Gift Certificate Glut, Spurs v Cavs Game 4 Thoughts (aka "The Sweep"), and The Future of The Cavs

- I have $125 in Dell Small Business gift certificates to use, assuming they're stackable, and I have no idea what to buy with them! I do need a new computer--if by "need," I mean I haven't had an upgrade since 2003--but I don't think I'm going to buy one from Dell, unless the deal is very hot.

Maybe I can find a person who needs a new computer, and purchase it on their behalf. Or maybe I should just buy myself a nice toy, and then resell it a couple of months later. Or maybe I should just sell the GCs for 80-90% of face value, and treat myself to a nice dinner at Ruth's Chris.

Speaking of gift certs, I don't recall the last time I've had this many of them that weren't given to me as gifts: $30 in Walmart GCs, $30 in Staples GCs, $125 in Dell GCs, and $80 in Symantec/Visa debit cards.

Geez. Did I just complain about having money to spend? I expect Krunk to reply to this post with nothing more than "*rubs fingers*."

- Congrats to the San Antonio Spurs, for winning their fourth championship in nine years! Cleveland fans, at least you have this going for you: there wasn't a singular moment that defined this series. I was hoping for this to play out: Cavs down 1 with seconds to go, LeBron drives past Bowen for a dunk to force Game 5, but NO! He hits the back iron on the dunk attempt! Then we could call that play "The Brick," and put it up there along with the other Cleveland sports heartaches: "The Drive," "The Shot," and "The Fumble."

I suppose we can call this one "The Sweep." Come on, who expected the Cavs to get swept?

(BTW, what the f**k was with that stupid McDonalds/Filet-O-Fish commercial??? I don't think I'm going to get any sleep tonight.

Can I sue?)

Tony Parker might have won the MVP, but Tim Duncan was absolutely unstoppable down the stretch. The diving save of a loose ball, the strip of LeBroom (yeah, that one's going to stick for a while), and that killer offensive board with under two minutes to go probably clinched the game.

(Tangent: Speaking of offensive boards, how about that sequence where the Spurs got four possessions in a row! For the love of rebounding! And how about Fabricio Oberto, of all players, to score on the fourth try, plus the foul?!?)

And where's the love for Manu Ginobili? How about that killer triple over LeBron? Can we just give all three of them--Duncan, Manu, and Parker--the MVP?

Some other thoughts:

• Robert Horry now has SEVEN (7!!!) rings! Is he trying to fill his other hand?
• I'm sure the boos that came when Parker was announced as the MVP was as much for his performance as the fact that he's going to marry Eva Longoria in a month.
• What took so long for the NBA to advertise Spurs championship memorabilia? Didn't they used to run these commercials right after the final buzzer?
• Congrats to Michael Finley, for finally picking up a championship ring.

- The Cavs, despite getting their butts kicked in this series, actually have a very bright future (it helps to have LeBron, doesn't it?)

They're probably going to re-sign Anderson Varejao and Sasha Pavlovic, which will push them into luxury tax territory.

(Tangent: It's a shame that Cleveland has so many contracts that expire the year following next year.)

If they can find a taker for the somewhat tradeable Donyell Marshall, or sucker a team into taking the otherwise untradeable Damon Jones or Eric Snow, they could either get immediate veteran help or cap relief for the 08-09 season. Ira Newble's $3 million contract will come off the book by then as well, as well as David Wesley's contract.

It wouldn't really surprise me if the Cavs get back to the NBA Finals next year; they sure have the core to do so, with LeBron, Z, and Gooden on the front line. However, the health of Larry Hughes is going to be a concern--the contract the Cavs gave him is still a head-scratcher--and who knows what Daniel Gibson gives the team in the future? If the Cavs can find a perimeter defender, a true point guard, and/or a consistent shooter, they'll be in great shape for next season.

I'm in a food coma right now--I BBQ'ed some burgers, and they were damn good--so that's it for now.