There was some angst after the Cavs 12-point win Tuesday night. That's what happens when a team sees a 29-point lead fade to seven in the fourth quarter. The Cavs had every right to expect another celebration at the Q Tuesday night, especially with LeBron James dominating every second he was on the court. But it didn't end that way.
There's a phrase in pro sports leagues anymore. Guys will say something, then conclude with "at the end of the day blah blah blah."
As in, "at the end of the day it's dark outside."
Well for the Cavs, at the end of the day they're up 2-0 in a playoff series, and Detroit's starters have given no indication that this series will not be a sweep. When James has been on the floor and Detroit has used its starters — guys who have been there for years like Rip Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace, Tayshuan Prince and Antonio McDyess — it's been all Cavs.
But the fourth quarter was problematic enough that there is an inkling of concern. The Pistons were not supposed to play pathetically, nor were they supposed to be embarrassed. All were happening — until that eight-minute run in the fourth quarter when Detroit outscored Cleveland 27-5.
The Cavs have every reason to believe they can close out the series in Detroit. But instead of heading to Detroit on a high, they are upset with themselves for giving Detroit an inkling of hope. It may have come from the reserves when the deficit was too large, and it may be just a tiny sliver of hope.
But it's more than the Cavs should have allowed.
Some random notes and thoughts …
–James must have been pretty irritated. He did not show up for postgame interviews until quite a while after the game had ended. That's good. The team's leader should be irritated by what happened in the fourth quarter. The Cavs are a good team, but they're not a team that can sleepwalk through parts of games and beat a lot of teams.
–Game 3 might be very physical. Detroit showed signs of giving some hard fouls to keep James from easy layups. It didn't do it all night, but enough to indicate Game 3 might be a fight.
–James' third-quarter dunk was definitely one for YouTube and GoogleVideo and all those other internet sites. This guy might obliterate the competition when he competes in the Slam Dunk contest at the All-Star Game next season.
–If I'm Michael Curry I might start some different players. The guys on the floor at the beginning of games play like they know they can't win.
–Curry's comment on that notion: "It's tough to change lineups at this time. Maybe you can sub a little quicker depending on guys."
–Said Williams: "I think that we will see a little bit more of their bench in Game 3. I guarantee that."
–Amir Johnson smacked James in the face on a hard foul in the first half, then shoved Anderson Varejao after Varejao got in his face. Johnson called Varejao an "optical illusion," meaning he's not as good as people think. James shrugged it off.
–Detroit missed six layups in the first half, and the Pistons shot 16 free throws compared to the Cavs 43. Neither should happen in The Palace of Auburn Hills.
–James did not like a no-call at the end of the first quarter when he tried to draw a foul on a pump-fake from three-point range. When the quarter ended he went to talk to the official; Dick Bavetta pointed twice to the bench. James turned and walked to the bench and sat down.
–It wasn't a real pretty game. Had Detroit done anything early, the Cavs might have had to struggle to win. They did a little bit late in the game and got back into it, but by that point the deficit was too large.
–Tayshaun Prince is playing like he's injured. Either that or he's just not big enough to compete with James' strength.
–The Cavs have led four other playoff series 2-0. They won all four.
–James scored 29 points on 14 shots (he made 13-of-17 free throws). Williams took 13 shots, and Delonte West and Zydrunas Ilgauskas 12 each.
Stating it clearly:
Mike Brown: "I thought our guys played a great three quarters of basketball."
Curry on what his team needs to do: "You got to keep (LeBron) out of the paint. If you continue to do that, you got to rebound the ball and not turn it over. Offensively, you have to just settle down."
Williams on the fourth quarter: "It doesn't matter who is on the floor. We just have to execute the way we know how and defend the way we know how and we did neither. We made a game out of it."
Detroit's Will Bynum: "Everybody on this team has to look in the mirror and give the kind of effort that we gave in that fourth quarter. We're too talented, especially on paper. We know we're too talented to lose like this."
Lebron James: "Defensively we held a very good team to 39 percent shooting for the game. We can be satisfied with that."
Lebron James II: "We know The Palace is one of the most hostile buildings to play in during the playoffs. One thing that we haven't faced in the first two games is adversity. We know it's going to happen on the road."
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
i'm glad the bench stunk up the 4th quarter. it will help keep the team focused. the rest of the playoffs won't be as easy as this shell of a pistons team.
curry made a huge mistake when he brought the starters back in. it killed the momentum the reserves had gained.
Pat
re Lebron and the dunk competition… did you see the clip posted at nba.com of his dunk during warmups before (I think the Sixers) game near the end of the season? Go look for it.
The site chose it as the Play of the Day, even though it was during warmups!!!
He did a 360 spin at the three point line, threw the ball against the backboard from under his leg (!) and then soared and slammed it… in just the one attempt.
Easily better than Howard or Nate from the All-Star competition. One of the best dunks I have ever seen!
If you know how to post it here for others that would be awesome.
Dick Bavetta – I'm still holding a grudge from when he T'd up Coach Wilkens a 100 years ago.
Yeah, if there isn't a fight of some sort in the next two games in Detroit, color me surprised.
A win's a win, and I'm glad our guys were a little peeved by letting the lead slip like that, but I do want a little competition – I don't want to sail through and then hit a wall when they face some stiffer competition.
Varejao even flopped during his pseudo faux toughman tussle.
It's a hoot that the two guys who now get in other guys' faces to supposedly protect their own guys are Varejao and Ilgauskas. Of all the Cleveland players, these are probably the two guys who would be most likely to end up unconscious within 10 seconds, or just two corpses in a body bag. I don't think we'll be seeing either of them appearing on pay-per-view in the Ultimate Fighting Championship anytime soon.
I wish YouTube hadn't removed that hilarious Ilgauskas-Greg Ostertag fight. It was like watching Larry trying to fight Moe.
Just like you to bitch about something that had nothing at all to do with the game. The Cavs win another game and you have to comment on something so inconsequential just to get another dig in on the organization.
Speaking of those most likely to end up unconscious as I'm sure you are quite knowledgeable on that subject….isn't the next coma crisis about a week away from us this time around? Who will it be this time? Looking forward to seeing you off the blog for about 3-4 weeks. Hope things work out better this time than the last one.
My stalker is back!
"Just like you to bitch about something that had nothing at all to do with the game. "
i'm pretty certain that rick has no concept of the irony of his statement.
i just hope he changes the sheets after moaning alan's name all night long.
No, I understood the irony of the statement as it applies to this blog, thank you.
Terje, I have no problems with you. Even with your negative posts, your points are valid and I agree with you often. My problem is this person who is nothing but vindictive towards the Cavs and the people who write for the ABJ blogs. Who spends every waking moment being negative and shares that with those of us who read this blog. This person who all but disappeared when the Cavs had a good run in the playoffs 2 years ago, came back after they lost to the Spurs and started with the animosity again and hasn't let up since. Blaming his disappearance on some coma that needed his attention. I like to call him out on it when I feel like it.
That is all.
Actually, Stalker, I had "disappeared" even when the Pistons were clobbering the Cavaliers in the first two games. Nice job with your faux stroking of terje, though. I also agree with his last sentence. Be sure to change the sheets.