Podcast Episode 67: Delly of an ECF Preview
2015-05-18http://soundcloud.com/ctb-5/podcast-episode-67-delly-of-an
First, check out this morning’s excellent post, “on toughness” by EvilGenius. Second, EG, David, and I blew right through our self-imposed “half hour” to deliver our thoughts on the Cavs/Bulls series, the Eastern Conference Finals, the toughness the Cavaliers have exhibited, and living in an alternate universe where Matthew Dellavedova is a villain and an assassin.
coming in late –great job evil ( enjoyed your sparring with the cols —you win again )—the delly love continues/ hope the momentum stays for the next 2 series / seth curry’s mom is hot !! / yes the moz needs ” the teddy bear ” love and burgers from the brew garden / —-projecting way out —draft picks–r.j. hunter could be our klay Thompson / Justin Anderson ( if his 3 pt shot continues to develop ) could be the sleeper of the draft ( although it appears after the nba combibe a lot of teams are starting to… Read more »
Did you guys see this video from the NBA channel? freaking amazing!!!
That was cool. Thanks for posting. Looks like Delly is well liked, not surprising for a guy who plays his a$$ off.
That was amazing. If you look closely, you can see Griff lingering in background of locker room. I love Griff.
That’s awesome – I’ve been looking for a bit more behind-the-scenes stuff from either NBA or Cavs website, haven’t seen much. Can’t imagine Delly feeling better than this moment. 1) Relief of the series win 2) He killed Chicago 3) His team mates knew it 4) 5 days off.
Wow, that is sweet. Power of team!
“You don’t yell at Timofey,” said Blatt. “He responds to clear directives. When he gets upset, just let him calm down. You don’t need to beat him down. Timofey needs to be loved. He’s such a hard worker.”
I missed this great write up by Pluto before the bulls series. I remember somebody commenting on this when Lebron tore into Mozzy and his confidence went in the tank in game 3 or 4…I had already forgotten Blatt’s previous relationship with Timofey. One would think this would have been communicated to Lebron before a certain ECS against the Bulls…
Very entertaining podcast guys! Thanks for posting. I can’t wait for this series to get started and I’m feeling both sides of the emotional fence: super optimistic that the hawks just don’t have enough targeted weaponry and therefore we can kill them with game planning…and also wicked nervous at how thin we are and how silly they made us look at times during the regular season matchups. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if we swept them or won in 5. I also wouldn’t be surprised if they went up 3-0 in 3 close games and we were under the… Read more »
Moz has made that shot some during the regular season, but not this post-season for some reason. He’s had a few wide open looks but I can’t remember him hitting one. His most consistent outside shot has been from straight on from 15-17 feet, but he hasn’t really even been getting that shot much in the playoffs.
Great Podcast! Thanks! It was fun to listen. On the Kevin Love flying to Chicago that some people may have questioned. I work in the medical field and it would be too risky for him to fly so soon after surgery. Blood clots are a risk. Plus the fact, he has to be in that sling at all times for at least a month, It is absolutely awful and uncomfortable to be severely restricted like that . Yes, he can’t be bumped. I wouldn’t blame him if he could not be on the bench for 3 hours during a game.… Read more »
HAHA I remember Bruce Bowen shooting those free throws as jump shots that season!
http://espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2015/story/_/id/12909110/kyrie-irving-cleveland-cavaliers-plans-play-game-1-eastern-conference-finals
Sounds optimistic, made me smile
Listening to podcast. Great to hear you guys. Thoughts: Mozgov’s offense was improved so much by playing with KLove. With Love on the wing there was space at the elbow for Mozgov’s jumper, and Love would hit him directly under the basket at least once a game. They are still trying to figure out how/where to get him the ball in the TT-Moz lineup (which is good for D and rebounding, obviously) The most absurd play was when Gasol catches the ball against Delly in the post and then passes the ball instead of shooting from 6 feet. I would… Read more »
the rockets didn’t beat the clippers with defense. It will be a lot of free throws for the beard and a steady diet of threes from both teams. Whoever shoots a decent percentage AND gets more offensive rebounds will be the victor. The rockets aren’t set up like the grizzlies with ZERO firepower…they are an above average defensive team with good shooters. I don’t really think it’ll be the laugher the podcast guys are certain it will be.
Remember what it looked like when the 2009 Magic went against the Lakers in the Finals? It’ll look something like that. I’ll be shocked if it goes more than 5 games. The Rockets have nobody who can cover Curry… at all. And Josh Smith draining threes is the definition of an unsustainable offense…
The Rockets beat the Clippers because the Clips were GASSED by the end of that series since Doc shortchanged the bench all year…
To be fair, the Grizzlies didn’t have anyone to guard curry either but he still had a rough couple game stretch. Nobody can guard curry, though I am intrigued by tom’s idea that a lack of pressure on curry’s shoulders makes him seem otherworldly. For instance, if you slot kyrie on the Warriors under Steve Kerr does he then look untouchable? Or even BETTER than Steph?
Umm, they had Tony Allen for the first three games of the series when they actually went up 2-1. He was hurt in game 4, didn’t play Game 5 and only 5 minutes of Game 6. With Allen on the floor in the first three games, Steph shot 23-58 (39%) and 8-29 (27%) from three. In Games 4-6, with Allen mostly out, he shot 28-53 (53%) and 18-35 (51%) from three. With Patrick Beverly injured, the Rockets have nobody anywhere close to Tony Allen defensively. They don’t even have anyone close to Conley. Pablo Prigioni and Jason Terry ain’t getting… Read more »
Not sure if anyone saw Pluto’s piece on Blatt this weekend. It was really good. Pluto explained that the tension between Blatt and the media stems from the fact that the media thinks Blatt is too arrogant about his success overseas.
I have the exact opposite view – the dude has been wildly successful, why shouldn’t he be confident?
I agree. Link for the article?
Here you go.
http://www.cleveland.com/pluto/index.ssf/2015/05/cleveland_cavaliers_have_terry_7.html#incart_river
Interesting to learn that Kerr wanted Blatt if no one else hired him. I don’t think I knew that before. I think he will start to get credit from the pundits if the Cavs can beat Atlanta.
How different would Blatt’s life be if he’d have taken the job with Kerr instead… Also, wonder how things would have worked out for Ty Lue as the Cavs head coach.
Andy V for sure. But it will be fun to see who we replace Perkins, Marion and Haywood with. I wouldn’t be surprised ( and hope) that Miller retires as well. What a team we might have. Maybe a 10 or 12 man rotation.
Don’t think Miller will retire with that second year on his deal. He’ll probably be even more of a bench fixture/assistant coach next year though. Definitely think coaching is in his future based on how his teammates talk about him. Maybe not as a head coach, but as a valuable assistant coach who can really relate to players…
Next year what will the team look like
1. LeBron
2. Irving
3. Love
4. Mozgov
5. Smith
6. Shump
7. TT
8. JFJ
9. Dellavedova
10. Miller
11. ?
You forgot Wild Thing…
The team next year might win 75 games IF it stays healthy. I think they went like 34-3 in their last 37 with Love, KI, and LBJ this year. Add to that the confidence that TT, Shump, Mozzy, etc. gained in playoffs. PLUS the Wild Thing. Oh man….
Norris Cole!!! They will sign him hopefully. And their first round round draft pick. Hopefully they get someone like Justin Anderson, an athletic wing defender who can shoot the three ball.
Resigning everyone though could be Griffin’s biggest challenge thus far.
They can’t sign Norris… Then there’d be a whole “This Land ain’t big enough for two high-top fades” showdown with Shump. It would spiral into a “clip in” or “clip off” controversy that Skip and Stephen A would debate for months…
Haha, I’m really pulling for them to sign him. I think he would be a great addition and fit right in. I mean come on now, he’s from Dayton, he went to Cleveland State, he spent 3 years with Lebron in Miami winning two rings, and his agent is Rich Raul. What more do you need?
Delly could play more backup 2-guard.
Cole and Shump would be the high-top, high energy bench duo that would be envied around the league. I mean come on now!!!
Who? Andy gives us 30 games maybe. He doesn’t count anymore. He’s toast.
Regardless of what you think of him, he still counts because he’s still got two years left on the deal he signed before the season…
Yeah. It’s a shame. He sucks now. Oh well.
Look, the good news is that he’s had a lot of time off, and he won’t be counted on to start next year with Mozgov in the middle. He’ll be coming off the bench to relieve Moz and that will free up TT to play more PF. If they can get even 15 minutes a night from AV next year, he’ll be a better option than say Perk, or having to play TT 35 minutes a game.
They can’t. That can get about 30
Games max.
PP will come out of retirement and join up at the deadline to win another title. Then LeBron can take a long breather.
That might actually work. Come in for 15 a game at SF.
Evil Genius has been a nice addition to the blog. I like that he interacts with the commenters.
Thanks Cols… I’m a commenter at heart, and the readers and commenters are what continue to make this site even more awesome. All the guys at C:tB have been great and gracious to give me an opportunity to contribute more…
EG rose up from the rank and file. He is our hero :) Good work, EG.
Pluto on how Delly wound up a Cav:
http://www.cleveland.com/pluto/index.ssf/2015/05/cleveland_cavaliers_had_the_in.html#incart_2box
Anyone know what has become of Chris Grant? Getting Delly makes up for some of his bone head moves.
This is a great story… how much fun would it be to go to a St. Mary’s “Delly party”?
Not as fun as going to a Cols party.
I’m not sure that’s survivable…
You gotta work up to it. Like acclimating for a high altitude climb.
BTW. The Hawks offense got stopped in the post-season because teams game plan for them. They don’t have any star talent that can get their owns shots. This is why system teams without stars cannot win in the NBA.
Their whole key is Teague driving into the lane. Once teams took that away their offense stopped.
Didn’t you also say the Rockets were frauds? Not sure you are the commenter to trust . . .
Um.. I correctly picked the GSW vs Cavs Finals way long ago.
I correctly pointed out the Bulls were frauds and have been for the last 5 years.
The only thing I got wrong was Dellly, and he sucked for most of the year before coming to life vs Chicago.
You actually can’t say that first point for another 10-14 days… Counting chickens and all that… ;)
I remember you also mentioning the Rockets as frauds too . . .hard to remember, there are so many frauds according to you!
There are. And the Rockets while awesome, are not going to be able to beat GSW. Steph Curry is just that freaking good.
So the Rockets are awesome, not frauds? Cool . . .
Here’s a happy medium… The Rockets are “fraudsome”…
Or because they lost Thabo, and their defense went way down.
Thabo? Really?? Losing his 5.2 ppg doesn’t matter.
Yeesh. Just because a guy sucks on offense doesn’t automatically make him a good defender. Thabo sucks. The Cavs are better.
Thabo is actually a terrific defender. The Hawks weren’t nearly as good on the defensive end after he went down. They could really use him to help guard LBJ in this series, because Lord knows Carroll can’t…
No one can. Even supposed LeBron stopper Leonard got torched last finals. No one can cover LeBron, let alone a nobody like Thabo.
Notice I said “help guard” not stop… I know you’re an all stars, all offense kind of cat, Cols, but there ARE other aspects to the game…
And Jimmy Butler did a pretty good job on LBJ for four out of the six games they played… And he did it 90% on his own…
That was LeBron shooting like crap. Butler wasn’t able to keep him from getting to the basket and cleaning the glass. He just lucked out that LEBRON missed soem wide open shots.
I really wonder how much you drink when you watch these games… Even LeBron acknowledged how tough Jimmy played him.
He was just saying that to be nice. Sort of like patting someone on the head and giving them a particiatipn troophy.
IDK, contrast his comments on Jimmy with his comments on Jae Crowder from the first series. I actually think LBJ genuinely respects Jimmy’s ability. I don’t think you’ll see nearly the bad shooting from Bron in this Hawks series. And that will be mainly because he won’t have someone like Butler chasing him around and putting a body on him all the time…
This Thabo theory makes no sense. ATL has been playing good D in playoffs. Its their O that fell off of a cliff.
Hawks went 43-9 with Thabo in the lineup in the regular season. They went 17-13 without him. He’s not the be all end all, but he was an important piece of their defensive scheme…
Their defensive efficiency has IMPROVED by 2 points in the playoffs. The offensive efficiency has DECLINED by 4 points. If there are any theories related to Thabo and the playoffs, they should be based on his offensive impact.
Learning how to bottle up Korver will be great experience for when the Cavs take on the Warriors. Gonna be a fun final month of basketball!
Remember this game, where Joe Harris shut down Korver?
http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400578425
Hard to use as any sort of baseline since it also featured Dion at a ridiculous +45 for the game…
Kyrie said he is a definite for Game 1, and apparently he practiced well today. Good news!
That’s great news. Could be cavs in 5.
Just for the chance to top Cols, I am predicting Cavs in 4.
You guys lament the slow start to game 6, but I think they did well there. The Bulls came out playing like it was their last game (it was) and the Cavs weathered the storm and ended up leading after the 1st quarter. I don’t think this should qualify as starting slow, the Bulls played great that quarter.
Agreed. No reason to be disappointed at not dominating over the entire 48 minutes. Bulls did play well that quarter.
I don’t know that it was lamenting really… the Cavs did get off to a slow start and let both Gasol and Rose get off early. There was plenty of Cavs praise to go around after that point…
The Cavs were winning by the end of the 1st quarter. I don’t see how that constitues a slowe stars.dfgherhdrh
They were down by 7 with 3 minutes to go in the first, and gave up 8 points to Gasol and 10 points to Rose on fairly uncontested shots. They started slow on defense and then LeBron and TT took over in the final couple of minutes to come back and take the lead. Did you watch the game? Or just tune in after halftime per usual?
So by your definition if the Cavs aren’t winning lterally the entire first quarter then they’ve started slow?
They ended the quarter with the lead. That’s called starting off well.
No, by my definition, if they are allowing easy baskets to guys like DRose and Gasol (who still couldn’t really jump), they are starting slow, even though they wound up with the lead at the end of the quarter. It’s more about your definition of “start.” An entire quarter of play is not necessarily a start. The Cavs played poor enough defense to “start” that they gave up a near series-high scoring quarter to the Bulls.
Rose was torching Kyrie that quarter, because KYRIE WAS FREAKING HOBBLED.
Not because of any slow start crap. Because Kyrie couldn’t move.
Then Kyrie shouldn’t have been guarding Rose (I think I actually said that in the podcast)… How do you explain Gasol getting put-back dunks with only one hamstring? Cavs were not doing a good job of boxing him out regardless of the poor decision to let Kyrie try and stay with DRose…