Wizards 88, Cavs 87
–Let’s get a few things out of the way off the bat. First, tremendous shot by Caron Butler and a tremendous performance. LeBron James was on him pretty good and he didn’t have a great angle, especially with Ben Wallace coming to help, and he got it in there. Although, am I crazy or did someone’s hand who hit the bottom of the the net maybe help wiggle that ball in? No matter, it went it. Second, LeBron drew contract to be sure on his last shot but it was a fair no call. Darius Songalia didn’t jump or even hit him on the upper body, he got off a fair try. Though the scene was a little wild. All the Cavs were standing on the court like they’d heard a whistle and so were some of the Wizards. Then the refs all go to the center of the floor, look at each other for a minute and then walk over to the scorer’s table. Everyone in the arena thinks they are going to review it like the Philly game but, nope, they were just asking for their jackets. It was funny sort of, the whole arena didn’t get it was over until they took the jackets.
–OK, now the Cavs may really, really look back at this one and regret it. Like, depending on how things go, maybe regret it all summer. Up by five points, at home, in a closeout game with the ball and 1:47 left. The offense totally did nothing for three straight possessions. They come out of a timeout and LeBron dribbles the ball for 20 seconds and puts up a terrible 3-pointer. Then LeBron dribbles for awhile and Daniel Gibson puts up an open 3, but not a good 3 in my opinion. And Joe Smith misses a short jumper, but he really didn’t have time because the shot clock was up because…LeBron had spent most of it dribbling. All this despite: 1. The officials were calling lots of fouls (LeBron got to the line 18 times and both teams got there a combined 27 times in the fourth quarte)r. 2. Darius Songalia was covering Zydrunas Ilgauskas with five fouls. Poor coaching and poor decision-making by LeBron. Yes, you are going to live and die with him making plays, but at this point in his career, he must know better. And Mike Brown needs to call something else after it doesn’t work twice.
–The Cavs shot 36 percent tonight and do you want to know how many layups they missed? Now think about it for a moment…form a guess in your head…it’s pretty high…I was actually a little surprised when I counted them up…ready?…how about 15. That’s right 15 missed layups. That’s shots from two feet and less according to the stats folks, which means it doesn’t even count LeBron’s last shot. And, no, I am not counting tip in misses. Some of them were heavily contested but so many weren’t (think Wally Szczerbiak) and it is just hard to overcome that in a game like this.
–Indeed, the Wizards made some shots, but I felt the Cavs played pretty good defense. In the second half, in fact, the Wizards shot just 32 percent. Oh, then again, so did the Cavs. If you hold the Wizards to 87 points, it should be a victory. The Cavs held them to 86 in both Games 1 and 2 and got wins. The Wizards only won nine games this season when they didn’t score 100 points and only three when they didn’t score 90. So while you see a one-point loss, especially when LeBron missed the last shot, it is tempting to say those are the breaks and move on. But this was a Cavs-style game and a game they should’ve won. You must assume the Wizards have another good shooting night in them and it could be Friday.
–I think based on this series it is safe to say that Washington plays better without Gilbert Arenas, at least right now. They move better on offense because he’s not dribbling so much and they are slightly better on defense. Him sitting down might actually help them out.
–So much happened after this, but you have to feel a pivotal moment in the game happened in the third quarter when the Wizards got five shots on one possession. The Cavs were on an 11-0 run at the time and up six points and who knows how big that run would’ve been had that not happened. It was a key turning point, the Wizards ended up going on a run to take the lead by the end of the quarter. By the way, Z only had one defensive rebound tonight. Some of the troubles are on him.
–Don’t think you have seen the last of the hack-a-Ben move. In general, I dislike it no matter who it is. However, in that moment it was quite smart and it forced him off the floor.
Recap:
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
Joe DeRosa, Mike Callahan, James Capers
–Gilbert Arenas decided, apparently on his own, that he’s not playing tonight and not playing again this season. He made the announcement to the media about 70 minutes before game time. Wizards coach Eddie Jordan said it was the first he’d heard of it. So all that can’t exactly thrill him. Apparently Gilbert took a shot before Game 4, which enabled him to go from five minutes to 32 minutes. But he was nervous about taking the shot and my guess is he didn’t feel like doing it again, especially with his free agency coming up. Still, if Jordan honestly didn’t know that had to destabilize the Wizards locker room somewhat. Meanwhile, Gilbert is bouncing around the halls here at Quicken Loans Arena acting as if everything is A-OK.
–That said, the Wizards are used to playing without him and their win in this series came in a game in which he barely played. So it’s not like he is the lifeblood of the team anymore. He hasn’t been scoring much since Game 1 and maybe hurt them on defense at times. So don’t expect Washington to just wave the white flag.
–Sasha Pavlovic will be activated for this game. He took part in practice yesterday on his recovering sprained left ankle. Mike Brown said he likely won’t play.
–The Wizards are making rebounding a big key tonight. But one of the reasons Ben Wallace is getting rebounds — and Anderson Varejao and Joe Smith — is because the Wizards are double-teaming Zydrunas Ilgauskas and LeBron James at times and it is freeing up the weakside for rebounds. That and the Cavs are one of the best rebounding teams in the league, including the best offensive rebounding team. So they’ll have to pick their poison a little on that tonight, they had done a good job of slowing down Z over the last few games.
Halftime — Wizards 45, Cavs 43
–The Cavs are fortunate to only be down two points at this juncture. Had the Wizards not committed at least five unforced turnovers the disparity would be greater. Otherwise, the Wizards have played with a higher execution level. They are more active driving and kicking the ball on offensive, which has gotten them a bunch of open shots. Stevenson has taken the most advantage.
–LeBron is not having a good offensive game, largely due to decision making. The Wizards are not doubling him as much on the outside but are doubling him on his drives and it has confused him a bit. It has kept him away from the basket and he’s mostly settled for 3-pointers, which is the weakest part of his game. The Cavs are going to have to make some adjustments and he’s going to have to find a better way to attack.
–Wally Szczerbiak was terrible in his time in the game. Caron Butler scored 11 points on him and he committed three turnovers. However, Butler is really just making jumpers. In fact, in general, the Wizards have just shot jumpers well.
–As for the latest little dustup from the first quarter, I am still not sure what happened. The Wizards said LeBron was pushing Darius Songalia, but even if he was, Songalia hit him in the head. So I am not sure why it was a technical and not another flagrant, maybe because it was after the play. Just another reason for the teams to dislike each other.
–Zydrunas Ilgauskas has saved the Cavs in the first on offense. They have not shot the ball well, except on 3-pointers but Z has victimized Brendan Haywood when playing 1-on-1 and has two putbacks. Perhaps it is something the Wizards are doing, but I don’t understand why there aren’t more pick-and-pops to get Z mid-range jumpers with LeBron over the last few games.
Postgame
Stars
Butler, 32 points, nine rebounds, five assists
Stevenson, 17 points, five rebounds
James, 34 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists
Z, 19 points, six rebounds
Quotes
Eddie Jordan: ” We got a miss for the first time since who knows when. It’s been a (Sasha) Pavlovic make, it’s a Delonte West make, it’s a Daniel Gibson make, it’s a Damon Jones make. Every game it seems like we lose. We finally get a miss.”
LeBron: “There was a lot of contact but I supposed to make that, I’ve made more difficult shots. We can’t rely on me getting a foul at the end of the game. We didn’t execute being up five and I had the ball in my hands for the most part. I’m supposed to put us in the position to do the right thing and I didn’t do that. It’s not like it’s over, we’re up 3-2. As long as I’m on the court, we have a great chance to win. Of course I am still confident.”
Butler: “We heard all the quotes of how the series was over. This team has been through a lot this season, a ton of adversity. We’ve proven all the doubters wrong and this is just another opportunity.
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just an fyi, our fans at the q SUCK!!!
what a joke, lebron and the gang look like a bunch of girls! DRIVE TO THE BASKET YOU BABY!!!
It was a stupid backhanded slap. Either you punch a guy or just keep quiet. I think this is what happens when a team that has no idea how to be physical is instructed to go hard. Just embarrassing. This whole rivalry is so lame.
Lebron is also showboating. That somersault was completely unnecessary.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
I still don’t understand the bright yellow t-shirts.
awful awful officiating…. not necessarily in favor of one team or the other, but just awful and inconsistent.
This might be the worst loss of the LeBron era. Unbelievable. Horribly ugly game. Turnovers, missed shots, no aggressiveness until the second half. They played so poorly I couldn’t even believe it was a close game.
And then, when they had a chance to end it up 87 – 82 with just under 2:00 left, they couldn’t even get one more basket.
Absolutely unbelievable. Now, instead of having several days of extra rest for the Celtics, they’re looking at a 7-game series. (There’s no way they win Game 6.)
This team is so far away from championship-caliber it’s not even funny. Can’t even beat a bunch of thug misfits on your home floor. Absolutely embarrassing.
Go Wiz! See you bums in the Verizon Center for Game 6.
That sukd. We have a 5 point lead, Lebron chucks up a brick, Wizards come down and score a couple times to take the lead, then Lebron misses a layup for the win. Not his best effort. This reminded me of the game we blew against New Jersey when we could have sent them home for the summer.
Looks like we are going 7 games, because I doubt we win in DC. So much for resting up for Boston!!!!!
Major props to the Wizards. They came here and punked the cavs on their home floor. i didn’t get to see the game (at work), but looking at the numbers you can’t expect to win too many playoff games shooting 35%. Since all i have is the box score i can’t tell if the Cavs were just missing shots or if their offense sets were the usual diaster (my guess combination of both). Typical Mike Brown era game. At some point it doesn’t matter how great you play D, you have to put the ball in the hole.
The absolute WORST coached playoff basketball game that I’ve ever seen. And I’ve been following the NBA for 30 years. And it’s not even close. THE WORST COACHED PLAYOFF BASKETBALL GAME THAT I’VE EVER SEEN.
There are high school coaches who could have coached a better game. I’m completely serious.
Maybe next game, Mike Brown can pace the sidelines with his clown suit on. Just so nobody’s fooled.
The Cavs will never win a championship with this mental midget running it’s team. They deserve to lose this series.
Biff – You have to help me wrap my brain around this one. I’m begging you – please! How could those last 90 seconds have gone down like that? Why are we condemned to walk the earth as Cavs fans with a buffoon at the helm? I am confused and frightened!
Thanks in advance,
World
Haywood fouls out – and our next two possessions are threes. I just don’t get it. No one can box out Z, why aren’t we taking it to the hole in those situations.
Coincidentally, Joe Smith misses a 3 footer and Z misses 4 tip ins, but still, if they run similar plays like that on all 3 possessions, we don’t lose that game.
The Cavs have no consistency. I wouldn’t be surprised if they lost this series.
Another point – I hope someone in the Cavs’ organization is man enough to pull LBJ aside and tell him that 3 he took out of the iso was a bad shot. Sometimes I get the impression that everyone from Gilbert on down is so afraid of alienating him that things that need to be said aren’t. That is just my impression. I have no idea what really goes on in the locker room. Even if Brown or someone else did do that, does LeBron have enough respect for them to listen? Look, I know that the reason why the Cavs are even relevant is the fact that he has put this team on his shoulders and carried them. I am not going to LeBron bash. But a bad decision is still a bad decision and someone who has such a high basketball IQ should not take that kind of shot.
absolute garbage.
lebron should donkey punch himself for that loss.
Maybe you should tell our coach that when the other coach makes an adjustment and it’s working, you have to counter it with your own. A freakin’ blind man could see what was going on but dumb*ss Brown insists on running sets that were getting stoned all game. Not to mention that the only big they have fouled out when we were up 5. But no, forget about a post up. We have Lebron. And how about taking someone out when they’re playing poorly? That would be a novel concept.
THE WORST COACHED PLAYOFF GAME THAT I’VE EVER SEEN. It was so spectacular that I still can’t believe what I witnessed.
I’m going to do what I always do after a bad loss. Not read anything cavs-related, stop posting on the message board, avoid the morning paper——-forget it even happened. Life>Sports
Honestly, I think the Cavs really gave it their all out their tonight. LeBron James played an excellent game, and Mike Brown coached the team beautifully. It just wasn’t to be tonight.
I just don’t think LeBron James is good enough to win against a team like the Wizards when they play like this.
Agreed, LeCavalier. Still, as someone a few days warned, this became New Jersey all over again. Why does this team choose the difficult path? Why does Brown begin the LBJ iso-O with SIX MINUTES TO GO!? It’s like watching the Browns try to run the clock out against the Steelers in the third quarter… also, when did Pitino start coaching this team? The amount of threes this team jacks is borderline obscene. Hopefully Game 4 didn’t leave this team with the wrong impression–that they will hit that percentage every time out.
Hondo 17, you’re right with your comments, but I doubt anyone’s going to say that to him. What bothered me more is the thought that he took that shot under the influence of his own emotion, i.e., “I’m sticking this in DeShawn’s face once and for all.” Well, we see where that got us. Game 6.
Much like the Jersey series, I don’t doubt this team can take another from the Wizards on Friday. I’ll send the Hawks the “thank you for prolonging the inevitabe” postcard AFTER the Cavs actually get out of this round. Ridiculous.
Biff! Help! I can’t get my brain around this one!
sfeadgfaewsdfsd
Mike Brown is a great coach. As a public service to the rest of the league, they should sign him to a 7 year contract extension. And then Lebron can bolt with good reason.
i think lebron is sick of the wizards, and sick of the BS. songaila should have been tossed. if you hit someone you should be gone. that is the second time this series he has been punched.
i wouldn’t be taking it strong to the hoop if i was getting punched either.
that was a sickening loss.
How pathetic. That last two minutes is why this team will never be the NBA champ. The 3 that Lebron threw up was terrible, worst shot he has taken all year. I have a very bad feeling about how this series is going to end.
just got back from the game….ok terrible loss. the missed shots especially by wally were inexcusable. how many layups can one team miss? the unforced turnovers every time we seemed to be getting a run started were killer. the officiating was disgusting in general. i dont know how songalia doesnt get tossed for the slap in the face. i understand lebron got fouled on that last shot and that butler got hit a bit too, but butler got hit after his 3 step on an obvious travel. lebrons three was a terrible decision and he took blame for that in the post game interview. i cant tell you how disappointing that loss was….i hope sashas ankle is strong enough come game 7 if there is one or next series, wally is just lookin awful
That was a terrible game but it wasn’t quite as sickening as the game 5 loss to New Jersey last year.
That’s about the best I can say. A total mess over the last 2 minutes. I thought I was a Phoenix Suns fan while that was happening.
One thing this series has shown is LeBron has a little growing up to do. Think about it. His buddy Jay-Z makes a diss track about the Wizards. In Game 4 after Stevenson decked him he started jacking up 3 pointers and hitting maybe one or two. In this game they were up by 5 and again he throws up a 3 to try to stick it to Stevenson. He should drive to the hoop, that is his game. It’s about damn time someone on the team calls him out on it too. Hopefully Cavs win in 7.
Look, this loss can be narrowed down to 2 specific items – poor coaching in the clutch and unforced turnovers.
Specifically, let’s look at the overall game – and who actually contributed something – D West, LBJ, Z. What did Wally World contribute? This stat line – 1-6 from the field, 4 TO’s, 1 steal and 2 boards in 1 and 1/2 quarters (18 minutes). We got ZERO production from our bigs outside of Z (Smith, Wallace, and Sideshow Bob combined to go 2 for 13 with a grand total of 13 boards among them ALL). That will NOT win you ball games. And even Devin Brown had a poor game in his 14 minutes going 1 for 5 with no rebounds and one PF….
Also, Mike Brown has done a good job making game-to-game adjustments but look, Professor – make an in-game change and when you see that Brendan Haywood fouls out and Jamison and Butler are both playing with 4 fouls – GO TO Z!!! Force them to double team our big guy (he did go 8 for 11 you know). Oh, and realize that Washington isn’t going to keep falling for the same left side ball swing of D West to Gibson. That only works if Gibson’s man is either inside (doubling Z or LBJ) or has moved to defend West. To compound the stupidity, trying that play on back to back possessions is a joke.
In summary though – we screwed up pretty royally (not to mention got hurt with that no-call on Songalia both with the punch and the foul on LBJ’s final drive) and still were beat only by 1. So, keep it in perspective and realize that we SHOULD come out better on Friday evening.
ErickRIP or whatever:
If this is the worst coached playoff game you’ve ever seen, you obviously didn’t watch the Mavs in the last couple years. And Avery Johnson was Coach of the Year!
I’ve seen three commentators now agree that there is no foul on the play at the end, and I just can understand it. Just because Songalia has his back turned shouldn’t matter, he’s moving and has to allow Lebron space to land after the shot. Yuck.
Wow after midnight and still no update from BW
The Cavs did not deserve to win this game. We played sloppy, uninspired basketball the first three quarters and then tried to turn it on in the fourth quarter.
It’s almost like the Cavs feel too confident that they will be able to close out the series at home….they did the same thing last year against New Jersey (although they got blown out that game). Hopefully they will come out strong on Friday and pull out a win on the road….just like they did in Game 6 against New Jersey.
I really don’t know why LeBron doesn’t drive the ball the entire game. He takes way too many three pointers. But I don’t know if LeBron is too tired or if his back is in pain. LeBron needed to drive to the basket when we were up by 5 to put the dagger in the Wiz. And considering he was doing fantastic from the free throw line, he had no excuses for not going hard to the rim.
I just hope we don’t look back at this game at the end of the series and say this is the one that got away. I would hate to spend the summer thinking about this loss.
lebron james neds a coach who is going to make him accountable , not kiss his ass . it’s unexcuseable for lebron being a 30% 3 point shoot and taking as many 3s as he did . people can talk all day about lebron’s maturity all they want , but in 2 games his maturity has 2 be brought into question . in game 4 and 5 after recieving hard fouls , lebron pulls for a long 3 on his very next possession after the hard foul . why is a 30% 3 point shooter taking such a crazy shot ? worst of all , who’s going to tell him not to do it ? not a man who sees lebron as an equal and who constantly gushes about him knowing he owes his job ,his house , the car he drives , and the food he eats to lebron james . lebron will be truly unstoppable as a player when he is properly coach , and as long as brown is the coach , lebron will have freedom to do as he pleases .
Some good posts here. I liked what Common Sense Coaching said.
Even if they didn’t go inside to Z, they should have at least taken a shot near the rim so that Z would be there for a tip in.
Nick – I agree that LeBron shoots too many 3s but I’m not sure it’s a maturity thing. When LeBron gets it going from beyond the arc, the defenses have to adjust, and then he absolutely punishes teams inside.
Remember all the forays to the rim in game 5 against the Pistons? Well that only happened because he was also hitting step back 3s and deep jumpers. It’s hard to play sagging defense on the guy when he’s draining 3s.
Also, I noticed about 5 times in that game Boobie was playing on the wing and Delonte in the corner, and the ball swings were going Boobie TO Delonte, and Delonte looked scared to shoot and just kicked it back out, in effect, resetting the offense with 4 seconds left.
Boobie should be in the corner there.
You know who else should be there….
DAMON JONES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m sorry, but I just can’t accept a no call on the last play. Like you said, the refs were calling tons of fouls. It seemed like the Wizards got a call on every possession down the stretch until Butler hit that shot. LeBron drives to the hoop with Stevenson trying to bodycheck him the whole way, and Songaila’s shoulder meets his groin on the shot. It’s kind of ridiculous that LeBron has a reputation for getting calls. Definitely not true, especially down the stretch (remember last season against Detroit in game 2?).
That said, the possession when they were up by 5 and LeBron dribbled and took a three was just horrible. No excuse for that. The team did not rebound well tonight, which was a big help for the Wizards.
Excruciating game to watch, agreed? Not much to add because BW nailed the main points. Poor coaching and bad decisions by Lebron at the end. Both teams were in the penalty with six minutes left. This was a tightly officiated game. Five point lead wih a minute and a half left and the plan is to dribble dribble dribble until you’re forced to jack a desperation three? With Haywood out? Brown is a clueless lackey, there’s no doubt. Can you imagine if we had an offense where Lebron caught the ball off screens and picks and cuts near the hoop? Nobody finishes better than the kid(well except for last night) and he wouldn’t have to work so damn hard to get shots. Him resetting the offense beyond the three point line all the time and having to dribble around three guys, twisting and turning through contact, is just exhausting over the course of a season. It’s like running Earl Campbell 35 times a game straight up the gut. Just a waste.
And obviously Szcerbiak didn’t have it last night. I don’t know, maybe he shouldn’t have played nearly the entire third quarter. Bricks and turnovers and getting torched by Tough Juice probably ought to get someone nailed to the bench after about three minutes.
Varejao is useless queen. It’s not possible to look less athletic than him when he puts his head down and starts to “drive” to the hoop from the foul line. Wild schoolyard shots that barely get backboard. Reggie Miller and Marv Albert laughing…..
Thoughts on the Cavs’ Game 5 loss to the Wizards:
- As has often been the case this season when the Cavs lose a close game they should have won, the blame lies at the feet of LeBron and Mike Brown. LeBron for not making good basketball decisions, and Mike Brown for not having a way to get LeBron refocused. This was a winnable game if not for the terrible execution down the stretch.
- It’s hard to believe that LeBron has become such a fantastic player that criticism is entirely justified even after a 34-10-7 night. But the numbers don’t justify his decision-making down the stretch. And for all of his leadership talk yesterday, he played with no intensity or focus throughout the night, and his team followed suit. It’s like he couldn’t be bothered with the first round of the playoffs anymore.
- No high screen-roll. No LeBron coming off screens into the lane, a play that has killed the Wizards all series. Just LeBron dribbling a hole into the floor. It’s like they didn’t want to show off their good plays, because then the rest of the league might catch on.
- You can talk about Delonte West’s 12-8-5 if you want, but what I saw was a guy who couldn’t keep anyone out of the lane last night. His worst defensive performance in a long time.
- New Cavs = 6-24 from the field. Then again, the “old” Cavs only shot 41%, so it’s not like anyone was very good last night.
- Except Z. Someone explain to me how the Cavs failed to notice that Z was in the zone offensively last night? Only 11 shots, when he was guarded by Songaila down the stretch?
- I’m not sure what is going to happen on Friday. The scary part is that the Cavs could play a really good game and still get beat by a desperate team playing at home in front of a frenzied crowd. They could have avoided that problem by caring even a little bit last night.
Go Cavs. As I’ve said all season, tighten it up!
Mike C.
Brain, when are you going to grow some nads and start calling out Brown? You’re gutless. You’re credibility as a sports writer is suffering.
The Cavs played terrible and Butler was tossing in all kinds of crazy shots, yet the Cavs would have won fairly easily if they had hit just half of those missed layups.
Washington is not a very good team and I can’t see how Eddie Jordan is regarded as a good coach.
And how many times does LeBron have to get hit in the head early in the game before people start questioning Jordan’s pre-game motivational tactics? Maybe it’s just coincidence.
Unusual not having to read, “The refs stole the game!” 86 times. Only a few posts so far. Yep, Butler got away with a travel, but James also got away with his usual 12 extra steps on his last drive, and that was before any supposed foul.
And I don’t get it. The same people who praise Brown for being a smart playoff coach turn around and say he’s an idiot. Make up your minds.
They’ll still beat Washington, and then get clocked by Boston in 6.
I also think it’s hilarious that pompous NBA honchos Stu Jackson and David Stern fine guys for making those gang signals. What a joke. Half the guys in the league intentionally try to look like they’re thugs in a prison gang by wearing more ink than that guy in “Prison Break.” Why not make them cover their tattoos.
Hondo17 at 8:19 pm…A great comment. You nailed it. And no. Nobody tells him when he is playing like a chump. Brown has already said that he’s not his boss. Lebron played like a chump. Perimeter Lebron is not the good Lebron.
With that being said, the rest of the team, save Z, sucked monkey nuts. 6 players (66% of the people who played) shot 24%. 10 of 42 for those stiffs. You cannot win playing like that. A combination of perimeter Lebron and stiffs shooting bricks leads to a loss. Those stiffs can’t help it, but Lebron sure as hell can.
Windhorst mentioned Coach Brown above. LeBron took to many jumpers in the first half. TNT put up graphics to show no points in the paint for LeBron. His d was spotty as well. Z was the hot hand and they turned him cold. Wally made one shot I’m betting that Sasha could’ve made 2 shots…
Nick’s right
brian a., i wouldn’t count on sasha being able to make 2 shots. you probably could count on him going to the hoop weak 3 times, getting lost in defensive rotations twice, and ending up with one serious injury.
hey tom , the imaturity in which i was speaking with lebron has to do with him jacking long distance 3s after the hard fouls he was given . he did this in game 4 and 5 . he was not doing that to open up the lane for him on upcoming trips down the court . and for a 30% 3 point shooter , he shoots way too many 3s . and most of those 3s he takes comes after he pounds the ball into the court for 10 seconds . but who’s gonna tell him to stop ?
hey tom , the immaturity in which i was speaking with lebron has to do with him jacking long distance 3s after the hard fouls he was given . he did this in game 4 and 5 . he was not doing that to open up the lane for him on upcoming trips down the court . and for a 30% 3 point shooter , he shoots way too many 3s . and most of those 3s he takes comes after he pounds the ball into the court for 10 seconds . but who’s gonna tell him to stop ?
LeBron and some of you fans have to learn that you cannot get to the rim every time you want to, even if you’re LeBron. Until he develops some type of mid-range game he is never going to be able to take over fourth quarters like he should. Just think if on that last play he had put the brakes on and floated a 10-footer in there. The 3 Wizards guarding him would have been falling over each other on their way to the basket.
Jordan killed everyone for years by using his great driving ability to setup jumpers from close range. I know LeBron is great and he has carried this team, but if your only two options are a three pointer or a lay-up/dunk, you are a limited offensive player.
But, nickcanton, there are plenty of games where he has had that mid range game. Last night was not one of them. But, Lebron came out from the start of the game as perimeter Lebron. It was his plan. It’s not a good plan. One other thing when doing the inevitable Jordan comparisons, one thing stands out. There were no zones in Jordan’s day. Jordan saw single teaming more often than James for that reason alone (he was still doubled a ton). Never mind the fact that Jordan’s teammates were a lot better than James’ teammates thus commanding more attention. This is not to say that James is better than Jordan in his prime. Hardly. It’s just to point out the hole that James is in.
Anyone who claims that LeBron “can’t take over fourth quarters” has lost all credibility right there. LeBron lead the league in 4th Quarter scoring at 9.1 points (Kobe and D-Wade tied for second…with 7.8 points) and was 3rd in 4th Quarter assists this season. All he has done is control the 4th Quarter. One bad quarter does not change that.
Still, it was a pretty bad 4th Quarter. And an atrocious last 2 minutes.