Red Right 88

Cleveland sports fan and sports writer

Name:
Location: Cleveland, Ohio, United States

quit my job decided to drive west

Sunday, February 01, 2009

Bench leads Cavs to win

If you want to boil it down in the simplest terms- the NBA regular season is really about three things:
1. Stay healthy
2. Find an effective rotation
3. Win enough to host a game seven if needed

And in that order. Losing or winning one game to Orlando, Boston, Detroit or even Washington doesn't mean much on the grand scale. The NBA is about winning four out of seven games come May and June. Winning or losing one game in January and February has very little effect on the playoffs. Sure you would rather be home for that game seven but when you have LeBron James and if your team is healthy and primed, home court isn't absolute.

So a bad fourth quarter against Orlando and great one against Detroit aren't worth going over board for. But at the same time, you have to love what transpired today in Michigan.

The Cavs did not play well the first three quarters. Z had some rust and Pistons surged to an eight point lead at the end of the third. Now I am sure the casual fan was screaming why is LeBron sitting for the start of the fourth quarter? Coach Brown would say it is about trust. For the first time in his career, LeBron can sit and not worry about the game falling apart. Resting LeBron now will pay dividends in May and June. He will be fresher and his teammates will have his trust. So down eight, the Cavs went with Mo, Z, Andy, Boobie and Wally to start the fourth. They preceded to go on a 15-2 run to change the game. Warms the heart doesn't it.

So while a win isn't life or death, it does make for a happier Sunday. I heard there is some kind of football game later today. Time to liquor up so I don't have to remember any of it.