Off to Detroit

It's on to Detroit - a short flight of course - so, maybe a little finger food on the plane. Daniel should provide the hook-up with McDonald's since he is their latest spokesperson with Moondog in their radio and TV commercials.

Boobie is a natural on camera of course, although he said the toughest part was not to smile all the time (gee, what a shocker). Being "serious" took some acting for the Cavs guard. Daniel finally got a chance to see the spot, where he and Moondog pull up to the drive-thru and Boobie orders for the Cavs mascot, because dogs can't talk of course. Boobie saw it during March Madness last night and thought the spot was cool and felt his was debut ok. He says he'd like to do another spot again some time.

Damon Jones of course is the resident TV critic and now calls Daniel "Sweet Tea" as he recites Boobie's lines in the commercial with the same delivery. Boobie ordered two Snack Wraps and two Sweet Teas. Of course Moondog can't eat human food either, so Daniel got some extra food, and that's the punch line.

On a basketball note, Daniel again took part in his third full practice and would love to play for the first time in 5-and-a-half weeks. That call will be made at game time in all likelihood.

By the way, if you are going to drive to The Palace for the game, note that I-75 is closed near downtown so you'll have to take a detour which will add about 20 minutes to your drive. Hope to see there, if you do.

Other wise see you on FSN at 7pm.

Sound the Bell...

Get ready for Round 2 of the Cavs and Pistons, with two more to follow...and then perhaps they will meet again in May. There is no love lost here on either side for obvious reasons. It will be intriguing to see how the Ben Wallace factor plays in. Ben, better than anyone, knows what makes the Pistons tick, and vice versa. Ben has only lost once in the regular season to the team loaded with his closest friends. He says these games will always be special because of the battles they went through together.

Z had an interesting take on the rivalry, saying there is "a lot of BS" that goes back and forth and as a player if you get caught up in the grudges, it will take you out of your game.

The Pistons have their best bench in years, certainly since the championship year of '04 when Corliss Williamson, Mehmet Okur, Mike James and Lindsey Hunter provided 29 points a game and defensive energy. This group is even more youthful.

The most amazing aspect of the Pistons current run is their durability. Think about this...in the 4 and a half years since Rasheed Wallace, Tayshaun Prince, Rip Hamilton and Chauncey Billups have been together, the team has played in 420 regular season and playoff games. Combined, that quartet has played in 96 percent of those games, a rarity for four starters.

That kind of number speaks volumes about LeBron, Ben and Z's durability as well. Over that same period, King James and big Ben have also played in 96 percent of their games and Z, 95 percent. It's the difference between good teams becoming great, just ask the resilient San Antonio Spurs about that.