NBA Finals - Game Four

Going into Game 4, we had the expectation that Golden State was not going to lie down after going down 1-2 in the series. Although it wasn’t a must-win for Golden State, it was close as none of the 32 teams who have fallen behind 3-1 in the finals have won a title. The Cavs were exhausted following the first three games and Steph Curry showed why he’s the league’s MVP during the 4Q of game three with his 17 point performance. Curry is the most talented shooter in the game and we have all seen him make shots that are jaw-dropping and should never ever go in.

Kevin started the day on the set of First Take! It’s one of our favorite shows and they had been filming at the Music Box Supper Club all week. He got out of work early and stood in line for over an hour to get a seat.

 Game Four was all about the Selfie. It’s no wonder both our phones were dead by the end of the game!

 First selfie of the day!

We met up with Lisa, Renee and Danielle before the game and our first stop was The Corner Alley.

 Kevin, Renee and me with the Miller Light girl. Free beer = good

Kevin and I couldn’t leave without a couple of Delly shots.

Kevin with random Golden State fans.

 Lisa knew how important a Barrio taco was for me so she put in for a table and we waited over an hour and a half. Of course we drank elsewhere in the meantime.

 Pregame tradition....Barrio taco and skinny margarita

Soon enough it was time to head to the game.  Once again, the nervous excitement was overwhelming.

Steve's desk is by Kevin Love's right cheek.

We've been waiting a long time for this...

Kevin was chit chatting with these two Warrior fans and mentioned he loved Steph. It ended up being Steph's uncle and friend. It also ended up being free double shots for us! I told them we had expensive taste :) We love free!!

 More selfies…

 Kevin with Chris Broussard. Chris worked for the Akron Beacon Journal when Kevin was with the Cavs and the New York Times when I was with the Cavs. He’s definitely moved up in the sports media world with his current position as ESPN’s premier NBA analyst.

Kevin and I were the only people in the elevator who knew this was Jim Jackson. Kevin did not tell him that he was a Michigan fan, but I did tell him I was the PR girl when he was with the Cavs back in 2001. His eyes kind of lit up….maybe it gave us credibility...maybe.

  Game four was a disappointment and Cleveland was terrible offensively. The Cavs shot just 2 of 18 from the field and were outscored 27-12 in the 4Q. J.R. Smith missed all eight 3-pt attempts and Cleveland's bench combined to score seven points. LeBron scored 20 points with 12 rebounds and eight assists, but didn't score in the fourth quarter. Mozgov led Cleveland with 28 points and Dellavedova had 10. The Cavs never really gave us any hope and the Warriors took home the 103-82 win behind Iguodala and Curry's 22 points apiece.
 

  Kevin and I were nearly in tears until we saw this guy! P.S. None of those smiles are real, but we were happy to see each other! I was also happy to have off of work on Friday!

NBA Finals - Game Three

Is this a dream?

For eight years I’ve said Game 6 of the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals was the best sports experience of my life. Since then, we’ve been to four Final Fours, SEC Championship baseball and football games, countless college basketball games and a handful of other sporting events.

Well, Game 6…Meet game 3.

Game 3 of the 2015 NBA Finals was the best sports experience of my life…to date. There wasn’t the madness outside like 2007, but we’re talking about the NBA FINALS and Game 3 is when the Cavs secured their first Finals HOME victory. Sean and I were there in person to experience it in all its guts and glory and it was a really fun game to watch.

With the 9 pm start, Sean and I decided to go home after work and take the rapid downtown. I was in a quandary about my dinner plans as I typically go to the Gateway Barrio for happy hour. My quandary was quickly resolved when I decided to go to the Lakewood Barrio instead of the Gateway location. I went in my regular Cavs attire, ordered the same tacos, the same skinny margarita...all by myself. I have no shame when it comes to superstition!

The Cavs have fought through these first three games like I’ve never seen before. They are putting their everything and more out on the floor. I am totally exhausted watching and attending these games and I can’t even imagine how they hurt and ache day in and day out.  Because of their heart and grit, they have made this a legitimate series when no one (outside of Cleveland) gave them a chance.

They are not done yet.

It may sound laughable, but they can play better. They’ve already gotten this deep into the playoffs; they’ve made it to the NBA Finals and they are making history, so why stop now? J.R. Smith needs to get his shots and Mozgov needs to be more of a force on the offensive end of the floor. I can’t ask for anything more from Delly and he deserves a hero trophy for his 20 point effort in Game 3.

We have absolutely no depth, so injuries need to stay by the wayside and they need to fight through the pain and exhaustion. We simply cannot afford another injury. Shumpert injured his shoulder and played through; Dellavedova was even hospitalized following the game due to severe cramping, and he played through.

Unlike games 1 and 2, the Cavaliers never gave up the lead in game 3, but Golden State kept it interesting. The Cavs entered the 3Q with a 44-37 lead and momentum after holding Golden State to only 17 points in the 2Q. With 2:52 left in the 3Q, Cleveland led by 20 points only to see Golden State respond with a furious fourth-quarter comeback led by Stephen Curry’s 17 points, including five 3’s. The Warriors outscored Cleveland 36-24 in the 4Q and came within one point on a Curry three with 2:45 left in the game. Curry finished with 27 points but had three turnovers in the final minute and the Cavaliers held on to win 96-91 and take a 2-1 lead in the Finals.

LeBron is averaging 41 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists in 47 minutes per game during this series. He has also shot 43-107 from the field, an average of nearly 36 shots PER GAME! Through three games, James has played 142 of 154 possible minutes and scored 123 points. He is playing like he’s never played before. He’s already scored more points through three games than anyone in Finals history and is taking more shots than any player in history. In addition to his points, LeBron is still getting the assists and rebounds and is doing something unprecedented. On this huge stage, he has controlled the game in so many ways, with little help. Let’s keep it up J

 

Game 4 is less than 24 hours away and Kevin and I will be there in all its guts and glory.

Let’s get it done.

14 down. 2 to go.

NBA Finals - Game Two

Heartache is what I felt after Kevin Love's injury.

Stomachache, brainache, everything-ache is what I felt after Kyrie's last injury. Game one was a really tough loss and Kyrie's injury in overtime was devastating.

Cavs response?

Next. Man. Up.

That's been the mantra for these playoffs. Our Big Three is decimated, so the rest of the team has had to step up their game. While they may not have the elite talent, they have so much heart. I'm not sure heart can win a series, but heart can definitely win games, so let's start there.

Game two in Oakland was another memorable game and for the first time in NBA Finals history, games 1 and 2 went into OT. As if these guys haven't played enough minutes, two straight overtime games is exhausting.

Our day started out at the Taste of Lakewood where we enjoyed all of the best that Lakewood has to offer. It was a family affair at Madison Park where Lou enjoyed the swings and the slides. He was the only kid on the playground wearing a Kyrie jersey. The kid has confidence.

We walked back to our house we Lou (and Steve) enjoyed more playground time on our "personal" playground at the vacant church next door.

 

Steve, Kevin and I watched the game at home and despite a relatively poor shooting performance, LeBron played a great game and finished with 39 points (11-35 FG), 16 rebounds and 11 assists. He is averaging 41.5 points, 12 rebounds and 8.5 assists in the NBA Finals and is carrying this team on his back against a healthier and deeper Warriors team.

It was a close game from start to finish and with 3:14 left in the 4Q, the Cavs held an 11 point lead. Golden State fought back to tie the game with 8.0 seconds remaining. Cleveland had a chance to clinch the win, but LeBron's lay-up rolled off the rim and the game went into overtime. The Cavs made only one FG in overtime, but were 5-6 from the FT line and that's what mattered. With 29.5 seconds left in overtime, the Warriors held a one point lead. Dellavedova was fouled on a rebound and made two go-ahead FT's and Cleveland outlasted Golden State 95-93 to even the series at one game apiece.

Delly played great defense on Steph Curry, holding him to 19 points on 5-23 shooting. 

The Cavs held on to win in a very emotional battle to give Cleveland their first ever Finals victory. I saw fire in LeBron's eyes and I'm looking forward to watching this team continue to fight during each and every possession. 

Game 3 is Tuesday and Sean and I are physically ready. Mentally? No way.

13 down. 3 to go.

NBA Finals – Game One

Game One @ Golden State – June 4, 2015

Well, we got what we asked for…we’re playing into June.

The NBA Finals are something special. The bright lights. The media. The fans. The NBA Finals are what dreams are made of and the 2015 Finals brings together the two best teams in the NBA comprised of the League MVP in Stephen Curry and the world’s best player in LeBron James. Whether it’s in 4 games or 7 games, one of these two players will lead their team to an NBA Championship.

On Monday afternoon, Steve was informed via email that Cavs team owner, Dan Gilbert, would be flying all full-time employees to either game one or two in Oakland. Steve had hopes, but no expectations for this trip as Dan Gilbert had flown them out to San Antonio during the 2007 NBA Finals. He had no expectations because a lot has changed in 7 years and the staff at The Q has grown dramatically since Gilbert acquired the Lake Erie Monsters, Cleveland Gladiators and Canton Charge during that time frame. With over 300 employees, there were a lot of logistics involved with these trips.

Here is Steve and the rest of IT staff with the Eastern Conference Champion trophy.

The excitement was overwhelming.

 Steve arrived at the airport at 6:30 am with 180 fellow employees, including his IT teammates Erin and Eric, and boarded a charter flight. Steve wasn’t able to sleep during the over 4 ½ hour flight, but that’s not surprising.

They arrived in Oakland around 10 am PT where they boarded buses to San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf. Steve, Erin and Eric took in the scenery and enjoyed a few cocktails.

 

At 2 pm, they joined the rest of the Cavalier family for lunch at Bistro Boudin. They even provided them with drink tickets!

By 4 pm, it was time to depart for Oracle Arena. You’d think 2 hours would be enough time to arrive, but San Francisco traffic made it too close for comfort and they arrived just in time for tip-off. As you can kind of tell...Steve's seats were in the last row. We're not used to that view J

I tweeted some pictures to GV Art of Steve wearing their shirt at Oracle, so of course they had to post!

Fun fact: Oracle Arena was built in 1966. Sure, it’s been renovated, but seriously? Old is old. No wonder they’re moving to San Francisco.

Meanwhile…back in Cleveland.

I had coordinated with Kevin and Sean to meet at the Winking Lizard Lakewood.  Kevin invited his friends Mitchell and Dempsey and I invited Cheri from work. Knowing the Lizard gets totally packed during these events, I walked down there at 7:30 to grab us a table. Our table of four became a table of six and we anxiously awaiting the 9 pm start. Even Jo Jo was exciting for the game!

2,500 miles apart in Oakland and Cleveland. Still watching the same game in our same shirts to cheer on our beloved team. Go Cavs!

  

 In one word, EXCITING. In another word, sad.

The Cavs started off strong and led by as many as 14 points with one minute left in the first quarter, but as expected, Golden State fought back and outscored Cleveland 29-22 in the second to enter halftime with Cleveland ahead 51-48. With 13 lead changes and 11 ties, the rest was anyone’s game. The Warriors took the third quarter scoring 25-22 and the game was tied 73-73 entering the fourth.

The 4th quarter went just like the rest of the game. With three lead changes and four ties, the game was intense. Cleveland only had three 4Q scorers with LeBron (11), Kyrie (8) and Mozgov (6) while Golden State was led by Klay Thompson’s 7 points, including 4-4 from the line.

With 2:38 left in the 4th, Golden State was up 96-93 after two made FT’s. LeBron responded with a dramatic three to tie the game at 96. The Cavs made a stop at the other end of the floor and took possession with 2:14 remaining. At this point in the game, the refs made a game-changing decision when they called a travel on Timofey Mozgov on a made basket that would have put the Cavs up by two. Sure, the Cavs could have responded on the next possession, but it was a call that should not have been made.

Curry put Golden State up by two and Mozgov responded with two made FT’s to tie the game at 98 with 39.1 seconds remaining.

We knew the ball was going into Curry’s hands and we were right. Steph Curry drove to the basket only to get BLOCKED by Kyrie Irving and give the Cavs possession. It was beautiful and the (Winking Lizard) crowd went nuts.

Tie game. Cavs ball. 24.1 seconds remaining.

Nervous energy doesn’t even begin to describe the feeling. We assumed LeBron would take the last shot, but can never be sure. I can tell you that I WANTED LeBron to run the clock and take it hard to the hole. Lay it up. Take the foul. Something other than a long jumper.

Well, LeBron did not listen to my plea and the five-time MVP missed a long jumper with 3.8 seconds remaining. Iman Shumpert’s follow-up shot missed and this game was going into overtime.

That’s where the excitement ends. Overtime was disastrous. Despite a valiant effort during the first four quarters, Cleveland fell flat in OT. They missed their first eight shots and were outscored 10-2 to fall 108-100 in Game 1. After using the eight-day break to heal his ailing body, Kyrie looked like his usual self before limping off the court with what is now known as a season-ending left knee injury.

LeBron finished with 44 points, eight rebounds and six assists in 46 minutes in the highest scoring game of his Finals career. Kyrie had 23 points, seven rebounds, and six assists while Mozgof added 16 points for Cleveland. The rest of our usual energetic team was stagnant. Shumpert, Tristen, J.R. and Delly finished with 2, 6, 9 and 0 points respectively. 

It took a lot of time for Steve to get out of the arena and to the bus and then their flight was delayed. While they were fed again prior to boarding their flight, when all was said and done, they touched down 8:22 and Steve arrived home at 9:00 am and headed into work at 1 pm.

Our Big Three has gone down to Two and now to the One and Only



And the rest of our bobbleheads have stayed in the attic...



Steve’s trip to Oakland was an experience that he’ll always remember. Of course, we all would have preferred a Cavalier win, but we’ll just have to wait a few days. Game 2 is on Sunday in Oakland. Everyone needs to play the best basketball of their lives.

We’re ready.