The Cleveland Cavaliers had to work hard to eliminate the Detroit Pistons. It was a sweep, but three of the four games were competitive.

LeBron James had some help in the series. Kyrie Irving showed flashes of brilliance. Kevin Love had positive moments, especially in game one.

The Cavs are the favorites in the East. I don't see anyone in the conference beating them. The Pistons were tough, and Stan Van Gundy's team will learn from this series.

I was absolutely thrilled as I was honored by the New Jersey Hall of Fame and inducted on April 7th at the Paramount Theater located at Convention Hall in Asbury Park. It was an incredible event hosted by Joe Piscopo of Saturday Night Live. He did a fantastic job with a first class program.

I was introduced by my friend John Saunders from ESPN and it was a night I will always treasure. It was filled with tons of memories as my family and friends gathered for this special vacation.

Thank you to the New Jersey Hall of Fame for allowing me to be a part of such a great class including Derek Jeter of the NY Yankees, Christie Rampone, Captain of the USA Soccer Team,John Stewart of Comedy Central, Cool and the Gang, and a host of other outstanding people.

It was an honor to be inducted into a great group of outstanding people!

We had two blowouts in the national semifinals here in Houston Saturday.

The first game was stunning as Villanova blew out Oklahoma by 44, 95-51. Who would have believed that, especially since the Sooners had a huge victory over the Wildcats back on December 7 in Hawaii. Saturday's game was the opposite as Villanova used a variety of players to stop Buddy Hield, who had just nine points. Josh Hart was brilliant for the "cats wit 23 big points. Oklahoma made a second-half surge and cut the margin to 46-37 when Hart made a big basket and drew a foul. That game the Wildcats the momentum again and it was off to the races.

North Carolina took care of business, beating Syracuse in the other semifinal. Brice Johnson and Kennedy Meekks were too much inside for the Orange,. Carolina also dominated on the glass and Syracuse struggled on the foul line.

We should have a great game in the finals Monday night.

I have had a great time here at the Final Four in Houston.

Last night, I enjoyed two speaking engagements, representing UPS and Allstate. The latter one also included Texas coach Shaka Smart and we talked about today's two national semifinals. He had a great point in discussing Buddy Hield. He described him as a volcano, capable of erupting at any time.

I love representing two outstanding companies, UPS and Allstate. The March Mayhem bracket challenge comes down to today. If Oklahoma beats Villanova, Buzz Aldrin and I will be tied.

 

The Final Four is set and Houston has four squads with great experience. Each has a solid coach who has been to the Final Four before.

Jay Wright vs. Lon Kruger and Jim Boeheim vs. Roy Williams. There is so much talent on the court. Buddy Hield. Brice Johnson. Ryan Arcidiacono, Malachi Richardson.

I cannot wait to get to Houston. I will be calling a semifinal and the championship game for ESPN International with Sean McDonough.

My pick to cut down the nets: North Carolina over Oklahoma.