Spurs-Cavs, Game Four, Third Quarter Diary

10:41 - Wow, I missed a lot. 44-40 at the half, Spurs. It's a shootout!

10:42 - James misses an open three, Manu hits. Finals in microcosm.

10:43 - Tim Duncan just admitted he committed a foul. I feel we need to encourage that kind of thing. Ziggy makes both to cut it to 5. Parker decides to hit another 3, just so that the league knows he's got range now, too. Parker with ranger is like a grizzly bear with frickin' chain saws...

10:45 - Mark Jackson just said, "It's tough to take." Yes, Mark. For all 62 remaining people in the audience...

10:46 - Halfway through the third, it's Spurs by 9, with the Cavs having a big 2 points so far. Can a team start giving points back with misses?

10:47 - The Cavs have not led in the second half at any point in the Finals. Now, that's drama!

10:48 - Jon Cusack can't get out of a room, and may die there. That describes several office jobs I've had.

And this series...

10:51 - ABC asks who the best player in the league is since Jordan. It's got to be Duncan, in my opinion -- he's always in shape, he doesn't get swept in a playoff, and his teams aren't that good.

But if you want to argue Iverson, I'll think you're kind.

10:52 - Gooden scores off a nice feed from James, rudely interrupting our random thoughts during a dull game. Manu answers with a free throw to keep the lead at 8.

10:54 - Ziggy on the block eats 15 seconds of clock. Gibson throws up desperation. Ziggy with the board, gets snuffed by Duncan inside. Has a 7'-3" player ever been less effective in close? Oh, right, just like every big man against Duncan. 9 point lead.

10:55 - My HD goes dark for a second. Helpful.

10:56 - Parker hits, and the Spurs have their largest lead of the game -- 11. The crowd is more or less silent.

Hey, here's a positive thought -- this series won't be close enough for anyone to throw anything on the court at the end. That's a win, right?

10:57 - James hits a hard one, Parker gets a lay up. I think the Spurs can start thinking about running some clock.

10:59 - Horry fouls James in his bid to be remembered. Sparking a late run, the Cavs could be under 50 for three quarters. Riveting!

11:01 - A Gibson 3 cuts it to 8. My does that feel like 20?

11:02 - James gets away with a foul on a held ball with Horry. Bob, you can pretty much forget about getting the benefit of the doubt on such things...

11:03 - James steals the tap and gets called on it, which never happens. The crowd serenades us with 'Bullshit' as ABC moves quickly to commercial. Who knew they still cared enough to get mad?

End of the quarter, and it's Spurs 60, Cavs 52. Can James summon up a quarter to give us 4 more of these, or will mercy prevail? Wake the pets and phone the neighbors!