tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10484377.post7357544113827987469..comments2023-12-11T06:36:57.237-05:00Comments on Random Thoughts: Detroit 79, Cleveland 76Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17210862608619471273noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10484377.post-48756112086431133832007-05-22T13:24:00.000-04:002007-05-22T13:24:00.000-04:00Z has played pretty well against the Pistons all y...Z has played pretty well against the Pistons all year, averaging 14 and 8. He should be able to exploit Webber (and Wallace to a degree) all series long (Ben Wallace was the guy who gave Z a lot of trouble). He should also get a steady stream of open jumpers due to their constant doubling of LBJ. <BR/><BR/>Billups has played poorly against the Cavs all season. Brown and co are more worried about Billups going off and getting the crowd and his teammates involved than they are about Rip Hamilton. Hamilton is pretty one dimensional (though he's gotten better passing off of curls) where Billups makes the whole thing go. Billups is shooting 33% and averaging 4.5 TOs against the Cavaliers this. Brown's defense is the reason for this.<BR/><BR/>All I know is that a couple breaks here or there (LBJ gets some FTAs or the refs count Larry's FT they blew off or if some of those lucky bounces/loose balls didn't end up in Chauncey's hands behind the arc...) and the Cavs pull this out.<BR/><BR/>I really want to see a 5 of Gibson, Pavlovic, James, Varejao (or Gooden) and Zydrunas out there. We probably won't see it until next year, but that lineup could give teams fits due to their 3pt shooting, athleticism and offensive rebounding. Having guys who hit open shots and crash the boards is one way to make teams pay for sending the house at LeBron.Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17210862608619471273noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10484377.post-11956233601081691932007-05-22T13:08:00.000-04:002007-05-22T13:08:00.000-04:00They have to address this 3rd quarter problem. I ...They have to address this 3rd quarter problem. I don't know what he's doing or how they're preparing the guys, but something needs to be tweaked. It wasn't as bad as it's been, but Detroit came out with a 7-0 run and got their confidence/swagger back. <BR/><BR/>Did the Cavs fight back and not give up? Yes and that's a good sign. But they can't have these lapses anymore. <BR/><BR/>I really don't have a problem with the last play (besides having Z on the bench). <BR/><BR/>As for Larry, I don't particularly care how he shoots (percentage-wise), I just want him to take good shots. I'm not going to be expecting 7-12 type games, I just want him to attempt mid-range jumpers in the flow of the offense (at least when Snow is left wide open he gets as close to the rim as possible). <BR/><BR/>I guess the reason I'm optimistic is that the Cavs didn't have a monster game from LeBron and they still had a wide open shot to win it, in Detroit. Larry, Pavs and LeBron all shot poorly and they led for most of the game. <BR/><BR/>Does it suck that they lost? Sure. But a loss doesn't really hurt until Game 3.Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17210862608619471273noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10484377.post-90284763440558302842007-05-22T13:03:00.000-04:002007-05-22T13:03:00.000-04:00What worries me is that this is going to become a ...What worries me is that this is going to become a recurring theme. The Cavs are probably going to be in every game in this series at some point in the fourth quarter. But, as Graham points out, the Pistons will hit big shots while the Cavs will probably miss their share of big shots/free throws.<BR/><BR/>It's unavoidable: Two or three other Cavs are going to have to have big series because Detroit is going to focus the brunt of their suffocating defense on LeBron. I'll go so far as to say LeBron won't have a single 30-point game in this series. If he does, it will be in the 31-32 range.<BR/><BR/>The Pistons have thrown down the gauntlet. They simply will not let LeBron beat them by scoring, but they'll let him pass all day. The burden is on the other four guys to make shots, something the Pistons are betting won't happen.<BR/><BR/>Last night, it worked for Detroit. If the Cavs are to have any chance in this series, they have to make that strategy backfire.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10484377.post-87999166467702564422007-05-22T12:57:00.000-04:002007-05-22T12:57:00.000-04:00While I hate the fact LeBron passes up a gimme, I ...While I hate the fact LeBron passes up a gimme, I agree with Ben's logic in the last paragraph. This shit still pisses me off: "It shows how much we've grown," Marshall said. "Last year in Game 1, we got beat by 20 or so in the same arena. Today, it came down to the last shot."<BR/>Quotes like this are absolutely ridiculous. Last year is over. This is no longer a damn growing period. They had a GREAT chance to win this game yet Browns halftime anti-coaching and players not showing up - everyone besides Z, are to blame. This game was a typical example of how the cavs lost this game a lot more than detroit won it. Does anyone seriously think detroit will play that terrible again? Highly unlikely unless of course Brown somehow shuts down Billups again. Im thinking Flip might figure out how to get him involved. Also whats up with these lineups. Detroit opens a run in the 3rd and you have Boobie and Snow out at the same time. This is bad as the aforementioned Snow + Hughes combo. What is that supposed to accomlish?! Holding a great team under 80 doesnt mean a thing if you cant score 80 yourself. Ugh. I have discussed this team ad nausem and their lack of focus and emotion is trying. Im not posting again until this series is over. (meaning Ill be completely ho hum if they lose or amazed/happy/confused/manical/delirious if they win)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10484377.post-17935139478897428812007-05-22T01:02:00.000-04:002007-05-22T01:02:00.000-04:00I thought it was a demoralizing loss, but I'm not ...I thought it was a demoralizing loss, but I'm not on the team so it doesn't matter. They had so many chances to win this game but Detroit came through when it counted. <BR/><BR/>The differences as I see it is simple: Pistons hit big shots down the stretch with Billups and Wallace drilling 3's, and the Cavs couldn't hit big shots with Z and Wallace missing big. The Cavs can't shoot and its bound to catch up with them. <BR/><BR/>Couple other things:<BR/><BR/>-Brown doesn't make the proper adjustment during halftime, and the other coach usually does which is why we look like a JV team in the 3rd quarter.<BR/><BR/>-Kinda weird how we say Larry didn't shoot that bad when he goes 4-13. That's terrible but we're all used to it. <BR/><BR/>-That was a bad decision by LeBron because he easily would've tied it. Had Marshall made it, it would've been a great decision. But the fact is he didn't and LeBron passed up a beautiful opportunity. I'm not knocking him, but good and bad decisions are decided by the outcome. I also would rather have Gibson (or Jones) in the game than Marshall. Marshall had one big game but a million lousy ones. <BR/><BR/>I just hope the Cavs are as optimistic as you are Ben, because I feel terrible about this one.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com