House Money
So, Monday night I’m sitting in the pressroom and watching the end of the Pistons game against Cleveland. The Pistons are up two with less than 30 seconds left and the Cavs have called a time-out and are setting up for a play at the end of the game. I’m in close proximity to a couple Cleveland writers and to Rob Parker, the columnist for The Detroit News (amongst other things). Parker is talking out loud and the group is debating what Mike Brown’s call will be to end the game.

The consensus is that LeBron will touch the ball (DUH!!) but there is some discussion as to whether he takes it to the rack and tries to get a foul, if he kicks it out if he is stopped on the drive or if he posts up on the block and tries to take it strong to the hole. I like posting him up on the block and letting him take Tayshaun one-on-one…well, I don’t LIKE it, but that’s what I would do if I was coaching Cleveland.

Parker pipes up and says, “They are playing with house money right now…take the three to win the game.”

House money. Hmmmm….it’s the term people who go to the casino (not gamblers, mind you) use when they hit a couple times and win some money. They think they are playing with the house’s money…that they have nothing to lose. It’s not their money, it really belongs to the house, so they aren’t really losing anything.

I thought about that for a few seconds, shrugged and said, “Yeah, what the heck?” You’re in someone else’s house, you have a chance to tie or win, it’s game one and you have been beating the home team all night.

Why not take it? Shoot the three…take the chance…pull the lever, roll the dice, spin the wheel, take a hit on 16…

If the shot drops, you bury the home team and have taken one in their house. Home court advantage is yours. If you miss it, you’re down one game to zero where most people expected you to be anyway.

Well, you all saw what happened…LeBron drives left with Tayshaun on him the whole way, Rasheed comes over to double team (dumb move, by the way and how much did the memory of Robert Horry come to mind?), LeBron kicks it to Donyell Marshall (smart move that made me physically ill) and FORTUNATELY Marshall misses it just right (maybe feeling the pressure).

Game over…chase it down…get fouled…finish this. WHEW!

House money? I thought about it again…

Forgot something when discussing house money…and so did Mike Brown. House money only applies if you quit and go home. When you win the money, it’s yours. If you keep playing, house money or your money, the one rule applies…

THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS.

Fickle, Fickle
I stayed for the press conference afterwards. I couldn’t believe the rumblings I heard amongst the media: what was LeBron thinking when he kicked it out? Can you believe he gave the ball up? I even heard comparisons to MJ and Kobe and what they would have done with that ball. Not that. With MJ or Kobe it was a guaranteed foul or a basket…at least take the last shot.

But not King James…not this time.

Does he (LeBron, now) make his team better by kicking it out? Is he a coward who doesn’t want the last shot in crunch time (thank you Kevin)? Why would he give it up when he clearly had a lay-up? So many questions…

We heard from Rip Hamilton, Mike Brown, Flip Saunders and LeBron. The one question that kept popping up was, “What do you think of LeBron (or what do you think LeBron) kicking the ball out to Donyell in the corner instead of taking the shot?”

WHAT?

What do you think? What were you thinking?

Are you kidding me?

Let’s play fickle media and travel back with me for a few minutes and ask yourself this question: What do they say when Donyell knocks down the three from the corner and the Cavs win by one?

Here’s what they say: LeBron is so unselfish. LeBron is a great teammate. LeBron shows great confidence in his teammates to give them that shot in crunch time. Mike Brown is cold-blooded to make that call at the end of the game. Both are labeled geniuses and Detroit is questioned all the way: Tayshaun 1-11, the Pistons with 16 turnovers, Chauncey unable to get going until the second half, the Pistons sluggish again on offense and settling for the jump shot. On, and on, and on, and on…

How many times do you hear it? Find the open man…get him the ball. Set picks and free someone up. Move to the spot where you will be open and we’ll get you the ball. The rule is to find the open man. If you get open, you expect to get the ball.

Isn’t that what LeBron did? Heck, the closest person to Donyell was a guy with a beer in his hand in the front row VIPs. Rasheed? Ha. Rasheed was about eight or nine steps off of him. And like I said, how many in The Palace that night had déjà vu when that ball went in the air?

Game Five, 2005 NBA Finals…different spot, different jersey, different player…different result (thank goodness).

I think LeBron made the right decision. I think he played good fundamental basketball and found the open man. In other games, that shot goes in seven out of ten times. These guys are too good to miss open shots that often, even if is from 22 feet in the corner. They are paid (and expected) to make open shots.

Except this time…way to go LeBron.