Friday, May 22, 2009

On the same page

Me:
They basically played no backup guards, only slow bigs off the bench. I think they're gonna need Pavlovic to contribute; he'll be able to stay with both Lewis and Turkoglu on the defensive end (he just has to not F-up at the offensive end).
LeBron:
James, who scored a career postseason-high 49 points in Game 1, suggested Brown give Sasha Pavlovic a chance.

"I think Sasha can be huge for us," James said. "Mentally, if Sasha's in tune, he could be really good for us with his 6-7 or 6-8, 240-pound frame, he could really help us on the defensive end, and he's also an offensive threat. You just cannot leave him open on the offensive end because he can make shots. Mentally, if Sasha's in tune, which I think he can be, and if he's called upon, I think he can be really good for us. We need that type of active body on the defensive end who can take a little bit of the load of myself and Delonte. . . . We could use him out there."

Said Brown, "Sasha is a guy we may consider."

It's actually come down to this. Holy God, we need Sasha Pavlovic. I mean, it makes sense. Daniel Gibson (the other backcourt bench player) isn't going to guard either Hedo Turkoglu or Rashard Lewis and Pavlovic has the size and playoff experience to make a difference. Offensively, I've liked what I've seen from Sasha throughout the year; he wasn't picking up as many offensive charges (he'd pass the ball off drives) and he knocked down his jumpers (41% 3pt in 08-09).

Though, like LeBron said, we're going to have to see where Sasha's at mentally. If he stays within himself and doesn't try to do too much, he could really help the Cavs out on both ends of the floor.

I'm fairly confident the Cavs will win Game 2 tonight and we'll head to Orlando all tied up at 1-1. As for me, I'm heading to Columbus this evening and then to Indiana for the rest of the weekend. I'm postive that I'll be watching tonight's game, I'm just not sure how sober I'll be post-contest. I'll have something written up either late tonight (full of spelling errors and drunken ramblings!) or earlyish tomorrow morning/afternoon (hung over style).

Also, everyone make sure they're wearing their lucky socks and what have you. I've gotten reports of friends not wearing their lucky shirts or showering at halftime and putting on some Browns gear (STUPID STUPID STUPID!). Come on guys, let's do this shit right- no washing lucky underwear, no clothes featuring this town's imcompetent franchises and no "so when the Cavs face Denver in the Finals, you should come out for a game" comments.

4 comments:

Erik said...

The question is, will we get mentally-there Sasha, or will we get Jhonny Pavlovic?

A sharp Sasha could help solve some of the mismatch problems. But if we're going to get the Sasha whose attention span goes down with minutes played, I'll take my chances with the current rotation.

Anonymous said...

Ben, I read and enjoy your blog on a daily basis, but its kind of a shame that you feel the need to get sloshed while watching a REALLY IMPORTANT Cavalier playoff game.

Ben said...

Here's the deal: I'm gonna be out of town for the holiday weekend. So I won't be in front of my computer, in my apartment, with my tivo while watching the game.

I'm visiting a friend who's moving and we're gonna watch Game 2 at a bar (and this is the only weekend that works for the visit). Should I rework my whole life around this blog and the Cavs schedule (for which I don't paid)?

I dunno what to tell ya. I'm not gonna be home. I'm gonna watch it at bar. I'm not saying I'm gonna get sloshed (and I certainly don't "feel the need"), but I'm not gonna be in optimal writing conditions (where I can rewind plays and go back over stuff).

And as much as I bitch about these things, I do appreciate the fact that people wish I would write more. I really, really do. It means a lot and it shows that I may actually know what I'm doing/talking about.

But at the same time, I'm gonna be out of town for the holiday weekend to visit a good friend who's moving to Florida soon. Those are the facts.

I'm just trying to give everyone a heads up that I'm gonna be traveling and I don't know if/when I'll be in front of a CPU tonight.

(I'm certainly gonna try, but I'm gonna watch the game w/my college friends at a bar).

Ben said...

They're gonna have to have James guard Hedo or Lewis. No more letting him roam off of Rafer.

But Sasha should be able to guard Lewis/Turkoglu better than Varejao or Wally, right? I've liked what I've seen from Pavlovic this entire season. I'd be surprised if he completely fucked up.