Henry Abbott: (9:02 PM ET ) Check it out! New liveblogging technology! Let's take this baby for a test drive.
Henry Abbott: (9:07 PM ET ) Cleveland is thinking: Tony Parker is hitting jumpers ... awesome.
Henry Abbott: (9:09 PM ET ) In case you're wondering: "why this new technology?" There are a few different reasons. the big one is that it will mean you don't have to refresh all night. Another is that we hope to do all kinds of fun stuff with it. Hopefully that'll be clear as the series unfolds.
Henry Abbott: (9:13 PM ET ) Oh. Wow. Two fouls on LeBron James. Mike Brown has been laying awake worrying about this for the last month. (Three minutes in!) Bless him for leaving the guy in, though. I'm all for that. Also, if the game was rigged to drive NBA profits, that foul would have never been called.
Henry Abbott: (9:16 PM ET ) ESPN's David Thorpe emails to say: "One of the problems with beating the Spurs is that they aren't just better than you, they are tougher too." He also points out if that if LeBron keeps attacking the "hedger" -- the defensive player who is hedging towards LeBron, while trying to keep tabs on his own man -- then LBJ's teammates will be getting a lot of open shots.
Henry Abbott: (9:19 PM ET ) That last play was, to my mind, classic Sasha Pavlovic. Awesome aggression. Good athleticism. Strong move. Hard-nosed to the rim. And a brick.
Henry Abbott: (9:20 PM ET ) Cavaliers closing the gap with LeBron James on the bench.
Henry Abbott: (9:21 PM ET ) "Closing the gap" being a fancy way of saying scoring a couple of buckets in a row.
Henry Abbott: (9:21 PM ET ) Pavlobrick!
Henry Abbott: (9:22 PM ET ) That is unfair. He's a good player. Often finishes well. Plays his butt off. But it has a certain ring to it, doesn't it? Pavlobrick. Try saying it out loud.
Henry Abbott: (9:34 PM ET ) Ilgauskas more points already than he had all Game 1.
Henry Abbott: (9:36 PM ET ) ESPN's Dr. Jack Ramsay has sent some observations from the arena: Cavaliers moving the ball better without LeBron James, the Spurs showed zone for the first time all series, and before the game, the Cavaliers said they needed to limit Tony Parker's penetration, which is not going very well so far.
Henry Abbott: (9:37 PM ET ) Thorpe points out that the Spurs unit that has played so well (remember, this is the NBA Finals) has just two first-round picks: Robert Horry and Tony Parker.
Henry Abbott: (9:38 PM ET ) Larry Hughes, I have heard, is in the locker room, by the way.
Henry Abbott: (9:43 PM ET ) LeBron James would really like to hit a jumper.
Henry Abbott: (9:44 PM ET ) Wow. He FINALLY gets an easy look and turns it into a turnover.
Henry Abbott: (9:45 PM ET ) If Cleveland ends up winning this game, they should make a statue of Eric Snow, because he is battling hard at both ends -- and getting his teammates wide open shots.
Henry Abbott: (9:47 PM ET ) I'll take that foul if I'm Anderson Varejao. Can't give mediocre foul shooter Tim Duncan a layup.
Henry Abbott: (9:53 PM ET ) Bingo. Confidence booster.
Henry Abbott: (9:54 PM ET ) Did anyone see where Bruce Bowen fouled LeBron James on that earlier play? Might have hit his head? I'm on the lookout for a call of that sneaky leg underneath that Bowen is so famous for.
Henry Abbott: (9:57 PM ET ) I heard the story why they call him "Boobie" but it still doesn't make a lot of sense to me. He played with older kids ... got knocked around ... needed a lot of consoling ... so they called him "Boobie?" Does that make sense to you?
Henry Abbott: (9:58 PM ET ) Ilgauskas just missed the most open shot in NBA history. Tony Parker can finish like a madman.
Henry Abbott: (10:02 PM ET ) Remember that little chart we had on Friday showing the Spurs' % chance of winning (based on being the home team, having x lead and y time left in the game)? I'm guessing that right now San Antonio's chance of winning is more than 80%. Yes, I waited until the Sopranos was over before pointing that out.
Henry Abbott: (10:05 PM ET ) Dr. Jack reminds us that Parker was Cleveland's main focus before this game. Thorpe predicted him as series MVP. Me? I said I didn't think he could dominate a whole series. I'm not looking smart so far.
Henry Abbott: (10:07 PM ET ) LBJ had single coverage on the elbow. Don't pass that up!
Henry Abbott: (10:14 PM ET ) Of course, if you're watching on TV, you know that Bruce Bowen out-of-bounds call was miserable. Makes me remember that claim a few weeks ago by an anonymous referee, who said there were quotas that referees are worried about meeting. If that's true, I'm sure that out of bounds is one of them. Seem to be a lot of those calls as players initiate their move on the sideline. Usually we don't get that nice up-close replay.
Henry Abbott: (10:15 PM ET ) Wonder how the mood is back at the Q, where a packed house is watching this misery in 3-D? If it's possible to get seasick in Cleveland, I'd imagine the first half of this game in 3-D would be the best possible way to do it.
Henry Abbott: (10:17 PM ET ) Robert Horry's vertical in NBA Finals must be about a foot more than his vertical in the regular season.
Henry Abbott: (10:27 PM ET ) OK, nobody email or call for the next ten minutes ... I'm going to be watching the Tony and Eva love story.
Henry Abbott: (10:30 PM ET ) Eva makes Tony look really tall.
Henry Abbott: (10:36 PM ET ) $250,000 to rent a French castle for the weekend of their wedding. That seems excessive. The rec. center in town here is only $200 an evening, and there's even a gazebo.
Henry Abbott: (10:48 PM ET ) Just got off the phone with David Thorpe. He can't understand why Cleveland isn't playing up tempo. That was his assertion before the game, and now that this game is darn near decided, why not try it? Stranger things have happened, right? He'd play James, Gibson, Pavlovic, Varejao, and Gooden, because those are in his mind the five best offensive players. His thought is that San Antonio is not Detroit, and especially on the road Cleveland has no chance in a low-scoring, grind it out affair.
Henry Abbott: (10:52 PM ET ) Wow. James might have a child at some point and it's all over the news. Bruce Bowen ACTUALLY HAD A CHILD yesterday and barely a ripple.
Henry Abbott: (10:53 PM ET ) For a second I thought Tony Parker was about to get knocked down really hard.
Henry Abbott: (11:01 PM ET ) Jeff Van Gundy makes a great point: San Antonio was derided as unathletic when they lost to Dallas last year. Popovich and Buford resisted the urge to make big changes. Paying off.
Henry Abbott: (11:03 PM ET ) Thorpe: "In a game like this, Mike Brown has the opportunity to experiment some in preparation for Game 3. Traps on defense, a full commitment to running, playing James at the 4, etc.
Henry Abbott: (11:08 PM ET ) Tony Parker just passed up a wide open mid-range jumper for a one-handed mid-range running floater in traffic. The way his game, and his night, are going, it turned out to be a good decision.
Henry Abbott: (11:09 PM ET ) Bench shot: Zydrunas Ilgauskas near tears and Drew Gooden checking to see if his nose is broken. Not a lot of zest there.
Henry Abbott: (11:17 PM ET ) Somewhere deep inside, Anderson Varejao is a point guard waiting to emerge. When he gets a good rebound, he often heads up the ball, dribbling away with his head down. He did make a nice open court pass to James earlier.
Henry Abbott: (11:20 PM ET ) The rest of this game would be useful for Cleveland even if they do nothing good besides get a shooter or two back on track. Damon Jones hits two threes. Maybe James can hit a jumper or two. Gibson, Ilgauskas, Marshall, Pavlovic ... they all shoot them. Let's see if some of them can start making them again. 'Cause jumpers are available.
Henry Abbott: (11:22 PM ET ) Tim Duncan just made a great pass to Jacque Vaughn.
Henry Abbott: (11:28 PM ET ) Jeff Van Gundy was right -- no need to have sat LeBron James for fouls. The only argument for sitting him? Cleveland played pretty well when he was on the bench.
Henry Abbott: (11:29 PM ET ) Oh, come onnnn.... make it a game!
Henry Abbott: (11:30 PM ET ) So glad LeBron James got the and-one. Would have loved it if he could have also helped Daniel Gibson off the floor.
Henry Abbott: (11:31 PM ET ) Tony Parker -- miracle finisher. How do you practice that?
Henry Abbott: (11:31 PM ET ) OK, THAT time Manu was not flopping.
Henry Abbott: (11:34 PM ET ) Attention America: go back to your televisions. It's kind of close again. Really. You should watch, just in case.
Henry Abbott: (11:38 PM ET ) That bad pass was a killer. The four-point play opportunity hurts a little, too.
Henry Abbott: (11:39 PM ET ) 1:30 left. Down 11. And you're walking it up?
Henry Abbott: (11:41 PM ET ) Popovich reminds us that most of us fall much less gracefully than NBA athletes.
Henry Abbott: (11:41 PM ET ) Pavlobrick.
Henry Abbott: (11:46 PM ET ) Hmm ... I wanted more out of that comeback. Even if you're rooting for San Antonio, don't you have to be a fan of excitement? I want some tension!
Henry Abbott: (11:47 PM ET ) Horry did to Popovich much what he did a few weeks ago to Steve Nash. Anybody leave the bench?
Henry Abbott: (12:12 AM ET ) Manu Ginobili points out post-game that he's not getting into the lane. True enough. Which means Cleveland is doing something well. Which means, in theory, things could get worse. Doesn't it feel like Cleveland is stuck in goo? This probably isn't such a big deal, but it just kills me how slow Cleveland is getting into plays. They work the ball at the shoulder for several seconds just to get the ball to LeBron at the three-point line with a dozen seconds left on the shot clock. Then he takes four or five more seconds before even starting a move. Some part of me just feels like that's anti-basketball. When things are moving easier, there's a rhythm to the game. Opportunities arise. Everyone has energy, pop, zing. I know plenty of teams have won by killing clock, but it just looks like it'll be the death of this team. I'd like to see what these players could do when they're moving, and giving themselves an opportunity to move the ball and get things happening.
Henry Abbott: (12:29 AM ET ) OK, thanks for joining me everybody. I'll be back a little tomorrow morning, then I'm flying to Cleveland to see if I can suit up for the Cavaliers. No, I'm actually going to watch, and to act like a journalist.
