Cavaliers Game 5
The game tonight may not be the biggest in the history of the franchise, but it's at least in the top three.
The Cavs' season has come down to a best of three games. There may never be a better opportunity to get to the NBA Finals.
Detroit is beatable. Everyone who has watched the last four games knows it. The Pistons are not the defending Eastern Conference Champions as they were a year ago, and Cleveland is not a squad of playoff rookies.
If the first four games taught us anything, it's the talent gap between the two teams is not that wide, and certainly not as wide as it was a year ago.
You can see LeBron James get tougher and tougher by the game. As he gets tougher, so do his teammates.
Rasheed Wallace is a great player. But he's not as good as LeBron, no matter how many times he tries to distract us with his whining and his temper.
I'm not saying the Cavs will win this series, or even win another game.
What I am saying is the opportunity is there. In the history of the Cavaliers, the chance to get to the finals has never been this favorable. It's so close, I get the feeling the fans, and the Cleveland players themselves, can taste it.
You have to worry about the Cavs psyching themselves out and being flat in Detroit. But again, the chance is there. The chance that LeBron James and Daniel Gibson will show up. The chance that Drew Gooden starts realizing his potential. The chance that Zydrunas Ilgauskas, burned so many times by injuries, gets rewarded for his loyalty and desire to fight back.
This is LeBron's team. With a little help, and maybe some luck, it could be his moment.