The Cavs got off to a fast start in the first quarter, but eventually the Celtics heated up and took control of the game. The shots were falling for them, particularly the three-pointers, and the Cavs got a little cold.
It’s the first game, and they had to start without Delonte West and face a tough team while the Cavs had two new starters. You can’t expect them to be in mid-season form, and they weren’t. No cause for worry – as Shaq said they’ll be fine.
The refs didn’t help out as well. The traveling rules apparently don’t apply to Ray Allen and one ref called a ridiculous palming call on LeBron with two minutes left when the Cavs were down four points and staging a comeback. But refs don’t affect games in the NBA – right?
LeBron James continues to work on his low-post moves near the basket. He has not used them often in the preseason games, but James has made it a focal point of extra time on the court after the regular practice sessions. James has said he will have something new for this season — and going into the low post a few times a game will put even more pressure on opposing defenses.
It’s about time. With his size and athleticism, LeBron James should be unstoppable around the basket, particularly when guarded in the low post by other small forwards. Of course, LeBron is extremely dangerous when driving to the basket from the opt of the key, but he also gets lazy and often tosses up the random jumper without letting the team run the offense. Hopefully a low-post game will give him another lethal weapon while also adding some much-needed discipline to his game.
OH – “hate” is a strong word, but true Cleveland fans have little love for Micheal Jordan. How many times have we had to watch replays of “The Shot?”
Now, Michael has entered the Basketball Hall of Fame, but instead of giving a gracious acceptance speech, Jordan decided to show his true colors – i.e., the stuff he tried to hide for years for fear of ruining his million dollar image. Rick Reilly’s reaction was spot-on.
Michael Jordan’s Hall of Fame talk was the Exxon Valdez of speeches. It was, by turns, rude, vindictive and flammable. And that was just when he was trying to be funny. It was tactless, egotistical and unbecoming. When it was done, nobody wanted to be like Mike.
And yet we couldn’t stop watching. Because this was an inside look into the mindset of an icon who’d never let anybody inside before. From what I saw, I’d never want to go back. Here is a man who’s won just about everything there is to win — six NBA titles, five MVPs and two Olympics golds. And yet he sounded like a guy who’s been screwed out of every trophy ever minted. He’s the world’s first sore winner.
I saw it live, and while it was fascinating, honest and entertaining, it was also shocking as well. MJ is so full of himself, and so consumed by his legendary competitiveness, that he comes across as a complete dick. Perhaps LeBron James will never equal Michael Jordan on the basketball court, and perhaps his lack of this killer attitude will hold him back, but I guess nobody can match Jordan on that front.
The guy seems miserable, so one has to wonder if it was all even worth it. Frankly, I’ll be happy now to see him wither away and get all upset when he has to watch a new generation of players achieve great success. It’s another reason, also, to pull for LeBron to win a championship . . . IN CLEVELAND!
Perhaps this will also send a message to LeBron, who still hasn’t committed to staying in Cleveland. There’s more to life than money and fame, and turning your back on your home town and a team and fan base that has supported you will be a dick move worthy of MJ himself. Do you really want to be like Mike?
We’ve been hearing about match-up problems posed by the Magic, but the Cavs can win this thing if they just play better. Mo Williams and Delonte West need to pick up their games. In game 3 it looked like they drank too much caffeine before the game.
LeBron James also needs to play better. That might sound crazy given his point totals so far in the series, but James needs to make better decisions. Too many times he threw up long shots without giving the offense a chance. Craig Sager just reported that LeBron admitted this in an interview before the game.
The Cavs have the talent – they just need to execute.
Here’s a cool post on how LeBron’s shot against the Orlando Magic in game 2 “altered history.” I don’t necessarily agree with the conclusion, as I think LeBron will stay no matter what happens in this series, but it’s a well-written and entertaining post.
Q: Didn’t you mention previously that Cleveland’s crowd is in full “LeBron might leave in two years mode so let’s go crazy” mode or something like that? Based on Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals (which is the first I’ve seen of Cleveland in the playoffs), Dwight Howard has more heart than their fans. I cannot believe how dead they were.
–Charles, Clifton, N.J.
SG: You can’t totally blame them, for one reason — that was the first time all season when the Cleveland fans truly sensed the stakes and realized that (A) they weren’t cakewalking to the title and (B) they’re still Cleveland, the city that hasn’t won a title since 1964 and has experienced a variety of Stomach Punch moments — so that window of doubt opened up and everyone fell right through it. They got tight and so did the players. But what happened was a necessary part of the process: Sometimes you need those “OK, this ain’t gonna be easy” moments to get over the hump. The best thing that ever happened to the ‘90-91 Bulls was losing Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The best thing that ever happened to the 1999-2000 Lakers was nearly blowing Game 7 of the Portland series. The best thing that ever happened to the ‘07-08 Celtics was Game 7 of the Cleveland series, when the Cavs wouldn’t go away. You don’t know what kind of team you have (and what kind of fans you have) until someone socks you in the mouth at home. How you respond to that moment defines the team you become.
Now, if some 2003 Cubs karma surfaced there — namely, the “Oh God, it’s happening again, we’re screwed!” factor — then that’s a whole other story. But the Cavs fans have been terrific all season; I think they just got nervous and froze. You know what’s not helping them? Their loser game coordinator, who played “In The Air Tonight” coming out of the timeout with 14.5 seconds left on the biggest possession of Game 1, then topped himself by unconscionably playing “Jump” by House of Pain right before the game-deciding jump ball with one second to play when the Cavs looked screwed. Nice discretion! The Cavs’ game coordinator might be the guy who fulfills my dream of seeing a team getting fans fired up by playing “The Shining” clip of Jack Nicholson swinging an ax into Scatman Crothers’ chest. I wouldn’t put it past him.
Simmons nails it. Cavs fans have been a little spoiled at home, so stunned silence shouldn’t be a surprise. Also, Cleveland fans are gun shy after all the disappointments, so that explains it as well. In any event, the place certainly lit up after LeBron’s shot last night!
The Cavs have a tough choice in this series. Do they try to stop Dwight Howard, or do they try to stop the Magic’s three-point shooters. It’s a tough choice, and Terry Pluto breaks down the “stop-Howard” approach.
Yes, the 3-pointer at the buzzer by LeBron James (and his 35 points) decided this game. But did you notice Dwight Howard had only two points after the first quarter? Or only 10 for night? Howard was still a factor with 18 rebounds, but not close to 30-point force that he was in the opener. That’s because the Cavs entirely changed their defensive approach, giving Zydrunas Ilgauskas plenty of help — and the Cavs center also being more active. Or how about this? Ilgauskas outscored Howard, 12-10. He was close in rebounding, the 18-15 edge to Howard. So much better than the opener when Howard outscored Ilgauskas, 30-10.
In the first game, the Cavs’ film study revealed that there were five to seven plays where Dwight Howard was within a few feet of the basket and a Cavalier was nearby and could have fouled him — but didn’t. In Game 1, Howard took only two free throws (made both) and scored 30 points. In Game 2, the Cavs doubled-teamed Howard from different directions, everyone from Delonte West to Anderson Varejao to LeBron James helping Ilgauskas with double teams. The Cavs outscored Orlando by five points when Howard was on the floor.
In the playoffs, 46 of Howard’s 103 field goals are dunks, yet another reason to send him to the foul line. When a player lacks confidence from the line and begins to miss free throws, it can make him a bit timid on offense — because he doesn’t want to be fouled. Ben Wallace also was an asset on defense; he did a nice job pushing Howard away from the basket. Even better for the Cavs, they won the rebounding battle, 38-30.
They should stick with this strategy, but they need to find an answer for the Magic shooters when Howard if off the court.
For years we’ve had to watch replays of Michael Jordan’s famous shot against Craig Ehlo and the Cavs. Now the media can start showing LeBron James’s last second shot to give the Cavs the win tonight over Orlando. Nice!
The voting wasn’t close, as LeBron James easily won his first MVP award over Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade. Nobody was surprised. Despite the great seasons delivered by Bryant and Wade, LeBron brought his game to a new level this season. He worked on his free throws and he became one of the most ferocious defenders in the game. He actually came second in the voting for defensive MVP! His critics would never have dreamed he would make such progress on defense. His ability to chase down players on the break and swat away what seemed to be easy layups made him look like Superman, and he now intimidates opponents on both ends of the floor.
I remember years ago when I was interviewing in Chicago in the late eighties. Jordan had not yet won a championship, but he was well on his way to being perhaps the best ever. One of my interviewers explained how amazing it was to be able to watch Jordan night after night as a Bulls fan. Now I can appreciate what he felt.
Late this season, we finally saw LeBron start to work on his post-up game. Once he adds this last weapon he will be virtually unstoppable.
Isn’t it fun watching the Cavs humiliate the Detroit Pistons? The Pistons are a bunch of thugs, and they’re trying to get physical with LeBron and the Cavs, but the Cavs are not backing down. One more game and these has-beens will have a long off-season to contemplate how they’ve become a mediocre team.
