Preview: Cavaliers at Celtics, May 9th
2010-05-09Here we go. Game four. We know that each of these teams are capable of blowing out the other one. Cavs can’t wait to attack in this game — like they did in game three, they have to come out of the locker room aggressive. They should also be ready for Boston to do the same.
Continue to play off of Rondo, give token full-court pressure, and pack the paint on him. Hope Paul Pierce doesn’t return to the land of the living. Chase Ray Allen wherever he goes.
If LeBron has it going from outside early and Shaq is working in the post, that’s great. If not, the Cavs have to be patient and not allow themselves to get discouraged. As we all know, no lead is secure in this series — every single possession counts.
Alright, it’s gametime. Check back here for the recap later.
Rondo’s effort and focus just seem to be over and above everyone else right now.
I agree with Rich to a large degree. IT seems Lebron needs to wake up and realize that He is the man. From the tip to horn hes the guy who will be the celts and the other teams. If he does that, the other guys feed off of him. Its not selfish to do what he did in q1 of game 3, its leadership. Other than that, the only other thing I’d like to see is more creativity at the point guard position. Mo just really seems to struggle getting the offense going, running the show, for extended periods.… Read more »
On point, Rich. Rondo was superhuman. The fact that a 6-1 point guard (tied for shortest player on court) had close to 20 rebounds in a game (which was close to 1.5 times his assist total) was mindboggling. And did I read somewhere that he had more offensive rebounds than the entire Cavs team? He has the Big Three, but he did not defer to them on the court. He took matters into his hands. He brought his team through. That’s leadership. Maybe we’re so used to expecting this from LeBron every single game, that when he seemingly falls short,… Read more »
To me, it comes down to a very simple thing. LeBron James, the best player in the world, needs to be the best player on the court. If Rondo continues to have these nights and LeBron doesn’t match, then we lose. I love how we try to defend LeBron and say that is to much to ask of him, but it is EXACTLY what Rondo is doing. Rondo has to be superhuman for he Celts to win..so why is it bad for me to ask the same of LeBron? I don’t get it.
In this series, every facet of the game of basketball seems to compound on another facet. For example, the Celtics were content to pack the paint on every possession and dare the Cavs to shoot outside shots. The Cavs responded by going 4-21 on 3s, (mostly wide open) and LeBron decided early on he wasn’t going to settle for jumpers. That’s great, except by packing the paint they made it very difficult to score at the hoop. LeBron, undeterred, took a lot of forays to the rim. The fact that he MISSED most of them played right into the Celtics… Read more »
Rich: Are you being positive or negative? Do you mean the Lakers won despite playing half-assed for much of that series or that Houston still lost despite playing with total focus? I think you mean the former, and I definitely think of the Lakers when I am trying to find reasons to remain hopeful. They are a championship team and they seem to turn it on when they need to. I hope this team has the same ability, but not that confident. I really hate that we lost the fourth quarter to a team that has blown fourth quarters all… Read more »
Ben Tej, That will be a failed stategy, if it’s the case, which I think it is. I mean even if he’s right, it is so smug that he has to fall on his face.
Let’s just remember sometimes focus doesn’t win titles, exhibit A is last years Lakers, who never should have went to 7 with a very undermanned Rockets team.
I still think every game and every series is different, but these playoffs so far have been a real letdown. The Lebron Cavs, even with a much crappier roster, used to be a focused, intense team in the playoffs, especially on defense. There was a noticeable change from the regular season. This team, I really don’t know.
I’m not sure whether Shaq should be playing in the 4th but I’m glad he cares.
I’m definitely with Rich. I don’t think it’s time to turn on the Lebron is Leaving sirens. That’s just crazy, there’s no way he’s mentally checked out. I also think he’s made it clear that he’s not that injured (or is at least able to play through whatever ails him when he wants to). I honestly think it’s some sort of weird strategy rooted in his utter confidence that he can pick the Celtics apart when he wants/needs to. Obviously for my own sanity and a sense of competitive integrity I’d prefer he came out killing them for four games,… Read more »
Don’t like tone of Windhorst piece. He always reports with utter veracity- has the team tuned out? That’s his implication.
Maybe…and this is out there, but maybe he just doesn’t care about winning every game in this series. Maybe he feels very confident that the Cavs will beat the Celts, even if to goes to a game 7. Maybe he is passing the ball in the 4th to try and get other players confidence for next round. Eh, a stab, but who knows, right? Windhorst reporting on a minor rift between SHaq and the coaches, and I don’t blame him. He should have aboslutely been back in in the 4th with the way Varejao was playing (or not playing). He… Read more »
LeBron’s lack of focus worries me. What is he so distracted about? This is Boston in the freaking PLAYOFFS!! It worries me because the reason can only be bad: Either he is truly injured which will be a huge hurdle for the Cavs throughout the playoffs, or he has already mentally checked out of C-town. Sorry to be so negative, but I can’t think of any other explanation for his apparent lack of urgency. He should be playing like he wants to pound the Celtics into submission every night. I’m not seeing that. Even today, the game was still up… Read more »
And the numbers really point to a poor..not average, but poor game by LeBron. Hard to blame this on the supporting cast. He had the worst +/- of any cav starter today.
Ben Tej, some good points but I find it hard to believe Lebron would just take the game off to conserve energy when this series is still in so much doubt. From the opening tip today Lebron clearly did not have the mindset he had Friday and it rubbed off on the entire team. They had their foot on the Celtics throat and instead of throttling them, let up and paid for it. Maybe Lebron is really hurt because I’ve never seen him play so passive in the playoffs in a series as he has thus far. Take away his… Read more »
Also, I think it’s worth remembering that game against Orlando last year where LeBron’s legs just died on him. Is he slacking off in games he views as non-vital to make sure he’s got his legs underneath him for a slugfest against Orlando?
Again, trying to find reasons to stay positive.
I feel like they were content to have taken one in Boston and are planning on a 6/7 game series. They probably destroy Boston at home Tuesday and then I don’t know which team we’ll get on Thursday. They are obviously not playing with a sense of urgency. I don’t know if that is a good thing or bad thing yet. If they go on and beat the Magic (assuming they get past Boston eventually), we can attribute this to poise, staying calm in the face of adversity and taking care of business when you need to. If they look… Read more »
Reason I’m really upset but at the same time not that upset: Rondo just had one of the great games ever by a Celtic and LeBron was below average. Cavs still should have won, IN BOSTON.
However, LeBron was below average for the 2nd time in 4 games. If he just plays solid, but not great, the cavs win this game. For instance, if he doesn’t score another point, grab another rebound, or pass another assist, but just simply cuts his turnovers from 7 to 3..the Cavs probably win this game with LeBron having an average game.
It’s pretty simple, if LeBron is going to be the second best player on the court, and best player on the court is Rondo BY A WIDE MARGIN, the cavs are going to lose. Twice Rondo hasn’t just barely, but clearly been the best player out there. And Colin, to say the Magic always play under Van Gundy is to simply dismiss the Magic from years past. Were they always getting better when they lost twice to the 6ers in the playoffs last year? The other way, were the Cavs playing extra hard under Mike Brown last year when they… Read more »
Loving the Windhorst tweets.
“LeBron said he was “inconsistent coming off pick-and-rolls.” But he thought the Cavs played aggressive. I respectfully disagree.”
“LeBron wears a Yankees cap into press conference.”
“Terry Pluto and I keep asking Mike Brown how the Cavs could play with such lack of fire and he basically keeps saying ‘I don’t know.’ “
It all begins and ends with LeBron. I don’t know why but it looks like he doesn’t wanna win every game. We have to stop saying our role players didn’t step up, don’t step up, well guess what, that’s why they are called role players. Do you see Derek Fisher, Matt Barnes or even Vince Carter rollin every game? The attitude of winning, caring, and sense of urgency are all contagious and it’s LeBron who has to start everything. I remember Booby hittin those threes against Detroit when LeBron was himself on fire and played each and every game to… Read more »
This isn’t the Lebron we know. Lebron sometimes decides to play off the ball more or be highly passive, but in the past 9 games, Lebron just hasn’t shown up for 3 of them. He doesn’t need to score 35+, but he needs to put in the effort for the full game, not just the last 5 minutes.
I don’t understand Lebron’s mindset here. He comes out aggressive early in game 3 and they destroy the Cs. Why come out passive in this game? He could’ve taken over at any point, and yet he didn’t. Is he trying to create adversity and push the series to 6-7 games? What’s the deal?
The Cavs HAVE to hit open threes. My biggest concern is that our shooters, who were mostly solid in the regular season, don’t handle the playoff pressure, and fail in the postseason. Parker is the only guy I trust (somewhat) to hit an open three lately but he seems to fumble half the passes to him, or stand out of bounds or whatever. Much of Lebron’s impact is lost if we don’t hit the open shots that he creates. We can’t win if we don’t knock down shots. When we hit open shots, we roll. When we don’t, it seems… Read more »
@Lance:
I hate to say this because I’ve been a big supporter of his, but maybe that goes on Mike Brown? I would say the Magic take on the personality of Stan, always trying to play better than the game before. On the other hand, Mike Brown is more of a laid back guy. I don’t know, just thinking out loud here.
I think it’s about time we brought into question the mental toughness of our Cavs. All year they have exclaimed time and again that they are a better team than last year. That may be the case. However, it seems that they come out listless every other game or so. They were able to win that way in the regular season because of the diluted competition, but in the post season it has been killing them. I do not disagree that the Cavs can play amazingly when they decide to, but the mental toughness is just not there this year.… Read more »
There’s really no one else on the Cavs (who can create their own shot) that stepped up…Jamison did okay but MO didnt do anything Parker killed us big time and Delonte went 0-fer…thats what really killed us and Lebron did everything he could but Boston made him pass to other guys who didnt bring it today…again this team confuses me…only contender really struggling in the postseason…
Yeah, don’t put this on the refs, and don’t say the NBA has any control over the length of the series’. Not true. The Cavs could have won this game today, but it was their careless mistakes in the 4th quarter, and their lack of transition defense that kept that from happening. It was not because of the refs.
I was really hoping game 5 wouldn’t be a must win, but that’s not happening now.
I don’t know if it’s that Lebron doesn’t care, but mentally he just looks all out of sorts. It’s just frustrating after seeing Game 3 that he didn’t come out and try to establish in the same way. I understand you can’t always be that white hot, but he could have pressed a little and found out. Still two wins away.
Lebron just does not care anymore. I will be sporting my Ilgauskas jersey proudly.
You dont when we you miss open 3 pointers…no wins if you let the smallest guy get 18 rebounds…no wins if you let the same guy dictate the flow of the game the SAME way each game…dont win if you let bench warmers look like all-stars in the 4th quarter… this Cavs team confuses me…i thought they turned a corner last game and knew they had to play hard the whole game to get a solid win…apparently they didnt get the memo and thus lose a game they couldve/shouldve won… First time Im nervous about this team at home…can they… Read more »
Lebron had a pretty terrible game (by Lebron standards, maybe even poor compared to the average player). Despite the fact that coming out aggressive won them game 3, he apparently decided to float along through the entire game. Rondo dominated again. Rondo getting almost 20 rebounds? Yikes. Very frustrating game to watch.
When do the Browns games start up again?
Refs did not lose this game. Lebron deciding to play passive lost this game. Ditto our bench deciding to take the game off. Regardless, even if we win this series we are delaying the inevitable. A beat down by Orlando.
Love with the game on the line..LeBron passes to Andrson Varejao with the clock runningdown for him to take a 15-17ft jumper. Seriously?
Anyone who thinks the NBA is going to let all four series go out early is living in a dream world. This series goes 7 games.
Just no two ways to say it. Twice in this series LeBron has not been the best player on the court. Twice Rondo has. Both times the cavs lose.
glad to see the refs doing everything they can to make sure the celtics win…it’s like the chicago game all over again.
Rondo having 15 rebounds is partially a credit to his hustle (have to give that to him) but it’s also indicative of some serious lapses for the Cavs.
My bad, -5 in 4 minutes of play.
Yea Hickson is -4 in all of 5 miuntes of play. That pretty much sums up his defensive shortcomings right there.
LeBron has some serious mental issues. The guy plays like the destroyer of worlds one game, then sleepwalks through the next. This is all mental, folks. Oh, and JJ is terrible at defense. HORRIBLE.
LeBron with 7 turnovers. Excellent.
They’re just running a layup line now. This is pathetic. When Big Gaping Anus and Tony Allen are the best players on the court, you have some problems.
I meant, exclusively. And I’m being affectionate, btw. No offense meant.
Are you not following the same bog? Just saying.
I think his temptation to not watch the game is commendable. I’d be pulling my hair out watching just the box score.
Rich just watch the damn game. I ABSOLUTELY guarantee you will not affect the outcome in any way whatsoever. And I feel strangely sorry for you following live blogs and the box score.
Was ABOUT to turn the game on..looks lik the 3rd quarter is turning around. I will keep myself from giving in. BTW, even though I’m not watching, the flow and type of game seems to be like yesterday LA UTAH game. Utah looked good, but LA just hung around and eventually won.
I can’t stand national sports coverage. These clowns are rooting for the Celtics to win and hardly mention our Cleveland Cavaliers! ESPN abc coverage is so darn biased it’s time to shut off the sound and turn on the radio!
Nathan, I will now hold you personally responsible if they lose.
: )
Shaq…2 rebounds in 19 minutes
West…0-5 in 11 minutes
Lebron…3 turnovers
Bench…0 pts
Mo…1-4
None of these things will happen in the second half, so Cavs win.
The box score looks awful. Continuing to allow Rondo to just totally obliterate us. Again, he is the best player on the court it appears, and Boston is winning because of it.
I know Kevin, Boston fans are whining up a storm…but Garnett seriouslydoes a foul a TON. Moving screens every single time.
@Rich: No, he just played the whole first quarter and sat out the beginning of the second, when the cavs happened to decide to hit some shots.
For all the complaining these Boston fans do, they need to understand that KG is the absolute master of moving on screens and not getting called for it.
Is LeBron playing as poorly as the box score suggests? a game low -10.
Rondo: 5 rebounds, 6″1′
Cavaliers, 6 rebounds, 99″ (yes I added up their combined heights.)
I expect them to maintain during the first half and go for the win in the second half. This may or may not work. Stay tuned.