Podcast Episode 68: Superman and the Wombat
2015-05-25https://soundcloud.com/ctb-5/episode-68-ecf-game-3-superman
First, check out Cory Hughey’s superior recap of last night’s game. Once you’ve done that come back and listen to John Krolik, Tom, EvilGenius, and I as we tried to stay sane after an epic Cavs overtime win against the Hawks. We couldn’t do it. We were all a little giddy and punchy as we recorded a late night pod during the middle of a holiday weekend. Who could blame us? It was a thrilling game that featured an ejection, a team full of villains trying to destroy Matthew Dellavedova (The Wombat), and the greatest player in the world (or not, according to some of our podders) giving a Kal-El-ian like performance that resulted in an all-time triple double and a Cavs win. The podcast includes highlights, lowlights, too much Delly analysis, haberdashery criticism, a probable finals preview, and so much more.
Enjoy above, or on SoundCloud or iTunes.
Any news on Dwight Howard’s flagrant 1 from last night? If it was JR he would be out for two games don’t you think?
Count me as another CtBer that doesn’t see anything special about Houston, even if they did beat the Clippers. Once you get past Curry’s amazing talents, they are not much different that anyone else. Of course, the same can be said of the Cavs. But the Warriors haven’t been a juggernaut steamrolling their way through the playoffs with little resistance as some bloggers seem to be saying.
I think Curry is the best all time shooter the game has ever seen. Many can catch and shoot, others can shoot off the dribble and some can penetrate. No one in my memory can do all three at the level he can. In addition to his lightening release. With a healthy Kyrie, it’s a pretty even series imo. But KI needs to be able to play defense. I didn’t think we would be ready to challenge for the championship with only a half a season playing together. That is why we were picked to win it all. If Love… Read more »
*lightning release.
Unbelievable the the is SN poll, is Delly dirty or does he play hard? Media is out of control. Let’s go cavs end this series tonight so we can rest up for the favorites of the world. I like us as underdogs. Find of like the Buckeyes!
At least ‘Plays hard’ leads ‘Plays dirty’ 60%-40% at the moment. That shows more sense than the media has.
It’s funny that this ‘dirty’ rep basically comes from one play all season: the Korver play, which was really just a loose ball collision. Not sure how any sane person could see anything dirty in the Horford play, where, if anything, he was the victim of dirty play. Well, Reggie is probably sane, but he’s also stupid. The Gibson play, yeah, but that was also sort of a retaliation.
I would wager that Delly is on the other end of more cheap shots than any other Cavs player. And somehow he is the dirty one.
Speaking of Delly being on the receiving end, here’s an elbow in the chops that the officials missed in game one against Atlanta:
https://vine.co/v/eA9LhvIiWqj
Yeah, saw that. Frankly that play by Teague is dirtier than any of the supposedly dirty plays by Dellavedova.
Looks like NBA.com took your Top 10 Lebron games debate:
http://www.nba.com/2015/news/hca/05/25/the-list-top-10-playoff-performances-from-lebron-james/
So, maybe Nate was right after all… it was possibly his second best playoff game in a Cavs uni…
Nice write up about Tristan Thompson
http://espn.go.com/blog/cleveland-cavaliers/post/_/id/982/what-you-dont-know-about-tristan-thompson
Great article on TT! Lots of interesting stuff. Also, for a journalist, Michael Grange really likes to drop F bombs…
Is it me or has TT undergone a major transition from serviceable with several flaws last year to a major front court monster….blocking shots and especially offensive rebounding? Also he seems more bulked up….stronger and jumping better. Thoughts?
It’s really helped him to play with LBJ and have someone like him to believe in his ability to just lock in on getting boards and putbacks. Until he’s had to start in the playoffs with Love going down, what’s been asked of TT is probably the least amount of his career. He doesn’t need to be a scoring threat like he was sometimes asked to be under Byron Scott. Even in the starting lineup, he’s still the fifth option.
TT seems to get off the floor so much quicker now. No more gathering, dribbling — just pass him the ball and he’s at the rim. Same on defense, he’s got good solid position a lot of the time, and then boom he’s up for a shot block.
Plus, his anticipation on rebounding is fantastic — he is always arriving at the ball as it comes off the rim — on short and long rebounds and from all angles.
And finally, he never gets tired.
CAVS need to close this out tomorrow. GS just lost. Let them keep playing the Rockets.
I think the Rockets can force a game 7. Am I crazy?
Probably crazy. :P If any team can do it, I suppose it’s the Rockets. Just depends on how hot they get from three. Having said that, I sort of expect them to lose by 30 in game 5.
I believe Rockets are 4-0 in potential closeout games where they could be eliminated.
It’s amazing how Curry and Thompson shoot the 3 ball like they are shooting free throws. I know Ariza shouldn’t go below the screen but still they just punish the defense most of the time.
It’s really crazy. I have been around a long time, and have been watching college and NBA since the late ’70s…Curry is the best shooter I have ever seen. Aside from his accuracy, his release is amazing. And when Thompson gets hot, he’s almost automatic.
Curry seems to be proving that quickness and accuracy are not negatively connected. His release is so fast I don’t see how you can ever say he “rushed a shot”. Keeping his release that fast makes his shot completely “unconscious” — there is no time for the conscious mind to get in the way and mess it up.
Curry actually has 2 different shots, if you notice. One is a traditional, NBA-style jump shot which is a super quick release but still a traditional jumper; you see this when he’s got time to set his feet/catch and shoot/off the dribble. The other shot is what I call the “little kid fling” shot – probably a holdover from when he was younger and just trying to get the ball up to the hoop, but still (likely b/c of all those sessions shooting w/ his dad) deadly accurate, and now that he’s got a man’s body, nearly unlimited in range.… Read more »
The number one thing I wanted after yesterday was to hear Jeff Van Gundy’s take on the Dellavedova foul. ESPN DELIVERS! (/sarcasm)
Horford-Dellavedova foul.
I think Curry will be fine. Wouldn’t be surprised if he played in the a second half.
Sounds like he’s okay. Lot of bad things can happen in a fall like that.
I don’t think so, with the Warriors up 3-0 I think they will save him for game 5 if needed. I’m not sure the Rockets will hold this lead. The Warriors defense picked up in the second quarter and the Rockets just scored 22 on that quarter.
He’s back on the bench and will apparently play according to Woj.
Wow. A bit surprised that he’s coming back in this game. They must be certain he’s not concussed at all.
The team doc was able to determine he doesn’t have a concussion. Although he just air balled that mid-range shot.
Still seems like a bad decision to put him on such blowout. Move in protect your best player
Yeah, wonder if that was his first airball all season. The Rockets baffle me. Hard to understand their extreme swings.
Yes he is back but he looks a bit lost out there, I guess that if they don’t make a decent run at the beginning of the 4th they will bench him early.
Nasty fall by Curry. Hope he’s ok. May have even been knocked out, although it didn’t look like it right after he hit the floor.
Why make a play like that in a blowout? Damn, that was some horrid decision making.
Warriors look hung over as balls. If the Rockets push it to at least a game five, and if Cavs finish the sweep, which team is in a better position to win? Is too much rest a thing? Seems like all our rhythm players are completely out of rhythm anyways and are winning on grit and hustle alone.
Warriors look like they just want to go home and play game 5.
I’m sure the Warriors will come back in this game, but sure looks like they have been reading their press the way they have started the game.
They keep leaving him… Unbelievable lol
I meant that the Rockets keep leaving Curry open…..
I think the Rockets mistake against Curry was not keeping a man locked to him from the beginning of the series or even double him (hard traps).
Back in 2012 when the Heat beat the thunder KD averaged 31 PPG and Westbrook averaged 27 ppg and the Heat still won that series, why?? Cause they kept the others in check.
If the Cavs can find a way to not get bit off the dribble so that they don’t get breakdown defensively they are going to have a chance IMO.
Also, Harden was unbelievably bad in this series. If Harden was even slightly below average from what he was in the regular season, Thunder win that series but he was beyond awful. Heat ended up leaving him alone for open jumpers and he’d either pass it up, miss it and miss badly, or try to move and end up turning it over.
I personally feel that is one of the reasons why the Thunder ended up trading him, thinking he shrinks on the big stage.
call ne ” NERVOUS NELLIE ” ( and I know I am going to get a lot of grief —-let’s get win # 4 first and then start to focus on golden state —-ok it is open season on NOMAD —fire away with your shots
Enjoyed the podcast, guys. Really agree on Schröder. He can make some plays, but I think the Hawks are a lot better when he’s not on the court. His impact reminds me a lot of Dion’s, frankly.
I wonder how much the refereeing has changed in the post season. It seems that they allow more contact and that is leading to these incidents. In Chicago Delly was pretty much slammed to the ground from behind and they let it go so it’s not surprising he used his legs to lock him for a moment. In Boston Crowder was slamming into cavs players the whole game with no calls and JR responded after refs failed to call several fouls in about 8 seconds. Last night Delly was getting hit and pushed as hard as possible on screens and… Read more »
(Reposting this from the recap thread as the discussion seems to have moved here…)
Dave McMenamin @mcten 26m26 minutes ago
NBA spokesman Tim Kuck says Flagrant 2 on Atlanta’s Al Horford will stand, no additional discipline/suspension to come.
—-
He doesn’t mention Delly, which I guess means the league is letting Delly’s T stand. Which I don’t understand. They’re giving ammunition to the Hawks and anyone else who thinks Delly made a dirty play.
And tomorrow night, the Hawks, down 3-0, will have nothing to lose by seeking revenge.
That always worries me. The Hawks are level headed as a whole but clearly they wanted to beat delly up for what happened to korver…and it all came to a head on one lapse in judgement by horford that could have ended delly’s night or season or worse. I am confused as to why there is so much more hatred for the cavs from other teams who can’t compete than there is from teams toward golden state. Is it because we beat them physically as well as the score? Is it because we have a team full of hard workers… Read more »
It will be a real long shot against GW, for sure. I think there is a way it can happen, if the Cavs can wear down Curry so that by game 4 his shot stops going down at record levels. They just need to somehow get to game 7 and cast the “sliver of self-doubt against LeBron James in the biggest game of my life” spell. Honestly, I’m still worried about game 4. The Hawks found a bunch of stuff that worked in that game. I think with nothing to lose they will be very dangerous. Sean Marion is going… Read more »
Who is this george cedeno clown who is subbing for Colin on espn2. I thought Reggie miller was the biggest moron regarding the incident with delly/horford. But george making a VERY strong case for lead media moron. Didnt help that he started by insulting delly the person, dellys clothes last night on the podium and australia as a whole. Wow.
I feel really bad for delly and how he is being portrayed. It has to bother him to be spoken of incorrectly.
It’s interesting that Reggie is taking the high road when he was no less dirty in his playing days.
Every single thing Reggie says is either blatant hypocrisy, idiocy, or both.
Your comparison of Cavs/Warriors roster was kind of silly. It focuses too much on individual players. We need to think about matchup and lineups:
The Warriors best lineup is Curry, Thompson, Barnes, Iggy, Draymond.
The Cavs counter with Kyrie/Delly, Shump, JR, LeBron, Thompson.
I think these are pretty even matchups.
The key issue is: who guards LeBron? In our win against them, LBJ ate up Draymond and Iggy. If he can do this, and we get a few hot 3 pt games from Kyrie, Delly, Shump, JR, JJ, then these games are going to be tight.
Curry will get his, but Shump/Delly can make him work for it.
Assuming Shump with a big money contract on the line will put up more of a fight than 38 year-old Jason Terry.
But Shumpert plays in the East, so that means he’s not nearly as skilled as Terry, who has battled like a warrior in the West for years.
Yeah, I think we collectively realized that after we started comparing them so we stopped…
I think the Warriors will be favorites, but I think t he Cavs can definitely win. Here are a few reasons: * We have the best player in the series. * We have the better coach (yeah, I said it) * The Cavs have had a harder path to the finals in the last two rounds. Atlanta and Bulls were 4th and 9th in league in Net Rating, while Houston and Memphis was 7th and 11th. Excluding GSW’s 35 beat down of Houston, the Cavs have been just as impressive in winning. People tend to overrate the Warriors simply because… Read more »
Your last bullet is most convincing to me. The Cavs are the most versatile team in the league. Not only with their matchup capabilities, but their willingness to play whatever style they need to beat the opponent at hand. A title is coming folks!
We absolutely have the better coach. Steve Kerr actually is a rookie coach–Blatt, who gets more scrutiny for some reason, is a veteran who’s coached championship teams before.
I think people hype up Golden State way too much. “If there even is a way to beat them?” The Grizz did it twice, and by all rights the *New Orleans Pelicans* should have taken one game in that series.
Great podcast. I’m wondering what your thoughts are on the amount of disrespect the Cavs are getting from many national writers, primarily on Twitter. They’ve all but guaranteed GSW will defeat the Cavs without any trouble. The match ups portend otherwise.
I think it’s ridiculous. There’s this narrative that the West is absolutely unbelievable and the Cavs are playing a bunch of scrubs. The West may be better, but the East is a bloodbath. Is it any coincidence that all the major playoff injuries have occured in the East. (Kyrie, Love, Wall, Korver, Carroll, etc). I think we match up respectfully and can definitely win. We have a front court that rivals the Grizzlies but with much better 3pt shooting. Curry can score 30. So will LeBron. The other matchups will decide the series. If we can stop Klay like Memphis… Read more »
Also Houston matches up horrendously with GS. Curry is better than Harden and with Houston entirely reliant upon Harden being the best player in a series they never had a chance.
Plus Houston is not playing any defense. That team looks horrible. How did they get past the Clippers?
Absolutely no idea. The West has been weird. Somehow the Spurs lost to the Clippers and then somehow the Rockets beat them. Houston are liked by the media (and thus massively overhyped) who like to pretend they are smart and into “statistics”. Fact is they shoot a lot of 3’s and defend no-one. If that’s smart basketball I’d rather play dumb, balanced, team basketball.
Totally agree. Rockets leave huge holes where players are uncovered. I think their poor defense was striking because the Cavs seem to never have such glaring deficiencies. Does bode well for the Cavs, as their defense has moved to a high level of excellence.
Great win, great pod, enjoy as much media as I can get now that I’m back in the land….wondering what other media outlets you guys consume, think I’ve done most of my usual rounds today (espn family, big news orgs, sportsblogosphere etc.) but sure I’m missing something good.
BTW here is video where Al Horford ends Raptor TJ Ford’s career https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_z1fySRESrE
….what was that about the careful fraternity, brother?
Holy crap that was hard to watch. Hard to imagine how he explained “ford was trying to injure me on that layup man…he’s gotta learn”
I had forgotten about that… Glad Al practices what he preaches…
#brotherhood
I don’t want to crucify the guy. That could have been an accident. But it sure looks more questionable than anything Delly has done.
Wow that was intense and no way an accident.. Delly is just getting smeared into the dirt. Did anybody mention his play after the Kroger indecent or was it just last night by miller and then it just took off from there. Unfreakingbelievable, One more reason to crush the doubters and masters this team is on a mission. Go cavs
With regard to that cash register/Mario coin SFX we were discussing in the pod… LBJ has spoken…
I didn’t say this on the pod, but I’m proud to be half-Australian. My mother always told me we had to fight harder for things, including respect, because we were all presumed to be descended from criminals (non-aboriginal Australia was essentially a penal colony filled with the people the Brits shipped out because their prisons were full).
Proud of Delly and his fight to be a part of the NBA. To blazes with the haters and those who would denigrate him as a “dirty” player.
I was talking in the bar where I watched the game about Australia – You walk out your back door and ten different animals can kill you. There is nothing on a basketball court with unarmed humans that can possibly intimidate you. I was screaming for the wombat and people looked at me like I was crazy. I guess it hasn’t caught on yet.
Giddy to listen to it on my drive through Pennsyltucky.
No comments from Cols on Delly, yet. Hmmm. Still hasn’t earned any respect?
Love John’s comments about Australia. My view exactly. Great point about Perkins not getting kicked out meaning now people have to get booted.
The Taj play was an annoyance, but hey, in the moments before Taj had completely wiped Delly out with an elbow to the back and pushed him to the ground, so really it was just a nit-pick payback. Getting Taj ejected was unlooked for.
Delly doesn’t have the talent to guard any of the Hawks starters. And there he is doing it. Delly Forever!
Great discussion. One thing – I was surprised you guys didn’t talk about the Cavs v GSW game back in Feb, which the Cavs won 110-99. Serious question – do you guys feel this game is not relevant to the finals re team makeups as they were then?
In a different sort of way, Lebron’s performance last night was one of the best I’ve ever seen from him.
“Whether I’m hitting my shots or not, I’m gonna do anything and everything it takes to win this game tonight. We will not lose!” It’s fitting, too, that Dellavadova shared the spotlight afterwards. There’s no other way they could be doing what they are doing, than to play like that.
So. Impressive and coherent podcast considering the time. Too bad you had technical difficulties. I think talking about the next series is ok but I also believe in jinxing. Tell lil b to get on board for an anti warriors beat.
Seriously this was a great way to spend my morning while fabricating my weekly produce.