The sequel never, ever lives up to the hype. The Godfather II. Jaws II. Even Caddyshack II couldn’t do it. Last night in Cleveland, the game was at least closer than the last Return of the King. But no one cared about that. They wanted fireworks. And got absolutely none (unless you’re a Cavs fan) … Despite nearly blowing a 23-point second-half lead, the Cavs held on to beat the Heat 102-90 to deny them a chance to move ahead of Boston and into second place in the East. The first time LeBron James came back to Cleveland, everyone was nervous he was going to slip up at a red light and some Cavs’ fan would pull up and get their Sonny Corleone on. This time, the reaction wasn’t nearly as antagonistic. Maybe that was because James didn’t show up for introductions. Yes, when they called his name, he was back in the locker room, waiting it out while his teammates had to soak in the boos. Antonio Davis asked afterwards if LeBron would get fined for that … As for the game, the Cavs jumped Miami immediately. Their bench was huge in the first half. Baron Davis hit a long three at the halftime buzzer. And then in the second half, Anthony Parker (20 points) hit three or four daggers in the fourth quarter … LeBron brought his best “Deebo” face to start and was mean mugging everyone in the building, bullying Cleveland all over the court. While James finished with his fourth triple-double of the year (27 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists), Chris Bosh was into his ballerina routine, going for 10 points and four rebounds. C’mon son. At least Dwyane Wade (24 points) tried to match Cleveland’s intensity, nearly getting into it with Ryan Hollins in the first quarter … At the end of the third quarter, James hit a half-court shot after the buzzer sounded. Somehow, the refs deemed the clock wasn’t properly started and that the shot would’ve counted if it had been. So they counted it. If we are going to start overruling the clock, what’s the point of even keeping time? … Still think the Cavs need THIS GUY? … Or THIS GUY? … That sound you hear is the hush of the Spurs, knowing Oklahoma City is coming in the second round. The Thunder are quietly on a roll and have lost just twice this entire month. But last night, they barely snuck by Golden State, winning by one point in overtime. Russell Westbrook (15 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists) hit a free throw with 11.4 seconds left in OT that proved to be the game-winner after Monta Ellis (9-30 from the field, 20 points, 11 assists) threw up an ugly jumper that was wide right on the Warriors’ final possession. Kevin Durant (39 points) was showing out throughout, but really took it to another level in the extra frame. He scored all eight of the team’s overtime points until Westbrook’s free throw … But the game should’ve been over long before that. The Thunder were up six with just over 10 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Then, Reggie Williams was water on a three, and Ellis stole the inbounds pass, hitting a step-back three from the corner to tie it up … Sacramento might’ve just put the sleeper hold on the Suns‘ season, beating them by three. The Suns looked like they ran out of gas in the second half, especially Steve Nash (6-17 from the field, 13 points, 14 assists). NBA TV’s Rick Kamla said Nash looked like a 50-year-old man running around out there. Ouch … The Kings were led by Marcus Thornton (24 points, 11 rebounds) … Houston mauled the Nets 112-87 behind big nights from Kyle Lowry (16 points, 10 assists) and Kevin Martin (20 points). Lowry was playing on basically one healthy foot. Against Jersey, that’s all you need … Big shout out to UConn‘s Maya Moore (28 points, 10 rebounds, 7 steals) for scoring her 3,000 career point in the Huskies 35-point blowout win against Duke. She is the seventh player in NCAA Division I to ever hit that milestone … We’re out like hot sequels.
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