Cavs' big second half
OK, there were a lot of tight sphincters in the Cleveland area for the first two quarters of Game 4.
What had been a stroll through the postseason park that is the Eastern Conference came unraveled in Game 3, when the Celtics found lightning and rallied for a surprising win despite trailing by 21 points in the first half.
Then, Tuesday, LeBron James picked up four first-half fouls and Boston looked well on its way to evening the series with a double-digit halftime lead. Well, the Big Three remembered they are the Big Three, and Kyrie Irving did his best late-1980s Isiah Thomas impression.
All told, Irving, LeBron and Kevin Love scored or assisted on 103 of Cleveland's 112 points, accordion to ESPN stats and info, and the Cavs grabbed a 112-99 win.
It was Irving, not LeBron, that delivered when the Cavs needed it most. Irving scored a career-playoff best 42 points, 36 of which came after James picked up his fourth foul with more than six minutes left in the second quarter.
James helped his teammate shoulder the load with a monster fourth quarter, when he scored 15 of his 34 points.
It was a big statement against the Celtics.
But you can't help but wonder if that would work in the next round against you know who.
Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis reacts in the second half of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns, Sunday, Dec. 11, 2016, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane) No Fun Lewis
In large part because of the "No Fun League" moniker, the NFL has announced it will soften its view and penalties for celebrating touchdowns.
Good.
There still are standards, and anything that is lewd - think some dance moves or Marshawn Lynch's flying dive with one hand hold the football and the other holding his other well, you know.
Well, Marvin Lewis, the Cincinnati Bengals coach and member of the NFL competition committee is outraged.
Seriously.
Here's what Marv told ESPN about the change:
"I'm not for that at all. We had a good standard, and the whole standard has always been, you want to teach people how to play the game the correct way and go about it the correct way, and that's not a very good example for young people.
"The rules were changed for a reason, and I thought we had a good outcome. Again, this is a team game, and ... I don't understand why we want to give in to individual celebrations."
Lighten up Francis.
And not to get too nit-picky here, but do think drafting a woman-puncher like Joe Mixon or allowing the dirtiest player in the league in Vontaze Vurfict do his things or having Adam Jones, and his three-mile-long rap sheet, on your team is setting a very good example for young people?
The Bengals have long been a punchline for myriad of reasons.
Now, the hypocrisy of Lewis - celebrating bad; crimes and dirty play, as long as you can help us win, OK - is the latest line of embarrassment.
Team game, huh, coach?
FILE - In this Nov. 25, 2016, file photo, Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez reacts after a penalty during the second half of the teams NCAA college football game against Arizona State, in Tucson, Ariz. The hot seat in college football can be defined as a coach who is danger of being fired if his team does not improve upon last season. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri, File) Biggest what ifs in sports
Sports, as much as any of our passions, leave us with hard answers and impossible questions.
Scores tell us who wins and loses. It's data and fact, but it is not without nuisance and perspective. Still, the outcome is ever-lasting. But there are some great what ifs in sports.
Yes, we could try to tackle this rhetorical riddle almost any day of the summer. And there could be a few more in the 99 days before college football starts. The puzzle gets a closer look today because Rich Rodriguez turns 54 today.
Rich Rod, you will recall, was the name du jour (hmmm, Name of the Day, that sounds good; I think I'll have that) when Alabama was looking to replace Mike Shula decade ago. In fact, Rich Rod was offered the gig in December 2006 and turned it down.
We all know what happened next, and Alabama has become a juggernaut. So, what if Rich Rod had said yes.
If Rich Rod had gone to Alabama, well, let's just say it would not have worked. He is a good football coach, but he struggled - 15-22 - in his short tenure on the monster stage at Michigan. His strengths are not woven in the recruiting world, the realm that the Dark Lord who is Nick Saban rules with an iron fist.
And Saban's maniacal and methodical recruiting greatness turned a sagging Alabama program in a monster. And what else of the SEC?
Well, since Saban has had a hand in running off the head coaches at rivals Tennessee, LSU and Auburn, as well as the pressure put externally on Mark Richt and in some ways internally on Urban Meyer, it's safe to say that the prominent powers in the league have all been affected by Rich Rod's "Thanks but no thanks."
And to spin that forward a step in the what if conundrum, it begs asking where would Saban be right now if Rich Rod had accepted the Tide's offer.
Considering that the Dolphins did not have a quarterback in his short time in Miami, and the 2007 draft was famously lacking in that department, maybe Saban would have jumped back to college the following year.
Some of the open jobs that could have attracted his eye following the 2007 season were Ole Miss, Nebraska, Texas A&M, UCLA and yes, Michigan, which hired Rich Rod.
Crazy, right?
This and that
* Speaking of LeBron, his teams are 11-0 in series when they take a 3-1 lead.
* Gotta love the Matt "Patch" Adams acquisition for the Braves, right? He had his fourth career walk-off hit Tuesday as Atlanta topped Pittsburgh. Of those four, three have come against Pittsburgh.
* Strange roller coaster of an evening for Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson. His brother Champ threw out the first pitch on Joc Pederson bobblehead night. He left the game after a scary full-speed collision with Yaisel Puig. (Side note: Yaisel Puig is near the bottom of major leaguers we'd want to have a full speed collision with.)
* Shaq vs. Chuck, the most intriguing match-up in the NBA postseason so far. Last night, Shaquille O'Neal reminded Charles Barkley that Barkley only one NBA Finals. Chuck's retort was that Shaq rode Kobe and Dwyane Wade's coattails to his rings. This was easily the most intense and interesting playoff macth-up to date.
*Speaking of a little smack talk, score one for Joey Votto, who handed an L to a couple of hecklers in Cleveland. Here's more, including Votto's top-shelf volley to "I remember when you used to be good." Votto's reply: "I remember when you used to be thin."
* Here's a look at three of the new additions in the college football spending frenzy among the major programs. Yep, Georgia needed a DJ booth in the locker room. Makes perfect sense.
* According to 247sports.com national recruiting analyst Barton Simmons, this story tells us that Alabama's run of No. 1 rated recruiting classes appears to be in serious jeopardy.
* For a guy making a living with his hands, Odell Beckham Jr. is getting rich for what he puts on his feet. A five-year, $5 million per year shoe deal is a monster.
Today's question
We can do some one-word association. Deal? Deal. It is Wednesday after all.
LeBron James' performance Tuesday night was ___________.
If he had not landed at Alabama, Nick Saban would be coaching __________.
Marvin Lewis' comments on the celebration rule change are __________.
On this day in 1935, the first MLB night game was played in Cincinnati.
Fifty years ago today, the AFL awarded the city of Cincinnati a franchise. They called the Bengals.
Bob Dylan was born on this day in 1941.
As for a Rushmore, let's do one on the best sports "What if" questions that would reshape history. Let's give it a go, shall we?
Go, and remember the mailbag.