A few random thoughts from Game 4 of the NBA Finals:
– You have to hand it to the Cavs. They didn’t phone it in tonight. They struggled, but they stuck with it and they played hard. Sometimes, when teams get down 0-3 in the playoffs, they’re more concerned with vacation plans than with trying to win Game 4. The Cavs were really overmatched, but they didn’t quit.
– Tony Parker deserved to be the Finals MVP. He was phenomenal finishing at the rim and is starting to developing some consistent touch from outside. If continues to improve his jumper, he might be the best point guard in the league in a couple of years.
– As one of my coaches used to say, in this series, Gregg Popovich was playing chess while Mike Brown was playing checkers.
– What is with Mark Jackson’s love affair with Eric Snow? Every chance he gets, he’s pimping Snow’s game, even going so far as to say that he wants to hire him as an assistant for his imaginary coaching staff.
– Did anyone else hear the Cavs fan that was screaming like a monkey every time the Spurs got the ball in the fourth quarter? It was obnoxious – which was the point – but there are just some things you shouldn’t do at a sporting event: blow a whistle, sound a horn and scream like a monkey.
– Given how poorly the Finals did in the ratings, I hope the league takes a serious look at shaking up the playoff format. There’s no downside to seeding teams #1-#16 and mixing up the conferences a little bit. Just turn every series into a 2-3-2 format and long distance travel becomes a non-issue. It would be really refreshing to see the league go in that direction. Let’s hope that David Stern and the owners admit that there is a problem and do something to fix it.
