Bucks 108, Cavs 98
–If the Cavs played the Bucks, say, 15 times a season and not four, Larry Harris might be up for Executive of the Year instead of being out of a job. The Cavs can’t cover Mo Williams or Michael Redd the way they play against them and I’ve seen four or five different guys try at this point. The Bucks averaged about 107 points against the Cavs this season and that is simply never going to work. Williams averaged 26 points and 10 assists, Redd averaged 25 points and made a 30-footer to beat them.
–Despite the matchup issues, the Cavs played lethargically all night. LeBron took a bunch of jumpers and whined about non-calls when he went to the basket. He rebounded well, but this was not his best effort. It is a matter of not bringing it against every opponent.
–It did not help the Cavs that the officials were not allowing any touching on penetration. Sasha Pavlovic was not permitted to breath on Redd. So that makes them tough to guard, but the game was called the same way at both ends. Bucks shot 52 percent, Cavs shot 37. It was amazing it was only a 10-point game.
–Before Anderson Varejao wanted to prove he was a scorer he led the team in field goal percentage. Now, he routinely misses handfuls of shots in a row. He should have a rule. Any time he dribbles, he is not permitted to shoot. Catch-and-shoots or layups only.
–That’s five straight losses on the road, though four of them were on the second night of back-to-backs. Still, at some point, the Cavs are going to have to win on the road in the playoffs.
Recap:
Pregame
Starting lineups
Cavs: Delonte West, Sasha Pavlovic, LeBron James, Anderson Varejao, Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Bucks: Mo Williams, Michael Redd, Desmond Mason, Charlie Villanueva, Andrew Bogut
Officials
Matt Boland, Scott Foster, Courtney Kirkland
–Another case of the Cavs being disadvantaged on rest. They are playing their fourth game of the week and are on a road back-to-back while the Bucks have had four days off. It seemed to me in the locker room before the game that the team seemed tired. The Bucks like to score, so we’ll see if it is a factor.
–Last time the Cavs were here, Williams ate up West in his second game as a Cav. Turnovers and transition defense hurt the Cavs in that game, even though it was Redd that made a 3 at the buzzer to win the game. The Bucks will try the same tactic tonight, we’ll see how the Cavs adjust.
–Ben Wallace is out with a bad back. He had an MRI today that didn’t show any damage. Varejao will start in his place. That may not be a terrible thing, he can guard Villanueva a little better maybe. Joe Smith should get extended minutes off the bench as well.
–With Wisconsin and Marquette playing in the NCAA Tournament today, I don’t think many here in Milwaukee are too interested in this game.
Halftime — Cavs 46, Bucks 46
–Interesting first half to this game. In the first quarter the Cavs looked dead flat, couldn’t begin to deal with the Bucks in transition and gave up 65 percent shooting while making 6-of-24 themselves. Consider this nightmare stat: the Bucks had 24 points in the paint in the first quarter. In the second, the Cavs didn’t allow Milwaukee to get a single fastbreak point and slowing the game down benefitted them greatly as they were able to make a comeback. The Bucks were just 7-of-21 when they had to play halfcourt basketball. The Cavs also had 16 points in the paint in the second quarter, the Bucks had six.
–The bench deserves the credit so far. Damon Jones did a great job settling the team down, Devin Brown led some fastbreaks, Joe Smith was very aggressive around the hoop and Wally Szczerbiak took advantage of his size by getting some post baskets. Wally also had three assists in the second quarter.
–LeBron looked really tired at the outset and started 4-of-12 from the floor. Mike Brown gave him some extra rest before putting him back in, letting him sit for seven minutes in the second quarter. Zydrunas Ilgauskas, though, is looking pretty loose even though he’s not been great on back-to-backs with his back issue.
–The warning in this one would be that Michael Redd has just four shots and four points so far and it surely seems like Mo Williams can turn it on against the Cavs whenever he wants.
Postgame
Stars
Mo Williams, 29 points, 13 assists
Michael Redd, 21 points
LeBron, 29 points, 11 rebounds
Quotes
LeBron: “When these guys get it going it doesn’t matter what you do. They’ve been in a zone against us.”
West: “(Williams) is a very gifted ball-handler and has great quickness. So you have to respect his drive, but he’s got a great pull up game. When he’s at his best, he is tough.”
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Bill Duke on Lebron:
“I’m not his boss, he’s not my boss.”
Read the whole article at http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19417451&BRD=1699&PAG=461&dept_id=46370&rfi=6 and feel free to throw up.
I AM THE GREAT ALAN TUCKER DAMMIT!!!!!And do not forget it, I AM ALAN TUCKER DAMMIT!!!!!!!!!!!
simply put I AM ALAN TUCKER DAMMIT, THATS ALAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN TUUUUUUUUUUUUUCKER DAAAAAAAAAAAAAMIT!!!!!!!! BELIEVE DAT.
yes that is me ALAN TUCKER!!!!! I AM SMART AND FUNNY, AND DO NOT FORGET THAT DAMMIT!!!!! OH YEAH I AM CYNICAL……
Chuck,
I’m glad you liked the post(s). I actually looked the information up for the Cavs, and it was tedious. I went to ESPN.com and I checked every game on the Cavs schedule, and then I also checked the record for all the Cavs opponents.
I did run a check this morning on home team winning percentages league-wide, again using espn.com.
Having said that, in late February, I also checked the back-to-back records of every Eastern Conference team, but I didn’t check each team’s opponents’ records, nor did I check home and aways for each team. (Just the Cavs.) I did run through a couple teams, and I didn’t find anything approaching that kind of disparity.
Larry, I completely agree that establishing consistency and setting a rotation is going to be a key for the Cavs if they are to make a run. Right now, it feels like one of those years when everything is a struggle, and I have my doubts.
Gosh, I’m glad that Brown has clarified that James is not his boss. But what about Snow? Is Eric Snow the boss of Brown? Is Ira Newble the boss of Paul Silas? These are deeply disturbing questions we must ponder.
Going back to the East vs West debate, people tend to forget that the entire NBA has approximately 75% of the same schedule. Remember, each team plays each other twice (home and away). With 32 teams, that is 62 games that are exactly the same.
The remaining 20 games, I will grant you provide a little more of a baramoter but when that is only a quarter of your season, it is no nearly enough to say the West is much better then the east. They simply have more depth.
Exactly, No Name. The West has more depth and thus is better overall than the East, but not as much as the simple folk like to make it out. That nuance trips them up.
I thought only like 50 games were the same.
I got a chuckle out of this site. But does Gloria James really require courtside seats? If LeBron is as humble and wonderful as Terry Pluto says he is, then it seems to me that he’d make it a priority to earmark most of those donations to reinforce the glass in the backseats of Manhattan’s police cars. http://nycforlebron.com/
To Terry Pluto’s hair… Why is Finnan’s piece so hard to believe? Do you have inside information that contradicts that sentiment? What do you know that everyone else doesnt?
Riddle me those…
Haha, Alan… I wonder what NY will do to Ike Thomas and James Dolan when LeBron resigns with Cleveland again. Cut them up into little pieces? Tar and feather them? Tie them to a cross and burn them alive? It’ll be good theater, whatever the case.
On a more serious note… New York should be ashamed. Raise some money to fight disease, poverty, or the collapse of the Yankees. Quit being a laughingstock, New York. Actually, nevermind, keep it up.
Josh…
I never said Finnan’s article was hard to believe. I just think it’s nauseating to see the coach say “I’m not his boss” about one of his players.
Look, we all know that if Lebron wants to fire the coach, it’ll take Ferry approximately 1.6 seconds to have Bill Duke escorted from the building.
But a coach has to have some backbone. I think he needs to have control of the huddle. I think the players need to respect his decisions in practice and in the games. The article is just one more piece of evidence that this type of respect does not exist between Coach Duke and his team.
When Terry Pluto & Co. gush about how Lebron has “bought into” Mike Brown’s system, I laugh. I think Lebron’s bought into his own system. I’m just one more voice echoing Biff’s lament that the “inmates are running the asylum.”
It’s the NBA man, the inmates have ALWAYS run the asylum. You act like Cleveland is the only place that stuff goes on. Look around the league! If Kobe or Dwight Howard would decide they dont feel like responding to their coach, the Zenmaster and Ron Jeremy would be out the door too. It’s very simple, people dont go to games to watch Mike Brown coach. The seats are filled to see LeBron work his magic. That’s the ultimate leverage, and there’s nothing any amount of Biff “lamenting” that will change it, so why bother with it?
I think LeBron HAS bought into Brown’s system. Mike Brown has said many times that LeBron could be a better defender, so what does LeBron do but take his defense to another level this year, guarding Kobe Bryant and every other premier wing player the Cavs have faced, and doing quite well.
Fact of the matter is, if LeBron hasnt bought into Mike’s system, the very scenario you outlined will come true at the end of the season. Gilbert isnt spending all this money on new facilities and lavish locker rooms to keep his coach and GM in town. LeBron holds all the cards, and that’s just the way it is when you have a superstar on your team. Would you rather we didnt?
Terry Pluto’s Hair is right. What self-respecting coach says, “I’m not his boss” to a local fawning sportswriter. How can players respect any guy that is actually dopey enough to say that out loud? The outrageous fact the Cavs didn’t suspend Damon Jones and Ira Newble when they refused to come into a game says it all – - even Ferry doesn’t believe Mike Brown is LeBron’s boss, let alone anybody else’s boss. Seriously, did the CIA kill Brown and secretly replace him with a much darker John Lucas?
Somehow, someway I think if Mike Brown had said “I am his boss” to any local sportswriter, fawning or not, our beloved comaguy would have complained and argued about that as well.
Comaguy, just face it – anything, ANYTHING at all, that gets said on this blog about the Cavs players, executives, coaches, owner, etc , you will be an idiot in your retorts regarding it. See, people on this blog – when they have a dissenting opinion, they will talk about it in basketball terms. You on the other hand, make asanine references, personally attack Brown, Windhorst, Lebron, Gilbert, Ferry, and whoever else and sit in your momma’s basement thinking you’re a genius for having said it. And you do this on every blog you visit throughout the day?? Wow, just wow. You’ll harp on something that happened months or years and NEVER LET IT GO. Move on comaguy, find something/someone else to nitpick and be belligerent about please.
The next coma emergency could be less than 2 months away. Let’s just hope this one takes you with it because when you post something here, it just takes all the interest away from all the other posts.
- Bringing up the Damon Jones/Ira Newble argument again is waste of words. That situation was perfectly handled. There hasn’t been a single incident since then, and both Jones and Newble have contributed significantly when called upon. I think the way that was handled demonstrates Mike Brown’s biggest strength as a coach. He is able to get quite a bit of effort out of young, well-paid, egotistical athletes who are mired in the cold, snowy city of Cleveland. You can’t coach NBA players with a Bob Knight mentality. That may be unfortunate, but it’s true.
Come on, Mike C, that Jones/Newble thing was terribly handled. What do you mean there hasn’t been a single incident since then? Isn’t that kind of silly? I mean, how much of a Pacman Jones do you have to be just to refuse to come into a game once during an entire career, let alone a season? I don’t care if Ferry didn’t want to devalue poor trade assets even more by publicly trashing a couple of lowlife punks, but there should have been very public suspensions, without pay, just to make it perfectly clear that Brown is the boss. It’s no wonder that Brown publicly weaved the “we’re partners, I’m not his boss” tact, because Ferry himself has established that Brown is not the boss.
So I agree with Terry Pluto’s Hair, James didn’t buy into Mike Brown’s system, James bought into James’ system. If James ever gets hurt, the monkeys will take over the zoo. No respect. Poor Mike Brown will have players throwing their feces at him. Next on FOX, “Planet of the Apes: The Bill Duke Chronicles.”
What was the point of this last post of yours comaguy?
Mike C. is absolutely correct. There has not been a single incident since then.
Perhaps with adults, you talk to them behind the scenes, not make a public spectacle of it and get folks to play within the system and as a team. Damon Jones has been nothing but a team player these last few months. He looks glad to be here, and is fun to watch when he plays.
Perhaps in a comaguys world, you make public spectacles, make an ass of yourself, criticize and complain about things just to hear yourself speak, show how foolish and uneducated you are, throw out references that have nothing to do with anything just to make yourself believe you’re being witty and clever, and when all else fails, blame a coma for your inability to appreciate a successful playoff run for what it was.
James has been hurt this year. Perhaps when that happened, you started throwing feces at your walls and at your momma but I didn’t see any monkey type behavior on the Cavs when he got hurt. I think you’re mis-remembering what happened when he was out for a while. Your Pacman reference has nothing to do with anything…next time just don’t post.
Snap out of it comaguy! You live to complain about the Cavs. That is all you ever do. Last year when they had a great deal of success, your life was on the brink so you disappeared and blamed it on a coma. When they lost to the Spurs, you came back from your life/death situation and live to complain about the Cavs again. Hopefully, they can put you out of your misery this year once and for all. Not likely but one has to have hope.
Rick, does stalking my coma-laden body pay your rent? Please let me know, so I can start stalking myself. My property taxes are going up again.
Loved your last paragraph, as if trying to add background will add legitimacy to the bile you’re unloading upon the world’s bandwidth.
Regardless, if I’m an idiot by saying Brown really is a limp figurehead, as further evidenced by that outrageous video of Ferry publicly humiliating Brown at that Pistons playoff game, then I suppose Terry Pluto’s Hair is an idiot, too. Bad Terry Pluto’s Hair! Bad! Bad Hair!
Again, it is much easier to be the dissenting opinion because the odds are in your favor. I just hope the Cavs win a title soon, because nothing Alan says is orginal or fresh anymore. The one-trick pony continues to drop the same piles of manure about Mike Brown, Ferry, and LeBron’s beard. It’s old and it’s stale.
I’m intrigued by the next frontier of cynicism and hatred… how to reconcile the state of being completely wrong on every post he’s ever put on Windy’s board when LeBron and co get their first ring, under Mike Brown’s guidance, and with Ferry sitting in his louge sipping a Sprite. I guess it’ll be on to the NBA draft and ripping on the 18-20 year olds the Cavs decide to select.
Alan, Ira Newble is GONE. Damon Jones has been playing great basketball for 2 months now and hasnt said boo-peep about wanting out. And have you ever considered what would happen if Mike Brown dropped a bombshell like “LeBron knows who the boss is”? It would have run all over the country, Skip Bayless would have peed himself on national TV, and Stephen A Smith would have had a coronary, with only Jalen Rose to resuscitate him.
Phil Jackson is not Kobe’s “boss”, Stan Van Jeremy is not Dwight Howard’s “boss”, etc etc. In the NBA, the players are the BOSS, and that’s just the way it is. Maybe someday when you’re an NBA coach, you can run the show your way.
No sir comaguy. As if you already didn’t know, you are an idiot for your long-winded, incessant diatribes against everything Cavs related, from ownership, to coaches, to players, to fans wanting to support the team, to writers and so on. Your posts against them are so full of hatred and negativism, to the extent you pull absolutely meaningless metaphors to describe things that aren’t even relevant. Do you stay up at night thinking of these things only to make yourself think you’re a witty imbecile? Just a suggestion but if the Cavs cause this much pain to you, cause you to have such hateful and negative thoughts, it might be time to make that coma a permanent one and stay off this board. Stop watching the team. Go see the sun. Get a hooker, male if you prefer. Visit graves of coma victims the world over just to have a worthy cause. I guarantee these millionaires that you rant against constantly don’t care one bit what one peon such as yourself thinks. They’ll go back to their nice, easy comfortable lives at the end of the day while you stew over how the Cavs only won a game by 3 but should have won by 6 and come up with your next Pacman Jones or Count Chocula reference.
Lots of people come here and post negative things but they don’t do it in the spiteful way you do. I mean, if you hate everything about THIS team so much, how were you during the real dark years? These are good times compared to that. How did you manage to stay a fan if you can really call yourself one thru all those 20 win seasons? This Cavs team isn’t perfect, they have lots of issues, they are cringe worthy to watch at times and lots can be done to improve them. But they are who they are…enjoy Lebron instead of complaining that he doesn’t do enough charity work. You know, he does more charity work in one day than you’ve done in your lifetime I bet. Look at yourself first before you bad-mouth him or the others on the team for things not even related to basketball, which is what we watch them for. You rip him for not being more like that other idiot Marbury – what is your problem man. If we had Marbury, you’d be ripping him for something but because he isn’t a Cav, you have to go out of your way to praise him. You just have an unreal need to find everything wrong in every way with this team and that act is old. It was old the first time I came across it and it hasn’t even been a year yet.
I don’t mind the negativity around this team. I see the same things everyone else does in what is wrong but there are lots of positives too. You’re just the type of person that if we had an all-star at every position and on the bench, won 80% of our games, were way under the salary cap, and so on, you would still find things to bitch and moan about just to make yourself feel important on these boards. Jeez, it’s a small blog for a basketball team in a mid-market and the great majority of us appreciate it for what it is. Nothing more, nothing less. Get over yourself, get over your spite and hatred and if you can’t do that in a civil and decent way, then just stay off the boards. A simple request really.
Josh, I have to disagree.
Lebron James has bought into his own system. Sure, he sometimes guards the opponent’s best player at the end of a game. But I’ve also watched him leave his man in search of an easy rebound, only to see the ball get swung back around to that same player for an easy bucket. I believe his defense has improved, but he hasn’t been elected Defensive Player of the Year yet, either.
Also, at the end of a close game, when Lebron decides to dribble out the clock and then chuck a fade-away 3 pointer that misses by half a mile, I am disgusted. Because we all know that Mike Brown drew up a play and James decided to disregard it and take a poor shot. That’s an example of him buying into his own system.
I know the (talented) inmates are running the asylum in the NBA. But no self-respecting coach admits that in the local papers. And if Mike Brown isn’t calling the plays at the end of the game, then who is? I don’t care how great a player is, someone needs to be in charge. Otherwise, why even have coaches or general managers?
Wow, naive much? Let me get this straight, so I’ve got it down pat.
#1: LeBron is SO good and has set the bar SO high, morons on message boards actually have the nerve to say “I believe his defense has improved, but he hasn’t been elected Defensive Player of the Year yet”. Jaw-dropping. I guess shutting down Kobe Bryant twice this season was easy??
That’s like saying, “Yeah, Tiger Woods won 5 professional golf tournaments, but he hasnt done it with his right arm tied behind his back”.
#2: If there is another player on this team you want shooting the ball with the game on the line, I’m all about suggestions. LeBron takes shots to win games, but he also passes, draws fouls, basically does all the things great players do to win ballgames. Depends on the situation.
#3: You would rather have a coach who is a) completely in denial or b) a bold faced liar. Mike Brown is no fool, no matter what the nerdy glasses indicate. He is intelligent, he is a bright young NBA coach, and most of all, he knows how to handle the media. Mike Brown is the perfect coach for this team. Larry Brown would have LeBron packing his bags for anywhere else by now. We dont need a micromanager, we need a player’s coach, and that’s Mike Brown to a T.
I’ll ask the question again… What would happen if Mike Brown dropped a line in the paper or on the radio saying something like “I am LeBron’s boss”??? You never answered that question, but I think you know the answer. It would be taken out of context, it would be blown up all over the universe, and Mike would take incredible heat for it. Not to mention what LeBron might think, and if you care about the Cleveland Cavaliers, you care DEEPLY what LeBron James thinks. Why does that bother all of you? Too old? Too ignorant? I’m baffled. Give the kid his due.
GET A CLUE, my dear Windy clones, and quit this petty garbage about ‘who’s the boss’. Come playoff time, none of this will matter, because we have the best player in the NBA, and his supporting cast is improving. We SHOULD have beaten the best team in the West (if not all of basketball) tonight, without 3 guys!!
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