titles in a long time can’t handle winning teams. Case study: Colts winning the Super Bowl. Their fans were so used to making excuses and deflecting when they lost big games that their fans spent more time ripping Bears fans for losing then praising their own team for winning. All the talk about how the rain was the only thing that kept the Bears in the game, and how much the Bears sucked made it clear about a couple of characteristics of fans from cities that haven’t won anything (at least in a long time):
- Obsessed with the opponent.
- Not satisfied with merely winning.
- Have to rant endlessly about any success.
- Win or lose, the other team sucked.

This would be typical of those fans: "HAHAHA, you LOST!! It was a seven game series but we should have swept you! You’re lucky every game was close, we should have blown you out every time!!!

Fan from winning team who has winning tradition: “I’m sorry, who are you? We’re moving on. You’re dead to me.”

Great bullet points, John.

- Obsessed with the opponent.
- Not satisfied with merely winning.
- Have to rant endlessly about any success.
- Win or lose, the other team sucked.

I moved to New England a almost 4 years ago, and those points fit Boston Red Sox fans perfectly. Granted that doesn’t apply to every individual, but the for overall demeanor, that is an accurate description. I can’t tell you how many times someone came up to me after the end of last season’s world series and informed me how the Tigers would suck this season.

I’m glad it’s playoff time and that TNT is carrying all the games, so I can actually see the Pistons. The local sports stations are so obsessed with the Red Sox that neither of them even play the local hockey team’s playoff games on Red Sox off days, they’d rather play an old game where the Red Sox beat the Yankees.

I’m picking Pistons in 5. If they play as poorly as they did last night and still win, it can’t possibly go longer than 5 games.

Stavro