Preview/Live Thread: The Finals Game 1
2015-06-04
Never before has eight days seemed like such an eternity. But in just four hours, we will finally witness an end to that excruciating wait with the tip-off Game 1 of The Finals. The storylines have been dissected, regurgitated and picked apart ad nauseam. Articles have been written. Pods have been cast. Analytics have been scrutinized. Debates have raged. And now, the games will, at long last, be played.
Can the best player on the planet overcome the best team? Exactly what percentage of Kyrie will be available? Can either the current MVP or the four time MVP be stopped? Who will Delly be accused of knee-capping next? Which “rookie” coach will pull off the unimaginable? Will TT or Draymond be the bigger man underneath? Which “Son of Akron” will bring home the hardware? All of these questions and more will finally be put to the test on the NBA’s two grandest stages.
There is nothing more to do today but to somehow make it through the end of the workday, then get home, to a friend’s house, or your favorite sports bar, get your Cavs gear on and get ready for the epic showdown that so many of us hoped for from the moment that LeBron made his decision to come home.
For me, between the late-night podcast, reading endless articles and tweets, watching tons of Cavs hype videos and recaps of how they got to this point, and debating the outcome of this series with so many of the Warrior bandwagon fans in my neck of the woods, I’ve barely slept in the last 24 hours. I’ve somehow managed to survive on Red Bull and adrenaline, as well as a continuous loop of some of my favorite musical anthems to get me pumped up for the impending Cavs foray into the Finals.
I’m sure everyone has their own particular music that gets their blood pumping for the wine and gold. Here’s my top five…
#5 (For the EDM crowd)
#4 (For the old-school hard rock crowd)
#3 (For the dub-step/hip-hop crowd)
#2 (For the Indie Anthem crowd)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OmMPaLmxKg
#1 (For the Hans Zimmer superhero crowd)
And here it is used in my personal favorite LeBron Playoff Hype Video…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOLID82bESs
Enjoy the listens… share your own… and GO CAVS!!!
Too many minutes for Kyrie.
Really needed a better shot on the last possession of regulation.
I felt all week that the way the Cavs win this is by getting a buzzer beater when they can. Tough tough ending to the game.
Great effort. Nothing to be ashamed of.
Lets hope Kyrie can play Sunday, but we can beat them even without him.
How is there no treatment for what Kyrie has. Painkillers? Cortisone? Huge bag of weed? Come on!
Anti-inflammatories, ice, electro stim. But it takes time.
I thought your biggest fear was commenting on this blog when Blatt is doing well.
Warriors had no business winning that game. We gave that away. JR choked after 1st quarter, LeBron became Bizarro LeBron, the offense turned to crap, the refs gave the Dubs lots of homer calls. Let’s just give SF/Oakland more titles. Pooooop! I hate life right now.
Warriors in 5……. And please don’t get mad at me! It is what it is!
Even if you think it is don’t put it out there.
Man, Thompson and Irving just played incredible in their first finals. LBJ was mostly great, but fell into that ISO crap when he got tired. I don’t know how he can’t see that. He’s so smart, but he never changes it.
He was the only one on the team that could score. Give thean a break. Smith shump couldn’t shoot. Thompson can’t shoot. What do you want him to do?
Get the ball to Moz. Duh.
The only Media im reading untill Sunday is CavsTheBlog. I don’t want hear anything from the national media
ugh, between the bad play at end of 4Q, overtime meltdown, and kyrie going down…real sour taste
Great game by James Irving and moz. Terrible games from shump and smith. We will
Have to win Sunday.
Were the Cavs as frustrated with that crap shot as we were and just got deflated?
How’s that not a freaking foul call on Klay?
This is a complete meltdown in overtime wow
I think I could really cry now out of frustration. Kyrie worked so hard to come back to have this happen again, sighh
Bummer for it to peter out like this. Oh to have that final 24 back.
Cavs played Irving too many minutes. Time to send Perk in to chop people.
Yeah they have had incredible luck. They will take it though.
Ha, that made me laugh. And kyrie only played that much cuz of the junk shot by lebron at the end.
Cavs missed last 12 field goals and that is the game right there , sigh.. Such a waste of a good game and Kyrie is hurt
And James just jacking it up…
There is just too much isolation play, offense being channeled through 2 guys. Just look at the last attempt before OT…no ball movement, no plan except handing the ball to James. That’s no way to win the championship series.
They were 1 cm from winning in regulation. They played great.
Put in the subs and let’s not get anyone else hurt. Get ready for game two. LBJ should have an electric shock attached to his nuts that goes off everytime he does ISO
Unbelievable. This is unbelievable. Van gundy just hinted at it…Warriors getting the easiest route to a title ever.
It’s a pattern. Are the Warriors dirty? They keep taking out point guards.
Unfortunately no. Well not against point guards. The under the basket stuff they were doing on Thompson went completely unnoticed by the refs.
I was just channeling Reggie Miller.
But yes, the Cavs should send the league some film of the Warriors’ holding and grabbing TT.
And setting illegal screens left and right
If only we ended this in regulationn….if ONLY….
These refs blow!
well this OT went about as badly as possible
Just horrible, just killed my mood.
Kyrie is in some serious pain.
Game over…
Lebron played a great except for last 30 seconds. Cavs probably led for at least 90% of regulation. And then Kyrie got hurt.
Game over! And I think that this was the Cavs best opportunity to steal one.
Comeback time.
That last bad shot in regulation is what killed us. And JR killed us by not holding Barnes
And that GD travel call.
Game over! We are screwed!
That shot hurt! I can’t stand this after leading most of the game and having a chance to end in regular time.
Why does Kyrie keep hurting himself? So frustrating
He’s playing before he’s completely recovered. He needs about 6 weeks off to get rid of the tendinitis. Until then it’s easy to aggravate it.
This really sucks!
Well that sucked.
Game over. Got Dam. They had their chances. 12 years in the league, the most brilliant player we’ve ever seen, and he goes hero ball at the end when all you need is one point to win. Ugh.
Had our shot.
Damn it.
Yeah like they kicked us in the lungs and we can’t breathe.
Not liking that momentum. Then kyrie getting hurt.
yeppp, thats what happens when u give open looks and Kyrie is hobbled .. sighhh We needed Jr in da second half and he cant hit anything right now
And Kyrie looks like he got hurt on that last play…
Get JR out of there!
JR been off all second half…
OT really is bad for us – GS is much deeper than we are. 4 point lead may be too much.
No lead is safe against us.
Make that 7 now …
No one’s in a rhythm because of the iso.
Absolute bull crap call on kyrie there. Give me a foul on the other end that made a difference before you call that cheap crap
Wow really bad call……..
Cavs should have won this game already… just so frustrating….
Moz had an easy dish to TT there.
Mozgov shoulda either dunk it or pass the ball off to Thompson for the dunk.
What happened to mozzy earlier.
Hard landing. Looks ok now.
This endless ISO is actually making me physically sick
Its unbearable. I can live with Irving doing ISO every once in a while. Even J.R. But no matter how tired you are, LBJ, you’ve got to go to the lane.
Ugh. Worst call in basketball.
This is an incredible game.
Will be even better if we win
Mozzy and Thompson will be big for us.
MOZ like a giant ball grabbing tree out there!
My GOD, Please STOP with the ISO!
I know. That iso offense happens when he’s too tired. Give him a rest if you must.
Seriously. Bron is killin on the block the whole game and then takes that shot. At least try to see if you can get fouled going toward the basket. I’m beginning to think that the winner of this game takes the series.
Jr swish would be nice right now
Ha I hate last shots cuz they are so rarely anything but ISO heaves. Why not run a pick n roll with jr smith there to pull defender away and get lebron that Paul pierce elbow jumper
Take it to the hole and draw the foul, or let Irving drive it! I can’t do overtime.
Wish we went to the rim, but overtime is what this game deserves!!!
Darn it darn it darn it. Heavily edited.
Feel the same. Kyrie could have had a look better than that.
what the hell Lebron doing shooting a damn fadeaways 3 pointer pissing me off now man. and OMG if Shumpert’s shot had went in damnn
Shump’s looked pure.
Really thought that was going in
Strap it on, fellas.
Off balance, step back long two… SMDH
F%^&
We could have a better shot than that.
Holy shitake mushrooms.
I really didn’t want LBJ to get the ball there and so far out. Was that wrong?
Especially when all we needed was two.
Oh Shump almost nailed it.