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For those of you who don’t habla espanol, and are wondering: “What did he just call us?!” – barbudos – means “bearded ones” and was made famous by Cuban president Fidel Castro.

Back in the ‘50s and ‘60s, Castro – a renowned baseball fan – put together a traveling squad he called Los Barbudos (“The Bearded Ones.”) He even pitched a couple of innings.

In a 1959 exhibition game against a traveling American team from Rochester, Castro’s followers were out in full force and when the clock struck midnight to mark the anniversary of the 26th of July Movement, they erupted in singing, dancing, flag-waving and gunfire. The random gunfire continued throughout the rest of the game, which was eventually called – but not before the Cuban shortstop and Rochester’s third base coach had been shot.

Good times …

EL MIEDO A LOS BARBUDOS!

Now I know you local barbudos are tweaking hard for Monday night’s massive matchup at The Q. And I expect a similar amount of singing, dancing and flag-waving. (Leave the Peacekeepers at home, please.) I love the energy you brought on Saturday night. But if you think that amount of energy will guarantee another blowout, I’m going to have to ask you ladies and gentlemen to rest your sphincters.

Unlike the previous series against the Wizards, nothing in this Semifinal series with Gang Green is guaranteed.

Sure, the Wine and Gold put forth a Herculean effort on Saturday night. Sure, the trade deadline’s Four Horsemen contributed mightily as the Cavaliers ran roughshod over the Celtics’ vaunted defense. TheBron showed signs of busting out his shooting slump, finishing with 21 points and playing a brilliant floor game.

On the opposite side of the coin, however, Anderson Varejao suffered a right knee contusion on a baseline collision and is questionable for Game 4 on Monday. If the Wild Thing can’t go, that leaves the Cavaliers in a real bind in terms of offensive rebounding and man-hugs. Wally Szczerbiak will have to pick up the slack with extra high-fives.

Tonight, the Wine and Gold need a win to turn this joint into a best-of-three series, heading back to Beantown with Big Mo squarely on their side.

We’ll get to tonight’s slugfest at The Q in just a moment. First, I have to call a :20 to check the sweet Optimist Mailbag, where an old friend finally decided to write back in …

Dear Optimist,

After a few months of government training they decided to allow me to watch some Cleveland Cavaliers playoff basketball. My, how the world has changed! Burger King has a sweet new breakfast wrap, a new Indiana Jones movie is set to be released, and TheBron is shooting 13-for-58.

What kind of world have I woken up to?

Lieutenant Burke
Location, Classified

Wow. “Lieutenant” Burke. So word on the street IS true … you went and joined the U.S. Army. Well, I don't know what kind of soldier you’re going to make, but I’ll bet you want the guys to know that if they ever get into really heavy combat, you’ll be right behind them, every step of the way.

Come out with your hands on your hips, Celtics. We've got you surrounded.

Interesting that you do breakfast wraps, Burke. I had you pegged as a Cheesy Tots guy. And, yes, the irrepressible Indiana Jones is on yet another adventure and I, for one, can’t wait to see it. He hates snakes.

As far as TheBron, don’t you worry your pointy little head about his numbers, Lieutenant. For starters, like the young King said on Saturday, he can contribute to the game in several other ways without shooting well. The 24-point win victory was Exhibit A.

And besides, the longer TheBron continues in this mini-funk and the Cavaliers continue to compete, the more the odds grow in favor of his eventual explosion. He’s had three games against Boston and he’s had time to get in these dudes' pelts and crawl around for a few days.

It’s just a matter of time before he figures it out.

That lightbulb goes off with 9:13 to play in the fourth and the Cavaliers down by seven – 79-72. The Large Lithuanian leads Cleveland with 17, but Paul Pierce leads everyone with 23.

Daniel Gibson’s steal keys a 9-2 Cavaliers run, with TheBron scoring seven of those points. Kevin Garnett puts the Celts back up by two with a jump-hook with just over a minute to play. But Delonte West cans a pair of free throws and after a Joe Smith steal on what turns out to be Boston’s last possession, it’s time for the young King turn this series on its ear.

No. 23 takes the in-bounds pass from Z, head-fakes Pierce and upon being met by Garnett, leans back and – loving levitation – lifts the 15-foot game-winner, which … splashes … home … as the buzzer sounds!

Cavaliers win the white-knuckle thriller – 91-89 – as the young King is mobbed by his mates.

Twenty-thousand-five-hundred-and-sixty-two Cavalier fans go berserk as the Cavaliers tie the Second Round series, two games apiece. They pour out onto the streets of Huron and Ontario, howling at the moon as the Team Bus is fueled in the bowels of The Q – hell-bent for Beantown.

That’s all for today, friends. Gird up for a good one.

And remember … to win, you must know your enemy, and in this case, our enemy is a Celtic. And a Celtic will never quit – ever. So, Cavalier fans, we have to fall back on superior intelligence and superior firepower.

And that's all she wrote.

Keep the faith, Cleveland

Your pal,
The Optimist

COME ON, CAVS! ©1975

please play loudly