Sunday, February 07, 2010

Coincidence

So the game where the Cavs nearly blow a 20 point halftime lead is the same game where they got that lead from LeBron nailing jumpers? Interesting.

To simply say that LeBron was 'hot' the first quarter doesn't do him justice. He was feeling his jumper and he kept moving farther and farther away and shot after shot kept going in. It was full on Video Game James and LeBron scored 24 straight Cavalier points.

The Cavs were up 20 points at half and lead 94-80 heading into the fourth and yet somehow were clinging to a 109-106 lead with just over two minutes to go. Fittingly, James bailed them out with a couple jumpers and few free throws (Bron-Bron was 7-7 from the stripe) and the Cavs hung on for the win. LeBron's final line was ridiculous: 47 points, 8 boards, 8 assists and 5 steals.

While it was frustrating to watch them piss away 20 point lead, it wasn't exactly surprising. The Cavs built their lead by watching a scorching hot LeBron make nearly every shot. Is anyone shocked they kept watching him? Watching LeBron got them the lead, watching LeBron lost them their lead and in the end, LeBron won it.

I don't want to sound critical but it's hard to not be a little frustrated after watching that second half. Yes, the first quarter was ridiculous and when LeBron gets like that, you let him go. But they more or less took off the second half and there's really no good reason for the lead to shrink to just three. I mean sure, a win is a win is a win. If you need LeBron to win a game by himself in early February, so be it. They all count the same in the end and these are the perks for employing the best player in the game.

However, I do think the second half shows how vulnerable they are when LeBron does everything. They're too predictable when LeBron dominates the ball like that. It can work for stretches but it's not their best offense. They other guys can't be all be spot up shooters, the offense needs movement and can't bog down. But hey, they're missing their two point guards and LeBron has been averaging 10 assists in their absence.

They've won 11 in a row and have the best record in the NBA. These guys are good.