All Things Must Pass

Three things ended this week that mattered to me. Let's examine.

1. Ohio State loses their first game at Wisconsin.

As bitter as I am about this game (I watched it in the hotel lobby), I hang my emotional hat on the thought that this loss can only be good for this team. Almost nobody goes undefeated in the college basketball regular season and most of the ones that do lose in the NCAA tournament. Watching the Bucks only lose by 3 at Wisconsin (the hardest place to play in the Big Ten) when the Badgers shot 50% from deep (12-24 to be specific) proved to me that this team probably WAS good enough to go undefeated, they just didn't. And that in truth might be a better situation than going into the tournament undefeated. Not being good is one thing but if you're good enough to win it all, one more opportunity to learn can only be beneficial.

If OSU wins big at home against Michigan State, all is well.

2. The Cleveland Cavaliers snap their record-setting 26-game losing streak at home against the L.A. Clippers.

In the thick of said losing streak, the 2011 Cleveland Cavaliers were the worst team in NBA history. There is no doubt in my mind about that. In the most diluted time ever in the NBA, they started more than one undrafted rookie and a first year guy out of the Congo who, on a decent team, wouldn't have seen the court this year. However, with Mo Williams back, the Cavs are just really really terrible. So, when everybody plays really well they can beat a really bad road team at home in overtime, barely. It was cute that they won.

While we're here, let me clarify something.

LeBron James is the best player in the NBA and it's really really obvious. Him leaving the Cavs was the difference between Cleveland being a title contender to essentially irrelevant. However, LeBron leaving Cleveland DID NOT make the Cavs the worst team in sports history.

Off the top of my head, they also lost:

1. Zydrunas Ilgauskas
2. Shaq O'Neal
3. Delonte West
4. Anderson Varejao
5. Leon Powe

Including LeBron, they might have lost their best five rebounders as well as their best perimeter and post defenders. They went from a huge team with a lot of depth and shooting with the best player and athlete in the game to a very small team with limited shooting and no depth or athleticism. A lot of that is LeBron, some of it is not. Honestly, it's better than being mediocre.

3. The Green Bay Packers finished a game and held off the Steelers to win the Super Bowl.

This obviously on the surface does not appear to be a streak that has ended, but it is.

Everything about that game on Sunday had "Steelers Win" written all over it. The Packers' wide outs were constantly open for touchdowns and were dropping them. They jumped out to a big lead and let Pittsburgh come back but, somehow, they didn't win it.

The Packers have had problems closing games all year and it almost looked like they knew it in that game and just accepted it as part of who they are which is exactly what they had to do. Accepting who you are is one of the most important things in sports and in life because even if who you are isn't what conventional wisdom says is good or desirable, you can't deal with any situation very effectively if you're constantly lying to yourself. The Packers just don't have that instinct that the old gunslingers love so much. NFL Films likes to repeat the quote, "Great players aren't always great, they're only great when they have to be." Even Ben Reothlisberger operates this way, occasionally looking sloppy most of the game but making the big plays to eventually win. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers are always playing well but don't play any better or really any worse in crunch time. There's nothing wrong with that but it is dangerous against teams like the Steelers as you saw on Sunday Night.

Not to toot my own horn or anything, but accepting this part of their personality, the Packers went into Dive Mode. The Packers just tried too hard and played too well for the Steelers to finish the come back. The interception return, the second interception, the forced fumble, the pass deflection by Woodson (that ended up breaking his collarbone), and the whole final drive by the Steelers; all Dive Mode. It was beautiful. Green Bay knew it couldn't match Pittsburgh in crunch time playmaking but they could match the Steelers in talent and constant effort and that's exactly what they did.

I knew someone would have to be in Dive Mode to beat the Steelers. It's great when teams do what you say.