Reality starting to bite
Posted May 14th, 2008 by bwindhorst
Celtics 96, Cavs 89
–When the Cavs lost Game 1 here it was a missed opportunity because they didn’t play as well as they could have and still nearly won. Tonight, I felt like they played pretty well and still were not able to win. They were not flawless by any stretch, they fell into some old habits, but you sort of get the impression that they just may not be able to beat the Celtics on the road. They got the game they needed from LeBron James tonight, the type of performance I thought would put them over the top. But it still wasn’t enough and it wasn’t close to enough. And it makes you wonder what would be enough.
–It would be a mistake to count the Cavs out of this series. They have an excellent chance to play well at home on Friday and force a Game 7. In those spots anything can happen, but the Cavs may have to play perfect to win here and I just wonder if they genuinely have it in them. The Celtics have a lot of firepower and their roles players play well at home and it makes it daunting. I still question whether the Celtics have enough poise to win the title, but when they are at home they are just flat better than the Cavs.
–LeBron was not transcendent tonight, but he was great. In the scope of this series, scoring 35 points on the road is akin to scoring like 45 or maybe more in a regular season game. He struggled for a bit in the third quarter and that is why it wasn’t one of his all-time greats. But that is my point, it seems like it will take an all-time great. He did only have five assists, which showed a Cavs weakness tonight. They had 11 assists and 16 turnovers, but that is what happens here. It is a flaw in their mentality and their offense, they just don’t handle pressure well a lot of the time. Three games is enough data to realize that.
–Two key moments in the game, Rajon Rondo hitting the two 3-pointers in the second quarter to start a 14-3 run and the three Cavs’ turnovers to start the third quarter. On Rondo, you are going to have to live with that. With the turnovers, that cannot happen if you are going to win this series. But it has happened consistently here.
–Otherwise, I actually feel like the Cavs did pretty well. The turnovers killed them, but their defense was strong for a lot of the game. I felt like their rotations were solid and so was their effort but Boston just got red hot and made great passes that beat it. At one point the Celtics made 19-of-28 shots. Kevin Garnett is making jumpers, he’s great when he’s making jumpers. Paul Pierce broke out, he’s an all-star, you had to figure it would happen.
–Doc Rivers did a nice job with Rondo by putting the ball more in his hands so it was hard for the Cavs to cheat off him. Then Rondo was aggressive in driving. I thought this was going to be a major problem at the beginning of this series because when Rondo got in the lane in the regular season it killed the Cavs’ defense. Tonight he was comfortable and aggressive and Delonte West and Daniel Gibson could handle it. That is a weakness of theirs at times. Rondo also threw in some crazy floaters and that’s going to happen for guys like him at home. West worked hard to challenge him at the other end and played well. Rondo was just better tonight.
–I’ve heard from some people who think free throw shooting was a factor. I say not really. The Cavs shot just a little below their average and LeBron and West were a combined 21-of-26. So Andy Varejao missed some, he does that, that’s why he was fouled. Didn’t decide the game. The Celtics shooting 62 percent in the second or third quarters did.
–After the game, LeBron made a little proclamation: “A LeBron James team is never desperate.” I sort of differ on that one, but his point is fair. There’s no doubt that he has personal confidence going and if the Cavs play they way they did at home in Games 3 and 4 on Friday then there is a lot more interesting basketball left. But the Cavs now have no room for error and this team makes a lot of mistakes even in the best of times.
Recap:
Pregame
Starting lineups
Cavs: Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak, LeBron James, Ben Wallace, Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Celtics: Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Kendrick Perkins
Officials
Ron Garrettson, Tony Brothers, Dan Crawford
–This could be a memorable game. I feel like this is a must win game for the Celtics for so many reasons. I don’t think they win in Cleveland if they’ve lost three straight. I think there’s pressure from both sides. And watching LeBron this morning and before the game I get the sense that he’s confident and locked in. It’s not an exact science, but when he’s like this he often has big games.
–The Cavs role players need to make shots tonight. Nobody has to score 25, but West, Wally or Daniel Gibson need to make some shots to take the pressure off. Also, LeBron doesn’t need to score 40 for the Cavs to win. If he scores 30, in this series, it would be highly impactful.
–I wouldn’t be surprised if Doc Rivers makes some changes to his rotation tonight, maybe giving Tony Allen or even Eddie House some playing time. I don’t know how much longer he can trust Sam Cassell.
–The game plan for the Cavs is the same it has been all series up here. They need to keep it close going into the fourth. Absorb the runs and deal with the fans, who are very, very loud here. When the Celtics get up 10-15 points they are almost impossible to come back on at home.
Halftime — Cavs 46, Celtics 43
–The Cavs played a strong first half for the most part. Obviously LeBron is finding a comfort on offense. He’s attacking from different angels and making multiple moves to get to the basket plus his jumper is working the best it has in the series. Defensively the rotations have been good and for the most part the Celtics have been taking the shots the Cavs want them too.
–Paul Pierce is also getting going and in general the Celtics are moving the ball better. They are just not getting many open looks. But I do think Pierce is forcing things a little bit, which may come back to to hurt him later in the game.
–I don’t think the Cavs are playing great offense. They are shooting at a high percentage, but they have just six assists on 16 baskets. They are doing a good job attacking and they’ve gotten 14 free throw attempts. A little too much dribbling, which may come back to bite them. Also, they have turned the ball over 12 times is a big reason they are not up more.
–Expect this game to be skin tight heading down the stretch, we’ll see if LeBron can be the differencemaker.
May 14th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
Hopefully Doc didn’t read Sports Guy’s article. Might give him an idea or two that, frankly, I don’t want him to have.
May 14th, 2008 at 8:34 pm
The turnovers excepted (I think the Cavs had 6), that was a solid first quarter.
You have to love Lebron hitting his first two jumpers. He’s got it going early. That’s a good sign. Wally’s hitting his shots early. Another good sign.
Cleveland got off to a similar start in Game 2 and it all fell apart for them in the second quarter. They have to keep the pressure on them.
May 14th, 2008 at 8:34 pm
and….. time for sam cassell.
good looking half by the cavs, marred a bit by bad turnovers.
May 14th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
I don’t how else to say it: the Celtics look flat.
This is the Cavs’ big chance to take control of this series.
It won’t get this good again if the Cavs can’t take advantage.
May 14th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
i’ll live with rondo taking outside shots, but we need to do a better job of not leaving him SO wide open.
May 14th, 2008 at 9:18 pm
A 3 point lead at halftime at Boston is like a 13 point lead at home. I cant help but feel like this 3rd quarter will be the difference. Love the way LeBron is playing. Our bench has been outstanding again, and the suffocating D continues.
The Cavs look like the better team to me, and have the entire series, minus game 2. Hope it translates. This is SUCH a huge game…
May 14th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
apparently the “only zac(k or h) can post” filter has been applied to this blog comment sections.
come on cavs, gotta make it happen.
this next five minutes is crucial.
May 14th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
Z is forcing way too much in the post. How man ugly airball fadeaway 15 footers is that in this series? If it’s not there, pass it out.
Terrible final 3 minutes of each quarter. Bad shot selection and turnovers allowed Boston to make up a lot of the difference after being dominated for the first 3/4 of the quarter.
Lebron looks much better, but he is going to need some help. This game will come down to whether or not Gibson, Wally, Z, and Joe can hit open jumpers.
May 14th, 2008 at 9:28 pm
I thought Delonte West’s three during the Celtics late-second quarter run was big. The Celtics may very well have taken the lead if it weren’t for that shot.
I’d like to see one other Cavalier find his stroke whether it be West, Booby, Z or even Joe Smith.
Cavs need to take better care of the basketball in the second half.
This one’s coming down to the last possession. Hold on Boys!
May 14th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
turnovers are killing us…lbj needs to wake up again… our offense is sputtering bad in this second half…lets hope not closing the second quarter isnt the difference in this game
May 14th, 2008 at 9:42 pm
Not the start we need to the 3rd quarter.
Cavs look listlessly and sloppy.
The better be careful here.
May 14th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Lebron drives to the basket, two guys all over him, no foul called. Celtics take the ball down, Andy tries to block a shot, foul called.
Huh? Do these refs need glasses or what?
May 14th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
[...] bwindhorst wrote an interesting post today on Cavs-Celtics, Game 5Here’s a quick excerptI feel like this is a must win game for the Celtics for so many reasons. I don’t think they win in Cleveland if they’ve lost three straight. I think there’s pressure from both sides. And watching LeBron this morning and before the game … [...]
May 14th, 2008 at 9:56 pm
What is with this team in the 3rd quarter. It is getting rediculous how they fall apart and get blown out. They are going to be down 15 going into the 4th at this rate. We don’t deserve to win if this stuff keeps happening!!!
May 14th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
Dreadful third quarter.
Who was that team in the wine and gold? They didn’t look anything like the team from the first and second quarters.
Down by 9. Not insurmountable. They’ve got to come up with some stops and some shots.
Lebron needs to live up to his reputation as a fourth quarter player.
May 14th, 2008 at 10:01 pm
we were lucky to get out of that quarter only down nine.
why do we stop running back screens in the third quarter?
May 14th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
Where’s the defense?
Where’s the offense?
Rondo looks like Chris Paul tonight.
So frustrating.
May 14th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
Defense has disappeared just like the supporting cast. I still to this day do not understand why lebron does all these high pick and rolls pretty much inviting the double team when he can beat anyone in the league off the dribble. the defense has been awful and the officiating has not been much better. mike brown has to be wondering where the defensive intensity went cause it left w 2 minutes left in the first half
May 14th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
I got 2 HUGE complaints with mike brown… why isint Big z matched up on big baby? and why isint he utilizing andy varegao on garnet?????? nooo instead he lets andy get all tired while garnett gets rested … skinny joe smith on big baby while big z is is getting a tan
May 14th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
Rebounds + FTs killed us in this game. Just couldn’t focus down the stretch.
Delonte West had some great steals in the 4th quarter though.
Going to be a long offseason… who can we afford to add to put this team back at the top of the Eastern Conference again?
May 14th, 2008 at 10:51 pm
Guys, that was it.
That was Cleveland’s chance to take control of this series and they blew.
They lost this game at the free throw line (they missed 13 foul shots) and on the boards. Don’t know what the final margin will look like, but I’m guessing Boston will finish with +10 rebounding edge.
Very disappointing.
Oh well. Buck up and get ready for Game 6 at the Q.
May 14th, 2008 at 10:52 pm
A broken clock was right twice tonight and that’s the difference.
May 14th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
Well, we had our chances. Pathetic free throw shooting finally bites us in the ass. Props to Delonte, he played with some real guts tonight, pretty much got us back in it on his own. Wally is the goat, gets a wide open, I mean wide open look to cut it to three and clunks it. That guy has no big game stones whatsoever. Lebron was Lebron. I thought he got some shitty no calls but that happens on the road. He got mired in that high pick and roll again for about 10-15 minutes and that hurt us.
Z looked liked he was running in quick sand (more than normal), his weak interior D really hurt us.
Pierce had a solid night, as did Rondo and KG. These teams are evenly matched, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a game 7 back in Boston.
May 14th, 2008 at 11:07 pm
only reason we lost is free throw shooting!! Thats it! we were better but our free throw shooting sucked big time!!
May 14th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
eddie ,if they was better tonight they would not have lost a 14 point lead ,free throw shooting was not the reason they lost a 14 point lead
May 14th, 2008 at 11:30 pm
a buddy of mine made a good point today. if you are going to play junk ball with a focus on defense you had better to be able to hit your free throws. this team has never been good at the line. so with lebron in a shooting slump and the offense looking sloppy this result is no surprise.
speaking of mike brown’s great defensive schemes it looks like it was doc’s turn to make him look like an ass. the cavs overplayed the perimeter players and allowed drive after drive in the lane in the second half. both these coaches are a joke and david stern had better hope that neither of these teams face the western champion or it’s going to be another quick one.
May 14th, 2008 at 11:32 pm
Don’t usually write anything until the morning but I’m feeling clear-headed tonight after the game….
5 Things I want to look at, both some defensive and offensive situations - all of which involve Mike Brown and the direction this game went.
In the first quarter- the top scorers were - LBJ, Wally, and Z. Wally had 8, Z had 4. To finish the game - Wally had 10, Z had 6. For reference - Z was averaging 14.9 ppg in the BOS series and Wally was at 12 ppg. Simply put - where were the touches these guys should have been getting after the 1st quarter? Admittedly, in the 2nd, we stretched our lead but still - there was nothing in the 3rd or 4th run for either player. BOS went small and rather than play to a strength (rebounds, proven shooting) we adapted to what they were doing and got burned by Rondo’s floaters (since no one was long enough - um Z? - to redirect those shots).
Second and Third - Anderson Varajao. For one - offensively, putrid. When a guy isn’t making shots either at the line or from under the basket - it’s cause to be worried. FYI - he went 1 for 3 from the field and 2 for 6 from the line. This is especially bad when you realize that he had a combination of PJ Brown and Glen Davis guarding him - a 38 year old and a rookie. Also, defensively, Andy was missing assignments, getting abused by smaller forwards (Davis is fat but definitely guardable by a guy 3 inches taller), and failed to deter anyone from getting in the lane. He took ZERO charges, blocked ZERO shots, and got one steal. Sorry dude - not gonna cut it for 20 minutes of important action.
Fourth - Defensive matchups. When Sam Cassell came in the game (Boston’s guy for ‘instant offense) LBJ was on him. When Rondo was burning us getting inside and out, there was never that conscious effort to get our best defender (Lebron) on him. Almost makes you pine for E Snow (or Devin Brown?). Of course, Coach didn’t want to leave Pierce mismatched with West - yeah, that intention REALLY worked - so why not take the same line of reasoning you had with that LBJ-Cassell matchup and stick LBJ on Rondo?
Lastly - a summation of items. Execution and game management. I’ve praised Brown for being very clutch in the playoffs about his subs, the ‘wrinkles’ in both offense and defense, and a whole host of other items. But tonight? He wasn’t even outcoached by Doc Rivers - he outcoached himself. The best and most effective plays we ran were when we didn’t have even spacing- we overloaded our players to force the C’s into keeping guys spread out through the paint - giving LBJ angles. In the 3rd and 4th? None of that. We weren’t even LOSING by more than 4 until the 4th but did we ever see anything like this again? On 3 of LBJ’s layups in the first half - we saw most of the Cavs shooters out to one side of the floor, drawing defenders - this opens up the paint and gives LBJ a driving lane. Putting a shooter in motion to the back after he drives would be a nice way to guarantee a positive outcome to that play (should LBJ get cut off). Never happened. Call me crazy, but I think Boobie can hit that shot better than he can the last second 3 on the move OR if he played more than a ridiculously sporadic 14 minutes out of the game. Even before he was hurt - this is a guy who gave you 14 points the night before and is your best shooter. Why is he not on the floor? Especially since we don’t want to run plays for Wally? Just frustrating all the way around.
This is why I don’t write at night - I just get more fired up. Kudos to D West for wanting to make a game out of it. You’re a baller and had the will to win - my apologies it didn’t happen.
Out.
May 14th, 2008 at 11:35 pm
Please explain what Jay-Z, Beyonce and Beyonce’s big bouncing bags of saline were doing at the game. Those are four voracious publicity hounds.
May 14th, 2008 at 11:46 pm
James is not Jordan. Not by a long shot. And therein again
lies the problem. He is not Magic(a big point guard). He is a
slasher and a great jumper. His fallaway cannot compare to
Michaels. Our chances of winning this series went out the window tonight. Wait till next year.
May 15th, 2008 at 12:20 am
Common Sense Coaching,
Some good points, but as great as an athlete as Lebron is, there is no way he can guard Rondo, Rondo is too quick even for Lebron. Z never got involved in the offense, only 5 shot attempts. MB stayed with Andy too long, unfortunately the Andy from last game did not show up.
Had the Celtics reeling for the first 20 minutes, but they closed the 2nd with a 14-3 run to give them their confidence back. In the 3rd, they used excellent ball movement to get great shots while our offense sputtered.
Turnovers on the road has been a consistent problem. The Cavs ball movement tonight was not near as good as in Cleveland. They only had 11 assists after having 24 and 29 in the previous two games.
Felt Lebron would need 10 or more assists to win this game as that would mean his teammates were knocking down their open looks.
Have to regroup and take game 6 and force a game 7 when anything can happen, especially when the Cavs have the best player on the floor.
May 15th, 2008 at 12:35 am
This game was brought to by the TNT network, home of Boston Celtics baskeball.
Could the broadcasters and TNT crew have been anymore open about how much they wanted the Celtics to win?
May 15th, 2008 at 12:38 am
Defense was the problem tonight. Those who are blaming FT shooting need to look at the facts. This is NOT a good FT shotting team. They shot 71.6% on the season and 68.3% tonight.
So…they basically missed 1 more shot than they usually do.
Does Mike Brown do ANYTHING? This team ran what looked like 1 actual offensive set in the 2nd half. It turned into the LeBron dribble 35 feet from the basket offense.
11 assists as a team….atrocious. LeBron had 13 himself in Game 4.
The Celtics made a whopping 5 jumpers in the 2nd half yet managed to score 53 points! Almost every shot was in the paint, most being layups, dunks and FT opportunities that came from shots near the rim.
May 15th, 2008 at 1:29 am
What’s wrong with Ray Allen? He’s been resembling Ben Wallace’s corpse.
May 15th, 2008 at 1:43 am
Amazing how the Cavs can go from a team running a mediocre offense that works to a team running no offense that doesn’t work! I thought the Cavs played terrible, unmotivated ball in the second half on both ends of the floor. I do not agree Brian, that the Cavs played pretty well tonight. They had no heart, no sense of urgency, couldn’t shoot the ball, didn’t pass the ball and couldn’t rebound. If you call that a good game I will go out on a limb to say you didn’t pay much attention to it.
Mike Brown made no useful defensive adjustments at halftime or in the fourth quarter. The one he did make (switching defenders off of screens) ended up killing us because of ridiculous mismatches. The Cavs didn’t move the ball or bodies and LeBron went into hero mode for the last 18 minutes of the game. He did nothing but dribble the ball 30 feet from the rack and then drive into a truiple team wall of bodies and turn it over. That won’t get it done. LeBron with 5 asts won’t get it done and the team with 11 total asts won’t get it done.
The Cavs need to dig down real deep and figure out what the they’re doing and whether they really want this or not if they have any chance of winning this series.
May 15th, 2008 at 5:13 am
Is it just me or did anyone else notice how we went from running an offense and winning Game 5 in Boston to let’s have Lebron dribble the ball up the court and run pick and rolls the entire second half! Lebron should be finishing plays not starting them and giving it to Mop-head (varejao) to try and finish them. Well at least our great coaching staff finally figured that out though…too bad it was with five minutes left in the game! What the hell Mike Brown?!
May 15th, 2008 at 6:49 am
Anybody know where Devon Brown is? Has he been relagated to the dog house like Damon Jones?
I don’t get that, and one of the media seems to talk about it. Strange.
May 15th, 2008 at 7:26 am
Of course the Cavs can beat the Celtics on the road in a game seven. And of course the free throw misses were crucial–without missing four of five or five of six during one stretch they would have closed to within three points with 10 minutes or so to go.
As it was, the Celts almost choked it away with sloppy turnovers and dumb shots. There were plenty of opportunities–if Wally or LeBron would have hit open threes in the last couple minutes the Cavs would have pulled it out.
LeBron’s going to have a big game six and I think in a tight game seven I’d take the Cavs.
Finally, this Rondo fellow gave alan t. some sweet redemption last night. He looked pretty good to me.
May 15th, 2008 at 7:31 am
They’re playing at home, so if Gibson can’t play in the next game, there’s a good chance that Brown will drag Jones out of his doghouse. As much as that guy sucks, everybody loves an underdog, even if his name is Damon Jones.
May 15th, 2008 at 10:02 am
Yea, I really don’t buy that the free throw shooting doesn’t matter. Of course it matters. Just because it was near the season average doesn’t mean anything. You are supposed to play/shoot better in the playoffs, especially in the 4th quarter, and on the road. We had Boston in the penalty early in the 4th, if we hit a few free throws, we’re talking a one possession game at the end instead of a two or three.
May 15th, 2008 at 10:17 am
alan, those aren’t bags of saline on beyonce. that woman has to work hard all day and eat air to avoid looking like aretha franklin.
May 15th, 2008 at 10:21 am
Look no further than LeBron’s misleading great start as to why this team struggled offensively. LeBron was getting to the basket, but made 2 jumpers and consequently thought it jumper was on (it wasn’t). LeBron proceeded to go 3 for 13 on jumpers for the night. When will he learn that he’s not Kobe in that regard?
Everyone’s killing Mike Brown today, but the fact is, it’s Mike Brown’s defense that has saved the Cavaliers from a four-game sweep. LeBron has been outplayed in this series by KG, and homecourt advantage has been a killer.
May 15th, 2008 at 10:24 am
LeBron’s ballhogging start also eventually killed Zydrunas and others ability to feel in rhythm when they needed them to quell the big Celtic run.
May 15th, 2008 at 10:27 am
Will someone please explain to me why Sasha Pavlovic is in at the end of the biggest game of the year!!! Hopefully, the entire organization will learn from this series that they are not good enough to win a championship. Not only do they have to find another star to play with LeBron, but LeBron has to improve the weaknesses in his game that mostly involve not being able to shoot the ball with any kind of consistency.
May 15th, 2008 at 10:30 am
Yeah, Alan had to have a last laugh in regards to Rondo. He absolutely abused Delonte. Drove by him all night long and made plays. And if Ben Wallace isn’t going to give you any offense (and he won’t) he needs to play better D. Yeah, yeah, I know Garnett was making 18 foot jumpers, but when something is working time after time after time, maybe you switch it up defensively. Come out and make him put it on the floor. Z made himself disappear last night. Oh well, hopefully they destroy the Celtics on Friday and finally figure it out on Sunday.
May 15th, 2008 at 10:33 am
Shocker…Douglar blames James for the loss. Well, the sun did rise in the east.
May 15th, 2008 at 11:36 am
It was a good season. Looking forward to seeing what they do in the offseason to prepare for next year.
May 15th, 2008 at 11:50 am
yeah, mike brown’s defense saved the cavs from a 4 game sweep. and if they had even a sliver of offense they would be moving on to the pistons today.
your potato sucks douglar.
May 15th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
I didn’t blame LeBron for the loss, but I am scratching my head this morning at his shot selection. It’s been horrendous all series, and has hurt the Cavs chances at advancing. It’s a shame to see someone with such a high Basketball IQ stubbornly jacking up outside contested jumpers at the expense of our offense.
May 15th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
I’m just not sure how someone can blame a coach for a stagnant offense when he calls a play and the players dont execute it. At what point does the player (or players) get blamed for stalling the offense? It’s a no-win situation when LeBron’s game is off, however rare that may be, since you certainly cant bench or embarrass your megastar/MVP candidate. Let’s face it, we live and die with LeBron James and his offense, which I’m fine with. What bothers me is the idiots who blame Mike Brown when the offense stalls, which is ludicrous. Mike cant go out there and run the point, guys.
Of course, I could be wrong. Maybe Mike Brown could play hardball in game 6 and bench LeBron for the whole 2nd half, right Doc, Douglar, Alan? Maybe our coach should take control of this team, and make a statement like “I’m LeBron’s boss, not vice versa. In fact, he’s my B*TCH.” After all, Phil Jackson and Pat Riley wouldnt stand for this dribbling at the top of the key.
Yes, that’s it, Mike Brown needs to do something hasty and cause a huge rift in the organization, ending his being fired and LeBron playing Jeffrey to Jay-Z’s Fresh Prince of Brooklyn. That’s just what this organization needs… to DIE AND DISAPPEAR.
Fact is, the supporting cast didnt show up last night, and other than Delonte, LeBron had no help in the scoring dept. Dont make it bigger than it is. This series will go 7, and it’ll be one helluva good show on Sunday.
May 15th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Gibson out for the series with separated shoulder. Here comes Damon Jones…
May 15th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Must give West credit for being more aggressive in this game. He really made Rondo look bad at times. Even though the venerable Dick Stockton said Rondo was in West’s head.
May 15th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
what plays josh?????? what plays????? variations of the pick and roll are the only plays they run on a regular basis.
secondly, if the coach can’t get the players to run the “plays” then that coach needs to go. get a coach that will be a coach and not a “partner” to lebron. no more excuses for potato brown! he needs to hit the road.
May 15th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Gibson is fragile. He’s basically a slightly better version than Larry Hughes.
May 15th, 2008 at 9:44 pm
Josh (sabo?), I wasn’t espousing the benching of LeBron for long periods of time, just that his shot selection has significantly hindered the Cavalier chances at this series. The role players and Mike Brown’s defense are the only reasons this series wasn’t a 4-0 sweep.
Nobody complained about Mike Brown’s offense in games 3 and 4… Seems that the only time people complain is when they lose.
May 15th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
Damona in a Pink Fedora riding in with force majora. He
can shoot but can he scorea.?
May 15th, 2008 at 10:42 pm
Gibson should be locked in the weight room this summer.
May 16th, 2008 at 12:10 am
weights are for suckers!
May 16th, 2008 at 12:24 am
http://www.boreme.com/boreme/funny-2007/worlds-tallest-dog-p1.php
May 16th, 2008 at 3:38 am
Wow is this a Cav’s fan convention?
May 16th, 2008 at 8:01 am
If Boobie were as tall as that dog the Cavs would be set with 7-foot jump shooters, alan.
May 16th, 2008 at 8:34 am
alright all you dsruptive twits in blog land, i am about to speak to read up. THE CAVS WILL WIN THIS SERIES, yes i said it and i am done with it…..althought we do suck as a team i still got a feeling that they will win on emotions tonight and on sunday Lebron will have on of those games they will be talking about on espn all week.
May 16th, 2008 at 9:27 am
“It’s a shame to see someone with such a high Basketball IQ stubbornly jacking up outside contested jumpers”
But they haven’t been contested, Douglar. He just can’t hit the ocean from a row boat. They are giving him anything outside of 18 feet. You have a very good point in criticizing some of his shot selection, though. Too many 3 pointers.
May 16th, 2008 at 9:50 am
I’m torn about the 3 pt. shots. They aggravate me but if LeBron could hit a couple in a row and things would open up all over.
May 16th, 2008 at 9:55 am
Thoughts on the Cavs loss to the Celtics:
- The Cavs got too lackadaisical in the middle of the 2nd Quarter (Joe Tait calls it “admiring their handiwork”), Boston was able to make some big shots to swing the momentum, and by the time the Cavs recovered, the lead was gone, the crowd was into it, and the Celtics were in command.
- Once that happened, the game played out the way you would expect. With the crowd behind them, guys like Rondo and Glen Davis are able to make tough shots they usually miss. I don’t think the Cavs’ defense was that poor in the 4th Quarter, they were just getting burned by tough shots late in the shot clock and bad bounces for offensive rebounds.
- Rondo’s two 3-pointers were pivotal in the game. This came from a guy who made 5 3-pointers *all season*. That’s not bad defense, that’s a good decision that turned out poorly.
- Really wish Wally would have made his open 3 that would have cut the Celtics lead to 3 with under a minute left. Things would have been really interesting after that.
- I like how Delonte West gives the Cavs a lot of energy and hustle. But I hate how Rondo was blowing by him consistently last night. He just doesn’t have the quickness to guard opposing point guards.
- The missed free throws hurt, but they weren’t the difference. They made a bad thing worse when the Cavs were having trouble scoring, but a handful of missed free throws weren’t the reason they got outscored 43-20 in that pivotal stretch to end the 2nd Quarter through the end of the 3rd Quarter.
- I don’t want to hear another word about changing the rotation. The Cavs beat the Celtics twice at home using the same rotation that was employed in Game 5. There’s no reason to think that the Celtics have figured it all out, and there’s no reason to change to something new just because the Cavs lost Game 5. So no more calls for more Devin Brown, no more calls for Joe Smith to play at small forward, no more talking about playing zone defense. If the Cavs play their game, they can beat the Celtics at home. There isn’t any magic that’s going to help them beat the Celtics.
- With Gibson out, I expect Mike Brown to use Damon Jones in his place. And maybe he’ll do just fine. But the fact of the matter is that he has the exact same skill set as Gibson, only he’s not as good. Finding minutes for him when Gibson was healthy didn’t make any sense. Now that Gibson is out, I expect Brown to give his minutes to Damon in hopes that the falloff isn’t too great.
- Finally, while I think the Cavs can win this series, if they lose it won’t be a horrific failure. The Celtics are a good team. They are more talented than the Cavaliers, and they are deeper than the Cavaliers. If the Cavs win, it will be a huge upset. Let’s give the Celtics some credit, and admit that the Cavs have done a very solid job just keeping up with them so far. A loss in this series won’t mean that LeBron James sucks, or that Mike Brown is a terrible coach, or anything else that extreme.
Go Cavs. I’ll be as loud as anybody at the Q tonight. Let’s make this series a classic.
Mike C.
May 16th, 2008 at 10:32 am
Mike C., with respect to your second to last paragraph, I guessing that’s the same tact the Terry Plutos of Northeast Ohio will take, too. But that would be complete baloney. I’m assuming the series will go seven games. So if the Cavaliers lose the series in seven, will you also argue the Cavaliers are on the level of the Hawks?
The Cavaliers still having a fighter’s chance of winning the series simply because of James. He’s that freakin’ good, and teams focus so much on him and he causes everybody else to be wide-open. Which is the exact same thing we’ve been saying for years. But this shouldn’t be the case, he should have consistent dependable help by now. Guys like Scottie Pippen and James Worthy didn’t show up to play one game out of every five, did they? Even bench guys on the downsides of their careers, like Bob McAdoo, showed up to play every game. But at least Damon Jones will get the opportunity to do something with James besides that retarded ridiculous patty-cake jiggle and dance.
I wonder if James can successful sue Ferry in court. LeBron seems to hold his own in that vitamin water commercial.
May 16th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
Mike Brown is awesome, I’ve been preaching this for three years now! Sure he didn’t do anything in the second half that was working in the first like putting LeBron in the post. Sure he kept running the same pick n roll 8 straight possesions and the Celtic D kept jumping it. Sure he kept setting picks for LeBron when he doesn’t need one because he can blow by anyone without one. Sure his assistant coaches don’t do a damn thing. But you know what, they can play defense, so he’s an awesome coach?
May 16th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Hey, I know I’m only a B-minus actor and a C-minus coach, but have you seen my new pants in the playoffs?
20% baggier, yo!
I give that type of improvement an A-plus anytime.
May 16th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Larry D. You said it yourself. IF he’s hitting them, then by all mean shsoot away young man. However, he hasn’t.
May 16th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
My prediction for tonight…
Cavs 87
Celtics 79
Leborn will score 25 and have a triple double. Rack it.
May 16th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
Biff - Now is NOT the time to go into a shell. Now, more than ever, your insight is needed to navigate a convoluted world. We, in CavsNation are confused and frightened!
Mark Price- You seem most bitter. Why be bitter if a long playoff run was a long-shot to begin with? I know you live in Boston, and it must be painful to hear the talking heads every morning on the radio, but all hope was lost when we won the Wizards series, and Mike Brown likely secured himself at least another year…
-World
May 17th, 2008 at 2:51 am
[...] Cavs-Celtics, Game 514 May 2008 by bwindhorst Nobody has to score 25, but West, Wally or Daniel Gibson need to make some shots to take the pressure off. Also, LeBron doesn’t need to score 40 for the Cavs to win. If he scores 30, in this series, it would be highly impactful. … - [...]
May 19th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
terje…
Do you realize how out of touch you sound? Do you realize that most teams in the NBA who have a star run the “feed the star” offense and get out of the way? Pat Riley, Phil Jackson, Gregg Popovich… doesnt matter, they all do it. If you can find a coach with telekinetic powers who can hypnotize an entire team for whole games, by all means, let’s hire him. Facts are, he doesnt exist.
I know you suffer from selective memory, but the 90’s Bulls didnt run a complex offense that inspired the genius required to split an atom… the “Triangle Offense” was simple. Enter the ball to a big guy, have the big guy pass or hand the ball off to the guy wearing #23, and get out of the way while he destroys anyone who dares to guard him. Go watch those 90’s teams, I dare you. It wasnt much different than anything teams run nowadays, Cavs included.
Jordan did one of three things while running the Bulls’ “complex system”: attack the rim with a vengeance, pass the ball when the double came to a spotted-up 3 point shooter, or pull up and drain an 18-footer over the top of the defense. That should sound familiar, and it was unstoppable, remember? But NOT UNTIL JORDAN DEVELOPED THAT JUMPER. When LeBron does that, the offense is going to look great, and people will laude Mike Brown as a guru. That’s the NBA, my friend. Every coach is a complete doofus until his superstar figures it out and dominates every game. Then, he’s Phil Jackson.
There isnt a better coach out there, so why fight it? Mike Brown is a fit for this team, and to fire him would be outright insane when you look at his record. The bottom line is, the Cavs need better players, and that pressure falls squarely on the shoulders of Danny Ferry.
May 20th, 2008 at 2:02 am
[...] Brian Windhorst, Akron Beacon Journal: "After the game, LeBron made a little proclamation: "A LeBron James team is never desperate." I sort of differ on that one, but his point is fair. There’s no doubt that he has personal confidence going and if the Cavs play they way they did at home in Games 3 and 4 on Friday then there is a lot more interesting basketball left. But the Cavs now have no room for error and this team makes a lot of mistakes even in the best of times." [...]
May 21st, 2008 at 7:31 am
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