Every day during the NBA playoffs, the Triple Threat will break down the latest action as they (slowly) move towards the Finals ...Cavs win first ever Eastern Conference title Conventional wisdom would say that if LeBron shot 3-11, the Cavs would have trouble winning. However, conventional wisdom didn't account for Daniel "Boobie" Gibson. Gibson's 31 points led the Cavs to a 98-82 victory, and thus Cleveland's first Eastern Conference final. 19 of Gibson's points came in the fourth quarter, coinciding with the Cavs pulling away. As things wound down, Detroit started imploding, particularly Rasheed Wallace, who picked up two technicals and was ejected. LeBron, as previously mentioned shot poorly, but made up for it by rebounding, passing, and getting to the line, as a superstar should. The result for Cleveland is a chance for their first title as a city since 1964.
What's next for Detroit...
For one, Flip Saunders will likely be gone. The rep on him is that he's the Marty Schottenheimer of the NBA, and this series certainly didn't help. The bigger problem in Detroit is how listless this team was in the Cleveland series. It's time to make a big move, but with Billups heading towards free agency, can Joe Dumars pull the trigger and do something bold?
What's next for Cleveland...
Primarily, Cleveland can't rest on their laurels. If they consider this a success, they will be blasted. It will be interesting to see if Bowen can contain LeBron in any way. On the flip side though, can the Cavs stop any of San Antonio's Big Three, especially Duncan? The odds are no, at least with Duncan, and as such, the Cavs will be an underdog in this series. Of course, they were an underdog in the Detroit series, so it's not like they have anything to lose (except LeBron, of course, thanks to the unreasonable expectations on him).
Best Lines
- Daniel Gibson, Cle- 31 pts, 7-9 FG, 5-5 3PT, 12-15 FT, 6 rebs, 2 ast
- LeBron James, Cle- 20 pts, 14-19 FT, 14 rebs, 8 ast, 2 stl, 2 blk
- Rip Hamilton, Det- 29 pts, 10-20 FG, 4 rebs, 3 ast, 3 stl
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