The Morning After Pill

Is there a morning after pill for heartbreak? Anything that will help this sick feeling in my stomach? I watched my team fight, scratch and claw for 48 minutes last night with all odds stacked against them. In the end they came up short and once again I dealt with a sleepless night fighting off the urge to smash in someone's car windows.

It was not because I was left with the feeling that we were simply playing a superior team. Nor was it that I thought the Cavs did not play as hard as they could have. It was a familiar feeling for a Cleveland fan that simply we were screwed over once again. Lebron James was "mugged" as Hubie Brown put it and there is absolutely no excuse for not calling a foul in that situation. He has been beaten, hacked, pushed, held and smacked around in not only this series but the entire playoffs. He has received no calls. He goes to the hoop gets fouled and the officials refuse to call the obvious blatant hacks. Teams are fouling him on purpose because they know he will finish, (recently voted the best finisher in the NBA by the coaches) but yet they deliberately let him be abused. For all you IDIOTS that said he should have taken that last shot in game 1, last night is EXACTLY WHY HE DIDN'T! You think you are smarter than Lebron James? You think your basketball IQ is higher? He knows he isn't getting the foul calls and he went with a wide open shot instead of a contested floater with five guys hacking him. Have you ever shot a basketball with a 230 lb. human being hacking your arms? No you haven't and that is why you should shut the fuck up when you are talking about what he should or shouldn't do. Lebron knows more about playing the game of basketball than all of you dumb fucks combined.

Lebron James was fouled on that play and I don't care what any of you detractors say. I may be a homer, and actually I most certainly am, but I know basketball as well as anyone. I have played basketball for 22 out of 25 years in my life. I have officiated. I have coached and I have watched the Cavaliers since I can remember. I know a foul when I see one. You honestly believe Richard Hamilton can stop Lebron without fouling? He is 6'4 185 lbs. Lebron is 6'8" 250 lbs. and is the most skilled basketball player since Jordan. It is a complete joke.

Now I know some of you will say I am crazy. Here will be your arguments. Larry Hughes should have hit that 7 footer anyway. Yes he should have. The Cavs lost the game in the 3rd quarter by keeping in a lineup that did not match up well against the Pistons personnel. Yes that is true. The Pistons have a far superior head coach who put them in a position to win. Indeed Mike Brown is costing the Cavaliers big time in this series. You can't call a foul in that situation. I know this will be someone's argument and I won't even acknowledge that ridiculous statement. Other than to say that is what it is, ridiculous.

All of those things may be true but the fact remains that LBJ was fouled. A foul is a foul no matter what the circumstances. If you are hacked on the arm there is no grey area there. It is a foul. For reasons I will never truly understand, the NBA officials have decided not to respect Lebron. They have decided to let teams foul him in the post season and not call it. Is it because he is so strong and doesn't flop around when he gets hit? Is it because he can still get the ball to the rim after being mugged? Is it because the NBA is against anyone ever becoming greater than the legend of Michael Jordan? Or is it simply because he is from Cleveland? I don't have answers for any of those questions. All I have is the frustrations of watching another team lose a big game.

All bias aside I want everyone who watches basketball consistently to ask themselves one question. Look at yourself in the mirror and answer the question honestly even if you hate Cleveland. If that had been Dwayne Wade, Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Michael Jordan or any other superstar for that matter, would that foul have been called?

The answer is yes. Please pull out game film from the Miami Heat's playoff run last year and my point will be proved.

For all you Cavalier fans out there looking for a light at the end of the tunnel. Although it appears the Pistons will be allowed to man-handle the Cavaliers, this series is not over. They still have to come into our house and play in front of our fans. This arena will be the loudest venue that have played in all year. Sunday night in this arena the Pistons are going to find out what a playoff croud is supposed to be like. The fans will rejuvinate our bruised and beaten warriors lifting them to a statement victory. The Cavaliers are the better team in my mind. We have outplayed them all series. A few bad breaks, terrible officiating and coaching mistakes have cost us. Luckily a seven game series is just that. Seven games. This isn't over.

If nothing else you have to believe. Otherwise what are we left with other than anger and dispair. Just remember, Michael Jordan and the Bulls lost to the Pistons three times before finally beating them in a playoff series. This is a process and we are right on the brink of becoming what Cleveland has been dreaming about for decades. A champion.