OK … there were computer problems. But I got a kick out of this comment on the previous post stating there were computer problems. “Computer problems??? That's the same silly excuse Windy uses whenever he's running late to meet his espn.com deadline.” Why is that funny? Because it was Brian Windhorst, my esteemed colleague, who had computer problems. Blew up his computer as he was waiting for LeBron James to appear after Game 7. Wasn’t a real good night. This made a computer trade necessary so he could file his stories, which led to computer trades at hotels in clandestine places in Boston. Suffice it to say it kept us both from our blog. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it. Write Windhorst if you have any problems.
I’m going to offer some comments here on Game 7, yet another disappointment for Cleveland fans in Boston. (I’m really getting tired of hearing those people celebrate; to teach them a lesson I’m not spending any of my hard-earned tourist money there for the foreseeable future. That’ll teach them, eh?) In thinking about the game, there really isn’t anyone to “blame” per se. The Cavs just lost. Some might say Boston is a better team; I’m not convinced. But they won, so they get to gloat. Me, I think once the Cavs got it to one they were looking right at the chance to win. But LeBron James missed a three, Delonte West missed a three and P.J. Brown got between James and the basket on a drive. And Brown made a 20-foot jumper. Sheesh. How do these things happen to Cleveland teams? Boston did enough late to win, which made the difference. Yes, a better start helps. But the Cavs still had things close late, and had a chance to win. They just didn’t get it finished.
A lot was made of the LeBron James-Paul Pierce duel, and it was special and James was outstanding. But I don’t think this was one of James’ greatest-ever games. That might sound nuts given he had 45 points, but he spent a lot of time dribbling and/or running high pick-and-rolls while the rest of the team stood and waited for him. I don’t know why sometimes there is opposition to moving the ball and running a motion offense. The NBA seems to think it won’t work. I don’t know why. But one of the things that has to be explained about this team – at least internally — is what stops the offense. Is it James who decides he’s going to win or lose on his own, or is it that the plays called are those isolations? I feel like it might be more of the former. James knows he’s the best player on the court, and at times he just waves folks away and points out the spot to set the pick. You can see the rest of the team just stop what they’re doing and go to their assigned places. I maintain James is the best player in the NBA right now, that no other player in the league could have gotten his team as far as James did. So I guess the question is would they be better if the offense moved the ball more, or would they have been worse because James would have played a lesser role? I think we know how LeBron feels. All this being said, short of making one last three I don’t know how much more anyone could have asked from James in this game, this postseason and this season. The guy is an amazing player and mature beyond his years.
In general, Mike Brown had a good game. I did raise my eyebrows at two moves he made. One was a one-minute stretch in the second quarter when both LeBron and Z went to the bench. In that time, Boston scored five unanswered points. Which turned out to be the margin of victory. The Cavs had Sasha Pavlovic and Ben Wallace on the floor at that time, and it was a lost lineup. That minute hurt, but I have to figure LeBron asked for a quick minute of rest. Doesn’t make sense otherwise. The other was playing Pavlovic so much. But then you realize that Wally Szczerbiak gave the Cavs next to nothing. Brown wasn’t going to play Devin Brown, for whatever reason, so the minutes went to Pavlovic, who looked rusty and lost on offense but did contribute on defense. I think that’s why he played almost 35 minutes. I think. I mean … it sure wasn't his offense.
Paul Pierce had not done much prior to Game 7, and the Boston writers were astute in pointing out that Pierce’s series would have been the story had Ray Allen not played so miserably. Pierce showed something in the last game, though, making some very tough shots over James, who actually played pretty good defense on him. It was Pierce’s night.
At one point in the third quarter, James took a three right in front of the Celtics bench. Eddie House stood up next to James and made a motion as if he was going to block the shot. House was not in the game at the time, and he was not the only one to stand. Two or three other Boston players did as well. A Boston writer next to me remarked that House shouldn’t be allowed to do that. James obviously didn’t think so either. He turned and had some words for the bench. The Celtics of my youth back in the mid 1880s stood for good, clean, hard basketball. Not for silly things like pretending you’re going to block a shot when you’re not in the game. This action was rather un-Celtic, I’d have to say.
LeBron James got away with some calls in Game 7 – especially when he grabbed Pierce’s jersey. At least he was in the game at the time and not reaching from the bench.
Wally Szczerbiak had a quote to the effect that Boston did not let him or the Cavs do what they wanted. This flashed me back to the first year Steve Spurrier was coach at Florida. A quarterback threw a corner route, and it appeared to be overthrown. But Spurrier said the receiver claimed he was held coming out of his break. Spurrier told him if he wanted to get the ball he wouldn’t have let the guy hold him. Seems like if Szczerbiak wanted to get in the offense, he wouldn’t have let himself be thrown off. The play when Eddie House caught up to him and outran him down the floor and set up a Szczerbiak foul kind of epitomized Wally’s game.
James walked off the court head high, but clearly upset. He did not take part in the traditional postgame handshake at midcourt, and when he was in the locker room he looked as down as many had ever seen him – especially those who have been around him a lot. I don’t know if he was just mad, if he was thinking “what more can I do” or if he was thinking the Cavs should have won. He was just upset, and you can’t really blame him.
A couple weeks back ESPN Magazine wrote this of the Cavs trades: “The fresh blood was welcomed, but trying to work so many guys into a nine-man rotation so late in the season would have been tough enough without all the injuries that disrupted chemistry.”That’s true. And given the difficulty of overhauling the roster in midseason, perhaps we should look at it that the Cavs did quite a job stretching the Celtics to the limit given everything they fought through. And given the Cavs were that close to winning. Disappointing, but it sure indicates how good James is, what playing defense means and that the disappointment of losing should not overshadow the things that were accomplished.
More on the Cavs and the offseason as the week goes on ….
OK, Pat, you get a free pass this time. I just found it to be … well … curious, I guess, that Windy has an occasional history of computer problems, then five minutes later, somebody posts a link in his blog advising that Windy just submitted some fresh stuff for espn.com. Curious. So unless you're doing stuff for ESPN on the side, the free pass is yours.