CAVS RECORD: 19-63
The Cavaliers Lose a Weird One
Well, that was pretty bizarre.
OK. Be honest: How many times did you wonder “What the hell is going on here?” during Game Two?
On Monday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the Boston Celtics in a blow-out, 104-86. [The series is now heading into Boston tied 1-1. Game Three is Friday.]
It isn’t that the Cavaliers lost – or even lost big - that was bound to happen at some point. The Celtics are a formidable second round opponent, and the Cavs have been playing very unevenly in the playoffs.
In fact, the Cavs have yet to play a complete game in the playoffs. I’m not talking about them being electrifying from start to finish. Those games are random treats that happen from time to time. I just mean playing generally solid offense and defense throughout all four quarters.
Not just the fourth quarter. Or the second half. Or quarters 1, 2 and 4, or whatever.
No, it was how they lost.
Poking around the Internet after the game, there are definitely those that are freaking out over the loss, and those that are already over it. There are also those that are scared to death about LeBron James and his elbow, and those that believe it’s hardly been a factor at all. If at all.
Normally, I gravitate toward the chill, anti-freak-out angle. I’d like to think that I look at things in measured, thoughtful, perspective-filled, panoramic aspect ratios. But after this game, I’m not really feeling all that normal.
That was a weird-ass game.
So, this time I’m going to go ahead and position myself equidistant from the freak-out and the chill on both the loss . . . and on LeBron. I’ll probably regret saying this in a week or so, and I hope I do.
First up, the game.
The first quarter should’ve been better than it was. You can call it back luck or short execution . . . but things started off badly. The Cavs missed a lot of shots, while the Celtics made a lot of shots. Mo Williams wasn’t connecting from long range, and Shaquille O’Neal was bricking at no range.
[Both of them ended up having terrible games.]
Even though the Cavs were getting torched in percentage, the defense wasn’t bad. There were some blown covers, but fundamentally the defense was, if not sound,stable. And it was active. Anthony Parker comes to mind. He had his hands all over the ball on the defensive end.
In a way, it recalled the hard luck the Cavs had against the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals last year. The Cavs were playing inside-out and coming up short, while forcing the Celtics to hit from the outside, which they did almost flawlessly.
But a long stretch of misfortune was only the beginning.
Instead of miraculously (Boston turnovers) ending the quarter down one, Rajon Rondo . . . who finished with 19 assists, two more than the entire Cavs team . . . hit a crazy three-pointer to put the Celtics up 26-22.
[Just a quick aside here: Anyone know why, with one second on the clock, LeBron couldn't at least take a shot in the dark at that 4/5-court three? There was time to get a Hail Mary up. LBJ doesn't play for individual numbers . . . so it wasn't that the three would negatively affect his average. Plus, he finished the game 0-for-4 from beyond the arc anyway. So why not, right? Even if there's only a 0.0001% chance of it going in, there's still a chance. And it is the playoffs.]
If you include that Rondo three, the Celtics went on a 12-0 run in less than two minutes to start the second quarter. Rasheed Wallace . . . who was a big part of that . . . was playing as if he was still good. He started out 5-for-5, hitting all three of his 3s, for 13 points. He finished with 17 points (on 7-of-8 shooting, which is more field goals than I expected him to make in the entire series. No joke. He only made six against Miami in the first round.)
Anyway, the Celtics were suddenly up 35-22.
The Cavs cut it to six (38-32) before LeBron re-entered the game, but aside from a fantastic chase-down block on Tony Allen, he was about as much of a non-factor as LeBron can be on the offensive end . . . not that his teammates were really taking a proactive role in helping him out.
Despite their off performance . . . both in lack of spirit and in lack of luck . . . the Cavs were only down four at halftime. They were shooting 42% to Boston’s 52%. So it can only get better from there, right?
No. Actually, it can get worse. And it did.
The third quarter was abysmally abysmal. The wheels, which had fallen off one-by-one earlier in the game, were now falling off again . . . just for dramatic effect.
The Cavs were outscored 31-12 in the quarter, which almost tied the Cavs lowest output for a quarter this season. [Back in November, the Cavs only scored 11 in a quarter against the Indiana Pacers.]
It began with the Celtics going 17-7 in one stretch, and it also included a separate 11-0 run by Boston in over four minutes toward the end of the quarter. At the horn, it was 83-60.
And it isn’t done getting worse yet!
Three minutes into the fourth, the Cavs were down 25 points, 91-66. That’s the biggest negative number that has been shown in the “Diff” box on the scoreboard at The Q this season.
But then, randomly, the lineup of Mo Williams, Delonte West, LeBron James, Antawn Jamison and J.J. Hickson went on a 15-0 run over five-and-a-half minutes . . . mostly featuring offense from J.J. and LeBron. It brought the Cavs to within 10, but then the run ended, and so did the game.
The Celtics won by 18, 104-86.
Calling it another “uneven” effort wouldn’t do this justice. You don’t hemorrhage points in the playoffs, at the level of severity that the Cavs did . . . and then have a 15-0 run in borderline garbage time . . . without having some significant inequalities in execution, effort, intensity and gameplan.
And then there’s LeBron and this elbow nonsense.
Before this game, I was not all that concerned with LeBron’s elbow. Well, OK, maybe briefly when he shot that free throw left-handed to close out the Chicago Bulls series . . . but not since then. But now, I don’t know what to think.
LeBron and Mike Brown don’t seem to be even mentioning it as a problem, let alone a concern. Which seems to fall in line with how I had this initially . . . “LeBron isn’t at 100%,” “he’ll play around it,” “even with the bum elbow, he’s still the best player on the court,” and “it’ll add to the legend.”
Well, now I have to admit I’m concerned. Or at least, perplexed.
Yes, LeBron has found that the Cavaliers are most successful when he helps get his teammates involved early . . . and then he takes over later. If you’ve watched the games, you know this. But would it hurt to mix it up a little in the first half? To keep the Celtics on their toes?
Why doesn’t it make him more difficult to defend if he’s randomly alternating between these four things: Being a decoy while his teammates do their thing . . . looking for his teammates . . . creating opportunities for his teammates . . . and then, just when the defensive focus starts to relax on him ever so slightly, being aggressive looking for his own shot, either from the floor or on a move to the rim, depending on how much space he has.
In my opinion, he not only had opportunities to try to take control throughout the game, there were also several times when he passed up on open opportunities . . . without anything else in the works. Speaking of passing, LeBron had five turnovers . . . and at least two of those were on wildly off target passes. To me, there were a lot of anticlimactic moments with LeBron that just seemed weird and uncharacteristic.
One way to explain them would be his elbow.
But that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense either. If LeBron was truly hurting, I don’t think he’d be operating in the purgatory that he was in Game Two: With him passing on jumpers and at times hesitant to drive the lane . . . but yet fearless when he did go to the basket, and not at all resistant to attempting to make hard-nosed plays on the defensive end.
It’s really unexplainable.
How can LeBron look that tentative at times . . . and be voluntarily un-tentative at others? My best guess – even though I am starting to buy into this elbow fear – is that his elbow isn’t bothering him that much, but that he doesn’t think he can beat the Celtics on his own . . . and was willing to wait it out. And unfortunately, that help never really came.
I don’t know.
This sums it up: At the 10:15 mark in the fourth quarter, LeBron hit a 19-footer, and Reggie Miller (om TNT) remarked that it was his first made jumper of the night . . . and he thought that LeBron was “trying to find a rhythm” or something like that. But at that point, it was 87-66 with 10 minutes left!
If I was completely healthy, and my teammates were dropping the ball, and it wasmy MVP night, I’d take a break from the passiveness and “try to find my rhythm” in the second quarter.
But after the game, I was shocked to see LeBron’s line: 24 points (on 7-of-15 shooting; 10-of-15 from the stripe) with seven rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks. That’s fairly, and incredibly . . . normal. (?)
What is going on here?
Stage Completed . . . Even Though the Cavs Never Could Figure Out the Bulls
As much as I was dying to figure out the identity of the mysterious hold the Chicago Bulls had on the Cleveland Cavaliers, it’s for the best that this series is over now. Even if it’s before we had an opportunity for a “Scooby-Doo”-style reveal.
It was almost as if Chicago had the ability to put some sort of mystical spell on the Cavaliers, which would hypnotize them for roughly eight- to nine-minute periods (of gametime) . . . and only LeBron James had the strength to push through it.
Despite being the 8 seed, Chicago probably ended up being the strongest team in the bottom half of the Eastern Conference bracket. And maybe that shouldn’t be all that surprising . . . with Miami being a team without a supporting cast, Charlotte being a team without a superstar, and Milwaukee being a team without a Bogut.
But on paper, at least to me, it still seems like the Cavs have advantages in almost every conceivable category over the Bulls . . . including all match-ups, with the obvious exception of Derrick Rose Vs. Mo Williams, or even Rose Vs. the Cleveland defense as a whole.
And yet, it felt like this was the Boston Celtics series . . . where, at least as I see it playing out, it doesn’t matter how dominant you are at certain points in the game . . . any letdown will make it a game. And any time it’s a game, you do have a good chance of losing.
But Chicago? Even in a worst case scenario that seemed unlikely.
You’d have to get up pretty early in the morning to stymie the Cavs in a First Round series this year . . . but, well, that’s exactly what the Bulls did.
It’s effort. It’s drive. It’s the present. It’s staring “the end of the line” in the face, and mentally willing it on . . . not with sheer talent, or even execution, but with relentlessness.
The Cavs, on the other hand, fought through one eight-minute trance in the first game, but were otherwise cued up and ready to go. The marquee was crowded; Mo, Anderson Varejao, Antawn Jamison and Shaquillle O’Neal all had LeBron’s back and things were good in Cleveland.
Game Two was sort of a buzzkill, but the Cavs absorbed a strong effort from the Bulls . . . and Cleveland was able to put things together in the fourth quarter. Thanks, unsurprisingly, to a superhuman LeBron effort. The Bulls were outwardly daring him to take jump shots. He did, and he made them.
Game Three was one of those games that we’ve seen often after games like Game Two. It was like a reverse game of Chicken . . . where the Cavs try to figure out how much they can yield to an opponent and still win the game. Or an EKG limbo. “How low can we go?”
The result was one of the least interesting playoff games imaginable with LeBron James on your team. The Cavs didn’t show any consistent signs of life, intensity or teamwork, until the fourth quarter . . . but by then it was too late – and a last ditch effort to eke out a win was thwarted.
That loss should’ve been a wake-up call. But it wasn’t . . . for anyone other than LeBron.
The King had a monster game. He finished with a wicked triple-double: 37 points (on 11-of-17 shooting, including 6-of-9 from beyond the arc, plus 9-of-10 from the stripe) plus 12 rebounds and 11 assists. He also had two steals and a block. It was amazing.
Antawn said he observed a “scary” LeBron James before that game . . . and added, “I haven’t seen [LeBron] in this mind-set since I’ve been here.” He didn’t say if anyone else had noticeable, notable mind-set changes. But I’d like to think that someone did.
Antawn had 24 points (on 9-of-16 shooting) and Mo had 19 points (on 6-of-10), but the Cavs were never able to get much going, consistently, as a team. It was just an otherworldly performance by LeBron, who seemed to be directing the entire game. Fortunately, some teammates stepped up and hit shots . . . and it turned out to be a solid win. Totally awe-ful . . . definitely not dull, or exciting.
Everything could be made up in Game Five, a close-out game at the Q. And it was!
At times.
Look, I tend to fall on the optimistic, glass half-full side of the Cuyahoga. But the playoffs bring out some more real realities, and sweat from my palms.
There are too many possessions where the Cavs are playing a mid-December offense. There are too many possessions where the Cavs are playing a mid-March defense. There are too many possessions where the Cavs feel like they have all the possessions in the world to put away the Chicago Bulls . . . and opt to put it off until a future one.
After the lackluster effort throughout the past few games, I spent Game Five thinking about effort. In the first quarter, it was there. In the second quarter, it was there. In the fourth quarter, it was there. In the third quarter, it was still in the locker room, watching highlights from the second quarter.
That doesn’t necessarily mean the Cavs played well in those quarters (although they did for most of them). There was some pretty weak, unpolished-looking defense and offense mixed in there . . . but the effort and intensity were there, and at this point, that is what I’m asking for.
If we make it to an Orlando series in the Eastern Conference Finals, we can worry about finding perfection then. For now, I just want to see playoff intensity . . . because it’s exciting that way. And we have LeBron and a stacked stable of star role players, which should make it even more exciting.
And LeBron’s accomplices were back in action on Tuesday night. Antawn had 25 points (on 8-of-14 shooting) and five rebounds. Shaq had 14 points (on 7-of-9 shooting), eight rebounds, three assists, and knocked the Bulls’ bigs out of the game, literally, by drawing all kinds of fouls.
Delonte West covered up Mo’s off-night, with 16 points (on 6-of-11 shooting), two rebounds and four assists. He also made some huge hustle-plays, including a few which led directly to fast-break points.
Jamario had seven points (including a 3 and an alley-oop) in 16 minutes . . . and Varejao had five points and seven rebounds in 27 minutes. He also brought his toughness back.
The Cavs only won by two points, 96-94 . . . but overall, it was a more comforting win than Game Four on Sunday. (With all due respect to the more-than-satisfying efforts of LeBron on that night.)
So Cleveland dropped Chicago four-games-to-one, despite never really being able to zero in on them enough to really clamp them down. It feels a little unfinished in that way; the Cavs weren’t able to learn anything, or improve themselves . . . on their attack or on their defense.
It’ll be interesting to see what, if anything, from the Chicago series carries over to the Boston Celtics series, which will begin this Saturday in Cleveland. The Celtics are a lot different than the Bulls . . . a lot older, and a lot more experienced . . . so Mike Brown will have to tweak his rotations.
Hopefully, there will be no looking back, effort-wise.
As for the other mysterious entity that kept Chicago in the thick of things with Cleveland . . . you can point to Chicago’s rebounding, or their lack of turnovers, or their playmaking abilities . . . but I have a hunch that if the culprit was unveiled, it might have been the ghost of B.J. Armstrong.
And he might have gotten away with it if it weren’t for the Cavs resurgent effort.
The LeBron 2010 Quote Collection
LeBron James will be a free agent this summer . . . you know, in case you haven’t heard.
Whether or not you believe he will leave, if you’re a Cleveland Cavaliers fan, you’re probably sick of people talking about it.
So I’ve decided to put together a mini-database of . . . well . . . people talking about it.
Sorry!
But if it’s any consolation, the general consensus is that most people would LIKE to see him stay. (Although that doesn’t really share any insight into where LeBron wants to live for the next few years.)
All right, before we begin, here’s where I need your help.
Please drop me a quick line (in one of the contact methods on the right sidebar, or in the comment section below) if you can remember someone notable (not just a random columnist, unless it’s particularly interesting) giving a personal opinion on what he/she thinks LeBron will do, or thinks LeBron should do.
I dug up as many as I could, but I inevitably missed some good ones. So if you notice one I missed, or notice a new one come down at some point, let me know. Just the name will suffice. You don’t need to have a link . . . I’ll find it.
This page will be updated as often as necessary, so feel free to bookmark it if you’re interested in following along with the latest.
All right, here’s The LeBron James 2010 Quote Collection . . . so far . . . in chronological order, newest to oldest:
LeBron James.
“I got a goal, and it’s a huge goal, and that’s to bring an NBA championship here to Cleveland. And I won’t stop until I get it.” [April '10]
CBS Power Rankings Guy.
“Put yourself in James’ shoes. If you lead the Cavaliers to a championship, you’ll feel justified moving to the next challenge. And if you don’t, then it’s logical to conclude it just cannot happen in Cleveland. Either way, it’s bad news for the Cavs.
“2010-11 prediction: Fewer wins. Simple mathematics here: The chances of LeBron James returning are less than 50-50, and if he’s not back, the Cavs are back in the pack.” [April '10]
Kevin McHale.
“I’m not sure you want to be the first marine on the beach charging into New York City [to play with the Knicks] unless your name is LeBron James. I’m not sure who wants to go to New York City, it’s going to be very interesting to see what’s going to happen there.
“I think players will look at what they have around them and make the best decision for them and where they can win a championship. If you win a championship, it doesn’t matter if you’re in a big market. Look at San Antonio, they’ve won four (championships). That’s what all players want is to win a championship. I don’t think there’s going to be as much movement as people anticipate. I think LeBron and Dwyane are going to stay. There’s the potential for a lot of these guys to stay and sign with their own teams. How they do in the playoffs will have a small bearing on that.” [April '10]
Charles Barkley.
“I am going to be crushed if LeBron James does not stay in Cleveland. Let me say this, Danny Ferry has done more in the last two or three years than any GM in the history of basketball to get a guy a championship in a small period of time. I am going to be crushed from a fan standpoint if LeBron James does not stay in Cleveland.” [April '10]
Tracy McGrady.
On whether he sees LeBron coming to New York: “To me, in my honest opinion, I don’t see it happening. I really don’t. It’s set for him [in Cleveland] right now.” [April '10]
Al Harrington.
”A lot of teams would love to have him and the Knicks are one of them. But if he’s as loyal as he says, I would think it’s very hard for him to leave, especially because he’s home.
“If it was a different city, maybe not as much a connection [maybe it's different] . . . but at the end of the day, he generates every single thing for this whole state. It would be tough for him to make that decision to leave.” [March '10]
Danny Granger.
“If I was LeBron, I’d go to New York. New York is the media mecca as far as endorsements and being able to expand your personnel net worth. The exposure you can get there isn’t only nationally but globally. New York does all that for you. [March '10]
[FYI: Granger signed a five-year contract extension with the Pacers in 2008.]
Carlos Boozer, a.k.a. The Last Person to Walk Away from the Cavs.
”I think LeBron’s going to stay. That’s my gut. They’re doing everything they can to build him a championship. His biggest thing is winning a ring. I think his best chance to win a ring is probably where he’s at.” [March '10]
Carmelo Anthony.
“He’s already got the money and the fame. I think the only thing weighing in right now is the championship. If he feels that he can win a championship in Cleveland, then he will stay. The team in Cleveland is that much better than the team in New York.”
On if he thinks LeBron has already made his decision: “No. Not at all, not at all, not even close.” [March '10]
Scottie Pippen, a.k.a. Michael Jordan’s “Scottie Pippen”.
On LeBron + Chicago Bulls: “I don’t know if LeBron James fits with the Chicago Bulls. I don’t know if I want Derrick Rose to give the ball up and let LeBron run the show. There are some great free agents out there. For me, you have to have the right fit. You just can’t go and get the best player. You got to have chemistry in this game.”
“[LeBron] has definitely brought a lot of equity to [Cleveland's] franchise and he has a huge fan base. I think that he will ultimately stay there. I think that’s the best place for him and I think he realizes that team has been assembled to help him win a championship. They have a good team now, so there are no excuses now to turn your back and walk out the door.” [March '10]
Joe Maloof, Owner of the Sacramento Kings.
“I’d like to see players stay with their team. Cleveland has been a great city for him. He’s done a great job for that whole franchise. Dan Gilbert has been a great owner.
“[In] my own personal opinion . . . he started off in Cleveland, it would be wonderful to see him finish his career there. [I hope he] retires a Cavalier.” [March '10]
NBA Team Executives.
From “Sports Illustrated’s” Ian Thomsen:
“An informal “S.I.” poll of a dozen NBA insiders: Team executives, coaches and a high-profile agent . . . finds only two predicting that James will leave the Cavaliers, with both anticipating he’ll jump to the Knicks.
“‘Every time I fly into Cleveland and drive toward [Quicken Loans Arena] downtown and look around, I just can’t see him re-signing there,’ said an Eastern Conference executive whose team is not in the running to sign James. Adds a Western GM, ‘This whole Tiger Woods scandal comes into play. The world is looking for a new guy to be Number 1, and that makes the New York stage more important to LeBron than ever.
“But seven insiders are convinced that James isn’t going anywhere, while the other three rate his chances of sticking around at 50/50 . . . depending on Cleveland’s performance in the playoffs.” [February '10]
C.C. Sabathia, of the New York Yankees (and formerly of the Cleveland Indians)
“He’s seen both sides of the fence, being in Cleveland and now [playing as a visitor] in New York. The Knicks have a little ways to go, but any time you add that guy with another guy, you definitely have a chance to win. [James] and [Amar'e] Stoudamire, whoever else, you’ve got to think your chances to win would be pretty good.
“No doubt, [I'd like to see him here]. This is it. This is the stage he wants to play on. And I think he’ll be great here.” [February '10]
Walt “Clyde” Frazier, who’s like New York’s Austin Carr.
“I think LeBron would gain in stature by coming to the Knicks. I think if he signed with the Knicks, he’d be right up there with Kobe. By being in L.A. and playing for the Lakers and winning four titles already, I think Kobe is above LeBron. I think playing in L.A., in that market, does that for him. But I think coming to New York would help LeBron get to be on Kobe’s level.” [January '10]
Jim Brown, Cleveland football legend.
“Looking at the fact that it is a business, I put that first. But having said that, I would love to see him be here. I think it’s a terrific marriage. He does so much for this city and I think he has an owner that tries to do everything he can. When you have an owner who is trying to do the best he can do and a player, it’s a terrific set of circumstances. But the business is the business.” [January '10]
Gordon Gund, Former majority owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“I’m very hopeful that he will [stay]. I think it will be hard for him to find a better situation. I think that if something were near equal he’s going to stay where he is. There’s the saying, ‘The devil you know is better than the devil you don’t.’
“He knows the other players on the team. He knows the way the fans feel about him. If he has a rough patch, they’ll support him. He knows the coaching staff. He knows the management. So he’s got a real leg up on what the future looks like that he doesn’t with other places. I know he’s a smart young man. I’m very hopeful.” [January '10]
Magic Johnson.
“I think he’s going to go to New York.
“They’re in the lead, they just have to make it [attractive] for him. LeBron will come to New York if he knows they’re gonna win. So, if they sign a free agent first, that would probably seal the deal, I believe. They should have somebody else on their radar to make him want to come.”
But not Dwyane Wade: “[LeBron] and Wade can’t play together, I don’t care what they say, because they both dominate that ball. You want somebody like a Chris Bosh . . . you want somebody like Stoudemire to go along with LeBron. You got Yao Ming, if he’s healthy, I’d take a look at him as well.”
“He could really be a ‘King’ if he could revitalize the Knicks. You got some of the best basketball fans in the world, and now you could be responsible for bringing a championship back to New York. Now, it’s gonna take a few years, because you still gotta add more pieces. He’s got more talent in Cleveland, but he can do more incredible things in New York.
“I would say for [LeBron], and knowing what he wants to accomplish, if he said he wants to be a billionaire, or close to it, you gotta go to New York. And I would tell him this: ‘Wherever you go, sign for three or four years, and then look at the situation.’
“If you don’t like it, you could go somewhere else. I think he’s looking at the Knicks very, very hard. He really probably wants to go to New York, but I think he’s gonna see what both teams end up doing, who has the most talent.” [December '09]
Larry Bird.
“I hope he stays in Cleveland. He’s from Ohio and he means so much to that team and that state. I used to love to go and play in Cleveland because they love the game. And, I like to see the great players stay in the cities and with the teams that drafted them. It means so much for the league and the state. So I would rather see him stay.” [November '09]
Larry Hughes.
“I still feel that [he'll stay in Cleveland]. He’s got a good opportunity to win there. And I know a lot of people talk about him playing in a big market, but he just wants to win a ring. It’s not about playing in a big market.” [October '09]
Reggie Miller.
“Personally, in my opinion, I want LeBron to stay in Cleveland. I think it’s better for the league when you have superstars in smaller markets . . . like Brett Favre in Green Bay. You don’t always have to be in L.A. or New York to get all the endorsements and be a superstar. Peyton Manning has been the face of the NFL and he’s in Indianapolis.” [October '09]
David Stern, NBA Commissioner.
When asked if he had any guess where LeBron would be playing next year:
“None whatsoever, although I hope it’s in Cleveland.” [October '09]
Charles Barkley.
“LeBron James should stay in Cleveland. People say you are going to be bigger if you are in New York but the only people who say that are people from New York. LeBron is not going to be bigger than he already is.” [October '09]
Kenny Smith.
“There is no rationale for him to leave and go to any other city other than New York. There are only three franchises you can leave Cleveland if you are LeBron James: The Lakers, Celtics, and the Knicks. All the others are parallel in terms of mystique or anything else.” [October '09]
Gloria James, LeBron’s mother.
“He’s a hometown boy.” [September '09]
Michael Jordan.
“He’s made his mark in Cleveland. I know New York fans would love to have him, but you need a lot more components than just one player. He’s done a heck of a job in Cleveland and they deserve to have him there. He’s from that area.
“In terms of the game itself, small markets can benefit from it a lot more than the big markets can. That’s not a discredit to New York at all.” [June '09]
LeBron James.
”I’m comfortable with being in Cleveland. I’m excited about it. ‘I’m loving the direction we’re [going] in and I’m loving the teammates I have and the organization. So if that’s any indication of me leaving, then somebody must be looking out the wrong box.” [May '09]
LeBron James, at a Barack Obama voter-registration rally in Ohio.
“I love Ohio, and I ain’t going nowhere.” [October '08]
Dan Gilbert, Owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“[The non-stop speculation that LeBron would leave to go to a "major market"] is kind of an insult to the city of Cleveland in my opinion . . . an insult to the Midwest.
“I think we’re one of the top organizations in the NBA. I think we’re going to compete for a championship . . . and we’ll worry about that summer when it comes.” [September '08]
[Again, be sure to let me know if you can think of something to add. Thanks.]
[Also, if you haven't read "The Franchise" by Terry Pluto and Brian Windhorst, you should. It's a great read. So good, that I'm doing this plug. For free.]
In a Rush: The 10 Count for Cavs-Bulls, Game Two
This is the debut of a new feature on The Wine and Gold Rush . . . called “The 10 Count.”
Basically, it’s a rundown of 10 random, and possibly pointless observations from the most recent game. Simple. Sounds only mildly intriguing, I know, but I promise I’ll try to make it fun.
By the way, the boxing reference is pretty meaningless. To be honest, I didn’t have the creativity to come up with a cool Wine and / or Gold Rush allusion . . . or a workable basketball reference that hasn’t already been used by at least 18 blogs.
If you can think of one, shoot me a line . . . and I’ll repay you with digital thanks.
OK, let’s get on with this thing:
Cleveland 102 – Chicago 92. [Cavs up 2-0, First Round]
#1.) Yeah, he’s wearing a multi-colored mouthpiece . . . although buckteeth would be sort of fitting for him.
#2.) Jamario Moon became the first honoree from the school of Intrigue Over Who Will Break Up Mike Brown’s Playoff Rotation. He received 19.9 minutes . . . up from the 7.2 he had in Game 1. He, along with Delonte West (27.3 total minutes), played the final 16 minutes of the game.
Most of those minutes came from Shaquille O’Neal. He left the game just 4:30 into the third quarter with foul trouble, and never returned. Anthony Parker’s minutes were also down from Game One. Jamario replaced AP with four minutes to go in the third, and AP never re-entered the game.
#3.) Jamario played well. He was part of the late-game defensive unit that was finally able to gain some traction against the Bulls . . . and offensively, he hit four of his five shots (all 3s) for 12 points. Nine of those points came in the fourth quarter.
He also had three rebounds and two blocks (including an uproarious one on Joakim Noah that was deadened six seconds later when Luol Deng blocked a Mo Williams shot). Moon led the team with a plus/minus of +14.
#4.) J.J. Hickson only got 9.5 seconds of playing time; Daniel Gibson received 0.0 seconds. In the middle of the third quarter, J.J. and Boobie were the two Cavaliers featured in an “NBA Cares” spot. It took place at the Cleveland Clinic, and the thought crossed my mind that it could be filming in REAL TIME.
#5.) Delonte West should look for his shot more. Not on corner 3s or on bail-out jumpers . . . but on the drive. He looked great on a couple of clever moves to the basket early in the fourth quarter. It’s nice that he operates as a facilitator first, but there are definitely times when he could be more aggressive.
Delonte finished with seven points (on 3-of-7 shooting) with five assists.
#6.) This was another crazy game by LeBron James. He finished with 40 points on just 23 shots. He was an incredible 16-for-23 from the field, 2-for-4 from beyond the arc, and 6-for-6 from the stripe.
He also had eight rebounds, eight assists, two dynamic blocks and a steal.
#7.) The turning point was probably the 3-pointer that LeBron hit in front of the Chicago bench (followed by a wink to the Bulls) with 4:20 left in the fourth quarter. That kicked off a run of 10 straight points (on four field goals) from LeBron . . . in less than three minutes. During that time, the Cavs increased their lead from three to nine.
#8.) After the game, LeBron said:
“[The Bulls] were talking the whole game . . . just, every time I caught it over there, just daring me to shoot the ball. Telling me I couldn’t shoot or you can’t make jump shots, so take the shot. So, um, that’s what I did.
“They asked me to shoot a jumper, and I did that . . . over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again.”
That’s transcribed exactly. And oddly enough, LeBron called out every single one of his nine jumpers. He says he hit one, and then went through eight “overs.” Is this just a coincidence? You’d think so. But with LeBron James . . . who knows?
#9.) In the first quarter, TNT’s Marv Albert exclaimed “Anthony Parker is firing from all angles.” Now, that isn’t something that you normally dream about, necessarily . . . but he was on early. Then, he never took another shot the rest of the game. He finished with nine points (on 3-of-5 shooting; all 3s).
Not that it’s a bad thing . . . I don’t think . . . but it’s interesting how the Cavs’ offense often seems to operate in bunches. There’s the stretch where they’re pickin’-n’-poppin’ with Z, there’s the stretch where LeBron wants isolation, there’s the stretch where we work the ball inside-out, there’s the stretch where we force the ball to work inside-out, there’s the stretch where AP gets a touch, etc.
#10.) The Cavs shot the ball 12.2% better from the field than the Bulls in this game, 56.3% to 44.1%. So what gives?
Here are a few reasons why this game was close: Weak-sauce Cavs defense (or “no Cavs defense,” as I initially typed), the Bulls’ offensive rebounding edge (13-to-5), the Bulls’ second-chance points, the Bulls only turned the ball over four times (to 11 times by the Cavs), and Joakim Noah’s career performance to prove to the feisty Cleveland crowd that he does not suck. At least, at basketball.
[Knockout.]
A Matter of (Playoff) Minutes
In Game One of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ first-round playoff series with the Chicago Bulls, the Cavs implemented their “playoff rotation,” which basically consisted of seven players . . . with two others receiving less than ten minutes.
In previous playoff runs, the rotation-shrinking was essentially a no-brainer. It was just up to Mike Brown to divvy up the minutes . . . based on tandems he wanted to utilize and match-ups he wanted to exploit.
But now that the Cavs have one of the deepest teams in the NBA . . . if not the deepest . . . Brown also must decide who to play, in addition to the minutes and the five-man units.
It’ll be a mildly interesting storyline to follow throughout the series. For example, in Game One, Brown was using a pretty short rotation, with all the starters playing big minutes.
There were two likely reasons for this: With Shaquille O’Neal’s injury and all the time off the other starters were getting in the last two weeks, Brown wanted to give his main guys an opportunity to reconnect and work out any wrinkles. Also, Brown was not taking any chances. He was not about to let the Bulls come in to The Q and steal a game while the Cavs were still feeling things out.
Here’s how the minutes worked out, along with season averages for comparison.
- LeBron James: 40 minutes . . . 39.0
- Mo Williams: 39 minutes . . . 34.2
- Antawn Jamison: 33 minutes . . . 32.4
- Anderson Varejao: 32 minutes . . . 28.5
- Anthony Parker: 31 minutes . . . 28.3
- Shaquille O’Neal: 25 minutes . . . 23.4
- Delonte West: 24 minutes . . . 25.0
- Zydrunas Ilgauskas: 9 minutes . . . 20.9
- Jamario Moon: 7 minutes . . . 17.2
- J.J. Hickson: 1 minute . . . 20.9
- Daniel Gibson: 1 minute . . . 19.1
- Jawad Williams: 1 minute . . . 13.7
While you don’t necessarily love to play your starters big minutes in the first round of the playoffs unless you have to . . . it’s interesting to note that only Mo and (to a lesser extent) Andy and AP played significantly more than they averaged throughout the regular season.
The high regular season averages (including Leon Powe at 11.8 minutes) were inflated by all the injuries that the Cavs suffered to their core rotation players . . . along with Mike Brown’s tendency to give minutes (and DNP-CDs) in bunches.
And now, here are a few notes from the lineups in Game One:
#1.) The most productive time in the game came in the first 9:30 minutes of the game, when the Cavaliers were +14 over the Bulls. All the starters were in that whole time, with the exception of Andy subbing-in for Shaq 7:30 in.
Here’s how that breaks down: The Cavs’ starters were +8 with Shaq and then went +6 with Andy.
That rotation was less successful after halftime, when the Cavs were +3 with all the starters . . . and -4 after Andy came in for Shaq. (That happened in the heart of the Cavs’ seven-minute dead zone.)
#2.) LeBron rested for 2:55 in the second quarter and 4:12 at the top of the fourth.
#3.) Individually, the Cavs bench players had a few nice moments in the game . . . but Chicago was making up ground when they were in. The Cavs were even with the Bulls when Z was in the game, -4 when Moon was in, and -1 with Delonte on the floor.
Andy had the only positive number. He was +3.
Every series will be different, and every game will be a little different . . . but the lukewarm performance from the bench collectively could provide an opening for someone else to get some minutes. (J.J., Boobie or Powe . . . depending on what they need.)
Naturally, there could also be more minutes for those players . . . although more garbage-y . . . if the current subs rebound (figuratively) in Game Two, and the Cavs are able to maintain bigger leads.
#4.) In Game One, Z and Jamario basically split near-five-minute openings at the beginning of the second and fourth quarters, while LeBron was resting. Z took the second quarter, and Moon took the fourth.
#5.) Even though it seems like the Cavs relied a lot on their starters . . . at least, compared to what we’re used to . . . the Bulls were even tighter. Like the Cavs, they essentially used a seven-man rotation, but their bench only played 48 total minutes, compared to the 75 minutes the Cavs’ bench played.
Also, the Bulls did not make a substitution during the third quarter . . . the one that included their 12-0 run while the Cavs’ offense fell off track. Their starters also played the first 2:30 minutes in the fourth, meaning that Vinny Del Negro rode his starters for 14-and-a-half minutes to start the second half.
Those are just a few things to keep in mind if you’re interested in seeing how the Cavs’ rotations evolve throughout the series and the playoffs.