[Eastern Conf Finals] Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Detroit Pistons

Most impressive thing about Lebron today was the vast array of shots he took. Driving his his specialty, but it wasn't all drives that got him points. It was 3 pointers, off the dribble mid range jumpers, fadeways, you name it.

I think the true mark of clutchness is being able to hit a jumper when it really counts, not necessarily a driving layup.

Lebron proved he could do it all tonight and I am real glad he finally stepped it up.

 

im sorry man, but thats just BS. the man has like a few good playoff series spaced years apart, and thats it. Sure hes made a few big shots, but he doesnt deserve the name mr big shot. why did he bounce around the league before finally making a splash in detroit? why doesnt he always show up in big games? its not fair to call him most clutch based on like a few series. you cant just take a **** on every other person who has ever played in the L like that... it would be the equivalent of pat riley saying that the miami championship was the best hed ever been a part of... o wait... crap.

dont get me wrong, billups is an excellent pg, just dont go and start putting him in 'best ever' catergories.

 

****, I'm not a witness tonight... Forgot about the game.

Looks like most of those predictions of Cleveland making it to the finals this year earlier this year are looking good.

BTW could this be one of the best playoff performances ever for a 22 year old. Or like Magic when he was young better?

 

Yeah, Bill Simmons had a pretty good article on ESPN.com about Billups being highly overrated as a clutch player.

 

that's how you take over a game!!

 

The King was in the Palace last night. Said and done. LeBron James straight up EXPLODED in detroit. WOW.
Steve kerr said that it was Jordan-esque, If you ask me.. id say that was LeBron-esque. Because, i know mj hit alot of clutch shots in the 4th quarter,but i cant seem to remember him being in alot of ot matches:S

Maybe im being blind, but yea.

Lebron James is the KING.

 

For those of you who care enough to read the local newspapers, this article paints the Pistons as team turmoil. You can sense the tension between Flip and a couple of the players but this explains a bit more. I guess when LB was coach there, his personality was so domineering he didn't allow any dissent or tension between players and/or coaches.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070601/SPORTS0102/706010420/1004/SPORTS

 

Yup, Flip never has the respect from players like Sheed and Pistons was talking about locker room problems even in last season. If Pistons still have Larry Brown, I dont think we will see 3 wide open dunks and 1 easy layup from Lebron in late 4th qtr and OTs. It's time for Detriot to miss Larry Brown.

Flip's defense sucks balls. How could you let one player score 25 straight on you and I didnt even see double team hard to force the ball out of Lebron. Yeah, Lebron made some unbelievable shoots, but I just didnt see the double team before or after he catch the ball. I'll expect another coaching opening if detriot lose this series. Terry Porter anyone?

 

I can't ****ing BELIEVE I turned this game off with 4 minutes left in regulation. I thought it was over when Detroit went on that 10-0 run.

 

Keep in mind that LB wore out his welcome and I don't think he would have lasted another season there. The players were tired of his whining criticism and perfectionism. He suffocates his players personalities more than Pop, Riles or any coach in recent memory. In other words, LB's two seasons in Detroit would have been a tough act for anyone to follow, LB himself included.

 

I am not a Lebron James fan and I always think he is slightly overrated. But last night truely was one of the most amazing playoffs performance I have ever seen, though I think it was just one of those nights certain players in a zone that they simply couldn't miss a shot. A step back and fade-away three with nothing but net, are you kidding me? Lebron is not that good, yet, to do it night in and night out.

That being said, he definitely grows up to be a man in the playoffs. Like all greats, he learn, grow and elevate his games in the playoffs, and he is a winner. Wade has already been through this process, now it is LeBron's turn.

Sadly, neither T-Mac or Yao belongs to this category. Yao is not good enough to be great while T-Mac has the skill and the talent but he is mentally weak.

 

LeBron's performance at last night is just a situational brilliance. A brilliant performance against a weak defense and just make the performance look like a perfect performance. Hey, the Pistons didnt even foul him when LeBron drove for dunks and layups. Put LeBron on the foul line and if he misses one FT, we would be talking about LeChoke here.

 

I smell hater.

 

I dont hate LeBron, I love good basketball. But what's Flip doing when freaking Eric Snow was in OTs and the Pistons didnt leave Snow and double team LeBron 24/7. Freaking Eric Snow cant make a shoot to save his life. And Filp just stayed with his zone defense. Awful no adjustment on Flip's side.

 

One other thing, for some reason I feel the need to give a little, just a little, credit to the rest of the Cavs for playing great team defense through most of the game. When the Pistons went on their big runs during regulation the Cavs closed the gap by playing smothering defense, getting stops, and thus getting easier baskets on the other end. Anyone watching this series knows that the Cavs defense has been a force. Even JVG commented that the Cavs defense is seriously underrated. Back to your regularly scheduled Lebron comments...

 

Bron was phenomenal last night...I haven't seen anything like that in a long, long time. I mean those jumpers he was taking were TERRIBLE shots...but they just kept dropping. Man, it was fun to watch! How about the Pistons and their "great" defense letting Bron waltz into the lane for dunk after dunk. And why didn't they double team him on the last play...idiots.

 

The Cavs' defense efficiency ranks #4 at 103. The Cavs have size, length and they are athletic, and versatile. All of those are good elements in playoff for matchups. Mike Brown has done a terrific job on the defense end. The Cavs' defense rotations are pretty fast and accurate. It's special because if you look at the Cavs roaster, you dont feel like they are good defense team.

 

You are completely blind. There were at least two occasions late that LeBron was obviously fouled and they didn't call it. One time he hit the shot anyway, the other Rasheed grabbed his arm and got NONE of the ball.

Yes it was a situational performance but it was one for the ages. 25 straight and 29/30 points is great no matter how you slice it.

 

Like I said earlier, this is why the Cavs are up 3-2 and why the Bulls fell. When the Bulls went into offensive droughts, their energy on defense fell and the Pistons made big runs. The Cavs haven't done that and Detroit hasn't been able to bury them with a dominant stretch of minutes. If the Cavs play tough defense the whole game, they are guaranteed to have a chance in the 4th quarter.

In game 6, I expect the Pistons to take LeBron out and force the other players to step up. Wouldn't be surprised if he has trouble scoring 20.

 

but he hsa a good supporting cast. in game 4, lebron only had 13 going into the 4th and they still led by 1.

they just need him to finish well. they dont need him to dominate literally the entire game.

bron does have a better supproting cast than our 2 stars (if u look at the guys who are not stars)