Gee Whiz, They Play Basketball In Canada...

[MajGenl.Meade]

Well,to be fair, those two games were in the USA

[Lord Jim]

it doesn't appear that they play it all that well.

If this keeps up, they might want to consider never playing it again...

Though in fairness, this blow-out was 12 points closer than the first blow-out...

If they can keep cutting the margin of defeat, then by game five or six they might actually win one...

Oh...

ETA:

It pains me to admit this, but while The Warriors set an historic record in the regular season, and have played pretty well throughout the playoffs (even at times without their star player) The LeBron's are at the moment the hottest team in basketball...

They've won 10 straight playoff games; if they win the next two, (which judging from the past two, certainly looks highly doable) they will have set the all-time NBA post-season winning streak record:

Cleveland is now 10-0 this postseason, tied with the 2012 San Antonio Spurs for the second-best start to an NBA postseason ever. The record of 11 wins is shared by the 2001 and 1989 Lakers.

Read more at: http://nesn.com/2016/05/lebron-james-re ... a-records/

[MajGenl.Meade]

I don't believe the Cavs will have it so easy up in da Frozen North. Toronto showed in the first quarter (1st game) and in the first two quarters (second game) that they have sand and skill. A la LJ, they need to extend that into the 3rd and (dare we say it?) beyond. Although they might need infinity to actually win more than one game, if that.

Ne'etheless, this game 3 tomorrow is critical for both teams. I think the Cavs will win it (and they must win at least one of the two) but it depends mostly on whether Toronto can figure out a defense of more tensile strength than a wet Kleenex.

[Long Run]

It pains me to admit this, but while The Warriors set an historic record in the regular season, and have played pretty well throughout the playoffs (even at times without their star player) The LeBron's are at the moment the hottest team in basketball...

They've won 10 straight playoff games; if they win the next two, (which judging from the past two, certainly looks highly doable) they will have set the all-time NBA post-season winning streak record:

The Cavs do look good, and are playing up to their preseason promise. However, the competition in the Eastern Conference is far below the West; the second best team in the East might be the 7th or 8th best in the West, or might even miss the playoffs if the ball bounced the wrong way. The East isn't as bad as it has been the last couple of years, but it is still way behind the West. Not sure why this is the case, but it clearly is the situation.

One of the raps on the Warriors championship last year is that they lucked out and never played a team in the West that was of championship caliber, and then got a Cavs team decimated by injury and the Warriors still needed 6 games to win it. If there is some truth to this, then how much more so is the case to make that the Cavs look like world-beaters only because they are playing teams who are no threat to win the championship.

[Lord Jim]

Well, so much for the all time post season winning streak record...

Apparently the Raptors aren't ready to just obligingly lay down and die quite yet...

[MajGenl.Meade]

Indeed, although expected the Cavs to win, I was right to be apprehensive. Again, Toronto showed they are a first half team - great second quarter - 60 points in 1st and then only 39 in 2nd. Their defense was excellent, mostly. But when you shoot 35.4 percent from the field and are dismal at the foul line, you is gonna loose! (sic).

Refs need to clean up their act. Cavs were given the line a few more times than justified by any Raptor foul. Phantom calls against da North. But basically da Cavs stunk up de joint. Irving -who he? Love scored his name, pretty much. Deli dallied and even JR got shot more often than he managed himself.

Good news? They can't play this badly twice in a row. They can't, I tell you. No. No.

[Lord Jim]

If the Warriors play another game like the one last night, they are the one's who'll be on the golf greens during the championship round...

[MajGenl.Meade]

It was a joy to not-watch (wife has to see "Call the Midwife", "Wallander" and then "Selfridge" on Sunday night). Hmm, those would be three British productions with monetary assist from WGBH - which I always think of as, W Grievous Bodily Harm.

So anyway.... I only got to flick to the game in those odd pauses caused on PBS by the fact that some ITV progs are not one hour but only 45 minutes to allow for commercials. It was joy to watch Golden State down by 39 at one point before the Okie scrubs took over and then Ken Branagh started out-blacking his dog.

But this reminds me that the only thing more depressing than watching Cleveland lose on Saturday was watching Wallander on Sunday. I think that W (Kenneth Branagh) has some fatal illness and this might be the last of the series; thank God. Gloom, boredom, ennui, miserable - all words to which Wallander can only aspire. And I thought the original Swedish was even more downbeat. Die Wallander. Die!

And GSW too!

[Lord Jim]

I was out during the 1st half, and when I turned it on in the third quarter and saw the score (59-80 at the time) I thought at first there had to be a graphics error and the scores for "OKC" and "GSW" had been reversed...

[BoSoxGal]

I thought that the Wallander series with Branagh was just brilliant, I really loved it! To each her own, I suppose . . .

[MajGenl.Meade]

I liked the first series or two of Wallander. But then by series 4 it became an exercise in not slitting my wrists (since I couldn't get at his and he didn't seem to be cheerful enough to kill himself).

It's similar to basketball. I liked the first two games of the current series when the Cavs played like a team but at games 3 and 4 it was a nightmare of ineffectiveness - so much so that I wondered if they are colluding with the Raptors to make sure they all get more home games = money.

[Lord Jim]

I don't know who that gang of inept imposters was who showed up in Warriors uniforms on Sunday, but if they don't tighten security at the locker room entrance and prevent those clowns from taking to the court again this evening, it will be all but over for The Most Winning Team In The History Of The NBA...

That thrashing should have been the wake up call to end all wake up calls...

We'll see if it was...

[Lord Jim]

Looks like I'm going to be needing a new sigline image pretty soon...

[MajGenl.Meade]

Raptors or Thunder, LJ?

[Lord Jim]

Okay Dandy Don, you can stop practicing in the background there for the finale...

The lights are still on, and party's not over yet...

Warriors 120, Thunder 111

[Lord Jim]

Looks like they won't be playing "Oh Canada" at any of the games in the championship series...

[MajGenl.Meade]

The real Cavs showed up. Now, do we want to play the best team in the world or the team that beats them in the Western finals? It's a conundrum.

On to Oklahoma! is my guess

[Scooter]

I have to say that Le Bron James showed some class in complimenting the home crowd in Toronto even though they booed every time he got his hands on the ball.

Pundits will be dissecting that late night trip to the casino before Game 5 for years to come.

And next year will be soon enough to make it to the championship series.

[MajGenl.Meade]

The crowd in Toronto was 100% behind their team. Even when it was obvious that things had gone south, the fans were the most appreciative and encouraging that I've ever seen.

[BoSoxGal]

That's Canadians for you!