Cavs get a heat check
Posted January 25th, 2008 by Brian Windhorst
Suns 110, Cavs 108
–There’s two ways to look at this game. The Cavs got totally outplayed in the second half. They let a soft defensive team with no basket defender be more physical than them and take them out of their rhythm. They regressed on offense in the second half to last year with LeBron just dribbling and hoping for something to develop. Then there’s the other way: It took the Suns hitting a record 17 3-pointers just to beat the Cavs by two points and LeBron had two layups fall out of the rim in the fourth. I think both are vaild.
–First half: 20 free throws, 14 assists, Zydrunas Ilgauskas 17 points. Second half: seven free throws, 35 percent shooting, seven assists, Z had four points. This is my point.
–A huge turning pointing in the game was the turnovers in the third quarter. The Cavs had three in the first half and six in the third and it seemed to give the Suns energy and take the Cavs out of what they had been doing. If a few bounces go their way in the fourth, the Cavs could’ve won but the Suns outplayed them down the stretch. LeBron James let Leandro Barbosa and Raja Bell rough him up.
–LeBron was angry about the last play of the game because the design got messed up. He wanted Larry Hughes to throw him the ball no matter what. Also, the Suns had a foul to give and so Daniel Gibson got tackled by Steve Nash but there was no call. Boobie tried to show the contact because a foul before the inbounds would’ve been two shots and it ended up taking him out of the play and he was the second option. That’s why he kicked over the trash can.
–LeBron told me that the wrap on his left knee was for a floor burn, but he seemed to be in a lot of discomfort for just a burn. Maybe he should’ve consulted Chris Jent for how to deal with it.
–I give Mike D’Antoni lots of credit for the winning basket. The Cavs had their offensive team in so not calling a timeout was wise. You had Zydrunas Ilgauskas ending up on Shawn Marion, mismatch that led to the winning points.
Tonight’s recap:
Pregame
Starting lineups
Suns: Steve Nash, Raja Bell, Grant Hill, Shawn Marion, Amare Stoudemire
Cavs: Larry Hughes, Ira Newble, LeBron James, Drew Gooden, Zydrunas Ilgauskas
–You read that right, Ira is starting in place of Sasha Pavlovic. It is mildly surprising but you have to understand two things, Ira will probably only play around 12-15 minutes and Mike Brown is guarding his crafted rotation very carefully. Because he’s a big guard, Newble is a close match to Pavlovic although not the offensive threat. But Mike hasn’t play Ira at guard all season, having him mostly guard power forwards. This is a tough first test.
–The Cavs haven’t beaten the Suns in two seasons largely because they simply don’t have the offense to keep up with them. We’ll see if the great ball movement from the other night carries over, if it does they have a chance. A huge factor will be rebounding, the Cavs will win it but will they do it on the offensive end and prevent the Suns from fastbreaking is the issue.
–This road trip has taken Phoenix to Milwaukee, where they barely won, Minnesota, where they lost, and now here. I think they’d much rather be back in Arizona right now.
Halftime — Cavs 69, Suns 56
–Two major stats to look at: Cavs have 14 more shots and 10 nine more rebounds. Lots of extra possessions. Turnovers, Cavs: 3. Which is why the fastbreak points are: Suns 10, Cavs 9. This is how you beat the Suns. We’ll see if it lasts.
–In the first half a couple times the Suns doubled Zydrunas Ilgauskas and left LeBron 1-on-1. Talk about a dream Cavs scenario. Just tells you how the Suns defend the basket.
–Phoenix can make up leads in no time with their 3-point shooting, but they have to be concerned that they are 9-of-19 from behind the line and still down 13. That’s what happens when you give up 70 points in a half.
–Cavs assistant Mike Malone just got some extra respect from the players. The bench was chirping at Raja Bell for flopping late in the first half. When there was a timeout Bell came over to the bench and starting talking back and, I think, flicked someone off. Malone got up in his face and, I guess, told him to go away. After the timeout, players were lining up to give props to Malone. What can I say, he’s a firey Irishman.
Postgame
Stars
Steve Nash, 26 points, nine assists
Raja Bell, 27 points, four assists
Amare Stoudemire, 22 points, six rebounds
LeBron James, 36 points, seven rebounds
Larry Hughes, 25 points, eight rebounds
Zydrunas Ilgauskas, 21 points, 10 rebounds
Quotes
LeBron: “It was a great game with both teams trying to execute at the end. They just made one more play.”
Mike D’Antoni: “We shot 54 percent, 51 percent from three and needed every bit of it.”
Mike Brown: “They are a smart team, they know how to hold, they know how to grab and they know how to get away with it.”
January 25th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
69 at halftime?
January 25th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
Shannon Brown and Cedric Simmons got called back up to Cleveland right? Are they eligible to play? I was a little surprised not so see them in the box score of the Wizard blowout.
January 25th, 2008 at 10:06 pm
Ok, the 3rd quarter just ended and I need something explained to me.
I think it was Barbosa who took a shot for the Suns that went over the backboard. A whistle was blown, play was stopped. The game clock on the Sportschannel feed showed 32 or so seconds and kept counting down the whole while play was stopped. Cavs inbounded the ball with about 15 seconds to go on the tv clock. The clock NEVER stopped counting down the seconds from the moment the whistle was blow until Hughes went to the line.
Was the in-game stadium clock doing the same thing? Did NOBODY notice this and pt time back on? Is this a new rule I am unaware of that if a ball goes over the backboard, the clock keeps going during the stopped time till the ball is inbounded?
If anyone tivo’d this, please watch it and help me understand what happened because roughly 20 seconds were lost when the ball went out of play until it was inbounded again.
January 25th, 2008 at 10:09 pm
I think he’s calling Stoudemire, “Starbury”
January 25th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
The FSN clock sucks. That’s why half the time the score strip on top just reads “3rd quarter”.
Shannon and Simmons are on the roster and available, but usually put on the inactive list before the game. We have 15 players, but need to pick which 12 can play in advance.
January 25th, 2008 at 10:28 pm
“The Suns do want every call.”
“Worst I’ve seen this year, to be frank.” (referring to the Suns allegedly *wanting* every call)
- Are these guys a joke? It gets tiresome listening to them on every play blaming a ref for a non-call when the Cavs have the ball and then blaming them again on the defensive end for calling a foul on the Cavs. Pot….meet kettle.
And then amusingly, after a replay is shown, taking back their accusations over half the time. Hopefully next year, they get guys who actually annouce games instead of arguing fouls incessantly or making non-sensical interjections.
January 25th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
We outplayed them in every facet of the game - they just don’t miss shots.
January 25th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
I guess shooting is a facet of the game too.
January 25th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
Jim,
You’re right about the game clock. How could so many people fall asleep at the wheel? That 12 seconds is valuable. How about a replay?
January 25th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
Why was Lebron so ticked off at the end? He kicked over the trash can. Was it just because they lost? He said “Dumb A$$ S$$T”. Brian, any news?
January 25th, 2008 at 11:34 pm
why are the cavs so determine not to play shannon brown, can they not use him for trade bait at this time, give him the time and let them show what he could do.
January 25th, 2008 at 11:43 pm
Does anyone whine as much as D’Antoni? Ok, outside of Tim Duncan.
I think his shot selection is poor because he’s tired. i think his lower rebounding numbers since charlotte speak to this. LBJ’s energy level is always shown through his rebounding. He’s logged big minutes when he’s played this year. He carries 250 lbs on that frame. It takes a toll.
It’s a long season…give him a break. Did he play well tonight, No. Get over it. When the playoffs come he won’t settle for anything.
January 26th, 2008 at 12:08 am
Husker Nate, you are a fricken idiot. Go back to Nebraska you frigin hick.
January 26th, 2008 at 12:35 am
I don’t understand why Ferry has ordered Brown not to play Shannon Brown. What is the rationale? Yes, he sucks and one day will be playing in Europe, but he’s nothing but an expiring contract. Bookkeeping in a uniform. Other GMs couldn’t care less if Brown had decapitated his head when he took a chainsaw to his cornrows, they don’t intend to play him anyway. He’s nothing but a contract to make a few numbers work in a deal, so why not play him while he’s still hanging around? Sorry, don’t get it.
January 26th, 2008 at 1:10 am
I’m pissed at Lebron for that loss and I give tons of credit to Larry Hughes. He’s winning me back slowly.
http://www.lecavs.com/2008/01/larry-hughes-cant-do-it-alone.html
January 26th, 2008 at 1:17 am
Brian, you forgot to mention who where the refs for this game. Whoever they were … check there cell phone calls during the break because they called a different game in the third quarter and second half. Either that or Mike Brown needs to do a better job lobbying for calls on behalf of his team. That said, the Suns somehow make some ugly shots. It’s like watching Jiri Welsch shoot 20%, yet he’s dropping some 3’s on your team? Cheers.
January 26th, 2008 at 2:03 am
Somebody is “pissed” at LeBron? The guy is pretty much carrying this sorry squad on his back game in and game out, and you’re “pissed” at him?
Yes, losses are LeBron’s fault. The stiff. Couldn’t score 39 instead of 36. Waive him.
January 26th, 2008 at 2:44 am
Why would you play Shannon Brown when the team has been rolling so well? The guy is explosive offensively, but the most mistake prone player on the team.
Anyone else think Austin Carr’s “Wild Bunch” is the dumbest name for a bench crew ever?
January 26th, 2008 at 9:50 am
I have to second Alan here. “Pissed at Lebron”? What a joke. Yes, he missed a couple point blank shots, but it’s not like he didn’t dominate as usual. They weren’t bad shots, so no reason to be pissed at him. Funny, funny “fans”.
January 26th, 2008 at 9:52 am
I hear the ‘feed Z the ball’ drum starting up again. It’s a bad idea. He in fact is not difficult to guard, which is why he often scores a bunch in one half then disappears in the next half. How many times has he scored 30 in his career? Not many I’ll bet.
January 26th, 2008 at 11:18 am
Alan T., you answered your own question as to why Shannon isn’t getting any burn. The guy is a bust, plays no defense, plays 1-on-1 ball, a DaJuan Wagner minus the rumors of std’s, if you will.
January 26th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
Tough loss. I think that we should keep this team intact this year to see how far we can go. If we do make a trade, I would like to see us get Andre Miller for Gooden and Sasha. We could then start:
Miller
Hughes
James
Marshall (when he comes back)
Z
This way, we could keep our bench rotation the same this year.
January 26th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
Our rotation to the three line was terrible. Also got
into their style in the second half. Need to pound the
ball down low but instead the LBJ dribble and watch. Oh
well I think Phoenix is the best team in the NBA right
now. And that last play did suck. How about a back pick
or somebody moving towards the basket. Larry played
great, he is better without Sasha.
January 26th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Oh and one rant. What is Brown thinking starting
IRA I can,t play today or anyday Newble. He single
handedly bungled the game away in the third quarter.
Gee should I shoot this layup, NAW I,ll pass it to the Suns
for a run out. He has no offensive game whatsoever and
is a complete butterfingers. If he starts on the west coast
he will find a way to make us lose.
January 26th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
I think Mike Brown deserves a bit of credit for this loss –he really missed a golden opportunity with Raja Bell. Bell had 4 fouls early in the 3rd quarter. We should have attacked –sent LeBron at him to draw more fouls.
Instead, Bell finished the game with 4 fouls –he played most of the second half. Meantime, Bell went off in the second half, raining down 3’s over the Cavs. If Bell is in foul trouble he’s on the bench, and those 3’s don’t go down.
January 26th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
hey chuck, “wild bunch”, was the name of my platoon when i was in the army, delta 5-1, that was because we use to do some crazy things, this bench is far from crazy, yes you are right it is a stupid name for a bench, austin carr is an alcoholic and idiot…GRACE AND PEACE, BILLY
January 26th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Why play Shannon Brown before he may leave as a throw-in expiring contract in a deal? Why give you one reason when I can give you three: Because basketball is a game of matchups, the Suns and some other teams run, and Ira Newble sucks even more than Shannon Brown sucks.
With respect to Austin Carr’s really lame nickname for the really lame guys they’ve got sitting around on the plastic chairs, (Ferry, presumably with a straight face, recently was quoted as telling the local pussycat and lapdog media it’s a “deep bench,”), what name would you prefer ‘ol Austin to parrot to the viewing audience?
Me? I kind of like Toastbusters.
January 26th, 2008 at 8:31 pm
Back to the drive and kick…
The Cavs are 9-3 when Boobie gets 10 attempts, he got 8 against the Suns. LeBron taking that 3 was a bad shot. In the 4th he can score, but when he takes the wild shots in the last minute we lose or go to overtime. Z closing out on someone it’s not going to help. No Dwayne Jones. On to L.A.-|
January 27th, 2008 at 12:20 am
Wild Bunch is probably the best name for our bench crew because too many of our nicknames are derivatives. Wild thing and now Wild Bunch— a classic western starring William Holden.
January 27th, 2008 at 2:00 am
Please, can you stop quoting silly meaningless stats? The’yre 9-3 when Gibson gets 10 attempts? So what? Who did they play when they won? Who did they play when they lost? Who else contributed during those games? Who was hurt, who wasn’t hurt on either team? Was it raining or was it snowing? Which glasses was Mike Brown wearing, the brown ones or the auburn ones? I mean, there are so many variables, these kinds of stats are such a freakin’ joke. They mean absolutely nothing.
My personal favorite of all favorite meaningless stats was written several years ago by our blog host, albeit the exact same stat was duly parroted by all the local beat writers, who receive all the same nonsense stats from the Cavs PR media flack and lovingly spit them all back out to the public verbatim. Every beat writer and the Cavs’ screamin’ Reghi-led TV announcing team didn’t hesitate a second. (Tait knows complete BS when he reads it, and was the only guy that refused to bow and didn’t say a single word relative to it.) I don’t recall the precise numerical stat, but they had the comedic gall to parrot the Cavaliers’ absolutely fabulous record for games Ira Newble was given a start.
When I originally read and then heard that line of hilarious crapola, I shattered seven ribs from laughing so hard, and then was forced to have emergency ophthamological surgery to fix the retinas that became detached when my eyes rolled around my head like a Hula Hoop. Indeed, I still have pain and suffering. If it wasn’t for the fact the statute of limitations has already expired, I would sue the Cavs’ pants off, along with every single newspaper within a 300-mile radius that printed it.
The Wild Bunch is still idiotic. A Sam Peckinpah reference? If Carr wants to call 10 stiffs something stupid while also incorporating a William Holden reference with some violent action in the original film, then maybe he should call them Stalag Boobie.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalag_17
January 27th, 2008 at 3:09 am
Gibson’s shooting percentage means something. On a normal night who should get more shots Larry or Boobie? When Boobie takes 9 shots or less we’re 13-9. I’m not a math whiz, but which one is better? The point is the best shooters should get the most shots. Nice try.
January 27th, 2008 at 3:52 am
But what’s that silly stat really have to do with the Cavaliers’ record? By your logic, Brent Barry should be getting 25 shots a game. Otherwise, the Spurs’ record wouldn’t be so mediocre as of late.
Bottom line is if James plays outstanding and a couple of the other statues pick up the remaining slack, they normally win. If James plays even a pinch less than outstanding and the other statues don’t pick up the slack, they normally lose. Gibson could take 50 shots, he could take 5. On a normal night, it doesn’t really matter one iota.
Anyway, the fact is Gibson can’t get off many shots simply because he is poor at creating shots off the dribble and his ballhandling skills stink. He’s like Damon Jones, he pretty much has to be wide-open in order to have any prayer to be effective. As a sidenote, Gibson’s defense has more holes and dark spots than a raisin bagel. Who cares?
January 27th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
hey I like “toastbusters” it’s funny to me, although I am still trying to figure out what is the relations to the bench, hey how about just plain, “THE BENCH THAT SUCKS”, yeah that’s the ticket, ‘THE BENCH THAT SUCKS”, GRACE AND PEACE, BILLY. what are our chances against the lakers today, do we have any prophets, me i think they are going to luck up and win. and as we get close to the tradedeadline ferry will say, hey, “we beat the lakers and almost beat the suns at home, heck i do not need to make a trade, we will stand pat, i got “the bench that sucks”, and we are deep. grace and peace billy.
January 27th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
wild bunch is absolutely awful
February 8th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
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