Buckeye Blogger Network10:16pm – Winding it down. Stretches of success, stretches of failure. This was a playoff game without the playoff atmosphere.
10:12pm – Cavs going to lose their opening game for the second year in a row to Boston, have lost 5 of the 7 openers in LeBron James era. Have lost at least two of their first three games in 5 of last 6 years.
10:11pm – Son of a bitch, Parker. Catch the ball.
10:09pm – I’m not sure how Pierce gets away with shoving Mo Williams to the floor, but he just did. Cavs down 6 with 1 minute left.
10:07pm – Two minutes left, pulls within 4 points!
10:06pm – Pierce gets his fifth foul trying to murder LeBron.
10:05pm – As it looks right now, the supporting cast is not pulling their weight. Anthony Parker is 3-for-9 from the field. Still have a shot
10:03pm – Uh, ohhhh, Shaq’s first FTs of his Cavalier career. Clank, clank.
10:00pm – Yes, LeBron palmed that ball. But if you’re going to call that, then you’ve GOT to call three steps on Pierce and Allen.
9:58pm – It’s LeBron time! 3-pointer brings us to within four!
9:55pm – Sweet Jesus, I hate Paul Pierce
9:54pm – Chances to get closer being wasted. We need one more burst to win this. 6 minutes remain in a five-point game.
9:52pm – Z hits two FTs, within 5 now!
9:47pm – Crowd very quiet, almost waiting for a reason to get excited.
9:42pm – Z finally scores a FG, but the defense overall is lagging again. Fresh Shaq and LeBron on the floor for the stretch.
9:38pm – It’s only three-quarters of one game, but Zydrunas is officially the Derek Anderson of the Cavaliers. Can’t pass, refuses to score, looks scared with the ball.
9:34pm – The difference in the past 6 minutes has been defense. Boston was shooting 57%, now down to 48%. Boston has missed 8 of their last 10 shots and only has three FGs in the last 9 minutes of play.
9:33pm – Cavs turn a 15-point deficit into a 7-point one in half a quarter. Looking better….here comes the 4th!
9:29pm – LeBron’s first “and-one” brings us to within 9… but not 8.
9:27pm – Watching Ilgauskas exclusively, and it’s very very ugly. He has no speed to return to his player when he jumps off the screen.
9:25pm – LeBron takes over again! Blocks another layup and then buries a three! DEEP at the Q!
9:24pm – Mo Williams has arisen
9:23pm – Z refuses to jump and doesnt get the rebound because of it
9:20pm – Oh, shit here comes Z
9:18 pm- Replays at The Q show Allen took three steps to the hoop and got the foul call for him.
9:14pm – Back to within ten points. The defense has stepped up again and forced three turnovers by Boston in four possessions. 5-0 run brings them to within 62-52.
9:12pm – Shaq’s first dunk as a Cav
9:10pm – Shaq is not working to the rim anymore. He’s getting the ball and shooting too quickly. Kendrick Perkins has only one foul, because he’s not being forced to foul.
9:07pm – Celtics on a run of 54-26. No excuse for that at all.
9:06pm – Boston shooting 57 percent from the field.
9:05pm – Now its getting embarrassing. No defense whatsoever. When a guy like Rajon freaking Rondo can get to the rim with his head intact, it’s ridiculous.
9:04pm – Mo Williams trying to do too much, ends up turning it over. The rhythm is gone for now.
9:03pm – Garnett tastes floorboard, crowd loves it.
9:01pm – Third quarter about to begin, usually our worst period. Maybe we transferred that to the second quarter for this game? One can only hope, as we were outscored by 13 in the 2nd.
8:55pm – Only two players shooting over 50% for Cleveland – Shaq and LeBron.
8:46pm – LeBron with 14 points, no other Cav in double digits (earlier report of Shaq with 10 was wrong). Mo Williams struggling with his shot, but his defense has been good. We’re allowing over 51% shooting from Boston, and 78% from 3-point land. Adjustments need to be made, and fast.
8:40pm – Officiating crew, in an attempt to be correct, have failed. They called a conference, then called a foul on Moon (before the travel was called), but failed to recognize that if the foul is called, it’s not a shooting situation. Pierce gets two free points. Cavs failing down the stretch and have a horrible second quarter, down by six at the half.
8:29pm – Now it’s looking like the playoff game all the pundits said it would. Shaq has ten points, LeBron with 13. Celtics hitting 3s at a 75% clip, keeping them in the game. Tied at 44, 2 minutes left in the half.
8:25pm – Regarding Jamario Moon – Never mind.
8:20pm – Boston decided not to run away from the early deficit. The Cavs are not in sync at the moment, and a couple of ill-advised shots haven’t fallen. Meanwhile, the typical “close my eyes, throw it in the air, and bitch at the ref” strategy by Pierce is working for him.
8:18pm – Now it’s a game again. Tied at 34, but the starters are all back on the floor.
8:14pm – Yes, Varejao has a better FT % than Ray Allen
8:09pm – Jamario Moon can’t hold onto the ball inside, and shoots like Wally Szczerbiak outside. The bad Wally Szczerbiak. Cavs lead about to disappear. Get Z and Moon on the bench and get the flow back on the floor.
8:07pm – Ilgauskas is a liability again
8:00pm – Cavs lead at the end of the first quarter by only 7 points. Celtics made a run against second-teamers mostly. Not impressed with Ilgauskas or Jamario Moon yet. One key factor is that LeBron doesn’t HAVE to take over a game anymore. Multiple players to help out with the offense, potentially. However, the Celtics are back in the game and the early burst has ended. The 14-point lead is cut in half.
7:52pm – When are players going to learn that if LeBron is within twenty feet of a layup, you’re not going to score? Even Boobie Gibson is looking sharp. Cavs keeping a double-digit lead on a surging Boston team.
7:48pm – Celtics on a little run, Shaq looking AWESOME.
7:38pm – Cavaliers have a flow, momentum, they look relaxed and calm. Celtics can’t find a rhythm and looked pissed. Pierce hasn’t even tried a shot yet and the Cavs are dominating. 13-2 good guys already!
7:33pm – Here we go!!
7:25pm – I’m thinking the fans are going to let out a LOT of frustration from months of suffering over the Indians/Browns. The Cavs will be the recpients of a warm, overdue reception tonight, ALL night.
7:10pm – Glen “Big Baby” Davis not playing (for a long time). Surgery today on a broken thumb, then discussion of being suspended by the Celtics for misconduct. Davis wasn’t a main cog, but he was a big part of the backup that got Boston through their injury stage last year. It will hurt having him out.
——————-
Quicken Loans Arena filled up in a hurry tonight and the fans are LOUD already. Updates throughout the night….
Oh, yeah…I was out of town and turned off my cell phone. Tuesday I took a trip to Cedar Point and Wednesday I was in Pittsburgh for a concert, so I missed the news about the Cavaliers.
The Cleveland Cavs signed Tony Parker to a contract. Let’s see what Eva Longoria says about having to live in Cleveland NOW, huh?? Yeah!
Oh wait….wrong Parker. The Cavs went out and signed Toronto shooting guard Anthony Parker to an undisclosed deal. Eva is still a big bitch and I can still hate her skanky ass.
Meanwhile on Wednesday, the wine and gold also avoided the long drawn-out process they went through in 2007 by re-signing Anderson Varejao quickly.
With the rest of the major players in the NBA making moves over the past two weeks, the sportswriters have been looking at every possible angle to see who is now the “team to beat”. These two signings (plus the Shaq trade) put the Cavaliers back on top of that list, in my own biased opinion.
We can actually go big against the teams that require it and we can likewise go small and fast.
Imagine having a lineup that consists of LeBron, Mo Williams, Delonte West, Anthony Parker and Shaq or Varejao. Fast, tenacious, and with four shooters that can hit from 3 with no trouble.
Or putting a big lineup on the floor with Shaq, Zydrunas, Varejao, LeBron and Mo Williams. Holy crap. And that lineup is not only big and strong, it has FOUR All-Stars in it.
I’m liking what I see here.
————–
By the way, the whole search for a Shaq nickname is over.
I’m calling him “Witness Protection”.
I actually forgot I had videotaped this. In all the excitement, my mind was racing and I somehow got my camera out to record the scene at Quicken Loans Arena after LeBron hit his game-winning three-pointer.
Something that people at home might not know…..the basket wasn’t declared official for about two minutes after it went through the rim. While the Cavs were celebrating, the referees went to the scorer’s table and were immediately surrounded by people. They checked the video to see if it was a good basket, and there were many coaches and players jostling for position to see the video screen.
For about 60 seconds, there was a mass of movement, and then everybody got still for a second. Two of the Cavs players jumped in the air and raised their arms, and the crowd erupted again. The basket was declared good.
Mo Williams took the P.A. microphone and addressed the crowd, clearly emotional from the big win. While my video doesn’t capture any clear sound of Mo, it’s a moment that I’m glad I captured.
One note on the video….notice that the scoreboard still reads 95-93 when Mo gets the mike. The scoreboard operator hadn’t yet changed the score (even though the board also flashes the “CAVS WIN” logo).
Hope you enjoy this as much as I did;
Tonight at 830, we can get back to business. The Cleveland Cavaliers will take the floor in the Eastern Conference Finals against Orlando, and it’s not a moment too soon.
In the last 24 days, the Cavaliers have only played four games, and the concern is that they are not battle-tested enough for Game 1. “Shake off the rust” has been an overused phrase on Cleveland talk shows (and Orlando, and Los Angeles, and the drunk tank where Charles Barkley resides on alternate Friday nights).
Yes, it’s a concern…will the Cavaliers be ready for Game One?
Frankly, I’m not worried at all, and you know this if you read The BBC. To me, Orlando has a much bigger concern on their hands….are they worn out from playing two long and harsh playoff rounds?
Here’s a quick look at the amount of minutes the starting 5 has logged so far this postseason;
| Team/Player | Position | Minutes | Minutes | Position | Team/Player |
Cleveland Cavaliers |
|
|
|
|
Orlando Magic |
| LeBron James | SF | 314 | 493 | SF | Hedo Turkoglu |
| Zydrunas Ilgauskas | C | 230 | 458 | C | Dwight Howard |
| Anderson Varejao | PF | 246 | 523 | PF | Rashard Lewis |
| Mo Williams | PG | 287 | 394 | PG | Rafer Alston |
| Delonte West | SG | 322 | 251 | SG | JJ Redick |
Howard is only two minutes away from doubling the minutes that Z has played, but that’s the one matchup that doesn’t matter. Z needs that rest and Dwight Howard does not.
As for the rest…..do you really think that 30-year-old Hedo Turkoglu is going to be able to handle LeBron James even if they were equally rested? How about when the old man has played 3 and 3/4 more FULL games than the MVP? That’s a whole lot of fatigue that’s about to set in for Turkoglu.
Also, the young and energetic Varejao has seen LESS than half of the court time as Rashard Lewis. Tired legs are gonna get ya.
Yes, it’ll be a war early on and I expect to see a close game….but when the 4th quarter is on and old man Turkoglu is weary, he is NOT going to be able to handle LeBron. If the game is close, there’s going to be a lot of late fouling, with the hopes of keeping James out of the paint and on the free-throw line.
Should be fun.
Top three key players for each team, and their total playoff minutes played…..
BOSTON
Ray Allen – 442 minutes played
Paul Pierce – 437 minutes played
Rajon Rondo – 472 minutes played
ORLANDO
Dwight Howard – 340 minutes played
Hedo Turkoglu – 372 minutes played
Rashard Lewis – 400 minutes played
CLEVELAND
LeBron James – 314 minutes played
Mo Williams – 287 minutes played
Delonte West – 322 minutes played
….and those six players on Boston and Orlando will HAVE to play at least two more games, while the Cavaliers rest up.
The Boston Top 3 players will have OVER 500 minutes each.
The Orlando Top 3 players will have 400-450 minutes each.
Cleveland’s Top 3 players will have nearly HALF those minutes, and they’re in the mid-20s each.
Fresh legs, everybody. Fresh legs.
The front page of your local sports page probably has a nice picture of LeBron James today, doing something that you’ll never do ever. It probably has a headline about a blowout win and most of the story is about LBJ and how he took over another game and it was unbelieveable.
Yeah, The BBC did it last night too. So did every other onlite site that I frequent.
On further review, the Cavaliers didn’t quite look so good last night.
Yes, it’s nice to know that LeBron can take over a game when he has to, but this is NOT the team of two years ago where LeBron needs to do that. We’ve got five All-Stars on the team and, despite being very young, enough playoff experience to make James Worthy go “DAAAAAAAAMN”. This is a team that should still extend leads with their star resting on the bench, but last night they couldn’t do much without him.
And that’s not good.
Fortunately, this team is led by two factors….LeBron, and defense. Both were outstanding as usual. Holding the Hawks (who played their best game of the round) to 82 points is no small feat. Their interior defense was unstoppable and they did exactly what they wanted to do, which was to force Josh Smith into shooting anything from more than 10 feet away from the rim. When Smith begins to do that, he doesn’t know how to stop, short of several fans emerging from the stands to tackle him.
I don’t like to look for the bad in games like that…..I prefer to appreciate the winning while we have it, because any Cleveland fan can tell you about how it’ll end in a heartbeat. But I think that it’s crucial to get better as the playoffs linger, because the opposition will most certainly get better as we advance. While Atlanta is no pushover (ask Boston from their title season), winning by 15 should be thrilling….but it isn’t.
Call it Playstation Syndrome. You play on rookie level for so long, and you get used to winning games by huge margins, then you get really upset with yourself when you “only” win by a mere double-digit margin.
The good news is that we played our worst game of the NBA Playoffs, and Atlanta played their best. And we won by 15. On the road.
Thanks to LeBron James.
Let’s look at this in the “big picture”…..having a guy that can and will do that when needed is not exactly a bad thing to have on your team. There’s a reason that fans of the rest of the NBA troll our cavaliers, and it’s not because they DON’T want LeBron James on their team too.
—————–
I actually didn’t see the end of the Dallas-Denver game until it was on Sportscenter, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have an opinion on it.
If you have a foul to give, don’t pat the guy on the butt just before he shoots it and hope for the call. TELL the ref you’re going to do it, then WRAP the guy up until the whistle STOPS blowing.
Yes, the ref failed to make the call. Yes, he admitted it through the NBA. But Mark Cuban and Josh Howard running around throwing temper tantrums and crying midcourt isn’t the answer. Playing the game like you’re supposed to IS the answer. It’s Carmelo freaking Anthony. He wilts at the first sign of physical defense. HIT the guy and then you don’t HAVE to rely on a whistle.
If you need the refs to make a call, MAKE them make the call. That way, no cameramen will get hurt by your owner on his way to a fine and a lawsuit.
——————
Some really crappy news out of Houston with Yao Ming’s broken foot. I don’t know anybody who doesn’t like the guy and he was the Rockets’ last hope for beating the Lakers. At least now Ron Artest can have something new to finish off his usual sentence of “we’d have won if not for (blank).”
I didn’t think the Rockets could knock off L.A. four times in a series, but now there’s no chance of it at all.
—————-
Game 4 of the Magic-Celtics series is at 8pm tonight in Orlando. The Magic could go up 3-1 if Boston plays like they have since early March. The Celtics have no fire and no solid gameplan, and Doc Rivers is being exposed as a hack. And when Stan Van Gundy is looking like the superior coach in a series, you’re got a REALLY shitty coach on the other team.
I’d like to see Boston win tonight and tie the series up at 2-2. I’d also like to see Boston pull the whole thing out. I want this for one reason – I want revenge on Boston for last season.
Heading into the second-round series with Atlanta, a lot was said about the Cavaliers’ potential for being rusty. An 8-day layover between games was bound to hurt, and with the Hawks coming off their longer series, it was possible that momentum would carry Atlanta to a victory in Game 1 or even Game 2.
There goes that theory.
Rather than showing any signs of rust, the Cavaliers instead returned to their desire and thirst for victory. Along the way, they got some much-needed rest than no other NBA team has been able to see thus far.
The Cavs dispatched Detroit in four games, and it looks like Atlanta may be headed to the same fate, with a slight chance at having to return north to be eliminated in 5 games. Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference, Boston and Orlando both had hard-fought longer battles in the first round, and are going toe-to-toe for their second-round matchup.
This brings me to my point. The Cavaliers are going to be VERY well rested when the tougher opponents come knocking. In about 7-10 days, we’re going to be facing the Celtics or the Magic in the Eastern Finals. By that time, will either team have enough left in their tanks to keep up with LeBron James and Company?
CLEVELAND |
||
| Player | Min played | Players age |
| LeBron James | 187 | 24 |
| Delonte West | 232 | 25 |
| Mo Williams | 217 | 26 |
| Ilgauskas | 166 | 33 |
| Varejao | 189 | 26 |
BOSTON |
||
| Player | Min played | Players age |
| Rajon Rondo | 396 | 23 |
| Paul Pierce | 367 | 31 |
| Ray Allen | 362 | 33 |
| Kendrick Perkins | 333 | 24 |
| Glen Davis | 350 | 23 |
ORLANDO |
||
| Player | Min played | Players age |
| Dwight Howard | 274 | 23 |
| Rafer Alston | 266 | 32 |
| Hedo Turkoglu | 300 | 30 |
| Rashard Lewis | 320 | 29 |
| JJ Redick | 127 | 24 |
| Courtney Lee | 163 | 23 |
Obviously, the shooting guard position for Orlando is rested, since it changed hands four games ago with the injury to Courtney Lee. He’s scheduled to return tonight and he’ll be well-rested. But by the looks of this chart, he’s the ONLY player on either Orlando or Boston’s starting rosters that will be fresh for the third round.
ALL of the starting five Celtic players have played over 300 minutes this postseason….and two of those players are in their 30s. Two Magic players are over 300 minutes thus far, and their ages are 29 and 30.
Meanwhile, you have LeBron James, the strongest player in the league and only 24 years old…and he’s played a grand total of 187 minutes. The old man of the club, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, has played the least amount of minutes at 166. If we get the Magic, that will be useful against a strength like Howard. If we get Boston, we’ll use Z to pound it inside and force foul trouble on the weaker Boston interior defense.
Right now, these numbers are just that….numbers. But if the Cavs sweep this series and Boston-Orlando goes 6 or 7 games, it will put a serious strain on our ECF opponent. LeBron, Delonte and Mo will have the strength left to play all 48 minutes. But there’s no way that Pierce, Allen, Alston, or Turkaglu will be able to keep up with that. It’ll lead to tired legs in the 4th quarter, and I think you know who usually takes over in the 4th quarter.
Keep a close eye on the rest of the second-round games. It’ll be interesting to see how much the Magic and Celtics will take out of each other on their way to Cleveland.
The MVP of the league wasted no time showing his fans why he was given the award for the NBA’s best player. Then his team wasted no time showing the Atlanta Hawks where the exit is.
A mere 15 seconds into tonight’s Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, LeBron James was sending his first slam-dunk through the rim. It was a strong start to an even stronger night. James would finish with 34 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals in his first game with the official title of MVP.
The Hawks looked strong early on, burying 7 of their first 9 shots to take a 15-10 lead, but that was the end of their fun. From that moment on, the Cavaliers clamped down on defense and held the Hawks to 38 percent shooting for the rest of the night. They were equally as miserable from the free throw line, shooting 50 percent on 9-of-18 shots.
An Anderson Varejao tip shot with 3:33 to play in the first quarter gave the Cavs a 19-17 lead which they would never relinquish. The lead grew to 12 points in the second quarter, and as the second half wore on, the lead only grew larger.
Mo Williams paced the non-MVP Cavaliers with 21 points, and Delonte West added 13 points and 9 assists.
The defense for Cleveland was their strongest asset tonight, holding Atlanta to only 28 points after halftime and forcing 17 total turnovers.
But what is especially scary about this team’s performance is that their big men were a complete non-factor, and yet we still won by a huge margin.
When your four big men combine for 23 percent shooting (5 for 22) and grab a total of only 17 rebounds in 89 minutes of action, you do NOT expect to win by 27 points. And yet, that’s exactly what happened.
This team is scary good, and they are perfecting their game at the right time. From what I saw tonight, I see only one team that can beat the Cavaliers in the playoffs.
Themselves.
