NBA Triple Threat: Your (almost) daily roundup of last night's action in the Association:My apologies for the lack of Triple Threat recently. I've been on vacation. I'll be on vacation for the rest of the week, but I had to share this special edition on my first ever NBA game: tonight's Hawks-Cavs tilt at Quicken Loans Arena (aka the Q). Thanks to some scalpers, I sat five rows from the court, directly across from one of the baskets. Below are my observations:
LeBron is a sight to behold Mainly, he has an incredible ability to take over a game. In the first half, LeBron was very quiet, scoring just four points. The offense almost seemed to avoid him, which will happen when he's surrounded every time he touches the ball. By the end of the game, LeBron had 36, and the Cavs pulled out the victory 98-94. The amazing thing is he did it with few trips to the hole. LeBron mostly stayed outside and took jump shots, and tonight it worked.
The Cavs really need a point guard That was evident when Larry Hughes started as the de facto PG, and it became more evident during the game. Many passes were an adventure, and the Cavs had more tips than a volleyball team. The results were many turnovers that kept the Hawks in it despite a poor shooting percentage and a major rebounding deficiency.
The NBA thinks you have ADD Every timeout and quarter end is full of various crap to keep one "entertained." Not all of it is bad (cheerleaders, hot girls featured on the Jumbotron), but most of it is stupid giveaways. Obviously, it's like this at every event, but the NBA seems to be the loudest, and as such, the most annoying.
Other Random Observations
- Drew Gooden really doesn't like to pass the ball.
- LeBron let out an F-bomb to Sasha Pavlovic. Sasha deserved it, even though I can't remember why.
- The Q is the first sporting venue I've been to that served mixed drinks.
- A solid B+ for the cheerleaders. My standards are probably a bit lower than most of you though.
- It's fun to heckle Zaza Pachulia when he can't make a shot.
- Joey Crawford was one of the officials. His calls were booed on multiple occasions.
more
