OK, now I'm REALLY back

Damn, I hate taking time off from blogging...especially when it means going two or three days between posts.

But I honestly had very little time until today. I had a few extended days at work, I drove to Columbus to spend Saturday night with my daughter, and I spent a lot of time painting my living room...scarlet walls, gray door, blinds and switchplates. This week I'll get a frame for my Pittman jersey and a shelf for my autographed football.

Anyway, back to the enjoyment of our Cavaliers and Buckeyes.

Saturday night was a nice little roller-coaster, wasn't it? By the time I put my daughter to bed, the Buckeyes were a few minutes into the second half, and I was able to catch the rest of the game. And it appeared as if the moment that I joined the game was the same exact time that Iowa decided to stop playing. I turned it on, we were up by four points. Not soon after, Greg Oden began dominating inside. There was nobody there to slow him down...nobody at all. When he took the ball through the lane (and no less than three Hawkeye defenders) to an easy slam-dunk, it was almost unfair.

The Buckeyes, now showing what they are capable of, have 10 games left in the regular season, followed by the Big Ten Tournament (which should be three more games for the Bucks). And I am not very worried about most of the upcoming competition. 9 of the final 10 regular-season games are opponents that are not nearly as talented as Ohio State. The tenth opponent is the AP's #2 team, Wisconsin....but it's in Columbus.

As the NCAA Tourney approaches, it's interesting to note that the first two rounds will have games at the Schottenstein Center. So the Buckeyes can have their first two rounds at home....which leaves a mighty challenge to get that coveted #1 seed.

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UPDATE - Ohio State cannot play at home in the tourney, per NCAA rules (h/t Greg456). But the #1 seed is still up for grabs.
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Ohio State, quite simply, HAS to win their next 13 games. No other way will do. Win the final ten games, then win the Big Ten tourney. And while a majority of the games will be against teams underqualified, at least one (most likely two) of the wins will have to be against Wisconsin, ranked #2 in the AP poll.

So here we go, another "hell of a ride" moment for Ohio State.

Meanwhile, the Cavaliers nearly crashed and burned last week. Three straight losses left them clinging to their position as the Eastern Conference leaders, and they were facing a newly-revamped Golden State team.

I was driving home from Columbus, listening to the game...halfway home, we were down 19 points and I was pissed. So I turned the game off. Turned it back on, and they were within 5 points. Then they fell behind by 11 again. So I turned it off. Turned it back on later, and they were within two. Then they fell behind by 9. Holy crap, I'm bad luck! Just in case, I kept the game off and lo-and-behold, they won in overtime!!!!

So I am no longer permitting myself to listen to the Cavs in my car. I'm a superstitious guy.

Tonight, another test for Cleveland. Orlando comes to the Q. Very recently, Orlando was within a half-game of the Cavs in the race for #1. But 5 straight losses have the Magic reeling. The Cavs need to put their foot on Orlando's throat tonight. They need to stomp the life out of them and coast into two easy games against a depleted Philadelphia squad Wednesday and Friday night.