Cavs 108, Celtics 94
–Definitely a get well game. Not a surprise at all that the Cavs won, every lower seed has won Game 3 at home in the second round, but they way they jumped ahead and stayed ahead was surprising. I think it is a reminder that the Celtics are vincible and that when the Cavs move the ball they have a chance to score points. They will not shot 54 percent like this very much, but they can get better shots than they were getting in Boston.
–LeBron didn’t shoot the ball well again and that is an issue. At some point he is going to have to make the mid-range jumper to punish Boston for giving it to him. He’s not a great jump shooter, but this season he was very much improved from the mid-range and he’s yet to show it. More important tonight was his four steals, three blocks and only two turnovers. He managed to be a playmaker without scoring much. That is the sign of a superstar. His block on Rajon Rondo when he basically ripped the ball out of the air was amazing. I’ve watched him block shots over the top like that since he was 15, opposing players just aren’t used to dealing with his athleticism. By the way, this was an awful night for Rondo, LeBron messed him up a few times and he had no assists in 23 minutes. A reminder he’s a role player that is streaky, too, just like many Cavs.
–As I mentioned at halftime, I felt Ben Wallace was a major difference-maker. That is the type of game where he can make an impact. The scoring was a bonus. But he had seven offensive rebounds, blocked two shots and took two charges as well.
–What was more amazing from Zydrunas Ilgauskas tonight: his career playoff high six assists or the dribble drive layup down the lane when, believe it or not, he did not travel.
–It was a little comical that James Posey was getting booed in his hometown. I guess don’t mess with LeBron in Cleveland. He probably didn’t mean to do it, but it was flagrant.
–Joe Smith, Wally Szczerbiak, and Delonte West played well tonight. That’s great. Let me see it again before I give a great deal of credit.
–The Cavs defense has been pretty solid throughout the series. I think Garnett has been great and he was tonight, but Wally is doing a nice job staying with Ray Allen, who I thought was going to have a big series. He’s not getting the ball much and he’s almost never getting clean looks. Paul Pierce is having to work very hard to get shots, too. The Celtics defense is getting a lot of attention, but the Cavs have not let them crack 90 points yet and Boston is shooting just 41 percent for the series.
–This was an expected win, Game 4 will decide whether this is going to be a series or not. The Celtics are starting to fell heat again because of their road troubles and the fact that the Pistons look like they could close out the Magic very soon.
Recap:
Pregame
Starting lineups
Celtics: Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Kendrick Perkins
Cavs: Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak, LeBron James, Ben Wallace, Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Officials
Bennett Salvatore, Jim Clark, Greg Williard
–Ben Wallace is feeling better and is going to give it a go. He did not take part in shootaround this morning and said his head has felt like it’s been in a “wash cycle.” He said he’s been OK when he’s sitting but not so foot on his feet. So we’ll see.
–The Cavs may look to spread the floor some more, but more than anything the Cavs just need to hit some shots. The Celtics defense has been good, but they are allowing LeBron to take 15-20 footers and he’s got to make more than one out of every five.
–Mike Brown has made a point for the team to finish plays more, in other words, keep passing the ball. The guy who usually stops it is LeBron, so we’ll see if he does. Against the Wizards in Game 6, his ball movement was excellent and he had 13 assists.
Halftime — Cavs 52, Celtics 35
–I thought the energy Ben Wallace brought to start the game was huge for the Cavs, it energized the team and the fans. They only gave him credit for three rebounds, but it seemed like more and his activity led to numerous points.
–Anderson Varejao has a bruised knee, which happened on the drive when he was called for a charge. He’s questionable to return.
–The Cavs have 16 assists on 19 baskets. Most of all, they are just making shots which is why there is such a turn around. But they are moving the ball much better and it is leading to higher percentage shots. That and karma is throwing them a few extra bounces.
–Because it happened at high speed it looked bad and LeBron milked it because he was on the ground, but I don’t really think James Posey was trying to hurt LeBron on the flagrant foul. Which is the fourth LeBron has absorbed this postseason by the way. In the past Posey has committed very hard fouls in the postseason, even getting kicked out of a game when he was with the Heat if memory serves me.
–LeBron has continued struggling with his shot, but the Cavs have really let Delonte West run things and it has kept the offense from being bogged down. But LeBron has five assists, which shows he too is looking to pass.
–The defensive play when Paul Pierce took a charge from James on a fastbreak was one of the best defensive plays I’ve seen this season. But LeBron made it easier with a bad angle.
–The Cavs are shooting 66 percent, which I don’t think can last. They are going to need to continue to play good defense to maintain the lead. Their rotations in the first half were excellent, which led to the Celtics taking lots of contested shots. But the Cavs also got a little loose with the ball at the end of the half, committing seven turnovers in the last eight minutes. That has to stop.
–Wally Szczerbiak seems like he’s just gotten a bit of a hot hand with 14 points. But he was also successful on posting up. He’s going to get 1-on-1 post ups with smaller guys, that should be used more often because the Celtics are just fouling him as well. Wally played so well that Devin Brown and Sasha Pavlovic did get off the bench. At the end of the half, LeBron thought he was doing the interview with ABC but they wanted Wally. It was a little awkward for a second.
Postgame
Stars
LeBron, 21 points, seven assists
Delonte West, 21 points, seven assists
Joe Smith, 17 points, six rebounds
KG, 17 points, nine rebounds
Quotes
LeBron: “I haven’t shot the ball like I like, but a win is all that matters. Even if I am not making shots, I’m able to do more. It was just key that other guys stepped up.. I can’t allow my shot to affect the way I play the game. Every shot I took tonight I felt was going in and I made some key shots during the course of the game.”
Ben Wallace: “I think everybody knew what we were facing tonight, so everybody stepped up and did whatever they could do to help this team win tonight. That’s what basketball is all about.”
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To all those complaining about Varejao’s performance against Boston, I agree–but only when he’s paired with Smith.
Here are some composite scores for Games 1 & 2:
Cavs 46, Celtics 36 when Ilgauskas + Wallace are on the floor (+10) [54 possessions for each team]
Celtics 42, Cavs 41 when Ilgauskas + Varejao are on the floor (-1) [50 poss.]
Celtics 42, Cavs 20 when Varejao + Smith are on the floor (-22) [32 poss.]
Celtics 45, Cavs 38 with any other combination (-7) [41 poss.]
Incidentally, the dreaded WALLACE + VAREJAO combination has not been seen in this series so far.
These Cavs are way too talented to be swept.
Daniel Gibson and Delonte West took only 7 shots between them in Game 2. They can’t be afraid to take shots and they can’t be satisfied with taking only spot up jumpers. Attack the basket, Boys!!
I want to see Devin Brown in this game. He plays hard and can do some damage off the dribble. I’m stunned the Sasha Pavlovic has been getting his minutes so far.
Go Cavs!
OK, we’re up 43-17.
If we blow this lead, the Cavs should be kicked out of the NBA, the Q should be torn down and replaced by a Wal Mart, and Lebron should become Jay Z’s butler.
Was that Night Train Lane or James Posey on that tackle of Lebron?
I want to know what Van Gundy and Jackson were smokin’ before the game because that was obviously a flagarant foul that Posey commited on Lebron.
26 point lead! C’mon Cavs!!!! Keep your foot on the gas!!
Great start… but who thinks we’ll be sleeping through the 3rd and making this much closer than it should be?
Cavs by 17 at the half. It’s hard to be critical.
I have to comment on that last possession of the half though. What in the world was that? Out of timeout the best shot the Cavs can come up with is a 25-foot desperation heave by Szczerbiak at the shot clock buzzer?
We’ve seen way too much of that under Mike Brown. What exactly goes on this those huddles during timeouts?
Brown has brought defense, rebounding and toughness with him from San Antonio. I love that. But he needs a bench coach that can help with the offense.
zach ,outside of lebron , where’s the talent on this roster ? there’s no one on this roster with any upside(outside of lebron)
Delonte, Smith, Szczerbiak and Wallace were huge tonight.
And I *love* what Lebron did on the defensive end. In addition to excellent individual defense on Paul Pierce (holding him 6 pts below his season average), Lebron added 4 steals and 3 blocks. He really set the tone for another excellent defensive effort by the Cavs.
As poorly as James has shot, Cleveland could very easily be up 2-1 in this series.
C’mon Cavs! Let’s tie this thing up!!!
Go us. We rule. We must win Game 4.
I thought that Joe Smith was also a difference maker tonight. He finally gave us SOMETHING on offense. He has really been bad in the playoffs up until tonight.
Mike Brown may want to be a little proactive on the hack-a-ben situation, that can bring a team back into a game with a quickness. At least he went and got him after the first time. It’s too bad as Ben Wallace was huge in this game, his energy to start and those rebounds that he got that were contested made a difference. Sucks to end it on a bad note. I think he should go granny style.
Lebron worked so hard on his jumpshot this offseason, but it looks to this untrained eye like he is fading away on most of his shots, even if he doesn’t need to. When he hit his one (i believe he only had one) regular non-three field goal, he gave posey a bit of a jab step and then went up straight and strong, and the shot was true. Hopefully we see more of that in game 4.
Come on Cavs!
As I’ve stated before, I don’t believe Mike Brown’s offensive system is that bad. We just scored 108 points on the Celtics great D. When we make our outside shots like tonight – we look very efficient and we can beat anyone. When we shoot poorly, we lose. It’s as simple as that.
I thought Ben Wallace played great in the 1st quarter and was the main reason we took that 19 point lead. Sure, we nailed alot of outside shots, but his defense lead to many fast break opportunities that sparked the offense. It makes me wonder how game 2 would have turned out if he didn’t come out with the dizziness. We would have still probably lost, but it may have been much closer.
I also liked how Brown pared the rotation down to 8 and played Delonte more. Great game by Delonte tonight. If he can just push the ball and play with aggression on offense every night, it would take the pressure off Lebron. We won by 24 and Lebron still shot poorly (except from the 3). If only Lebron could rediscover his mid-range game the rest of this series. We have to match this intensity and aggressiveness in game 4.
Awesome game. This reminded me so much of last year when we went down 2-0 when the series should have been tied 1-1. Guys you can beat the almighty Celtics, they ain’t unstoppable. Come on guys win Game 4 and make it interesting. Go Cavs!
Something else is going on with the relationship between Brown and Damon Jones. Jones clearly did or said something, it’s too bad we’ll never read about it until Jones is traded and we read about what actually happened from an out-of-town reporter.
I think that game was unwinnable for the Celtics.. just one of those games. When you look at how well the Cavaliers shot and the fact that Celts had two free throw attempts in the first half… some obvious home cooking there. Celts got a ton of clean looks early on and couldn’t convert.
LeBron played well defensively, but cannot shake PP on the other end.
Nick, the Cavs are a veteran team built to win now. The nucleus of that team is already in its prime so I think it’s difficult to talk about Cleveland in terms of upside.
They are the defending Eastern Conference Champs though. Wouldn’t you agree that it takes a little talent to earn that title?
I’m not going to disagree with you that Lebron is their only true star. And there roster could use some tweaking this off-seasn. I think they definitely need to add another all-star caliber scorer at one of the two guard spots before they can be considered among the NBA’s elite (I’d love to see them sign Corey Maguette).
Cleveland’s rotation of big men is among the best in the league though. I don’t think they need to make any changes there right now.
Daniel Gibson and Delonte West are good young guards who I think will be even better if/when the Cavs sign another all-star caliber guard to help take the burden off of James.
it’s pretty simple, the less you play sasha/anderson, the greater your chances of winning are. don’t know why it’s taken the chocolate potato head so long to realize that.
nice game by delonte west. if he can pull a gibson and keep that going then the cavs have a shot at pulling this series out.
i still didn’t like much of the offense from the middle of the second quarter to the end of the game. other than delonte i saw a lot of standing around waiting for something to happen. there is a lot more to a good offensive scheme than simply getting open looks (although that helps a lot!) and in this facsimile of an offense there is still not enough ball movement.
i think zack is right about lebron’s shot. he has dumped his fairly decent set shot and gone back to his previous style that resembles a retarded michael jordan. hey lebron, you are not mike. give that fade away crap a rest.
i am sticking with my original prediction of celtics in six because i have very little faith in potato brown.
Great win and a fun game. Cavs look a lot better when they actually move the ball on offense. But I don’t think it will change the eventual outcome of this series. Just like San Antonio last year, the Celtics have enough length and defensive ability to stop LeBron from getting to the rim in most situations. If you are able to do this, you can beat the Cavs, its that simple. As I’ve said before, until LeBron develops a RELIABLE mid-range game, the Cavs will not win a championship. If that happens and the Cavs get one more big-time scorer, we will win it all.
Winning Cures All Ills, but the Cavs still need a repeat performance on Monday, then another immortal outburst from LeBron in game 5.
The refereeing in this series has been atrocious at best.
Windy sits about 100 feet in front of me, but I guess his sight lines are better, b/c that charge Pierce drew was a complete joke!! he shuffled his feet twice, during the contact.
And if Daniel Gibson is banking on another strong postseason to help him get to the bank in the off-season, then I suggest he stop getting embarrassed by a 38-year old extra-terrestrial and start playing with some energy and enthusiasm.
His performance last night was pathetic, and I am getting sick of watching 2nd qtrs where him and AV do their best to erase whatever lead the starters have built.
Great effort. Was WAlly sick or what. This group has a
CHANCE I repeat CHANCE to be great. Big Ben is a key.
His muscle is needed underneath and if he can get easy scores all the better. Game 5 will decide this series because
we are going to win game four by 5. And game 5 is going
to be very close. Break out the heart medication.
I hope coach will play Devin and probably damon next outing.you guys out there, don’t hesitate to shoot. Remember you are all SHOOTERS. Shoot when there is an opportunity to shoot, and most of all DRIVE TO THE H00P.
Pretty standard game three home win in the playoffs. Get out to a big early lead, get the home crowd involved (or at least turn up the volume on the piped in noise), and cruise the rest of the way.
Hilarious self congratulatory article from the Daily Dime about “the man who brought the four new pieces to the Cavs”.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dime-080511
The little goblin gilbert apparently was just beside himself with glee looking at the box score and not having to read about Wally going 3-13 again or Wallace grabbbing 4 rebounds. Give the guys credit though. The supporting cast picked up Lebron.
Rondo/Cassell duo just killed the Celtics. Killed them. Selfish and trigger happy is no way to go through life as a point guard when you take shots away from KG/PP/Allen.
The Cavs get a big, needed, and somewhat surprisingly easy win, and Alan Tucker is worried about Damon Jones. Unsurprising priorities. Has nothing to say whenever the Cavs do well.
Windhorst = waste of space. You are such a know it all.
Hey, I kinda like that reference to that self-stroking charlatan as “The little goblin.” I wish I had thought of it. I’ve never before seen a little goblin with a front hairline consisting of grafted transplants, but still, I do like the name. Kudos. May I use it in the future?
I’m not “worried” about Damon Jones. Couldn’t care less about the stiff. But I do find it interesting that his corpse was suddenly buried somewhere underneath old Cleveland Municipal Stadium, and his skeleton isn’t even exhumed for a blowout. Why not, particularly in light of the fact the Cavs’ other purported shooters, not of whom can create their own shots, often can’t shoot. News is still news, even if it’s not as newsy as Wallace getting dizzy while dancing around the locker room with his paycheck in one ear and a Q-tip in the other.
Game 4 is gonna be huge, but I refuse to believe you people actually watch these games. There’s no way. The offense was geared to run plays to the BACK side of the defense, and as a result, we torched Boston in the 1st quarter. The reason we got so many open shots was Mike Brown’s adjustments to what the Celtics did defensively in games 1 and 2. We run Boston off the court, score 100+ on their vaunted defense, and all with LeBron still trying to find his shot, and no one says two words about the coaching last night. Still bashing the offense after last night, really? That’s just incredible.
Joe Smith needs to play at least 30 minutes a game the rest of the postseason, and I would even call for plays to be run for him when he’s in. The guy is smart, he has all the post moves, and can knock down a jumper. Not to mention he can hold his own inside, even against Garnett. Delonte West was fantastic last night. Ben Wallace was unbelievable, and he needs to keep that up for the next few games for us to win this series. The bench as a whole has a knack for stepping up at home.
If this series gets to game 5 tied at 2-2, I like the Cavs in a 3 game set against anyone. Tomorrow night cant come fast enough…
zach , you are very optimistic when speaking of the players cleveland has . daniel gibson so far has shown to be a one dimensional player . all he does is run down the court and nestle into a spot and wait until the ball comes to him . if he’s open by four feet , he’s putting it up . that’s all you get from him . now there was one game i saw from him(windy even commented that daniel was doing a kidd impersonation) that he was actually creating tempo and making nice passes that lead to easy buckest . but since that game , it’s been him running in the corner and waiting for an open shot . you do not even see him using his jump shot to set up his drive . not this could be on mike brown not instilling the confidence in him to be more than a spot up shooter (daniel may feel if he makes a mistake , he’s gonna be sitting next to damon jones and devon brown) . but in all , gibson does not impact a game unless he’s hitting wide open 3s (and that’s been a rarity lately) . as far as delonte , he’s a back up ,nothing more . he dribbles from east to west , he does not beat his man off the dribble and attack the basket or set up and easy lay up with the pass .i like him , but not as a starter on a team with championship aspirations , and he’s too inconsistent . there’s no need to comment on ben(makes other teams only play 4 , and late in a game he has to be on bench or else hack a ben) ,andy(sucks/flops/clueless) , and sasha(can’t dribble more than 2 bounces before ball is stolen , and if by chance he does get to basket , shot is blocked) . the only other player that is somewhat consistent beside lebron is a 7-3 lumbering ,jump shooting center . how many more years do you think he got left ? sorry zach , this team has no talent and have no chance to win it all now . and let’s not forget who the coach is .
Josh, nice try, but there were no mind-boggling genius coaching adjustments. They’ve had open shots in every game in the playoffs, going back to the Wizards series. The difference in the most recent game is they were actually going in.
Teams focus so much on James with double and triple-teams, so even when he himself isn’t making his own shots, it doesn’t matter, because James creates every one of those wide-open looks for everybody else. If the Cavs had Dale Ellis, it would be light’s out. Unfortunately, the roster is filled to the brim with Drew Goodens and other less-talented folk, so you never know what’s going to show up. They could be serial rim-clangers, Ilgauskas and his silky-smooth footwork could be doing his patented comical impression of John Riggins taking 28 steps down the lane, Wallace could be staring at the Q’s wallpaper and wandering aimlessly while humming “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” or whatever. It’s not the clever coaching, Josh. It’s whichever way the wind blows. And like I said before, there’s also something about the home atmosphere and that piped-in sweetened phony crowd noise that makes some of those guys play like they’re actually playing in the NBA and belong there.
It comes down to James and West. West really belongs on somebody else’s bench, and I hope they’re not counting on this guy for next season as a starting point guard. But when he plays like a good NBA starter, and plays well both inside and out, all those Drew Goodens out there just look different.
this is my last time asking, who is the mental midget using my name? monday is the big game, if bill duke(not melon head) could get his posse to pull this game off, do not be surprise by a cavs 4 game sweep, yes i said it, “well actually I typed it, a 4 game sweep.” It will just show that the celtics were not so mighty after all, and that the playoffs is a new season.
Since this post comments section is being reduced to an illiterate douchebag using my screen name, and there’s really little worth discussing until after the game ends Monday night, I stumbled across this while killing time on Sunday. Every Cavs reporter in the area must wish LeBron was even a fraction as entertaining and f*cking funny as this dude. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5gTZjuo0rc&feature=related
boy i am so sensative, now for the love of pete, who is posting comments using my screen name? who ever you are im going to sue you, yes i will, alan.t. belongs to me, so stop posting with my name, you illiterate mental midget. if you guys want me to keep posting with my wit and humor you better tell that illiterate mental midget to back off, or i will go away from this board forever, yes i will. you could bet your bottom dollars on that.
“until LeBron develops a RELIABLE mid-range game, the Cavs will not win a championship” One of the most surreal comments to ever appear in this blog. I mean, on the surface it’s true, but to even have to say that indicts the entire team NOT named Lebron James. He already does basically everything else and we need him to do one more thing?! The truth is he does need to improve that shot, but so does all the help who see wide open shot after wide open shot. Game 3 they did just that, though. Great game by the help.
Alan at 7:47 pm nails it. It is that simple. They made their open shots that night. Usually they don’t. End of story.
hey corporate whore, that is the false alan.t. I am the real alan.t. the cavs will win this series but only to be dismantel by the pistons in a series that they waited all of last summer for, the want revenge in a bad way and i bet they are pulling for the cavs.
Alan, how about instead of having your opinion spoon-fed to you by the Ric Buchers of the world, go to scout’s Inc and click on today’s analysis of Game 4. Not that you would ever do anything that could potentially invalidate your Cavs-ripping prowess. Or maybe you could actually watch the game and learn a little about BASKETBALL instead of just handing your welfare check to a bookie and following the Cavs via a message board every spring. Mike Brown had a major role in the way the offensive scheme operated in game 3. They ran a bunch of different sets and guys were in motion. LeBron didnt call the plays, nor Eric Snow.
And now seriously, will the real Alan t please stand up? Sing it with me Alan. I’m Alan shady, I am the real shady, those other Alan shadies are just imitating…
alan t is the new spartacus.
http://www.thebasketballjones.net/2008/05/09/scalabrine-%e2%80%93-scal-says-lebron-diss-track/
How about Z. He has been the only reliable player for the Cavs, other then LeBron for a while yet a certain person, never ever gives him props. With one year left on the contract, I think it was one of the best signings Ferry has ever had
Z has been tremendous, and we need him to keep it up inside, because, for the most part, Andy has been a black hole behind him. BIG one tonight. Huge game.
Did anyone see the movie “The Island”? This alan t thing reminds me of the scene where the military guys are trying to decide on which person to shoot – the clone or the real guy. I AM ALAN T. NO – I AM ALAN T.
ha, ha, ha, you guys are so freaking funny, but how will you feel if someone was using your screen name.
If one more guy hits me in the face, they’re getting a visit from Jay-Z’s bodyguard. I’ll drop fools.