Cavs 93, Wizards 86
–This was the type of game the Cavs like to play and often win. It was close most of the way and in the fourth quarter it was largely a halfcourt game with lots of bumping and bruising. This is not how every game will go, but some will. Ultimately, the Cavs won because they were at home and they had the best player on the floor. You know, like thousands of playoff games over the years.
–The two baskets LeBron made in the stretch run that basically decided the game were very impressive for a couple of reasons. One, they were started by Daniel Gibson with LeBron coming off a weakside curl screen set by Zydrunas Ilgauskas. By putting LeBron way away from the ball, it makes double teaming and tilting harder. I was all set to give Mike Brown credit for this when after the game he said it was Eric Snow’s idea. Snow, who is already starting his coaching career, brought it up in a coaches meeting earlier this week. At least, that is what we are told. Anyway, it worked. LeBron was just tremendous in that spot, it is a reminder of what all this hype is about. He has proved he can deliver in these times and that value is beyond limits as was proven today.
–Delonte West did an excellent job on Gilbert Arenas late in the game. He really bodied him up, making sure he wanted to drive instead of shoot. Normally this is bad for the Cavs, but because Gilbert’s knee isn’t right it seemed to be an advantage today. Gilbert also said after the game that he was tired late and it did show. The Wizards tried to post him up a few times on West and the Cavs brought double teams, so they were effective defensively.
–Antawn Jamison was tremendous today on the glass with 19 rebounds and really gave it to Ben Wallace, who didn’t play much in the second half. He also had 23 points. But he took and missed lots of open shots, especially in the fourth quarter. The Cavs are going to have to evaluate that matchup, as I said I might try LeBron, because he is getting free on the outside too easy and he will not miss forever. I also thought Caron Butler didn’t look right to me today, he is banged up. Figure both to play better in this series, especially now that the Wizards know the Cavs will be using Wally Szczerbiak on him.
–I said all I needed to say at halftime about LeBron’s antics. The Wizards admitted after the game they were trying to rough him up and it is understood that he’ll want to go back at them. As for the talking — and he did that DeShawn Stevenson hand/face thing or whatever — that is not needed. But he did play tough and there is something to be said for that.
–Zydrunas Ilgauskas was tremendous, especially early in the fourth quarter when LeBron was resting and he led an 8-1 run to get the lead. As for Anderson Varejao, though, someone must speak to him. He rebounded great today and had some good defensive plays, what he is supposed to do. But stop trying to make moves on offense. If he has an open jumper, then fine. If Mike Brown would’ve gone through with my idea from a month ago to fine him for each dribble he takes then you may have driven this out of him by now.
–After the game, both Arenas and DeShawn Stevenson kept their mouths shut. Do not expect that to continue but do expect this to be a very long series with lots of ups and downs for both sides.
Pregame
Starting lineups
Wizards: Antonio Daniels, DeShawn Stevenson, Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison, Brendan Haywood
Cavs: Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak, LeBron James, Ben Wallace, Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Officials
Bob Delaney, Scott Foster, David Jones — This is a very, very strong crew. All three of them act at chiefs during regular season games. Foster and Delaney are no nonsense and are not afraid to set a tone and hit guys with technicals
–LeBron James reaction before the game on his back: “I am ready to play.”
–It is so appropriate that the Cavs are going to use a brand new starting lineup for this game, really sums up the season. It is No. 22 in 83 games and the fifth different lineup they have shown the Wizards. My guess is Wally will get plenty of chances early but if he doesn’t play well he won’t t see time in the second half.
–Mike Brown said several players will rotate on Gilbert Arenas, I think it will be more interesting on who defends Jamison. I believe the Cavs would do very well in this series playing LeBron for stretches at power forward, which would force some match advantages for the Cavs.
–Z is a key play on offense for the Cavs. Haywood has improved, especially on defense. But the Cavs play much better when Z is an option.
–Wallace has brought out the ‘fro for the first time as a Cav. LeBron said the plan all along was to save it for the playoffs.
–Eddie Jordan said the plan is for Arenas to get 25 minutes or so, but if it is close I don’t see him sitting much. Also, Butler has been bothered by a knee injury so we’ll see how effective he is. Knowing them both, I expect them to play hard and play well.
–All the trash talk is a great story line for the media and I have enjoyed writing about it. But we have known these two teams don’t like each other for years, the talk is nothing new. I expect this series to be a long series and the talk will be long forgotten 10 days from now when Games 5 and 6 roll around.
Halftime — Cavs 46, Wizards 46
–Playoff basketball has started. The Cavs and Wizards have been at each other’s throats the entire half. In my opinion, LeBron has been way too involved. He needs to cool down, he is the guy who says he doesn’t need trash talk but he’s been more active than anyone. After getting whacked twice in a row by Andray Blatche, LeBron hit him with an elbow after a foul in a play that I think may be turned into a flagrant foul by the NBA after this game. Then at the end of the half he got a technical foul for jumping up and into Brendan Haywood after he stood over him after an offensive foul. At the end of the half, LeBron also said something to DeShawn Stevenson as he walking off the floor. I believe Antawn Jamison and Z got into it as well. My point is, I just mentioned LeBron way too many times. He is the leader, but he’s got to preach control, that is the way the Cavs play.
–I was watching closely during the scrap at the end of the half, both coaching staffs built walls so that no one came off the bench, which is an automatic suspension. Also, you’ll notice that Ben Wallace was the first guy to come to LeBron’s side during the tussle, other than Mike Brown. I believe you will see more of this in this series.
–As for the half, Gilbert Arenas made a giant impact on the game. He hit four 3-pointers and the Wiz went on an 18-4 run when he came in the game. But overall, the Wiz ran hot and cold on offense. They were at their best when they were running plays to get shots inside for Jamison and Haywood. Otherwise, they took lots of jumpers and they are going to run hot and cold on that front, sometimes they look great and other times they’ll let a team come back from 11 down, as they did.
–For the most part, I thought the Cavs offense was terrible early on. Way too much LeBron on the outside and they shot just 20 percent and had just four points in the paint in the first quarter. They were much better in the second, running some plays for Z (14 points) and for LeBron to get to the hoop. Also, they only have three turnovers, which has been huge to keep the Wizards out of fastbreaks. Still, they have shot just 36 percent and the game is tied.
–Wallace is playing hard and he’s made some good plays, but Jamison is swallowing him up on the glass. He beat him numerous times, also Wallace has not ventured out much to cover him on 3-pointers. This has got to be tightened up.
–Wally Szczerbiak had a strong half, he missed a few open shots but he battled Caron Butler at the defensive end and he made a few baskets and drove strong to the hoop.
–The rebounding was even in the half, that could be huge in the second, especially at the defensive end.
–Haywood, Jamison, and LeBron all have technicals, one more and they’ll be one. May be some baiting going on from both sides. Especially watch Haywood and Z.
–Oh, and buckle up for this finish…and this series.
Postgame
Stars
LeBron, 32 points
Z, 22 points, 11 rebounds
Arenas, 24 points
Jamison, 23 points, 19 rebounds
Quotes
LeBron: “I didn’t get rattled, emotions ran over just a little bit. My play speaks louder than me going out there and pushing somebody and talking trash…We’re not the type of team that talks, but we’re not going to back down either…I was built for this, I am not 6-9, 260 pounds to shoot jumpers all night. I go to the hole, I create contact. Don’t ever think I’m the only one what feels that contact.”
Mike Brown: “He can’t go in there and get hit across the face and not protect himself. He’s got to go in there with attitude…I thought our guys did a nice job of keeping their composure and poise.It was a tough, physical game.”
Arenas: “With a play like LeBron made, he’s hard to stop. There’s really no answer for him. It’s still Game 1 and you have to feel out your opponent.”
Stevenson: “I said what I said. There’s no reason for us to keep talking. The series has already started. They won the first game, we still feel confident and we have to go out there and prove it.”
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Way to stay relevant, kj? Gilbert’s vote just happened, when are we supposed to discuss this, at Christmas? But I’ll tell you what, I am nothing if not compromising. If Modell comes back tomorrow to hijack the Browns to Los Angeles, I’ll be sure to maintain my focus on Game 2.
i’m sorry, tucker in what way is something that happens to seattle, and you yourself admit MIGHT happen to the cavs in 7 years, be relevant to today ESPECIALLY after a game one victory in one of the most anticipated match-ups of the NBA playoffs, at least if the national media are to believed?
it’s CLEARLY not relevant at all and shows your continual cowardice in changing the subject whenever the cavs win and then, if they happen to lose, posting multiple times on all sorts of “reasons” why the cavs suck, blah, blah blah.
you are the definition of a loser…
Great points, Alan T. I was unaware of how Gilbert and the rest of the owners planned on voting. Placing a team in OKC seems like a charity case. A move with only the short-term in mind. After the novelty of having a pro-basketball team, let a lone a pro sports team, wears off then that situation will really bad. There will be a lot of pressure on the Oklahoma City Okies to win immediately because after the year and a half honeymoon moon is over people will NOT go to games to see a loser.
Now, if you’ll excuse me I’m going to re-read Grapes of Wrath…
kj, I think I like you a lot better in one of your other personas, like The Genius. The kj persona is kinda nasty.
Precisely how is it not relevant? It’s relevant even if James has 20 years left on his contract, and the Q won’t have crickets chirping under the seats worse than in the darkest Gund days. At least The Genius would have something to say about the matter, even if it came with a dumb signoff.
In fact, the timing of the playoffs is el stinkaroo, it puts important topics like this in miniscule print, if it’s printed at all. Just a mere days ago, a few people were in this very blog, including some of the rosiest-glassed folks who pledge allegiance to everything Cavaliers-related, ranting about signing some Internet petition for the owners to vote against the Oklahoma City move. So the playoffs have started, and it’s not any less of an important issue?
Precisely why did Gilbert vote the way he did?
IT’S NOT RELEVANT TO A CAVS BLOG BECAUSE THE CAVS FIRST-ROUND PLAYOFF SERIES HAS STARTED, you dolt!
i actually agree that the vote was horrible but every owner voted for it. the only reason gilbert’s vote would be news-worthy enough for windy to comment on it here was if gilbert voted against it!
for you to say “the timing of the playoffs is el stinkaroo, it puts important topics like this in miniscule print” is hilarious and not for just the mis-spelling of “minuscule!” yes, how dare windy talk about an unimportant event like a cavs playoff game when he could be talking about a unanimous vote that will be voted the *same way* every time they vote on it for the next one hundred years!
there’s *nothing* news-worthy about billionaires protecting their own in a league. grow up…besides, like you actually care about the cavs one iota..puhleeze…
Nice allusion. Hopefully this move isn’t approved in the courts. Cleveland fans have felt this kind of pain before.
kj, thank you for correcting my spelling. Golly, what a gaffe!
Oh, and you may want to consult The Genius, kj. Wrong facts. It wasn’t a unanimous vote.
Alan,
Remember me? I bet you $100 that LeBron would re-sign with the Cavs in 2010. I believe we made this bet back in 2005 or 2006. I haven’t posted in (literally) years, but I wanted to let you know that I am still here and that I will make good on my bet should LeBron leave.
I also wanted to say that I agree with others who said that Gilbert’s vote is a non-issue. The vote passed by a 28-2 margin, so Gilbert’s vote did not sway the issue.
Furthermore, how often are relocation requests denied? The Sonics vote passed, as did the Browns’ in ‘95. Recently, the Oilers (from Houston to Tennessee), the Hornets (from Charlotte to New Orleans), Grizzlies (from Vancouver to Memphis), and Expos (from Montreal to Washington) all had relocation requests granted.
This is the norm. I would even be willing to bet another $100 that at least 80% of relocation requests in the past 20 years for the three major professional sports (NFL, NBA, MLB) have been granted.
So, what is your purpose in wanting an answer from Gilbert? His vote was not unique, nor was the issue being voted on.
You can make the argument (which I agree with) that the Sonics owners lied about promising to try and keep the team in Seattle, but with the history of relocation requests I listed above and how successful they are, it might not have mattered what the truth was.
Facts or not, Gilbert and the 28 owners who voted for it are just protecting one of their own. David Stern could block this from happening tomorrow if he wanted to, but he hasnt because he’s scum. That’s the real problem. It’s a league problem. No way should a team be allowed to pull a Carlos Boozer on a whim. The owners just went through the motions.
This issue should be dealt with in the offseason, not during the 1st round of the playoffs. If Alan wants to worry about 7 years down the road, let him. Those of us on this board who are actually Cavs fans can focus on what really matters… the Cavs.
You’re wishy-washy, Josh. You yourself, just several days ago, were going off in this very Cavaliers blog about signing an Internet petition to keep the Sonics in Seattle.
Comaguy, you imbecile. How many times does it have to be said…not every post here that disagrees with you is an alias? Are you that freaking retarded?? Well, rhetorical question as the answer is obviously yes.
Up above, talking about Seattle moving you said “This should not be allowed to be swept under the rug.” Pick up the mantra comaguy and run with it. Run with it far from this blog and far from your momma’s basement. If this is a cause you choose to believe in and fight for, make a statement. Jump up and down elsewhere in the same way you do on this blog and go get noticed. Go fight for Seattle to keep their team because we all know, should your prediction come true and the Cavs bolt for Seattle years from now, you will be more sadder and more lonely than you are today as this blog will cease to exist then to.
It is funny though, Cavs win and you’ll pick on anything else or run away for a coma emergency until the euphoria wears off. Cavs lose and you pounce immediately and often.
Go fight for Seattle dude. You’ve lit the torch, now go bear it. Yes! Seattle has a champion and his name is COMAGUY. Ooh, lets hope a coma doesn’t come up this year and keep him away from this very important task.
Comaguy and Genius are one and the same alias. One pro-Cav so he can feel liked for once in his miserable life. The other guy the most foul, bitter, idiotic, ranting moron anyone would be unfortunate to ever meet.
The guy has no positive thought in his sorry persona. Not one. How sad a life must one lead to be like him day in and day out where the only joy he must get is to come to a blog like this and piss people off on purpose with completely asinine comments. Bravo comaguy, bravo. You continually receive the attention you don’t deserve. Hopefully, it makes you feel like a somebody in that worthless existence of your life.
Rick, in psych terms Alan T. would be diagnosed with a narcisstic personality disorder. This is exemplified by his immature defense mechanism of continually reverting to believing that their is one person against Alan t. who uses a million different aliases. Alan, there are plenty of us on this board who think you’re an imbecile, and complaining about Gilbert’s vote at this point is hilarious. To employ a counterfactual, and since you’re a betting man, I can bet with almost certainty that you would not have even bothered commenting on his vote had the Cavs lost game 1, as you would have had your standard fodder of “Z’s too slow, boatshoes is a moron, lebron’s leaving for new york, marbury is my idol, etc.” Your egocentric viewpoint has created a plethora of posters who are in general completely annoyed with you. But if believing that there is simply one person who spends as much time on this blog as you do and uses various aliases helps you, so be it. I know you may have some tough times coming up in case the Cavs happen to win a round or two and your friend goes into a coma.
I guess it beats kicking the dog.
Thoughts on the Cavs win over the Wizards:
- Great game by LeBron and Z, good game from a handful of other players. But it was the kind of game that reminded everyone that the Cavs, despite all of their problems, are still a good basketball team, and they have the best player on the planet. I’ve been saying this series is over in 5, and nothing about that game changed my mind.
- Make sure to take a look here, http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2008/series?series=wascle, and note the 5 ESPN “experts” who are picking the Wizards. And remember that Steven A. Smith predicted the Wizards would win in 6. I know these guys don’t want to come to Cleveland any more than they have to, but c’mon guys.
- LeBron’s alley-oop was huge. Not just because it was an incredible feat of athleticism, but because it reminded the crowd that they were watching the best player on the planet. The crowd was a little slow getting into the game, and there was serious concern when the Cavs fell down by 11. But a strong finish to the first half, including the alley-oop, the near fight, and Wally’s free throw to tie it up got the crowd back into it, and things were at a fever pitch from then on.
- Speaking of the fight, I don’t know why Windhorst is so against LeBron’s trash talking. Maybe it’s the content. But all the NBA greats were known for their talk. Jordan and Bird talked non-stop, and no one questioned their leadership. If anything, I was more concerned about LeBron quieting the crowd when he was at the free throw line late. Bird used to rile the crowd up at away games, getting them as loud as possible before killing them at the line. LeBron was worried about his home crowd being too loud?
- 10-24 is 41.6%. Jamison shot 43.6% for the whole season. I’d say that a few more 10-24 games are in his future. The 1-8 from 3 might improve, but Arenas isn’t going to make 4-5 every night either. Szczerbiak, West, Varejao, and Devin Brown combined to go 7-30 (23%). While those guys have taken turns wilting in the past, the odds that they can’t make one out of every four for the rest of the series are pretty slim.
- I thought that West had a good game, but only in Cleveland can a guy go 3-10 and be branded a hero. I did like the adjustments that Mike Brown made in the second half, forcing Arenas to go to the hoop rather than allowing him to shoot over the top.
- No wonder Stevenson and Gooden got along, they can watch cartoons together. 3 points in 38 minutes, and he still did a dance after making his only shot of the game? The guy is a clown, and he’s too stupid to realize it. I was disappointed that the fans didn’t boo every time Stevenson got the ball, but the game was just more proof that he isn’t worth getting upset over.
- Here’s hoping the Cavs don’t overlook tonight’s game. Saturday won’t mean much if they slip up tonight. But I’m expecting there’s still enough bad blood to keep the Cavs motivated.
Go Cavs.
Mike C.
I always figured Rick and ttss. are the same dude, appears I was right.
Thoughts on other stuff:
- I feel for the fans of Seattle, but the NBA doesn’t have an anti-trust exemption. If the rest of the owners refused the move, I’m pretty sure that the Sonics owners could bring a suit forcing the move to Oklahoma City. A no vote by the owners wouldn’t change anything, it would just drag out the process.
- On top of that, if the owners rejected the move, they would inherently be reducing the value of their own franchises. There are probably owners who voted to approve the move who wouldn’t mind a Lerner-esque sweetheart deal to move to Seattle in a few years. While the league wants to make sure that all of its franchises are healthy, one of the best ways to ensure long-term health is to allow the teams to be able to change markets if necessary. If Cleveland can’t regain it’s financial footing, why should an owner be forced stay if not enough people can afford the product?
- That Pistons-Sixers game yesterday was great. The Pistons were completely winded trying to keep up with the free-running Sixers, and it caught up to them late in the game. Billups, Prince, Hamilton, all of them had good looks late in the game that they just missed. And I think a lot of that has to do with their legs failing them. The Pistons coasted down the stretch, regularly playing their starters reduced minutes since March, and the lack of conditioning came back to haunt them late in the game yesterday. The point is that everything has its cost, even resting your players for the playoffs.
- Despite Philly’s win, I still wouldn’t pay Andre Iguodala max money.
- If you don’t care about anything but the Cavs victory, that’s great. But there’s no reason to complain about people talking about other NBA happenings. If you don’t want to read it, just skip it, don’t whine about it.
Go Cavs.
Mike C.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080420/SPORTS05/638322478/1005
Brian, for everyone who calls you a homer, just show them this, and ask them if they still think you’re a homer. Can someone punch Tom Knott in the face? Why does he still have a job? He makes Skip Bayless sound rational.
Wow, i want to punch Tom Knott in the nuts.
Like Jordan and Kobe, Lebron thrives off trash talking. The best players often love that extra motivation, and it’s clear it’s having an impact on the Wizards. So, as long as things don’t go out of control, as a Cavs fan I like all this trashtalk. Remember what James did to the Raptors? Or the Blazers? We might get to see that in the postseason against the Wizards.
I don’t think you should even link to Tom Knott’s tripe. He has been spouting the same “LeBron sucks” rhetoric for the last three years. And when he does, I’m sure his hits go up ten-fold. Heck, he’s even getting a TrueHoop link. The best option is to ignore him and he’ll go away when the series is over.
I’m not being wishy-washy… I’m stating facts. What’s done is done, and as it was outlined above, the owners’ votes were essentially meaningless. If Stern wanted the team to stay in Seattle, they’d stay there. Your skull is thicker than Brendan Haywood’s, Alan.
And besides, shouldnt you be faking a coma any day now? The Cavs are doing quite well…
Isn’t Stern the owners’ employee? I think maybe you have it backward, Josh.
What’s done is done is correct, but it was owners like Gilbert who did it in the first place.
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