Is this it?

Turns out the Cavs are good. Not great. Not blow-out-a-solid-team-playing-any-style-they-want good, but good. Good enough to win in March and good enough to win some more in April.

Since the trade we’ve all sat back and pontificated about what could be, what should be, how versatile, how deep, how able with Lebron and how able without him.

Tonight’s Cavs team says SHUSH! to all that. SHUSH!, like your grandmother would say.

The Cavs have Lebron, so we’re going to win. We have some rebounders, some defenders, some shooters, some ball handlers, some of everything. But since this isn’t The Matrix, even if Mike Brown does look a little bit like Laurence Fishburne, we don’t need to “see” how everything clicks. What’s the line in The Matrix? “When the time comes, you won’t need to dodge bullets.” Way too heady for me. Way too heady for the Cavs.

So the Cavs have Lebron. We know Lebron plays well with Boobie and Z and Andy. We’ve seen that Joe Smith fits in well and that Devin Brown does what needs to get done. Well that’s 6. And a basketball team only needs 5 to run. Before we could pick another to fill out the rotation, Delonte went and picked himself tonight.

So now we have Delonte, Boobie and Devin, all playing “guard”, all handling the ball: driving, shooting and passing.

Then we have the bigs: Z, Andy and Joe Smith all set the picks and either rolled or got ready to pop. It’s what they do. Who are you or I to complicate things?

Add a pinch of salt, some pepper; I’m a fan of paprika. It makes a good sauce. Throw it onto the main dish and it tastes good. Ok, so the Cavs were like an Iron Chef tonight: we took the ingredients that worked, didn’t overcomplicate and make a good meal.

Sasha, maybe you’re wonderful, but your coriander is just too complicated a flavor.

Mike Brown, you’ve outcoached us all.

That’s right, the playoff rotation is set and if my babble is any indication, I love it.

Lebron with 3 generic “guards”, backed up by Wally (or the occasional DJ). Perfect. 3 bigs, plus the occasional Ben Wallace. Dandy. All the rebounding, shot blocking, and big bodied picks we need.

9 men. Lebron. Delonte. Boobie. Devin. Wally. Zydrunas. Joe. Anderson.

They all have first names. They can all take care of the basics. They all play hard. They like each other. They complement each other. They are Cavs. They have 8 more to prepare for that to mean something.

Go Cavs!

Worst Clincher Ever

The Cavs claimed a spot in the NBA Playoffs tonight.

David Stern, watching tonight’s game, denounced the Cavaliers’ effort as a mockery of the game, and insisted that New Jersey’s loss not count in the Cavs’ favor, but he was told it was out of his hands – the Cavs are in.

Now they have 9 games to figure out how to prevent that atrocity from happening again. I’ve seen the Cavs blown out worse, but never with so little hope or opportunity.

Lebron was clearly not on, but even if he was, what could be done? The Pistons packed it in and watched the Cavs inept offense act as offensively as it’s ever been. I heard that after the game, Mike Brown offered an apology to all the mothers who allowed their children to watch the game.

The Cavs were punched in the mouth and simply didn’t have the repetoire to respond. Last year, in a situation like this we could fall back and rely on defense and spacing. But now we have neither. Lebron was swarmed and was never able to convert that into an open shot for a teammate. On the other end, the Cavs were on the heels while the Pistons showed us how an offense with numerous weapons and some chemistry could operate.

It was the worst case in every situation.

We’ll see how we bounce back against a far less physical team tomorrow in Philadelphia. At this point, we need to stave off the Wizards, Raptors, and even those Sixers for home court. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to see the Cavs slide down to 7th (and a quick rematch with the Pistons) if we continue to execute on this level.

The next 3 weeks really are an extended practice session. I’d rather lose all 9 and have a system on both ends, as the 7th seed, than stumble along leaning on Lebron against inferior teams.

Yuck. Nothing more to say.

but … Go Cavs!

Never the same game thrice

I have to assume it’s the bitterness that rises from his core as the memory of being swept in the finals coalesces after consecutive losses.

Or maybe it’s just dumb luck coupled with fortunate scheduling.

Either way, Lebron hasn’t let his Cavs fall three games in a row this year. And tonight in Detroit, he and the Cavs will be tested again. Each game with the Pistons feels like a statement game. That’s just the nature of a rivalry. I imagine the Pistons feel pretty comfortable with their eventual homecourt advantage over the Cavs, as long as the Pistons believe “Game 5″ was a fluke.

So either tonight is the irresistible force of Lebron’s will versus the immovable object of the 29-6 Pistons at home, or it’s just another tune-up for the playoffs.

Playoff level intensity or not, every Cavs fan should be on the edge of his seat waiting to see if the return of Boobie Gibson will settle the Cavs into the championship level consistency we found heading into the playoffs last year.

For the stat comparisons:
Detroit manages to play the slowest ball in the league, at 86.3 possessions per, 2.7 fewer than the 8th slowest Cavs.

They excel offensively and defensively in those limited possessions, scoring 112.7 per 100, 7th in the league, but only allowing 104.9, 4th fewest.

We know the Cavs numbers don’t match up, but this one will still go down to the wire.

Go Cavs!

NBA.com reads LeCavs

Just days after LeCavs tells you that the real heavyweight battle is not Celtics/Suns but rather Cavs/Hornets, which turned out to be an epic duel to the buzzer, NBA.com has swooped in to crown the regular season champs as the Hornets foe in “A Heavyweight Battle”. Hm…

All’s quiet in the King’s Court

… at least until tomorrow, when for the first time since… New Years? the Cavs will take the court at full strength. Or at least in personnel. Ever seen a rusty Boobie?

In the meantime, we’re leaving the ace up our sleeve to the dreamers.

Ace: Truehoop, how you tease…

King: With 126 assists, Lebron could hit the near unattainable season long numbers of 30, 8, and 8. Of course, if he’s dishing 12.6/game, we might also run off all 10 and hit our magic 50 wins. And we’ll still end up in the 4 seed. So really, it doesn’t matter.

Queen: Now, I’ve seen some queens lined up along Santa Monica in my day, and despite all those slow, gangly post moves, Big Z is definitely pretty enough to fit in with them. Since returning from his pre-playoff rest/injury, the big fella is chiming in at just under 18, 10, 2 and 2 on 54% shooting.

Jack: *This spot reserved for Boobie Gibson.* No, the Cavs haven’t gelled since the trade. We also haven’t gotten a flash of this biggun’. I’m willing to attribute all 10 wins in his absence to the trade and all 8 losses to him. Who else clicks with Lebron? And what happens when Lebron clicks? We don’t lose.

Ten: The closest thing we’ve had to reliable the last month, Devin Brown has boosted his numbers across the board, to 10, 4 and 3, on a solid 46%, with some energetic, if not always effective defense. I’m hard pressed, seeing what he’s brought while we’ve needed it most, to pencil him in for much fewer than 20 minutes per.

Workin’ 9 to 5: Everything that’s left fits into a jumble where from game to game somebody is stepping up, a few are going unnoticed and at least one is making us wince.

I’d top the list with Andy and Joe Smith. Together, the should provide all the hustle (Andy) and offense (please god NOT Andy) to give our second unit the best front line in basketball.

DJ has been the steadiest hand off the bench, making sure the Cavs run an offense from time to time. His assist to turnover ratio is a dynamite 7.5 to 1, and while March hasn’t been as hot as February, he is still stroking from deep at a 40% clip. Like Devin, I want to maximize his minutes for what he brings to us offensively, but a backcourt rotation of Boobie, DB, and DJ might not even contain me and Ori. Ori has a wicked floater.

So if those 3 can’t play much together, how do we fit in Sasha, Delonte, and Wally?

Well, Sasha is the key to the defense, being the quickest, strongest and most athletic of all the guards. Headed into the playoffs, we’re not going to suddenly jump start the running game Delonte promised to bring, but he might also be our best hope against some bigger, stronger PGs. Wally, as he has been, gets the leftovers.

And then there’s Big Ben. We still don’t know what he can bring to the table night after night. He’s actually led the charge of awful numbers in back to backs, but as I force myself to harp on, we won’t have any of those come playoff time.

So starting tomorrow we’re 11 deep. Come the playoffs, that’ll probably get trimmed to 9. We have 10 games to figure out who provides our defensive identity. Honestly, my vote for first man out at this point is Delonte. DJ matches up so poorly against other starting PGs, but I’d love to see him go 8 minutes into each half running an offense that isn’t Lebron + 4. After that, I guess I’d cut out Wally.

But then again, I’m in the midst of a Darvocet induced coma… What do you think?

$&#*!

Complain, complain, complain. That’s all I usually do. The Cavs can’t score; the Cavs can’t defend; the Cavs can’t even make a turkey and swiss sandwich without taking most of the night off.
But… It’s getting late, I’m headed under the knife in the morning (closest I’ll ever get to being a ballplayer), and I need to get some more work done, so I’ll keep this brief.

By extolling the positives.

Tonight the Cavs kept it tight against one of the best teams in the league, falling only on a buzzer beater. And it was a well-earned buzzer beater. Sure, David West’s shot was wide open, but that’s only because everybody kept disciplined in their assignments and a great point guard made a great pass.

In fact, we did a pretty good job on Chris Paul all night. After all, if all you get are layups, not even I would go 5-17. Ok, maybe I would go 5-17 – if they were right-handed layups. The reality is that the Cavs played tight D all night, allowing very few easy baskets to one of the (probably THE) best creator in the game.

We blew a few assignments boxing out in the 4th – I think the Hornets pulled down half their offensive boards in the last 6 minuts – but we DID dominate the glass against a team known to have a plus front court in All-star David West and snub Tyson Chandler.

Really, our only defensive fault was a little too much sagging off of Peja in search of a help block. 2 blocks vs. 6-9 from deep… Must’ve been a hiccup in the high basketball IQ.

We even managed to get it done offensively. For most of the night, Z was the focal point of the offense and he was on. My criticism last time we were in this scenario was that Z would never get the shots he should while Lebron would hoist upwards of 20 and make far fewer than half. Not tonight. Z took 5 more shots than the King, while the L-Train did his damage from the line.

We killed the offensive glass, moved the ball and limited our turnovers, en route to coming up one point short of giving the fans some chalupas and overtime.

I won’t get in to why we lost or why we should have won. The Hornets are a great team, with 4 legitimate quality players ranging from the aging Peja to MVP candidate Chris Paul.

If this was a 7 game finals series, I’d like our chances. It could happen.

Next up is the Pistons. The Cavs still haven’t lost 3 in a row with Lebron at the helm, a streak I’d like to keep up through June.

Go Cavs!

Battle of the Heavyweights

Tonight in the NBA there is potential finals preview and everybody is a buzz. That’s right, Phoenix is headed to Boston. Meanwhile, news out of Cleveland is that Joe Tait will be announcing his 3000th game. Huzzah! I wonder who the Cleveland Gladiators are taking on tonight.

In fact, the Cavs/Hornets game is as likely a finals preview as any possible NBA game, as it pits the the leaders of the West against last year champions of the East. What has Boston or Phoenix done for me lately? If you were a betting man, would you really put money on either to go all the way? No, you wouldn’t. And if you would, please get in touch with me.

The Cavs statistical numbers are very much as the same as ever: 89.1 possessions per game, 23rd “fastest” in the league, 107.8 points per 100 possiessions, 17th, and 108.2 points allowed per 100, 12th.

The Hornets operate in a similar manner, but more efficiently. They keep it slow, because in the end, Chris Paul can beat you: 88.2 possessions, 27th in the league. The score with an underrated big man and shooter (right now, would you rather have Wally or Peja?): 113 PP100, 6th. And they defend, with Tyson Chandler patrolling the paint: 106.6 PAP100, 5th. But they’re also coming off a tight game in Indy last night. However, unlike the Cavs, they’re 7-3 on the back end, on the road. (Only the Cavs and lousy teams make that excuse. We’re not lousy, we just play possum. And I’ve never seen a Celtic, Piston or Laker kill a possum. Suckers.)

Go Cavs!

Un. Real.

http://slamonline.com/online/2008/03/links-the-greatest-basketball-player-in-the-world/

I can’t wrap my head around that. Part of me wants to assume it was an erroneously published article intended for April 1st, but then there is the part of me that consumes basketball in any forum hoping to see that perfect moment. That perfect moment that Jesse Dunn seems to bring to the court each time he sets foot on it.

A third of the way through the article, I had to scroll up and double check the date line. March 21st, 2008. I couldn’t help but think of Sidd Finch, the mystery journeyman pitcher contrived by SI as an April Fool’s prank 23 years ago (and republished some time in my adolescence).

I’m too much of a cynic to believe it, but I’m also too much of a dreamer not to love the possibility.

Go (sign Jesse Dunn) Cavs!

Cavs embarassed, dominate, embarassed again, roll over

I started this post with a bit more than 8 minutes left. To be fair, we haven’t entirely rolled over – Lebron just attacked the rim for the 3rd time tonight! – but the Bucks are just getting open shots and hitting them.

We dominated the 2nd by making it a half court game and challenging the Bucks to beat us on contested jumpers. They’re not a very good team to begin with and that’s their weakest area. I don’t think the starters got the memo about how to win this one though, since we came back out in the 3rd willing to just run back and forth with the Bucks, only the Bucks had us by a half step every possession.

Think about how good Mo Williams is against us at all times and with such ease. Imagine if silly things like reality didn’t get in the way, and Mo was simply that good as a result of seeing Lebron on the floor. Then imagine we were back in this past off-season and had thrown enough money Mo’s way to lure him to the north coast. Sure, we’d probably still be saddled with Hughes, but our average margin of victory would be about 35 points. Tonight (with 6:24 left) Mo has 22 on 8 shots, to go along with 13 assists and not a single turnover.

The game would be so much easier for us if we just had the mind to exploit our biggest advantage over and over and over again, begging the cliche about calling the same play until they figure out how to stop it. But instead of putting Z on the block and telling him to take 30 shots, Z might end up with half that while Lebron pushes past 20 on 35% shooting (all on the perimeter). Z was absolutely abusing Bogut. Bogut would show on his right hip and Z would turn into the lane for an easy hook. Bogut would come over the top and Z would spin baseline to where he ended up standing on front of the rim for a bunny hop layup. Z is shooting 58%, he’s a legitimate, consistent, reliable offensive weapon, and the Cavs will end up shooting less than 40% rather than doing the obvious.

Speaking of good game, Wally just took a seat with 18, 8 and 4 in what has clearly been his best game in a Cavs uni. He was the primary aggressor in the half court during the 2nd quarter run to get us back in the game. DJ was running the offense, Devin was leaking out for the easy baskets, and Wally was the goto guy. It worked beautifully. I can’t understand why that’s as frequent as an eclipse.

We’re down 13 with under 4 now, so I’m wrapping this one up. Let’s just write it off with the usual excuse. Ori is on his way to the Caribbean for a fancy-pants cruise, so make sure to fill that void with your comments below.

We’re off until Wednesday when Chris Paul and the Hornets come to town. Rest up and practice hard boys.

Go Cavs!

#1 in your hearts and record books

Yes, kudos to Lebron. He took it easy early, letting us milk the moment as he passed Brad Daugherty shortly before halftime. Naturally, despite his love of early jumpers, he became #1 on a drive to the hoop. Then he turned it, breaking his own record again and again, leading the Cavs to victory. (23 after the half, of course.)

Seriously, between he and DJ, I don’t think anybody scored, much less touched the ball (aside from a few Joe Smith and Z offensive boards) for the last 15 minutes. And I’m going to do my best not to make this a Damon Jones love fest.

(He threw as many daggers as Lebron and was the only ball handler who could hang on to the ball. PLUS, who else on the Cavs would DEMAND the ball from Lebron in the half court and wave him off to run a play? Delonte was unsteady, Sasha was completely out of rhythm, and Wally is buried [despite making every shot!] so we were left with a backcourt of Devin Brown and Damon Jones. And they both delivered. But don’t they always? Any reason those 2 shouldn’t be our gotos?? Add Boobie to the mix until he proves otherwise, and let everybody else duke it out for the rest of the minutes in a 9 man rotation. Use Sasha for spot D on bigger 2s, Delonte on quicker PGs and Wally when you really want to spread the floor.)

Back to Lebron. At one point in the middle of the 3rd, Fred McLeod commented that he was putting on a clinic. A jump shooting clinic. I stabbed myself thrice in the eye and cried for a minute while clutching my Baseline Barbie doll.

But then the clinic closed and Lebron thought he’d try dunking.

I guess that worked out, because he decided to try it again.

At one point, as he stood at the 3 point line, nobody was between him and the hoop but Chris Bosh, so he decided, what the hell, let’s do it again.

In the 4th, all he missed was a 3 and a long 2, while he poured in about 4 monster dunks and a 3 for good measure. I’m sure the Raptors had just decide to concede the dunk and take away everything else. It had nothing to do with Lebron just deciding it was time to end the game literally and figuratively. And it was a sight.

He’s still about 28,000 points behind Kareem for the all-time scoring lead, but I’m pretty sure if he set his mind to it, he could get there next Saturday in Detroit.

On top of dominating the paint offensively, Lebron made a point of controlling the defensive glass. Not many of his 12 defensive rebounds came in traffic, but that’s only because he was soaring above all of Toronto’s ground bound shooters.

Another reason we pulled ahead late was turnovers. Early on, we were booting everything. Lebron was making dumb passes through traffic with everybody staring at him, nobody was in synch with Delonte and Andy was touching the ball – which pretty much guarantees a turnover.

Meanwhile, the Raptors were killing us by getting off clean shots on every possession. Sure, it was only one shot, and we were doing a good job keeping a hand in every face, so we kept it close, but they never had any trouble moving the ball.

To our credit, I’m thrilled to see Toronto settle by throwing it around the perimeter rather than fighting through traffic in the lane. We’d sweep them if they played that offense for 192 straight minutes. But finally they started trying to force the issue and we were ready. It’s almost like we lulled them into lazy offensive sets. As much as we coast for 3 quarters offensively, we use that same strategy on defense. Play steady but not hard until it counts, then all of a sudden the opposition can’t do the things it thinks it can. Toronto had something like 4 turnovers the first 36 minutes, 3 of which were in the first 5 of the game. But once we decided to turn the screws, the easy baskets and lead came out of hiding in the basement of the Q.

And then when TJ Ford did manage to drive unfettered, Z made sure to show the Raptors exactly what they’ll be doing come late April: get way the hell out as the shot clock of their season expires.

Actually, maybe we don’t see them come April (can I take more tangents? this post is pat on the back for Lebron!). This loss actually drops Toronto half a game behind the Wizards and the Sixers are coming on as hard as anybody.

As long as I’m just rambling, let’s consider the recap portion – in fact the NBA portion – of this blog to be over.

How is everybody’s bracket doing? I couldn’t pick first round games to save my life this year, but every time I have going deep is still in it.

I’m more concerned with my NIT and CBI brackets. Of course, Ohio State is on the rampage, since an NIT championship is just like coming in 2nd place.

What really distresses me is the inaugural CBI. Whither Cincinnati, Ori? GMoney, what do you think about Miami getting sent packing while OU moves on? And I won’t accept the answer that nobody cares about competing to be the 98th best team in the country.

Alright, enough ramblings, it’s getting dark on a Friday night and I need to get to celebrating Lebron’s greatness while everybody else cheers on Jesus for dying. This is a good Friday? I don’t understand Christianity.

But I do understand GO CAVS!

(quick note from the wire: Cavs G Daniel Gibson has targeted next Wednesday’s game against New Orleans for his return from an ankle sprain.)

(oh yeah, and Ben Wallace left with back spasms. I doubt he’ll play tomorrow, but we have 5 games until the next game.)