2010 NBA Playoffs: Has Order Been Restored in the Cavalier Kingdom?

When it comes to the playoffs, Cleveland fans are bipolar—after a loss, it's like the world is coming to an end and there's no hope for the future.

After a win, the sun shines bright, sugar is sweet, puppies are cute, and all is right (credit to Eric Knappenberger, who used this line on his Twitter feed after last night's win).

It's tough to hold this against them. When a fanbase as loyal as Cleveland goes 46 years without a championship, it messes with them psychologically in ways that are beyond comprehension to a normal person.

ESPN.com columnist Bill Simmons wrote about the baggage that comes with tormented franchises in Thursday's column. You always expect things to turn out negatively—when it does, it's a "self-fulfilling prophecy. You claim that you have your guard up, only deep down, that guard is lowered just enough that you're hoping against hope that THIS [time] will be different."

I'm willing to bet that this summed up the opinions of many Cavalier fans after Monday night's debacle against the Celtics. At the Q, it was quiet as a morgue. Around these parts in central Ohio, it was just as quiet.

Here are some of the text messages I received during and after Game Two (I had to clean up some of them, of course...some things said in the heat of the moment shouldn't be printed):

"What the hell is going on with this team?"

"Do they realize this is the playoffs?"

"I've got two words that can explain everything: Cleve-land."

"I'm getting traumatic flashbacks to Orlando."

The last one stood out to me the most. It was the epitomic combination of our bipolar nature and the self-fulfilling prophecy that comes with it.

But the worst part was that we the fans weren't questioning the X's and O's or the strategies of Mike Brown and the coaching staff. There was discussion over the poor play of Mo Williams and Anthony Parker, and the passive, lackadaisical approach of LeBron James, but it took a backseat the more pressing question.

Did the Cavaliers actually have enough heart, desire, discipline, or will to succeed in the postseason?

Flash forward to Friday night...

As it turns out, the Cavs picked a perfect time to (pardon my French) have their asses handed to them. They had to sit around for three days hearing about how LeBron's elbow is so hurt that he can't even muster enough energy to drive to the hoop.

They had to sit around for three days listening to how great Rajon Rondo is and how they have no chance of slowing him down.

They had to sit around for three days having their intestinal fortitude questioned.

They had to sit around for three days listening to pundits and critics like me lambast them for poor effort and execution.

And they had to sit around for three days while the previous 45 years of Cleveland's failures were weighed on their shoulders...the self-fulling prophecy rearing its ugly head.

I wrote yesterday in a Game Three preview that at this point of the season, you are what you are. And if the Cavs couldn't come forth and put together a complete game, then they simply didn't have it in them.

That question was answered...resoundly. And the feeling that Clevelanders had after Monday night swung to the extreme opposite end of the spectrum.

Let's just rehash a few text messages from the same aforementioned people:

"Mo is sneakily having one of his best playoff games."

"When LeBron plays like this, we're unstoppable."

"As each second goes by I like our chances more and more on Sunday."

Funny how quickly things change, huh?

Sure, there were plenty of strategic reasons that the Cavs rolled to their easiest win of the playoffs. Defensively, they did a terrific job not helping on Rondo and making him finish inside instead of allowing him to kick out to open teammates.

In turn, stopping Rondo's passing stopped the Boston ball movement and turned the Celtics into a team of one-on-one scorers...not exactly their specialty.

They picked and chose when to go small, when to assert Shaq on offense, and when to get out on the break and run.

The bench (Delonte West and Anderson Varejao in particular) finally stepped up and outplayed Boston's reserves, racking up 31 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, shooting 10-for-18 from the field, 11-of-12 from the line, and having a cumulative plus/minus of plus 22.

After being outrebounded by one the worst rebounding teams in the NBA over the first two games, they bounced back to dominate the boards 45-30.

And when LeBron James hits shots like he did in the first half last night, forget about it.

But the main difference was in attitude. The Cavs came out the aggressors; they took it right to the Celtics, similar to what Boston did in the first two games in Cleveland. Only this time, it was the Celtics who took the punch right on the chin and didn't bother to swing back.

So now, order has been restored in Cleveland. The Cavs are back in control, they finally pieced together a complete game that fans had pined for all postseason, and the fans are straying away from the assertion that something bad will happen and once again are starting to believe that maybe this time will be different.

The question is, how will the Cavaliers respond tomorrow? Will they be satisfied with a split in Boston, or do they go for the jugular and take complete control?

One thing's for sure: Boston will throw the punches back tomorrow—they're a veteran team with championship pedigree. They're a tough out in the playoffs and won't go quietly.

They'll have answers tomorrow. They'll find ways to get to open spots when Rondo drives. They'll throw double-teams, traps, something different on defense at LeBron James. They'll be more assertive underneath and will get better production from Paul Pierce, who's due for a big game.

In short, they'll make adjustments, both in game plan and attitude.

Sunday afternoon should be the first game in the series where both teams play at a high level for the entire game. How they handle success will be essential—if the Cavs match their energy, enthusiasm, and focus from Friday night, then they'll have an excellent opportunity to go up 3-1 put the Celtics on the brink of elimination.

And it'll be one small step in forever terminating the notion that something bad will inevitably happen...