A semi-good/bad win
Posted February 27th, 2007 by bwindhorst
It is hard for me to give much praise to the Cavs tonight. A win is a win and they all equal the same, I suppose. Watching them again chuck jumpers in the fourth quarter left me to consider dragging out my old links again. So on this night they made them, which will probably happen roughly 33 percent of the time.
Please allow me to point out the following:
–The Cavs have taken zero (0) free throws in the fourth quarter in the past two games yet got up 19 3-pointers.
–Zydrunas Ilgauskas was 5-of-8 from the floor in the first half and was permitted two shots in the second half and none in the fourth.
–In the fourth quarter the Hornets were using Bobby Jackson and Devin Brown to defend LeBron James and he didn’t take much advantage at all by working to get low post position, from which he would be unstoppable against those two. Which isn’t all that surprising since I watched him not abuse Jason Kapono like I thought he should Sunday in Miami.
–Without LeBron on the court tonight, the Cavs were a -7 in plus/minus. Over the last three games, it is something obscene like a -30. Which just shows how vital bench production is for this team.
Overall, that’s bad offensive basketball. Sorry for writing about it again. I can’t help it.
However…
1. They had 19 assists and 40 points in the paint in the first three quarters. There was driving and kicking, posting up and getting high percentage-type shots. There should never be any qualms about giving Boobie Gibson spot up jumpers and I don’t even have a problem with plays being run to get Larry Hughes spot-up shots, not the off the dribble flings he often takes. Shots off inside-out action is good offensive basketball.
2. LeBron is getting warm. Over the last two weeks he’s showed some renewed intensity. A couple of times tonight he actually seemed to get mad and just attack. In those spots, he is quite often unguardable. Just ask Hilton Armstrong.
3. The Cavs are vastly improved when they have their full complement of players. This seems rather obvious. But you can be sure they’ll need all of them Thursday in Dallas just to stay competitive.
February 27th, 2007 at 10:06 pm
Mr. Windhorst,
I’m not sure if you realize it, but my shots aren’t “off the dribble flings.” They are actually planned, calculated, high percentage shots that should be going in. You do your job, I’ll do mine. Quit raggin’ on me!
- Larry H.
February 28th, 2007 at 4:25 am
A win, I guess. But let’s not all start sucking each others popsicles yet. This was a tie game with less than five minutes left in the fourth. Against the Hornets of Topeka or Omaha or whatever CBA city they come from. At home. Shouldn’t these be games where Lebron sits on the bench most of the fourth quarter giggling like a school girl? Are you supposed to be happy with nailbiter home wins against non-playoff teams? I will give The Savior credit for knocking down those threes (just to be fair, with all the razzing I give him.) But are those the shots we want him falling in love with? Launching 26 footers after standing still dribbling for 15 seconds? He does know he’s 6′8″, 250 lbs right? It’s ok to take the ball to the hoop and use your massive, Barry Bonds-ish skull and body to knock people out of the way.
February 28th, 2007 at 5:30 am
Lebron Does not know how to avoid charging foul whenever he drives to the hoop. That’s why he often ofted to take a shot outside. He seems not to control himself because of his height and weight. Don’t you think he should reduce a bit to be flexible?
February 28th, 2007 at 5:31 am
Trying to focus on the positive (as the negatives were well-chronicled above), I was really impressed at the job Gibson did on Chris Paul. We’ve watched this team for the past two years get slaughtered by guards significantly less talented than CP3. To watch Gibson more or less keep him him in check is encouraging.
Granted, watching Z be completely ignored throughout the 4th while everyone else launched 3’s makes me want to throw my remote at the screen, but watching Boobie improve on both ends of the floor is a good sign for this team.
February 28th, 2007 at 6:20 am
During my live blog I was saying the same things about the offense. While Larry and LeBron at least appeared to work together tonite there were 3 possessions in the 4th quarter that Larry got the ball, with LeBron “open” on the wing. Twice Larry ignored LeBron, chucking up shots, and once Larry did pass the ball to Z, who gave a beautiful pass back to Hughes under the hoop and Larry missed the layup.
It should be a team rule that LeBron at least touch the ball in the fourth quarter on every possession. There just seems to be times Larry wants to show he doesn’t need LeBron. Bad things usually happen in those cases.
Hopefully the Cavs learned from their trip to dallas last year when they blew the big lead. This game makes me nervous, though the Cavs do have the best record of any Eastern Conference team against the West….
-FTS
http://www.fearthesword.com
February 28th, 2007 at 6:52 am
Brian, I thought the same thing when the game was over. Four people standing around with under a minute left, watching LeBron shoot three pointers. No movement, no taking anyone to the hole. And what’s with Larry Hughes smiling every time he screws up. He sucks. Worst free agent signing in ten years, for the entire NBA. And when you go to the basket Mr. Hughes, try finishing for once.
February 28th, 2007 at 7:20 am
Jason, just for the record, a three-point shot is worth two points, while a two-point shot is worth two points. During the Hornets game, the Cavs’ three-point percentage was actually higher than Ilgauskas’ season field goal percentage.
Granted, a missed three-point shot leads to fast breaks on the other side, but so do Ilgauskas’ ballhogging boinks. Given the math of a three-point shot being equivalent to three points, if it’s between a joker raining a three or a Lithuanian raining a two, my Google calculator says shoot the three.
February 28th, 2007 at 7:33 am
BCT, you’d be smiling, too. What a great country. If you screwed up at work, your next paycheck would be nonexistent. Unless your pay period happens to be on one of those two-week delay cycles. Then technically you’ll still see one more paycheck. On the other hand, if Hughes screws up at work, he’s laughing all the way to the Beverly Hills tattoo parlor.
Come to think of it, why doesn’t Hughes simply kill two birds with one stone, and tell his tattoo artist Enrique to tattoo a pair of pantyhose onto Hughes’ arms. Some women get those permanent eyeliner tattoos, so Hughes could start a hot new trend.
February 28th, 2007 at 7:34 am
Whoops. Typo. I meant a three-point shot is worth three points, not two points. Unless, I guess, if you’re the Cavs. Then who knows.
February 28th, 2007 at 8:08 am
Alan, that’s a good point although your argument doesn’t account for the fact that Z is more likely to shoot a higher percentage against a smaller lineup, especially one whose best defender is in foul trouble.
Regardless of percentages and who should be shooting what, I was more speaking more to the coaching. You put Z in presumably to take advantage of the small lineup NO/OK was going with. Doesn’t it make sense they’d try to involve him in the offense?
February 28th, 2007 at 8:11 am
I neglected to ask: How does any guy exist in a competitive professional sport with a name like “Hilton Armstrong?” Sounds like a gay arm wrestler. With a name like that, it’s no wonder James could take him off the dribble.
February 28th, 2007 at 8:33 am
Jason, by “involving” Ilgauskas in the offense, you automatically take everybody else out of the offense. I know Brown isn’t Paul Westhead or Doug Moe, but he really doesn’t have the players to do much of anything.
I wish Brown, his bald head and his badly tailored suits would take a chair and stay there. Coaches that persist in walking around with intent looks during games, barking crap nobody hears and pretending they’re the sixth man are goofy boobs. But with that said, his coaching itself gets a bad rap.
February 28th, 2007 at 8:35 am
Paris Hilton has ruined the name “Hilton” for all eternity. Kind of like being a software engineer named Michael Bolton.
February 28th, 2007 at 9:26 am
What do Bill Simmons and Doc want to
say about Lebron now. I thought it was
the BIGGEST story soon to come in the NBA.
Heres the story 35 points 8 assists
5 boards.
We are going to at least scare Dallas
tommorow.
February 28th, 2007 at 10:07 am
I think one of those Vegas hookers nibbled on Simmons’ funny bone just a little too hard. Simmons is right, it will be a big story, but his timing is much, much too quick. He gets himself off, but the reader is left unsatisfied. Premature ejamesculation. I’m no doctor, but don’t they make pills to help him out with that?
February 28th, 2007 at 10:43 am
Listen man, I a huge cavs/browns/indians fan. I even gave LBJ props in my earlier post for knocking down the shots late. But you can’t tell me he has brought that kind of consistent effort all season. His numbers are off across the board. Why is it a crime to point that out? When the best player on your favorite team coasts through most games, doesn’t seem to improve, stops passing, blames everything on the coach, sits out games against non-marquee teams because of toenail infections but plays two nights later for national TV tilts, and generally exhibits zero leadership qualities, you’re not allowed to say anything?
And the only way we scare Dallas is if gooden shaves his muff so tight you can see his neck labia.
And two more things: Number one: what is the deal with college hoops games having a section of “rabid” fans all wearing the same tee shirt who jump up and down all game? I understand a bunch of dorks at duke doing it, but is this really something that needs to sweep the country? And number 2: this joehoops guy creeps me out a little bit. He’s either a 47 year old single postal worker living in mom’s basement or a 17 year boy with a massive baseball card collection. I can’t figure out which, yet.
February 28th, 2007 at 10:57 am
Tucker:
Do you actually think the “GLOBAL ICONS” skills are deteriorating? You and Simmons
and Doc are smarter than that.
You guys are just trying to get a rise in
our Levis. He is a phenomenal athlete whos
supporting cast is good enough to take him there. Who was Jordans center? Bill Cartright? Bill Wennington?
He is not Jordan but he is one of the top
five in the league right now. And he is not
coasting just saving for the big dance.
February 28th, 2007 at 11:12 am
I think the Cavs will do very well against the Spurs. At least for 8 minutes of the 1st Q. Then you can switch the tv station to watch your fav history channel for real entertainment.
Cavs fans are getting a real history lesson this season in “how not to win in the NBA during the 4th Q if you have a substantial lead”. Oh GOD this is so freaking boring!!!
“Get ball, dribble down court, stand and either hold the ball or dribble the ball for the remainder of the 24 s clock and heave an off balanced shot clock beating brick. Then wonder why the lead you had has disappeared as the opposition takes that rim banging rebound on the fly and posterizes the Cavs possession after freaking boring possession.”
Why are these guys such simple headed idiots? Do they forget that moving w/o the ball works? Can it be true that the only one on this team that understands this concept is Sasha and that’s why the team can’t respond in the 4th q?
Is this only a simple matter of collective brain farts? I just don’t get how a bunch of over paid, pros of their respective profession can’t understand this simple concept. Mabye it’s just me! Maybe the Cavs are trying to save their energy for the playoffs and the Cavs don’t want to show their real 4th Q strategy. Which is basically run a fundamentally solid offense. Doesn’t have to be fancy. Just a simple, fundamental offense.
Do SOMETHING, other than the stand around offense.
Hmmmmm…. he scratches his head in quizzical fashion.
February 28th, 2007 at 11:42 am
-7 +/-? PopcornMachine says +17, and he hasn’t been as bad lately as -30 in the last few (the gameflow for MIA said +6 IIRC).
http://www.popcornmachine.net/cgi-bin/gameflow.cgi?date=20070227&game=NORCLE
February 28th, 2007 at 11:44 am
Damn my dyslexia, you said WITHOUT, not WITH. Disregard previous incorrect comment.
February 28th, 2007 at 11:48 am
Sir George: We already beat the Spurs twice.
We are trying to beat Dallas tomorrow.
D-A-L-L-A-S.
and DOC,DOC,DOC
How can you coast when you carry a team
on your back.
How can you not pass with 8 assists.
And how can you yell at Brown when he
bellows constantly anyway.
And Joe Hoops is definetly postal and
Tucker needs to pick up his mail.
February 28th, 2007 at 3:00 pm
Okay, Hughes is now under 40%, and sinking!!!
He was 5-16 from the floor for 11 points. Of those shots, he was 4-8 inside the paint and 1-8 outside of it (Get the hint!).
Since you couldn’t trade, release or cut him, staple his brains to the 12th seat with Ira and GIVE Shannon Brown a CHANCE!!!
February 28th, 2007 at 3:49 pm
Is Shannon on the team or is he back at MSU?
February 28th, 2007 at 3:53 pm
Benjamin raises a great point although I somewhat disagree about LBJ’s ability to avoid charges. If you think back to the Washington playoff series last year, LBJ was in foul trouble quite a bit bc of charge calls. Whether refs were calling it more or Washington had a game plan to do it, it did seem to happen quite a bit. I remember many times when the refs had to decide charge or blocking foul in that series. It seems other teams have taken that approach and perhaps that is why LBJ is gun shy driving to the hoop. I disagree with Benjamin, in that LBJ does have amazing ability at times to move his momentum in mid drive and avoid the charge. However, LBJ does not have the moves of a Wade to get by people, so he has to rely on his speed and strength, which sets him up for charge calls. I am curious what impact this has had on LBJ and his different approach this year (along with the fatigue from the summer, etc. that everyone always talks about).
February 28th, 2007 at 4:59 pm
Thank God:
• A source said that the Cavs, after making initial contact to gauge interest, have not pursued Scottie Pippen in the past week. The Cavs have no plans to hold a workout with him.
February 28th, 2007 at 9:38 pm
No, jmoe, I do not think James’ skills are deteriorating. Stuck in neutral, yes. Deteriorating, obviously not.
Simmons’ point is that James has come to accept that Ferry’s roster blows, and therefore James is now putting excessive focus upon his other business endeavors while waiting for his eventual opportunity to blow town and get out of Dodge. Simmons further took some potshots at James’ massive ego. All valid points, but what was not valid was Simmons’ timeline for when all the fuss is going to start.
Where you got the idea I think James skills are deteriorating, I have no clue.