Wednesday, June 13, 2007 Sayson: Spurs gun for commanding 3-0 lead By Homer Sayson Second Overtime
CLEVELAND - During player introductions, the young and restless Cavs have this pre-game histrionics where Damon Jones, in his best Floyd Mayweather impersonation, throws a couple of roundhouse punches that LeBron James vivaciously ducks.
The San Antonio Spurs are in town, and as Game 3 of these NBA Finals beckons today, they are bringing the whole infantry, and the ruthless offense-defense superiority that have given them a 2-0 series lead.
King James and his subjects better be good at ducking. Because these Spurs are not kidding, they’re serious as a heart attack.
The Cavs are 6-0 at home in these playoffs, and playing at the Quicken Loans Arena should provide refuge from the licking they took in San Antonio, where James and company were mangled, trailing by as many as 29 in Game 2.
The fact that the Cavaliers amazingly reduced a 29-point Spurs lead into eight in Game 2 is something James and his teammates can build on. It’s a confidence-booster, they say.
I see it differently. While I doff my hats to the Cavs for showing a lot of heart and fortitude by overhauling a huge chunk of a huge deficit, I find it disturbing that they fell behind by 29 points in the first place.
A lot of Cleveland fans are so cavalier about their team being down 0-2. After all, the Cavs were in a 0-2 hole against Detroit before winning four straight against the dazed Pistons.
Well, kudos to Cavs fans for their undying faith. But San Antonio is a different ogre. They won’t turn from lion to lamb, and they have Tim Duncan. They also have Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Michael Finley, Robert Horry, et cetera.
Comparing the Spurs and the Pistons is like comparing Mt. Everest with Mt. Pinatubo. You see, unlike Detroit, which couldn’t figure out the conundrum that is LeBron, the Spurs defense have so far torn King James’ robe and slapped his crown around.
Even if the Cavs begin to nail their outside shots consistently, I think the Spurs will stubbornly double or triple team LeBron. In other words, if Cleveland somehow wins the Larry O’Brien trophy, it would have to be delivered by a guy named Daniel Gibson, Sasha Pavlovic, or Zydraunas Ilgauskas.
Honestly, do you really think that’s going to happen?
As my son AJ loves to say when I tell him to do an errand: “Think, think, think…Hmmmm. I don’t think so.”
THANKS TO ATTY. VELOSO… My hotel room here in Cleveland is as spacious as a parking lot. It has a full kitchen, a king-sized bed, and an NBA-tall refrigerator. It also has a tub and a shower that spits water like Niagara Falls.
My home for the next six nights is surrounded by 17 restaurants from Applebees to Wild Ginger. It’s about 100 yards from the freeway and 10 minutes from The Q. The icing on the cake is the fact that the 3-to-11 p.m. front desk officer is Crystal, a lean, gorgeous creature with ink-blank hair, penetrating brown eyes, and a million-dollar smile.
A million thanks to lawyer Nick Veloso, who arranged my extremely comfortable digs for these Finals. Nick also helped the Cebu City delegation when they were here for the 2004 International Childrens’ Games.
Thanks, too, to Cebu City Councilor Jack Jakosalem, who hooked me up with Nick.
My best buddy, Los Angeles transplant Juvie Cabigon helped me secure a greatly discounted rate on my rental car.
Apparently, Juvie, a former pillar of the Cebu City Sports Commission, can pull strings beyond the borders of California. Salamat, Nyor!
