May 15, 2006

Talkin' Sheed

ESPN.com:

Rasheed Wallace's right ankle was heavily taped. Maybe his mouth should have been, too.

Wallace's perfect record of predicting Detroit playoff victories was snapped Monday when LeBron James scored 22 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers dug deep on defense to beat the Pistons 74-72, evening their second-round series at 2-2.

The Cavs should roll into Detroit Wednesday confident and loose, if a bit somber after the Hughes funeral tomorrow. After what he's been through, it would be hard to expect much from Hughes other than a lift in team morale if he's back for Game 5. But similar situations in the past have seen players summon great performances from somewhere. Favre comes to mind. It's conceivable that the entire team could be lifted by the emotion surrounding Hughes' return.

I predicted six games and thought I'd be happy with that. That was two games ago. Now I'm pulling for seven, and I'll take my chances with the best player on the planet in that one.

Posted by dan at May 15, 2006 10:24 PM