It’s only appropriate

Edwin Traisman, the scientist who developed McDonald’s French Fries, and helped develop Cheez Whiz, died a couple of days ago at the age of 91. I’m not making fun of his death, but I just find it appropriate/ironic that the cause of death was a heart attack.

Read the obituary here.

I miss the NBA on NBC

So from what I’ve heard, last night’s game between the Spurs and Cavaliers was the lowest rated NBA Finals game 1 ever. So here’s some random thoughts on the NBA on ESPN on ABC on Channel 4.

• Mark Jackson is getting on my nerves. Last night he called Larry “The Brick” Hughes the best perimeter defender in the NBA. Hmmmmm, what about that other guy? What’s his name? Oh yeah, Bruce Bowen! How can you even make a comparison like that? Jackson will forever be known on this blog as “Captain Superlative”. He’s like Jay Bilas, every player in the league is the best at (insert some ridiculous category here). Mark can also state the obvious a little bit. One of the quotes last night (thanks to AA for being more observant than I am) was this:

“They guy can get anywhere on the floor because of his feet.”- Mark Jackson
Gee, you really think so? Because the last time I checked, all basketball players get anywhere on the floor because they walk with their elbows!

• Another thing I want to point out is that late in the 1st quarter, when Cleveland secured a rebound, and was getting ready for a final shot, they cut away from the picture to see Bruce Bowen going to the locker room. Why? You have 2 reporters! Tell us that in the 2nd quarter, not cut away from the game!
• The only good thing that came out of that broadcast, was that Jeff Van Gundy was the analyst. I can deal with him, if he’s not there, you’ll find me in my room, listening to ESPN Radio.

So what happened last night? Spurs Edition

Let’s look at the keys to the series for the Spurs and how it worked in game 1. Grading should be easier for the 3 time champions.

Spurs Defense:

• Believe it or not, they’ll have to contain Ira Newble LeBron James. There’s no explanation required, just remember that King James scored 48 points on the Pistons. LeBron, 4-16, 14 points. Grade A

• Prevent easy baskets. The Cavs are not a great perimeter shooting team, and Bruce Bowen and Co. should stop Cleveland from driving right through them. Success! Great job by the Spurs to make the Cavs a jump shot team. Grade A-.

• Force King James to pass the ball. When he takes over a game, your team is doomed. If you take the ball away from James, and force his teammates to make an impact, the Cavs usually falter. That’s what they did, and LeBron’s teammates (save for Daniel Gibson, Drew Gooden, and Sasha Pavlovic) were awful. Grade B.

Spurs Offense:

• Drain the threes. You’ve got Ginobili, Bowen, Barry, and now Tony Parker is making long range shots. Take advantage beyond the arc, something the Pistons almost never did, and that’s why Detroit never had a double digit lead in the entire series. Spurs shoot 6-16 from downtown. Michael Finley has to stop jacking up unnecessary threes. Grade B-.

• Dominate the boards. The key to Cleveland’s success is the rebound. They have been successful at both ends of the floor when it comes to that category. If the Spurs take that away, the shots will go down for the Cavs, and the 2nd chance points are more likely for San Antonio. Spurs out-rebound Cleveland 43-32. Grade B.

• Make your free throws. I can’t stress this enough. Both teams have been garbage from the stripe (save for Daniel Gibson and Manu Ginobili), and I wouldn’t be surprised if a couple of these games are decided via the free throw. 11-16 from the line, as I said in the other edition, there weren’t a lot of fouls called. Grade C.

• When the game is down to one shot, give the ball to Robert Horry. Big Shot Bob has saved teams everywhere he has gone, and this shouldn’t be different. Grade Incomplete. Game 1 wasn’t that close, and Horry didn’t do much anyway.

Overall Grade: B.

So what happened last night?: Cavs Edition

Let’s look at the keys to this series for the Cavs and how it played out in game 1 last night. Watch out for my grading Cleveland!

Cavaliers Defense:

• Stop Tim Duncan. Now that is way too obvious, but Timmy has been outstanding in the playoffs, but Duncan has yet to face a 7′0 center throughout the playoffs, with the only exception being the Denver Nuggets’ Nene. Cleveland should be in good shape if they double up on Duncan using Anderson Varejao and Zydrunas Ilgauskas.The result? Tim Duncan scores 24 points, grabs 13 boards, and has 5 block shots. So the Grade is F.

• Let the Spurs make their shots form the foul line. Realistically, the Spurs have no consistent free throw shooter, and Bruce Bowen does not spell success at the line. The result? Spurs shoot 11-16 from the stripe. Not bad, that’s 68%. So the grade is B-.

• Prevent easy baskets. In the last series against Detroit, the Cavs allowed way too many easy layups and dunks to any liking of the coaching staff. Oh goodness, the Cavs let WAY too many last night. Grade is F.

• Out-hustle the Spurs. They key to the Cavs trip to the finals has been their aggressiveness at both ends of the court, and constant fighting for the offensive board. Spurs out-rebounded Cleveland 43-32. The Cavs could do better. Grade D.

Cavaliers Offense:

• Attack the basket. It doesn’t necessarily mean that Cleveland has to score everytime, but putting one of the key Spurs players (especially Duncan) in foul trouble could be damaging to San Antonio. They tried, but they were unsuccessful. Grade C-.

• They must start out strong in the 3rd quarter. It’s no coincidence that Cleveland won both game 5 and game 6 against Detroit, and outscored them in the 3rd. I believe San Antonio is a better team by a mile when matched up against Detroit, and it could be curtains for Cleveland if they go on a cold spell with them. The 3rd quarter was pretty much the difference in this game, Cleveland barely showed up. Grade D.

• Larry Hughes must be told not to shoot the ball. Seriously, the dude only plays well every now and then, and is really only good for defensive purposes, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he is benched at some point for Daniel Gibson. Listen to my advice Cavaliers! Larry Hughes with a bad foot, shot a terrible 1-5 for 2 points. Bench the dude now! Daniel Gibson went 7-9 last night, start the guy who is on fire! Grade F.

• The time is now for Cleveland to start making some free throws down the stretch in tight games. I know San Antonio absolutely stinks it up at the foul line too, but the Cavs have lost games because of inexperience at the charity stripe. 11-15, 73% from the line. That’s what happens when you settle for too many outside shots, you take only 15 free throws in the game. To be fair, there weren’t that many fouls called. Grade C.

• Know how to play against the 3-2 zone defense. Everyone (except Tony Reali) knows that the Cavs struggled against the zone of the Detroit Pistons. They couldn’t attack the rim, and were forced to settle for outside shots. Grade Incomplete.

Overall Grade: D+.

Later on, you’ll see the Spurs Edition, and how ABC messed up the broadcast.