Chauncey Billups?

Really, you have 6'0" Chauncey Billups guard 6'8" LeBron James (without help) on an isolation play with 10 seconds left in double OT? When you have Tayshaun Prince, who's actually the same size as LeBron, on the floor? And you don't converge to make him pass but take a two-footer layup?

I think Detroit contracted the curse of Chris Webber.

(amazing game by LeBron. He scored the last 25 of Cleveland's points himself. That's Jordan-esque. However, I have not forgiven James for refusing to sign teammate Iraq Newble's letter to China regarding their indirect support for the Sudanese government and the genocide in Darfur. Maybe he doesn't want to mess up his Nike contract by criticizing the country where a lot of their shoes are made. Great basketball player, bad human being.)

Obligatory Monthly Basketball Post

After the great Golden State upset in Round 1, the NBA playoffs have started to wane. Expect as many 79-76 scores as there are games in the East, and expect Utah and Cleveland to go bye-bye, leaving us with Detroit and San Antone, again. I just can't get excited about that.

And I think they're going to have to expand the Western Conference playoffs to 12 teams now, seeing that Portland and Seattle just got Oden and Durant. My 76ers made the bold and inspiring move to win more than any non-lottery team in the second half of the season, leaving them with exactly what they deserved - a useless 12th pick. I'm so happy they pushed to 35 wins, that'll look really good on Mo Cheeks' coaching resume.

I am glad that the three teams that tanked the most (Memphis, Boston and Milwaukee) got shut out of the big prize. But man, the West is stacked for the forseeable future.

UPDATE: Just to throw a little politics into this, Cavs benchwarmer Ira Newble should be commended for pushing his fellow NBAers to petition China to help stop the genocide in Darfur. There are actually quite a few socially conscious NBA athletes; Adonal Foyle and Eton Thomas spring to mind.