By: Nick Carrabine
NCarrabine@News-Herald.com

This is Cleveland, you didn’t expect this to go easy, did you?

The first round was anything but. The second round will be tougher, like, possibly seven-game series tough.

The Celtics, while two years older, are playoff tested and experienced. Old? Yes. But they hate Cleveland just as much as Cleveland hates Boston. They’ll be up for this series. The question is, will Boston have the energy to keep up with the Cavs throughout the entire series or run out of gas after the first few games?

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Cavs fans, we’re in the early stages of what should be a lengthy playoff run, so it probably isn’t good form to speculate on the future of one LeBron James.

That’s not what I’m going to do. No plea for him to stay and no chest-thumping proclamation that the Chosen One will definitely remain in Northeast Ohio.

But you better believe I’m going to admonish, mock and ridicule those from other locations who have no problems publicly pining for and daydreaming about the day when James comes to their town.

However, New York, whose Knicks have sold their fanbase on a losing culture solely to clear cap space for a mere chance at signing LeBron, has become far too easy a target. Same goes for their soon-to-be neighbors, the New Jersey Nets, who boast some young talent and the MVP’s friend, Jay-Z, to compliment a horrendous 12-70 campaign this season.

Instead, I need to look no further than the Cavs current opponent, the Chicago Bulls. Not because their center Joakim Noah dissed the hometown, but because a major Chicago publication recently issued this love letter of an attempt to acquire the King’s services, as the Bulls also have some cap space to play with this summer. Is an eight seed so bad that Chicagoans need to focus this much on the future?

I’m sure Noah, Derrick Rose and the guys love all this gushing over their playoff nemesis, too.

Pitching the James Hotel to LeBron? Playing up the Michael Jordan statue or the chance to reside near President Barack Obama’s neighborhood? Using MacArthurs fried freakin’ chicken to entice him?? This is pure comedy.

Now, I’m sure people in the ‘Go are saying the same thing about the billboards around these parts or even our own, “Don’t Let LeBron Leave” campaign. Fair enough, but a lot of that is rooted in the hometown angle and the fact that he currently plays here.

We all know James is eating this attention up, and who knows, maybe he will follow in MJ’s steps and don the red and black. If he doesn’t? This will simply be remembered as one of several silly attempts at luring the face of the NBA out of C-town.

-- Brandon C. Baker

Photo: Maribeth Joeright

By Nick Carrabine
NCarrabine@News-Herald.com

As expected, the Cavaliers have jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first round of the NBA playoffs against the Chicago Bulls.

As they say, a playoff series doesn’t really start until a team loses on its home court. The Cavaliers have been down 2-0 in a series four times in the LeBron James era. They came back and won one of those series (2007 Eastern Conference Finals), took two of the series to a seventh game and lost (2006 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, 2008 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals) and got swept in the other (2007 NBA Finals).

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By Nick Carrabine
NCarrabine@News-Herald.com

While probably in the minority, the NBA playoffs are by far my favorite time of the year when it comes to sports.

And this year, I, and other die-hard basketball fans, are in for a real treat.

These playoffs have the potential to be the most competitive playoffs we have seen in a while.

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By Nick Carrabine
NCarrabine@News-Herald.com

Have I mentioned I hate the Boston Celtics lately?

My hatred towards them has cooled a bit simply because the Cavaliers have proven they are a more dominant team over the past two years.

Yesterday’s loss has refueled my hatred and I pray these two teams meet up in the second round of the playoffs.

Not only for the revenge factor that still crosses my mind from time to time when the Celtics ousted the Cavaliers in the second round of the 2008 playoffs, but I would also take much pleasure in seeing the Celtics walk off the court with tears in their eyes, their heads looking down and more importantly, their mouths shut.

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I was out to dinner with my boyfriend at a sports bar/restaurant during the 2008 draft. As soon as the Cavs picked J.J. Hickson, he had to drop his conversation with me to text and call a handful of his friends, all of them wondering "Who is this guy?"

Two years later, he's showing you just who he is -- and that is someone who is able to step up when two key players are out and others are running into foul trouble or just can't get past the defense.

I'll admit that I don't follow basketball, nor do I know much about it. But I enjoy watching the Cavaliers -- when they're doing well. When they're struggling, I get the Cleveland cardiac thing going on. Such was the case during today's game, when the Cavs couldn't get ahead of the Celtics. The bright point in the first half of the game was definitely Hickson.

I'm glad to see that he has developed and really become an integral part of the team.

-- Cheryl Sadler
CSadler@News-Herald.com