CLEVELAND TEAMS

This is it. They have a huge opportunity in Detroit to take control of this series.

Bottom line – the Cavs are showing they have the better team. LeBron is the only dominant player in this series, and the emergence of Daniel Gibson has given the Cavs another much-needed scoring option. I think they found their point guard for next year.

Terry Pluto thinks they have a chance to win this thing. I think the odds are even better than he’s letting on. If they win, I also think they have a real chance to beat the Spurs.

Should be fun.

What a relief!

I was terrified that they might pick Brady Quinn. #3 is just way too high for Quinn.

Also, I liked Peterson, but that injury changed my mind and had to affect their thinking as well.

Thomas is a stud. He excels against speedy, athletic pass rushers. He will be a huge asset against teams like the Steelers and Ravens who use a 3-4. Mel Kiper called him the most dominating player in college football last season.

Now, with Thomas and Steinbach on the left side of the line, any QB playing for the Browns will have excellent blind-side protection.

I love this pick.

What a relief! The Cavs get the Wizards in round 1 instead of the Heat after beating the Bucks in the season finale. Chicago choked and lost to the Nets.

LeBron’s final numbers:

James finished the regular season averaging 27.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists. He and Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson are the only players in league history to average at least 27-6-6 for three straight years.

Not bad for an off year.

Warren Buffett checks out a Cavs game.

The press is noticing what everyone in Cleveland already knows. After an early season slumber, LeBron James is back, playing like the dominant player he should be. He has even stopped kissing his wrists when he goes to the foul line.

Here’s Bill Simmons, who was one of many writers ripping LeBron a couple of months ago:

Ever since LeBron James decided to start breaking a sweat after the All-Star break, the Cavaliers fans have been sending me these “LeBron is shoving it in your face!” e-mails. Look, I’m GLAD he’s playing hard. My original point was that, if he kept going at his pre-All-Star pace and didn’t start giving a crap, the whole “What’s wrong with LeBron?” subplot would have become the dominant story of the season. And yesterday’s well-done ESPN.com feature by Brian Windhorst tackles that very point. The fact remains, the Global Icon was on cruise control for three months of a six-month season. I don’t know how this is a good thing.