Right On Track

"Why are you so calm? Have you done that kinda stuff before?"

-Live Free or Die Hard

The lights came on perfectly, the people came on time, the shot-clock was in top condition, the Spurs beat the Cavs, the doors were fixed, the tiles were dry, the players all arrived safe and sound, the referees were complete, and the Spurs beat the Cavs. Perfect; everything came as expected.

It was no surprise really. I'm sure everybody expected the Spurs to win this game by a long shot, and expecting even a close game was too much to ask. By the end of the first half, it was a 5 point game, and I thought to myself that maybe things are taking an unexpected turn; not really. The Spurs stomped on the Cleveland Cavaliers in the third quarter and everybody finally turned their heads away in dismay.

Game 1's are expected defeats for the away team anyway. The real question right now that everyone should be popping about is how the Cavs will react and adjust in Game 2. Will they bounce back? Or will they once again fall way short? A lot of people are probably starting to write off the Cleveland Cavaliers as of now, along with spamming a million Jordan-comparison discussions around the world wide web, and all of them have their valid points; but I am convinced that this series is not over only until the Spurs win 3 games. Other than that situation, the series is still a must-see to monitor how the Cavs can actually get themselves out of this hole.

So Game 1 for Spurs came as expected, huh? Well, here are some other things that came as expected:

Larry Hughes was awful once more. I'm getting tired trying to act a 'face of shock' every time I experience Larry Hughes-basketball. For a guy that is getting paid higher than LeBron James, he sure has a funny way of showing how much he is worth with his play. I have actually decided to show Larry Hughes some credit for trying so hard by showcasing his statistics as means to increase his popularity.

Larry Hughes: 2 points, 2 fouls, 3 rebounds, 1-5 FGs.

Tony Parker and company were great. Tony Parker was great again tonight. He led the Spurs in scoring once more; but the 'Player of the Night' should probably go to Tim Duncan for scoring so much points while rebounding and blocking like a mad-man. Manu Ginobili was great off the bench as well. I'm telling you, Tim Duncan and his Dark Knights are unstoppable.

Tim Duncan: 24 points, 13 rebounds, 5 blocks
Parkobili: 43 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals

All of that jazz paired with the win of the Spurs make for a very expected game. However, there were a few unexpected things that happened in the game, not that they are of any importance though.

LeBron James was bad. Yes, he was. He started 0-7 from the field, and found no other way to shake off the poor shooting. The usual LeBron James would probably score 20+ points along with around 7 rebounds and assists; anything less or anything more would be something to take consideration into.

LeBron James' teammates were good. The game before this one, against Detroit, was a spark of hope. I knew it. Daniel Gibson and company finally produced decent games to help the Cavs be competetive in the game. Gibson led 5 players, including James, in scoring with 16 points. The scoring load was quite balanced, which is a good sign, but it still wasn't enough.

Looks like the San Antonio Spurs did everything according to plan: the same old stuff in the same old place with the same old situation. Maybe that's why they won.