“But all of it is secondary to the bigger issue the Cavs have created for themselves with an up-and-down four-game set thus far. It is still unclear whether the Cavs have within them the desire to win 10 more games. Sometimes it looks like a “yes” but quite often it looks like a “no.”" [Brian Windhorst's Beat Blog]
“More telling in the bigger picture was the Cavs’ alarming lack of aggression and hustle in a game that obviously meant so much. Especially coming less than 48 hours after their aggression and hustle got them control the series. Most especially after an absence of both cost them their first loss in the series in last week’s Game 2.” [Brian Windhorst's Game Recap]
Through three quarters, Boston had outrebounded the Cavs, 31-27, outscored them in the paint, 34-30, and in second-chance points, 7-0. But with no O’Neal in the fourth quarter, the Celtics outrebounded the Cavs, 16-6, had a 16-10 edge in the paint and 6-0 on second chances. [Mary Schmitt Boyer on The Big 4th Quarter Bench Warmer]
A look at max contracts, and LeBron’s worth on an open market
“Seven of Rondo’s rebounds came in the fourth quarter (the Cavaliers had six in the fourth), and none was bigger than the one he seized with 1:34 to play and the Celtics clinging to a five-point lead. Grabbing a Kevin Garnett miss while surrounded by Cleveland’s Anderson Varejao, Antawn Jamison and Anthony Parker, Rondo tossed in a put-back layup that sealed the game.” [Chris Broussard - ESPN]
“The problem the Cavs would face with such a switch is the possible awakening of Paul Pierce, who had his fourth straight subpar game. James usually guards him. A switch would likely mean Parker would have to guard Pierce, something that might serve to resuscitate Pierce, who is averaging 11.8 points on 32 percent shooting. Just not having to peer into James’ grill all night might seem like an utter emancipation for the beleaguered Celtics captain, who has almost as many fouls (13) as baskets (16) in the four games.” [Peter May - ESPNBoston]
“Consider that for a moment. As Boston’s captain struggles at both ends of the court, it’s Allen — a tantalizing enigma during his six seasons in Boston — who finally seems to have put it together. He expends full effort on defense now, yet still finds a way to get involved on offense, often racing to the basket on breaks and being rewarded with layups.” [Chris Forsberg - ESPNBoston]
Before Yesterday’s Game, the Cavs two best players by +/- against the Celtics were Delonte West and Anderson Varejao. The Cavs had been outscoring the Celtics in the fourth quarter by an average of 9 points. Delonte posted a -18 yesterday in 20 minutes, Varejao posted a -9 in 25 minutes, and the Cavs were outscored by 8 points in the fourth quarter.
“I get it. It’s the NCAA mindset, the triumph of the underdog, the cute scruffy guy living the dream. You can’t help but love it. And LeBron James in such peak form it should bring a basketball fan to tears — that’s just what we’ve come to expect of the King. When he surpasses his own ridiculously high standard, that too comes as no surprise.” [Bethlehem Shoals on LeBron's Game 3 Performance]
“There seems to be a mild disagreement among the Cleveland Cavaliers. It doesn’t seem divisive, just an honest difference of opinion over their Game 4 loss to the Celtics that leaves the series tied at two games apiece. LeBron James said the Cavs played “well.” Mo Williams agreed. He even said it: “I think it was a well-played game.” But the Cavs’ coach was not as complimentary. Mike Brown pointed out two statistics that drew his ire, statistics that showed the Cavs were outhustled by the Celtics in Game 4: Boston had 23 fastbreak points to Cleveland’s seven, and Boston had 13 second-chance points to none for Cleveland. He might have also pointed out that Boston point guard Rajon Rondo had more offensive rebounds (four) than the entire Cavs team (three).” [Pat McManamon - Fanhouse]
Anderson Varejao logged 13 offensive rebounds in 3 games against the Celtics in the regular season. In the last 3 playoff games, he has 3 (total) offensive rebounds.
Seven point guards have a playoff PER above 19. Derrick Rose, Rajon Rondo, and Jameer Nelson are all on the list.
I want the real Varejao back soon please.
The problem yesterday was the CavFanatic jerseys they wore.
Up until yesterday, the team had worn them three times, winning all three games with an average margin of victory at nearly 20 points.
Clearly, these jerseys should only be worn in the games they absolutely have to win. Should have gone with the navy alternates…
Rondo shot 16 FTs in game 4, he averaged 3.5 FT attempts this year.
we need more output from mo, delonte, and Andy. the inconsistancy needs to stop.
Another thing that sucks about losing a winnable playoff game: It’s clear that Lebron did not have the energy or confidence to take this game over to his usual standard, but HOLY CRAP, Rondo missed two wide open layups out of fear of the chasedown. On one of the two I’m not even sure if Lebron could have reached him, but it just goes to speak to the disruptive force that the chasedown is. Would be nice to be up 3-1 and have the media fawning over those two plays instead of Rondos behind the back pass to Allen, but that’s what the Cavs get. You can’t make chicken salad out of chicken sh*t, and that’s what we got in the 4Q on Sunday.
This is a good collection, Tom. Thanks!
As for the Rondo problem, all I want is somebody to pick him up at full-court and play pressure D on him so every time he takes the ball up he has to make twice as many decisions. It’s either that or allow him to walk the ball up and get 10 uninterrupted seconds to think up whatever he chooses.
Lebron needs to learn from Kobe. Kobe is usually more aggressive on the road to set the tone. He knows his teammates are not as effective on the road, and as a leader, he adjusts his game based on the circumstances. Lebron can’t rely on the refs bailing him out every game, scratch that, he probably can since Stern and the refs are at his corner. The point is, Lebron doesn’t seem to know that the game changes in the playoffs. He’s too accustomed to easy wins against the likes of the Bulls. The Thunder would have been a 4 seed in the East, possibly a 3 seed. Utah would’ve been a 3 seed. Lebron is still struggling against playoff defenses (Chi does not count).
I’m wondering what this year’s excuse is going to be if the Cavs lose. Mo? Brown? Shaq? Verajao? Anyone but Lebron? When superstars lose, they should accept most of the responsibility. When Kobe lost with Smush Parker, Kwame Brown, Brian Cook and Luke Walton against the #1 seed, he was crucified. Lebron has Shaq and Lebron who were all stars just last year. Jamison is an all-star caliber player, Varajao is a defensive player of the year candidate, and Mike Brown has more coach of the year awards than Phil Jackson has in the past decade. There are no more excuses left for Lebron. He has all the tools to win it all, and it’s up to the superstar to make his teammates more effective. He must embrace this challenge. Let’s stop blaming everyone on this team but Lebron folks. Superstars take the pressure off of their teammates in the playoffs, superstars know what is needed. Lebron needs to figure it out pronto. He learned about defense and how to win in the International game by playing with Kobe in the Olympics, and now it’s time for Lebron to give Kobe a call and ask him how to win in playoff basketball.
Dude, you are making up the whole Kobe was crucified thing. Everyone in the world blamed his lack of talent around him, and rightfully so.
Now, here we are 9 games into the playoffs and if you still think Anderson Varejao was worth the money then I dunno what to tell you. 3 offensive rebounds against the Celtics so far this postseason. Not even close to getting it done.
I’m also a little worried about Varejao, Rich, but I’m not giving up on anyone until this thing is totally over in a bad way.
He’s looked horrible these whole playoffs. We thought we had a Joakim Noah in Varejao. He’s been dissapointing to say the least. He’s not muscular enough to be effective when other players are giving it their all.
If it were just these playoffs then I wouldn’t be so harsh…but his numbers fell into the ocean during last years playoffs too. Wouldn’t it be incredibly if leBron leaves and we are stuck with Varejao, and the only reason we resigned Varejao was because LeBron was crying for it? Just a thought…….but it’s why management has to act like management and players have to act like players. Management doesnt coach, and players dont manage.
In Varejao’s defense, he hasn’t gotten the same minutes he got during the regular season. He was certainly ineffective in the playoffs against Chicago, but he is shooting a high percentage, and having hustle plays consistently against Boston thus far. He’s also shooting at an incredibly high clip from the line (albeit 12 attempts, they have been somewhat important for a team that struggles from the line). Noah he is not, but Varejao is still a vital member of this team.
I’d like to see him getting more minutes at the 5 with LeBron at the 4 and then 3/2/1 however Mike Brown decides (preferably with someone who can stay in front of Rondo better than Mo). That team demolished Boston in the regular season, and would likely do the same now if it were given more time to play together. Shaq has been pretty good, but he slows down our offense when we should be pushing and getting out in the break where a lot of our players are most effective.
Yes I’m back and it looks like a lot of you are now saying what I said last week – the Cavs are not a truly elite NBA team and they have been poorly constructed from the very beginning (and before) of LeBron’s career. I documented a lot of this earlier, but let’s just hit the highlights:
2004: Year after LeBron was drafted, Cavs had the 10th overall pick and drafted LUKE JACKSON. Never heard of him? Probably not because he sucked then and hasn’t barely played in the League at all; he was an unathletic 6’6″ white SG from Oregon. The brilliant Cavs took him over:
- Andris Biedriņš
- Josh Smith
- JR Smith
- Al Jefferson
- Jameer Nelson
- Kevin Martin
- Tony Allen (yeah, not that good, but still killed the Cavs last game; Luke Jackson? sitting on his couch out of the NBA)
Yeah hindsight is 20-20 but who the HECK thinks a middle height white SG from the US will be good in the NBA, and those are a LOT of good players the Cavs passed on.
2005: No 1st round pick, traded it in 1997 (WTF?)
2006: Picked Shannon Brown; good pick, too bad they gave up on him after like 2 years; now he’s the best backup guard on the NBA Champion Lakers. Good move Cavs, wouldn’t it be nice to be able to throw him at Rondo?
2007: HAD a pick, but traded it in 2005 for JIRI WELSCH – WTF were the Cavs thinking? JIRI WELSCH?!? Wow. Could have had:
- Aaron Brooks
- Arron Afflalo
- Carl Landry
- Glen Davis
- Marc Gasol
- Rudy Fernández
2009: Could have drafted rookies who could help immediately like
- DeJuan Blair
- Marcus Thornton
- Sam Young
NOPE: instead Cavs take African project player Christian Eyenga who Ferry says will be good in 3 years; well I guess you’re going to need a star in the future since LeBron is going to leave this summer since you couldn’t build a winner around him.
And then there are all the OLD / washed-up / or over-rated players they have re-signed or traded for: Z (what a joke), Ben Wallace, Larry Hughes, Joe Smith, Mo Williams (not even a top 15 PG in the L), OLD Shaq, Wally Z… This is NOT how you build a strong team for the long term.
The Cavs made the huge mistake of trying to get veterans from day 1 of LeBron’s career, mortgaging the future (trading draft picks, etc.) in the process. Well the future is here and now they Cavs don’t have another young star, or even a set of good young supporting cast (ala Orlando with Pietrus, Gortat, Reddick, Nelson, etc.). Should have done what OKC did; traded AWAY all veterans, sucked for the first 2-3 years of LeBron’s era, loaded up with picks and kept salary cap space until LeBron was in his prime. Now the Cavs ask LeBron to do EVERYTHING – this year guard Rondo, remember last year they were thinking of trying LBJ on Dwight Howard? That is too much to ask any one player; NO OTHER team asks half as much as the Cavs do of Bron; every other playoff team can win when their star has a bad game; the Cavs need LeBron to DOMINATE just to have a chance.
Let’s face FACTS. The Cavs will NOT beat the Magic (if they even beat Boston), and I predict will lose in 5 or at most 6 games. This is the ceiling for a team when it fails to draft a single starter caliber player IN 7 YEARS other than getting LUCKY with LeBron. Cavs are done.
If you put aside the obnoxious nature of the post, and the overly critical hindsight analysis of management (for all the draft mistakes, they did essentially trade Damon Jones for Mo Williams, and Ben Wallace for Shaq, and if you think those were bad trades, you’re crazy), I can agree with the general sentiment of the last post.
The problem with the way the Cavs are constructed is that in order to beat the good teams, Lebron has to play at least a very good game. He doesn’t have the luxury of having a bad game. On Orlando, you have Dwight, Jameer, VC, or Rashard who are all capable of scoring outbursts. On the Lakers, you have Kobe, Gasol, Bynum, or Odom. Even Boston, Ray Allen, Pierce, KG, and Rondo could all have a 20-30 point night. If you look at the Cavs, Mo Williams has had a few regular season games when he was unconscious and scored 40, so the potential is there, but even he will need Lebron to find him for some open 3′s. Jamison’s a good player, but does anyone really see him carrying the team if Lebron is off? For as much as everyone praises the depth of the Cavs, it’d be nice to have just one player to rely on when Lebron is playing poorly. The reason the Cavs depth is so solid is that the players fit nicely with Lebron (although who doesn’t). Sigh.
Jamison had 30 points in Milwaukee when LeBron was out, and he consistently carried a terrible offense in Washington.
I think some people are overreacting to game 5.
First of all, the Cavs deserved to lose because they lost their poise and absolutely could not hit an outside shot.
Second, everyone is making such a big deal of Rondo’s game. He had an awesome game, but spare me the “greatest in celtic franchise history” stuff. you can’t shoot 9/21 and 11/16 from the FT line and have the greatest game in franchise history, unless your franchise sucks.
I’ve been saying for 2 weeks now I think there is something physically wrong with Varejao. He is hitting FTs and all that but he is not winning those 50/50 rebounds – which is WHAT HE DOES. He has zero lift in his legs, doesn’t have his quickness and is constantly getting rebounded over. Something has got to be wrong.
I meant game 4.
For the last five years (since the first round went to best of seven), every team that went on to win the finals played in at least one game 6 in the first two rounds. I think this is ideal for the Cavs, who are still trying to work Shaq back into the rotation. I’d much rather see the Cavs fight and survive a tough series against seasoned veterans and learn how to work through adversity then to play the Pistons and Hawks again. This is fun playoff basketball. Great teams, great players, great stories and hopefully a couple more great games. Sit back and enjoy it Cavs fans because that is literally the only impact you can have; supporting the team.
Maybe Tom, but I think that it also might simply be that Varajao is a hustle player and is effective in the regular season when other guys generally aren’t working as hard. When the playoffs start and other players turn it up a notch, Varajao doesn’t have another gear and therefore loses his main advantage. The disparity between his regular season and playoff numbers throughout his career shows this to be more likely.
@Colin:
That’s great that Jamison had 30 points in a game where Lebron didn’t play and that he carried a terrible Washington offense. When he carries the Cavs in a game when Lebron is failing, then I’ll agree with you. I won’t go so far as to say he won’t, because as you point out, there is evidence he can do it. As it stands, however, we haven’t seen it happen, yet.
@Patrick: Well said.
@ Facts and @Todd – Would that we knew that this team would have these kind of challenges in the post season. I guess most of us (myself included) were seduced with the shine/brilliance of a 61-win season…
You say Cavs will not beat the Magic if they meet (based on their performance during the regular season, I would have given the Cavs the edge 4-2), and the fact that LBJ needs to dominate for Cavs to have a chance (he seemed to be doing that fine during the regular seaon)
Question is, what’s going on here? Cavs not ready for post-season? Everybody sitting round and waiting for LBJ to pull ‘em out of the hole????
Well as soon as Jamison gets more than 10 shots a game maybe he can carry the offense. But as long as the offense is still dominated every single time down the court by one, it is going to be impossible for anyone but that one man to carry the offense.