Light It Up

For the first time ever, the eyes of the basketball world are all on Cleveland. I’m publishing this blog at 5 p.m. ET and there’s a noticeable buzz on the streets outside The Q. It’s 75 degrees with no humidity and there isn’t a cloud in the sky.

From a personal standpoint, this is a day I’ve waited for my entire life. From nights listening the Miracle of Richfield in my room as a kid to Sunday’s Game 2 smackdown in San Antonio, I’ve been with the Wine and Gold. Before I worked for the Cavaliers, I was in the building the night Cleveland won the LeBron lottery in Secaucus. I was in Madison Square Garden a few weeks later when the Cavaliers made it official.

On that night in the World’s Most Famous Arena, LeBron strode to the podium – resplendent in white like the hero of a previously tragic tale – and promised to light Cleveland up like Vegas. Less than four years later, the young King has delivered, lifting the franchise to heights previously unimagined.

“It's definitely going to be a great experience I think for all Cleveland fans, for Northeast Ohio, for the whole state of Ohio,” said James of Tuesday’s historic game. “It's going to be something that hasn't been experienced in a long, long time for our city, for our fans. It's going to be electrifying. If you're not there, I expect you to try to get there.”

Now that the James Gang has arrived to the Championship round, can they close the deal?

The Larry O’Brien Trophy is in the building, but if the Cavaliers hope to get their hands on it, they’ll have to do so back in San Antonio. Like the Pistons series, the Cavaliers come home in an 0-2 hole. Unlike the Pistons series, they were never really in either loss to the Spurs.

If there’s a bright spot from both games at the AT&T Center, it’s that the Cavaliers combined to outscore the Spurs, 57-35, in the fourth quarter of both ballgames.

LeBron was solid in Game 2 and Daniel Gibson hasn’t cooled down since his emergence against Detroit. The Texas rookie has averaged 18.8 ppg over his last five contests – shooting 59 percent from the floor, 55 percent (11-for-20) from beyond the arc and 91 percent (31-of-34) from the stripe.

Gibson has led a productive Cavaliers bench, which had 31 points in Game 1 and 35 in Game 2.

The Cavaliers might have said they were ready for the Finals, but based on their shell-shocked performance in the first three quarters of each game, they weren’t. Now, they’ve gotten a taste of the intensity. And on Tuesday night, they’ll have 20,562 fans to give them the lift they’ve needed out of the gate. In the 2007 postseason, the Cavaliers are 7-1 at The Q.

Home crowd support, however, won’t keep Tony Parker out of the lane. The lightning-quick Parker is already a mismatch for the bigger Larry Hughes, but it’s even more of a Spurs advantage considering Hughes’ left foot.

Mike Brown was reticent to make a move in the starting lineup in February, and if Hughes is cleared by the doctors to start – and feels that he can – he will.

Of course, whichever guard is playing Parker the toughest – Hughes, Gibson or Snow – will stay in the lineup. The French point guard has been Cleveland’s Achilles’ heel and until the Cavaliers solve that problem, it’ll be more of the same in Games 3 and 4.

The city of Cleveland has waited a long time – 37 years – for this night. From a franchise that played its first five games on the road because of the Ice Capades to the NBA Finals, the Cavaliers franchise has come full-circle. But just getting here isn’t enough. Now, it’s time to see if King James and Co. can close the deal.