Brian Windhorst, Cavaliers beat writer for the Akron Beacon Journal, has been unable to cover the run-up to the 2008 NBA Draft. He is recuperating from an illness at an area hospital.

His family asks that Brian’s readers keep him in their thoughts.

There has been an uptick in Anderson Varejao rumors bouncing around the last couple of days. Today, ESPN’s Chad Ford floated one involving the Golden State Warriors. Earlier this week, Beacon Journal columnist Patrick McManamon wrote an excellent column summing up Varejao’s situation.

So with all that out there, let me tell you what I know about what has been going on.

–The Cavs have had trade talks with at least five teams about Varejao. But these talks have three sides, the Cavs, the potential trading partner and Varejao’s agent, Dan Fegan. Because Andy has to give permission to be traded before Dec. 5 (a stipulation when a player has an offer sheet matched by his team), he must be in the loop before a deal can be done. This permission will be given (he cannot be traded to the Bobcats under any circumstances until Dec.) only if Fegan likes the chances of Varejao getting big minutes and having an important role at his new destination. The reason is this is Varejao’s contract year essentially and a big season would mean a chance at the big deal Andy has wanted for a year. I also know that at least one trading partner has already been told “no” by Fegan. I do not know which team, but keep in mind as the Cavs are linked to the Milwaukee Bucks in trade rumors that Fegan also represents Yi Jianlian and probably would not like Varejao and Yi fighting for minutes with one another.
–Because of all these moving parts — there are three different sides able to pitch trades — any deal involving Varejao will be difficult to pull off right now. The Cavs do not have to trade him and they may wait and let the Dec. 5 deadline pass so they have more freedom. But obviously there is a market for Varejao and with the draft coming up, there’s an uptick in trying to get things done.
–The Cavs were pleased with how professionally Andy handled playing with Ben Wallace and even went to him and thanked him at the end of the season. But it is clear to both sides that Andy was not happy yielding crunch time minutes to Wallace and that is an issue that may become problematic next season when Varejao starts feeling the heat of playing another contract. With that in mind and the fear of losing Andy for nothing and/or going another 15 rounds with Fegan next summer, it is easy to see why the Cavs are open to trading their only big man under 30.
–There are a number of players the Cavs like in this draft. If anything, they are looking to move up in the draft or get a second pick instead of trading out as rumors have suggested. In addition, unless there is another rock solid plan in place, it is doubtful the Cavs would only trade Varejao unless they were getting another big man in return. It is questionable whether they can get an immediately contributing big with the 19th pick and losing Varejao would leave a huge hole because he is the team’s only legit backup center.
–I’ll have more on the draft over the weekend or early next week.

ESPN’s Marc Stein tells us that the NBA has decided that it will start fining players for flopping next season. There are a lot of people who I know that hate, hate, hate flopping. One of them is the Plain Dealer’s Branson Wright, who fancies himself a bit of a purest. We’ve sat next to each other for hundreds of games over the years and each time he sees one he’ll let out a prolonged moan. I am not in this camp, I think it is part of the game just like other gamesmanship plays are. But the league is obviously trying to reign some things in.

In the 2006-07 season there was a play when Anderson Varejao — king of the timed response to defensive contact, oh, OK, the flop — hit the deck on a jump ball. And he was doing the jumping! And he got the call! I felt this was one of the greatest moments of the season, a signature move by a maestro. Branson literally got up from the table and walked away.

Actually, Andy’s great play from that season was taking a charge from Rasheed Wallace in the fourth quarter of Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Sheed had just been called for a bad loose ball foul at the other end and was steaming. He pushed and shoved Varejao up the court, he must’ve hit him five times before he got the ball. Then setting up in the post he hit him twice more. Andy took them all. Then, at just the correct moment when Sheed was making his move, Andy went to the deck. Sheed was hit with the charge and then he freaked out, tackled LeBron and was ejected. To me, that was sheer mastery. And, as Andy’s often criticized yet not incorrect agent Dan Fegan once said to me: “A charge is just as good as a block.” Actually, it’s better because you get the ball and a foul on the other guy.

I think the key phrase in Stein’s story is fines will only come on the “most egregious type of flops.” Or as some in the NBA would call them: Ginobilis. I certainly recognize that this will change the way the game is played and there’s no doubt Andy is a target and will probably feel this rule at some point next season. More than likely, the league will pass out a bunch early on and announce them all with the hope that it will stem the tide, then will let it go in the late season and playoffs.

When there were first rumors of this sort of action last year I asked Andy about it. He pretty much shrugged and told me that it is easier to get a charge called in the NBA than any other league in the world because of the no-charge zone. “Easier to get charges because of the no-charge zone?” I repeated. “Yes, because if you set up outside of it and there is contact the officials have to make the call. In international games, they can let it go. The line makes them blow the whistle,” Andy told me. And, you know what, he’s right.

So these fines may not be great news for Andy, but I suspect it won’t change the way he plays the game at all.

–One more thing more I go, people are still asking me about why I didn’t address Carmelo Anthony rumors in my previous blog. I mean, I was giving you guys some credit. Why would the Nuggets trade their franchise player for any reason? I don’t care what rumors have come out of New Jersey or anywhere else, this is crazy. And you sure don’t trade him for expiring contracts. C’mon folks. Now, if Denver gets off to a bad start next season I could see them looking to trade Allen Iverson (heading into the last year of his deal) and maybe start a bit of a rebuilding because they have a sky-high payroll and have yet to win a playoff series with this group. But you don’t trade Melo, you build around him.
–Also, on the Jermaine O’Neal rumors. When Chad Ford wrote it he said he checked it out and it wasn’t true. You never say never, but I don’t see Danny Ferry trading Zydrunas Ilgauskas and I don’t see the Pacers moving O’Neal for a guy in his 30s. How does that make sense for the Pacers. He’s their franchise player, even if he’s been hurt for the last couple of years.

I’ve gotten lots of e-mails over the last week asking me about players the Cavs may want to trade for this offseason. Nobody asked about the draft, which I wrote about in Sunday’s paper. I guess LeBron’s comments at the end of the season are the reason for that. Anyway, let me go over some things to answer some questions I’ve been getting.

A couple of things before we start.

1. The Cavs probably aren’t going to be signing anybody to a significant contract straight up this summer. All they have is their exceptions ($5.5 million mid-level and $1.8 million bi-annual). Neither of those are likely going to attract impact players. Considering the staggering size of their payroll, I don’t expect the Cavs to use all or maybe any of this money.
2. The Cavs have plenty of trade assets, but there are circumstances. Most of them are expiring contracts, especially Wally Szczerbiak’s $13 million Teams who are looking to clear cap space and rebuild want these deals. Not everybody wants to rebuild in the summer, usually that decision happens mid-season. So, in general, expiring contracts tend to become more valuable as the season progresses. That means a major move might well not happen until during next season. Not that it is impossible. Last season the SuperSonics broke down their team and the Celtics cashed in with Ray Allen. The Cavs also have two restricted free agents in Daniel Gibson and Delonte West they could use in sign-and-trades. However, the team likes the both and probably wants to keep them.
3. The season isn’t over yet, the draft hasn’t taken place, and not all coaches or general managers are in place. Which means there’s mostly just speculation at this point and all talk of roster movement would be by definition premature. From the Cavs perspective, I don’t even believe their coaches and front office have made certain decisions yet. So anything about the Cavs would be total conjecture. But I am paid to do it, so I will. As I did in Sunday’s story.

Ok, now…

–People are asking me a lot about Elton Brand, there is apparently some rumor that the Cavs want him. Well of course the Cavs would want him, so would almost every team in the league. He is going into the final year of his contract, which he has an option to terminate. But since he is coming off an Achilles tear nobody is 100 percent sure he will do that. Either way, the only way the Cavs would be able to get him is in a trade (straight up or in an sign-and-trade). The Clippers don’t like spending money, but they wouldn’t trade Brand just to clear cap space. He’s their franchise player right now and Corey Maggette may be leaving them soon. At this moment, I don’t think it is possible.
–Lots have e-mailed about Michael Redd. The Bucks have a new coach and a new general manager and may be looking to move numerous players as they look to rebuild. In time, this could be a legitimate scenario. The Bucks have not prospered with Redd as their centerpiece and his maximum contract ties them up. However, this is not the same Redd from three years ago. He’s suffered a knee injury since, his shooting percentage has dropped two straight seasons (he only shot 36 percent on 3s this year) and he’s coming off his lowest scoring average in four seasons. Now, he is a highly skilled shooter who has experience playing with LeBron on Team USA. We’ll have to see how things develop and what the Bucks do with the No. 8 overall pick.
–Baron Davis. Several have raised this one to me. Baron is another player who has an opt out in his contract that no one is sure he will use. The Warriors are at a bit of a crossroads, they have numerous free agents to deal with. It appears Davis wants an extension and probably a massive one and the Bay Area media has reported early talks have not gone well. So it makes sense that his name would be floated in rumors. No one has told me the Cavs would have interest and it is questionable as to whether his style would mesh with LeBron because he is a shoot first guard. But it is a situation that could be worth watching.
–Andre Iguodala, Ben Gordon, Emeka Okafor (I’ve gotten questions on all) or any other restricted free agent from the draft class of 2004. The Cavs do not have cap space required to give out an offer sheet that would scare anyone. As for sign-and-trades, the Cavs don’t have the young talent that would make such a deal possible. Teams don’t want to give up their young stars, just as the Cavs wouldn’t.

I’ll have more as things develop and more about the season as a little more time passes. People still aren’t talking much.

Celtics 4, Cavs 3…season over

–Excuse my tardiness in posting, my computer is no more. I am still not back in Cleveland and am using another barrowed computer to do this.
–The Cavs lost to a better team. I feel they actually played better basketball in the series and even though Kevin Garnett is a great player and a former MVP who geninuely cares about defense, he is not better than LeBron. The Celtics won the series for three reasons: 1. They had homecourt advantage. 2. They had multiple players able to deliver the scoring load. Paul Pierce did twice, in Games 5 & 7, and he was a difference-maker in both games. 3. They had role players they got for free come through in the clutch. Sam Cassell made a few big plays in Game 1, P.J. Brown did it in Game 7. The players the Cavs got for free were Lance Allred and Billy Thomas.
–After the game LeBron was very upset. The reason is because he gave his all and lost. He is not used to playing his best and losing, it has almost never happened before. Against the Spurs he did not play well and he knew it and it was easier for him to accept. Which is why he left shaking hands and saying how much he needed to get better then. Yesterday he walked off without looking at anyone, his teammates or anybody else. Then after the game, without being prompted, he said the Cavs needed to make some personnel changes.
–LeBron is right, the Cavs need more players. I believe they are better than they were a year ago but the conference is much tougher. The Celtics are 10 times better than the Nets were in last year’s second round and I believe the Pistons are better than they were last year. While it may make a difference to the fans and to the owner who got to sell fewer tickets, it really doesn’t matter whether you get beat in the second round and the Finals. The Cavs lost when they ran into a better team. They must take steps to reach that level.
–Ben Wallace was very strong on Garnett in Game 7. Delonte West showed he can be a contributor and that he’s very tough, though I believe the Cavs still need a true point guard and have West as their third guard because West does not handle the ball well under pressure at times and he doesn’t get the team into its offense well at times. Joe Smith is a quality veteran big man who contributed in many playoff games. The roster is flexible, so Danny Ferry must take what he learned and apply it.
–LeBron was tremendous in Game 7, but he did not trust his teammates enough. When push comes to shove — and Game 7 is shoving time — he wanted to control everything. Part of this is something he’s got to overcome. It took Michael Jordan six or seven years to truly trust his teammates. Part of it is he’s got to be given assistance on offense. I have written that I don’t think he respects the system at times so he will break it off. But also the Cavs do not have a realible second scorer or that point guard who will take the ball and tell LeBron to go run a play and LeBron will respect it. This has been said for years. The Cavs play championship quality playoff defense but they just don’t have the offense to do it yet, even though they have the offensive player.
–If LeBron makes the 3-pointer from the wing with the Cavs down one with about 1:40 to go, I think the game might have had a different outcome. However, I felt it played out the exact same way the series played out. The Celtics got ahead early and the Cavs bit their heels the whole way but just were not good enough to pass them. Boston has enough players and enough options — and so does Detroit — that they can withstand some mistakes. The Cavs do not, they have to play at an extremely high level to win. They have done it often and last year against the Pistons LeBron did have a perfect moment that put them over the top. But ultimately they have to become more than overachievers.
–Two things that hurt the Cavs in Game 7. Both LeBron and Z were out of the game together for a minute and the Celtics scored five straight points to push the lead from five to 10. The Cavs never overcame that. Not that Z did much in the last four games of the series. Part of it was him, part of it was the Celtics, part of it was coaching. He said he couldn’t get shots, that’s a coaching issue. But he didn’t make many, either, and you could see his technique slipping and that is nerves. The other was the inability to deal with the high pick-and-roll. The Celtics basically only ran three plays yesterday. A Pierce/Garnett pick and roll, a Rondo/Garnett or Pierce pick and roll, and a Garnett post up on the left block. Yet the Cavs never were able to consistently get stops. Pierce made some really tough jumpers, but he got going because he made a bunch of open ones because the Cavs couldn’t keep track of him on that simple play.
–One thing that is not going to change with this team is Brown. He did a solid job in the playoffs, his in between adjustments were pretty strong for the most part and I thought in the Wizards series his management of matchups was very good at times. Sometimes he is unable to get the Cavs to make changes in the game, part of that is him and part of that is the team (um, LeBron) sort of doing what they want to do on offense and not running anything. He’ll have to look inward and decide how to fix it, that is his next great challenge. But he gets the Cavs to play a style that enables them to have a chance to win and his playoff record is very strong. Take your potshots, even those with merit, but he’s proven that he is a good playoff coach and one that is still growing and learning.

I’ll have more, including some postseason player-by-player breakdowns in the next few days.

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
Ken Mauer, Eddie F. Rush, Bennett Salvatore…Mauer is the most demonstrative of the three, Salvatore the most experienced. Over the years, Rush has seemed to give James the benefit of the doubt.

–You can feel the extra tension in the building today, this is two rounds from the Finals but it has a near Finals buzz. There is a general belief that what happens today could be memorable/historic which adds the extra layer.
–That said, the Cavs are keeping it business as usual as much as they can. Mike Brown was reasonably relaxed before the game and said the same things he’s said all along. It’s a one-game focus. Today that is very true. The locker room was a little more quiet than usual but everyone is going about their routines.
–LeBron said before the game that he is looking forward to this and is very confident. You never have to worry about LeBron’s confidence level. What is more important is how aggressive he is and how much he tries to get others involved. While everyone in the large media gathering here seems to be guessing how many LeBron will score today, I believe his assist total will be just as important. That’s not to say he doesn’t have a 40-game in him, he has done it before and he’s been warming up. But I continue to say the way he played in Game 6 in Washington is when he can be at his best and that sort of performance (27 points, 13 rebounds, 13 assists) is more repeatable than the 48-point effort last year in Detroit.
–The game plan is the same. The Cavs have to limit Rondo’s drives and stay up on Allen and Pierce. On offense they have to move the ball and attempt to get Z involved. One thing they have not done is run after rebounds, they have stopped to compose themselves instead of pushing it. Offensive rebounding will be important because they have yet to shoot at a very high percentage. Also limiting turnovers to avoid big Celtics runs is vital in this building. But if you have been watching this series you already know all of this. Enjoy.

Halftime — Celtics 50, Cavs 40

–The Cavs are lucky to still be this close, they are still in the game. But they cannot win unless they make some changes. First off, they have got to come up with a new way to cover the high pick-and-roll with Paul Pierce. He is playing very well, but he’s getting space because of the way the Cavs are letting him come off. That is basically the only play the Celtics are running but they are executing it and the options off it very well. Mike Brown must earn his money here. Might be worth giving Devin Brown a look. If they give up 50 in the second half it’s a blowout.
–LeBron is attacking and that is good, but he is not playing a good game at all. He has one assist and one rebound. He continues to back the ball out and not run the offense. He’s playing 1-on-1 ball and he’s losing. He must create for others, otherwise he is not going to lead the Cavs to a win. The Cavs have just five assists but a large reason is LeBron is stopping things.
–That said, the Cavs’ role players have been terrible with the exception of Joe Smith. The starters other than LeBron are 1-of-9. Z has to make some of the shots he gets, he is shooting tight, you can tell my his release. Wally Szczerbiak has done nothing, either. Sasha Pavlovic is maddening, he’s had a couple OK defensive possessions but otherwise he has not contributed. I think you could sum up his season by the possession when one of his weak drives resulted in his shot being blocked by two different Celtics.
–The Cavs are not offensive rebounding and not running off rebounds. They are going to need 6-10 fastbreak points and about the same second chance in the second half, they need the easy baskets.

Cavs 74, Celtics 69

–This was just horrifying basketball from both sides. But that happens in the playoffs, especially with defensive teams like this. The Cavs scrapped and brought a lot of energy to the table and they were just slighty better across the board. It seems to be the home court difference.
–LeBron held this game tight. He never wanted to let go control, especially at the offensive end. He had 32 points and six assists, two that led to 3-pointers. When you add in the passes he made that led to free throws he was responsible for more than 50 of the Cavs’ 74 points. He also made some terrible offensive judgments, pulling the ball out like it was Game 5 of the Wizards series all over again. I simply have no idea why in a tight spot inside two minutes with Glen Davis having five fouls and six fewer inches than Zydrunas Ilgauskas that there was nothing done to set him up. Wally Szczerbiak hits that crazy 3-pointer from like 26 feet but it was a bad shot in that spot. LeBron also had eight turnovers. You can live with that because of his ability to make plays, but to win in Boston the Cavs are going to have to figure out a way to compose themselves on offense under pressure. Turnovers have killed them there and stagnant offense will be a loss. LeBron has to realize this, in many ways it is on him. He can make an impact by coming out and whipping the ball around. If I were him, I would not watch any of this game film and instead go back and watch Game 6 in Washington. That was his finest game of this postseason, the Cavs need that again.
–I felt the charge LeBron got on Paul Pierce with 49 seconds left was a massive play in the game. I have not seen enough angles to say for sure, but it appeared to be a bad call. LeBron said he thought the ball was out of bounds on him. He’s trying to make a play there, but it was risky to maybe put Pierce at the line up just five. He got the whistle, which really upset the Celts. In my opinion it evened out just a bit a few moments later when Wally Szczerbiak was called for a foul on Ray Allen’s breakaway. On that play, with the ball hitting the side of the backboard I believe that it was not a goaltend. But I could be wrong.
–The Cavs did a strong job on Rajon Rondo, mostly they brought a big man to him to block the paint on pick-and-rolls. Plus he was just not as aggressive getting into the paint as he was in Boston. He will make an adjustment I am sure, but keeping him under control got the Cavs stops they needed to win.
–It is fair to criticize Mike Brown for his offense, heck knows I have been doing it for years. But the guy takes so much abuse in this town. His defensive principles are responsible for the win, maybe not as much as the star power of LeBron, but these are the types of games that Mike spends so much time preparing his team for. Perhaps the weaknesses will decide the game Sunday but there are strengths and important ones. The Cavs shot 32 percent and won. Think about that for a minute.
–To answer a popular quesion: No, I do know know why Devin Brown isn’t playing. Mike has shown that he will live and die with Sasha. He thinks he is more dynamic on offensive and likes his length. Devin is a much better finisher around the rim and runs the offense better and he scraps. But considering Ray Allen isn’t making a dent on Sasha or Wally and both are doing OK in limited time on Pierce, I don’t think you’ll be seeing a chance. Then again, I didn’t understand why Damon Jones played tonight. As blog readers know, I think Damon should still have a role on the team, but it wasn’t a good idea to just throw him out there. He played tight, getting up two not so good shots in his first minute on the floor, and then he was upset on the bench because his run was so short. But he couldn’t stay with Eddie House on a pick-and-roll and that was probably all Mike needed to see.
–Kevin Garnett is playing amazing in this series, I am not sure anyone is realizing it. I suppose the Cavs will have to do something about how he’s coming off screen rolls and getting open 20-footers. This season he shot around 45 percent on jumpers, which is pretty good, but he seems quite a bit higher in this series.
–The Cavs getting 16 offensive rebounds and 17 second-chance points was key. They have not gotten those rebounds in Boston, it will be important if they are going to have a chance Sunday.
–For the next day and a half you will hear about how the Celtics are 15-3 all-time at home in Game 7s. Do you know what that means? Absolutely nothing. They are 7-0 at home in these playoffs, that is what means something. I will have to look this up, but I’ll bet there are not many of the key players in this series who have a Game 7 victory in a series on their resume. From the Cavs’ perspective, it does not matter than this is the second round. They are playing the No. 1 seed in a one-game shot. They have, in my opinion, the best player. Considering what has happened this season and the circumstances, it is a grand opportunity. I think it will be an extreme challenge, I said after Game 5 that I am not convinced the Cavs as they are currently constructed can beat this Celtics team in a playoff game in Boston. LeBron has proven people wrong for years, this is another chance.

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
Dick Bavetta, Joe DeRosa, Joe Forte

–The loss of Daniel Gibson hurts the Cavs on offense but he’s been streaky and not in a good way this series. On defense he was often a target for Rondo to attack. I would not be surprised if LeBron spends some time on Rondo with Sasha Pavlovic and then Devin Brown getting some time as well. Brown can defend both Allen and Pierce as well as Rondo.
–The Cavs were very intense before the game, they picked it up a notch. Oh, and Ben Wallace is got the fro going.
–It will be interesting to see how much Rondo attacks, he’s been a different player on the road in this series. I expect the Cavs to jump out more on screens to try and block his path.
–The Cavs need a role player to step up to win the game. I expect the Celtics to push hard to and for all three of their All-Stars to play well.
–Z needs to be more involved in the offense. The Celtics have been reading the plays and denying him so I expect some more isos, especially when the backups are in the game.

Halftime — Cavs 42, Celtics 33

–Horrible ugly first half…which probably favors the Cavs. They took the lead with a 17-2 run to close the half, which was fueled by their defense. The shot at the end of the half by West, though, is an emotional moment. The Cavs need to carry that into the third quarter, which as everyone knows is a challenging time for them. The Celtics will make their push and probably try to do it right away.
–The Cavs are shooting just 32 percent but are ahead. How? Terrible offensive execution but combined with defense and offensive rebounding. Which should be slogan of the 2007-08 Cavs.
They really defended the basket area well, led by Z and Wallace, both of whom challenged and changed numerous shots around the rim. The Cavs have five blocks and have forced at least five more missed layups with activity. They have 10 offensive rebounds, which kept them in the game in the first quarter.
–The offense has been terrible and stagnant. Just five assists and eight turnovers, five of which belong to LeBron. It helped them the game was so junked up because the Celtics lost Z on the perimeter a few times. They are going to have to move the ball more, period. The Celtics will score more than 33 points in the second half.
–Ray Allen is getting older my the minute. He cannot stay with Szczerbiak coming off screens, he just grabs him. He tried to dunk and couldn’t make it up there and he tried to shoot over Wally and got it blocked right back in his face. This does not bode well for the Celts no matter what happens in this series.
–I didn’t think Damon Jones should play considering he hasn’t played a meaningful minute in a month and it showed in his three minutes on the floor. The Cavs and West are doing a good job on Rondo by blocking his path with a big man on drives. But the matchups may call for some tougher decisions in the second half.
–LeBron only rested 1:30 in the first half, that could come back to bite. He has worn down when playing more than 45 minutes in my judgment.

Postgame

Stars
LeBron, 32 points, 12 rebounds, six assists
KG, 25 points, eight rebounds

Quotes
Doc Rivers: “I thought the charge call on Paul was, well, you guys can take it from there. That’s a huge call in this game to make. We played hard. I’m just going to stop there.”
LeBron: “It was either win or go home, I’m not ready to go home…(Game 7) is going to be electrifying. We’ll have to give it all we got. This is really a life or death situation for both teams. You’ve got to prepare to give it all you got.”

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.

Cavs 88, Celtics 77

–Last season in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, in the fourth quarter LeBron James came out of traffic and dunked over the top of Rasheed Wallace. Looking back, I felt the series sort of turned with that play, the Cavs were able to get that win and they never looked back. It is possible that LeBron’s dunk in the fourth quarter over Kevin Garnett could have that affect in this series. Maybe not, lots of basketball to go and the Celtics are a different team at home. However, he is starting to figure out where some driving lanes are and his shot is slowly coming around. We’ll see. Anyway, they must have showed that highlight six times over on the videoboard during the timeout after the play.
–Anderson Varejao was a huge difference-maker in this game. His ability to defend Kevin Garnett 1-on-1 down the stretch was huge. Not only did he basically stop Garnett (who was 1-of-7 in the second half) but because he didn’t need double teams it enabled the Cavs to stay at home on their men. The Celtics ran a few iso plays to take advantage of the matchup but Varejao bumped him out of his comfort zone several times. He also made some shots, which helped the Cavs on offense, but that was less important.
–It was a flashback to five years ago late in the first half when Gloria James jumped in from her courtside seat to defend LeBron after Pierce’s hard foul on a breakaway sent him into the seats. When LeBron was a senior in high school he was undercut on a dunk by Roy Hall (who later played football at Ohio State and now plays with the Indianapolis Colts) and Gloria went out on the floor after Hall. She’s been pretty tame since, until this moment. She ran right up to Garnett and got in his face. KG was cool about it, he was telling her to settle down. Then LeBron got up, saw her and he yelled: “Sit your a– down.” Classic. here’s what he said about it after the game:

“Even though that is my mother, you can’t have fans going after players like that. The Commissioner doesn’t care if it is your mother, I can’t afford her not to be at every last one of my games. I told her to sit down in language I shouldn’t have used. Thank God today wasn’t Mother’s Day.”

–The Cavs have held the Celtics under 80 points twice in this series, which only happened to them twice during the regular season. Their rotations and energy level at the defense end is so strong right now. They are really recovering well and are taking advantage of the Celtics not being in a rhythm. For this series the Celtics are averaging just 81 points and are shooting 40 percent.
–The ball movement in this game was again superior. You could really see on several occasions how the Cavs beat the Celtics rotation with the extra pass, which is what wasn’t close to happening in Boston. The Cavs had 24 assists and just seven turnovers in Game 4. Over the last two games they have 63 assists on 74 baskets. That is remarkable.
–LeBron has 10 steals and seven blocks in this series, he’s making an impact at both ends. I also think he’s in Pierce’s head a little bit. Sometimes after LeBron scores you can see in Pierce’s body language that he wants to score. He’s taking shots out of their offense at times and taking a lot of shots with a high degree of difficulty.

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
Steve Javie, Bob Delaney, Mark Wunderlich

–Anderson Varejao is going to play, he sat out practice yesterday to let his knee recover from the bruise he got in Game 3. Wallace also is a go.
–LeBron got here about three hours before game time to work on his jumpers. The Celtics continue doing a good job keeping him out of the paint, but he’s been allowed 15-18 footers. He’s got to make them or else he’ll continue to struggle. That is what he was working on.
–David Stern is in the building, for whatever that is worth. Perhaps he can meet with O.J. Mayo, who is supposed to be here as well. I’ll bet they could have some interesting conversations.
–The Celtics had an intense practice yesterday, so much so that they skipped shootaround today. They were working on their defense, which slipped big time, in Game 3. I think you will see a much more focused Celtics team across the board tonight. They know if they win tonight the series will basically be over.
–The Celtics felt they overplayed LeBron and Z in Game 3. The Cavs adjustment was to run more of a high post offense with the two to free up space in the corners and blocks. That’s why Z got so many assists (6) in the last game. So look for the Celtics to maybe loosened up their double teams.
–Kevin Garnett has not gotten many shots in the last two games. The Cavs have been double-teaming him more in the post. Also, Delonte West has been cheating off Rondo to help clog the lane. Perhaps some more isos for Garnett and some different spacing from the Celtics will be employed tonight.

Halftime — Cavs 45, Celtics 43

–This is the type of game many expected, very tight. The Cavs got hurt a bit with LeBron having to sit the last four minutes with three fouls. But he hadn’t been out of the game yet and he needed his rest no matter what.
–Cavs are playing excellent defense. They are just leaving Rondo alone and living with it. Pierce has hurt them with Sasha Pavlovic guarding him a little, but he’s still making him work. Garnett is just being masterful, the guy is having a big time series. He’s playing like an MVP. Though I thought Andy Varejao did a pretty good job bodying him in the post in the second quarter.
–The Cavs only have four turnovers in the half, which has been key because they are not getting second chance points. They continue to get outrebounded in the series, which is largely due to Garnett.
–LeBron’s jumper isn’t falling again but he’s been able to find some lanes to the basket. You have to figure this game is going to come right down to it so his ability to create is probably going to be vital again.

Postgame

Stars
LeBron, 21 points, 13 assists
Szczerbiak, 14 points,
Varejao, 12 points, six rebounds
Garnett, 15 points, 10 rebounds

Quotes
Mike Brown on the dunk: “I wanted to flex my muscles but I don’t have any muscles. So I just flexed by jaw and gave LeBron a five.”
LeBron: “We held down homecourt, they held down homecourt. The better team has to win on road to win the series.”
Doc Rivers: “You think LeBron is struggling? You only look at the field goal percentage, we don’t. We look at the way he’s playing his total game and he’s making plays. Clearly no one right now is shooting well from the field, but let’s give him some credit.”

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.”

Ben Wallace got a complete check up at the Cleveland Clinic today. The Cavs released the following statement:

“Cavaliers forward/center Ben Wallace experienced dizziness with 8:20 remaining in the first quarter of the Cavaliers game last night at Boston and did not return to the game. Exams and testing done at The Cleveland Clinic today determined that he has allergies and a viral inner ear infection in his left ear with dizziness. He is currently listed as doubtful for Game 3 versus Boston tomorrow night (Saturday) at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.”

Take it from someone who had a left viral inner ear infection back in October, they are no fun. I ended up needing minor surgery to clear out fluid so I could hear and fly again. Ben’s symptoms are different than mine and it’s not clear how long Ben will deal with this but often dizziness can take awhile to go away. So can inner ear infections.

It appears Anderson Varejao will get the start and defend Kevin Garnett. This is not ideal, but Varejao did a solid job on Garnett at times in Game 2. With the thinner frontcourt and the offensive problems, if I were Mike Brown I may consider going small with LeBron at the power forward and shooters all around him. It would make it harder for the Celtics to stay big because it would force them to stretch the defense. But I’m just an observer.