The Director's Seat - Andy's Blog

I figured this could last at least two weeks. The next few Mondays I'll be traveling, so this is the last you'll hear from me for a while. Maybe somebody else will pick up the slack and throw something on the blog while I'm gone.

Entertainment

Arctic Monkeys - Library Pictures

The new Arctic Monkeys album is really good - certainly better than their last album, and in my estimation, better than their sophomore effort as well. This is one of the shorter, faster paced tracks on the LP, but the whole thing is worth a listen. It's streaming online here.

I've listened to a lot of other new music recently, including efforts from Bon Iver, The Vaccines, Givers, and Battles, but nothing has really captivated me, besides perhaps the new Bon Iver. It's not so easy finding new music you love every week.

The big buzz this past weekend was about the release of the Hangover II. I wasn't particularly blown away by the first edition, but it was funny enough, and so I watched the second installment with moderately high expectations. II is, and you'll hear this 100 times, the exact same movie in a different setting, and how you interact with this fact will color your viewing experience. Accept that it's the same movie again, remember that you enjoyed it the first time, and you'll have a pleasant enough time with the second. There are some classic Alan lines, and I laughed out loud more frequently than I did during the first movie, so there's that. All in all, worth a look.

The summer means your favorite shows are going on hiatus, but one you should be watching that will kick off a new season on June 23 is Louie, on FX. I don't know how it took me so long to get around to watching Louis C.K.'s show, but I watched the first season in a couple days, and it's really good. C.K. is hilarious, and a good third of each episode is just him doing standup, which is what he's known for and best at. The rest of the show plays on a down and out Dad theme, and as a sucker for self-deprecating humor, I'm a fan. You've got three weeks to watch the first season before the premiere of the second.

(Inter)national Sports

I hope everyone watched the UEFA Champions League final between Barcelona and Manchester United on Saturday afternoon (evening for me). Because it was dazzling. Barcelona dominated much of the first half but saw the score level at 1 after a glorious strike from Wayne Rooney. Barca came out and completely dominated the second half, and we were treated to some Lionel Messi magic. This will be at least the third place I say it, but it has been a privilege to watch Lionel Messi play football, and I will not soon forget this Barcelona team. After they shredded Arsenal in a much-mocked match in an earlier leg of the Champions League, I have to say I was rather pleased to see United suffer a similar, albeit less embarrassing fate. This Barcelona side will go down as one of the all-time great teams Europe has ever seen, and it's pretty special that we get to watch them. Highlights here, but sure to disappear soon.

The big story yesterday was the FINAL TURN collapse of rookie J.R. Hildebrand at the Indianapolis 500. I didn't see it live, so I know I've missed out on that special quality of watching it as it happened, but it's one of the most incredible things you'll ever see in sports.

There's just something special about live sports, and the sense that ANYTHING can happen and you could be witnessing history. I remember watching a bowling event earlier this year, and one guy had the championship all but sewn up, but inexplicably CRATERED on the last throw and lost. It was bowling, but my jaw was on the floor. Through the magic of the internet, here it is. Relevant portion around 9:20.

The NBA finals start tomorrow night, pitting Dirk and the Mavericks against the Miami Heat and its trio of stars. Better people than myself will preview this somewhere else, I'm sure. I just cannot get into the NBA playoffs. Dirk is a compelling story with his playoff feats, but I don't understand how anyone could be genuinely interested in the Heat. I don't like any of their larger than life superstars, and could not care less about whether or not they win rings. The nature of basketball - that one player can completely dominate a game - turns me off to it, especially in the star-driven league that is the NBA. Spare me the egos and theatrics, please.

Wednesday, however, brings us the Stanley Cup finals, pitting the Vancouver Canucks against the Boston Bruins. I'll be shocked if Lord Stanley's Cup doesn't belong to Vancouver at the end of this series - the Sedins are too good, and the Canucks roll too much depth for the Bruins to handle. Tim Thomas will have to be huge for the Bruins to have any chance, and I suspect Roberto Luongo will be equal to the task in net for Vancouver. This should be a fun one to watch on NBC, as long as Pierre's time is as limited as possible.

Michigan Sports

The biggest news of the past week was perhaps the worst kept secret in the Michigan sports world - that Michigan men's lacrosse would be making the jump to D-1 next season, with women's lacrosse to follow in 2012-13. Details here in the MGoBlue roundup. It's extremely exciting to be the first team in 30 years to make the jump to D-1 lacrosse, and Michigan's dominant varsity club side finally moves up to the top level. The next couple seasons expect Michigan to play in a hodgepodge of venues, but you can be sure that Dave Brandon is crafting a plan for a dedicated lacrosse facility to compete with the best in the nation. For an introduction to the team, watch this series of video blogs.

WCBN hopes to broadcast Michigan men's lacrosse next season when the facilities afford us a steady internet connection and power source.

That's going to do it for now. Thanks for reading, hope to see you again soon!

Game 5's: Will A Road Team Please Stand Up? (Continued)

LIVE BLOG: Jazz @ Lakers Game 5- 2nd Half

12:13am: O, Kyle. Interesting pic, to say the least.

12:15am: Quick start to 2nd half for Utah. 4 straight points.

12:16am: Harlan: "Going back to the 2nd quarter, Utah is on a 19-12 run." Not sure that counts.

12:17am: Kirilenko with a nice reverse layup... Utah within 1.

12:18am: I was watching Jack Hanna on Letterman at the half. Good stuff.

12:19am: Nice move by Odom. Remember back to that Heat-Pistons playoff series from a few years ago. Wade was a rookie and Odom was a star. He looks so much more comfortable as the 3rd option for the Lakers.

12:20am: Speaking of Odom, he was hit on the chin and heads to the bench.

12:21am: Don't you like how once a quarter the announcers provide the TV viewer with the national TV schedule?

12:22am: Deron Williams makes 2 free throws to bring the Jazz back within 1.

12:24am: Harlan on a game-tying three by Williams, "Bulls-eye."

12:25am: Kobe posts up and takes Deron Williams to the basket... LA by 2.

12:26am: Great pass, Kobe to Odom, Lakers back up by 4.

12:26am: Ronnie Brewer has been awesome. He elevates high above the rim for the offensive rebound and put back.

12:27am: Timeout inside of 5 minutes in the 3rd quarter. Very good game so far, Lakers 73-Jazz 71.

12:29am: I mentioned about how much I liked the WNBA commercials. Well, I like the NBA playoff commercials with the split faces talking at the same time nearly as much. Having said that, I'm not sure that Derek Fisher should represent the Lakers in it.

12:31am: Kobe has to start to take over more offensively. We'll see if his back holds up. Harlan discussing how he seems to be laboring a bit.

12:33am: Tied at 73 at the 3:21 mark of the 3rd quarter.

12:35am: Turnovers on both ends. Going to commercial on a Dodge Journey ad, Harlan talking about Collins, says: "he drives as fast as a bullet... he drives with one hand... he gets a pizza... he loves Beverly Hills... and he loves a Dodge Journey.

12:39am: An easy dunk for Brewer, who now has 16 pts. LA is now in a 4 minute scoring drought, as the Jazz get within 1.

12:41am: And-1 drive for Kobe, who now has 22 pts and a free throw coming.

12:44am: Kobe draws a charge from Millsap. 2 point Lakers lead in the final minute of the quarter.

12:45am: Price with a layup at the 8 second mark to tie the game. Farmer misses a 3 at the buzzer. After 3, Utah 81-LA Lakers 81. We are instore for quite a 4th quarter.

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12:47am: Before the drama of the 4th quarter begins, I digress with a picture of the now former couple of Romo and Jessica. Too bad, I thought it could have worked out for them. O well.
12:50am: Big 3 by Radmonovic to start the 4th quarter.
12:51am: Korver hits a rare 2, Utah within 1.
12:52am: The Lakers are bailed out by a Matt Harpring foul against Luke Walton attempting a fade away jumper as the shot clock wound down.
12:54am: Remarkably, the Jazz have never led.
12:55am: Nice pick-and-roll by LA and an excellent finish by Gasol. Deron Williams responds on the other end.
12:56am: Farmar will go to the line to complete the 3 point play...LA leads by 3.
12:57am: Shane Battier just announced that he will no longer be a candidate for the US Olympic team this summer. How was he a candidate to begin with?
12:59am: Kobe has been on the bench for the entire 4th quarter thus far. Lakers up by 2.
1:00am: We're now passed the 5 hour mark of live blogging. My fingers are beginning to tire some. Only 8 minutes left... in regulation.
1:01am: Nice slam by Odom off a feed by Kobe, who just checked back into the game.
1:02am: Terrible foul call by Tommy Washington on Kirilenko against a falling Sasha. Jazz are now into the penalty at the 6:53 mark of the 4th.
1:04am: Gasol reminds me of Chris Webber as a passer. Great feed to Lamar who slams it home and is fouled. Odom makes the foul shot and the Lakers lead by 6.
1:05am: The Jazz committ their postseason high 19th turnover. Timeout on the floor with 6:01 to play in the 4th... 97-91 LA.
1:08am: Upcoming NBA Playoffs schedule- Hornets @ Spurs Game 6 is tomorrow night at 9pm on ESPN. Game 6's of Boston-Cleveland and LA-Utah are Friday night at 8:00 and 10:30, respectively, on ESPN.
1:09am: Jazz now down by 4 after 2 free throws by Okur.
1:11am: Both teams now into the penalty. Boozer to shoot two at the line. He misses the first, makes the second... 3 point game.
1:12am: A lot of fouls in the 4th quarter... Harlan and Collins discussing the importance of free throws down the stretch.
1:13am: Neither team has scored in the last minute. Fisher and Sasha missed 3's for the Lakers and Kirilenko missed a 3 for the Jazz. Timeout on the Floor... 5 point LA lead.
1:17am: Collins on what the Jazz should do: "put the ball in the hands of Deron Williams."
1:18am: Boozer scores off a pass from Williams, 3 point game with 2:43 left.
1:19am: Silly foul by the Jazz on Fisher far away from the basket. Fisher makes both FT's.
1:19am: Sasha picks up a terrible technical foul for yapping with Korver. Collins describes Sasha as "when you're the self-proclaimed machine, you better to come through here."
1:20am: Huge 3 by Deron Williams, just a 1 point game.
1:20am: Dunk by Odom, who now has 22 and 10. LA by 3 with 90 seconds left.
1:21am: Okur with an offensive rebound off of a Deron Williams missed 2, back to a 1 point game.
1:21am: Pau scores down low on the other end... back and forth we go.
1:22am: Quick shot by the Jazz and a missed 3 by Okur.
1:22am: Missed 3 by Sasha, but an offensive rebound and slam by PAU!!! Lakers up by 5, with just 20 seconds left.
1:24am: Matt: "no comments from ssreporters? guess 4 hours of straight hours of following our blog was his limit." I guess so, though he easily broke the comments record for our site tonight.
1:25am: Jazz miss a shot and Fisher is fouled. Derek makes 1 of 2 and the Lakers lead by 6 with 15.5 seconds left.
1:26am: It is certainly looking like no road team will have stood up by night's end. Road teams will fall to 1-19 in the 2nd round. Unbelievable.
1:27am: Boozer hits a baseline jumper to bring the Jazz within 4.
1:28am: Just 3 seconds left, the Lakers lead by 6 and Kobe is fouled.
1:29am: Final score: LA 111-Utah 104. The Lakers now lead the series 3 games to 2. Game 6 will be at 10:30pm on ESPN Friday night.
1:30am: Ok, time to go to sleep. I enjoyed the marathon blogging tonight. I probably will blog the much briefer NBA Draft Lottery next Tuesday night at 8:00. Programming note: You can listen to our coverage of Michigan baseball over the next four days against Northwestern. Rushi Vyas, Andrew Seid, and Rob Salaman will have the call of game one of the series tomorrow night starting at 6:30pm. Talk to you then. Good night!

Game 5's: Will A Road Team Please Stand Up? (CONTINUED)

LIVE BLOG: Jazz @ Lakers Game 5- 1st Half

10:50pm: 8-4 Lakers lead just over 3 minutes into the game.
10:52pm: A nice picture of Phil Jackson and Jeannie Buss.
10:53pm: Brewer with 3 dunks already, 11-8 LA.
10:54pm: Harlan and Collins on the call for TNT. Hopefully, Harlan has another great call like he had for Lebron's dunk in Game 4.
10:55pm: Vladamir hits a shot for the Lakers... 15-8 LA as we head to commercials. Collins lets us know that the Jazz already have 5 turnovers.
10:57pm: Again, I have to reiterate just how great those WNBA commercials are. What a great idea to call out the problems in your own league.
11:00pm: Interesting, I read today that the Jazz were worried about their attendance at Game 4 on Sunday. With the practices of the Mormon faith and their large presence in Salt Lake, Utah thought the might not fill half the arena. Luckily, they were wrong.
11:02pm: Ronnie Brewer with a game high 10 points. Yet, the Lakers lead 19-12.
11:03pm: Kirilenko hits a jumper. Utah within 3.
11:04pm: Quick response by LA with a Radmanovic 3.
11:05pm: Another Vladamir three pointer. Lakers up by 9.
11:06pm: Timeout taken by LA. Great start for the Lakers, as they lead by 7 with 2:52 to play in the 1st quarter.
11:08pm: If you're into the hockey, Dallas avoided the sweep tonight. They beat Detroit 3-1. I'm hoping Game 5 on NBC Saturday goes into overtime, so all the hockey purists can complain about the game shifting to Versus to give way to the Preakness. To me, it's a simple decision for NBC: air a hockey game that barely records a 1.0 rating or the pre-race festivities of the Triple Crown Race that will do more than a 7.0 rating.
11:10pm: I still maintain that when Kyle Korver is on the floor it's a negative for your team. Good job by Eddie Stefanski trading him away from the Sixers.
11:12pm: Korver hits a big 3 to silence me... Jazz down 27-23.
11:13pm: Boozer has only taken 2 shots so far. Wake up, Carlos.
11:14pm: Sloppy 1st quarter, 12 combined turnovers.
11:15pm: Boozer fouled on the way up right at the end of the 1st quarter.
11:17pm: After 1, 29-26 LA. Nice comeback by the Jazz. I got a feeling that this game will go down to the last few minutes of the 4th quarter.
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11:19pm: Picture of the Mormon fans at the Delta... no the Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake. Creative
11:21pm: Hey, ssreporters is sticking with us, stating "gosh this PA announcer for the Lakers is soooooooo boring." I haven't noticed, to be perfectly honest.
11:22pm: Aldridge and Jerry Sloan. Can I get that minute of my life back?
11:23pm: Too many turnovers for Utah... they already have 9 tonight.
11:24pm: Collins going crazy, "uh oh" over one made Farmar three pointer.
11:25pm: Man, how good would the Lakers be if Bynum were healthy?
11:26pm: Deron Williams hits a jumper. Utah is hanging around, only down by 3.
11:27pm: Millsap just picked up his third foul. 36-33 Lakers, inside 9 minutes 2nd quarter.
11:29pm: How much do you think Jacksonville State is paying Ryan Perrilloux to play quarterback? More than USC paid OJ Mayo?
11:30pm: It turns out the last foul was on Korver, not Millsap... Paul still with 2 fouls.
11:33pm: Collins make a good point on where the Jazz are starting their offense from, extremely far away from the basket.
11:34pm: Sasha hits a triple and the Lakers lead by 10. Make it 8 after a Boozer layup.
11:36pm: 45-35 LA, Collins: "The Lakers are getting into the lane at will." I agree... this is looking like a blowout, come the second half.
11:40pm: Harlan and Collins discussing the 'throttle' nickname they have given to Deron Williams.
11:41pm: That Kobe and Pau pick-and-roll is so tough to stop.
11:42pm: My friend that was studying in Barcelona last semester said that on the local newscast, Lakers highlights are usually shown in the first ten minutes. 95% of the highlights are Pau-related.
11:44pm: Okur hits a difficult 3. Wouldn't the Pistons like to have him back?
11:45pm: Miles with an awesome dunk for the Jazz. Nice call by Harlan, saying that Miles "drops the sledgehammer."
11:48pm: I just found the American Idol results. Syesha Mercado voted off and next week it'll be a David Cook-David Archuleta finale.
11:49pm: Utah creeping closer, down by 5 with the ball.
11:50pm: What a feed from Bryant to Gasol running the floor. 55-50 Lakers lead with a minute left in the half.
11:52pm: Kobe with 13 pts now after a steal and layup on the other end.
11:53pm: Harlan says The Closer is the #1 cable series of all time and that "it is not very funny."
11:54pm: Entertaining 1st half. LA 61- Utah 54. Pau and Kobe combined for 28 pts. Back with the second half in a new blog at 12:10am.

Game 5's: Will A Road Team Please Stand Up? (Continued)

LIVE BLOG: Cavs @ Celtics Game 5- 2nd Half

Ok, a fresh blog for the second half. Over/under 40 for Lebron. I'm taking the over.

9:26pm: Didn't learn much from halftime. Avery didn't add much insight into where he'll be coaching next year. The Bulls seem likea pretty good fit to me.

9:27pm: Wow, Big Brown is a 1-2 favorite at the Preakness. He's not even worth betting on. Alright, back to basketball.

9:28pm: A nice picture of Doc Rivers. I wonder what he said at the half. Bill Simmons has an idea...http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/080514 Hopefully, Simmons leaves ESPN.com soon. It'd be nice to see him rip on his fellow employess.

9:29pm: O, TNT had a camera inside the Celtics locker room. Doc told his team to "make the extra pass every time down."

9:30pm: Quick start for Boston with a Ray Allen bucket. Just a 1 point game.

9:31pm: Another basket by the C's and then a turnover by Cleveland. Boston leads.

9:32pm: Rondo looks terrific to start the second half. Cassell should really never come off the bench.

9:33pm: Man, Fratello is older than I thought. Doc Rivers played 7 years for him.

9:34pm: Great defensive play by Rondo to strip Delonte West. TNT is stuggling with their scoreboard. It just changed from 50-48 Boston to 49-49. I guess we're tied.

9:35pm: Fratello discussing the hand signals of Mike Brown. Stockton took a shot at Spygate.

9:36pm: Tied at 53. Garnett and Z exchange baskets.

9:37pm: Ben Wallace is playing like it is 2004.

9:39pm: The last few minutes have been played at a very high level. 60-57 Boston.

9:40pm: Largest lead of the game for the C's at 5. Mike Brown takes a TO as Dick Stockton says, "we're cruising through the streets of Boston."

9:42pm: ssreporters: "It may already be over. Why they are letting LeBron not handle the ball is beyond me, and Boston won't miss because Cleveland's big men are probably the most unathletic of all time." I'm not sure that it's over yet, but Lebron has to get the ball more.

9:43pm: Wow, how great are those WNBA commercials. I may actually watch.

9:44pm: Why is Joe Smith drving to the basket? Cavs are in real trouble.

9:45pm: Hey, Ryan Howard homered... Phils down by 3.

9:47pm: Stockton on Perkin's defense of Lebron, "he squeezed him."

9:50pm: ssreporters: "I'm convinced Boston will win by 20 now...Plus the NBA is fixing this so that the favorites make their way in like Detroit, Boston, LA...maybe San Antonio." I don't believe in NBA conspiracies... why did Oden and Durant go to Portland and Seattle, respectively? However, assigning Joey Crawford to that Spurs game last night certainly leads you to believe the NBA would like to oust the Spurs from the playoffs.

9:51pm: Joe Smith to the line to shoot 2 as Perkins picks up his 4th foul. Boston leads by 8.

9:53pm: Fratello saying the Celtics listened to their head coach. Now, that's a first.

9:54pm: Boston up double digits. Lebron still has not scored this quarter. I guess I lost that over/under bet.

9:56pm: Lebron finally hits his first field goal of the second half. 71-61 Celtics with less than a minute left in the 3rd.

9:58pm: Boston up by 9 after outscoring the Cavs 29-17 the 3rd quarter, alone.

***********************************************************************************

9:59pm: ssreporters: "You believe me now Rob S.? Cleveland Centers = Series Loss." Yeah, starting too. That was an ugly quarter for them. Lebron needs a huge 4th or this series is over. I don't see Cleveland winning a Game 7 in Boston.

10:03pm: Nice glasses I found on Big Ben.

10:05pm: Gibson to the locker room with an apparent injury. Too many missed free throws for the Cavs.

10:07pm: Game being called very closely to start the 4th quarter. TNT doesn't want the Lakers game to start until 10:50.

10:08pm: Joe Smith with a nice basket, as the Cavs get back within 8.

10:09pm: Garnett now 10 for 15. Lebron scores on the on the other end. He now has 27 pts.

10:10pm: Big Baby Davis with an awkard foul on Wally. 80-70 Boston leads as we get a TO nearly halfway through the 4th quarter.

10:11pm: By the way, Phils lost 8-6 to the Braves. Rubber game of the series is tomorrow.

10:14pm: TNT with their Yellowbook Future Faces feature of David West out of the commercial.

10:15pm: I like the Spurs to come back and win in 7.

10:16pm: Booby Gibson with a shoulder contusion injury. Not good news for the Cavs down the stretch.

10:17pm: Rondo with a runner in the lane, C's up by 12. Amazing how different of a team they are at home.

10:19pm: It looks like home teams will go to 18-1 in the 2nd round of the playoffs. That 8.5 point spread is still in play.

10:21pm: Those NBA Cares features are a little much. Maybe I spoke to soon as West drives to the basket for 2.

10:22pm: Offensive foul on LeBron. Boston has really ramped up the D in the second half.

10:24pm: West is the best player on the floor right now... Cavs down by 8 with 4 minutes left. Cleveland has missed 10 free throws.

10:26pm: Stockton: "Rondo is the player of the game, has turned it over only once."

10:29pm: Fratello discussing the size of the trophy given to Danny Ainge for being named Executive of the Year.

10:31pm: Celtics closing in on a 3-2 series lead. I still have a feeling that we will back in Boston for a Game 7 on Sunday afternoon.

10:32pm: Hold on, West with a steal. Now, its just a 6 point game.

10:33pm: Wally misses a big 3 with 90 seconds left.

10:34pm: Pierce makes 1 of 2 from the line. Boston up 7. LeBron to the basket to make it 89-84 C's.

10:36pm: Pierce back to the foul line and makes both.

10:37pm: LeBron fould en route to the basket. He should have been more aggressive earlier this quarter.

10:38pm: Stockton: "This is playoff basketball, so hard fouls are the rule."

10:38pm: West with a steal and hits both free throws to bring the Cavs within 4.

10:39pm: Stockton lets us know that when we return it will be time for the Charles Schwab Time to Talk. I can't wait.

10:40pm: Boston milks the clock and gets the rebound off of a Garnett miss. The Cavs are forced to foul Pierce with 15.6 seconds left.

10:41pm: Pierce makes both free throws. Bos 93-Cle 87. Stockton: "3 pointers have to be the order of the day for the Cavaliers."

10:43pm: ssreporters: "Some of the most careless mistakes ever by Boston. Cleveland should be dead by now." I agree, at least it looks like I'll win against the spread.

10:44pm: West is fouled with 12.2 seconds left. Two foul shots down by 6.

10:45pm: Delonte makes both. Cleveland immediately fouls both. Game status: 93-89 Boston, 11.6 secs left.

10:46pm: Jazz-Lakers started on TBS. They couldn't have waited two more minutes. Pierce makes both... timeout Cavs.

10:47pm: 5 second violation for the Cavs. That should do it.

10:49pm: EJ lets us know it's 3-0 Lakers. The Celtics survive a late scare and win Game Five 96-89. The dominance of home teams continues. The live-blogging continues with a fresh blog for the Jazz-Lakers Game 5.

Game 5's: Will A Road Team Please Stand Up?

I enjoyed live blogging Game 6 of the Pistons-Sixers series last week. So, I'll be back at it tonight with two pivotal Game 5's, Celtics-Cavs at 8pm and Lakers-Jazz at 10:30pm. Just a hunch, but I think Lebron may have a Game 5 performance like last year up his sleeve tonight. Also, Avery Johnson will be a guest in the TNT studio. The 5+ hour live blogging marathon begins at 8:00. Talk to you then.

Predictions: Cleveland (+8) and LA Lakers (-8.5).

LIVE BLOG: Cavs @ Celtics Game 5- 1ST HALF

8:00pm: Ok, top of the hour and ready to go. I'm very much looking forward to these two games. Two big news items prior to tipoff: 1-Kobe is expected to play despite the back injury and 2-Edwards endorsed Obama...finally. Alright, time for basketball.

8:01pm: Excellent intro video tease by Ernie Johnson of TNT.

8:02pm: Dick Stockton and Mike Fratello on hand at the Garden for the call on TNT. I can't help to think back when a much younger Stockton, alongside Hubie Brown, called the Celtics-Lakers NBA Finals games of the 1980s at the old Boston Garden for CBS.

8:03pm: Celtics win the opening tip. Shot clock violation for the C's right out of the gate.

8:04pm: I happen to disagree with Rushi's statement on the Pistons in the above post that they "are the team to beat, not only in the east." I'd take the Lakers and Spurs against them in the Finals.

8:05pm: What a start. The Cavs out-do the Celtics with a missed technical free throw for a defensive 3 and then a shot clock violation.

8:06pm: Lebron makes his 1st shot. I'm telling you...he's due for a huge game.

8:09pm: Wally nails a 3 pointer. Great start for the Cavs, they lead 7-2.

8:10pm: Rondo shoots too much...turnover by the Cavs, now 4 and a half minutes into the game.

8:12pm: Good end-to-end action. Pierce hits a 3 for Boston and then Lebron gets a steal and gets a conventional three point play.

8:13pm: Ray Allen with 2 fouls at the 6:17 mark of the 1st quarter.

8:15pm: 1st TV timeout of the game. Excellent start for Cleveland... leading by 3. Lebron with 7 points early.

8:17pm: I have a free minute to talk about the lack of success of road teams in these playoffs. 1-17 this round. I'm not sure if I've heard a great reason why. At least, no one can argue next year that the NBA regular season doesn't matter.

8:20pm: Fratello: "2 parts to the shot, one is getting there and the other is finishing the shot."

8:21pm: So far, Skip Bayless is right... Kevin Garnett is really Kevin 'Gar-not'.

8:22pm: Lebron is driving it to the basket at ease. James with 11 early as the Cavs lead 16-9.

8:26pm: ssreporters: "Sasha Varejao...er...Pavlovic." Stockton is up there in years. I remember when he called the Eagles-Falcons playoff game a few years ago and called the Philadelphia Eagles, the Philadelphia 76ers.

8:28pm: Terrible pass by Lebron, easily stolen by Rando. Nice run by Boston to get within 3.

8:29pm: Good call on the block against Varejao, Pierce at the line to complete the 3 point play.

8:30pm: Huge 1st quarter for Wally, now with 8 pts.

8:31pm: Cle 23-Bos 18 after 1. Stockton: "It looks like King James has emerged as a scoring threat." You think.

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8:32pm: ssreporters: "Me thinks Cleveland's 50 turnovers in a quarter will bite them in the 4th....again." Wouldn't suprise me. I got a funny feeling though Lebron will pull it out in the 4th.

8:35pm: As usual, I learned nothing from the Cheryl Miller interview with Doc Rivers.

8:36pm: Sam Cassell in the game. Fratello might put Eddie House in the game for Cassell. Wow, maybe Sam really should retire.

8:37pm: Good point by the Czar on Lebron guarding Cassell.

8:38pm: O, what a move by Lebron. Then, he forces a turnover on the other end. 27-20 Cavs...Lebron has 15.

8:39pm: Stockton: "Sam Cassell is 0-12 in the last 3 games."

8:40pm: Joe Smith with a bucket, Cavs up by 9. Remember when Smith was the #1 pick from Maryland. Man, that's a long time ago.

8:41pm: Stockton going into the commercial: "Where did Lebron James go? He left the court." Huh?

8:43pm: ssreporters, you may set the comments record for our site. I agree, it's only a matter of time before Stockton says, "And James goes in for the touchdown!"

8:44pm: Dick and the Czar talking about the Cavs past uniforms and stadium seat colors. Good times.

8:45pm: Boston does realize it can't win on the road. Their now down double digits.

8:47pm: I would start booing. This is getting ugly.

8:49pm: Ray Allen hits a 3... the Garden crowd into the game for the first time tonight. 8 point game as the Cavs call time.

8:53pm: A nice pic of Sam Cassell.

8:54pm: Garnett gets the bounce off the rim, now a 6 point game.

8:55pm: Make it 8 after Lebron drives to the bucket for 2.

8:56pm: Fratello on James: "the best open field runner in Cleveland since Jim Brown."

8:59pm: Rando hits two 3's in a row. Boston within 6.

9:02pm: Quick check of the Phils, down 8-4 to the Braves after 6. What happened to Brett Myers?

9:04pm: Game status-Lebron has 23 pts, 43-39 Cavs with 1:33 left in the half.

9:05pm: Huge 3 from Delonte West. Garnett hits a shot on the other end for Boston.

9:06pm: Doc calls a 20 second TO. I'm sure he'll draw up a great play.

9:08pm: Well, I was wrong on that one. Nice shot by Pierce. C's have to feel pretty happy to only be down 46-43 at the half. Boston ended the half on 14-3 run.

9:09pm: Lebron with 23 pts in the 1st two quarters. Enjoy Avery Johnson at the half. I'll be back with a fresh blog in 15 for the second half.