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Behind The Scoreboard
By Claude Vinson Cavaliers wise pick It
was a sloppy weekend to say the least. And its effects could be felt in
more than one venue. The most devastating had nothing to do with the
sports arena of various kinds and some of these were felt very close to
home. There is nothing to effectively
counteract severe inclement weather and the only hope is to minimize
its aftermath. So our prayers and empathy go out to the persons who
suffered the brunt of these late spring storms. There
is no indication that the vexing weather conditions had anything to do
with the failure of Tiger Woods to make the cut in his second
tournament after his return from exile. His failed attempt to meet
muster at Quail Hollow was only the sixth time in his career. And
the adverse weather apparently didn’t dampen the spirits of anyone
making the annual pilgrimage to Churchill Downs. The track was sloppy
from start to finish but the 136th staging of the Derby went off
without a hitch or tether. But the majority of
attention in the sports world had been fixed on the NBA playoffs since
April 17. The Eastern Conference, routinely considered the strongest
because of its crop of premier players, had the only sweep of the first
round in these playoffs. The Orlando Magic didn’t seem to give the
Charlotte Bobcats any chance at all. Their closest game was on April 24
at 90-86. Cleveland beat Chicago 4-1 in the
best of seven series. The Boston Celtics (owner of the most NBA titles
at 17), sent the Miami Heat packing 4-1. The Celtics would draw the
Cavaliers in the second round. The Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks
seemed to be almost evenly matched going into the seventh and deciding
game on Sunday. Way out West, as they say, all of
the contests were decided 4-2. The defending champs Lakers were pretty
much supposed to beat Oklahoma. In the battle for Texas, San Antonio
washed out the Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix bested Portland and Utah
advanced past Denver. Each year and early in the
playoffs, there always seems to be an emerging hero. This year the
ordained one appears to be LeBron James. It was disclosed Saturday,
unofficially, of course, that James had won his second straight MVP.
The official announcement could not be made until Sunday. In the
meantime, rumor of sore shoulder and all, James and the Cavs took care
of playoff nemesis Boston Celtics in first game of round two. If
one is making a prediction at this stage, it might be wise to include
Cleveland for the money. Don’t forget that the team has a big man with
championship jewelry from more than one team.
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