The Rafapocalypse

It was getting to be nighttime in London. Rafael Nadal had just dominated the fourth set of a second round match at Wimbledon. Everyone spectating at Center Court and watching on TV was shocked that Nadal was even involved in a fourth set, let alone that he needed to win just to stay alive and force a fifth set. Nadal doesn't have trouble with players in the second round of a tennis tournament. He hardly has trouble with the rest of the top 10. But there he was, hurting against Lukas Rozol, and then responding with a dominant set to force a fifth, like he always does. Forcing a fifth, that final set where most matches don't go, where most players lose gas but Nadal (and Djokovic) lose nothing. So we assumed it would just be an early match where Nadal got some trouble, but overcame it, won and then trounced his next four opponents.

But then something strange happened. With darkness coming in a little under an hour, the powers that be at the All-England club decided to halt the match before starting the fifth set so they could close the roof on Center Court and play an uninterrupted set. So the players waited for 45 minutes to play. Then, as seems to happen all the time in tennis, the player with the momentum was bested after the break. Rozol broke Nadal in the very first game of the set, and was never threatened with a break back. Nadal didn't even take him to deuce during a single service game. Rafa lost his earliest match at a Grand Slam event since 2005, when he was 19 and still only great on clay.

Nadal, the invincible competitor, was outplayed by Lukas Rozol. And it's not like it was an unlucky draw in the second round against an up-and-comer or a great grass court player. Rozol is 26 and has never even played in the main draw at Wimbledon until this year. In 2011, he was ousted in the first round of Wimbledon qualifying.

I don't know how to explain how this happened. The top four (and really six) men's tennis players have basically been invincible against the lesser players, to the point that it would have been boring if their matches against each other weren't fantastic. Rafa broke that spell, and not with a loss to somebody in the top 15 who played a great match when Rafa wasn't at his best. This loss was to a nobody. It doesn't make sense.

But I know how I would like to explain it. Rafael Nadal is still not an all-court player. His game has evolved an incredible amount over the years, but it still isn't the complete game that other players (ahem...Roger Federer) have displayed across every surface. His hustle and will have taken him beyond his pretty prodigious skill level.

That last paragraph, of course, is ridiculous. But when you think about the discussion for greatest players of all time, isn't this loss the type of thing that makes a difference? This type of thing hasn't been happening to Roger Federer over a much longer span of years. It hasn't happened to Djokovice in years. Andy Murray and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga overcame a bit of adversity today.

Rafa will be back. But today, there's only confusion.

Harry Potter 7.2, viewing 2

There haven't been many major boons to moving to Colorado. Sure, I'm amid much more impressive nature and am a 40-minute drive away from what might as well be the outdoor capital of the world. Plus, I love working with the people I do. But I don't know many people out here, and Craig isn't quite the hustle and bustle center of the world, even compared to Dayton.
But one great thing so far has been subscribing to television for the first time, and getting as a result of my contract three free months of HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, Starz and Encore. Add those channels to all the typical cable channels, and there is always something good to be found on TV. That being said, I had been disappointed in HBO for having multiple channels playing "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2" most days of the week. That's cause I hated HP7.2. I've never understood how such a travesty could garner a 96 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes (with an 8.4/10 average score), especially since HP7.1 (a far superior flick)got just a 79 percent.

Then I got to thinking: why not take advantage of my resources, and see if I can figure out what all the fuss was about? Did I miss something on the first viewing? So I set HP7.2 to record, and with the NBA Finals over, decided to fire the 'ole DVR up. What follows is a log of my reactions to the movie as I was watching it (with enough beer flowing that it was going to be fun no matter what, but not so many beers that this would get out of control). Oh and I haven't read an HP book or seen a movie since watching HP7.2 the first time.

Right, we ended 7.1 with Voldemort getting the Elder Wand. I'm feeling mostly caught up. Ah yes and Dobby has just died, which means they've escaped the Malfoy's place. Now I actually am feeling caught up.

Harry is conversing with Griphook about breaking into Gringotts. And it's actually quite excellent. It's almost "Breaking Bad" fantastic. Great start, HP7.2! "There are more than a few curious things in the vaults at Gringotts," and "Perhaps, perhaps not," is absolute gold from the goblin.

Aaaaahhhhhh John Hurt is Mr. Ollivander??? How did I not know this? And why did I not love this movie? Two for two in good scenes right now!

Helena Bonham Carter as Hermione polyjuicing Bellatrix Lestrange--great.

Okay, we're heading to the vault and the CGI, as always, is incredible. Thoroughly enjoying this part, even though it's meaningless. If there's one reason I could understand people saying they liked this movie, then the special effects work. But that's no different than plenty of films coming out these days. Transformers had fabulous special effects for crying out loud.

Wait a second, Griphook's accent changed. He sounds like an American. I don't like him anymore.

They did a great job bringing the scene in Lestrange's vault to life. Trinkets popping up everywhere is pretty cool.

Okay so the trio has escaped the vault and are riding the dragon and this dialogue ensues:
Harry--"We're dropping"
Ron--"I say we jump!"
Hermione--"When?!?!?"
Harry--"Now!"
And that's the end of that scene. Why??

Everyone's stripping and arguing. Radcliffe and Grint had their shirts off in about 20 seconds. Watson starts unbuttoning her overgarment and every fanboy in the theaters on opening day and during viewings since popped a stiffy. Alas, she throws a blanket over herself. Sorry, it's PG-13 flick boys.

Voldy is not happy. Griphook is dead at Gringotts.

Flashforward to Hogsmeade! Aberforth Dumbledore lets the three main characters in and proceeds to be a huge douche. Enough douchebaggery from Abe to convince me that there's no way he would ever let anyone in anywhere. I remember Aberforth disliking Albus, but not being a dick to everyone else he came across. "That's a boy's answer!" Shut up, dude.

Ariana Dumbledore walks walks away from her painting and comes back with...NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM! After a very rough 20 minutes, we just might get back on track. My favorite character from the movie, memory tells me. He's talking smack about getting Cruciatus Cursed and giving the Carrows what-for. I'm all-in again.

"Lightning has struck"--code for Lupin that HP is back in the saddle.

Luna Lovegood knows what the Ravenclaw horcrux is! LUNA! LUNA!

I just remembered the biggest reason I hate these movies from 5-ish on. Ginny Weasley hits the screen for the first time. Here's the exchange:
Ginny: "Harry."
Harry: "Hi"
Ron: wisecrack about not being appreciated as a brother.
Remember when Bruce Wayne's love interest Rachel transformed between "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight"? That wasn't just makeup. They chose to use a different actress! And nobody cared! Why Why Why didn't the HP directors/producers/casting people do the same thing. Or was it the writers who just killed Ginny? HOW DID SHE GO FROM SOMEONE EVERYBODY WANTED TO HOOK UP WITH IN THE BOOKS TO ANN MULLANY IN THE MOVIES?

Okay, Severus Snape addressing the assembly. Alan Rickman continues to be the rock of this series, as he has been since movie uno. "Anyone found to have knowledge of these events...will be treated as equ...qually guilty." Too good!

Harry Potter shows himself to Snape! And here comes the Order of the Phoenix! And his main move is to rag on Snape's security and then tell the man everyone believes to be the villain that he is in fact the villain. That was weak HP.

Thank God McGonagall stepped in. Harry was about to get worked. Go Minerva.

Here comes Voldemort speaking in everyone's mind. Ralph Fiennes: pretty underrated as the Dark Lord.

Ginny steps in front of HP (looking pitiful) as Pansy Parkinson sells him out! YEAH GINNY!...and then Finch comes in as some sort of comedic relief? COME ON. This is supposed to be dead serious right now. Natural comedy would have been fine, but we get a cheap laugh of Minny McGonagall calling Filch a "blithering idiot." Sigh.

Maggie Smith (McGonagall) is another great actor in this series. We didn't know her in America before HP, but she's excellent. Why don't we have more awesome old American actors? This brings up an even bigger point though. How did these movies mostly suck with all the acting talent they employed? Usually acting can cover up mistakes, but in HP it only seems to make them glare brighter.

The shields are up around Hogwarts, so HP presumably has time to make his move.

L-U-N-A L-O-V-E-G-O-O-D. DROP. SOME. KNOWLEDGE. Talk to a dead girl. AKA the grey lady. AKA Helena Ravenclaw. AKA Rowena's daughter. But GL knows what Harry is here about. She won't help. But HP wants to destroy it! That got her attention.

Voldemort: "They never learn. such a pity."
rando follower "my lord, shouldn't we wait?"
Voldemort: (thinking) "who is this guy?." (speaking) "Begin."
Other than rando Death Eater, pretty great scene.

Back to HP and Grey Lady:
Lets talk about Tom Riddle. Grey Lady gets unreasonably angry at HP for saying a name, and about things that Tom Riddle did, nothing HP did. Strange reaction. But she drops a line about the Room of Requirement to close. HP is on the trail.

Kingsley Shacklebolt is being as badass as ever, but he still feels like he might need a couple wands to hold off the Death Eater onslaught.
OBLIGATORY SCENE WITH THE WEASLEY TWINS EXCHANGING SIX WORDS:
"You alright Freddy?"
"Yeah"
"Me too"
Glad we got that in.

Ohhhhhh! It's a flaw in the movie that I can't blame on filmmakers. This one's on Rowling. Ron Weasley is the first wizard in history to be able to imitate Parseltongue! And we're in the Chamber of Secrets.

Hermione with the Horcrux Kill!...followed by some random magic happening to the water that doesn't really make sense. Followed by Ron and Hermione...sucking face! Hell yeah Ronnie! Who cares about the rest of the horcruxes! You've got that bitty on lockdown in the Chamber of Secrets. Ralph Fiennes won't care. (I'm pretty sure the entire theater was applauding when I first saw this scene, which is ridiculous)

Longbottom not looking so tough as the Hogwarts defensive shields have been broken. I still love you Neville, as you blow up a bridge and re-up your awesomeness. Oh my! Ginny showed some emotion as Neville jumped to save himself. Haven't seen any of that when HP has been involved. What gives, Gin-Gin?

Hogwarts knights doing battle with trolls. Not going well for the knights, but they've got the numbers. WHOA! Awesome spell from the Hogwarts side casting a dude back out the window from whence he came.

"Never better! I feel like I could...spit fire! You haven't seen Luna have ya? I'm hot for her! Think it's about time I told her since we'll probably both be dead by dawn!"
This golden line from Neville Longbottom is followed by yet another embarrassing scene between HP and Ginny. They kiss, and let's just be polite and say it didn't exactly give the "Princess Bride" a run for its money.

Into the Room of Requirement HP goes, with Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Ron and Hermione in tow. It's gonna get hairy. Right. Goyle shooting off Avada Kedavras all of a sudden. Who knew he had it in him? All things considered, though, cool scene in the Room of Requirement. Great effects. Here's the problem with it though: This scene, like most of the other great ones so far, are not important ones. Sure, a horcrux goes down, but we're far enough along that this is a meaningless horcrux. We still need teh snake and to figure out where the final crux is. Most of the key scenes are completely blown (see: HP 6, Dumbledore dying, and a few to come, if memory serves).

Holy cow, Voldemort just killed random Death Eater. Couldn't say for sure based on a couple rewinds, but it looked like the same dude as before, which makes his inclusion earlier more worthwhile.

The British pronunciation Loo-see-us is way cooler than our Loo-shus.

A troll just hit a bell the trio were inside and they aren't dazed at all. They've also killed three death eaters while running across the grounds. Hell yeah.

Rickman and Fiennes. Elder Wand. Severus, you killed Dumbledore. Oops.

I remember this being the one scene I loved the first time I saw the movie. Harry is grabbing Snape's tear-memories. Don't let me down on second viewing pensieve!

A Weasley twin has died. It's been long enough since I read the book that I can't remember which one. Same goes for Lupin and Tonks. Glad we spent five minutes talking to Helena Ravenclaw and five more showing what the Lost & Found version of the Room of Requirement looks like so that we could glaze over the deaths of three key characters with a quick Mrs. Weasley sob. Well done.

Into the pensieve. And, uh, incredibly effective once again. I had tingles. Rickman shines as the younger, heartbroken versions of himself. And geez, they spend FOREVER on this scene. But it was worth it! It is enthralling.

Sensual moment with the snitch, and HP is speaking with his dead elders. I still can't believe Gary Oldman was Sirius Black. That guy is unreal. Lily Potter is almost as bad as Ginny Weasley though.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" in the forbidden forest.

Harry in limbo, or whatever, is a pretty casual dresser. Dumbledore is looking snazzy in a white robe, and HP's rocking a grey tee and jeans. This was a part I don't remember being crazy about when reading it either. Maybe I didn't full understand, but it just struck me as a weak deus ex machina of "old magic" that Rowling needed to conclude the story.

Gotta love/hate the Malfoys. They suck, but all they care about is themselves, so Mama Malfoy ends up being a key reason for Hogwarts' eventual triumph.

Longbottom is walking among rubble on one leg with a pint of blood having dripped out his ear, and still looking ready to brawl. That dude is awesome.

Ugh. Ginny with more lines. "No. Nooooo!" Good grief, get her out of this film. I can't take it anymore. All I can think of is the kids in Lord of the Flies killing Piggy. I would roll a boulder on Ginny in a heartbeat. (Couldn't find a clip from the original black and white film. This is some 1990 remake, but it gets the visual across I guess. Point is, everybody hated Piggy, just like everyone should hate this Ginny).

Longbottom stepping forward, talking smack to Voldemort. Suck it. Seriously. It was Fred Weasley who died by the way. Neville told me. Another reason that dude rules.

HP just came back from the dead and Death Eaters are freaking out. Malfoys didn't fly off like others, but you better believe that crew is done fighting. They just want to be elitist. Is that too much to ask?

HP and Voldemort have gotten separated from everyone else in the entire castle. There are at least a couple hundred other wizards fighting in an already decimated castle, but they're alone.

YES! MY FAVORITE SCENE! Bellatrix Lestrange casts a spell at Ginny Weasley and cackles. Meanwhile, despite the massive battle going on, three Weasleys aren't fighting and turn to see what's going on. Mrs. Weasley steps up and says "Not my daughter, you bitch!" (I'm certain the theater went bonkers for that line when I saw the movie)
Bellatrix keeps laughing and casts three spells, which Molly blocks. She then cackles again, as if she's won the battle. Then Molly Weasley casts several spells of her own, which Bellatrix blocks until for some reason she can't block the final one, and she is killed. (the theater standing ovationed that part).

And this brings me to another major problem: the battle scenes are pitiful. How could they fail? They had Saving Private Ryan (1998), Black Hawk Down (2001), We Were Soldiers (2002), Transformers (2007), The Expendables (2010) and countless other action flicks to base a battle scene on. Somehow, all those movies with riveting action sequences didn't translate to wizardry and spell-casting. Really? One witch/wizard casting 2-6 spells followed by the other casting 2-6 spells was the best they could do? Give me a break.

Harry and Voldemort talking about the Elder Wand, and this line happens:
"What if the wand never belonged to Snape? What if its allegiance was always to someone else? Come on Tom, let's finish this how we started. (Harry hugs Voldemort and jumps off castle) Together!"
Wait...What?

LANCELOT! I mean LONGBOTTOM! Neville just cut Nagini's head off. That was so epic, that despite not happening in the same quadrant of Hogwarts, HP and Voldy stopped casting at each other. They started again though. And now, Harry's expelliarmus has turned Voldemort into an anthrax-like agent travelling through the air. I think we're supposed to think this battle is over, but specks of Voldemort floating around like asbestos aren't making me feel any more comfortable.

Longbottom and Lovegood. Just sitting and loving. No words needed.

The trio holding hands on a bridge outside Hogwarts. I feel so good right now. Other than the fact that no co-ed friends have ever done that.

19 years later. I won't comment on this scene much, other than Bob Saget attempting an english accent would have been more convincing that making Daniel Radcliffe look like he could have an 11-year-old. The funny part? Ginny's actress looks the most convincing as a parent. Maybe that's because she's like a frigid, awful old person.

THE VERDICT
I'll admit it, my disappointment isn't as high as it was after the first time I watched this film. But the beer was totally worn off by the end, and that was unfortunate. The first half of the movie is way better than the second, and the glaring errors still exist. Everyone has their taste in movies and will enjoy things at a different level, but even when we like movies that aren't great, we acknowledge that they are more enjoyable for their tongue-in-cheekiness (think Pirahna 3D or Black Dynamite) or how ridiculous the premises are (The Rundown, Drive Angry and Fast Five are three good examples). It's fine if people enjoyed HP7.2, but not because they believe it was a brilliantly made film. It's not. How reviews like this exist will continue to mystify me. This movie is certainly sensational, but dramatically satisfying and terrifically exciting? Please.

HP7.2 will be linked to film history forever because it is the conclusion to the most successful franchise ever. But that's just it. None of these movies, least of all the final one, ever had a chance to fail. The excitement leading up to them was at such a fever pitch that it was impossible for them to be seen as poor.

All in all, poor's a better adjective than satisfying to describe Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.

A Game 3 Reaction

There have been three great games of basketball played in the NBA Finals. The best part? No one has any idea what's going to happen in game four, let alone games four through seven.

We live in the age of hyperbole and overreaction. It's the only way to get ratings. When Oklahoma City came back in game one, it was because the Thunder were truly the better team, and were going to win this championship without a doubt. Nevermind the fact that Miami dominated early and got lazy offensively late. After game two, the narrative focused on OKC's inability to start quickly and Russell Westbrook's responsibility for everything bad that has ever happened to pro basketball in Oklahoma. Nevermind the fact that Miami dominated game two from the tip until about three minutes left, and OKC was within a foul call of forcing Miami to hit a game-winner.

So what's the takeaway from game 3? Hopefully nothing, because both teams gave a good effort throughout, even if the finish wasn't pretty. The Thunder stuck with Miami in the first quarter, and everybody looked correct in saying that was all they needed to do when OKC took a big lead in the third quarter...until the Heat came back and took the lead. Kevin Durant finally came back to earth in the fourth quarter, and James was probably a bit better than him. The heat played its worst quarter with turnovers in the fourth, but the Thunder didn't hit the shots to reclaim the lead.

You know what? Sometimes OKC just isn't going to hit everything in the fourth. Sometimes Durant is going to struggle, just like every other player in the history of every sport ever.

What's going to happen for the rest of this series? Nobody knows. Don't listen to Michael Wilbon saying the Thunder appear to be unraveling. that Don't listen to Stephen A. Smith when he says Scott Brooks blew it by not having "Serge Ibaka, the NBA's leading shot blocka, one of the most dominant rim-protectas we've seen in years," in the game at the end. Don't listen to Skip Bayless when he says whatever he says (that goes for all days, not just following game three of the NBA Finals). It was one game. Both teams were good in the fourth on defense, but neither team was good in the fourth on offense. The NBA is the only league in which great offense seems to beat great defense out. Game four will be different in every way.

So what's on the docket for game four? Hopefully something close and entertaining like game three.

Who will win the NBA Finals?

Through perhaps more twists and turns than expected, we got the NBA Finals most of us were expecting (and looking forward to). So which team is going to win?

Based on the conference Finals, the answer looks like the Thunder, without much issue. In games three through six against San Antonio, OKC asserted itself as the dominant team. In game three, the Spurs gave up early, conserving their energy for a more winnable contest. In games four, five and six though, OKC got San Antonio's best. Even with a fabulous first quarter in the decisive game, the Spurs couldn't hold off a more talented and physically superior Thunder team. And the crazy thing was, it felt a bit inevitable.

On the other hand, Miami is a much better defensive team than San Antonio. And Kevin Durant's virtuoso fourth quarter in game four of the Western Conference Finals was only outdone by Lebron James's entire-game (okay, 3.5 quarters and then he came out) performance in Boston for game six. And with Chris Bosh back, the Heat look like a team that is going to elevate its game to another level this postseason.

Here's the thing about the Thunder: their offense isn't very good. It consists entirely of jump-shooting, and often times those jump-shots come off all individual plays by Durant, Russell Westbrook or James Harden (although the Thunder showcased a much greater penchant for sharing the ball in the final two games of the West Finals). Typically, one of those guys is struggling a bit. But that doesn't matter much. When two of them are shooting well, the Thunder are extremely difficult to beat, because that jump-shooting, individually based offense works (works out). So an opponents best shot at defeating OKC comes when two players are having an off night. This is something that is guaranteed to happen sometimes. But four out of seven games? Not likely. And even if you do get four off games from two players, its not exactly a guaranteed win (see: game 4, Western Conference Finals).

Here's the thing about the Heat: if there is a team equipped to effectively defend the Thunder, it's them. Lebron James is the perfect body size and has enough quickness to guard Kevin Durant when it matters most. Dwyane Wade is just enough of a slimeball (and still has that quickness and athleticism) to veteranly (just now made that up) piss Westbrook off. Put Shane Battier on Harden, and you've got to be feeling pretty good about your ability to at least force the Thunder into more difficult shots at the end of a game (which granted, will all go in some games). Combine that with Chris Bosh pulling Serge Ibaka away from the basket more than anyone in San Antonio did, and the offensive end is opened up a bit more.

The problem with all this, of course, is that even a 45, 15 and 5 from Lebron will not be enough to put the Thunder away. When that happened in game six in Boston, the Celtics didn't know how to respond. They stuck around for as long as they could, but it quickly became clear that Lebron wasn't slowing down, no matter what they did to try and stop him. The Thunder may not be able to stop him if he goes off, but they will have the appropriate response: they won't care. Tony Parker scored 21 points in the first quarter against OKC in game 6, and the Thunder just shrugged it off. They kept playing, started scoring at a better clip, and eventually overwhelmed the Spurs. Miami isn't as likely to slow down as the Spurs were, but there was no team withstanding the onslaught the Thunder performance in the second half of game six.

Perhaps due to their youth, the Thunder just don't really know when to give up. Whereas many teams in the NBA (and other sports) decide to throw in the towel when they are getting stomped in order to conserve energy for the next game, the Thunder just don't have that mentality. And due to their prodigious talent level, it often ends up with them coming back and at least making the game close, even if it's not a win. In that way, they are very much the Rafael Nadal of basketball. (I was going to link to one shot in that video, but 95% of them represent the point I was trying to communicate. Rafa running himself ragged to chase down a ball that every other player I can think of would have given up on).

So unless Dwyane Wade gets himself going and plays much better than in the Boston series, I don't think Miami has the firepower to deal with OKC's combination of firepower and extreme amounts of will. That, plus the Thunder haven't lost at home yet, and they have the home court advantage.

Miami goes down to the team that wants it way more again, 4-2.

The French Open Semifinals

Tomorrow morning (this morning for the eastern time zoners) the men's French Open semifinals will be played. The three best players in the world and another great clay court player in David Ferrer will be participating. And included in this games will be some of the most mixed emotions I can recall having about a sporting event.

I don't know what I want to happen. That's not true. I know that I want Roger Federer to beat Rafael Nadal in the finals of the tournament. It just doesn't seem like that's a possibility. Federer is basically incapable of beating Nadal period, let alone on the clay at Roland Garros. So for the two of them to meet in the finals would almost certainly spell disaster for Fed. There are four options that remain in this French Open: Federer wins a record 17th Grand Slam, Nadal wins a record seventh French Open, Djokovic wins his fourth straight major or Ferrer wins his first. The latter is extremely unlikely. The first of those is not much more likely.

At stake is the legacy of Federer. If he were to win, it would give him the most championships ever. If he were beat Nadal and win, it would cement him as the greatest player ever, so far ahead of everyone else as to be in a Michael Jordan-esque position at the top of his sport. If he were to lose to Djokovic, the prevailing discussion would continue to be about Federer's age. If he were to lose to Nadal, then the doubt about Federer's all-time greatness would continue to creep up. Is Nadal really better than he is? With yet another win, the conversation would keep coming up.

I'm terrified of that final scenario. I love Roger Federer's game more than any other tennis player. Since Rafael Nadal is the biggest threat to Federer's legacy, I dislike him more than I should. I don't want him to succeed.

So is a Djokovic win over Federer more preferable? Since Djokovic seems to have Nadal's number, that might be better for the Finals. Or maybe a reminder that Federer still has it against the best in the world (he beat Djokovic in this same spot last year, followed by a loss to Nadal) would be better. A second French Open title for Fed somehow seems empty if he takes it by beating Ferrer in the final (even though he would have to beat Djoker to get there).

I have no idea what's going to happen in the morning. I guess the good news is I don't know what's worth rooting for. Maybe that'll mean I'll just be able to watch and enjoy some tennis.

End Times in Miami?

So it's been quite a while since my last post and my excuse is that I've been very busy. In the past month I've moved from Ohio to Colorado and started a new job with the Craig Daily Press. For all my Eastern Time Zone readers, that means the posts are going to be coming across the horn later at night. Apologies for that. But with internet newly installed in my apartment, I'm ready to get back to doing some serious posting. It just so happens that I'm coming back during a particularly interesting time in sports.

There will be tennis posts to come. The Euro Soccer Championships will be thrilling, but they can wait. The New York Mets are enjoying success I could not have imagined at this point in the year, but it's still early in baseball. There has been an inordinate amount of news coming out of the Atlantic 10 this summer, and we'll get there soon enough. But I'm somewhat ashamed to admit that my interests match up with those of ESPN; that is to say, I want to talk about the Miami Heat.

If you have an excellent memory, you'll recall that I wrote about the Heat in one of my most recent posts. I talked about not being worried about the Heat, because they're just too talented to lose to most of the teams in the NBA when the games really matter. I continued to feel that way when the Indiana Pacers took a 2-1 lead on the Heat, and Miami won the next three games. I still didn't worry when the Celtics came back to tie the Eastern Conference Finals 2-2. Even Bosh-less, the Heat have way more talent than Boston. But now, there is nothing but worry for the Heat, because they are a game down and have to win in Boston to stay alive. Not impossible, but not feeling likely right now.

So how did this happen? How did Miami go from overwhelming favorite to the brink? Was it because we (I) overestimated them? I don't think so. They are the same team as last year (probably a bit better), the loss of Bosh notwithstanding. While I've battled the "inability to close" idea that ESPN and others have propagated since last season, it keeps coming true. But I think the term "close" is the wrong one. No one can close a game better than the Miami Heat when they have an eight point lead. They play loose and are unstoppable on offense, like normal. As a result, teams can't get any closer down the stretch.

But when Miami is in a two or three-point game, or losing by a few, the offense just doesn't seem to flow as freely. Dwyane Wade and Lebron James' drives to the basket don't even seem as smooth. They play a forced, rough style of basketball. During a normal part of any game, the layups are beautiful, inventive and always seem to drop. At the end of a close one, though, something is missing (couldn't find a video of Garnett blocking James down the stretch of game 5, but that's a good example. Just a basic, straight-line drive to the basket. That's not going to work in the NBA most times.) And it's not just better defense.

This is very interesting, because Wade and James have proven many times in the past that they are capable. Lebron James is the same guy that went for 47 against the eventual champion Boston Celtics in game 7, and single-handedly beat the Detroit Pistons in two overtimes in 2007. But in years past, he hasn't been there. He is still as dominant as ever, but isn't dominating at the right time, or at least not dominating enough to make that "right time" not matter.

Will that come back? Game 6 in Boston would be a good place to start.