Free throw attempts from the April 9, 2013 Cavaliers/Pacers game in Indiana:

IND – 46 / CLE- 15

The league owes the Cavaliers, the players, the fans and Cleveland a game.  There was no winning this one.  The Indiana Pacers took 46 free throws last night.  This was more free throws than were taken by both teams in any other game that was played last night.  It is almost impossible to imagine how a team with a 31 free throw disparity, many of which were taken during the dismantling of a 20 point fourth quarter lead.   For your consideration, here’s a list of the other games that were played last night and the number of free throws taken:

OKC -18 / UTA- 14

MIL-14 / MIA-10

WAS-30 / NYK- 14

PHL-20 / BKL-23

PHX-19 / HOU-24

CHA-18 / MEM-20

TOR-24 / CHI-20

NOH-18 / LAL-22

MIN-20 / GSW-22

After a three minute stretch of play that saw a 20 point Cavaliers lead cut to 9 points, Cavaliers head coach Byron Scott reinserted Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson with approximately 6 minutes and 30 seconds remaining in the 4^th quarter and that 9 point lead.  Should Byron Scott have reinserted his starters sooner?  Is his dogmatic approach to fourth quarter lineup changes the problem that has keyed the four 20 point comebacks that have sunk the Cavaliers this season?  Could he have called time outs sooner in the run to drag out what was happening?  Was the failure of the offensive system to blame for the loss or was a failure of effort to slow or stop the Pacers transition offense?  It didn’t matter.  The game was taken from Byron Scott and from the team.

On the series of plays which followed this lineup change, Tristan Thompson was repeatedly manhandled in the post and in the paint without referee attention.  At the same time, the Pacers continued their parade to the free throw line, cutting the lead by driving to the rim and drawing a series of phantom fouls, the most pronounced of which was a call against Cavalier Shaun Livingston involving Pacer George Hill, wherein Livingston was called for a foul on a Hill layup without ever touching either Hill or the ball.  Hill, and former Mr. Basketball Indiana Tyler Zeller, who had a magnificent game, were both fouled out of the game in the fourth quarter.

Then, with the game in the balance and 29 seconds remaining, Kyrie Irving took the ball with the Cavaliers down by 2 points.  He drove to the hoop and was met with 16 seconds left in the game by Pacer Jeff Pendergraph, who was still moving into position such that the heel of his right foot, while moving, was clearly above the restricted area arc.  Irving drew contact, drew a shooting foul, then banked a shot which should put Irving on the line with the game tied.  The officiating crew, who actually appeared to take the time to conduct a video replay of the play, somehow concluded that Irving had committed a charge, awarding the ball and essentially, the game, to the Indiana Pacers.

Any honest description of the Cavaliers Pacers game of April 9, 2013 must begin by explaining that the officiating of the game throughout the contest and specifically in the final stretch was terrible.    It spoiled a solid honest effort by the Cavaliers on the road against a good playoff team.  It influenced everything that occurred during the last 9 minutes of the game, when the Pacers made the run that would win the game.

Because until that stretch happened, the Cavaliers were rolling with effort, power, dominance and confidence.  This was a different team than the lethargic one that was crushed by the Brooklyn Nets at home just a week before.  A 20 point lead and lockdown defense against a legitimate playoff contender type team.  All of which was compounded by the return of Kyrie Irving’s shooting stroke.  In an honest moment, this was what all cylinders could look like.   But honest moments will remain on hold until tonight against the Pistons and back in Cleveland.

"Now you guys love us again right?" – Tristan Thompson, postgame.

Oh, you said the season’s over?  These games don’t mean anything?  Nobody told  Tristan Thompson, who once again turned into a fucking wrecking ball.  Crashing boards, exploding defenders, demanding respect with energy that bled out onto the court in buckets, winning a second game in a row and driving the highest sections of the Quicken Loans Arena, where there is no talk of “tanking”, into complete and utter madness.   It is not over.  There is still work left to do.

While All Star Kyrie Irving, rookie Dion Waiters, veteran Anderson Varejao and even rookie Tyler Zeller have all missed games this year due to injuries, some of real significance, Thompson has not missed a game through 76 and has spent that time working in the laboratory of the painted area transforming himself into a monster that punishes defenses.

Another 15 points another 16 rebounds, including 8 of the hard fought clawing aggressive offensive kind.  Tristan Thompson elevated the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 91-85 win over the Orlando Magic.  And while these were not the 2009 HgH-aided Orlando Magic, it was another NBA win, and a sign of tangible progress in a season of high highs and some of the lowest of lows.  

There is this from last night: Kyrie Irving has now made only 12 of his last 51 shot attempts.  Omri Casspi and Kevin Jones are somehow rotation players again.  CJ Miles who, after a breathtakingly horrible first month, has been a bargain as a valuable bench player, had his face caved in by Orlando Magician Nikola Vicevic early in this game.  Vucevic, who spent most of the game dominating Tyler Zeller in the paint, went full on Wilt Chaimberlain for 21 points and 21 rebounds.   A coaching decision was made by the Cavaliers so that Vucevic, who was dominating, never faced a double team.  The Cavaliers transition offense was a complete clusterfuck of disorganization that portended a preseason scrimmage more than Game 76. 

But Shaun Livingston’s career is in full on Lazarus mode.   It was Livingston's driving and shooting that keyed a scoring run that overcame a six point third quarter Orlando lead in this game that led to the win.  Wayne Ellington is a credible backup shooting guard and made critical shots.  There can be a place on this team for the buttery shooting of big man Maureese Speights.   There are signs of a something finally forming.

And less than a week removed from the horror of horrors against the Nets and losing streak that there is a message from the new leader and spinal column of the new Cavaliers, Mr. Thompson:

There are six games left in this Cleveland Cavaliers season.  They can be what we want them to be.   Shitcan the lottery talk for those six games.   These games, soak them in now; there’s a long ass summer between now and next season.

And just like that, in one night, with a 97-91 victory over the Celtics, the nightmare ended.

And if your throat burns with the heat of a thousand suns this morning because your night ended screaming the lyrics to “Born to Run” into a karaoke machine in a bar that looks like a prison cafeteria, and if you had one of the best nights of your life, manhandling craft beers on West 25^th, into high fives of simultaneous relief, disbelief and pure elation with friends, thank Tristan Thompson.

Over the course of months the Tristan Thompson of this season has transformed himself into a Charles Oakley presence.  Last night he physically and mentally broke the Celtics defense, grappling for 17 rebounds and pouring a career high 29 points into the basket on the road against a playoff team.   He overcame a poor offensive night by All Star Kyrie Irving.  He was the stopper that they needed him to be.

No excuses.  No complaints.  Thompson took responsibility. Thompson called a professional head coach facing questions about his coaching future a “father figure”.  Thompson backed it up; put the weight of the losing streak and the task of ending it on his own shoulders. 

You want to see what a man looks like, you look at Tristan Thompson.   Tristan Thompson is what the Cavaliers of the last decade of actively trying to win a championship lacked.  Not just a second superstar, but a man willing to take responsibility, with the genuine desire and passion to grow his game,  with the maturity to stand up for his teammates and coach and team against adversity.  Tristan Thompson the human being has not just the ability but as important the will to be cornerstone of the franchise.  

Tristan Thompson wears the jersey that will not be burnt.

Two years and a six hour car ride through congested Connecticut and New York traffic, over the bridge and down into the heart of Newark, where, four picks into an NBA Draft, his name sucked the air out of a giant arena, this seemed to be an impossibility.   No one can blame you for your questions, your doubts and your insecurities when losing streaks and injuries have so consistently obfuscated the long term goals.   But that day in Newark was miles and miles away and like the ten game losing streak from which last night was born, laid to rest.

It was like watching a Browns game.  There were expectations.  Kyrie Irving’s return in a matchup of premier point guards, Byron Scott coaching against his former Eastern Conference Champion team, a chance for some revenge on Brook Lopez.  Former Cavs head coach Mike Fratello on the sidelines calling the game for the Nets YES network, probably fresh off a visit to his favorite Cleveland pizzeria Crostatas.  But unlike the margarita pie at Crostatas, and more like a cold afternoon at Cleveland Browns Stadium, last night there was letdown.  Historic letdown.

Sometimes there’s a comfort in reaching a low point.   That’s the good news ten games into this losing streak.   And if it hasn’t already, when that low point comes hopefully it’s going to come with that comfort.  Granted, they could stay at that low low point for a long goddamn time, but at least it’s probably not going to get any worse than this.

Because, on the other hand, what’s happening to this team right now is fucking horrifying.   On a night that was supposed to honor the team’s mascot, Moondog, 74 games into the season, coming into the game with the weight of a 9 game losing streak, down to the Brooklyn Nets by 30 at halftime, it was absolutely 0 defensive effort.  At one point Nets point guard Deron Williams literally Gangham Style danced his way through a non-defense all the way to the rim for his first slam dunk of the season.  And this effort was WITH both 2011 first round draft picks playing in the game, including Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving. 

There’s a big picture out there about more lottery picks and not getting stuck in the middle of the pack, but it’s becoming harder and harder to see, mainly because the myopic view is so striking and so difficult to watch.   There’s a ridiculous amount of discipline required to avoid blasting the franchise for doing more to motivate players, to coach players and to accumulate talent.   That may be effort more wisely used by anyone who stuck it out to watch the pointless second half of this game turning the channel to watch the Tribe or finding out what time Chuck Ragan goes on tonight at the Grog Shop.

If you are still watching games at this point, it’s because you probably understand that it’s a long process and being in the middle of it is like being halfway though a drain pipe filled with shit smelling foulness I don’t even want to imagine.  You knew when you got into the drain pipe that it was going to be five football fields, so really all you can do is vomit and move on.

Most of the players on the team must have the self-awareness to understand that they are not part of the larger goals of the franchise.  Maybe even Byron Scott suspects that when and if the corner turns, he’s not staying on the train, that he’ll be replaced with someone with a better winning percentage, just so the organization can flip this ugly page in history.

Can’t blame the fans for being pissed off because the team didn’t meet what were very modest expectations, can’t blame the front office for following though with the plan they started two or three years ago.  Who’s left?  Luke Walton for not being talented enough? 

Who’s going to take the shitstorm of criticism for this losing streak now that JJ Hickson isn’t around?  Byron Scott, fair or unfair.  My guess is that he knew that when he signed up.   It’s not enough to develop Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson.  He has to keep himself and this group of players that know they may have no future with the franchise motivated enough to not lose 11 games in a row.  That’s a tough job and it’s Friday night against the Celtics in Boston.

All firing Byron Scott would do now is send the false message to Cavaliers fans that the organization was actually trying to win games in 2012-13 with the roster assembled.

This is what I reminded myself as Twitter erupted with cries for Scott's job last night following an uninspired loss to the Brooklyn Nets.

Winning this year specifically, however, was never the primary objective during this phase of the process.

Kyrie Irving was supposed to get better this season. Tristan Thompson was expected to develop as well and we were going to find out what we had with Dion Waiters and Tyler Zeller.

I resigned myself to these simple truths before the season ever began. The wins I was willing to accept as a welcomed diversion to losing while the Cavs tanked their way to another lottery.

The last tank-filled season of draft positioning that we’d hopefully endure as fans for the next decade.

Kyrie Irving has emerged as an All-Star in 2013. Tristan Thompson has out-performed the expectations that most had for him. Dion Waiters has averaged 14 points and earned rookie of the month honors for his progress made through February.

This much is enough for me in year two of the Kyrie Irving Era. 

I do realize the collective product is increasingly terrible and I know the Cavaliers are the worst defensive unit in the NBA at the moment. I also listened to a pregame press conference spent discussing aspects of a spider zone that eventually helped Brooklyn shoot 70-percent in the first half last night too.

So there is no way I blame any Cavs fan who is actually still paying attention at this point and believes that the coach should be fired for the product they are being forced to watch.

I actually left the Q with six minutes remaining myself because the pain I felt in my eyes was so fierce I feared the possibility of future blindness. 

In saying as much, though, the Cavaliers are still best served by allowing themselves to find out what Scott’s capable of doing when equipped with a reputable NBA roster and an organizational goal of winning basketball games.

He has not coached in that environment since arriving in Cleveland.

Phil Jackson could’ve assembled a staff that included John Wooden and Red Auerbach and not coached this Cavaliers roster into the 2013 playoffs. Not without Anderson Varejao for 50-plus games and Kyrie Irving for as much time as he’s missed.

Not without an NBA-caliber bench to support their young core that the Cavaliers didn’t stumble upon until after probing the Memphis Grizzlies with Jon Leuer’s contract in an attempt to acquire future draft picks.

The same Jon Leuer that was also once acquired to provide NBA-caliber depth off the Cavaliers bench for Kyrie Irving and company.

But while winning this year has never been part of the rebuild, winning next year is.

If the Cavaliers look like this one month into the 2013-14 campaign, I’ll gladly join the let’s-run-him-out-of-town-parade. In the meantime, though, we've endured too much losing over the last three years for all that suffering to be in vain.

Scott has helped point guards like Chris Paul develop into Hall of Famers. I want to see what he can do with his continued development of our guy.

I want to see if he can turn out the defensive effort he has during his tenures with the New Jersey Nets and New Orleans Hornets after the Cavaliers employ a collection of players who are interested in defending.

We haven’t actually determined that yet. 

Next season will include a different set of marching orders with a different set of goals. Let's find out what this team looks like then with the continuity that a healthy lineup of improving players provides.

Until then, just let this season die peacefully and prepare for the draft.

On Dyngus Day in Atlanta, the Cavaliers showed signs of life, but could not overcome the weight of the 8 game losing streak which became 9.  Danny Ferry’s Atlanta Hawks somehow withstood the cantankerous bitching of Daniel Boobie Gibson and a shove by bench stalwart Luke Walton and extended the Cavs streak. 

There’s only 9 goddamn games left.  It’s like watching a fuse burn down to the rest of your life.  More than three quarters of this roster could be gonzo by the time you see the Cavaliers again.  You are about three weeks from realizing your irrational emotional attachment to Daniel Gibson and perhaps even Luke Walton.  You are still stinging from the loss of Samardo Samuels and his dog Fluffy as they wander in the D-League desert. 

But purge is good for the soul.  And ultimately, this roster is still terrible, the coaching is subsistence level.  The pieces that have to fit together are, for the most part, being assembled only in the most amorphous and theoretical way.  85% or more of what you own and what you watch in these games probably means nothing, and the boxes that you pack with things you think you want could disappear or crumble before they are even unpacked without meaning or any real sense of regret.  

In a 9 game losing streak, in the moment there’s still no sin in applauding ultimately meaningless effort.  No fragile Kyrie Irving, but from Shaun Livingston more drive than ever.   The unreal shooting touch of Mo Speights down the stretch.  It’s not hard to see the value these pieces could have in complimenting another and much different stage of life.  One where they belong.

When the Cleveland Indians open the season tonight, the memory of Byron Scott waiting 73 games (and after Dion Waiters struggled to adjust from a zone defense in which he had been highly effective at Syracuse) to try Cleveland Cavaliers “Spider” zone defense will likely be less memorable than anything that happens from inning one on.  Scott complimented the efforts of his players after the game, as if to backhandedly say that “even at maximum effort”, which seemed to be the case “this group of players cannot compete at a level which would allow them to defeat the 6^th seed in the Eastern Conference playoff bracketing.”

They don’t actually celebrate Dyngus Day in Atlanta, probably because there aren’t that many Polish people there.  They may have defeated the Cavs and made every critical shot down the stretch, dropping bombs and throwing lobs, eliminating a passionate display of effort by the Cleveland Cavaliers, but they will never know the joys of a perfectly prepared potato cheese and bacon perogi in Atlanta. 

That’s where they left us last night.  Sipping Polish vodka in a Tremont bar, fresh memories of the sounds of polka music.  9 games into their losing streak.

There was warm air but a cool light rain over Cleveland, and the left lane on 80 into town was backed up for a hundred miles with out of towners following the speed limit.  John Michaels' description of the game has Wayne Ellington gunning jumpers, Kyrie Irving dishing and Tristan Thompson scrambling for loose balls.

But the game gets quickly gets away from them.  More ambitious drivers are passing on the right now, trucks with drivers fueled by energy drinks and pills.  There are moments of interest, there’s some fight early and there’s Kyrie Irving return, scoring 30, but there’s no competition.   There’s the toll and the one car with EZPass flies though.

It doesn’t matter.   By the time I pull into the driveway, limping on a broken windshield wiper in the dark rain I am too late.   The Cavs have quit.  The game is over with six minutes left.

They’ve lost 8 games in a row, which means nothing after all perspective was lost in a 26 game losing streak 26 just two seasons ago and before the rebuild officially began.   8 game losing streaks like this are water under the bridge.

And with 10 games left, the season is over.   There is no effort and they are a team spinning in a subterfuge of youth and inexperience, injuries, general apathy and an anonymous complainant alleging that third year Coach Byron Scott, whose tenure as a coach has eclipsed the length of his playing career this season, has been too hard on his players.  

So look, let’s just call off the last 10 games.  Save the electric bills at the Q and everybody else’s time.  Turn off the television.  Take some nights off, have a barbecue.   Find the cooler and get the boat ready for some summer time cruisin.  Work on your beach bod.  Buy some new bandanas and have some peeps over to talk some Tribe and Nick Swisher and knock back some Summer Shandys. 

Fans still cheering for high lottery picks, they’ll applaud the move.   They’ll say losing feels more like gaining lottery balls and less like nails on a chalkboard and that cancellation of the rest of the season will keep players healthier.  Shut down the fragile superstar, save him for when they contend.  Let Tyler Zeller practice his post-up moves against a folding chair.

Hell, maybe consider calling off the 2013-14 season too.  Save the cap space for 2014.  Get the draft picks from the 2013 and 2014 drafts.   Build the core and keep everybody from getting hurt by just benching the entire franchise. 

In the morning, there was a light wet snow that didn’t stick to the ground.   The Cavs were in Atlanta, where it’s 68 and sunny and Kyrie Irving isn’t playing tonight.

It's 5:03 AM when the symphonic chaos of my alarm clock explodes from beside my bed.

My right hand quickly crashes down on the snooze button and all sanity is restored. Minutes later—as if planned for such moments—the steady chirp from my iPhone begins to celebrate the morning. 

The date is March 26, 2014 and it's time to wake up.

The Boston Celtics were in Golden State last night, is the first full sentence that goes through my mind. The Milwaukee Bucks were in Portland, too. Can't believe I fell asleep before each game was over. 

It's now 5:12 and before I even get out of bed I am thumbing through the Eastern Conference standings.

Looks like the Trail Blazers held on. So did the Warriors.

Nice.

That means the Dion Waiters buzzer-beating-three on Sunday is enough to now take sole possession of seventh pla---

Then—almost as suddenly as the Cavaliers had arrived in the postseason discussion—I woke up.

It was March 26, 2013 and the narrative is still incomplete.

The injured list is long, littered with the three best players the Cavaliers employ. The excuses are sounding repetitive and the losing has become monotonous. 

I would spend the remainder of my day, however, continuing to dream of playoff basketball in Cleveland as I trudged through the final moments of Kyrie Irving's second season.

After adding what appears to be at least one top draft pick—and maybe even two—the Cavaliers will enter the 2013-14 campaign with at least five players from the top-20 selected by the current regime.

Maybe even six.

That has to be progress, right?

Five players selected by Chris Grant to play for Byron Scott specifically?

Five reasons why the excuses for losing should end at the very moment they become completely unnecessary. That was what I decided, at least. That's what got me through the rest of my day.

Assuming the Cavaliers bring Wayne Ellington and Mo Speights back, they would combine with Irving, Waiters, Tristan Thompson, Tyler Zeller, Anderson Varejao and whoever the Cavaliers draft this summer to form an eight[ish]-man rotation that should be in the very least competitive. 

If Irving stays healthy for 90 percent of the schedule, the Cavaliers should have a legitimate chance at a .500 record and the No. 8 seed with that group while truly demonstrating a "winning culture" for the first time since 2010.

They will then be in a position to attract a front-line free agent next summer, and give us a reason to dream all over again from there.

Progress, you guys, it really is coming. Even if we can't actually see it right now.

It was 5:46 PM when I looked down at my iPhone to turn off the Pandora station blaring through my headphones.

After walking into Quicken Loans Arena—and tucking the earbuds into my bag—my eyes quickly met a concourse cluttered with Miami Heat gear.

That wasn’t all I saw, by any means, but the presence was certainly noticeable.

‘It would have been literally dangerous to wear that jersey in here in December of 2010’, I thought to myself in a particularly defiant tone.

‘I can’t believe how quickly things have change.’

As I then made my way to the media elevator, I soon began the strangest NBA game-watching-experience of my life.

I was there when LeBron James first came back in 2010 and that experience was surreal. This time, however—from a leaking jumbotron to an unthinkable lead that quickly evaporated—was just straight-up weird.

The Performance

Tristan Thompson balled the hell out last night. Early on specifically—while totaling 10 first quarter points—Thompson’s prideful approach to Wednesday’s matchup with the NBA’s best team is why the Cleveland Cavaliers remained competitive throughout.

As I mentioned on Wednesday morning, I would’ve been impressed if the lineup Cleveland rolled out on the floor against Miami kept the final score within 12 points.

Now, I didn’t say I would’ve been thrilled by a 12-point loss, nor am I trying to suggest that it’s okay to collapse after building a 27-point lead. It’s not okay, and the Cavaliers certainly had PLENTY of chances to actually win.

But they still did have one shot to tie as the game-clock expired against a team who has now won 24-straight times.

With six minutes left in the third quarter, Tristan Thompson’s performance was further emphasized by out-scoring LeBron James and Dwyane Wade combined at that point. Soon after, though, the league’s best player took the game over, finished with a triple-double and eventually left victorious.

But the effort from Thompson—along with C.J. Miles, Tyler Zeller, Shaun Livingston, Wayne Ellington and Mo Speights—was enough to make the game extremely entertaining. The bench group provided negative returns for the Cavs, but that had more to do with actual bench players assuming the majority of the minutes.

So should I be impressed that the Cavaliers didn’t lose by 40? Maybe not, but I am. I totally thought they would and I’m glad they were able to do enough to make the game interesting.

This reaction doesn’t make me a bad fan, either. It just makes me—and everyone else who shares a similar sentiment—fans of a bad team.

I mentioned Dion Waiters twice this week in my Bleacher Report articles.

On Monday, I considered him for the All-Second Half team before dismissing Waiters and others who aren't playing meaningful games at the moment. 

I also ranked Waiters 10th on Tuesday among all NBA players with college eligibility remaining. The only other members of the 2012 Draft Class I had slotted ahead of the Cavs fourth overall pick were Damian Lillard (3) and Anthony Davis (5). 

But just as I was getting excited about Waiters' recent surge heading into this Heat game tonight, he was ruled out with a ligament issue in his knee.

While dreams of Waiters asserting himself--sans Kyrie Irving--against the mighty Heat died slowly on the fandom side of my brain, I decided tonight's game would be best met with tempered enthusiasm. 

Extremely tempered.

Outside of CJ Miles scoring fifty--in combination with a 20-20 performance from Tristan Thompson--this latest return of LeBron James to Cleveland expects to be the biggest seven-car-pile-up on I-90 yet. 

It will take the group the Cavaliers will put on the floor's best effort of the season to lose by 12 points tonight.

Unless, of course, Coach Spoelstra goes Gregg Popovich and sits each member of the Heat's Big Three. If I was Spo--even while riding a 23-game winning streak--I'd certainly consider as much.

Unfortunately for Cavaliers fans, though, there is no way James doesn't ride his dunk-murder of Jason Terry into the Q while searching for more victims.

He will find plenty on the court wearing Wine and Gold tonight, too.

That's what I've been telling myself ever since Waiters was officially ruled out on Tuesday. Despite the epic heights that a player as awful as Ryan Hollins once reached in a similar moment--successfully defending Cleveland from a Miami invasion--there is no use hoping for anything like that tonight.

Which is why I just want this game to end as quickly as possible. 

As they're currently comprised, the Miami Heat are everything we thought they'd become when James first hit the shores of South Beach in 2010.

Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and James are ALL shooting a career best field-goal percentage while defending last year's NBA championship. 

Byron Scott told the NBA universe to simply hand James the MVP trophy right now this week, and he would've been right to say that two months ago. 

Free from the burden of never have won an NBA title, James is playing the best basketball of his life. He is getting better with every game and his team is utterly unbeatable as a result.

I fully expect Miami to sweep their way to the Eastern Conference Finals just as soon as the postseason begins.

For as good as the Indiana Pacers looked dismantling the Cavaliers on Monday, I don't give them much of a chance against Miami in that potential series either. They'll get one win, but probably not two.

I'd be comfortable betting the Heat in five, and then I don't see any team in the Western Conference extending a Finals series longer than six games.

Whether it's the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Clippers or an All-Star team of the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors combined, Miami will win their second consecutive title in 2013.

Which is great, in some ways, because by now I'm way past the point of rooting for other teams to beat them. I really don't care anymore.

The fact that they are now the best team in the NBA is unavoidable, and my only hope is the carnage ends quickly tonight.

It would be an escape from the typical feeling that's preceded most games in 2012-13 if we had an opportunity to measure Irving, Waiters, Tristan Thompson and the rest of the Cavaliers against the NBA's best tonight.

Unfortunately, though, all we have is a former No. 23 on his way to 24.  

The only real question that exists with this one is how James will be received by the fans in attendance. Sure, there will certainly be some booing--but while I don't care at all how fans decide to react--I also anticipate a louder surge of cheering than we heard last time he was here.

Maybe those cheers will be rooted in the idea that he could come back in 2014. I wrote about that at Bleacher Report last month too, and I do believe it's a legitimate possibility. But maybe some of the cheers will be also rooted in the idea that we never really wanted a reason to boo the guy in the first place.    

If he did come back to pair with Kyrie Irving in two seasons, the Cavaliers could become that title contender again the moment he signs on the dotted line. If not, maybe they'll mature into something similar without him...who knows at this point.

What we do know now, however, is that tonight isn't the time to go looking for revenge on the scoreboard. 

Unless, of course, C.J. Miles does combine with Tristan Thompson for 70 points and re-writes Cleveland Sports Folklore forever in the process.

The very idea I unfortunately also expect to inevitably invade my stream of consciousness just before tip-off --no matter how much time I spend today convincing myself otherwise.

Whichever way you decide to approach it personally, good luck tonight you guys. This one should be...interesting.