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He said he doesn't know if he scratched his cornea. But whatever happened occurred in Game 3. The smoke from the pregame presentation at Quicken Loans Arena in Game 4 annoyed his eye, so the Cavs altered their routine on Wednesday.
"That's a problem I had in Cleveland," West said. "When they introduce the away team, I'm going to go in the back with Ben (Wallace) and try to avoid the theatrics."
West said the eye shouldn't be an issue from here on out.
"I went to an eye specialist today after shootaround," he said. "He said it's significantly better than two days ago. I can't pinpoint any one incident.
"It doesn't affect my vision, just my reaction to keeping my eye open. It's tough to play with one eye unless you're a pirate."
A smart aleck suggested wearing sunglasses.
"I tried on some goggles today," West said. "I'll go with the headband and try to keep the sweat out (of my eyes)."
Wallace got dizzy in Game 2 of the series. Doctors said he had an inner ear infection. It's not the smoke that causes him problems, however. It's the loud boom of the firecrackers.
Move over Mark
Center Zydrunas Ilgauskas surpassed former guard Mark Price as the Cavs' all-time leader in playoff games (48) on Wednesday. Price appeared in 47 career playoff games.
"He's one of the most dedicated guys I've seen taking care of his body," Cavs coach Mike Brown said. "You should see how often he sits in an ice bath. He takes care of his body in preseason, during the season and after the season. I could see him playing for a long time - as long as he wants."
The all-time NBA record for playoff games played is 238 by Spurs forward/center Robert Horry, who set the record in Game 5 in New Orleans on Tuesday. He surpassed Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who had 237.
Ainge honored
The Sporting News has named Boston Celtics executive director of basketball operations and general manager Danny Ainge the 2007-08 NBA Executive of the Year.
The Sporting News polled general managers and other executives from all 30 teams, and Ainge received 18 of the 47 votes cast. He beat out Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak, who had 14 votes, and Hornets GM Jeff Bower, who had 12.
"I'm honored by The Sporting News," Ainge said. "I think it's good to be selected by your peers. I think the keys are obviously the people in the trenches that are doing it."
Open house
The Cavs will host an open house at Quicken Loans Arena today from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. for fans interested in purchasing season tickets. The public will be able to view the best available seat locations, which will be tagged for selection. Season tickets are available, with packages starting as low as $704. For information, visit www.cavs.com or call 1-800-809-CAVS.
