Is this happening to anyone else? After the Cavs win a game, I feel like they could beat anyone; they'll take good shots, play defense and move the ball around- in short, they play well and win. But when they lose... man, I feel like they have no chance to do anything... ever... at all... in a world... Maybe it's just me, but it seems like the Cavs wins and losses are real simple: they play well and they win or they lose when they play poorly. They rarely have games where they play well and lose or play poorly but pull it out. There's never a loss where I feel like they simply got beat. Their losses are brutal; the offense stagnates, they make terrible decisions or they get embarrassed on defense.
And the thing is, as poorly as they played (and they played extremely poorly), the Cavs were still close enough to make a game of it. Credit the defense, credit LeBron, credit Coach Mike, all I know is that the Cavs offense looked like crap for 90% of the game and yet they were within 6 points in the fourth quarter. And this has happened a couple times this year; the offense goes into a deep funk and yet the Cavs are just a run away from winning the game. They were in that same spot against Dallas but A) got down by too much much and B) didn't execute on two late possessions that could've cut the lead to 5 (or 4).
The first half was awful. James was 2-10 from the floor, Sasha Pavlovic had all the Cavs field goals for the first 10 minutes of the second quarter, the Cavs missed 14 straight shots and they didn't score their first point of the second period until Larry Hughes made a free throw at the 7:22 mark. There were blown layups, missed dunks, forced jumpers, shot clock violations, traveling calls and missed free throws; basically, the Cavs did their best to try to turn people away from NBA basketball. It was brutal.
And yet they were only down 4 at halftime. It boggles the mind.
I don't understand the offense. The Cavs had Diop and Dampier in foul trouble for basically the entire game. Now, if I'm the coach, I do two things: feed Zydrunas (10 points, 4-8 shooting) and implore my players to drive to the hoop as much as humanly possible. Well, Z scored his last point with 5:43 to go in the third (on a tip in, no less) and the Cavs didn't attack the hoop until the the deficit was quite large. Makes sense to me.
I'm not sure what to think of Dallas. They didn't play well and yet the owned the Cavs in every which way. At the same time, since they the Cavaliers (and since the Cavs played so poorly), I'd think they'd have destroyed LeBron and co. But no, the Cavs kept hanging around (despite their own best efforts). So color me both impressed and underwhelmed (is this even possible? I say yes).
The bench sure showed up.... The Cavs scored 90 points. 87 by the starters. Ouch. The Cavs bench put 3 points and 11 boards combined. Well done.
Something is amiss here. Larry Hughes made 3 shots and Pavlovic made 5. Yet Hughes took 12 shots and Pavlovic just 8. I'd like to see those numbers even out a bit. Pavs was the only guy who could put the ball in the basket, yet the Cavs weren't exactly calling his number. Could they at least make an attempt to ride the hot hand?
Gibson is still rusty, Shannon Brown didn't dress. Don't get me wrong, I love the fact that Brown has showed confidence in Boobie, I like that he hasn't just given away his minutes. But Gibson is still finding his way back and he doesn't look ready for a heavy dose of PT. And Brown hasn't deserved this string of DNP-CDs. I understand that he's the odd man out right now, but I wouldn't mind having him available (especially when the offense sputters).
Best part of the game? Eric Snow only got 5 minutes. There's been times this season where Brown has kept Snow in a rotation even with the Cavs struggling on offense. Thankfully, tonight wasn't one of those nights. I probably would've broken my TV if I'd seen Snow sub in during an offensive drought.
and finally...
How come they always save these awful performances for the national audience? Honestly, the Cavs don't always look this bad. But they've had some of their worst losses of the season during the nationally televised games (the Phoenix games, Chicago, Miami, Detroit, Dallas...); the only games that they've looked good were against the Lakers. But I do find it amusing when Walton and Barry wonder why the Cavs only get the ball to Z early in the game or that LeBron and co. drove the ball late. Welcome to my world boys, I've been wondering this all season.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Charlotte 108, Cleveland 100 (OT)
How the hell did this happen? The Cavs were up the entire night and just blew the game. The defensive pressure wasn't there, the offensive execution wasn't there and Gerald Wallace seemed to be everywhere.
I was all set to write about Eric Snow saving this game. Wallace was just destroying the Cavaliers in the 3rd and Brown put Snow in to shut him down. And for a while, it worked; Wallace seemed to get frustrated by Snow and got out of his rhythm. Snow helped out at the offensive end as well (initially) stopping a Bobcat run by driving, getting to the line and making his freebies. He also set Larry and LeBron up for some easy buckets and got the Cavs rolling again (he stopped Wallace and got the Cavs going offensively, not too shabby. Too bad it didn't last).
I actually liked how the Cavaliers played the game before the final two minutes (and OT). Every time the Bobcats made a run and got within 2, the Cavs immediately attacked the basket (on multiple possessions no less) and pushed the lead back up to 8 or 10.
Dumb moves at the end. I'm not sure which decision boggles my mind more: the fact that Mike Brown didn't call a time out (to advance the ball) with a 2 point lead and 34 seconds to play or the fact that Sasha decision to dribble the ball behind his back (and subsequently losing the ball off his ass). There's a lot of this that bug me here. First, you have two time outs and the lead with only 34 seconds to go, why not burn a TO? Second, Sasha isn't exactly the guy you want bringing the ball up in pressure situations. Third, what the hell was Pavs thinking? I haven't seen him make a dumb turnover like that in months, that was a hell of a time to bring it back.
This felt like an early season loss. Eric Snow played big minutes, Sasha made a dumb TO, Mike Brown made questionable coaching decisions and the Cavs lost to a lesser opponent. Dammit.
RE: coaching decisions. I know that the Bobcats went small and all, but why the hell wasn't Z utilized more? The big fella finished with 15 and 9 in a scant 29 minutes. He shot 7-14, he had the post moves going, blocked 2 shots and he had 3 assists- in short, he was productive. Also, it's the freaking Bobcats, who cares if they go small? Punish them! The Cavs are the better, more talented team, why let Charlotte dictate the way the game is played? Make them guard Z and LeBron in the post.
Gerald Wallace impressed me, then didn't impress me and reimpressed me by the end. He started off scoring at will on the Cavaliers and then Snow came in and shut him down. Wallace seemed to force the issue and really tried to go one-on-one with Snow and it didn't work well (it didn't help matters that he kept jawing at everyone). Then he started blocking shots, causing turnovers and skying for boards- he was all over the place. He finished with 27 points (on 11-17 shooting) 11 boards and 5 blocks. Also, was he wearing shoulder pads? What the hell is that?
Maybe LeBron should wear shoulder pads. The guy takes a ton of contact that doesn't get called. Sure, he shot 12 free throws (made 11) but he could've gotten at least another 2 or 3 trips to the line. LeBron finished with 37, 6 and 6 but was just 2-9 from behind the arc (and his defense came and went throughout the game). Also, he seemed to bend his knees a lot more on his foul shots than I've ever seen; he really bent down and got under himself (needless to say, I love this compared to his 'wrist kiss, no knee bend' form).
Larry Hughes... ugh. 17 points: good. 6-16 shooting: not good. 3 assists and 3 boards: meh. 0-4 from 3, 5-9 from the line: not good. Maybe it was an off game, maybe he reverted back to his old ways (cause Snow got a lot of PT), I dunno.
But he was better than Drew Gooden. Gooden had been playing great since the Detroit game (where he came out of a slump), scoring in double figures in 6 straight games while averaging a 14 points and 10 boards over the stretch (and 12 and 9 over the win streak). Well, he put up a 2 point, 7 board effort against the Bobcats and was invisible for the entire night.
Boobie's back and boy, was he rusty. I will say I was pleased to see that he was the first sub in the game, so Mike Brown hadn't forgotten about him. But you could tell that Gibson was a bit off; he missed two 3s and two freebies and, for the first time all season, seemed reluctant to shoot the ball.
No Shannon Brown. You'd think that maybe Gibson took Brown's minutes, but Brown didn't play against the Jazz either. Ira Newble played for a minute (not that it mattered, but I'd like to see Brown ahead of Ira in the rotation).
Who's the hippie? Walter Herrmann killed the Cavaliers all night long and hit a back breaking 3 in overtime to push the lead to 6. He finished with 19 points, 10 boards and hit three 3s. He's like an in-shape (or non-giant ass), white guy stoner version of Donyell Marshall.
About overtime... The Cavs had 6 points in the extra period and 2 of them came on a Pavlovic dunk with 6 seconds to go. And their first basket in OT? Well, that came with just 46 seconds left on the clock. Thats not good. They scored their first 2 points on two (of four) free throws but were tied until Adam Morristasche gave the Bobcats and 99-96 lead with a bomb. Their next possession contained two hasty Donyell Marshall trey attempts and they were done after that.
and finally...
Looking ahead to Dallas? I'm not sure that the Cavs weren't focussed, they were taking care of their business but seemed stunned when Charlotte made their final run and made the game close. It felt like a NCAA Tourney game where a high seed gets a game out of a lower team and are just shocked by the whole turn of events. I was pleased that the Cavs felt like they were going to win, but it seemed like they thought they deserved to.
I was all set to write about Eric Snow saving this game. Wallace was just destroying the Cavaliers in the 3rd and Brown put Snow in to shut him down. And for a while, it worked; Wallace seemed to get frustrated by Snow and got out of his rhythm. Snow helped out at the offensive end as well (initially) stopping a Bobcat run by driving, getting to the line and making his freebies. He also set Larry and LeBron up for some easy buckets and got the Cavs rolling again (he stopped Wallace and got the Cavs going offensively, not too shabby. Too bad it didn't last).
I actually liked how the Cavaliers played the game before the final two minutes (and OT). Every time the Bobcats made a run and got within 2, the Cavs immediately attacked the basket (on multiple possessions no less) and pushed the lead back up to 8 or 10.
Dumb moves at the end. I'm not sure which decision boggles my mind more: the fact that Mike Brown didn't call a time out (to advance the ball) with a 2 point lead and 34 seconds to play or the fact that Sasha decision to dribble the ball behind his back (and subsequently losing the ball off his ass). There's a lot of this that bug me here. First, you have two time outs and the lead with only 34 seconds to go, why not burn a TO? Second, Sasha isn't exactly the guy you want bringing the ball up in pressure situations. Third, what the hell was Pavs thinking? I haven't seen him make a dumb turnover like that in months, that was a hell of a time to bring it back.
This felt like an early season loss. Eric Snow played big minutes, Sasha made a dumb TO, Mike Brown made questionable coaching decisions and the Cavs lost to a lesser opponent. Dammit.
RE: coaching decisions. I know that the Bobcats went small and all, but why the hell wasn't Z utilized more? The big fella finished with 15 and 9 in a scant 29 minutes. He shot 7-14, he had the post moves going, blocked 2 shots and he had 3 assists- in short, he was productive. Also, it's the freaking Bobcats, who cares if they go small? Punish them! The Cavs are the better, more talented team, why let Charlotte dictate the way the game is played? Make them guard Z and LeBron in the post.
Gerald Wallace impressed me, then didn't impress me and reimpressed me by the end. He started off scoring at will on the Cavaliers and then Snow came in and shut him down. Wallace seemed to force the issue and really tried to go one-on-one with Snow and it didn't work well (it didn't help matters that he kept jawing at everyone). Then he started blocking shots, causing turnovers and skying for boards- he was all over the place. He finished with 27 points (on 11-17 shooting) 11 boards and 5 blocks. Also, was he wearing shoulder pads? What the hell is that?
Maybe LeBron should wear shoulder pads. The guy takes a ton of contact that doesn't get called. Sure, he shot 12 free throws (made 11) but he could've gotten at least another 2 or 3 trips to the line. LeBron finished with 37, 6 and 6 but was just 2-9 from behind the arc (and his defense came and went throughout the game). Also, he seemed to bend his knees a lot more on his foul shots than I've ever seen; he really bent down and got under himself (needless to say, I love this compared to his 'wrist kiss, no knee bend' form).
Larry Hughes... ugh. 17 points: good. 6-16 shooting: not good. 3 assists and 3 boards: meh. 0-4 from 3, 5-9 from the line: not good. Maybe it was an off game, maybe he reverted back to his old ways (cause Snow got a lot of PT), I dunno.
But he was better than Drew Gooden. Gooden had been playing great since the Detroit game (where he came out of a slump), scoring in double figures in 6 straight games while averaging a 14 points and 10 boards over the stretch (and 12 and 9 over the win streak). Well, he put up a 2 point, 7 board effort against the Bobcats and was invisible for the entire night.
Boobie's back and boy, was he rusty. I will say I was pleased to see that he was the first sub in the game, so Mike Brown hadn't forgotten about him. But you could tell that Gibson was a bit off; he missed two 3s and two freebies and, for the first time all season, seemed reluctant to shoot the ball.
No Shannon Brown. You'd think that maybe Gibson took Brown's minutes, but Brown didn't play against the Jazz either. Ira Newble played for a minute (not that it mattered, but I'd like to see Brown ahead of Ira in the rotation).
Who's the hippie? Walter Herrmann killed the Cavaliers all night long and hit a back breaking 3 in overtime to push the lead to 6. He finished with 19 points, 10 boards and hit three 3s. He's like an in-shape (or non-giant ass), white guy stoner version of Donyell Marshall.
About overtime... The Cavs had 6 points in the extra period and 2 of them came on a Pavlovic dunk with 6 seconds to go. And their first basket in OT? Well, that came with just 46 seconds left on the clock. Thats not good. They scored their first 2 points on two (of four) free throws but were tied until Adam Morristasche gave the Bobcats and 99-96 lead with a bomb. Their next possession contained two hasty Donyell Marshall trey attempts and they were done after that.
and finally...
Looking ahead to Dallas? I'm not sure that the Cavs weren't focussed, they were taking care of their business but seemed stunned when Charlotte made their final run and made the game close. It felt like a NCAA Tourney game where a high seed gets a game out of a lower team and are just shocked by the whole turn of events. I was pleased that the Cavs felt like they were going to win, but it seemed like they thought they deserved to.
Monday, March 19, 2007
I'm not sure which frightens me more
The rumors that the Browns may trade up to take a QB or the fact that Mike Brown keeps giving Ira Newble minutes.
Neither development pleases me.
Neither development pleases me.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Cleveland 82, Utah 73
What a first half. Down 32-31. 13 turnovers. Z and Hughes didn't score. If it wasn't for Pavlovic's 14 points, lord knows how ugly it would've been. Not that the second half was that great, I mean, both teams finished with FG% in the 30s, both teams shot below 20% from 3 and, of course, the Cavs shot 50% from the line.
Speaking of ugly. Carlos Boozer.
More ugly. Mike Brown put out a line that had Eric Snow, Ira Newble, Anderson Varejao and Donyell Marshall running around with LeBron James. That's two defensive players, a hustle guy and a one dimensional player. That's just rewarding the fans.
Can I drag this ugly theme out more? Yes. Austin Carr's singing 'Anticipation' and then feeling the need to explain how Varejao is good at anticipation. This came just seconds after Fred McLeod's offensive foul call in Portuguese. I love these announcers.
Last ugly, I swear. Larry Hughes: 2-17. My God that is bad. Two. For. Seventeen. However, he did have 8 boards and 5 assists. This starting job has really brought out the other parts of his game. Don't get me wrong, 2-17 is unbelievably bad (also 0-3 from the free throw line), but it's much more palpable when he does the little things. Also, it's hard to complain about anything when they're on a 8 game win streak.
I love drunken fans. I can't get enough Boozer sucks chants. Although the signs needed some work; there was a Top 10 list of most hated figures in Cleveland sports which Model and Boozer at 1 and 2 but had Elway and Jordan at the bottom of the list (below Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez). LeBron wants the fans drunk... er... into it more often:
Speaking of passes, how 'bout Zydrunas? The offense if finally starting to click and Cavs players (especially Sasha) are realizing that they could get a layup if they cut to the hoop while Z has the ball on the block. Pass and cut... Crazy... Z only finished with 8 points, but he had 6 big ones in the last 4 minutes.
No Shannon Brown. Not that I was looking for a lot of minutes, but the Cavs were having trouble scoring, especially in the first half. You'd figure Brown would get off the bench before we'd see the glorious Ira/Snow backcourt. Oh well.
Rebounds: Great. Free Throws: not so much. Led by LeBron and Gooden with 17 and 12 respectively, the Cavs controlled the boards by a 61-41 tally (Gooden really came alive at the offensive end, grabbing 7 boards). As for the foul line, LeBron was 8-13, Gooden just 4-8, Sasha 1-2 (Sasha gets no love from the refs. He should've had more than just 2 FTAs) and Hughes missed all three he took (Z and the bench didn't attempt a freebie).
and finally...
Eight is not enough. The Cavs play in Charlotte on Tuesday and you'd like to see them push their streak to 9 going into the Dallas game the following night. I'm really interested to see how this new lineup is going to fare versus an elite team like the Mavs.
Speaking of ugly. Carlos Boozer.
More ugly. Mike Brown put out a line that had Eric Snow, Ira Newble, Anderson Varejao and Donyell Marshall running around with LeBron James. That's two defensive players, a hustle guy and a one dimensional player. That's just rewarding the fans.
Can I drag this ugly theme out more? Yes. Austin Carr's singing 'Anticipation' and then feeling the need to explain how Varejao is good at anticipation. This came just seconds after Fred McLeod's offensive foul call in Portuguese. I love these announcers.
Last ugly, I swear. Larry Hughes: 2-17. My God that is bad. Two. For. Seventeen. However, he did have 8 boards and 5 assists. This starting job has really brought out the other parts of his game. Don't get me wrong, 2-17 is unbelievably bad (also 0-3 from the free throw line), but it's much more palpable when he does the little things. Also, it's hard to complain about anything when they're on a 8 game win streak.
I love drunken fans. I can't get enough Boozer sucks chants. Although the signs needed some work; there was a Top 10 list of most hated figures in Cleveland sports which Model and Boozer at 1 and 2 but had Elway and Jordan at the bottom of the list (below Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez). LeBron wants the fans drunk... er... into it more often:
"They were great tonight," James said. "I wish they could be like that every night. They do a good job. It was awesome tonight to see the electricity in here."LeBron went nuts. It started (real) late in the third period; LeBron got a couple of run out dunks and woke up the crowd. Then he started the fourth with a couple of big driving layups and the Jazz, after leading all game, suddenly had mount a comeback. LeBron finished with 'just' 24 points, but he had 9 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals and 17 (17!!) rebounds. His defensive intensity skyrocketed and he looked like a superstar in every aspect of the game. Also, if the Cavs could've held onto a pass in the first half, LeBron would've had a triple double.
Speaking of passes, how 'bout Zydrunas? The offense if finally starting to click and Cavs players (especially Sasha) are realizing that they could get a layup if they cut to the hoop while Z has the ball on the block. Pass and cut... Crazy... Z only finished with 8 points, but he had 6 big ones in the last 4 minutes.
No Shannon Brown. Not that I was looking for a lot of minutes, but the Cavs were having trouble scoring, especially in the first half. You'd figure Brown would get off the bench before we'd see the glorious Ira/Snow backcourt. Oh well.
Rebounds: Great. Free Throws: not so much. Led by LeBron and Gooden with 17 and 12 respectively, the Cavs controlled the boards by a 61-41 tally (Gooden really came alive at the offensive end, grabbing 7 boards). As for the foul line, LeBron was 8-13, Gooden just 4-8, Sasha 1-2 (Sasha gets no love from the refs. He should've had more than just 2 FTAs) and Hughes missed all three he took (Z and the bench didn't attempt a freebie).
and finally...
Eight is not enough. The Cavs play in Charlotte on Tuesday and you'd like to see them push their streak to 9 going into the Dallas game the following night. I'm really interested to see how this new lineup is going to fare versus an elite team like the Mavs.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Scot Pollard supports Terrorism
"Hey kids, do drugs"
Pollard 'regrets' comment :
See? The guy spelled out the word fact. That makes it true.
Oh, by the way, did everyone buy their ticket for Bonnaroo? With the Cavs playing as well as they are (Windhorst is actually sick of praising them), I really hope that I won't be forced to watch their first ever NBA Finals appearance through a cloud of smoke in the Movie Tent with a bunch of dirty hippies (which is what I did last year. And maybe I was a bit messed up, but I could've sworn that D.Wade shot 50 free throws one game).
And if the Cavs are knocked out before then, well, maybe I'll watch the Finals with Scot Pollard.
Pollard 'regrets' comment :
Nobody has ever confused Cavaliers center Scot Pollard with Nancy Reagan.
And the former first lady, famous for her anti-drug message, would not have been amused had she seen Pollard look into the camera during Sunday's telecast of the Cavs' game against the Indiana Pacers and say, "Hey kids, do drugs."
Rich Harsar of Lorain certainly doesn't find it funny. He was at home watching the game with his 11-year-old son, Mason, when the camera panned to Pollard, who was sitting on the bench in street clothes, during a 20-second timeout.
[snip]"We have spoken with Scot and certainly do not condone his actions," the statement said. "He regrets his mistake, using inappropriate humor, particularly when he has always been very involved in the community, projecting positive messages to our youth. We will handle the issue internally."
A spokesman for FSN Ohio, which aired the game, said the company had received no complaints about Pollard's comments.
"We're not on a delay and occasionally things like this make the air," the spokesman said. "We regret when this happens and apologize to our viewers."
Harsar said he understands people say and do "dumb things," but thinks it's especially reckless for someone like Pollard, who is in the spotlight and serves as a role model for youth.
"If it's LeBron James, what happens?" Harsar asked. "He would lose endorsements, and it would be a front-page story across the nation."
Reached for comment after the Cavs' game Wednesday night, Pollard said: "It was a bad joke. That's all it boils down to. There are a number of things people could say about it, but it just turned out it was a bad joke. Obviously, I don't believe that."
Obviously, it was a joke. He's just messin' around and it looks like he knows that he did something stupid immediately after he said it. I mean, know one believes that this guy
would condone drug use, right?
See? The guy spelled out the word fact. That makes it true.
Oh, by the way, did everyone buy their ticket for Bonnaroo? With the Cavs playing as well as they are (Windhorst is actually sick of praising them), I really hope that I won't be forced to watch their first ever NBA Finals appearance through a cloud of smoke in the Movie Tent with a bunch of dirty hippies (which is what I did last year. And maybe I was a bit messed up, but I could've sworn that D.Wade shot 50 free throws one game).
And if the Cavs are knocked out before then, well, maybe I'll watch the Finals with Scot Pollard.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Cleveland 118, Memphis 96
This is getting fun. I'm enjoying this whole 'beat the teams you should beat' run that the Cavs have been on. Instead of starting out slow and working themselves into the game, the Cavs came out and destroyed the Grizzlies. Take their confidence away early, so you can rest late.
Third quarter domination. Everyone is going to talk about LeBron's outburst in the third (and rightfully so), but before James buried the Grizzlies, Z took the Cavs from 'big lead' to 'blowout'. The Grizzlies have no one who can guard the big fella and the Cavs made a conscious effort to get the ball to Ilgauskas.
Then LeBron blew up. My lord, that was impressive. James hit 5 shots in a row, personally out scored Memphis 15-12 and generally just put on a show. And the crazy part? He didn't take his first shot of the half until the 5:30 mark. 15 points. 5 minutes. He missed a shot at the quarter break that would've pushed the Cavs to triple digits.
Lucky number seven. Seven Cavaliers scored in double figures. James led everyone with 29, Z had 18 (on 8-11 shooting), Hughes finished with 13, Marshall had 12, Sasha had 11 and Gooden and Andy finished with 10.
Garbage time again. Isn't it weird how good this team looks when Snow, Jones and Wesley are the 9th, 10th and 11th men? Plus, now I'm not extremely pissed off when this trio is in the game. Garbage time is allowing Shannon Brown more court time and its letting Mike Brown rest James (only 30 minutes!), I'm a fan of both of these developments. Actually, none of the Cavs starters played in the fourth period (which is fantastic this late in the season, especially on the 4th game of a 4 in 5 nights stretch).
I no longer hate Larry Hughes with a passion. And I'm sure I'm not the only one. Hughes finished the game with 13 points (5-12 from the field), 6 assists and 5 boards. I've said this before, but I don't mind his off shooting nights as much (and this wasn't even bad) when he fills up the box score in other ways. The move to point guard has jump started the other aspects of his game and has allowed him to really showcase his overall talent.
Pau Gasol can't play defense. Z abused him in every aspect.
+50% from the field. Again. I know that the Cavs have done this against some bad teams, but it does show the themselves that yes, they do have an offense. The new starting lineup (with Hughes and Pavlovic) gives the Cavs so many options with the first unit; Z and Gooden have pretty polished low post games (and can hit the face up) and Hughes, James and Sasha can all shoot AND slash. Plus, it's a tall unit that can run and play a half court game if need be. I know we're in the middle of another 'high' on this roller coaster season, but I really hope that we've gotten past 'stand and chuck' offense.
and finally...
On St. Patrick's Day, a snake returns. So you're telling me that Clevelanders can drink green beer all day and THEN go boo Carlos Boozer? Really? We expect this to end well?
Third quarter domination. Everyone is going to talk about LeBron's outburst in the third (and rightfully so), but before James buried the Grizzlies, Z took the Cavs from 'big lead' to 'blowout'. The Grizzlies have no one who can guard the big fella and the Cavs made a conscious effort to get the ball to Ilgauskas.
Then LeBron blew up. My lord, that was impressive. James hit 5 shots in a row, personally out scored Memphis 15-12 and generally just put on a show. And the crazy part? He didn't take his first shot of the half until the 5:30 mark. 15 points. 5 minutes. He missed a shot at the quarter break that would've pushed the Cavs to triple digits.
Lucky number seven. Seven Cavaliers scored in double figures. James led everyone with 29, Z had 18 (on 8-11 shooting), Hughes finished with 13, Marshall had 12, Sasha had 11 and Gooden and Andy finished with 10.
Garbage time again. Isn't it weird how good this team looks when Snow, Jones and Wesley are the 9th, 10th and 11th men? Plus, now I'm not extremely pissed off when this trio is in the game. Garbage time is allowing Shannon Brown more court time and its letting Mike Brown rest James (only 30 minutes!), I'm a fan of both of these developments. Actually, none of the Cavs starters played in the fourth period (which is fantastic this late in the season, especially on the 4th game of a 4 in 5 nights stretch).
I no longer hate Larry Hughes with a passion. And I'm sure I'm not the only one. Hughes finished the game with 13 points (5-12 from the field), 6 assists and 5 boards. I've said this before, but I don't mind his off shooting nights as much (and this wasn't even bad) when he fills up the box score in other ways. The move to point guard has jump started the other aspects of his game and has allowed him to really showcase his overall talent.
Pau Gasol can't play defense. Z abused him in every aspect.
+50% from the field. Again. I know that the Cavs have done this against some bad teams, but it does show the themselves that yes, they do have an offense. The new starting lineup (with Hughes and Pavlovic) gives the Cavs so many options with the first unit; Z and Gooden have pretty polished low post games (and can hit the face up) and Hughes, James and Sasha can all shoot AND slash. Plus, it's a tall unit that can run and play a half court game if need be. I know we're in the middle of another 'high' on this roller coaster season, but I really hope that we've gotten past 'stand and chuck' offense.
and finally...
On St. Patrick's Day, a snake returns. So you're telling me that Clevelanders can drink green beer all day and THEN go boo Carlos Boozer? Really? We expect this to end well?
Cleveland 124, Sacramento 100
No LeBron, no problem. Again. LeBron was out with a minor back spasm but it didn't matter as the Cavs buried the Kings. I guess this means we can look forward to more 'trade LeBron' letters to Branson Wright.
The starting backcourt was fantastic. Hughes and Pavlovic each had 25 points and had 7 and 6 assists, respectively. They were both kind of sloppy with the ball (3 and 5 TOs) but more than made up for it with their attacking style.
Ira Newble. I don't even know what to say. Ira scored 12 points (he started the game with 8 for the season). He made all three 3s he took but he missed two layups and he was 1-3 from the foul line. Sounds about right.
Z had a near triple double. Ya, you read that right. 19 points, 10 boards and 7 assists. I love when the Cavs get him the ball on a regular basis, you know why? He give it back. It also helps that the Kings had to double Z, leading to a lot of open 3s, which the Cavs made (it's just that simple sometimes).
It helps that they ran the offense. Guys were moving without the ball, the ball was moving and the Cavs were looking towards the post- they looked like a team with an offensive game plan. Except when the Kings went zone. Then they shot jumpers just because. But once they figured out the zone (I believe Austin Carr mentioned that going inside might work) it was smooth sailing for the rest of the game.
More announcing. Fox Sports Ohio was just in rare form. We graphic comparing Shannon Brown to Dr J. We had a bizarre stat that somehow showed James as the best defensive small forward in the NBA. Austin Carr sang us a song about offense. Fred McLeod called Newble a "3pt marksman". Carr had the following lines: "The Cavaliers look winded. They really ar-are gasping for air out there. All three of- all four of 'em- just five of them, really." and my personal favorite: "It looked like, the way the shot was going, if he hadn't of fouled him, he might of made that shot. It looked good until he hit him on the arm." That second one is quite amazing.
And let's not forget their Browns coverage. Austin also broke down the first round of the NFL draft. The scary thing is, even though he didn't know anyones name (a lot of 'that guy') he basically feels the same way about things as I do. Draft Thomas and if he's not there, draft Peterson. And if you get Thomas first, go for a RB in the second. He even wanted Brady Quinn (that guy from Notre Dame) but still recommended Thomas. Awesome.
Back to basketball... first half: sloppy. second half: spectacular. The Cavs had some weird, ugly turnovers in the first half (passes directly to Kings, bad passes in general, Drew Gooden's Smush Parker impression and too much jumping in the air without thinking first. Also, jumpshots. Crappy ones). The Cavs cut down the turnovers in the second half, attacked the hoop and just blew the Kings away. Pavs had 18 points in the 3rd quarter alone (which was almost half of the Cavs 35 for the period). They had 38 points in the 4th. Ridiculous.
Garbage time was fun. Damon Jones and David Wesley jacked up 3s at will, Shannon Brown and Donyell Marshall threw down some emphatic dunks (yes, Donyell Marshall dunked the ball. And hard. Who knew?) and Dwayne Jones fouled a lot (2 in 3 min, but he wanted more).
Hughes played 41 minutes. And he sat out the last 5. Not sure what's up with that, no other Cavalier played more than 33...
So... back spasm, huh? Doesn't sound good. But the Cavs said it was a minor injury and that LeBron didn't even know he was going to sit out; he wasn't on the bench because he didn't bring a sports coat (NBA rules say you can't be on the bench unless you're wearing some kind of sports coat). Now, maybe I'm thinking too hard here, but have you ever see Steve Nash when he rests while his back is acting up? He lays on the ground and doesn't actually 'sit' on the bench. So, I guess what I'm saying is: could LeBron have no been on the bench because of his back injury and not because he 'forgot a sports coat'? If it's better for him to lay down, why have him on the bench? Could the injury be worse than we're being told? Am I overreacting?
Ugly, but good. With Kevin Martin's regular shot and Ira Newble's 3pt shot put, there were some shots that looked like crap but managed to go in (Newble's had a sweet line drive trajectory).
No chalupa controversy this time. Cavs fans didn't need an Anderson Varejao desperation 3 to win them that free Taco Bell goodness; the Cavs hit the 100 mark with 6:30 to go in the 4th. The offense looked pretty good, they shot 54% from the floor, 56% from 3 and 90% from the stripe. 50-50-90. Not too shabby.
and finally...
4th game in 5 nights? So we've come a long way since the start of the season. A few months ago, the Cavaliers playing 4 games in a 5 nights (and winning) would cause a bit a of a stir. Not now. These 4 in 5 just get thrown in with the rest in the "Larry Hughes point guard / LeBron is trying / crunch time playoff push" win streak. I'm OK with this.
The starting backcourt was fantastic. Hughes and Pavlovic each had 25 points and had 7 and 6 assists, respectively. They were both kind of sloppy with the ball (3 and 5 TOs) but more than made up for it with their attacking style.
Ira Newble. I don't even know what to say. Ira scored 12 points (he started the game with 8 for the season). He made all three 3s he took but he missed two layups and he was 1-3 from the foul line. Sounds about right.
Z had a near triple double. Ya, you read that right. 19 points, 10 boards and 7 assists. I love when the Cavs get him the ball on a regular basis, you know why? He give it back. It also helps that the Kings had to double Z, leading to a lot of open 3s, which the Cavs made (it's just that simple sometimes).
It helps that they ran the offense. Guys were moving without the ball, the ball was moving and the Cavs were looking towards the post- they looked like a team with an offensive game plan. Except when the Kings went zone. Then they shot jumpers just because. But once they figured out the zone (I believe Austin Carr mentioned that going inside might work) it was smooth sailing for the rest of the game.
More announcing. Fox Sports Ohio was just in rare form. We graphic comparing Shannon Brown to Dr J. We had a bizarre stat that somehow showed James as the best defensive small forward in the NBA. Austin Carr sang us a song about offense. Fred McLeod called Newble a "3pt marksman". Carr had the following lines: "The Cavaliers look winded. They really ar-are gasping for air out there. All three of- all four of 'em- just five of them, really." and my personal favorite: "It looked like, the way the shot was going, if he hadn't of fouled him, he might of made that shot. It looked good until he hit him on the arm." That second one is quite amazing.
And let's not forget their Browns coverage. Austin also broke down the first round of the NFL draft. The scary thing is, even though he didn't know anyones name (a lot of 'that guy') he basically feels the same way about things as I do. Draft Thomas and if he's not there, draft Peterson. And if you get Thomas first, go for a RB in the second. He even wanted Brady Quinn (that guy from Notre Dame) but still recommended Thomas. Awesome.
Back to basketball... first half: sloppy. second half: spectacular. The Cavs had some weird, ugly turnovers in the first half (passes directly to Kings, bad passes in general, Drew Gooden's Smush Parker impression and too much jumping in the air without thinking first. Also, jumpshots. Crappy ones). The Cavs cut down the turnovers in the second half, attacked the hoop and just blew the Kings away. Pavs had 18 points in the 3rd quarter alone (which was almost half of the Cavs 35 for the period). They had 38 points in the 4th. Ridiculous.
Garbage time was fun. Damon Jones and David Wesley jacked up 3s at will, Shannon Brown and Donyell Marshall threw down some emphatic dunks (yes, Donyell Marshall dunked the ball. And hard. Who knew?) and Dwayne Jones fouled a lot (2 in 3 min, but he wanted more).
Hughes played 41 minutes. And he sat out the last 5. Not sure what's up with that, no other Cavalier played more than 33...
So... back spasm, huh? Doesn't sound good. But the Cavs said it was a minor injury and that LeBron didn't even know he was going to sit out; he wasn't on the bench because he didn't bring a sports coat (NBA rules say you can't be on the bench unless you're wearing some kind of sports coat). Now, maybe I'm thinking too hard here, but have you ever see Steve Nash when he rests while his back is acting up? He lays on the ground and doesn't actually 'sit' on the bench. So, I guess what I'm saying is: could LeBron have no been on the bench because of his back injury and not because he 'forgot a sports coat'? If it's better for him to lay down, why have him on the bench? Could the injury be worse than we're being told? Am I overreacting?
Ugly, but good. With Kevin Martin's regular shot and Ira Newble's 3pt shot put, there were some shots that looked like crap but managed to go in (Newble's had a sweet line drive trajectory).
No chalupa controversy this time. Cavs fans didn't need an Anderson Varejao desperation 3 to win them that free Taco Bell goodness; the Cavs hit the 100 mark with 6:30 to go in the 4th. The offense looked pretty good, they shot 54% from the floor, 56% from 3 and 90% from the stripe. 50-50-90. Not too shabby.
and finally...
4th game in 5 nights? So we've come a long way since the start of the season. A few months ago, the Cavaliers playing 4 games in a 5 nights (and winning) would cause a bit a of a stir. Not now. These 4 in 5 just get thrown in with the rest in the "Larry Hughes point guard / LeBron is trying / crunch time playoff push" win streak. I'm OK with this.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Random Thoughts from the Weekend
1. Akron got screwed and there's nothing they can really do.
2. Except be pissed the hell off.
3. I find it ludicrous that there's only one MAC team in the NCAA tourney and I'm just flabbergasted that only Toledo made the NIT. The MAC has consistently produced good teams, good players and has been competitive in the post season. BTW- my Big Ten does not deserve six teams. Not even a little.
4. Pluto has an amazing stat: Akron is ranked 7 in the top 25-mid major poll. The first 6 went to the NCAA and numbers 8-11 went to the NIT. This makes no sense.
5. Also, I figured that one of the tournaments would've scheduled Akron just on the off chance that LeBron would show up.
6. I was at the MAC Quarterfinals and I watched the Semi's and the Championship game, you cannot tell me that only two of those teams deserve to go on.
7. By the way, just letting you know now, but Akron's Jeremiah Wood is going to tear up the MAC next season. He has a polished low post game, he's 6-9 or 6-10 and he's coming off two ACL injuries. And I have to say, his court vision is what impressed me the most; he consistently saw his teammates from the low block throughout the tournament and made the right pass to get it to 'em. Honestly, he he was the best player on Akron, including Romeo Travis.
8. But I have to say, the most impressive player I saw in the MAC Tourney? Tournament MVP, Miami's Tim Politz. Talk about playing basketball the right way; he can finish with either hand, he had a variety of low post moves, he can shoot, he's a great rebounder and every time Miami made a play (on offense or defense) number 50 was in the middle of it. He had 25 and 10 against Ohio in the quarterfinals. In the semifinal game against Toledo, he shot a Walton-esque 11-12 from the floor. He shot 75% for the tournament. Not bad for a 6-6, chubby white kid.
9. Is it any surprise that the two players I come away gushing about both have polished low post games? Nope.
10. You want to know why I love the post game so much? No, well, I'm gonna tell you anyway. First of all, it's not just because of how I play (though that is certainly part of it). If you ever get the chance, watch some of the Houston Rockets and Hakeem Olajuwon during their title runs. Hakeem was unstoppable. The Rockets ran a pretty simple offense: dump it down to The Dream and let him kick some ass. If they double him, be ready to cut to the hoop or hit the open 3. Repeat. Am I simplifying it a tad? Sure. But you get the point; having an effective low post game makes everyone better. And the Rockets are the only team that I can remember that tried to feed the big man every time. Even now with Yao (or back in the day when Shaq was on the Lakers), the Rockets go through long stretches of time where they don't even look his way- this I do not understand. The Rockets of Hakeem ran the offense through the low block- he was their bread and butter and they knew it.
11. Anyways, when you grow up always being the tallest kid on the court, seeing a center dominate the way Hakeem did might affect the way you practice just a bit. Of course, I stopped growing in 8th grade...
12. Also, anyone remember how much Jordan dominated in the post during his late title runs? Just sayin'.
13. Back to college hoops- I've been entered in multiple pools and I have yet to fill out my bracket(s). I think this year I'm just going to do one bracket and enter it all the pools. I've done multiple ones before, but I always confuse myself watching the games. "Wait, which team do I want to win? Who helps me in what pool?" Gonna keep it simple this year.
14. Also, rule for the Tournament: you always root for the upset. I don't care what your bracket says, you alway root for the lower seed to advance.
15. Unless your alma mater is a playing. You can't go against your own school (let's go Bucks!).
16. Stupid liberal media.
17. Stupid Sean Hannity.
18. Stupid fiscally irresponsible liberals.
19. I try to keep this blog about sports (specifically Cleveland sports) and I only go into politics once a week in this column (cause this is a personal blog). I assume if you don't agree you just ignore these weekly links and get to the sports/music goodness. That's great. But go read this.
21. Now, I know it's all about Hollywood liberals and all, but how come whenever conservative actors run it's totally cool?
22. There's a reason why we take polls.
23. The "Definitive 200" my ass. I know I'm a Beatles fanatic and all, but you can't tell me that there's 109 albums that are better than Rubber Soul. Sorry. Nope.
24. Speaking of the Beatles, the Fab Faux (the best Beatles tribute band ever) will be playing shows in NYC of the 'Beatles album that never was'. Meaning, they are going to play songs from John, Paul, George and Ringo's first solo releases. Now, I've burned that mix CD a number of times myself but it never felt right because of how different each song was produced. Paul's first album was basically made up of demo tapes while George had Phil Spector's Wall of Sound behind him; there's just no cohesive feel to it. Well, the Fab Faux will be playing the songs not in their original styles but with a Beatles flavor; they're going to try to recreate what the other three would've brought to each other's work. I hope someone will be recording this.
25. FYI- The Fratellis' Costello Music is released today. Go buy it (I'm currently in love with the last track 'Ole Black and Blue Eyes').
26. So apparently while we were getting our butts whooped in the church league (sup guys) Hudson experienced an earthquake. 3.6 on the Richter scale.
27. I'm telling you, I love the Dane Cook backlash. A lot.
28. 30 Rock took a shot at Dane Cook in their episode 'The Source Awards'. That episode was brilliant and also has a Wayne Brady presence:
29. What am I? A farmer?
30. I'm not a real big fan of the Jamal Lewis signing, but at least one NFL exec says he's not done. Does Lewis know something about the Browns' line that we don't?
31. I brought up Branson Wright's 'Hey, Branson!' column and I think that we can all agree that it sucks. Here's my favorite Q&A:
32. Speaking of crappy Cavs columnists, what the hell is this guy doing on Swerbs?
33. As for the good Cavs reporters, Windhorst has a blog post up from the weekend and it's full of good nuggets. Like this one:
34. I didn't think twice about Varejao's last second 3 in the Pacers game. But people got upset and the Cavs actually issued an apology. Can the Pacers really be bitching about another team's conduct? How is that allowed?
35. It bugs the hell out of me that the Suns get more love than the Mavs. They just won 17 games in a row (they lost the other night), where's Bill Simmons's column slurping the Mavs? Instead, we get Eric Neel's column about how he can't love them. Boo.
36. Carlos Boozer returns to Cleveland on Saturday night, but don't be expecting a recap of the game until sometime on Sunday. I'll be seeing these guys that night in Columbus but I plan on watching the game (extremely hungover) sometime Sunday morning (hooray for DVR!).
37. It's too bad we won't be seeing Greg Ostertag Saturday night (is he retired? Hurt and on another roster?)
38. This happened on my birthday. Pretty cool looking.
39. Something clever (I like to end this on somewhat even/round/factor of 5 numbers so this could be considered a wasted spot. Oh well. Also, I'm not sure when I last got one of these finished on Sunday night/Monday but I'm working on it)
40. Music: I've been listening a lot to The Mountain Goats this past week. I guess the style could be called highly literate folk/indie rock. I'm really digging The Sunset Tree, so check that out.
This Year from The Sunset Tree (I'm not sure how I feel about the video. The sound is a bit off and I'm not sure what's going on. But the song itself is really good)
2. Except be pissed the hell off.
3. I find it ludicrous that there's only one MAC team in the NCAA tourney and I'm just flabbergasted that only Toledo made the NIT. The MAC has consistently produced good teams, good players and has been competitive in the post season. BTW- my Big Ten does not deserve six teams. Not even a little.
4. Pluto has an amazing stat: Akron is ranked 7 in the top 25-mid major poll. The first 6 went to the NCAA and numbers 8-11 went to the NIT. This makes no sense.
5. Also, I figured that one of the tournaments would've scheduled Akron just on the off chance that LeBron would show up.
6. I was at the MAC Quarterfinals and I watched the Semi's and the Championship game, you cannot tell me that only two of those teams deserve to go on.
7. By the way, just letting you know now, but Akron's Jeremiah Wood is going to tear up the MAC next season. He has a polished low post game, he's 6-9 or 6-10 and he's coming off two ACL injuries. And I have to say, his court vision is what impressed me the most; he consistently saw his teammates from the low block throughout the tournament and made the right pass to get it to 'em. Honestly, he he was the best player on Akron, including Romeo Travis.
8. But I have to say, the most impressive player I saw in the MAC Tourney? Tournament MVP, Miami's Tim Politz. Talk about playing basketball the right way; he can finish with either hand, he had a variety of low post moves, he can shoot, he's a great rebounder and every time Miami made a play (on offense or defense) number 50 was in the middle of it. He had 25 and 10 against Ohio in the quarterfinals. In the semifinal game against Toledo, he shot a Walton-esque 11-12 from the floor. He shot 75% for the tournament. Not bad for a 6-6, chubby white kid.
9. Is it any surprise that the two players I come away gushing about both have polished low post games? Nope.
10. You want to know why I love the post game so much? No, well, I'm gonna tell you anyway. First of all, it's not just because of how I play (though that is certainly part of it). If you ever get the chance, watch some of the Houston Rockets and Hakeem Olajuwon during their title runs. Hakeem was unstoppable. The Rockets ran a pretty simple offense: dump it down to The Dream and let him kick some ass. If they double him, be ready to cut to the hoop or hit the open 3. Repeat. Am I simplifying it a tad? Sure. But you get the point; having an effective low post game makes everyone better. And the Rockets are the only team that I can remember that tried to feed the big man every time. Even now with Yao (or back in the day when Shaq was on the Lakers), the Rockets go through long stretches of time where they don't even look his way- this I do not understand. The Rockets of Hakeem ran the offense through the low block- he was their bread and butter and they knew it.
11. Anyways, when you grow up always being the tallest kid on the court, seeing a center dominate the way Hakeem did might affect the way you practice just a bit. Of course, I stopped growing in 8th grade...
12. Also, anyone remember how much Jordan dominated in the post during his late title runs? Just sayin'.
13. Back to college hoops- I've been entered in multiple pools and I have yet to fill out my bracket(s). I think this year I'm just going to do one bracket and enter it all the pools. I've done multiple ones before, but I always confuse myself watching the games. "Wait, which team do I want to win? Who helps me in what pool?" Gonna keep it simple this year.
14. Also, rule for the Tournament: you always root for the upset. I don't care what your bracket says, you alway root for the lower seed to advance.
15. Unless your alma mater is a playing. You can't go against your own school (let's go Bucks!).
16. Stupid liberal media.
17. Stupid Sean Hannity.
18. Stupid fiscally irresponsible liberals.
19. I try to keep this blog about sports (specifically Cleveland sports) and I only go into politics once a week in this column (cause this is a personal blog). I assume if you don't agree you just ignore these weekly links and get to the sports/music goodness. That's great. But go read this.
21. Now, I know it's all about Hollywood liberals and all, but how come whenever conservative actors run it's totally cool?
22. There's a reason why we take polls.
23. The "Definitive 200" my ass. I know I'm a Beatles fanatic and all, but you can't tell me that there's 109 albums that are better than Rubber Soul. Sorry. Nope.
24. Speaking of the Beatles, the Fab Faux (the best Beatles tribute band ever) will be playing shows in NYC of the 'Beatles album that never was'. Meaning, they are going to play songs from John, Paul, George and Ringo's first solo releases. Now, I've burned that mix CD a number of times myself but it never felt right because of how different each song was produced. Paul's first album was basically made up of demo tapes while George had Phil Spector's Wall of Sound behind him; there's just no cohesive feel to it. Well, the Fab Faux will be playing the songs not in their original styles but with a Beatles flavor; they're going to try to recreate what the other three would've brought to each other's work. I hope someone will be recording this.
25. FYI- The Fratellis' Costello Music is released today. Go buy it (I'm currently in love with the last track 'Ole Black and Blue Eyes').
26. So apparently while we were getting our butts whooped in the church league (sup guys) Hudson experienced an earthquake. 3.6 on the Richter scale.
27. I'm telling you, I love the Dane Cook backlash. A lot.
28. 30 Rock took a shot at Dane Cook in their episode 'The Source Awards'. That episode was brilliant and also has a Wayne Brady presence:
29. What am I? A farmer?
30. I'm not a real big fan of the Jamal Lewis signing, but at least one NFL exec says he's not done. Does Lewis know something about the Browns' line that we don't?
31. I brought up Branson Wright's 'Hey, Branson!' column and I think that we can all agree that it sucks. Here's my favorite Q&A:
Q: Hey, Branson: Why is it that you answer " Hey Branson!" questions with such curtness all the time? I feel like a lot of people have valid questions and concerns about the Cavs, and you seem more annoyed than helpful. Do you even enjoy having this column? - Greg Boose, ChicagoHAR!
A: Hey, Greg: I enjoyed it until you asked that question.
32. Speaking of crappy Cavs columnists, what the hell is this guy doing on Swerbs?
33. As for the good Cavs reporters, Windhorst has a blog post up from the weekend and it's full of good nuggets. Like this one:
In the final minute again on Saturday, LeBron went to the basket twice to tie the game. This is remarkable because he'd already hit two 3's to get the Cavs back into the game. One month ago, I would've put cold cash on press row he would've taken a 3 in Detroit down two as I watched the play develop. After he made the 3s in Milwaukee, I might've gone double or nothing because he was making them. Excellent display of intelligent poise.He's exactly right. Early in the LeBron and the Cavs would get Kenny Lofton syndrome after they'd make a couple 3s (for those that don't know, whenever Lofton would hit a home run early on, especially in the first inning, it was a sure bet he'd be swinging for the fences the rest of the game- to his, and the team's, detriment). I was worried that their comeback versus the Bucks would fizzle out because it started off by them drilling a bunch of 3s. To their credit, they didn't fall in love with it
34. I didn't think twice about Varejao's last second 3 in the Pacers game. But people got upset and the Cavs actually issued an apology. Can the Pacers really be bitching about another team's conduct? How is that allowed?
35. It bugs the hell out of me that the Suns get more love than the Mavs. They just won 17 games in a row (they lost the other night), where's Bill Simmons's column slurping the Mavs? Instead, we get Eric Neel's column about how he can't love them. Boo.
36. Carlos Boozer returns to Cleveland on Saturday night, but don't be expecting a recap of the game until sometime on Sunday. I'll be seeing these guys that night in Columbus but I plan on watching the game (extremely hungover) sometime Sunday morning (hooray for DVR!).
37. It's too bad we won't be seeing Greg Ostertag Saturday night (is he retired? Hurt and on another roster?)
38. This happened on my birthday. Pretty cool looking.
39. Something clever (I like to end this on somewhat even/round/factor of 5 numbers so this could be considered a wasted spot. Oh well. Also, I'm not sure when I last got one of these finished on Sunday night/Monday but I'm working on it)
40. Music: I've been listening a lot to The Mountain Goats this past week. I guess the style could be called highly literate folk/indie rock. I'm really digging The Sunset Tree, so check that out.
This Year from The Sunset Tree (I'm not sure how I feel about the video. The sound is a bit off and I'm not sure what's going on. But the song itself is really good)
Monday, March 12, 2007
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Cleveland 99, Indiana 88
Old fashion beat down. This is how I've been wanting the Cavs to handle lesser opponents all season long. The Cavs started the game with the intensity that they had at the end of the Milwaukee game; they never trailed, had an 18 point lead at halftime and generally kicked the Pacers' ass.
Play all four quarters. The Cavs held a double digit lead from late in the first quarter until around the 2 minute mark in the fourth and the lead had gotten up to 26 (hell, the Cavs led by 21 after three periods). I know the Pacers made a run, but the game shouldn't have been that close at the end, especially considering that Indiana didn't hit a 3 all game. Late comebacks usually involve a 3 every now and then (like the Bucks game)
Garbage time came early. Brown had the bench out there early on in the fourth quarter and let's just say that offense struggled a bit. No movement, lot's of jumpers, dumb offensive fouls and too much Eric Snow (even when Brown brought the starters back in to shut down the Pacers' late run, he kept Snow out there. And crappy offense ensued).
The refs love Sasha Pavlovic. Honestly. He picks up cheap calls, he'll get hammered on the offensive end and I'm not sure he's drawn a charge... well... ever. Does Pavs commit dumb fouls every now and then? Sure. But he always seems to be on losing end of the close calls (or no calls, Dunleavy got him pretty good on a dunk with nary a sound from the zebras).
All the starters scored in double figures. Well, except Pavlovic who finished with 9, but he was 0-4 from the line, so I'm counting it. James led everyone with 26, Hughes had 23, Gooden had 19 and Z had 10. The starters set the tone early and attacked the Pacers all game. The best part? They ran the ball and the offense, got some easy points and shared the ball with each other. It was real nice to see.
LeBron did all the little things. 26 points, 7 boards, 6 assists in 39 (still too many) minutes. But he also had a block, 3 steals and a couple offensive put backs (one of which you'll see all over Sportscenter). When he gives the rest of the game the attention and effort that his scoring
gets, he's unstoppable. As for his scoring, he got to the rim seemingly at will and he made even 4-5 free throws (only 5 FTAs? really? Mike Dunleavy took 11).
Hughes bounced back with a strong game. Larry didn't exactly have a great game against the Bucks (1-9 shooting, 6 turnovers) but he rebounded with a 23 point, 7 assist, 4 board effort and even shot 8-15 from the floor. When he gives the Cavs a game like that, they're pretty much unbeatable. I don't always care for the way he plays, but the Cavs are 5-0 since he's been starting at point guard (and he should stay there when Boobie comes back).
Shannon Brown had a nice game. While the game was competitive (well, maybe not competitive, but the times that the Cavs were trying, meaning the first 3 quarters), Brown looked really good. He played good D, he ran the floor and had sweet Statue of Liberty layup. However, when garbage time came around Brown (and to be fair the rest of the Cavs) took some bad shots and didn't look particularly interested in running the offense.
and finally...
Going streaking. How far can the win streak go? The Cavs have Sacramento at home on Tuesday and are at Memphis on Wednesday. Then they have Utah at home on St. Patrick's Day and begin a back-to-back against Charlotte and Dallas the following Tuesday. You'd like to put the Kings and Grizzlies games in the win column, the Jazz game could be tricky and the Bobcats game is more than winnable. Ideally, I'd like to see the Cavs go into the Dallas game riding a 9 game win streak (and who knows if Dallas will lose before then).
Play all four quarters. The Cavs held a double digit lead from late in the first quarter until around the 2 minute mark in the fourth and the lead had gotten up to 26 (hell, the Cavs led by 21 after three periods). I know the Pacers made a run, but the game shouldn't have been that close at the end, especially considering that Indiana didn't hit a 3 all game. Late comebacks usually involve a 3 every now and then (like the Bucks game)
Garbage time came early. Brown had the bench out there early on in the fourth quarter and let's just say that offense struggled a bit. No movement, lot's of jumpers, dumb offensive fouls and too much Eric Snow (even when Brown brought the starters back in to shut down the Pacers' late run, he kept Snow out there. And crappy offense ensued).
The refs love Sasha Pavlovic. Honestly. He picks up cheap calls, he'll get hammered on the offensive end and I'm not sure he's drawn a charge... well... ever. Does Pavs commit dumb fouls every now and then? Sure. But he always seems to be on losing end of the close calls (or no calls, Dunleavy got him pretty good on a dunk with nary a sound from the zebras).
All the starters scored in double figures. Well, except Pavlovic who finished with 9, but he was 0-4 from the line, so I'm counting it. James led everyone with 26, Hughes had 23, Gooden had 19 and Z had 10. The starters set the tone early and attacked the Pacers all game. The best part? They ran the ball and the offense, got some easy points and shared the ball with each other. It was real nice to see.
LeBron did all the little things. 26 points, 7 boards, 6 assists in 39 (still too many) minutes. But he also had a block, 3 steals and a couple offensive put backs (one of which you'll see all over Sportscenter). When he gives the rest of the game the attention and effort that his scoring
gets, he's unstoppable. As for his scoring, he got to the rim seemingly at will and he made even 4-5 free throws (only 5 FTAs? really? Mike Dunleavy took 11).
Hughes bounced back with a strong game. Larry didn't exactly have a great game against the Bucks (1-9 shooting, 6 turnovers) but he rebounded with a 23 point, 7 assist, 4 board effort and even shot 8-15 from the floor. When he gives the Cavs a game like that, they're pretty much unbeatable. I don't always care for the way he plays, but the Cavs are 5-0 since he's been starting at point guard (and he should stay there when Boobie comes back).
Shannon Brown had a nice game. While the game was competitive (well, maybe not competitive, but the times that the Cavs were trying, meaning the first 3 quarters), Brown looked really good. He played good D, he ran the floor and had sweet Statue of Liberty layup. However, when garbage time came around Brown (and to be fair the rest of the Cavs) took some bad shots and didn't look particularly interested in running the offense.
and finally...
Going streaking. How far can the win streak go? The Cavs have Sacramento at home on Tuesday and are at Memphis on Wednesday. Then they have Utah at home on St. Patrick's Day and begin a back-to-back against Charlotte and Dallas the following Tuesday. You'd like to put the Kings and Grizzlies games in the win column, the Jazz game could be tricky and the Bobcats game is more than winnable. Ideally, I'd like to see the Cavs go into the Dallas game riding a 9 game win streak (and who knows if Dallas will lose before then).
Oh the Sunday Paper
I've mentioned Paul Hoynes 'Best I've Ever Seen' series before and how I was a bit confused on his choosing Eddie Murray for 1st base (obviously, I had no qualms with him choosing Robbie for 2nd).
So I pick up today's PD and who do I see representing 3rd base? Travis Fryman? Jim Thome? Matt Williams? Nope. George Brett. Now, maybe I missed something, but George Brett never played for the Tribe.
Fine, this is his 'Best I Ever Seen' series, not a 'Best Tribe Player I've Ever Seen'. Maybe I'm a homer, but this makes the series pretty lame. I don't care about George Brett, I want to reminisce about former Tribe players.
Also, this makes the selection of Murray even more questionable. Sure, Eddie had great career numbers, but he wasn't a flashy player. I know it's hip to bash McGwire but how can he not say that Big Mac was the best he ever saw? People got to the ball park early just to see McGwire hit batting practice.
Then there's Branson Wright's 'Hey, Branson!' questions. My lord, do these people even watch basketball? Let's go through a few questions, shall we?
Q: Hey, Branson: The Cavs seem to have a certain intensity when LeBron doesn't play because the team knows they have to pick up their play. It seems outrageous, but should the Cavs trade LeBron for a caliber player like Steve Nash or Dwyane Wade? - Aaron Jarvis, Madison
My answer- Hey, Aaron: you're an idiot
BW's answer- Hey, Aaron: Since you believe the Cavs play so well without LeBron, why would they play any better with Nash or Wade? How about the Cavs trade LeBron to the Continental Basketball Association for a few of those players? Now we know those guys are hungry and have something to prove.
Q: Hey, Branson: What do you think about starting Anderson Varejao at center and bringing Zydrunas Ilgauskas off the bench? With Andy out there, the team could push the ball and break. When Z comes in, you could slow it down, feed him the ball inside, and even give James a break. Does Z make too much money for this type of setup? - Josh Fitzgerald, Winchester, Va.
BC- Hey, Josh: Both Z and Gooden are inconsistent game to game, bringing Varejao off the bench allows Mike Brown to sub him in for whichever big man is having off game. And Brown can't this with either Z or Gooden because they can only play one position.
BW - Hey, Josh: No one makes enough money not to sit the bench, but I'd continue to start Ilgauskas and bring Varejao off the bench for the same reasons you want to start Varejao. I want energy off the bench. Plus Varejao can play multiple positions, and that means I can utilize him wherever he's needed.
Q: Hey, Branson: Maybe you answered this questions and I missed it. Why is Ira Newble riding the bench? He went from a starter last season to invisible. Is he ill, hurt or what? - Les Shure, Lorain
BC - Hey, Les: The reasons are, in order: 1. LeBron James. 2. Larry Hughes. 3. Sasha Pavlovic. 4. Daniel Gibson. 5. Shannon Brown. 6. Damon Jones. 7. David Wesley. 8. Ira Newble. Also, Newble is an Eric Snow type player; good at defense (albeit overrated) and a poor shooter- the Cavs don't need any more of those. And are you clamoring for more Ira Newble?
BW- Hey, Les: Newble is well, but for whom would he come in? Newble 's a guard/small foward and he won't take away any time from Pavlovic, Larry Hughes, James or Donyell Marshall. Coach Brown has found a few minutes every now and then.
(Usually I'd rip on Newble quite a bit more, but he played very well versus the Bucks on Saturday night. Well done Ira)
And finally, as for the Akron Beacon Journal, Terry Pluto says that Akron deserves to be in the NCAA tournament. I agree, the MAC should get two teams.
So I pick up today's PD and who do I see representing 3rd base? Travis Fryman? Jim Thome? Matt Williams? Nope. George Brett. Now, maybe I missed something, but George Brett never played for the Tribe.
Fine, this is his 'Best I Ever Seen' series, not a 'Best Tribe Player I've Ever Seen'. Maybe I'm a homer, but this makes the series pretty lame. I don't care about George Brett, I want to reminisce about former Tribe players.
Also, this makes the selection of Murray even more questionable. Sure, Eddie had great career numbers, but he wasn't a flashy player. I know it's hip to bash McGwire but how can he not say that Big Mac was the best he ever saw? People got to the ball park early just to see McGwire hit batting practice.
Then there's Branson Wright's 'Hey, Branson!' questions. My lord, do these people even watch basketball? Let's go through a few questions, shall we?
Q: Hey, Branson: The Cavs seem to have a certain intensity when LeBron doesn't play because the team knows they have to pick up their play. It seems outrageous, but should the Cavs trade LeBron for a caliber player like Steve Nash or Dwyane Wade? - Aaron Jarvis, Madison
My answer- Hey, Aaron: you're an idiot
BW's answer- Hey, Aaron: Since you believe the Cavs play so well without LeBron, why would they play any better with Nash or Wade? How about the Cavs trade LeBron to the Continental Basketball Association for a few of those players? Now we know those guys are hungry and have something to prove.
Q: Hey, Branson: What do you think about starting Anderson Varejao at center and bringing Zydrunas Ilgauskas off the bench? With Andy out there, the team could push the ball and break. When Z comes in, you could slow it down, feed him the ball inside, and even give James a break. Does Z make too much money for this type of setup? - Josh Fitzgerald, Winchester, Va.
BC- Hey, Josh: Both Z and Gooden are inconsistent game to game, bringing Varejao off the bench allows Mike Brown to sub him in for whichever big man is having off game. And Brown can't this with either Z or Gooden because they can only play one position.
BW - Hey, Josh: No one makes enough money not to sit the bench, but I'd continue to start Ilgauskas and bring Varejao off the bench for the same reasons you want to start Varejao. I want energy off the bench. Plus Varejao can play multiple positions, and that means I can utilize him wherever he's needed.
Q: Hey, Branson: Maybe you answered this questions and I missed it. Why is Ira Newble riding the bench? He went from a starter last season to invisible. Is he ill, hurt or what? - Les Shure, Lorain
BC - Hey, Les: The reasons are, in order: 1. LeBron James. 2. Larry Hughes. 3. Sasha Pavlovic. 4. Daniel Gibson. 5. Shannon Brown. 6. Damon Jones. 7. David Wesley. 8. Ira Newble. Also, Newble is an Eric Snow type player; good at defense (albeit overrated) and a poor shooter- the Cavs don't need any more of those. And are you clamoring for more Ira Newble?
BW- Hey, Les: Newble is well, but for whom would he come in? Newble 's a guard/small foward and he won't take away any time from Pavlovic, Larry Hughes, James or Donyell Marshall. Coach Brown has found a few minutes every now and then.
(Usually I'd rip on Newble quite a bit more, but he played very well versus the Bucks on Saturday night. Well done Ira)
And finally, as for the Akron Beacon Journal, Terry Pluto says that Akron deserves to be in the NCAA tournament. I agree, the MAC should get two teams.
Cleveland 94. Milwaukee 92
Gut check. To say that the Cavs stole this game would an understatement. They were down the first 11 minutes of the fourth quarter and didn't take a lead until Anderson Varejao's layup with 11 seconds to go. Not only did they blow a 6 point lead in the 3rd period, they were also down 9 going into the fourth (where they trailed by 12 with 8:42 to go).
And I wasn't exactly encouraged by their method for the comeback. For one stretch during the fourth the Cavs made 3s on 6 out of 7 possessions; don't get me wrong, that's great, but that's not really something you can sustain. They did switch it up and go inside down the stretch but I was worried that they'd get themselves back into the game and just kind of fizzle out on a barrage of bombs. But thankfully they didn't fall in love with the jumper (too much).
One of those 3s belonged to Ira Newble. Yes, you read that right. Newble got some playing time because none of the other Cav defenders could keep Ruben Patterson from attacking the middle (out of the post). To his credit, Newble played good D on Patterson and actually hit his 3pt attempt. (Mike Brown pushed the right buttons. He had a line up of Newble, Snow, Marshall, Varejao and James down the stretch. That's a five consisting of James, a one-dimensional player, an offensive rebounder and two no-dimensional players. And it worked)
I'm not sure what Larry Hughes has to do to get benched, but he tried just about everything. Now, to be fair, this was really Hughes's first bad game since moving to the PG spot but, man, it was a real bad one. Hughes finished with 4 points, 4 boards and a surprising 6 assists- and those are his good stats. He shot an atrocious 1-9 (0-4 downtown), had 6 turnovers, 5 fouls and a couple of brain farts on inbounds plays. I call his assists 'surprising' because he does not give the ball up very easily. I know he's now the 'point guard' and all, but that doesn't mean he can't pass the ball ahead on the break. Also, while running a 'pick and roll', feel free to hit the 'roller' every now and then (it's much preferred to shooting a jumper with three guys in your face).
The first three and a half quarters were really, really frustrating. The Cavs had 20 turnovers, numerous offensive fouls and a ton of broken plays (which the Bucks always seemed to capitalize on). Hughes messed up not one, but two inbounds plays (first he was a statue while Gooden was trying to get him the ball and later on he threw it right to Mo Williams underneath the Bucks' basket) and James committed three charges (two were total crap while the other was borderline at best). The Cavs seemed to have decent energy but they were just sloppy.
The defense wasn't that great until Ira Newble came in to save the day. For the most part, Michael Redd got whatever he wanted, scoring early and late on a variety of jumpers and post moves (he finished with 29). And until Newble's arrival, the Cavs had absolutely no answer for Patterson in the post (who added 24). The defense didn't solidify until late in the fourth where Newble and Snow bodied up on Patterson and Redd (the Bucks didn't during the final 2 minutes).
Oh yeah, that LeBron James fellow. James started off slow (1-5) and didn't really assert himself until the second period (where he scored 12). He picked up his 3rd and 4th fouls in a 40 second span early in the third and the Cavs promptly fell apart (6 point lead to 9 point deficit).
James led the Cavalier comeback in the fourth with 16 points; he started off shooting (settling?) for long 3s, but they went in. After the 3pt barrage brought the Cavs back, James decided to take the ball to the rim, with devastating results. Would I have liked him to be more assertive early on? Of course, but the refs were letting the Bucks flop, so I can understand why he didn't force the issue inside. However, when the game was on the line, James switched gears (refs be damned) and took it to the hole.
Mother F%&#@$! Free Throws! What? The Cavs shot 86% from the line? They were 13-15? LeBron hit all four of his (that's right, four. James had three charges and four free throws. Ya, figure that one out).
The three headed power forward monster came through. Gooden had 13 points (though he missed a few gimmes), 8 rebounds and was one of the few Cavs you could say didn't play terrible in the first 3 quarters. Donyell Marshall had 19 points and gave the Cavs some great play down the stretch (he also finished with a Marshall-like 2 rebounds and was 5-7 from 3pt range). And Varejao? He had a pretty nondescript game overall (6pts, 10 boards), but he hit the go ahead layup with 11 seconds left to break the 92-all tie (he had a chance for a 3pt play, but missed the freebie).
and finally...
Indiana tomorrow. Can the Cavs take their win streak to five? Can they win on a second day/night/evening of a back-to-back? Can they win there straight against Central Division rivals? Can they make anyone care about NBA basketball on Selection Sunday (BTW- the MAC deserves 2 teams)? Tune in tomorrow at 6pm and find out!
And I wasn't exactly encouraged by their method for the comeback. For one stretch during the fourth the Cavs made 3s on 6 out of 7 possessions; don't get me wrong, that's great, but that's not really something you can sustain. They did switch it up and go inside down the stretch but I was worried that they'd get themselves back into the game and just kind of fizzle out on a barrage of bombs. But thankfully they didn't fall in love with the jumper (too much).
One of those 3s belonged to Ira Newble. Yes, you read that right. Newble got some playing time because none of the other Cav defenders could keep Ruben Patterson from attacking the middle (out of the post). To his credit, Newble played good D on Patterson and actually hit his 3pt attempt. (Mike Brown pushed the right buttons. He had a line up of Newble, Snow, Marshall, Varejao and James down the stretch. That's a five consisting of James, a one-dimensional player, an offensive rebounder and two no-dimensional players. And it worked)
I'm not sure what Larry Hughes has to do to get benched, but he tried just about everything. Now, to be fair, this was really Hughes's first bad game since moving to the PG spot but, man, it was a real bad one. Hughes finished with 4 points, 4 boards and a surprising 6 assists- and those are his good stats. He shot an atrocious 1-9 (0-4 downtown), had 6 turnovers, 5 fouls and a couple of brain farts on inbounds plays. I call his assists 'surprising' because he does not give the ball up very easily. I know he's now the 'point guard' and all, but that doesn't mean he can't pass the ball ahead on the break. Also, while running a 'pick and roll', feel free to hit the 'roller' every now and then (it's much preferred to shooting a jumper with three guys in your face).
The first three and a half quarters were really, really frustrating. The Cavs had 20 turnovers, numerous offensive fouls and a ton of broken plays (which the Bucks always seemed to capitalize on). Hughes messed up not one, but two inbounds plays (first he was a statue while Gooden was trying to get him the ball and later on he threw it right to Mo Williams underneath the Bucks' basket) and James committed three charges (two were total crap while the other was borderline at best). The Cavs seemed to have decent energy but they were just sloppy.
The defense wasn't that great until Ira Newble came in to save the day. For the most part, Michael Redd got whatever he wanted, scoring early and late on a variety of jumpers and post moves (he finished with 29). And until Newble's arrival, the Cavs had absolutely no answer for Patterson in the post (who added 24). The defense didn't solidify until late in the fourth where Newble and Snow bodied up on Patterson and Redd (the Bucks didn't during the final 2 minutes).
Oh yeah, that LeBron James fellow. James started off slow (1-5) and didn't really assert himself until the second period (where he scored 12). He picked up his 3rd and 4th fouls in a 40 second span early in the third and the Cavs promptly fell apart (6 point lead to 9 point deficit).
James led the Cavalier comeback in the fourth with 16 points; he started off shooting (settling?) for long 3s, but they went in. After the 3pt barrage brought the Cavs back, James decided to take the ball to the rim, with devastating results. Would I have liked him to be more assertive early on? Of course, but the refs were letting the Bucks flop, so I can understand why he didn't force the issue inside. However, when the game was on the line, James switched gears (refs be damned) and took it to the hole.
Mother F%&#@$! Free Throws! What? The Cavs shot 86% from the line? They were 13-15? LeBron hit all four of his (that's right, four. James had three charges and four free throws. Ya, figure that one out).
The three headed power forward monster came through. Gooden had 13 points (though he missed a few gimmes), 8 rebounds and was one of the few Cavs you could say didn't play terrible in the first 3 quarters. Donyell Marshall had 19 points and gave the Cavs some great play down the stretch (he also finished with a Marshall-like 2 rebounds and was 5-7 from 3pt range). And Varejao? He had a pretty nondescript game overall (6pts, 10 boards), but he hit the go ahead layup with 11 seconds left to break the 92-all tie (he had a chance for a 3pt play, but missed the freebie).
and finally...
Indiana tomorrow. Can the Cavs take their win streak to five? Can they win on a second day/night/evening of a back-to-back? Can they win there straight against Central Division rivals? Can they make anyone care about NBA basketball on Selection Sunday (BTW- the MAC deserves 2 teams)? Tune in tomorrow at 6pm and find out!
Friday, March 09, 2007
Jamal Lewis Fallout
I'm not a fan of this move and Erik asks the right question: why couldn't the Browns, (as opposed to the Ravens) dump 2007's 3rd and 7th round picks and 2008's 3rd for Willis McGahee instead?
It's a good question that I hadn't considered. If the Ravens could do it, why couldn't the Browns? I know, I've been one of the bloggers telling the Browns to trade down (if possible) if the deal is there, so me giving them flack for not trading multiple draft picks doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
But... two 3rds and a 7th isn't a whole lot to give up for a young, talented back. McGahee could be added an offense that already features Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards- that is a dynamic (if brash) bunch of talent. If this line progresses, Charlie Frye would a bit easier time of running the offense with a back like McGahee behind him.
But say the Browns aren't committed to Frye and are enamored with Brady Quinn; McGahee is a back that would allow the Browns to draft Quinn at 3. Of course, I'd still rather them draft a linemen (if Joe Thomas is available at 3, he better not be at 4), but drafting Quinn could at least be justified.
Here's what my worries ultimately boil down to: I fear that Thomas will be picked by the Lions at 2 (though I hope with all of my heart that Millen takes Calvin Johnson) and the Browns will draft Quinn over Peterson and justify it by saying "we feel that we addressed our running back and line situation in free agency".
But they haven't. Steinbach is a great start and I love the signing... but, he's a guard. A real good guard who can play some tackle. And I have this sick feeling that they'll move him to tackle and sign a cheap replacement to play guard. Drafting Thomas (lord help me if he falls and they pass on him) and putting him next to Steinbach is my ideal offseason.
And Lewis? He's an OK start. He's on a one year deal and I'm not so sure that the Browns can rely on him. He's been on the decline and it looks like he's even worse than I thought.
A trade for McGahee solves the Browns' RB situation for the next few years while the signing of Lewis may not even work next year.
This draft, the Browns need to suck it up and draft linemen the first day and I've long said that Peterson is the one pick that I would be OK with at 3 (provided the Browns address the line in rounds 2 and 3). Trading for McGahee allows them to take a Brady Quinn at 3. Signing Lewis does not.
If the Browns think their free agent haul has allowed them to draft skill position players like Quinn, I feel they'll be sorely mistaken. If the Browns draft Quinn, I'm willing to bet that, in one year, I'll be back here writing some spelling error filled post screaming for the Browns to draft a lineman with their top 10 pick.
Nobody wants this.
It's a good question that I hadn't considered. If the Ravens could do it, why couldn't the Browns? I know, I've been one of the bloggers telling the Browns to trade down (if possible) if the deal is there, so me giving them flack for not trading multiple draft picks doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
But... two 3rds and a 7th isn't a whole lot to give up for a young, talented back. McGahee could be added an offense that already features Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards- that is a dynamic (if brash) bunch of talent. If this line progresses, Charlie Frye would a bit easier time of running the offense with a back like McGahee behind him.
But say the Browns aren't committed to Frye and are enamored with Brady Quinn; McGahee is a back that would allow the Browns to draft Quinn at 3. Of course, I'd still rather them draft a linemen (if Joe Thomas is available at 3, he better not be at 4), but drafting Quinn could at least be justified.
Here's what my worries ultimately boil down to: I fear that Thomas will be picked by the Lions at 2 (though I hope with all of my heart that Millen takes Calvin Johnson) and the Browns will draft Quinn over Peterson and justify it by saying "we feel that we addressed our running back and line situation in free agency".
But they haven't. Steinbach is a great start and I love the signing... but, he's a guard. A real good guard who can play some tackle. And I have this sick feeling that they'll move him to tackle and sign a cheap replacement to play guard. Drafting Thomas (lord help me if he falls and they pass on him) and putting him next to Steinbach is my ideal offseason.
And Lewis? He's an OK start. He's on a one year deal and I'm not so sure that the Browns can rely on him. He's been on the decline and it looks like he's even worse than I thought.
A trade for McGahee solves the Browns' RB situation for the next few years while the signing of Lewis may not even work next year.
This draft, the Browns need to suck it up and draft linemen the first day and I've long said that Peterson is the one pick that I would be OK with at 3 (provided the Browns address the line in rounds 2 and 3). Trading for McGahee allows them to take a Brady Quinn at 3. Signing Lewis does not.
If the Browns think their free agent haul has allowed them to draft skill position players like Quinn, I feel they'll be sorely mistaken. If the Browns draft Quinn, I'm willing to bet that, in one year, I'll be back here writing some spelling error filled post screaming for the Browns to draft a lineman with their top 10 pick.
Nobody wants this.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Jamal Lewis? WTF?
Does Browns management hate the fans? I'm just asking because I hate Jamal Lewis. Also, I don't like this move.
First of all, what is Phil Savage doing, did the Browns really need this guy? I know he's only 27, but he seems to be declining. Plus, the Browns already have used up RB in Reuben Droughns. Do they really need another one?
Also, and more importantly, how am I supposed to root for Jamal Lewis? This guy has killed the Browns over the years, went to jail AND played for the Ravens. It's bad enough that we have Cleveland reporters angling for the Browns to hire former Stealer coach Bill Cowher, but for the Browns to sign a certified Browns killer? Damn.
Browns fas have already swallowed their pride and rooted for brash receivers from Miami (FL) and M*ch*g*n. We're not happy about it, but these are good, young players so we suck it up (well, most of us).
But Jamal Lewis? This would be like the Cavs signing Rasheed Wallace in 3 years. Sure he took a cheap at Z and we all hate the guy, but hey, now he's old and worthless!
And don't even get me started on the draft implications. If this signing somehow opens the doors for a non-lineman, non-Adrian Peterson draft pick... I'm pretty sure I'll go insane.
If I have to root for an offense that involves Winslow, Edwards, Brady Quinn and Jamal Lewis... well, something may be set on fire.
This came out of nowhere. Why did the Browns decide to sign a former Raven who averaged 3.6 yards last season? I've been underwhelmed with Reuben Droughns for awhile now, so I'm not exactly bummed about replacing him. I really don't want to see a Droughns-Lewis splitting the carries situation. Droughns needs to be cut now so, for nothing else, I can still pretend that the Browns will be drafting Peterson, not Brady Quinn.
First of all, what is Phil Savage doing, did the Browns really need this guy? I know he's only 27, but he seems to be declining. Plus, the Browns already have used up RB in Reuben Droughns. Do they really need another one?
Also, and more importantly, how am I supposed to root for Jamal Lewis? This guy has killed the Browns over the years, went to jail AND played for the Ravens. It's bad enough that we have Cleveland reporters angling for the Browns to hire former Stealer coach Bill Cowher, but for the Browns to sign a certified Browns killer? Damn.
Browns fas have already swallowed their pride and rooted for brash receivers from Miami (FL) and M*ch*g*n. We're not happy about it, but these are good, young players so we suck it up (well, most of us).
But Jamal Lewis? This would be like the Cavs signing Rasheed Wallace in 3 years. Sure he took a cheap at Z and we all hate the guy, but hey, now he's old and worthless!
And don't even get me started on the draft implications. If this signing somehow opens the doors for a non-lineman, non-Adrian Peterson draft pick... I'm pretty sure I'll go insane.
If I have to root for an offense that involves Winslow, Edwards, Brady Quinn and Jamal Lewis... well, something may be set on fire.
This came out of nowhere. Why did the Browns decide to sign a former Raven who averaged 3.6 yards last season? I've been underwhelmed with Reuben Droughns for awhile now, so I'm not exactly bummed about replacing him. I really don't want to see a Droughns-Lewis splitting the carries situation. Droughns needs to be cut now so, for nothing else, I can still pretend that the Browns will be drafting Peterson, not Brady Quinn.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Cleveland 101, Detroit 97
This Larry Hughes character may not be all bad. Sure, he need 16 shots to score 12 points, but he also had 8 boards and 6 assists. We all know (at least we should all know) that Hughes isn't going to be a high percentage shooter, but when he gives you the other stuff, you don't seem to mind as much. Would I like him to shoot better? Of course. But I'll take 12-8-6 anytime. Oh yea, the Cavs are 3-0 him starting at the point.
Man, I hate the Pistons. I'm not used to this... see, the Cavs hadn't been in the playoffs for awhile, so Cavalier fans haven't had a team to hate. Sure, I still hated the Bulls, but they sucked too (and can a non-Bulls fan really hate Tim Floyd?) But then the playoffs happened. And it was great. Now, Washington bugs me a bit (mostly just Tom Knott of the Washington Times) but it's not a deep hatred. But the Pistons? I hate Detroit basketball. Hates it. I absolutely love to hate them. I've missed this.
LeBron James is back to being LeBron James. Just look at this: 41 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds, 3 steals and a ridonkulous block on Rip Hamilton. He was also .1 second away from a game winner. He played almost exactly the way you'd want him to; he went inside early, he didn't settle for shots, he played tough defense, he (mostly) hit his free throws. Sure, he missed one of two late free throws in OT, but there's not much else you could criticize about his performance (but I'll nit pick: he allows himself to be pushed off the block too easily and he ends up receiving the ball 'posting up' about 18 feet from the hoop).
So does this mean he was coasting? LeBron has obviously taken his game to another level over the last few games. Was he conserving his energy? Was he coasting? I don't know. All I do know is that if he played with this kind of intensity every night, the Cavs would not lose many games.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas is a large man. This was probably Z's best game since his return. Sure, he had some points early on, but he also hung around late in the game as well. Z buried three jumpers late in the fourth quarter and in OT that really helped the Cavaliers out. Z hasn't played particularly well in big games this year (though, can you name me a Cavalier who has?) but after the game, Jeff Phelps dropped this quote: "Zydrunas now, in three games against the Pistons this year, averaging 14 points and 14.6 rebounds a game." Is that true? How have I missed this?
This is why Drew Gooden is Drew Gooden. Over the last 5 games, Drew was averaging 5.4 points and 6.8 boards. Not good. So it makes perfect sense that Gooden dropped 22 and 10 on the Pistons. Perfect. Sense. If Gooden played with that kind of passion every ni- No, I'm not going to say it. Let's not lament about consistency (or lack there of), let us bask in Gooden's fantastic game. Well done Drew.
Started things out right. The Cavs probably played their best quarter of the season in the first period. The out scored the Pistons 34-24, they pushed the ball, they shared the ball and they took good shots. My lord, it was amazing. But then the second quarter happened. The Cavs went ice cold from the field (and stopped pushing/going inside as much) and Detroit clawed their way back into it on blood, guts and free throws. The Cavs ended up taking a 2 point lead into halftime.
Starters? Good. Bench? Not so much. All of the starters played well, I've already addressed four of 'em and while Pavlovic didn't have a strong game points-wise (just 6), he did have 5 boards and 4 assists. Pavs did have trouble with Hamilton a bit (29 points), but I thought Sasha did a relatively decent job defensive job. As for the non-starters? Only Varejao was a factor (4 points, 7 boards and a nifty assist) and while I can't exactly say that Snow played poorly... I disliked having to see him out there so much. Also, according to the box score, Shannon Brown and Donyell Marshall both played and missed 2 shots each (again, not really poor play, but nothing to write home about either).
The refs were gawd-awful. By halftime, Detroit had out shot the Cavs at the foul line by a line of 29-10. Now, it started off innocent enough; the Cavs were either A) making their shots or B) settling for jumpers, so you don't expect them to get a lot of freebies. Plus, the Pistons made a concerted effort to get in the lane and get to the line; they weren't shooting as well, so they forced the issue. But by the time the game was close again (late second quarter) the refs were bailing out Detroit with phantom calls. Coach Mike got himself a well deserved (and timed) technical foul (and Damon Jones got off the bench to calm him down. That was the only time he got up). The refs tried to right the ship in the 3rd quarter, giving the Cavs some calls (and the Pistons FREAKED OUT. My lord, they got every call all game and Webber gets called for a charge (after he traveled twice) and they go insane. I hate the Pistons. So much).
There's more. They also broke out the rarely seen and rarely effective double foul. Yes, a double foul. Now, I've heard on double technicals (the Charles Oakley/Dennis Rodman classics), but never double fouls. The play was a block/charge call involving James and Jason Maxiell. Now (forgive me lord for what I'm about to do), it looked like James committed a charge; he bowled over Maxiell. But the refs called it a block. Obviously, I'm OK with this. But once you make the call, stick with it. Or at least if you're going to change the call, call the charge. But a double foul pleases nobody and pisses off everyone (and confused the home viewer). Well done.
Big brass ones. Not only did the Cavs show up and win in a hostile environment and beat a division leading rival but they did it in stunning fashion. The Cavs got a big lead early on (impressive) but then blew it in the second quarter (oops) but managed to take the lead back going into halftime (good). In the third quarter they fought hard, kept it close and basically treaded water (OK). But they started out the fourth tied and proceeded to let the Pistons go on a 11-2 run (oh shit). But the Cavs stuck around (good). They chipped away at the Detroit lead and actually went ahead with 2:31 to go (holy crap). LeBron hit what looked to be the game winning shot as time expired (holy mother of God YES!!!) but it was eventually was waved off and they had to go into overtime (gulp). The Cavs then had to go out and win a game that they thought they had already won (faaaantastic). And they did. Talk about mental toughness, that's about as good of a regular season win as I've seen and it's definitely their biggest win of the season.
Though we've seen this before. The Cavs play poorly, then they play well and it looks like they've "turned the corner" and they proceed to drop a big turd against a team they should be destroying. This has been going on since the first week of the season, do we have any assurances that they won't crap on us again? Nope. But I think it helps that they have a relatively tough schedule coming up (@ Mil, Ind, Sac, @ Mem, UTH) and their only real let down game isn't for another week or so. Plus, we're now into the crunch time of the season and the end is in sight; hopefully they can keep this intensity (and this lineup) throughout the rest of the season and into the playoffs.
and finally...
Suddenly I feel a lot better about things. I no longer want to strangle Larry Hughes, Pavlovic is playing well, the rookies both seem to be contributing (albeit at different times), LeBron is back to doing LeBron type things and somehow Z is averaging 14 and 14 against Detroit. Feels good, doesn't it?
Man, I hate the Pistons. I'm not used to this... see, the Cavs hadn't been in the playoffs for awhile, so Cavalier fans haven't had a team to hate. Sure, I still hated the Bulls, but they sucked too (and can a non-Bulls fan really hate Tim Floyd?) But then the playoffs happened. And it was great. Now, Washington bugs me a bit (mostly just Tom Knott of the Washington Times) but it's not a deep hatred. But the Pistons? I hate Detroit basketball. Hates it. I absolutely love to hate them. I've missed this.
LeBron James is back to being LeBron James. Just look at this: 41 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds, 3 steals and a ridonkulous block on Rip Hamilton. He was also .1 second away from a game winner. He played almost exactly the way you'd want him to; he went inside early, he didn't settle for shots, he played tough defense, he (mostly) hit his free throws. Sure, he missed one of two late free throws in OT, but there's not much else you could criticize about his performance (but I'll nit pick: he allows himself to be pushed off the block too easily and he ends up receiving the ball 'posting up' about 18 feet from the hoop).
So does this mean he was coasting? LeBron has obviously taken his game to another level over the last few games. Was he conserving his energy? Was he coasting? I don't know. All I do know is that if he played with this kind of intensity every night, the Cavs would not lose many games.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas is a large man. This was probably Z's best game since his return. Sure, he had some points early on, but he also hung around late in the game as well. Z buried three jumpers late in the fourth quarter and in OT that really helped the Cavaliers out. Z hasn't played particularly well in big games this year (though, can you name me a Cavalier who has?) but after the game, Jeff Phelps dropped this quote: "Zydrunas now, in three games against the Pistons this year, averaging 14 points and 14.6 rebounds a game." Is that true? How have I missed this?
This is why Drew Gooden is Drew Gooden. Over the last 5 games, Drew was averaging 5.4 points and 6.8 boards. Not good. So it makes perfect sense that Gooden dropped 22 and 10 on the Pistons. Perfect. Sense. If Gooden played with that kind of passion every ni- No, I'm not going to say it. Let's not lament about consistency (or lack there of), let us bask in Gooden's fantastic game. Well done Drew.
Started things out right. The Cavs probably played their best quarter of the season in the first period. The out scored the Pistons 34-24, they pushed the ball, they shared the ball and they took good shots. My lord, it was amazing. But then the second quarter happened. The Cavs went ice cold from the field (and stopped pushing/going inside as much) and Detroit clawed their way back into it on blood, guts and free throws. The Cavs ended up taking a 2 point lead into halftime.
Starters? Good. Bench? Not so much. All of the starters played well, I've already addressed four of 'em and while Pavlovic didn't have a strong game points-wise (just 6), he did have 5 boards and 4 assists. Pavs did have trouble with Hamilton a bit (29 points), but I thought Sasha did a relatively decent job defensive job. As for the non-starters? Only Varejao was a factor (4 points, 7 boards and a nifty assist) and while I can't exactly say that Snow played poorly... I disliked having to see him out there so much. Also, according to the box score, Shannon Brown and Donyell Marshall both played and missed 2 shots each (again, not really poor play, but nothing to write home about either).
The refs were gawd-awful. By halftime, Detroit had out shot the Cavs at the foul line by a line of 29-10. Now, it started off innocent enough; the Cavs were either A) making their shots or B) settling for jumpers, so you don't expect them to get a lot of freebies. Plus, the Pistons made a concerted effort to get in the lane and get to the line; they weren't shooting as well, so they forced the issue. But by the time the game was close again (late second quarter) the refs were bailing out Detroit with phantom calls. Coach Mike got himself a well deserved (and timed) technical foul (and Damon Jones got off the bench to calm him down. That was the only time he got up). The refs tried to right the ship in the 3rd quarter, giving the Cavs some calls (and the Pistons FREAKED OUT. My lord, they got every call all game and Webber gets called for a charge (after he traveled twice) and they go insane. I hate the Pistons. So much).
There's more. They also broke out the rarely seen and rarely effective double foul. Yes, a double foul. Now, I've heard on double technicals (the Charles Oakley/Dennis Rodman classics), but never double fouls. The play was a block/charge call involving James and Jason Maxiell. Now (forgive me lord for what I'm about to do), it looked like James committed a charge; he bowled over Maxiell. But the refs called it a block. Obviously, I'm OK with this. But once you make the call, stick with it. Or at least if you're going to change the call, call the charge. But a double foul pleases nobody and pisses off everyone (and confused the home viewer). Well done.
Big brass ones. Not only did the Cavs show up and win in a hostile environment and beat a division leading rival but they did it in stunning fashion. The Cavs got a big lead early on (impressive) but then blew it in the second quarter (oops) but managed to take the lead back going into halftime (good). In the third quarter they fought hard, kept it close and basically treaded water (OK). But they started out the fourth tied and proceeded to let the Pistons go on a 11-2 run (oh shit). But the Cavs stuck around (good). They chipped away at the Detroit lead and actually went ahead with 2:31 to go (holy crap). LeBron hit what looked to be the game winning shot as time expired (holy mother of God YES!!!) but it was eventually was waved off and they had to go into overtime (gulp). The Cavs then had to go out and win a game that they thought they had already won (faaaantastic). And they did. Talk about mental toughness, that's about as good of a regular season win as I've seen and it's definitely their biggest win of the season.
Though we've seen this before. The Cavs play poorly, then they play well and it looks like they've "turned the corner" and they proceed to drop a big turd against a team they should be destroying. This has been going on since the first week of the season, do we have any assurances that they won't crap on us again? Nope. But I think it helps that they have a relatively tough schedule coming up (@ Mil, Ind, Sac, @ Mem, UTH) and their only real let down game isn't for another week or so. Plus, we're now into the crunch time of the season and the end is in sight; hopefully they can keep this intensity (and this lineup) throughout the rest of the season and into the playoffs.
and finally...
Suddenly I feel a lot better about things. I no longer want to strangle Larry Hughes, Pavlovic is playing well, the rookies both seem to be contributing (albeit at different times), LeBron is back to doing LeBron type things and somehow Z is averaging 14 and 14 against Detroit. Feels good, doesn't it?
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Random Thoughts from the Weekend (belated. again)
1. Eric Steinbach? I like it.
2. Does this mean the Browns can now use their first day picks on non-linemen? No.
3. I'm still of the position that the Browns take Thomas if he's there and Peterson is he's not.
4. Brady Quinn at 3? No. Brady Quinn mid-first round after a trade? OK (though, I'd still rather use a 3rd or a 4th on Troy Smith while using the top picks on linemen)
5. I'd love for the Browns to trade down. Love it. However, in order to trade down, someone has to want to trade up. The Browns can want to move down all they want but the deal will hinge on whoever wants to move up.
6. However, if Calvin Johnson is sitting there at 3, I'm sure the Browns will get some phone calls. I think Johnson is the Browns' best chance of trading down for multiple picks.
7. The Browns also nabbed Antwan Peek, an outside linebacker from Houston. I can honestly say I have no idea who that guy is.
8. What the hell is Jacksonville thinking? $17 million for Dennis Northcutt?
9. Why the hell would this happen? Don't the Browns have enough back-up quarterbacks?
10. Yes. Yes they do.
11. Terry Pluto says Eric Wedge isn't on the hot seat. I don't believe him. You can't tell me that Mark Shapiro isn't itching to install Casey Blake as player-manager.
12. I'm not a big Wedge guy, but I'm not all that against him either. I wouldn't mind him being on hot seat a little. If they have another lackluster season, I can't imagine him being back next year.
13. I loved the OSU-Michigan basketball game. It went exactly the way I wanted. Michigan's fans were pumped (everyone always says that Michigan doesn't care about the rivalry with OSU. Bullshit I say), the Buckeyes weren't getting the calls and Michigan was looking for an upset. That is the type of game I wanted them to be involved with.
14. While you're watching the game, it looks real bad for OSU but then you'd see the score and you're like "oh, they're only down 3". The game seemed much more lopsided than it actually was.
15. Midway through the first half, Michigan went on a run and got up 8. The next time down the court, Oden demanded the ball in the post, got it and scored while being fouled. Yes.
16. Also, I loved the fact Michigan was called 'Michigan State' at four times. Simmons did it too (though I can't find the link for it).
17. The Kent State-Akron game was one of the best games I've seen all year. Just phenomenal.
18. According to FSN Ohio, LeBron, Marshall, Newble, Wesley and Gooden all took in the Kent State-Akron goodness. Excellent choice boys.
19. Does rock and roll need saving?
20. This attorney controversy stinks to high heaven (start at the bottom and read your way up).
21. Stupid liberal CNN (more here)
22. Guilty. Good call Wolf.
23. I fully expect him to be pardoned.
24. Oh yea, Walter Reed.
25. Incompetence dodge, good call (I agree)
26. So NBC has replaced Studio 60 with The Black Donnellys. As a fan of Aaron Sorkin and a Godless liberal, I'm not pleased with the lack of Studio 60; the ratings aren't so hot and while I know it's not canceled, going on hiatus isn't a good sign. I really think that the show would take off if given a little time (and I think NBC may want to give it another year).
27. As for The Black Donnellys, I'm a bit mixed. The show is well done, but kind of cheesy. They've hit every mobster cliché in the book and I'm not sure how I feel about this. On one hand, it's kind of lame, but I'm also waiting for them get past the introductions and setups. Also, it's very very violent (I'm OK with, I'm just surprised that NBC is).
28. The Best Center of all Time?
29. Simmons didn't vote in the center thing and, as a basketball dork, I can't say I disagree (btw, he apologizes for calling Michigan MSU in this as well):
31. Congrats Erik
32. Shannon Brown, WTF?
33. I'm sure some columnist (Bud Shaw) will slam them for this, but some of the Cavs are buying lottery tickets. The guys buying tickets? Ira Newble and Larry Hughes, my two favorite players (who aren't overpaid in any way whatsoever).
34. Saw Brian Regan last week in Lakewood. He was hilarious (shocking!) and he didn't use any of his material from his CD (which I'm pretty sure I have memorized). Regan is probably my favorite stand up comedian out there and I've always been impressed by the fact that he does a family friendly show. Not that I'm against comics swearing (hell, I love Dave Attell), but to be that funny and not use any shocking words is pretty amazing. Here are a couple of Regan's Letterman appearances (though I'm not sure his late night routines do him justice):
Feb 2006:
Oct 2006:
35. However, Robert Randolph and the Family Band have put on some of the best late night talk show performances I have ever seen. These are from Letterman (his Leno appearance from a few years are was just draw dropping, but I can't seem to find it):
I Need More Love
Ain't Nothing Wrong with That
2. Does this mean the Browns can now use their first day picks on non-linemen? No.
3. I'm still of the position that the Browns take Thomas if he's there and Peterson is he's not.
4. Brady Quinn at 3? No. Brady Quinn mid-first round after a trade? OK (though, I'd still rather use a 3rd or a 4th on Troy Smith while using the top picks on linemen)
5. I'd love for the Browns to trade down. Love it. However, in order to trade down, someone has to want to trade up. The Browns can want to move down all they want but the deal will hinge on whoever wants to move up.
6. However, if Calvin Johnson is sitting there at 3, I'm sure the Browns will get some phone calls. I think Johnson is the Browns' best chance of trading down for multiple picks.
7. The Browns also nabbed Antwan Peek, an outside linebacker from Houston. I can honestly say I have no idea who that guy is.
8. What the hell is Jacksonville thinking? $17 million for Dennis Northcutt?
9. Why the hell would this happen? Don't the Browns have enough back-up quarterbacks?
10. Yes. Yes they do.
11. Terry Pluto says Eric Wedge isn't on the hot seat. I don't believe him. You can't tell me that Mark Shapiro isn't itching to install Casey Blake as player-manager.
12. I'm not a big Wedge guy, but I'm not all that against him either. I wouldn't mind him being on hot seat a little. If they have another lackluster season, I can't imagine him being back next year.
13. I loved the OSU-Michigan basketball game. It went exactly the way I wanted. Michigan's fans were pumped (everyone always says that Michigan doesn't care about the rivalry with OSU. Bullshit I say), the Buckeyes weren't getting the calls and Michigan was looking for an upset. That is the type of game I wanted them to be involved with.
14. While you're watching the game, it looks real bad for OSU but then you'd see the score and you're like "oh, they're only down 3". The game seemed much more lopsided than it actually was.
15. Midway through the first half, Michigan went on a run and got up 8. The next time down the court, Oden demanded the ball in the post, got it and scored while being fouled. Yes.
16. Also, I loved the fact Michigan was called 'Michigan State' at four times. Simmons did it too (though I can't find the link for it).
17. The Kent State-Akron game was one of the best games I've seen all year. Just phenomenal.
18. According to FSN Ohio, LeBron, Marshall, Newble, Wesley and Gooden all took in the Kent State-Akron goodness. Excellent choice boys.
19. Does rock and roll need saving?
20. This attorney controversy stinks to high heaven (start at the bottom and read your way up).
21. Stupid liberal CNN (more here)
22. Guilty. Good call Wolf.
23. I fully expect him to be pardoned.
24. Oh yea, Walter Reed.
25. Incompetence dodge, good call (I agree)
26. So NBC has replaced Studio 60 with The Black Donnellys. As a fan of Aaron Sorkin and a Godless liberal, I'm not pleased with the lack of Studio 60; the ratings aren't so hot and while I know it's not canceled, going on hiatus isn't a good sign. I really think that the show would take off if given a little time (and I think NBC may want to give it another year).
27. As for The Black Donnellys, I'm a bit mixed. The show is well done, but kind of cheesy. They've hit every mobster cliché in the book and I'm not sure how I feel about this. On one hand, it's kind of lame, but I'm also waiting for them get past the introductions and setups. Also, it's very very violent (I'm OK with, I'm just surprised that NBC is).
28. The Best Center of all Time?
29. Simmons didn't vote in the center thing and, as a basketball dork, I can't say I disagree (btw, he apologizes for calling Michigan MSU in this as well):
A question like that can't be answered without specific guidelines -- for instance, are you talking about careers, or the ceiling of every center? Kareem had a better career than Walton, but if you were picking between them for one game and your life depended on it, you'd take Walton. There's no debate. Also, are we talking about the impact of the players when they played, or how they compared to every other great center? Russell and Wilt put up phenomenal numbers in the '60s, but you're telling me that Hakeem wouldn't have averaged a 45-25 in 1962? That's why I had to abstain. There's no real way to answer the question.30. So does this mean that LeBron wasn't coasting? I say: kinda. He's obviously been conserving his energy.
31. Congrats Erik
32. Shannon Brown, WTF?
33. I'm sure some columnist (Bud Shaw) will slam them for this, but some of the Cavs are buying lottery tickets. The guys buying tickets? Ira Newble and Larry Hughes, my two favorite players (who aren't overpaid in any way whatsoever).
34. Saw Brian Regan last week in Lakewood. He was hilarious (shocking!) and he didn't use any of his material from his CD (which I'm pretty sure I have memorized). Regan is probably my favorite stand up comedian out there and I've always been impressed by the fact that he does a family friendly show. Not that I'm against comics swearing (hell, I love Dave Attell), but to be that funny and not use any shocking words is pretty amazing. Here are a couple of Regan's Letterman appearances (though I'm not sure his late night routines do him justice):
Feb 2006:
Oct 2006:
35. However, Robert Randolph and the Family Band have put on some of the best late night talk show performances I have ever seen. These are from Letterman (his Leno appearance from a few years are was just draw dropping, but I can't seem to find it):
I Need More Love
Ain't Nothing Wrong with That
Monday, March 05, 2007
Cleveland 91, Houston 85
Larry Hughes? This point guard stuff may be working out... Hughes scored 22 points, dished out 7 assists and grabbed 8 boards. It should also be noted that he shot 7-15 from the field (2-4 from 3pt range and 6-9 from the line). Sometimes it felt like he was hogging the ball a bit, but hell, the man had 7 assists, what can ya say (he should've passed to Pavlovic on that fast break where he got the charge- OK, I'm nitpicking). This is the first time (in my memory at least) that Hughes has had good games back to back.
LeBron continued his strong play. 32 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists. He went inside early on (a couple 'and1s') and went outside late (a couple ridiculous shots over Battier); he was effective anywhere on the court. Were all the shots great? No, there were a few 'no no no no YES!' moments, but what can ya do? He's LeBron.
The return of Yao. It was obvious that the big fella was rusty; he missed some shots he usually makes and never found a rhythm. McGrady had an off night and the Rockets really needed Yao more than they would've liked in just his first game back.
The return of Z and Gooden. Both guys have been sub par lately and neither was very good in the first half. Gooden came alive first; he got hot in the third quarter and seemed to have found his rhythm. Z was not having a good night; he missed badly on shots and just looked uncomfortable out there. But something happened late: he hit some shots. With 4 minutes left, in the midst of a Rocket run, Z hit a jumper off a pick (assist from Hughes) and blocked Chuck Hayes on Houston's following possession. After McGrady got the Rockets within two (at the 1:30 mark), Z got a put back off a LeBron miss to give the Cavs a little breathing room (and on the next Houston possession, he stole the ball from Yao Ming while following down).
Pavlovic is slumping. 1-8 from the floor- not good. However, he did play great defense (ya, I said great) on Tracy McGrady (who shot 10-32). Sasha was still aggressive on offense, but his shots weren't falling (he seems to still have his confidence and Brown is still giving him playing time). Sasha is just 2-17 in his last two games. Damn.
Shannon Brown is not. Brown scored 5 points, played good defense and has the final nail in David Wesley's coffin. He's playing with confidence and I'm glad that he wasn't thrown into some deadline deal for a C-list point guard.
What's the rotation going to look like when Gibson returns? With the Cavs 2-0 during the Larry Hughes PG experiment and Shannon Brown forcing himself into the rotation, what happens to Gibson's minutes? Or Pavlovic's? Hopefully, nothing. With the emergence of the Pavlovic and the rookies, LeBron's playing time should diminish a little bit. Around 4-5 minutes of extra rest wouldn't be a bad thing (it'd get him under 40 minutes- FYI, he played 42 on Monday).
Free throws. It seems to be feast or famine for LeBron at the stripe; a game after going 15-17, he was just 5-9. The Cavs won despite shooting only 11-18 from the foul line. You can overcome a 61% night here and there, but you sure are making it harder on yourself. 75% is a must, but at this point I'll settle for 70% (they're currently at 68%).
What if this Hughes PG experiment works? Say the Cavs rattle off a nice win streak with Hughes at the point, what happens? I mean, I fully expect the Cavs to try to trade Hughes this offseason (and to pursue a point guard). What if Hughes solves the point guard problem? I'm not ready to believe it just yet, but this could happen, right? He has had two stellar games in a row (and not just points-wise, but rebounds, assists and FG% too) and the Cavs have looked good with him running the show. And I will say this: I like the big lineup with Hughes and Pavs both starting. That is a tall five, but one that can still run if need be.
All wasn't perfect. The Cavs let Houston back into the game in the fourth. They had an 11 point lead with just 6:00 to go and had to gut it out. McGrady finally started hitting some shots, but the Cavs didn't help themselves too much at the offensive end. When the Cavs are pressured (either late in the game or by good teams for an entire game) the offense stagnates. Its like they revert to their most basic functions: stand around and wait for LeBron to do something awesome. Sometimes LeBron does do something awesome (like the NOOCH game or some of the shots he hit over Battier) but that shouldn't be something the Cavs rely on. LeBron hitting long, contested jumpers is great and all, but you'd like them to make the defense work a bit (or at least not give the opposition what they want- they'll love to live and die by LeBron hoisting bombs).
and finally...
The Pistons. In Detroit. I feel good about this. Kinda. The Cavs and (and LeBron and Hughes especially) are playing well, so if there's ever a time to go into Detroit, now is it. I'm very interested to see how this Larry Hughes-led offense will handle the Pistons' D.
LeBron continued his strong play. 32 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists. He went inside early on (a couple 'and1s') and went outside late (a couple ridiculous shots over Battier); he was effective anywhere on the court. Were all the shots great? No, there were a few 'no no no no YES!' moments, but what can ya do? He's LeBron.
The return of Yao. It was obvious that the big fella was rusty; he missed some shots he usually makes and never found a rhythm. McGrady had an off night and the Rockets really needed Yao more than they would've liked in just his first game back.
The return of Z and Gooden. Both guys have been sub par lately and neither was very good in the first half. Gooden came alive first; he got hot in the third quarter and seemed to have found his rhythm. Z was not having a good night; he missed badly on shots and just looked uncomfortable out there. But something happened late: he hit some shots. With 4 minutes left, in the midst of a Rocket run, Z hit a jumper off a pick (assist from Hughes) and blocked Chuck Hayes on Houston's following possession. After McGrady got the Rockets within two (at the 1:30 mark), Z got a put back off a LeBron miss to give the Cavs a little breathing room (and on the next Houston possession, he stole the ball from Yao Ming while following down).
Pavlovic is slumping. 1-8 from the floor- not good. However, he did play great defense (ya, I said great) on Tracy McGrady (who shot 10-32). Sasha was still aggressive on offense, but his shots weren't falling (he seems to still have his confidence and Brown is still giving him playing time). Sasha is just 2-17 in his last two games. Damn.
Shannon Brown is not. Brown scored 5 points, played good defense and has the final nail in David Wesley's coffin. He's playing with confidence and I'm glad that he wasn't thrown into some deadline deal for a C-list point guard.
What's the rotation going to look like when Gibson returns? With the Cavs 2-0 during the Larry Hughes PG experiment and Shannon Brown forcing himself into the rotation, what happens to Gibson's minutes? Or Pavlovic's? Hopefully, nothing. With the emergence of the Pavlovic and the rookies, LeBron's playing time should diminish a little bit. Around 4-5 minutes of extra rest wouldn't be a bad thing (it'd get him under 40 minutes- FYI, he played 42 on Monday).
Free throws. It seems to be feast or famine for LeBron at the stripe; a game after going 15-17, he was just 5-9. The Cavs won despite shooting only 11-18 from the foul line. You can overcome a 61% night here and there, but you sure are making it harder on yourself. 75% is a must, but at this point I'll settle for 70% (they're currently at 68%).
What if this Hughes PG experiment works? Say the Cavs rattle off a nice win streak with Hughes at the point, what happens? I mean, I fully expect the Cavs to try to trade Hughes this offseason (and to pursue a point guard). What if Hughes solves the point guard problem? I'm not ready to believe it just yet, but this could happen, right? He has had two stellar games in a row (and not just points-wise, but rebounds, assists and FG% too) and the Cavs have looked good with him running the show. And I will say this: I like the big lineup with Hughes and Pavs both starting. That is a tall five, but one that can still run if need be.
All wasn't perfect. The Cavs let Houston back into the game in the fourth. They had an 11 point lead with just 6:00 to go and had to gut it out. McGrady finally started hitting some shots, but the Cavs didn't help themselves too much at the offensive end. When the Cavs are pressured (either late in the game or by good teams for an entire game) the offense stagnates. Its like they revert to their most basic functions: stand around and wait for LeBron to do something awesome. Sometimes LeBron does do something awesome (like the NOOCH game or some of the shots he hit over Battier) but that shouldn't be something the Cavs rely on. LeBron hitting long, contested jumpers is great and all, but you'd like them to make the defense work a bit (or at least not give the opposition what they want- they'll love to live and die by LeBron hoisting bombs).
and finally...
The Pistons. In Detroit. I feel good about this. Kinda. The Cavs and (and LeBron and Hughes especially) are playing well, so if there's ever a time to go into Detroit, now is it. I'm very interested to see how this Larry Hughes-led offense will handle the Pistons' D.
Cleveland 120, Toronto 97
Larry Hughes? Hughes started at point guard and responded with one of his best games of the year. The 27 points is good, but the 11-17 shooting is great. If Hughes can play at a level close to this, Cavs fans will be very, very happy. I'd like to point out that Hughes scored in a variety of way that didn't make use of his patented 'contested 20 footer' move. When Hughes shoots mid-range jumpers, goes inside and takes decent shots, he (and the Cavs) are that much better.
LeBron looks like LeBron. Sure, he had 33 points, 6 assists and 5 boards (and those are nice) but his effort and hustle plays (3 blocks!) is what really stood out. When LeBron is diving for loose balls and crashing the offensive boards, the rest of the team can't help but follow suit. Oh ya, LeBron was 15-17 from the foul line- fantastic.
120 points! How the hell did that happen? They had 93 after three periods (and they average 96). Shooting 55% from 3pt range sure helps (as does hitting 82% of the freebies). FYI- the 120th point? An Ira Newble 3-ball. Ya, it was that kind of night.
The bench pitched in. Shannon Brown and Anderson Varejao each had 14 and Donyell Marshall had 12. Varejao and Marshall also contributed 20 rebounds (11 and 9 respectively). They sure look good when they get contributions from Hughes and the bench...
No Gibson, but we did see Shannon Brown. With Gibson out with a toe injury, Brown got some extended minutes and showed some things. Specific things, you ask? Not being David Wesley or Ira Newble. Brown ran the floor, hustled and (most importantly) made baskets. Scoring 14 points in 13 minutes ain't bad.
Good thing the bench showed up, because the rest of the starters sure didn't. Z had 9 boards and 2 blocks, but only 4 points on 2-7 shooting. Gooden had 4 boards and 3 points (1-5 shooting) and Pavlovic shoot a woeful 1-9 and never seemed to get over early foul trouble. They won this game without the help, but you'd like to see one of those three bounce back with a good game against the Rockets.
Blow out win, but it was close for 3 quarters. It was a 10 point game at halftime, but for the bulk of the game, the score between 5-9 points. The Cavs led by nine with 4:30 left in the third (74-65) and ended the quarter with a 93-74 lead. The game was a laugher for most of the fourth.
and finally...
Yo. Yao makes his return to the Rockets Monday night in Cleveland. I'm interested to see the Cavaliers face Houston again; the Rockets whooped the Cavs earlier in the season and it'd be nice to see them get some revenge.
LeBron looks like LeBron. Sure, he had 33 points, 6 assists and 5 boards (and those are nice) but his effort and hustle plays (3 blocks!) is what really stood out. When LeBron is diving for loose balls and crashing the offensive boards, the rest of the team can't help but follow suit. Oh ya, LeBron was 15-17 from the foul line- fantastic.
120 points! How the hell did that happen? They had 93 after three periods (and they average 96). Shooting 55% from 3pt range sure helps (as does hitting 82% of the freebies). FYI- the 120th point? An Ira Newble 3-ball. Ya, it was that kind of night.
The bench pitched in. Shannon Brown and Anderson Varejao each had 14 and Donyell Marshall had 12. Varejao and Marshall also contributed 20 rebounds (11 and 9 respectively). They sure look good when they get contributions from Hughes and the bench...
No Gibson, but we did see Shannon Brown. With Gibson out with a toe injury, Brown got some extended minutes and showed some things. Specific things, you ask? Not being David Wesley or Ira Newble. Brown ran the floor, hustled and (most importantly) made baskets. Scoring 14 points in 13 minutes ain't bad.
Good thing the bench showed up, because the rest of the starters sure didn't. Z had 9 boards and 2 blocks, but only 4 points on 2-7 shooting. Gooden had 4 boards and 3 points (1-5 shooting) and Pavlovic shoot a woeful 1-9 and never seemed to get over early foul trouble. They won this game without the help, but you'd like to see one of those three bounce back with a good game against the Rockets.
Blow out win, but it was close for 3 quarters. It was a 10 point game at halftime, but for the bulk of the game, the score between 5-9 points. The Cavs led by nine with 4:30 left in the third (74-65) and ended the quarter with a 93-74 lead. The game was a laugher for most of the fourth.
and finally...
Yo. Yao makes his return to the Rockets Monday night in Cleveland. I'm interested to see the Cavaliers face Houston again; the Rockets whooped the Cavs earlier in the season and it'd be nice to see them get some revenge.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Cavs-Toronto?
Was out of town last night... was going to watch the Cavs-Raptors game... however, Kent St.-Akron is on... I'm sure I'll get to it at some point...
Friday, March 02, 2007
Free Throws
Bud Shaw (from the latest 'Hire Mark Price' column)
Fix it.
:So . . . greatest shooter in franchise history meets Team Clang. . . . sounds like an ad for Match.com."I've offered," said Price, who will be honored Saturday with the 1986-87 Cavs. "I'd definitely be open to helping. But a lot of times teams wait for players to initiate it."
They also wait until the off-season. Cavs' GM Danny Ferry, Price's former teammate, doesn't need convincing that free throws are a problem. In fact, the profile of the missed free throw is raised because it's fixable trouble. The Cavs didn't get a point guard at the trade deadline. Their amnesia in the half-court offense won't suddenly remedy itself. Here's an improvement they can make.
Ferry put Price and Cavs assistant Chris Jent in contact a few weeks ago when Price was in town. The Cavs also had Price sit down and watch tape of point guard play with rookie Daniel Gibson.
"I think we're addressing our free-throw situation seriously," said Ferry.
"At the same time we don't want to confuse the issue in the middle of the season."
So the offseason, huh? Part of me agrees with this; you don't want to mess around with a whole lot of things during the season. However, at the same time, the Cavs are last in the NBA in free throw percentage. Who cares if you mess with it during the season? The Cavs are awful, what's the worse case scenario? They get worse? LeBron shoots 50%?
Fix it.
Dallas 95, Cleveland 92
Some good, some bad. Here's the deal: I'm not sure I can really be that upset with a 3 point loss to the Mavericks, in Dallas. Not that bad of a showing (especially considering that they were on national TV). But... it wasn't like they played valiantly and just couldn't get over the top; they got beat on the glass (44-38 and gave up 12 offensive boards), they shot 50% from the foul line and they attempted 18 3s (making just five).
LeBron was both spectacular and mediocre. 38 points, 17-27 shooting, 5 assists and 3 boards in 40 minutes of play. Not a bad line (I could've used more rebounds) and not a bad game at all. But... just 4-8 from the foul line (including 2 in the last minute) isn't going to cut it. Plus, he missed two 3s at the end that would've tied it. Now, he can hit those shots but... but I remarked after the NOOCH game that while it was great that he hit those two long backbreaking 3s at the end, it wouldn't exactly be prudent to rely on those kind of shots. Live by ridonkulous 25 foot 3s, die by ridonkulous 25 foot 3s.
Could he get some help? The Cavaliers' starting front court had 43 points and LeBron had 39. Thanks for showing up boys! Z had an absolutely atrocious game; turnovers, offensive fouls, ticky-tack defensive fouls (a trip? boo), missed free throws and missed point blank shots. Was not a good game. As for Drew Gooden... well, the box score says he had a better game than Z, but you could've fooled me. I can honestly say I don't remember any play he was involved in. That's the starting front court: awful and forgettable.
Sasha started and played relatively well. Hughes was out sick with whatever flu Pavs and Damon had, so Sasha got the start. He finished with 7 points but was plagued by foul trouble in the second half (just around the time he was heating up too).
The refs weren't particularly kind to the Cavaliers... I'm not going to put this loss on the refs, the Cavs did enough to loose this game themselves. But it seemed that every questionable play went the Mavs way. Pavlovic got called on 2 dubious calls (which I would imagine go the other way in a year or so), Z could've gone to the line at least 2 more times, James got knocked around once or twice and Gibson should've gotten a chance for a four point play. Again, did the refs blow this game for the Cavaliers? No. But they could've made it a little easier with a call or two.
Part of Pavlovic's foul trouble goes to Mike Brown. With about 1:40 to go in the third, Brown takes out James and brings Sasha back in with four fouls. Now, don't get me wrong, I like the fact that Brown wants to give James a rest (this needs to happen more often). But Pavlovic had just picked up his fourth foul, he's the only other guy worth a damn at the offensive end, can you really risk him getting that fifth foul. Well, Pavs picked it up on a charge call that, if it took place in Cleveland, would've been a 3pt play.
Silver Lining: with Pavs getting his 5 foul in the 3rd, Brown was forced to play Shannon Brown. You read that right. Shannon. Brown. And the crazy thing is? Brown responded. Sure, it was just 7 minutes of PT, but Shannon scored 5 points (he hit a 3) and, for the first time all season, looked like he belonged out there. Hopefully we'll get to see more of this (not the subbing in a guy with four fouls in the 3rd quarter, the Shannon Brown Experience).
David Wesley should never play again. I've said all along that I don't disagree with the Wesley signing; it was a low risk/high reward type deal. If he had anything left in the tank, it'd be good and if not, well, it's a cheap 1-year deal. The problem I do have is the insistence of Coach Mike to feed Wesley minutes when it is obvious that he doesn't deserve them. The dude is done. Hopefully, with the emergence of Brown (and yes, I'm calling 5 points in 7 minutes an 'emergence'), Wesley shouldn't see the court unless there's a point difference of 20 or more.
Speaking of crappy guards who got too much playing time, ladies and gentlemen: Eric Snow. 21 minutes for Snow. Now, I'm usually OK with Snow logging around 20 minutes. But my problem is that Snow played crunch time. I know he's a veteran presence and all that crap, but the Cavs were already down. They were losing, they needed to score and Eric Snow was out there missing layups and dominating the ball. I don't get it. There's not a lot of time left and the Cavs need to make up a significant deficit, why isn't Gibson out there. He can shoot. He can defend. You're not protecting a lead, you're trying to crawl back. Plus, the Mavs went zone and were throwing 589 guys at LeBron every time he touched the ball; it would've been nice to have a top five 3 point shooter out there.
New offensive wrinkle: the high post. The Cavs have gone to the high post here and there this season, but this was the first time I saw them use it for an extended time. They had Z and Gooden receive the ball in the first half and moved LeBron around off of screens and curls. This seemed to go against the Cavaliers' previous offensive philosophy of stand and shoot (BTW- in the pregame interview on TNT, LeBron mentioned how when they play defense, it allows them to take bad shots. Does he actually want to take bad shots? Is he mad when Coach Mike asks him to take good shots? I'm really confused).
I did not miss Larry Hughes at all. Just sayin'
LeBron not clutch? Marv Albert said something to the effect of LeBron " scored 13 points in the fourth quarter but couldn't hit the shots when it counted. He missed two free throws and two 3s that could've tied it and he'll be hearing it" Now, I'm not against all the LeBron calling out that's been going on. He hasn't had the same effort or same energy he's had last season (now, I say he's tired and still young) but to criticize him after this game seems a bit nuts to me. Could he have done more? Sure (he could've hit those shots at the end). But the guy played a hell of a game; there are some games where he has nice numbers, but if you watch the game, you could tell he wasn't all there. Not this time; Angry LeBron was out there all night long.
and finally...
Look at that schedule. Ugh. Toronto and Houston at home then @ Detroit and Milwaukee. Sweet. I'm already excited.
LeBron was both spectacular and mediocre. 38 points, 17-27 shooting, 5 assists and 3 boards in 40 minutes of play. Not a bad line (I could've used more rebounds) and not a bad game at all. But... just 4-8 from the foul line (including 2 in the last minute) isn't going to cut it. Plus, he missed two 3s at the end that would've tied it. Now, he can hit those shots but... but I remarked after the NOOCH game that while it was great that he hit those two long backbreaking 3s at the end, it wouldn't exactly be prudent to rely on those kind of shots. Live by ridonkulous 25 foot 3s, die by ridonkulous 25 foot 3s.
Could he get some help? The Cavaliers' starting front court had 43 points and LeBron had 39. Thanks for showing up boys! Z had an absolutely atrocious game; turnovers, offensive fouls, ticky-tack defensive fouls (a trip? boo), missed free throws and missed point blank shots. Was not a good game. As for Drew Gooden... well, the box score says he had a better game than Z, but you could've fooled me. I can honestly say I don't remember any play he was involved in. That's the starting front court: awful and forgettable.
Sasha started and played relatively well. Hughes was out sick with whatever flu Pavs and Damon had, so Sasha got the start. He finished with 7 points but was plagued by foul trouble in the second half (just around the time he was heating up too).
The refs weren't particularly kind to the Cavaliers... I'm not going to put this loss on the refs, the Cavs did enough to loose this game themselves. But it seemed that every questionable play went the Mavs way. Pavlovic got called on 2 dubious calls (which I would imagine go the other way in a year or so), Z could've gone to the line at least 2 more times, James got knocked around once or twice and Gibson should've gotten a chance for a four point play. Again, did the refs blow this game for the Cavaliers? No. But they could've made it a little easier with a call or two.
Part of Pavlovic's foul trouble goes to Mike Brown. With about 1:40 to go in the third, Brown takes out James and brings Sasha back in with four fouls. Now, don't get me wrong, I like the fact that Brown wants to give James a rest (this needs to happen more often). But Pavlovic had just picked up his fourth foul, he's the only other guy worth a damn at the offensive end, can you really risk him getting that fifth foul. Well, Pavs picked it up on a charge call that, if it took place in Cleveland, would've been a 3pt play.
Silver Lining: with Pavs getting his 5 foul in the 3rd, Brown was forced to play Shannon Brown. You read that right. Shannon. Brown. And the crazy thing is? Brown responded. Sure, it was just 7 minutes of PT, but Shannon scored 5 points (he hit a 3) and, for the first time all season, looked like he belonged out there. Hopefully we'll get to see more of this (not the subbing in a guy with four fouls in the 3rd quarter, the Shannon Brown Experience).
David Wesley should never play again. I've said all along that I don't disagree with the Wesley signing; it was a low risk/high reward type deal. If he had anything left in the tank, it'd be good and if not, well, it's a cheap 1-year deal. The problem I do have is the insistence of Coach Mike to feed Wesley minutes when it is obvious that he doesn't deserve them. The dude is done. Hopefully, with the emergence of Brown (and yes, I'm calling 5 points in 7 minutes an 'emergence'), Wesley shouldn't see the court unless there's a point difference of 20 or more.
Speaking of crappy guards who got too much playing time, ladies and gentlemen: Eric Snow. 21 minutes for Snow. Now, I'm usually OK with Snow logging around 20 minutes. But my problem is that Snow played crunch time. I know he's a veteran presence and all that crap, but the Cavs were already down. They were losing, they needed to score and Eric Snow was out there missing layups and dominating the ball. I don't get it. There's not a lot of time left and the Cavs need to make up a significant deficit, why isn't Gibson out there. He can shoot. He can defend. You're not protecting a lead, you're trying to crawl back. Plus, the Mavs went zone and were throwing 589 guys at LeBron every time he touched the ball; it would've been nice to have a top five 3 point shooter out there.
New offensive wrinkle: the high post. The Cavs have gone to the high post here and there this season, but this was the first time I saw them use it for an extended time. They had Z and Gooden receive the ball in the first half and moved LeBron around off of screens and curls. This seemed to go against the Cavaliers' previous offensive philosophy of stand and shoot (BTW- in the pregame interview on TNT, LeBron mentioned how when they play defense, it allows them to take bad shots. Does he actually want to take bad shots? Is he mad when Coach Mike asks him to take good shots? I'm really confused).
I did not miss Larry Hughes at all. Just sayin'
LeBron not clutch? Marv Albert said something to the effect of LeBron " scored 13 points in the fourth quarter but couldn't hit the shots when it counted. He missed two free throws and two 3s that could've tied it and he'll be hearing it" Now, I'm not against all the LeBron calling out that's been going on. He hasn't had the same effort or same energy he's had last season (now, I say he's tired and still young) but to criticize him after this game seems a bit nuts to me. Could he have done more? Sure (he could've hit those shots at the end). But the guy played a hell of a game; there are some games where he has nice numbers, but if you watch the game, you could tell he wasn't all there. Not this time; Angry LeBron was out there all night long.
and finally...
Look at that schedule. Ugh. Toronto and Houston at home then @ Detroit and Milwaukee. Sweet. I'm already excited.
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