Who would have ever thought that he could pull of this gargantuan upset?!?!?! No one predicted this! This is Mason-UConn, NC State-Houston, it's....dare I say it?

It's USA-Russia 1980!!! Tiger only got this win because he won the Bridgestone this past weekend right (or as Steve Levy called it on SportsCenter...the Firestone)?

Oh wait....he won with 65% of the vote? And everyone knew he was going to win from the beginning??? Well what about the judges!? One of them had to say it was Lebron? No??? They spent 5 whole minutes talking about nothing?

Well then....apparently they did.

My favorite part of that whole exchange is the very end when Stu says, "Well your votes don't count this round. It's all you the fan." Jalen was probably like..."Damn, well at least I get to stare at E-Money's gams then."

So there you have it. After a month of voting and one upset. Tiger is "Now".....thanks ESPN, we can all rest easy.

I'm always mesmerized when someone creates something with legos or an etch-a-sketch. This is probably mainly because I sucked at both as a kid. The best thing I ever built with legos was a giant tower (basically stacked 4,000 legos on top of one another), and with E-A-S a staircase.

This howevah is much more creative....

One town, One team, One Dream....One Dream, One Team, One Town!

(Too bad you're getting swept)

(OMDQ does not watch much basketball, but likes to think he recognizes greatness when he sees it)



(You're getting this picture for one reason and one reason only: because the original caption read, "Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James, right, hugs Zydrunas Ilgauskas, of Lithuania, after the Cavaliers beat the Detroit Pistons 98-82 to win the NBA Eastern Conference basketball finals Saturday, June 2, 2007, in Cleveland." For some reason, the fact that the caption writers found it necessary to include Ilgauskas' nationality makes me chuckle.)

LeBron James was already a member of the "People Who Are Identifiable By One Name Only" Hall of Fame, but the last few days have helped catapult him into another club with even more exclusive membership: the "People I Will Make A Special Effort To Watch" club.

In any other year, Game 6 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals would not have been Must See TV in my household. Yeah, I might have tuned in for a few minutes and seen how things were progressing, but chances are the visit would not have lasted long before I continued looking around for other options. Don't hold it against me - I'm just not much of a basketball guy (note: this doesn't really apply to the Celtics. At worst, they get left on for background noise).

Tonight, however, was different - and it was all because of AA's live-blog on Thursday night.

Like much of Cleveland, I wasn't overly thrilled about Game 5 of this series. Yeah, the Cavs and Pistons were knotted at two games apiece. Yeah, it was the only good sporting option available (no Red Sox, at least). But the only reason I tuned in was because the live-blog added an extra degree of interest - interest that was sorely needed after an excruciating first half and a third quarter in which I fell asleep for fifteen minutes and considered just going to bed.

Thankfully, I chose to stay awake and bear witness to one of the greatest individual basketball performances in recent memory. LeBron James, who had come under fire from all corners for perceived tentativeness earlier in the series, offered a visual demonstration that should have silenced even the most ardent of critics. He beat defenders 1-on-1 for easy dunks. He drained off-balance ten footers. He might have hit a couple of threes. He was, plainly and simply, unstoppable.

And best of all, as noted on another blog (if anyone knows where this came from, let me know and they'll definitely get credit), he did it all with a cold calculation that we haven't seen before. Part of the LeBron playbook to this point has been an "angry face", a scary-looking sneer that isn't really that scary and can come off as contrived. There was none of that on Thursday. He wasn't concerned with showing off how tough he was and how badly he wanted to win - he was concerned with demonstrating, through his actions on the court, how tough he was and how badly he wanted to win. At some point in the fourth quarter, he realized the same thing that all the greats realize - that actions, the way you play the game, always speak louder than mere words or meaningless gestures.

Because of that performance, which I was watching only because I wanted to follow the live-blog through to the end, I tuned in for Game 6 - not the whole thing, not without flipping a little to see what else was going on in sports, but enough to gain a sense of the situation (and to do something I very rarely do: beg my wife to put the game back on. Usually I bury my nose in the Internet while she contentedly watches HGTV. Not tonight, babe).

Was LeBron as good as he was on Thursday? No - how could he be? The thing was, though, that his teammates seemed to be playing inspired ball - are you kidding me, Daniel Gibson? 31 points? 19 in the fourth quarter? - and the Pistons seemed to be at the same place the Cavs were with time dwindling in the fourth quarter of Game 5: on the verge of implosion.

The series ended, for all intents and purposes, when Rasheed Wallace was called for an offensive foul in the fourth quarter. He was being defended by Anderson Varejao, a man with a serious flopping problem. As soon as Sheed got the ball in the post and started backing Varejao toward the basket, I began to wonder what would happen, if the flopping allegations were as blatant as I had been led to believe.

Then Wallace flipped his elbow into Varejao's ribs, a move that apparently was performed with enough force to knock the Cavalier to the floor. Sheed was unhappy (to say the least) and showed it on the other end, earning another foul almost immediately and following that up with his seventh technical of the playoffs. Just like that, he was gone, and so were the Pistons: they never challenged again.

Still, this game was important to me because of LeBron and the way he played each game. In Game 5, he was dominant, scoring at will and carrying his team to the win. In Game 6, he didn't force the issue of individual performance, absorbing a rough shooting performance and allowing Gibson to take control when it became evident that he held the hot hand.

Long story short, LeBron James became, in these last two games, a member of my own personal "Must See" club. It's not a big group - Roger Federer is in, along with David Ortiz and Tom Hanks, to cite a few cross-industry examples - but whenever they are on and I either know beforehand or catch them while flipping through the channels, they catch my attention. From now on, LeBron James and the Cavaliers are required viewing, for the simple reason that I never know what I might miss if I don't watch.

I was going to come up with this elaborate post on Lebron, but really what more can be said? I asked Lebron to step up in an away game, and he single-handily crushed an entire city. One that thought they were a shoe-in for the Finals.

So I was thinking about that question from last night again, and could only come up with two possible examples of possible better 10-15 minute spans during playoff games. One was Sleepy Floyd's 29 point quarter in Game 4 of the 1987 Western Conference Finals, and the other was Jordan's Game 1 performance against the Blazers in 1992.

You know what the difference between those two and Lebron's performance last night? Both of those were played on home courts. Check out the videos below of each.

Sleepy Floyd's performance was amazing for that one quarter, but technically Lebron did his for 3 stanzas....The 4th Quarter, The 1st Overtime, and the 2nd Overtime.

And while he didn't set any records like Jordan....In my eyes, Lebron James gave us the single-best 10-15 minute performance in a Playoff game in the modern age of the NBA. Simply amazing.

I was flipping through the overnight ratings from Game 5 last night, and came across this funny little note. While TNT earned a 4.8 overall, and a 19.6 in Cleveland, another show captured a good bit of city's viewing audience.

Somehow, "My Name is Earl" received a 6.6. And what's better.....It was a rerun!

Come on Cleveland! A repeat of My Name Is Earl?!?!?! God lord.....at least Detroit's second choice was a rerun of CSI.

TNT earned a 4.8 overnight Nielsen cable rating for Game Five of the Cavaliers-Pistons Eastern Conference Finals last night, which went into double OT. The game earned a 19.6/29 in Cleveland; the next highest rated program of the night in Cleveland was a repeat of "My Name is Earl" on NBC, which got a 6.6. Game Five pulled a 17.4/27 in Detroit, also the highest rated program in the market for the night. The next highest rated program was a "CSI" repeat on CBS, which did a 6.9- SBD: The Daily

I'm going to save the bulk of my words for another post, but all I can say is wow....I've said it probably 400 times since the live-blog until now, and seeing the videos again brought out another 100 alone.

Enjoy, and if you missed this.....I feel sorry for you.....

In my eyes Lebron still has to win the Series to jumpstart his legacy, but this is one of the greatest individual performances I've ever seen. Just amazing.

I was a skeptic....now I'm a Witness. Wow.

Alrighty folks....the live-blog is back, and in full a**-kicking mode. I'm prepping for the game by watching Real World "The S*** They Should Have Showed". Based on the analysis of this programming I'm predicting Eric Snow will be the MVP of this game.

You can see I prepared. To double-check my work....join me after the jump at 8pm for a rockin' good time.

(P.S.- I'm going to attempt to bring you a new live-blog feature called, "Your Halftime Highlights via YouTube." Obviously the title and feature itself are a work in progress, but I'm going to give it a go. We'll see what happens.)

8:00- Eastern Conference Finals.....the drama has just begun! Thanks "deep voice guy"....we're live from Detroit Rock City! Welcome one and all.

Your Announcers.....Marv Albert, Steve Kerr, and....ugh Doug Collins (I knew this ahead of time, but I still don't like hearing it).

How about that hair!!! Doug's Hair says Rasheed Wallace is the key. I guess any player on Detroit could be key, but I'm going with Chauncey.

8:05- Steve Kerr is the anti Mark Jackson. I think it's safe to now call him the Troy Aikman of the NBA. He almost gives you too much analysis.

Oh god....Craig Sager has his lips on some dude's trumpet. This is going to be a special one. (FYI- He was attempting to play with the house band.)

Reggie Miller thinks Lebron has empowered his team by passing on that shot in Game 1, and Charles brings up a great point. Since Cleveland should have won Games 1 and 2.....this series could have been over. CRAAAAAZY!

8:11- Anyone want to share what they're drinking tonight? Me??? Effen Black Cherry Vodka and Cranberry Juice. I'm posh like that.

Also, Ernie has quoted Sam Smith of the Chicago Tribune about 14 times these playoffs. Can you switch it up a bit Ern?

8:17- Danny Gibson says he's ready to have some fun....are you? I sure the hell am. Who's on the Doug Collins "time of possession" stopwatch?

Kasey Kahne is on Vitamin Water ads now? He's dreamy.

8:20- "This is the life ofa go-getter! A Go-Gettah!"....anyone know who sings that? Anywho, Marv is on the call, and our starting lineups are...

Cavs- Lebron, Gooden, Z, Pavs, Hughes (bench Hughes!)
Pistons- Billups, Sheed, Webber, Rip, Prince

Delaney, Salvatore, and Garretson are your officials....we're ready for the tip.

Sound the horn............DEEEEEEEEEEETROOOOOOOOOOOIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTT BASSSSSKETBAAAAALLLLL!

8:25- The Cavs go to Z and get the first two. Prince misses a three but there's an offensive rebound by Webber....he misses the follow. Miss by Lebron.....Billups hits a three on the other end. Both teams on the board.

Lebron backs Prince down and hits a baseline fadeaway. That's a money shot if he can hit it routinely. Wallace fouled on the other end, and Doug Collins is off and running. Sheed hits two and Detroit has their first lead.

8:28- Cavs turnover, and a foul on Gooden at the other end. Sheed hits the same fadeaway that Lebron hit (on the otherside of the basket). Hughes hits a three.

"That's gravy right there"- Collins, thanks for that Doug...the 1990s called they want their phrase back.

Hamilton misses and Lebron rebounds. Great ball movement by the Cavs and Hughes hits another. Uh oh Detroit. Right on que Billups gets an easy layup. Gooden takes a bad shot, and Webber gets two at the other end.

Quick Question: Has Steve Kerr said a word yet?

8:32- Lebron hits two at the line and has 4 points with 7 minutes to go. A Pistons' steal and Rip gets the dunk...

15-14 Pistons at the first stoppage.

I thought I could get this up quicker, but YouTube was against me. Here's your intro if you're just tuning in....

8:37- I really don't understand how 25 points makes a "sensational game", but Marv seems to think so.

Sheed hits a jumper, and Detroit is looking good early...even after two Hughes' threes. Wallace gets another layup and the Pistons are up 5. Pavs is fouled and he'll head to the line.

8:41- 19-15 Detroit. Varejao comes in after a Pavlovic foul, and Cleveland is in the penalty with 4 minutes left in the half.

1st turnover for Detroit and James hits the jumper. Gooden fouls Billups and Detroit is shooting two. 2 on Gooden. 1 of 2 for Chauncey. Lebron passes to Marshall and he misses yet another three....Rip cherry picks and gets an easy layup.

Timeout....24-19....2:45 left.

8:48- Doug Collins takes credit for having Rip Hamilton cut down on the technical fouls. Good for you Douglas. Another o-reb for the Pistons....Hunter to McDyess for the slam. Rip destroys someone with a crossover, but Detroit turns it over.

Doug Collins thinks Lindsay Hunter is one of the "Best on the ball defenders of all time". Why do I not believe him?

Damon Jones decides to come out of his cocoon and hit a three. Detroit gets an easy two, and we've yet to see Daniel Gibson.

HARD foul on Varejao, and Lebron is pissed! I'll have that video up soon. Should be a flagrant. And OMG!!!! McDyess is thrown out! That is a horrible call as they give him a flagrant 2. Just a terrible call.

8:55- Lebron gets a tech for jumping in the fracas, and Varejao hits one of the free throws....

"I would make that call any time."- Kerr
"Boy, you Steve Kerr bloggers out there..."- Marv Albert

Yes, Marv??? What do you need me to say?

Hamilton travels, and that's the end of the 1st.

Pistons 29-23, 11-20 in the first.


Start of the 2nd Quarter....

9:04- Maxiell schools Marshall and goes to the line. That's a definite mismatch. Lebron misses a jumper, and is apparently allergic to the paint. This is NOT asserting yourself at all. James passes as he drives to the hold, but is fouled. JUST TAKE THE BALL TO THE BASKET!!!!!!!!!!!!

Varejao is fouled again, and heads to the line.

Andy hits two...Pistons up five. Hunter gets a nice layup, and we have our first Gibson sighting! Way to play right into the Pistons' hands Mike Brown. James with an offensive board and the putback.

9:07- Delfino in for the Pistons....Webber to the line. Still only 32-27, and I'm officially getting bored.

Z misses, and Webber turns it over on the other end. Damon Jones misses a wide-open three and needs to go to the bench. Webber jams.

35-27 with 8:30 to go.

9:12- Some old highschool highlights from Chris Webber....nice box-fade.

Gibson draws a shooting foul from Sheed, and this is what Cleveland need to do every frickin' time. Just go to the basket. 6 point Det lead. Webber with a reverse layup to answer. Great move by Gooden to answer back. Hughes with the steal and Pavs gets the dunk. Great work by Cleveland to stay in this. 37-33 Pistons....7 minutes to go.

9:20- Anita Baker, Bob Seger, and Kid Rock on hand. Detroit know how to draw a crowd.

Z gets a tip-in of his own shot, but Webber just destroys the rim on a dunk at the other end. Steal by Delfino and Maxiell gets a layup. And ANOTHER Cavs turnover, but the Pistons can't capitalize.

Lebron's back in the game after a long rest, and gets the ball into "Big Z" (as Collins calls him), and the Cavs are only down 3. Billups hits 1 of 2 after being fouled, and the Pistons have gone to Dale Davis.

Wow...you people hate some live-blog Basketball.

9:24- The refs are calling some cheap fouls on the Pistons. If I was a betting man I'd say Vegas had a hand in this. Gooden picks up his third, and is done for the half.

4 minutes left....46-42.

Delfino is guarding Lebron at half-court....James drives by but misses the layup. Hamilton throws a bad pass, and the ball is back to the Cavs.

9:29- Go crazy folks! Lebron actually accomplishes something by going to the basket. And 1...and the lead is 1.

Great pass from James to Andy Varejao, and the Cavs somehow take the lead. Prince throws a facial down on Gibson, but he stepped out of bounds.

47-46 with a little over 2 minutes left.

9:34- Lebron gets his own miss and he's starting to assert himself. Chauncey passes on an open three, but gets bailed out by a bad foul called on Hughes.

For such a close game this is boring as hell. The crowd is completely out of it, and no one looks like they care. I'm really regretting this live-blog decision.

Billups puts the Pistons back up 1. Gibson is fouled on a questionable reach-in call on Chauncey, and the lead goes back over to the Cavs. I take back that no one cares comment. Jason Maxiell is having a great half...him and Webber.

Scot Pollard makes about a 13 second cameo and is back on the bench.

Lebron misses at the half, and a 52-51 Pistons' lead is putting me to sleep.

Damn C-Webb calls the Cavs, and Varejao, out for flopping. "Hopefully they'll stop flopping, and hopefully hard fouls won't be called as flagrants." Nice.