Tag: cavaliers

Posted on

NBA Finals, Game 1

  • I can’t believe they have Jeff Van Gundy broadcasting the finals. I really can’t stand him. He has no real insight, speaks in platitudes and always sounds like he is straining to be heard.
  • Mark Jackson is OK, but I really like Kerr, Albert and Collins. Too bad they work for TNT and not ABC.
  • Ginobli has a breakaway layup off a steal towards the end of the first quarter. Lebron James is right there and doesn’t foul him.
  • Robert Horry isn’t nearly as good as he used to be but he’s still what is known as a “wily veteran.”
  • Lebron James has a bad habit of dribbling at the top of the key for too long before starting his move. The consequence is that the pass he makes has to be an assist – there’s not enough time for more passing.
  • Donyell Marshall is a very capable three point shooter. When is he going to start hitting shots?
  • I suppose I would like to see Michael Finley get a ring. He’s gone from one of the “big three” in Dallas to playing the 2 and 3 off the bench. I admire veterans who can go from “star” to role player because there are so few who have done it. Ron Harper and Brian Shaw come to mind. I thought Magic Johnson could do it in his comeback, but even he failed.
  • Add me to the chorus of Daniel Gibson admirers. There’s a good chance that Gibson will be Scottie Pippen to Lebron’s Michael Jordan.
  • Although Parker and Duncan are better than ever, this may be the weakest Spurs team to reach the Finals, especially in the frontcourt and on the bench.
  • It’s unbelievable that Brent Barry is still getting playing time – he’s got length but he has no impact on either end of the floor. He’s reputed to be a three point shooter, but I’ve seen none of that this year during the playoffs.
  • Francisco Elson is grom the Netherlands. Somehow I never imagined that there were people of color in the Netherlands.
  • Drew Gooden is a solid player but has a hard time keeping focus, I think. He’s a great hustler, though, and has a really nice post game.
  • I don’t understand why the Cavs aren’t working their big men more on offense. Both Ilgauskus and Gooden could really give Duncan a workout.
  • Weaknesses in Lebron James’ game: jacks up too many threes and questionable ball-handling sometimes. He might be a little too patient in waiting for the game to come to him. He also seems unwilling to stick with the same strategy after it fails once.
  • The San Antonio veterans have a great killer instinct especially Ginobli, Parker, Horry and Duncan.
  • Cleveland played a pretty good defensive game for three quarters.
  • Mike Brown needs to realize that Larry Hughes can’t play starter minutes on his gimpy foot now. It’s time for Gibson to start.
  • Pavlovic needs to have a bigger role in the offense. He’s a good shooter and capable of high flying lane penetration. Unfortunately, his position overlaps with Lebron’s and he has the smallest role of any starter.
  • Duncan had a ton of offensive rebounds and they were all clean (no pushing).
  • R.C. Bruford has to be the most under-rated GM in the league. Year after year the Spurs have one of the best rosters in the NBA but they still have a fair amount of turnover in personnel. They’ve lost some good talent to free agency but they always seem to replace it.
  • Despite the loss, the Cavs should feel good about this game. The Spurs are beatable.
Posted on

Wizards at Cavaliers

  • What happened to Lebron James tonight was pretty unbelievable. Not only was he missing jump shots left and right, he was missing layups and even dunks. After showing that he was the real deal in Game 1 with a triple double, he turned in a 28% shooting night, had 2 assists, 10 turnovers and made some really bad decisions down the stretch. Of course, he’ll probably have a monster game in Game 3.
  • Neither on of these teams is good enough to go very far in the playoffs. There were turnovers and bad plays throughout the game. The winner of the series gets to play Detroit who will undoubtedly take apart either of these teams.
  • I can’t think of a basketball commentator that I dislike more than Jeff Van Gundy. He doesn’t provide any meaningful insight and tonight he was horribly biased for the Wizards. Unfortunately, he was teamed with Doc Rivers, who shares many of his coaching philosophies. When they both started talking about how much the fans loved to see a good hard foul, I just wanted them to stop. I’d really rather see basketball played. Coaches don’t really understand at all what fans want and they should just STFU on the subject.
Posted on

Miami Heat vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

Thoughts I had during the game:

  • Dwayne Wade is the fastest half-court player in the NBA. Some players have great fast break speed, but Wade has great baseline and in-the-paint speed. He takes tremendously long strides when he wants to blow by someone and seems to just tilt from one side to the other as he weaves his way to the basket. I really love his game.
  • During the Laker’s first championship run, the thing that really surprised me about Shaq was what great, soft hands he has. He gathers in nearly every rebound or pass that is near him and it’s nearly impossible to dislodge the ball once he has two hands on it.
  • I used to really dislike Alonzo Mourning, both as a Hornet and later when Riley traded to get him on the Heat. He always seemed to whine about foul calls more than anybody else. I also never accepted him as a true center – he’s not even a 7-footer. However, since his return to the Heat, the guy has been the definion of a sports “warrior.” He does what he’s asked to do and never complains about his minutes. He even waived off the postgame interview after his fourth quarter heroics.
  • I can’t think of a better center tandem to have on a team than Alonzo Mourning and Shaquille O’Neal. Even at this late stage of their careers, both are able to put in a great 15-25 minutes per game. I expect that if they stay together that they will be able to buoy each other’s careers tremendously over the years.
  • Speaking of great tandems, Jason Williams and Gary Payton both seem to have adjusted to the Heat game. I didn’t see either of them shooting shots that were out of the flow of the offense. You definitely could not say that earlier in the season.
  • I’m especially happy that Payton has worked out. I was really disappointed in his showing for the Lakers two years ago, but perhaps I was expecting too much from the old guy. He’s definitely playing fewer minutes now and is a long way from being the star he was in Seattle. I’m continually surprised at how few players that were great when they were young are able to mold themselves into great role players late in their careers. Ron Harper is an excellent example of that. Magic Johnson is not.
  • I hear Antoine Walker is also getting better as the season progresses, but I have seen no evidence of that yet. He still shoots more three pointers than he should, he still mishandles rebounds and he still blows layups. He needs to sacrifice a little of his alleged finesse game and add a little power. At least Riley hasn’t replaced Haslon with Walker. That would be a travesty.
  • I really doubted that the Heat would be able to mesh given all the changes that they made during the off-season, but it really seems like they are getting there. Posey was very sharp and even Shandon Anderson made a contribution in the game.
  • When I first saw Wade playing in the playoffs 3 years ago, he reminded me very much of Michael Jordan – mostly because he’s a high flyer and clearly imposes his will on the game. Since then I’ve seen a certain grittiness that even MJ never displayed. He may soon replace Allen Iverson as the toughest player in the league. If he can add a credible three point shot to his game, he could be better than Mike.
  • Check that – he would also need a good low-post game, too. No two or three has ever had the game that Michael had on the block. In fact, does anybody that’s not a center or a four have a low-post game these days?

Update: Shaq was not happy about sitting on the bench in the 4th quarter