New guy added to the “staff” who goes by Brett. “Staff” being used very loosely. He was in attendance for last night’s beatdown the Cavs gave the Warriors and here are his thoughts…

Last night, I was fortunate enough to be in the Q for Cavs v. Warriors. The Warriors have the NBA’s best record and it is a matchup that many have said we could potentially see again during the NBA Finals. However, The Cavaliers ended up winning 110-99 in a game that wasn’t very close from start to finish. LeBron James officially announced his candidacy for the MVP trophy by dropping 42 points, 11 boards, 5 assists and 3 steals. Lebron loves these types of games and you could see it last night.  Although the Warriors had their moments, our beloved Cavs made the Western Conference-leading Warriors look beatable. I could go on with my thoughts and incredibly-biased analysis, but that’s what not I’m here for. And that isn’t what I was there for last night.

Yesterday I wanted to take in the culture of the arena. I wanted to feel the energy of the crowd and see how they showed up for the nationally televised TNT broadcast. I wanted to gauge the crowd’s interest throughout the contest, to feel the excitement of people sitting near me. My quick takeaways that might only tangentially relate to basketball:

Cleveland is ready for it’s return to the playoffs: From start to finish last night, the arena was rocking. DJ Steph Floss had Drake’s new album in heavy rotation, the seats were full before tipoff, and the American angel himself, Brian McKnight, sang the National Anthem. As his glorious vocals gave way to the player introductions and that giant stream of fire ejected from the monstrous jumbotron, I was pretty much at full chub in the pants. The past few seasons have been nothing like last night, and I can only imagine what a playoff game back in the Q might be like. We all have something to look forward to.

Deep Thoughts with Matthew Dellevedova: This little pre-recorded gem came on the jumbotron during a TV timeout in the 3rd quarter and it was incredible. On the screen, Dellevedova appeared and was rubbing his chin, trying hard to look like he was deep in thought. He looked up and into the crowd’s souls and asked “How do vampires check themselves out if they can’t see themselves in the mirror?”. He tried hard not to crack a smile as the video faded to black. What a true Australian hero.

The Cavalier Girls: I sat in the upper deck, high and away from the floor. I enjoy in-game entertainment. I enjoy the Cavalier Girls dancing. Thank you, Dan Gilbert, for installing the giant HD jumbotron that allowed me to watch the Cavalier Girls up close from the upper deck. (Insert sly smile emoji here)

MVP Chants: The MVP chants were out in full force tonight and LeBron James got his fair share of them towards the end of the game as he continued to barrel towards the rim like a man on a mission. However, the first MVP chants of the night went to . . . Timofey Mozgov! He nailed two free throws as the crowd chanted for him to be crowned MVP. What a giant, lumbering human being. I’m glad he’s on our side.

Celebrity Star Power: Michael Bolton was courtside tonight and received a “Happy Birthday” memo on the jumbotron to almost zero applause. The 12 year old behind me literally asked his friend “Who the fuck is that?”. I couldn’t have been more giddy about that unintentional comedy. I realize we’ll never produce celebrities courtside like the Lakers, but we’ve got to be able to do better than Michael Bolton, right?

LeBron being LeBron: LeBron James is still very, very good at basketball. James Harden, Steph Curry and Russell Westbrook might be getting all the buzz right now in terms of the MVP trophy, but LeBron wants to hear none of it. He’s still the best in the game and you know he wanted to show it tonight. He attacked the rim with reckless abandon and for a stretch in the third quarter, it felt like he would never miss a jumper. We even got to see a patented LeBron heat-check three from waaaaay too deep. It was never even close, and I loved it. LeBron is still the best basketball player in the NBA, even if MVP voters are too “fatigued” to vote for him again.

 

I couldn’t be more excited about the remainder of the season. I’m gearing up towards a few playoff series in Cleveland. So should you.