Preview: Cavaliers at Celtics, May 7th

2010-05-07 Off By John Krolik

Here we go. Win a game at the Garden or go home. Some things to watch out for:

It would be really great if the Cavs were aggressive on both sides of the ball early. They’ve fallen behind by double-digits in each of the first two games. That’s unacceptable for one of the best first-quarter teams in basketball. Cleveland’s good late and Boston will blow leads, but the Cavs can’t count on a comeback. They need to play every possession like it’s the fourth quarter.

LeBron’s gotta be more aggressive early. I don’t know if it’s the elbow or what, but the Cavs are going to be in big trouble if he doesn’t come out and set the tone.

Stop Rondo. Slow Rondo down. Do the opposite of everything that has been done against Rondo so far. The Cavs have to hope he comes back to earth in game three.

Mo Williams has to get going and hit some threes. He shouldn’t force anything, though — just run the offense, go to his spot, and trust that the ball will come back to him.

Jamison needs to get some inside looks on pick-and-rolls, weak-side cuts, and post-ups.

Yes, KG’s only shooting 42% for the series. But he’s getting way too many easy baskets. If he gets his points on turnaround jumpers and 20-footers, that’s fine. No layups.

Shaq needs to make hooks or get the quick hook.

Hickson’s played good enough offense to get himself in the rotation for this series. He needs to step it up on defense and the boards to get his team a win.

This would be a great game for Delonte to find what he’s been missing for much of this season. This team desperately needs more toughness and guys willing to drive the ball at the rim.

Here we go. Doesn’t get much bigger than this. Cavs have to play every possession. This series and this season are still far from over. That said, the time for this team to step up is right now.

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