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Beside the Point: The Blog by Patrick McManamon

From the monthly archives:

May 2008

Check out The Bean! … and we hit the mailbag

May 30, 2008

For those of little faith, those who doubted the impact of The Bean (I wrote about it in the Blog a few days ago), here are a couple photos. Is this not worth a six-hour drive to Chicago?

Time for a sampling from the mailbox and online comments:
Richard Platt of Fairborn relates a rather obvious fact [...]

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It's not even June and the Indians are stumbling badly …

May 29, 2008

The first time I saw the Indians this season they were getting beat badly by Detroit and making stupid plays, like Victor Martinez tagging the plate as a runner came home when there was no forceout because there were runners at second and third. Wednesday I watched them and again they did not do things [...]

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You must see The Bean in Chicago!

May 28, 2008

Back from Chicago where the kids had a blast. Sears Tower and the Loop and all that stuff. A visit to Chicago makes a person wonder what exactly the geniuses in this area were thinking when they allowed industry and salt mines and an airport only the very rich use to be built on Cleveland’s [...]

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Timeout

May 23, 2008

Taking a few days off from the blog starting today. I know, this is not within the strict parameters of a blog, which should be done daily. Sort of like 7-11, which is open 24-7. Browns wide receiver Kevin Johnson once said the same thing of himself, open 24-7. Not sure I agree with that, [...]

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Z's thoughts are intriguing, and Mike Brown is fine as the coach … just fine

May 23, 2008

Zydrunas Ilgauskas had some interesting things to say in his year-end get-together with the media, and I wrote about those in Friday’s paper. Of possible changes, Z offered that “we have a good team here” and “sometimes you got to be careful because the grass is not always greener on the other side.” His conclusion: [...]

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The Browns lose Daven Holly in 'non-contact' work …

May 22, 2008

Before we get back to basketball and the Cavs (coming soon) … a thought on the Browns, who now have lost Ryan Tucker (broken bone in hip) and Daven Holly (serious knee injury) in offseason workouts. These injuries point out the ridiculous nature of the constant nature of the NFL. Teams never stop. There is [...]

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Cavs owner not worried about LeBron leaving …

May 21, 2008

There’s bravado, and there’s confidence. Dan Gilbert has confidence that some might call bravado. Now this is not obnoxioius bravado – the kind where a guy wants to fight all the time, like Butch in the Little Rascals. It's just normal bravado. During a recent conference call with the local media, Gilbert was pretty matter [...]

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Some thoughts on Game 7 …

May 19, 2008

OK … there were computer problems. But I got a kick out of this comment on the previous post stating there were computer problems. “Computer problems??? That's the same silly excuse Windy uses whenever he's running late to meet his espn.com deadline.” Why is that funny? Because it was Brian Windhorst, my esteemed colleague, who [...]

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Game 7 approaches …

May 18, 2008

I watched some of the talking-head shows on Boston TV Saturday night. You know the kind, when two guys who have no right at all to talk like experts about sports sit around and talk like experts about sports. Anyway, there was a lot of … “when the Celtics get to Detroit …” or “ [...]

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Celts don't take the series, now the Cavs can

May 17, 2008

To win a playoff series on the road, a team has to go take the game. Sort of like the old boxing analogy. The contender has to take it from the champion. The Boston Celtics didn’t do that. They had a second-quarter lead and they could have put their foot on the Cavs’ throats. They [...]

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Actual photos from Game 5 …

May 16, 2008

People always ask where my seat is at these games. There's no doubt it's great to be there. It's exciting, intense and sometimes amazing. The new Boston Garden is surprisingly loud. They don't do as much during timeouts as the Cavs do — there are times they JUST PLAY MUSIC, which is shocking in this [...]

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Cavs must find way to replace Gibson's offense

May 16, 2008

Let’s not minimize the loss of Daniel Gibson. Boobie was the fifth best three-point shooter in the league this season (among guys who took at least 100 threes). He made 44 percent, a very high percentage. Now he sits with a separated shoulder. And it’s not good. LeBron James trusts Gibson – to the point [...]

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Game 5 goes to Boston, and the cheerleaders check in …

May 15, 2008

LeBron James ended his news conference with this statement: “A LeBron James team is never desperate.” It came when someone asked him after the game if the Cavs would be desperate in Game 6 having lost Game 5. It’s one of those silly questions the media asks that a guy can’t win by answering. “Yeah,” [...]

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The great mystery: How the two losses affect the Celtics

May 14, 2008

Before we get to LeBron’s dunk …
The more you think, the more it seems that all the pressure rests on the shoulders of the Boston Celtics right now. They are playing at home. They were supposed to win this series. They led 2-0. They are shooting terribly. They scored 12 points and disappeared in the [...]

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The win, the dunk (WOW), the series …

May 13, 2008

Who’s the pressure on now? Is it on the Cavs, who must win on the road in Game 5 in Boston to maintain their momentum and keep from having to win a Game 7 in Boston? Or is on the Celtics, who seemed to tighten up in the fourth quarter in Game 4 in Cleveland [...]

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Well this sure didn't take long … New York says LeBron's going to join D'Antoni

May 12, 2008

It's surprising only in that it came fast: Already a story has been written speculating that the hiring of Mike D'Antoni as coach means the New York Knicks will make a strong run to sign LeBron James in 2010. Geez, the guy's only been hired for two days.
The story details the lust the Knicks have [...]

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The key to game 4 isn't real complex …

May 11, 2008

What do the Cavs do to win Game 4? Just what they did in Game 3. Sounds simple, really, but that’s really it. Move the ball to find the man open for a shot, them make the shot. As Zydrunas Ilgauskas said: “The best way to attack this team is to move the ball and [...]

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Finally, an offense that resembled an NBA offense …

May 10, 2008

That’s the way a team is supposed to play, the way a team is supposed to run an offense. The Cavs claimed they did nothing different, but there had to be some new wrinkles in the Cavs' Game 3 win. The key thing they did different – especially early – was make shots and protect [...]

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So much focus on LeBron …

May 10, 2008

Yes, LeBron James leads the Cavs. Yes, he is a superstar, a standout, an All-Star, a guy who feeds hungry pigeons, protects nearly-endangered polar bears and does the ironing for several assisted living centers in the Akron and Cleveland area. James pretty much does it all for the Cavaliers.
Which may be part of the problem [...]

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Celtics win a blowout and Cavs are up against it

May 9, 2008

As the final seconds of Game 2 ticked down in Boston, LeBron James stood up on the Cavs bench. He turned and told the coaching staff to get up, then went down the bench, one by one, slapping hands with all his teammates. When the game ended, James did not turn and leave the court [...]

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The Cavs offense needs work, yes …

May 7, 2008

I got a few e-mails and comments from folks saying (again) that Mike Brown was at fault for the Game 1 loss, that his lack of offensive coaching and his offensive (no pun intended) system were the reason LeBron James struggled.
Brown was asked what he saw from his team's offense when he watched the tape [...]

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Cavs lose … and who was that wearing No. 23 on Cleveland?

May 7, 2008

Weird opening game. That’s the kind of probing analysis you pay for and expect, eh?
Who knows? Maybe LeBron James was reading the Boston Globe all day and pondering how great he is. Nah. His shots just did not go in. That happens sometimes. It doesn’t happen often like this with LeBron (2-for-18, 10 turnovers), but [...]

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LeBoston loves LeBron

May 6, 2008

Boston is one of the great sports cities in America. Passionate, involved, a bit obnoxious — but amazingly knowledgeable. Fans in Boston are some of the wisest in the country — even with their home-town biases. Too, some of the best sportswriters in our purple mountain's majesty work in Boston. Larry Bird once said [...]

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Celtics show respect … and some D.C. travel tips

May 5, 2008

The Boston Celtics are treating the Cavs with a little more respect than Washington did. The Celtics said many things that show they are taking the Cavs seriously. If they mean what they say, that is. There are some interesting feelings in this series. LeBron James and Paul Pierce do not seem to be best [...]

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Some bitter folks in D.C.

May 3, 2008

There are some bitter folks in our nation's capital. And it has nothing to do with John McCain's energy plan. Fans of the Wizards — and the folks that cover them — seemed especially bitter about the suspension of Darious Songaila, aka Shaquille Erving Magic Jordan, for Game 6. The suspension was a surprise, given [...]

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