Moving onward and upward
Posted May 18th, 2007 by bwindhorst
East Rutherford, NJ — A few minutes after the game tonight, which was probably only the Cavs biggest win in 15 years, a felt a hand on my shoulder in the interview room. It was Dan Gilbert. He leaned down and whispered in my ear:
"I guess our tree is growing."
Indeed it is, Dan. It was a reference to a conversation Gilbert had with reporters about a month ago now, at halftime of the last game of the season. He said then something to the effect that his franchise was like a tree and "if it isn’t growing, it’s dying." The point was, he wanted his team to reach the Eastern Conference Finals. LeBron James later got a little testy the gauntlet was laid down publicly, but the way I saw it they both actually felt the same way.
To some people, the Cavs feeling good about beating the Nets is hollow. There’s truth in that point of view. After all, the Nets were a .500 team and the Wizards a joke with their injuries. But the conference finals are the conference finals and the Nets were better than their record and they proved it against Toronto and in this series.
If you come here often you should know I am a realist — and I hate the jump shot, so boy that second half was fun to watch — and I’m bringing some realism. I was in the studio about two miles from Continental Airlines Arena on that night four years ago this week when the Cavs hit the LeBron lottery. The Nets were playing in the conference finals the same night. The Cavs were a 17-win team with a disjointed roster and a bleak future. That level seemed seamed like a pipe dream, it is a long way from Secaucus to the Meadowlands in May. That night the Cavs were celebrating promise in the swamps, now they are celebrating reality. It doesn’t matter the circumstances, it is an impressive and inspiring rise.
Now let’s talk about the game…
–The first quarter may’ve been the Cavs best quarter of the year…until the fourth. There is reason to give the coaching staff and the starters credit here. There was a game plan to come out attacking and they did. Not only did they attack but they did it fast, before the Nets could set their defense. That was key and set up by the Nets missed shots. LeBron’s willingness to go to the basket set everything up, including those 3-pointers Donyell Marshall made later.
–Before Game 4, Donyell was upset with me because I wrote on the blog that he might want to be traded due to lack of playing. He’s a reader. But there’s no denying this season has been extremely upsetting for him, losing his playing time and for stretches, his shot. But he came to the Cavs to play in games like this, the belief was that he could help spread the defense paired with LeBron. It may not work every night, but it worked tonight. If Donyell doesn’t make another shot in his Cavs career, this game and Game 6 in Washington last season, when he scored 28 points in spreading the defense for LeBron, should be remembered. Considering it was his birthday and he said afterward it was the biggest moment in his career, I’d say at the moment makes all the regrets fade. As for Damon Jones and his performance, if the opposition is going to leave spot-up shooters wide open then I’d say it is smart to have the best spot-up shooters you have on the floor. Larry Hughes, stay seated.
–The Nets shot 3-of-16 in the fourth quarter of Game 4. 1-of-15 in fourth in Game 5. And 2-of-16 in the fourth of Game 6. Yes, Lawrence Frank played his starters too hard too early, especially Jason Kidd. The man was dead at the end. But Mike Brown’s defensive system was superior when it absolutely means the most. His small, shooting desperation lineup in the fourth quarter stunningly worked like a charm. I’ve got no idea what he was saying in those three timeouts in the third quarter when he simply couldn’t get the Cavs to run an offensive play, but the man is 100-64 in the regular season and 15-8 in the playoffs. He’s not perfect, he’s got flaws, but he’s proving that he’s a winner. So is LeBron.
–I always try to leave you with a quip, so here it is. Before the game, Damon Jones was being interviewed by two beautiful Italian female journalists. The English was broken and I’m not sure all message was getting through, but Damon was engrossed and trying his best. He must’ve felt good about his performance, because once they were gone he proclaimed: "I can talk a cat off a fish wagon with my cool lyrics."
May 19th, 2007 at 12:20 am
Do all roads lead to .400 for Donyell? Because after that 6-10 tonite that’s what he’s shooting in the playoffs (10-25) on his 3pters.
It’s been the same story for 4 years. When our “shooters” (and I use the term loosely) make shots, it spreads the floor, and opens up the inside game. When the inside game is working it opens things up for our shooters. What the Pistons discovered last year in the playoffs is that there’s no reason to play it both ways. Just shut down the inside. Even if we make some outside shots, it doesn’t last.
The Cavs can look really really good if they can make outside shots and spread the floor.
Dunno why everyone forgets.
May 19th, 2007 at 12:40 am
It seems to me that some people on this blog wants to know why Im not playing in any ball games. It has come to my attention that I have been given a nickname, “Damona”, Its all good, we are in the Eastern Conference Finals, and I will be redeemed. YOu see it was against the Pistons, when I was with the Heat that I made a name for myself. Ask Danny Ferry, that is why he signed me to this Phat contract because of the one good game against the pistons, where I hit all those threes. Well that is long behind me, but because of it my bank account is Phat, and that is what it is all about the “benjamins”, so everyone on this board that makes fun of me, I got one thing to say, “don’t you wish you were rich like me.”, see ya, in the motor city.
May 19th, 2007 at 4:38 am
Sure, Gilbert wanted to get to the Eastern Conference Finals. The more home games you play, the more you can put in the coffers. Two series’ worth of beating a YMCA team and a .500 team in arguably one of the worst professional sports conferences in history. The pride Dan’s bank accounts must feel. Just a hunch, but I’ll bet he didn’t whisper THAT in your ear.
Mike Brown is a WINNER? Come clean, does anybody in his right mind truly believe that Paul Silas wouldn’t have this team in the exact same position it is now?
Fans who aren’t sure if they’re journalists, journalists who aren’t sure if they’re fans…*sigh.*
By the way, I love quips, too, but I really wish a line could finally originate from somebody other than that grossly overpaid stiff Jones. No wonder readers haven’t read the real reason he’s been Super-Glued to his chair since February. The lines would dry up. As Johnnie Cochran once said, “If the beat writer under Damon’s chair does not fit, then you must not quip.” Or something like that.
May 19th, 2007 at 6:02 am
Is it any coincidence that with Larry Hughes in the game that the Cavs lost the big lead and with him out in the fourth quarter, gained it back. I think not. Trade him for a true point guard in the off season please.
May 19th, 2007 at 6:18 am
Give Damon Jones some credit. Listen, the Nets made 1 shot from the field in the fourth quarter and that was with Daniel Gibson AND Damon Jones on the floor.
When DJ came in, I couldn’t believe it. I’ve been rooting of the guy to play this whole time, but come on, Damon’s giving up a ton of size to both Jefferson and Vince Carter. We were desparate and, for once, Brown was subbing offense for defense.
Cavs team defense was fantastic, but you have to give props to DJ for holding his own.
Also notably, one of the bigger exchanges of the fourth, IMO, was when the Cavs came out on a run out and his Jones at the three point line ahead of the team. Damon hadn’t taken a shot in about a month, so I figured he’s letting it fly, no questions asked. Instead he hit LeBron cutting to the lane, who pivoted baseline and hit Marshall in the opposite corner for a wide open three.
Jones passed up another golden opportunity to take an open three. LeBron hit him with a skip pass and he had a window with three or four to shoot. The defense, knowing Damon well, closed out frantically. Damon swung it back to Gibson near at the three-point line near the top of the key and Boobs cashed it.
Guy’s a pro. Everyone carps on how selfish Damon is, but when he FINALLY got his chance again, he played like a veteran. Dude’s clutch.
May 19th, 2007 at 6:35 am
I truely believe Paul Silas wouldn’t have them here.
Silas would never have got the Cavs to play defense, and he was as immature and petty as the players.
Are there better coaches than Mike Brown? Certainly. We all know the offense is lacking. I think Brown could benifit from being a stronger personality.
It would have been nice to see a few more commanding games in the two playoff series. It would have been nice to see LeBron with a little more (at times a lot) visible intensity. However, the Conference Finals is the conference finals. The bottom line is they beat the teams they had to beat.
One other note, I really liked how Gibson played in the last couple of games. He seemed to be one of the few that showed some intensity.
May 19th, 2007 at 6:44 am
LMAO!!!! Damon Jones clutch? You mean the way he clutched his own own throat during the three point shooting contest? He played last night because he came upon some private info about Lemonhead Brown regarding childhood molestation. It seems that Greg Lemond’s “really cool Uncle Pete” babysat for the lemonmelon a few times when he was a young boy. Seriously, there’s not a more ridiculous persona in sports right now than our man Damona. Let’s place a moratorium on all future positive references to him.
Last night they won because one of the overpaid stiffs on this team finally knocked down wide open shots. And I mean WIDE OPEN. No team in the league misses more open jumpers than the Cavs. Not even close. Who on the squad is money? Sasha, despite receiving a vote for most improved player, is more of a slasher than spot up shooter. Gibson has good games and bad ones. Marshall occasionally comes out of that cannabismal fog to knock a few down. But thats it. You have to have guys who will punish another team for double/triple teaming a superstar. Lebron would be averaging 14 assists a game this playoffs if we had guys like derek fisher, ginobili, bowen, gordon, raja bell, barbosa etc. We don’t have a single guy who scares an opponent out of double teams. Not one. Hence, the inevitable brutal stretches of stagnant, putrid offense. Not so good when you start playing teams that are more than 2 games over .500 in the playoffs.
May 19th, 2007 at 6:46 am
Look, there’s some truth in what Alan says, but there’s some deception, too.
Yes, the Eastern Conference is bad, but it’s been bad for most of the millennium — a little better than this in some years, a little worse than this in others.
Yes, the Nets were a .500 team, but they made the conference semis by beating Toronto — a team which won 65% of its games over the last 3/4 of the season. If you don’t like that breakdown, then consider that the Nets beat a Raptor team whose record was only two games worse than the Bulls and three games worse than the Cavs. It really just depends on how you choose to look at it.
I think it’s fair to see how these Cavs do against Detroit (as compared with last year), but people with good memories note than Alan Tucker last year dismissed the Cavs second-best record in the Eastern Conference.
He said (essentially) that the season was a waste if the Cavs didn’t at least get to the conference finals. Remember, this meant unseating the Pistons (best record in the NBA) in the second round, which they nearly did.
This strikes me as wanting it both ways: The Cavs are criticized for valiantly losing in the second round in a difficult seeding; the Cavs are then criticized for comfortably winning in the second round against favorable seeding.
May 19th, 2007 at 6:55 am
Mike Brown finally made some adjustments, getting the shooters on the floor to create space. Larry finally gets teh seat on teh bench he has “earned” the past two games and the Cavs won in a tough spot on the road.
Getting forced to play that style in a Game 6 on the road should do nothing but help the Cavs. Just steal one of these frst two in Detroit, and play damn hard at home…
The Finals await!!!
FTS
http://www.fearthesword.com
May 19th, 2007 at 10:00 am
I’d also like to Give Damon Jones so props. LeBron said it best, even though he hasn’t played much, you still have to respect where he’s at on the court. And I was happy that he passed that open 3 up to Gibson.
May 19th, 2007 at 12:13 pm
Scott, come on. It’s not the coach, it’s one single player. Paul Silas would have them in the exact same position. For God’s sakes, the Wizards and the Nets were recently in a bidding war for Leslie Lesley! True story. The Onion wouldn’t just make something up.
Really, do you require a complicated triangle offense and some weirdo algorithm defense to shovel crap out of your driveway? All Mike Brown needed was a really, really good shovel, and he has that in the Sperminator…uh, I mean LeBron.
And Kevin, what’s your point? They’re in the same position they were last year. A pretender lucky enough to play in an awful, awful conference. Seven out of the eight West teams would have already cleaned the Cavaliers’ clock if they moved the city to the West Coast, and they were forced to play real playoff competition. Which, based upon my last visit to my old hometown, might not be such a bad idea. Move the entire city to the West Coast. Other than the phony facade the politicians created in some areas downtown, such as the arena and the ballpark, Cleveland looks like Al-Qaeda already bombed it. I drove around and did some sightseeing in some of the neighborhoods, and the bullet holes in the back of my head are now starting to sprout Gooden-like female genitalia.
May 19th, 2007 at 12:22 pm
I didn’t say they are where they are at because of Mike Brown. I said they wouldn’t be there with Paul Silas.
I do think Brown has them at least paying attention to defense, and has been able to instruct them in how to play it. Silas would just be yelling “come’on DEFENSE” over and over again.
May 19th, 2007 at 12:23 pm
I meant Lisa Leslie, not Leslie Lesley. If memory serves, The Onion stated the 76ers already hold the rights to Leslie Lesley.
May 19th, 2007 at 12:26 pm
Unbelievable! When he put Damona out there
with Boobsie I thought he had lost his
mind. But it miracously worked. Such shenigans will not work however against
Chauncey and Rip. The only way we can beat
da Pistoins is for Z not to cow down to
Sheed and Weber. Gooden better get a body
on Maxiell and Mcdyess too. Congratulations
Cavs and Alan we better see you down there
with Tait. You may not make it till next year. And we found our new point guard.
He’s got boobies Brian, hands off or back to
the couch. Reverend Billy we now need an
unbelievable sermon,all the fire and piss
and vinegar you can muster and a pox on the Pistons. Now Billy NOW!
May 19th, 2007 at 12:32 pm
Scott, James is so good, they could put a suit and tie on a trained monkey holding a clipboard, and the Cavaliers would still be where they are now. Point blank. The only noticeable difference between Mike Brown and the monkey would have been the monkey’s technical fouls for throwing his feces at the ref.
May 19th, 2007 at 12:39 pm
Hey Tucker, what’s your Mom going to say if she comes down to your room in the basement and catches you writing things like “female genitalia” and “sperminator”? Yeah, I know, you’re planning to get your own place again as soon as that job comes through for you over at Burger King but until then knock it off!
May 19th, 2007 at 12:41 pm
Alan, you’re kidding me–you mean the title of Sperminator wasn’t already awarded to Shawn Kemp?
May 19th, 2007 at 12:53 pm
Geddy, Kemp is merely one Sperminator. There’s lots of them. LeBron is merely another that came from the future. And came in the present, come to think of it. Didn’t you see that movie S2?
May 19th, 2007 at 3:13 pm
Unbelievably Mike Brown came up with a gameplan. Le Bron did what he does best. He needs to just post up or drive. If he needs to take a jumper, it should be 15 ft. and in. That is his game. This team will suffer if he sits out there and just pulls up from 3. Gibson and Marshall finally came up big. If we can find some proven shooters and a better post-up game, then LeBron can do what he does best and then this team will really contend every year. I’m not sure if Lebron will ever be a great shooter, but he doesn’t have to be with consistent outside shooters on his team. That way Lebron can handle the ball more and create his medium jumper or drive. I’m in favor of getting shooters first this off-season, then a center, then a point guard. Hopefully Gibson can develop into the point guard for the Cavs. Hughes should be a 6th man next year and a defensive specialist. No one will trade for him because of his cost and years. Yesterday was a great win because it was convincing. We’ll see how they fair against Detroit. My big concern is the way they give up big leads so easily. This was the case with a depleted Washington team also. Yesterday Mike Brown failed to call a timeout to slow down the NJ rally, so I’m still don’t know what he’s doing in certain situations. Regardless, we get to scrutinize this team a little longer.
May 19th, 2007 at 3:18 pm
I neglected to ask a question earlier: Would the beat writer bring his readers the same “realism” about the Cavaliers along with his hatred of the jump shot if the Cavaliers signed Ray Allen, Michael Redd and, oh, I don’t know…a young Dale Ellis? I have a funny realistic feeling that the jump shot would suddenly become the single greatest thing since the invention of the 24-hour Las Vegas buffet.
May 19th, 2007 at 3:24 pm
I felt it necessary to point out that the Cavs were 19-11 against the West this year and only 4 Western Conference teams had better records against the East than the Cavs did against the West: Dallas, Phoenix, Houston, and San Antonio. The Cavs split the season series against Houston, lost the series to Dallas and Phoenix, and swept the series against San Antonio. Considering San Antonio is the only team remaining from those 4 I’d say the Cavs would probably do okay out West. Just an observation.
May 19th, 2007 at 3:30 pm
I wrote a short piece about history repeating itself on my site. MJ participated in his first Conference Final in his 4th year and guess who was waiting. Yeah, the Pistons.
If I did my math correctly (With my U.S. High School Diploma, this is always a legitimate question.) then we are looking at James’ 4th year right now. Hmmmmm. Can you guess what I’m thinking right now?
May 19th, 2007 at 3:48 pm
Who cares about regular season series’? The Cavaliers once went 6-0 against the Bulls, and everybody knows what happened next. (By the way, is winning two games really a “sweep?” That’s like calling a White Castle hamburger a “meal.”) The Cavs couldn’t go seven games against anybody but the Lakers. That series would go seven…smart money would be on the Lakers, probably on a shocking last-second drive by Lamar Odom as Varejao performs a dramatic last-second flop.
May 19th, 2007 at 3:59 pm
Flemish American, I can guess what you’re thinking: “What in the world possessed Greg LeMond to tell Floyd Landis that he was diddled by his uncle when he was 6?” Excellent question.
May 19th, 2007 at 4:08 pm
Sorry, but I just finished Terry Pluto’s take on “relishing” the moment, and unfortunately, the column had absolutely nothing to do with pickle relish. I rarely make written requests of other readers, but I’ve just gotta read doc’s and Terry Pluto’s Hair’s take on Pluto’s take. Please.
May 19th, 2007 at 5:13 pm
Alan,
Do you want the Cavs to win the series against the Pistons?
May 19th, 2007 at 6:12 pm
Mr. Tucker, Mr. Tucker, we are going to kick Detriots A$$, and you could take that to the bank, You worthless piece of cynical trash, wannabe, something other then you really are, lowlife, basement living in, fat beer belly has been, stank A$$, farting denture wearing, flooded tight polyester pants wearing no girl friend or wife having, meat beater so of a you know what I want to say, but Im not, can food eating, punk.
May 19th, 2007 at 6:16 pm
By the way Mr. Tucker when we do beat the pistons, I won’t you to write a long letter on this blog telling the fans how sorry you are for doubting us. Is it a deal? Now go to bed, you old fart. Maybe I will let you cum to Lebron Land and bowl with me, I know that is what you do on friday nights with all your other receding hairlin friends.
May 19th, 2007 at 6:33 pm
Harry, honestly, no, I don’t want the Cavs to win the series against the Pistons. The absolute best thing for the immediate future would have been to play the Heat and lose coming out of the gate. So losing to the Pistons would be a cheap consolation, although it’s probably too little, too late for any great pressure to be put on Ferry to do something truly, seriously tangible with the roster if they lose.
The pom-pom waving local media will write about all the wonderful magic in the air, and there are wonderful things ahead to look forward to. (See, for example, Terry Pluto’s incredibly patronizing cringe-inducing hometown heartbeat masquerading as a sports column, already posted online for publication in Sunday’s paper. Hey, Terry, believe it or not, there’s sharp Cavs fans out there, much sharper than you give them credit for, and they know a good David Blaine illusion when they see one.)
May 19th, 2007 at 6:48 pm
Hey, “LeBron,” as far as I know, the entire point is to win a championship, not to be a bridesmaid. If you don’t agree with this statement, then just ask fans of the Buffalo Bills. I believe that 100% of them will fully support my argument. I will humbly apologize if the Cavaliers go to the finals and win it all. Otherwise, don’t count on it.
May 19th, 2007 at 6:54 pm
Alan,
I’m just wondering, what will be your take on things if the Cavs should, let’s say, win the NBA title? I’m sure they’d only win because the Pistons didn’t get enough sleep or the West team’s plane was delayed during their flights to Cleveland, or the other team’s favorite restaurant caught on fire. And if the Cavs did win the title you would point out how they didn’t shoot a high enough percentage or they were outrebounded or the other teams had more hustle or the referees were paid off or the rims were too loose or Venus was on the wrong side of the Sun or the other team’s bus didn’t have enough air in the tires. In no way, shape, or form could the Cavs EVER beat a team due to the fact that they were simply better.
We all know the Cavs are a putrid team with lousy, overpaid, underproducing players and a completely overmatched coach run by a clueless GM. They have won 50 games in back to back seasons and made it to the Eastern Conference finals simply because every team they have played is even more pathetic than they. Obviously Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, and Richard Jefferson all suck and shouldn’t even be on the same floor with other NBA players. Heck, a decent college team would wipe the floor with them. LeBron has won all 50 regular season games and all 8 playoff games single-handed without any help from stiffs such as Z, Larry, Sasha, Drew, Gibson, Damon, Snow, Anderson, and Marshall. Hell, the other 11 guys should just buy tickets and watch from the stands because they are no help whatsoever. The only reason any of our other players are even in the NBA is because all the other players in the Eastern Conference on every other team at every position are even more pathetic than our guys. Any success this team has had has been a complete fluke brought about by pure luck and has nothing to do with having quality role players surrounding a star player. In fact, the past two seasons were scripted by David Stern to help promote basketball in Cleveland and every game was fixed so the Cavs could play in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Does that about sum it up Alan?
May 19th, 2007 at 7:10 pm
Read my last post, West Coast. You wrote a helluva lot, but I already answered you.
May 19th, 2007 at 9:07 pm
Remember Alan, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.
May 19th, 2007 at 9:42 pm
Lurch, what about barbecued ribs? That’s a real good thing. Have you ever eaten living pork? Sorry, the fat pigs that drunk guys roll around in flour and try to find the wet spot don’t count.
What’s to hope for? I’m not hoping for anything, except maybe Jerry West to replace Danny Ferry.
Why are excellent teams in the West eliminated, but a team like Cleveland is permitted to have two byes?
It will never happen, but it would be far better to see a tournament where the 16 playoff seeds are mixed and matched. A one seed would play the 16 seed, etc. Sure, there would be long plane rides, and it certainly wouldn’t be a perfect system, but right now, it’s a farce. It wouldn’t hurt the TV ratings to give it a shot, more people are watching the television test patterns than the Eastern Conference playoffs.
May 19th, 2007 at 9:52 pm
It’s been 2 weeks since I read the comments section in this blog and whaddayaknow: Alan Tucker is still a complete idiot.
He is the kind of person who congratulates a college graduate by saying “Yeah, whoop-di-doo. Too bad your grades weren’t good enough to be valedictorian.”
My name is Alan Tucker - would you mind if I rained on your parade today?
Complete idiot.
May 19th, 2007 at 9:56 pm
Uhh…O.K. Thanks for adding to the discussion.
May 20th, 2007 at 5:47 am
Has this blog comment section become an Alan Tucker’s pit of misery? If yes, I don’t want to become a part of it.
I feel bad for this board as the intelligent ones still bother to react to a pessimist. Just ignore him.
May 20th, 2007 at 6:27 am
My point, Alan, was that you’re a tough person to please.
Last year, you said that anything short of the conference finals would be a disapointment. You said this knowing the Cavs would have to top the team with the best record in the NBA in the second round, so it was something of a disingenuous assertion. IN OTHER WORDS, WHOEVER THE CAVS PLAYED WAS IMMATERIAL TO CAVS SUCCESS. Imagine your surprise when the Cavs nearly won.
In the name of consistency, I would have thought you’d say this year that making the conference finals was appropriate, but now it’s all about WHO they played. (Funny how that consideration never entered into your espousal the previous year.)
I wouldn’t think of arguing that the Western Conference isn’t the better conference, but your assertion that seven of eight WC teams would have “cleaned the Cavs clock” is just silly.
Perhaps you didn’t notice, but Cleveland went 19-11 versus the West this year. Interestingly, only THREE WC teams (Phoenix, Dallas, San Antonio) had a better winning percentage than the Cavs against the Western Conference.
The Cavs had an 8-8 record (.500 winning percentage)during the season against teams which made the playoffs in the Western Conference. Utah (.615), Dallas (.600), and Phoenix (.576) all finished with considerably better win percentages than did the Cavs (.500). San Antonio was 1/2 game better (.520)than Cleveland, the Lakers were tied, and the other three teams were worse against the WC playoff teams.
So, here’s what you have: The Cavs did well against the WC as a whole, the Cavs treaded water against the WC playoff teams (equalling or outperforming half of the WC playoff teams) — and of course, that means that they would get “their clocks cleaned” by seven of those teams to the hyperbolic (but factually-deficient) Alan Tucker.
May 20th, 2007 at 6:41 am
Savor the moment, the reverend pltuo implores us. Yes, savor the ecstasy of watching nail biter wins against NBDL- quality teams. Honestly, is anyone really surprised or excited at what has transpired so far? Sweeping the Wizards, who had to sign Chaqique Holdsclaw just to fill out their playoff roster? Beating the Nets with their “Big Three” and assortment of soft, undersized, perimeter-oriented stiffs manning the power forward and center positions? Listen, I’ll start getting pumped when we actually accomplish something of substance. That Pluto column could have been written by one of those clueless soccer moms who take up space in the expensive court side seats at the Q and don’t cheer unless the MC or scoreboard instructs them to. Yeah Cavs! I love them! That Andy Varejao is soooo cute with his floppy hair!!! Giggle giggle giggle. Give me a break. This premature congratulatory behavior is akin to anointing a team after winning 70% of their spring training games. Or asking if you can qualify for the Masters because you knocked home three striaght holes in one at the local Putt-Putt course. The playoffs start now, as far as Im concerned. Nobody should be proud of anything yet. This year unmasked Boatshoe Ferry’s inadequacies and Mike Brown’s offensive cluelessness and just because we coasted to the Eastern Finals doesnt make it a “successful” year. Not yet anyway. Beat Detroit baby.
May 20th, 2007 at 7:20 am
Whatever you guys think of this Tucker guy, at least he took time enough to read a few articles on my blog. Thanks Alan.
For those of you that are too tied up to read a few bars before playing by ear, here is the short version of my prediction.
The Caveliers will lose two years in a row in the East Finals to the Pisons….Justlike MJ.
LeBron James gets his championship in his sixth year…Just like MJ.
James and the Caveliers will do it by getting past Chicago. That’s the beauty of this scenario, LeBron will mirror Michael’s championship story until this point and instead will beat Michael’s old team to get to that pinnacle of his career. Isn’t it gorgeous?
By the way; I’m a Pistons fan, but I can recognise greatness. LeBron will not be denied forever and you guys are due for a championship. Just not yet.
One of the main problems is that I still haven’t figured out who your “Pippen” is. If history is truly repeating itself on another team, your only second year player is Dwayne Jones and he wasn’t drafted by Cleveland and I really hope he doesn’t see himself “Pippen-like” cause then he should be sent to an institution for being dilusional. There are a lot of good role players on this team, but another all-star candidate remains to be seen.
I actually would like to believe that man might be Zydrunas Ilgauskas. He’s got the size and game to be a dominant force for a few years and the Cavaliers seem to plan on keeping him around. Whoever it is, they need to step to the plate and start swinging and Cleveland will then be a force to deal with for a number of years to come.
May 20th, 2007 at 7:53 am
I have no problem with pessimism, negativity, or cynicism, if they are backed up by some sort of logic. But Alan, you never use any logic to back up your arguments. All you ever say is, “The Cavs suck, the West would destroy them, Z is a sloth”, etc., etc. You completely ignore facts. The Cavs had a better winning percentage against the West than the Warriors and yet the Warriors defeated the Mavericks. Those are both facts. Just as it is a fact that the East won the NBA title last year.
You keep saying that Danny Ferry sucks for signing the players he did 2 years ago, yet you have never come up with a viable alternative to those players. The players who were available that season who were better than the ones we signed all stayed with their own teams. And please don’t tell us that Ferry should have held on to all that cap money and waited for a possible trade. I’m sure standing pat with all that cash on hand and hoping something would come along would have went over smashingly with the fans. I can see Ferry at the press conference, “We’re not going to make any moves or spend any money this season. We’re going to stand pat and hope that Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant become available via a trade next year”.
All I’m asking for is a little logic, a few facts, maybe a statistic or two, to back up all the pessimism. If you can provide that I’ll happily join the Fire Everyone but LeBron Club. But until then I’ll consider this season a success and hope for a title.
May 20th, 2007 at 8:39 am
Coach Brown should know that best coaching is about taking advantage of what every player can do and avoiding problems from what they don’t do well.
With one third of the season left Coach Brown must have decided that for the Cavs to get better the 11 million dollar man (Larry Hughes) would have to finally learn to be on the floor with The King. We did get a lot of benefit from that, but in the process, Coach Brown found it necessary to rot a talented, creative offensive player on the bench. The Cavs wouldn’t have had to sweat out second seed due to the loss of games where they could have won by simply trading baskets (Now and then you can do that, Coach!) if Brown wasn’t casting every game into a defensive coaching struggle.
If Coach Brown had finished out the 4th quarter of game 6 with New Jersey by going even more defensive, say playing Snow, Hughes, Newble, James, and Varejao, we would probably be playing a brutal game 7 v Jersey.
Who got the idea of the James, Gibson, Jones, Marshall, Varejao lineup? King James himself? Once that group was on the floor Jersey looked more like a dart board than a team heading for game seven.
Will we see an offensive lineup again?
May 20th, 2007 at 8:44 am
Hey all you Pistons fans out there!
There is a good site on the Pistons called http://www.freewebs.com/peaceloveandpistons. Go to it!
May 20th, 2007 at 10:38 am
Thanks Adrienne, I can’t wait to check out what the thuggish pistons are up to! That’s why I of course come to a Cavs blog–to get the latest news on the pistons. I’d also like you to check out my site called http://www.freewebs.com/adrienneisanidiot. hope you love it!
May 20th, 2007 at 11:19 am
Wow. Tucker, I just read that Pluto article you were ranting about. You were right. What is that guy’s problem?
I’m really glad “journalists” like him are around to let us fans know when we should “relish” or “enjoy” something. Since about 1999, all of his articles have sounded like Sunday school object lessons: sappy, condescending, and boring.
Windhorst: As you progress in your career, please never become like this. Please keep writing about the games, about strategy, about statistics, about the league, and about behind-the-scenes stuff in the locker room.
And if you ever get the urge to advise your readers on what they should “relish,” immediately close your laptop, turn in your press pass, and go back to work at Hometown Buffet.
May 20th, 2007 at 11:22 am
Cavaliers fans, enjoy this…
McDonald’s has just announced that it will be offering a new hamburger called the McBron for a limited time. Some Cavs fans seem to take James for granted. But think about it. How many other stars have their own hamburger? Tracy McGrady doesn’t. Ditto for Shaquille O’Neal and Dirk Nowitzki. Kobe Bryant doesn’t, and he’s even named after a type of steak! So cherish every bite, every tasty morsel, Cavs fans. This type of thing doesn’t happen every year.
Michael Dean Perry had a hamburger named for him back in 1994. Who could’ve predicted it would be 13 YEARS before another Cleveland athlete was a big enough star to get his own burger?! Of course, it’s not just about star status.
It’s about two all-beef patties.
It’s about lettuce and tomatoes.
It’s about two sesame seed-encrusted buns.
McDonald’s even created a special sauce specifically for this sandwich, called “Global Dijon.” Cavs fans need to understand they have something very special in the McBron. It’s unique only going to be around a short while.
Fans also need to realize they have to put the sandwich in their mouths and chew it and then swallow. That’s how you truly relish a sandwich.
At $6.99, the price may seem a little steep to some. But for those of us who have been waiting years and years to taste a sandwich like this, price is no object. The memories of each delicious bite will be truly priceless.
May 20th, 2007 at 11:32 am
Kevin, come on. The Cavaliers’ route to the Conference Finals was like Rosie Ruiz’s route to the finish line in the Boston Marathon. Everything but Rosie wearing Li Ning shoes.
Who cares what regular season records are? Yeah, yeah, I’m geezer old, as many here have mocked, but it least it gives me, as a fan, real perspective as to how meaningless regular season records are, let alone how many times somebody beat whom or lost to whom during the regular season. Seriously, who cares? When it comes down to facing a team for a series of five or a series seven, it’s a completely different ballgame. Cream rises, turds sink.
The Cavs have, at a minimum, and probably at a maximum, three more years with James. That is how any smart, shrewd general manager must approach the future. Like Pat Riley did with building the Heat’s roster last year. That guy is no dummy, O’Neal’s engine is on borrowed time, so Riley simply went for broke. The gamble paid off. Just one season, but they can always say they won the title.
But now Ferry, with help from his lapdog media friends, will use getting to the Conference Finals as a badge of honor, and Ferry will be able to justify to both himself and to others his complacent behavior. Sorry, Kevin, but I sat through a lot of 49 to 50-something win seasons with the Cavaliers. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me, fool me over 15 times, I’m freakin’ retarded.
May 20th, 2007 at 12:26 pm
There appear to be two different topics of conversation on this board, and I’d like to address both. I’ll start with the one that seems to be more important.
Alan Tucker.
Dude, I appreciate the realist approach, I frequently agree with you, and I frequently get a kick out of your sense of humor. But, you were served with a Shawshank Redemption quote and totally missed it. As such, I’m going to have to join the throngs of people who have nothing but intense hatred for you. You’re dead to me. Sorry.
Secondly… Your Cleveland Cavaliers.
A huge reason the Pistons have been so succesful is that they have compentent guys who’ve been together long enough to learn to play as a team. That’s no secret…. There’s no superstars on that team, yet they’ve had a very respectable amount of success over the last few years. With that in mind, I actually think the cavs might be in a pretty damn good position right now. The roster is very young. Boobie, Sasha, V (Braziller Thriller), Gooden and Lebron will all almost certainly improve over the next few years (well, maybe Gooden’s plateaued). And, if all goes well, they’ll improve together, learning to play as a team. In the meantime, Z, Snow and Hughes can pick up some slack while the young guys learn and improve.
Of course, this is largely excited homer fanboy babble, but really… Looking at what Detroit’s done, what’s so implausible about the aforementioned 5 guys, assuming they stay together long enough to learn to play off each other’s strengths, being a very succesful starting squad in a few years?
As for the state of the Cavs at the moment… all i can really say is de-troit sucks.
May 20th, 2007 at 12:31 pm
CAVS OVER THE PISTONS IN 5 GAMES.
TAKE THAT TO THE BANK LOSERS!!
May 20th, 2007 at 1:07 pm
Shankshaw Redemption? Mike, I may be dead, but since you’re a fan of both time travel and the spiritual, at least lend me the courtesy of acquitting myself with sworn testimony delineating the mitigating circumstances - -
In 1976, when the ABA merged with the NBA, I saw it coming. In 2007, shortly before the playoff seeds were announced, the WNBA merged with the Eastern Conference. Yes, that admittedly threw me for a loop. Guilty as charged.
In light of these cold hard facts, how can you possibly commit assault and battery upon me for not knowing the future? Even legendary soothsaying NBA mavens Dionne Warwick and Miss Cleo were quoted as saying, “What the F*CK?”
May 20th, 2007 at 1:40 pm
Terry Pluto’s Hair, stop lying to me and the readers. I went to McDonald’s, and lo and behold, no LeBron James sandwich!
May 20th, 2007 at 1:52 pm
Art, technically, including his bonus, I believe that Hughes is the Cavaliers’ 13 Million Dollar Man, not 11 Million. But what’s a couple million when all you’ll be able to afford is Steve Blake, anyway.
May 20th, 2007 at 2:43 pm
I’m not really sure what time travel has to do with anything. It couldn’t have been in response to the speculative second half of my post, cause you were dead to me by that point.
The quote you missed was “Remember Alan (Red), hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.” It was a lob over the plate providing you the abiliity to invoke any of Morgan Freeman, Rita Hayworth posters, 3 mile pipes of shit, or prison rape, all comic gold. However, you whiffed with barbecue ribs. This is simply unacceptable.
May 20th, 2007 at 3:30 pm
Mike, I never saw the movie. I’m not going to pretend to see a movie or know anything about it, let alone recognize any of the deep cerebral quotes in it. I didn’t see it in the theater, I never cared enough about it to see it on HBO, I never cared enough about the movie to even glance at it on basic cable. I notice that TNT occasionally airs it, but I absolutely refuse to watch edited movies on basic cable. Which means I’d have to go to Blockbuster or the public libary to rent the original. Forget that!
Bottom line, Mike, if you’re going to disown me or kill me off, then at least have the courtesy and decency to quote something I originally saw in a theater, or on a smaller screen on HBO. I rarely see movies, I don’t have the patience. At the very least, quote me something from the farting scene in “Blazing Saddles,” or something similarly cinematic I can relate to.
May 20th, 2007 at 6:53 pm
Enough from all you theorists. Anything can
happen in a seven game series. Bring on
the games so that either Tucker or Joe Hoops
can go home and cry. Who killed Billy?
August 8th, 2007 at 9:20 pm
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