Not In Our House.....

Game 7. It has sort of a doomsday feeling to it. In the NBA playoffs, game 7 means win or go home. But today seemed to have a little more on the line.

Game 7

My team, the Cleveland Cavaliers have had a very strange season. They started the season with what on paper looked like a very formidable team. It had All-Stars, future Hall of Famers, former NBA MVP's, and Lebron James. The problem is - games aren't played on paper. They are played by human beings built with flesh, blood, and muscle. Things just didn't mesh at all. Some personalities just don't fit.

There were team meetings that caused more harm than good. Then there were the injuries. Not standard injuries. Kevin Love had anxiety. Head Coach Lue couldn't even finish some games and had to take a month off. JR thew soup at an assistant coach. Strange stuff.

So at the trade deadline General Manager Koby Altman totally remade the team. Bodies were traded everywhere. But there's no time for a training camp in the middle of the season. Just put on your "Hello. My Name Is..." tag and play ball. Shockingly, the Cavs were an inconsistent bunch the rest of the season.

On top of all this is the elephant in the room. Lebron James has a player option for next season and can become a free agent if he so desires. Would Lebron want to come back to a team that seemed unprepared to win a championship? Would another team with younger, better players than the Cavs temp him? Some out-of-towners actually spent money on local freeway billboards to lure Lebron.

Lebron leads the way.

I've watched Lebron his whole career and I can tell you the two things he cares about the most are family, and winning. If the Cavs would have lost in the first round of the playoffs, it would say the winning wouldn't likely be done in Cleveland.

The Cavaliers finished as the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference. So they would have the home court advantage against the 5th seed Indiana Pacers. The Pacers won the season series against the Cavs. The play good, team basketball. They play a hard-nosed defense that can be tough on opponents.

Their best player is Victor Oladipo. He had a breakout season after joining Indiana this season. But the Cavs had Lebron. The best, and most dominating player of our time.

In Game 1 in Cleveland Indiana blew out the Cavs 98-80. The Cavs looked old, slow, and indifferent. Victor Oladipo scored 32 points and drove the lane at will. In Game 2, the Cavs won 100-97. But it wasn't really that close. The Cavs took charge, and Lebron dominated with 46 points.

Games 3 and 4 were split in Indiana. Games 5 and 6 were split with Indiana blowing out the Cavs in Game 6. That all led to today.

Lots of free t-shirts.

I went to the game today with "calm anxiety." I understood what a loss today would mean. I just couldn't visualize that happening. There was a mixed crowd with a number of fans from Indiana. The crowd had "playoff enthusiasm" But it wasn't "Finals Enthusiasm". The crowd knew this was just round one.

Coach Lue started his 4th different lineup out of 7 games. But he started a playoff-ready, game 7 experienced bunch. They got off to a good start. They held the lead most of the game. Lebron scored 45, and beat the Pacers in workmanlike fashion.

So now the Cavs move on to face the Toronto Raptors. Will they win? How far will they go in the playoffs? It's anyone's guess. Like the t-shirts say - Whatever It Takes.