Cavs take their licking, will they keep ticking?
Celtics 89, Cavs 73
–The Cavs now have some serious regret about Game 1, that turned out to be their chance to steal one. The Celtics blow teams out at home, they have done it all year and they will continue to do it as long as they advance in the playoffs. This game had all the markings of one of their typical blowouts. This series is far from over, but the trends obvious do not favor a drastic turnaround. However, I would advise you to limit your frustration from this game and not to rule the Cavs out yet. But they have a lot of work to do.
–The Celtics defense is excellent and very sound, they don’t make many mistakes. The reason for this is they have athletic and generally intelligent players. Even Kendrick Perkins does what he is supposed to do. They are very good when they can set up and they are good defending the pick and roll because they bring in their athletic big men to form a back line. With LeBron they are allowing him to come around the screen (as in not trapping him unless he’s way out on the perimeter) and then the big is guiding him to the baseline so he can’t turn the corner and create a scoring angle. They are also extending their arms outward instead of upward to take away passing lanes. None of this is unheard of. Again, though, I do not understand why the Cavs continue to play into this strength by running the same pick-and-rolls. I asked LeBron this after the game and he said that pick-and-rolls are 85 percent of the offense. OK, but not from the exact same spot on the floor. Anyway, adjustment time for Mike Brown. Didn’t work so well from Game 1 to Game 2.
–In the first quarter, Zydrunas Ilgauskas made five shots and four of them came off passes with assists (as opposed to straight post ups). This is a result of ball movement. Guess how many more he got in the game? One. An example, again, of the Cavs offense getting stuck in a rut. But I’m not going to rehash old discussions.
–It is still not clear what happened to Ben Wallace. He said he started having an allergy attack and then he got dizzy about three minutes into the game. He said he thought some of the smoke from the pregame fireworks contributed to it. When it got bad, he just committed a foul and walked over to the Cavs’ bench with a wild look in his eyes. Everyone on the bench got up and it was a chaotic scene for a few moments, LeBron came over while the game was going on to ask what was happening and so many players were standing up around him that the bench was pouring onto the court. First the Cavs said he had vertigo and was not coming back, then they said he was. He warmed up for the second half and didn’t seem to be unsteady on his feet but he went back to the locker room and did not play. He’s going to get some tests in the morning.
Here’s what he said: “It was like a tough headache, my head was spinning, I couldn’t really turn my head up or down…I got light headed, my head started spinning, there was smoke in the first quarter. You cant play basketball with your head spinning like that.”
–Anderson Varejao is now 8-of-32 from the field in the postseason. Last year he was a great pick and roll partner with James because he was great finishing at the rim, it was a weapon the Cavs needed. Right now he’s an offensive disaster across the board. I understand his season took a turn when he stepped on Sasha Vujicic’s ankle on that afternoon in L.A. I believe that ankle is still not right. But how do you explain his offensive breakdown. I cannot.
–Brown is going to have to make some personnel adjustments in my opinion. I believe Devin Brown needs to play, as I have written several times. Also, Daniel Gibson and Delonte West are a combined 5-of-23 and 1-of-8 on 3-pointers. If they do not get it going soon, I would consider Damon Jones. Mike has abandoned him because of defensive issue, but the Cavs offense needs 3-point shooting so badly to be successful. Though I doubt it will happen. Not that these really will turn the tide, LeBron needs to return to form for there to be any chance.
Recap:
Pregame
Starting lineup
Cavs: Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak, LeBron James, Ben Wallace, Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Celtics: Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Kedrick Perkins
Officials
Derrick Stafford, Joey Crawford, Bill Spooner
–LeBron was named first team All-NBA today. He got 117 out of 127 votes first team votes. You’d have to wonder which 10 people thought he wasn’t one of the top five players in the league, but whatever. He was first team two years ago and got all 127 votes then. Last year, though, he slipped to second team. He is the first Cav ever to be named to the first team twice. Mark Price is the only other player to make the All-NBA team.
–Expect the Cavs to attempt to move the ball more from side-to-side in this game. It was too easy for the Celtics to set up on half the floor. But the real point is there can’t be so much dribbling, from LeBron especially. You have to make the Celtics move on defense, otherwise they’ll shut you down.
–I expect the Celtics to reallt try to get Ray Allen going and early. I also expect the Cavs to look to double team Garnett more when he’s got the ball in the post, which would open things up for Allen. Him getting just four shots in Game 1 was as surprising as him not scoring.
–Mike Brown said he was happy with the way Sasha Pavlovic played at both ends in Game 1, so he’ll see more time tonight. I guess that is bad news for Devin Brown, who I honestly believe helps the team because he actually runs the offense all the time. But there is only so much room and Mike believes in Wally, too.
–Cavs are going back to their blue uniforms tonight, for whatever that means. They were 2-1 in the reds.
–Game 1 was a defensive struggle and all that, but the teams combined for more than 40 turnovers which made it sloppy. I figure those will drop tonight and it will become a cleaner and higher scoring game from that perspective alone.
Halftime — Celtics 44, Cavs 36
–Total failure in the second quarter at both ends of the floor. The Cavs made two baskets in the period, going 2-of-17. The Celtics are playing strong defense and they are really swarming in the paint. But the Cavs are making it easier by not moving the ball. Dribbling and waiting for picks does not work against the Celtics, I am not sure why it is taking the Cavs so long to figure this out. They had eight assists in the first half and most of them were passes to Zydrunas Ilgauskas, passes that made the defense move. Also, LeBron has lost faith in his outside shot right now and he’s turning tenative. At the end of the quarter he started attacking more and got to the foul line.
–The Celtics bench was fantastic in the first half, especially Sam Cassell and Leon Powe. The bench points are 26-3. Ball game right there. Also, I though Mike Brown made a strange choice when he kept LeBron in to start the second quarter. This meant he had to take him and Ilgauskas out for a spell and it resulting the beginning of the offensive woes. Again, I might suggest Devin Brown. He is not a great scorer but he moves the ball and he gets junk points, which is what the Cavs could use right now.
–The Cavs have no fastbreak points and just four second chance points. The reason is because the sluggish offense is allowing the Celtics to get settled in the paint and box out. When they are moving more they can’t get rebounding position.
–It is not clear to me what is going on with Ben Wallace. We were told he was suffering from dizziness and that he would not return. They we were told he was going to come back but he has not. Neither Joe Smith nor Anderson Varejao is playing well. I do not understand why Andy feels he must dribble, I just don’t. He got a rebound and decided he needed to dribble.
Postgame
Stars
Pierce, 19 points, six rebounds
Garnett, 13 points, 12 rebounds
Leon Powe, 11 points, seven rebounds
Z, 19 points, five rebounds
Quotes:
LeBron: “I think defensively they’re very, very aggressive; they’re very good. I’m just missing the shots that I normally make. They haven’t fallen in this building the last two games. The layups that usually go down for me are just jumping out of the rim. The jumpers that I usually make are not going down for me. So I’m going to stay positive and get my way through.”
Mike Brown: “I will go back and watch the tapes. But I thought LeBron James had some good shots, good looks that he has hit before, and he got to the rim a couple times but the ball just rolled out. We will watch tape, but some of our looks were pretty good looks, you need to give the Celtics credit- they are a great defensive team, and they stay aggressive the whole game, and we need to stay aggressive the whole game. If LeBron is open, I want him to shoot. From inside the 3 point line or from outside, he needs to step in and knock it down, he has done it plenty of times before.”
Doc Rivers: “You know, LeBron is missing some shots he could make and we understand that. We understand also like I was saying before that game that he is going to get shots and it’s the defense that we are going to want to play and he’s going to make those shots. What we can’t do is overreact to that. We have to just stay solid and trust even if he gets it going. This is what we want to do, this is what we want to try at least to force him to play in. If we force him to make those shots.”
May 8th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
BW going out does not look good at all.
looked like his back was really screwed. actually, it looked like he got stabbed. either way, not good.
cavs look good so far.
May 8th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
oh!
BW if you read this - what do the cavs think about what doc rivers says during his “wired” bits that are shown on espn?
during the last game he said no one but lebron can run with them.
during the beginning of this game he said “we can’t give this team easy baskets, they struggle scoring on our defense, it’s a crime to give them easy baskets.”
odd because generally coaches don’t give bulletin board fodder about the other teams in their pre-game or halftime speeches that are “wired.”
also, bw is dizzy? weird.
May 8th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
I can’t believe we actually went a few minutes without both LeBron and Z on the floor. That can’t happen. Our team is bad enough with LeBron on the bench, but when you put Z next to him, our offense can’t score on a high school team.
May 8th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
Looks like Wallace is going to be OK.
I don’t have a problem with what Rivers said in the pregame. He has a really good defesive team and, let’s face it, the Cavs have been offensively-challenged team at times under Brown.
Great start by the Cavs that has been totally wasted by the bench. Sam Cassell is killing them. I like the move to have Lebron or Sasha guard him.
Really disappointed the bench could not hold the lead. C’mon Cavs!
May 8th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
Lebron has lost all confidence in his jump shot.
I am very, very, very concerned now. This is how he looked in Finals last year against San Antonio.
What was Delonte thinking fouling Garnett on the break away dunk?
This game is slipping away from Cleveland. They had better gather themselves before this one gets completely out of hand.
May 8th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Wow…..what an embarrassing second quarter. This team is finished…..they’ll be lucky if they can win a game this series.
May 8th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
Wow, is Van Gundy a clown. I see why he is not coaching in the NBA, I wouldn’t hire him to coach a rec league team.
LeBron looks like he is sick or something…is he well?
May 8th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
The Celtics bench players are just killing ours, especially with the energy and D. I smell a 2nd half blowout coming.
May 8th, 2008 at 8:28 pm
85-year old Sam Cassell beats Lebron right down the lay for a lay-up at the buzzer??????
Now I’m starting to get really frustrated.
May 8th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
Pathetic. LBJ is as good as gone. Enjoy next season Cleveland, because that is it!
http://www.nycforlebron.net
May 8th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
Lebron is as good as gone. Enjoy him next season Cleveland, because that is it!
http://www.nycforlebron.net
May 8th, 2008 at 8:45 pm
Varejao is garbage. They all look terrible again tonight. Well maybe we will win a game at home.
May 8th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
Where the hell is Devin Brown?!? What’s it gonna take for Mike Brown to get that if Wally isn’t hot he’s an absolute liability?!?
May 8th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
I just bought this HD TV of mine and I’d really like to hang on to it for a while. But if I keep watching this game it’s going out the window, so I’m shutting it off.
Good night Boys and Girls.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:11 pm
Here’s my game 2 recap (written at the end of the 3rd quarter)
Varajao murdered the Cavs tonight. As soon as Ben Wallace went out, that was it for the Cavs. Seriously, Varajo needs to get the hell out of Cleveland. I hate everything about him. Please god let him opt out.
And nice adjustments Mike. Really, don’t go small or try anything creative. Just sit there like an idiot while your season ends.
This time isn’t worth anybody’s time until management addresses the elephant in the room. Brown is terrible.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:11 pm
I’ll give credit to the Celtics. They’ve figured out that whenever Andy is in the game they leave him wide open. As soon as the ball swings to him he sees he’s open at 17 feet and puts the ball on the floor only to find himself under the basket with three men on him. At that point he’s not good enough to get rid of the ball so he tosses up some terrible shot, if he even gets that far. I just watched him travel trying to get to the rim on just this play. Gotta love Andy…
May 8th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
[...] eHomeUpgrade | Connected Home & Digital Lifestyle News wrote an interesting post today on Cavs-Celtics, Game 2Here’s a quick excerptCavs-Celtics, Game 2 May 8th, 2008 Pregame Starting lineup Cavs: Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak, LeBron James, Ben Wallace, Zydrunas Ilgauskas Celtics: Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Kedrick Perkins Officials Derrick Stafford, Joey Crawford, Bill Spooner –LeBron was named first team All-NBA today. He got 117 out of 127 votes first team votes. You’d have to wonder which 10 people thought he wasn’t one of the top five players in the league, but whatever. He was first [...]
May 8th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
If we are going to lose, it might as well be as ugly as possible to expose Mike Brown for what he is. A one trick pony who moves at glacial speeds when making adjustments and is absolutely clueless when it comes to offense.
The sooner he is replaced, the sooner the team can move forward with a more balanced attack. Cavs aren’t winning anything with a make it up as you go along offense.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
Biff- What is happening tonight is nothing short of an EXPOSURE. I have Varejao’s +/- clocked at -23. I fear that nothing will be bad enough to get Mike Brown fired. We will have to suffer through this until LeBron finally leaves. I can’t believe that Gilbert didn’t do more to nourish his cash cow than to give him Mike Brown to teach him to be a better basketball player. My kingdom for Keith Dambrot.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:19 pm
I can’t take this! When the f@%*ck is Mike Brown going to coach this team! He leaves Wally in for almost the entire third quarter when it’s clear the Celtics want Ray Allen to attack him & it works almost every time… He leaves Varejao in there when it’s clear Andy just DOESN’T GET what is role is on this team & tries to create off the dribble… And I ask again where the hell is Devin Brown?!? He’s actually someone off our bench who can create off the dribble but of course Mike Brown HASN’T EVEN PLAYED HIM YET!
If this is how we play we don’t deserve to advance - defense is just one part of the game - we need a coach or an assistant that can implement an offensive scheme for this team… There just down right unwatchable & it doesn’t have as much to do with the Celtics defense as everyone is making it out to…
May 8th, 2008 at 9:21 pm
I’ve about had it with the ESPN nonsense about Boston’s defense. Their defense isn’t that good, the Cavs offense and coaching is embarrassing. We have professional basketball players who cant make a wide open shot. We are getting ample uncontested shots, we just don’t have a single guys outside of Z who can shoot. I agree, Varajao is just killing us, but Brown just leaves him, makes no adjustment whatsoever. It’s obvious that Allen is getting hot and Wally can’t check him, but he just leaves them in there. He simply doesn’t have the ability to make decision in real time about how to use his players and manage a game. I also have to question the assistant coaches. Don’ they see this?
May 8th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
Biff- I am totally discouraged. Is there something you can tell me to give me succor in this time of great disappointment. Where to go from here? I guess I should be thankful that I don’t live in Burma. And that my father is not named Josef Fritzl.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:34 pm
I can handle Brown not knowing how to coach offense, sort of. But we are 8 games into the playoffs and he cannot even get a role player, Varejao, to stop trying to create on offense, something that’s so painfully obvious that I’m surprised LeBron hasn’t taken it onto himself to tell Andy. What is this crap?
May 8th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
[...] bwindhorst wrote an interesting post today on Cavs-Celtics, Game 2Here’s a quick excerptIt was too easy for the Celtics to set up on half the floor. But the real point is there can’t be so much dribbling, from LeBron especially. You have to make the Celtics move on defense, otherwise they’ll shut you down. … [...]
May 8th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
WAY TO GO MIKE BROWN!!! With 4:00 minutes left in the fourth quarter you finally decide to bring in Devin Brown - your only bench player who can create off the dribble, shoot the three, & has been clutch down the stretch…
Seriously - What the f@%#ck have Wally & Sasha shown in the playoffs do let Devin just rust on the bench? Especially when Wally go torched on D the entire second half?
May 8th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
Guys, the Boston defense is definitely smothering. Yes, LeBron is missing jumpers I’ve seen him hit (with a poor percentage thought), but he has not been able to been the “blitz” at the top of the key like he usually does. My one complaint about Mike Brown is that they need Devin Brown’s penetration in there. Not that he’s a savior, but they could have used someone else to beat Boston off the dribble, similarily to what the Hawks were able to do with regularity.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
Ray Allen doesn’t even score for the first six quarters and it’s while Wally is guarding him. How does that make him a liability? The Celtics just finally fixed that, so I can’t fault Brown for that fixing that in the third quarter. Brown needs to make other adjustments, like fine Andy every time he dribbles the ball, double when he shoots it. And he screwed up the rotations in the second quarter and lost all of the flow.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:01 pm
World:
Alright, I’ll let you in on a little secret to brighten your day: The Browns are going to win a super within the next 4 years. They might be a better team this year and go 8-8 because of a tougher schedule but they are building a team that will eventually will win a title sooner than later. And that, my friend, will be sweet.
As for the Cavs? The party is over. I’m sorry. They played just well enough this year to not get Brown fired so that basically seals their fate for the rest of the Lebron era. Beyond that, there don’t appear to be any more Gasol/Garnett type heists to be had for expiring contracts and draft picks. Obviously the situation could change over the summer but I doubt it. Basketball in Cleveland is about to go the way of the steam engine.
And by the way, Andy Varajao, thanks for taking over the role of team saboteur to fill the huge void left by Larry Hughes. Who cares if you cause disaster every time you touch the ball…because dribbling and shooting are fun right?!! Maybe for a few more million, you would do your f$(*#$^ job instead of ruining my life.
What a depressing time to be a Cleveland fan. The Indians have decided to waste the best pitching staff in the American League, the Cavs have decided to waste the talents of the best player in their history, and training camp doesn’t start for 3 1/2 months. I think its time to take the summer off and go on fan sabbatical.
By the way, Boston’s defense is legit so for all of you saying otherwise, I would strongly disagree. However, much like the Cavs, they can’t and won’t win a title with such a crappy offense. So sorry to spoil your fun Boston fans but you team of 30 somethings isn’t going to yield anything but great regular season memories and lasting cap problems.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:02 pm
Embarrassing…..absolutely embarrassing.
It amazes me how a team with one of the best playmakers in the history of basketball can be so consistently anemic on offense, year after year…..
May 8th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
Hopefully, Gilbert will see that the decision to reward Mike Brown with a contract extension was beyond ill-advised and he will be willing to eat it to get someone in here who can actually put LBJ’s talents to best use. I’m now hoping this series is a blowout so Mike Brown will get his just reward!
May 8th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
you can’t win with only one player who can create and a roster of one-trick spot up shooters(delonte ,wally ,daniel ,damon) who occassionally make a shot ,over the hill power fowards (wallace and smith) , and a head coach who should be no more than a 2nd assistant . i remeber laughing back when people were saying “wait ’til bobbie gets back” , well news flash ,he’s not a difference maker . this roster is in need of a complete overhaul , minus lebron , everyone can go( this team needs some athletes ,lebron does not have the right compliment of players around him) . and mr james seriously needs to work on post moves this summer . maybe during the olympics , he can work with kobe on that .
May 8th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
I hadn’t seen the Celtics this year until now and whoever said their defense is smothering is right. Those who have been saying that team’s not that good all season are wrong.
But the Cavs and Coach Brown will adjust. The tight D had players passing up open shots, scared of blocks, and trying to find something wide open. They just need to get the ball up there when there’s any room at all and then hit the boards.
They’re also thinking too much on defense, switching too often. I don’t know how many times I saw Varejao or Z out on the perimeter doubling up a small opponent while Gibson was under the basket guarding a much bigger player. Wallace has a knack for knowing when to double, those other two fall over their feet.
I’m not sure Devin Brown would do that well in this series. He flies out of control an awful lot.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:24 pm
I told myself during the game that I wouldn’t read any of the posts after this nightmare of a game, but I’m an addict so here I am. I knew when I got on here I’d be hearing about how bad we stink and that our coach should be fired. A little reality for everyone - NOT ONE TEAM WON ON THE ROAD IN THE FIRST TWO GAMES THIS ROUND - NOT ONE!!!!! San Antonio, the defending champs, lost by 19 and 18 the first two games. Do THEY stink also? Should they fire Popovich also? The only two road teams to play just one close game down the stretch were the Cavs in game 1 of their series, and Orlando in game 2 of theirs.
Yes, it’s frustrating that Lebron has missed just about EVERY jump shot that he’s taken this series. He’s not the greatest outside shot, but he usually doesn’t shoot THIS bad. Of course no-one else seems to be able to make an outside shot on a regular basis except for Z maybe. When we make our outside shots, the whole floor opens up and we’re well balanced and look great. When we don’t, we look terrible. Yes, part of our bad shooting has to do with the Celtics defense, but I saw many open shots that just clanked off the rim. I could see us getting swept or taking this to 7 - who knows. It all depends on our outside shooting.
I hope Ben’s OK - something’s not right here. I hope it’s not something serious like his heart. Hopefully, it’s just the flu or some sinus thing, but I don’t know.
May 8th, 2008 at 11:08 pm
Down 2-0. Either they make it a series or go down in 5. I hate Varejao. Seriously this clown held out at the start of the season. Seriously?! He wanted more money and I have no idea why he thinks he deserves it. Wally stinks again and so does Pavlovic. Hey “Coach” Brown why isn’t Devin Brown or Damon Jones in there? One player has stepped up this series and that has been Big Z who all the clowns in the media wanted gone. Hope LeBron can bounce back or it will be over quick. BTW Boston don’t stand a chance against any team left in the West if they make it that far.
May 8th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
WorldBfor3! Says:
May 8th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
Biff- I am totally discouraged. Is there something you can tell me to give me succor in this time of great disappointment. Where to go from here? I guess I should be thankful that I don’t live in Burma. And that my father is not named Josef Fritzl.
World,
The survivors in Burma are saying at least we are not Cleveland sports fans.
May 8th, 2008 at 11:24 pm
Tim,
6% of teams come back from an 0-2. Yes, the Cavs did it last year against the Pistons, but I am not very confident they can do it again. Winning 4 of 5 against the Celts D is going to be a very tough task. Celtics also had the best road record in the league this year and after not winning in Atlanta are going to want to prove they can win on the road.
Celtics tried to hand us game 1 and the Cavs couldn’t take advantage.
May 8th, 2008 at 11:25 pm
Lebron after 2 games:
8 for 42 for 19%, 0-10 on three pointers and 17 turnovers.
May 8th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
Delonte & Gibson shooting a Lebron like 5-24 in the series with only 7 assists and 16 total points.
Rondo & ET (Sam Cassell) 44 total points and 14 assists.
May 8th, 2008 at 11:43 pm
After losing game 1 of this series, which was so winnable, I felt just like I did last fall when the Indians lost game 5 of ALCS at home with their ace on the mound. Another blown playoff opportunity.
Go Browns!
May 8th, 2008 at 11:57 pm
Hi Mark, I’m well aware of the percentage that only 6% of teams down 0-2 come back to win, and that it’s unlikely that we’ll be one of the 6% like we were last year. I’m just sick of everyone on here saying how terrible we are and that we need to fire our coach and do a complete overhall. Orlando, Utah and San Antonio are pretty damn good teams and they also fell down 0-2 on the road. That’s why the regular season DOES matter. Yeah, the freakest 60+ win Dallas team last year gets beat in the first round, but that was a rarity. For the Celtics to go 66-16, they’re not just pretty good, they’re extremely good. Their record against the “great” western conference was outstanding this year. Yeah, they struggled on the road against the Hawks, but I attribute that to them being rusty for coasting for so long and it was their first playoff series together. That being said, I’m not going to completely count the Cavs out from getting back into this series. When we shoot well we can beat anyone - even the Celtics with their great D. The key to me is that Lebron has to hit some jumpers early to open up his drives to the hoop. Then, once that opens up, he’ll be able to pass outside to open shooters or to the weak side for open dunks/layups. The problem in the Finals last year is that we never got our shooting going like we did against Detroit. Thus, we got swept.
May 9th, 2008 at 12:12 am
Good point Tim — home court does matter. That’s why it drives me crazy how we are always playing catch-up to Detroit (and this year Boston and Orlando also) in the regular season. It’d be nice to actually win our division for once, and maybe even win 55+ games or so and gives us a chance at the #1 seed. Let’s face it — if the Cavs were to have homecourt in this series, things would dramatically change. It shouldn’t, but it does.
May 9th, 2008 at 12:35 am
Windhorst- You need to start calling for Mike Brown’s head. Someone might actually listen to you. Being the only Cavs reporter with a clue, you have a big responsibility. People outside of NE Ohio don’t know how bad Mike Brown is. You need to spread the word. This is a big issue, Windhorst. LeBron is a civic treasure. He belongs to all of us. If we lost him, it would be like having someone steal the Mona Lisa from the Uffizi. It would be like taking he Dodgers from Brooklyn. It would be like closing the last Swenson’s in Akron. C’mon, Windhorst. We are counting on you. You are the voice of the people.
May 9th, 2008 at 1:04 am
Brown and his head aren’t going to be going anywhere, so for the love of God, can people please stop screaming for his chocolate brown melon.
May 9th, 2008 at 3:18 am
Lost in all the Varejao bashing is the sad fact that Daniel Gibson can’t even check the mail right now, let alone the 3rd oldest player in the association…
When oh when will we put a guard on the floor who can actually put the ball on the floor and get by a guard?
May 9th, 2008 at 5:55 am
The Celts play some sick D. You can’t deny that. They play as a team. Everybody contributes and knows their roles. Even stiffs like Leon Powe and Kendrick Perkins are useful on that squad.
But that’s not the whole story. They’ve outhustled the Cavs. They want it more. Doc Rivers is making Mike Brown his own personal whipping boy. The one dimensional, archaic offense only exposes Lebron’s weaknesses (jump shooting, tendency to overdribble) against a good team. Why can’t he catch the ball off curls and screens? Why not post up? Why must he always start the play 35 feet from the basket, wait for Varejao to lumber over, then try to beat four guys off the dribble?
Bottom line: Celtics are a better team. Better coached, better effort, better depth, just better. Lebron won’t keep shooting like this but we’re not taking 4 of 5 from Boston.
And guess what? The entire putrid ensemble comes back next year for more! Another year of Wall and Ben! Another year of Varejao dribbling and demonstrating the athleticism of a ninth grade french horn player in the marching band! Another year of Eric Snow whispering plays into Mike Brown’s earlobes!
And that brings me to the final thing. There’s no cap room and no one is going to sign a bargain basement contract to come here over the summer. The only thing to change would be the head coach. The sooner we get knocked out, the better chance of snagging D’Antoni or Avery Johnson or Carlisle. Obviously, Z’s Lithuanian lungs would self immolate if you were to plug him into anything resembling D’Antoni’s run and gun style. But getting an authoritarian coach who functions as more than a sycophant to the star player would be a good start. Where’s the post game interview where Melon Head calls Lebron “terrific” sixty times? It’s been a while…..
And Lebron. The kid had the Look last night. The look of a beaten man. Twice as many turnovers as field goals through two games. I’ve never seen him lack confidence like this. Hopefully, he comes back strong…..
May 9th, 2008 at 6:50 am
Doc, you would look beaten too if you the only thing you can do is dunk and that was taken away from you. And as far as Lebron posting up? Ha! That would be funny if it were not so absurd a thought. Lebron has no post game, after five years in the league, Lebron the small forward has no post game. Amazing.
Stop blaming Mike Brown. How is it his fault that Lebron can’t hit layups?
Why in the world would Mike D’antoni want to coach in Cleveland? Chicago or Atlanta would be much better for him. They have skilled, athletic players.
May 9th, 2008 at 7:40 am
Doc:
Go look up the term “expiring contract.” The Cavs won’t be able to overhaul the roster this summer but at some point next year, there will be a team looking to shed a big salary (please god, don’t let it be Milwaukee. The Mike Redd ship has sailed).
alan t:
Unless you are actually Gilbert or Ferry masquerading as a beacon journal poster, you can get off your high horse with the “Mike Brown isn’t going anywhere” rhetoric. While the odds are that we are in for another season of his poetic offensive genius, I’m not sure why you believe it is set in stone. As World is so aptly suggesting, all it takes is one beat writer to get the wheels in motion….to start beating the drums just a little bit….and then you never know what kind of groundswell of fan support might get behind the idea.
I’m not saying its going to happen but there’s always a chance. And unless you are ready to sign up for year 4 of the buffoon experiment, I suggest you join the movement for Brown’s ouster.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:39 am
Say goodnight Cavs. I am going to the darkside: Celtics in four.
May 9th, 2008 at 9:47 am
Yikes. At one point in the first two games Lebron had missed 26 straight jump shots. Not 8 or 9 or 10, but 26. The kid is absolutely rattled. This is the finals part deux. He isn’t even making layups right now (contested as they are, but he makes those contested layups all the time). He is completetly rattled. He never unrattled himself in the finals and I’m not so sure he does it now, either. Missing jumper after jumper after layup after layup is bad enough. But add to it his terrible decision making and turnovers? The guy is rattled.
This is a gigantic problem because he is so far and away the best player on this team. I’m sorry, but it has to be said. Other than James and Z, everybody else on this team is garbage in one form or the other. Either over the hill or a one trick pony or just bad. Ferry blew as a player and now blows as a GM. As bad as James has been, at least he’s double and triple teamed (though, he’s still missing the jumpers they are giving him). What is the excuse of the three blind mice? Boobie, Wally and Delonte are a combined 14 for 48 (.292) so far in the series on mostly uncontested jumpers. These freaks are our “shooters”?
No, this is a horrendously flawed team. Lebron has to do too much all the time and he’s rattled. They’re done.
May 9th, 2008 at 9:48 am
Better luck tomorrow. Hope the Cavs. win
May 9th, 2008 at 9:50 am
That’s not to say that James doesn’t absolutely 100% need to work on his jumpers, though. That is all on him. He’s a streaky shooter at best, but what we are witnessing right now is legendary. Unfortunately, in a very bad way.
May 9th, 2008 at 10:20 am
All we need for Cavs to be a championship contender:
We need to find the next Tony Parker, Chris Paul, Deron Williams type PG (which surely won’t be easy)
and a SG (Sasha, Wally, Devin - neither one is a starting SG on a championship contending team).
and a replacement for Z who maybe has one more year left of productive play.
the Cavs are so old and unathletic with too many one dimensional players. They basically have three starters who should be bench guys (Delonte, Wallace, Wally).
one can only hope & pray that the Cavs have an offseason like the Celts did last offseason.
Ferry has his work cut out, this roster needs a major upgrade to keep Lebron here beyond 2010. The Cavs do have some good expiring contracts to deal:
Snow 7.3
Wally 13
Damon 4.6
= 25 mil
AV can opt out, bye bye. Thank goodness Ferry did not give into Dan Fegan’s demands.
May 9th, 2008 at 10:28 am
Biff said it best. The Browns are probably the most likely Cleveland team to end the 44 year and counting championship drought, although they are 2 or 3 years away.
What a shame it will be for the Cavs to not win a championship in the Lebron era.
What a shame it is that Shapiro has sabotaged the best starting pitching staff in baseball with triple AAA hitters.
Oh what a joy it is to have been so emotionally invested in Cleveland sports for the past 35+ years.
But I’m not bitter.
May 9th, 2008 at 11:14 am
The ol’ “Expiring contracts are going to make us rich at the next trade deadline!!!” nonsense. Fool’s gold. As if none of the other 29 franchises have contracts that ever expire. Yes, agents then tell their best clients, “I recommend you go to Cleveland, it’s a great town in which to live, party and play!” Which doesn’t stop Cavaliers fans from buying into the media’s malarkey every time. Where else can you actually have a few local sportswriters call a rebuilding year with a roster featuring the great LeBron James a “transition season.” Speak English, for God’s sakes! But on the bright side, at least Ferry will be able to finally get rid of that 50-pound bag of Purina Pro Plan his wife bought and the dog won’t eat. Ferry the Prospector. I wonder if he uses the term “hornswoggle” during his negotiations. That would be cool.
http://www.old-picture.com/american-adventure/pictures/Prospector.jpg
Anyway, chances are they’ll still win at least two against the Celtics, maybe even three, that obnoxious sweetened fake home crowd noise they pipe through the speakers seems to do something very positive to James and his surrounding stiffs. No way in hell they’re swept.
May 9th, 2008 at 11:33 am
Expiring contracts, Biff? You mean we’re going to make another mega deal next February? That’s the great plan? Whoo-eee! I can’t wait for that Wally/Eric Snow/Damon Jones for Jamal Tinsley/Troy Murphy deal!
May 9th, 2008 at 11:52 am
Let me break this one down. In a nutshell, what the city of Cleveland (and anyone watching national basketball) got to watch was one of the best examples of poor in-game adjustments.
To start, Zydrunas Ilgauskas is having a spectacular playoff performance - he is unguardable off of pick and pop’s and he will hit a jumper from just about anywhere inside of 21 feet. Props to him. But now, let’s look at what the real issue with this team is - LeBron James. Great player, has a great feel for the game, can finish with either hand, good passer, etc. The list goes on and on. Here’s my issue - and it’s 3-fold.
First, post-ups. A lot of pundits keep saying ‘post-up LBJ’. I’ll echo their sentiments only to the extent that posting up James on the elbow is a great idea because it encourages BOS to double up down low. Especially to keep Pierce out of foul trouble and to not allow LBJ to exploit mismatches. However, I feel it’s something that I would use as a feint - to draw defenders in and then pass out of trouble. On a post-up, you know that when you have one defender behind you, a second coming at you from the right, there is a lane to your left - you expose a defense to backdoor buckets - and easy points. This strategy is simple and effective and would work wonders for LBJ because he could see the defensive pressure coming and it allows spacing and ball swing to work once you get that ball out of the post and moving around the arc.
Second, pick and rolls with Z. Bad idea - on so many different levels. Let’s look at this for a second - LBJ has the ball at the top of the key and moves left off a pick from Z. BOS switches defenders so Pierce is on Z and KG is on LBJ. Z, too slow most of the time - can’t roll to the basket ahead of the ball for an easy basket. Ben Wallace, a poor offensive player, won’t finish at the basket effectively and can be neutralized by smaller defenders. AV? where to start? Andy seems to think he can dribble and of the pick and roll, will then dribble the ball off his foor out of bounds, will spin baseline to the basket and throw the ball over the hoop, or will pass the ball to the open shooter sitting on Boston’s bench. So who can we run an actual pick and roll with? Joe Smith - but does it happen? No. But should we try it, yes. And should we run it out at the 3 point line off a high-pick and roll with him? I don’t know - he can knock down jumpers so maybe we should vary it and try some high and some low pick and roll’s. If the offense is designed around it, great - but this leads me into my 3rd point - and that’s personnel.
Long-term, I’m sorry, what this team needs most is NOT a SG or a PG. It’s a legit PF who can play with his back to the basket, drive to the hoop, shoot a face-up jumper, and play above the rim. Think of the teams having success in the playoffs so far. Each has PF’s who can do 2 of these 4 things. If it’s not David West, it’s Tim Duncan, Carlos Boozer, Lamar Odom, KG, or Rasheed Wallace. Simply put - you have to have a guy who can finish in multiple ways at your PF spot. Drew Gooden was good at 1 of those things - face-up jumpers. His post moves were limited as he wasn’t generally fast enough - he couldn’t play above the rim (none of our guys can), and he certainly couldn’t drive the basketball to the hoop. So let’s get that guy then worry about a SG. Most SG’s require a lot of shots to be effective and very few are efficient basketball players. Compare that to post players who will go 7-11 or 8-13 and give you 14-18 ppg easily. See Josh Smith for a great example of a guy who can dribble and play above the rim and also shoot. So, those are my thoughts - I only contribute when necessary and there was a lot of ridiculousness piling up here.
May 9th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Don’t lose hope, people:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxhHPSBqB7E
C’mon Cavs! Gotta make it happen!
May 9th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Common Sense Coaching…I totally agree with your assessment. Plus we don’t have enough “athletic” types. No one can dribble penetrate consistently except Lebron. Devin Brown should be inserted in the lineup. He will at least try to dribble penetrate. Although Sasha in game 2 was doing his best, even with a wounded ankle, to get to the rim. Wally and his bricks can’t be given major playing time in the do or die games of the playoffs. I am totally dumbfounded why the Cavs are not making adjustments during the game to counter Bostons “hands out not up”, cut off Lebron’s passing lane, defense. We seem to keep trying the same old stuff over and over. Daniel Gibson is doing nothing to create shots from himself. He brings the ball down court, passes it and disappears. He won’t take a shot if a defender is within 3 or 4 feet of him. He has to be more aggressive. He is not going to get clean looks 100% of the time, so he needs to take a few jumpshots while being defended. Damon Jones deserves some playing time. I’m not sure why he has been totally written off when his jumpshot is so desparately needed. His defense is no worse than Wally, although I know Wally has a height advantage. We need points to win. Playing defensive players only will not beat the Celtics. They are too well balanced
May 9th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
nice work misternance
May 9th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
Windhorst- Please correct my error. I’ve been remiss. Every dimwit knows that the Mona Lisa is in the Louvre, and not the Uffizi. The Uffizi is home to Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, of course. But my point is the same: LeBron is a regional treasure. He is our Birth of Venus. And we are counting on you, Windhorst, to make sure that our regional treasure stays in NE Ohio!
May 9th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
Mike Brown calls the plays are they listening? too Many Jumpers for Lebron. Not enough shots for the best shooters. Where’s Devin Brown? Coach is questioning himself by adjusting his own lineup adjustments. But it’s up to the players to execute more ball movement.
May 9th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
with our team being down 2 games to love, all i can say is “BARAK OBAMA FOR PRESIDENT”
May 10th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
All you guys are so pathetic, what great fans this town has, coach that takes us to the NBA finals we all want to fire, and we want Lebron to go to the Knicks. Maybe you all should move to Salt lake and boo a guy who moved his daughter closer to her doctors who are treating her cancer. Cleveland has the best fans is such crap,
May 10th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
article about the cavs’ poor roster:
http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/8119754/As-usual,-LeBron-gets-no-support-in-Game-2-loss
May 10th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
At least Brian McCoy hasnt lost all sense of perspective… Spot-on analysis.
I leave for a week and the negative nancies are throwing their purses around like a bunch of Grandmothers fighting over a ‘tickle me Elmo’ at Christmas time.
Take Brian’s advice and get lost. I swear the reason teams fail in this town is because of the negative vibes all over the place. And Alan, try not to disappear when the Cavs figure it out and make this a series.
May 10th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
Brian McCoy- Your post reveals your lack of knowledge about the Cavs. The idea that “Mike Brown took the Cavs to the Finals” is a great misconception. Anyone who actually watched the Cavs knows that LeBron took the Cavs to the finals, and Mike Brown was fortunate to have the title of Head Coach at the time. You or I could have had the title of Head Coach at the time, and people outside of NE Ohio might be defending us on the basis that “We took the Cavs to the Finals” last year.
We HAVE to be great fans, because we have to endure this crap year after year. Watching Gilbert entrust this team, which has the greatest basketball player in the world, to a buffoon who doesn’t know how to coach offense.
May 11th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
How about that offense in game 3 huh? Not baaaad…
May 12th, 2008 at 12:13 am
Yeah, well, even a blind squirrel stmbles across a nut from time to time…