ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Cavaliers 2/3/2018

THE BEST, cause injuries and matchups and eye test

ps
23-1 is our true record

 

this,
they would have cared if the opponent looked a bit more beatable

 

when we're actually historic No1 , right brah?
23-1

 

And i thought we are the best
23-1

 

nah, only made illegal by NBA, i am sure Kerr thinks its some kind or travel or double dribble every time

 

Five of Ten. including #1

 

lol jeff and mark didnt even notice, they thought GG was one doing the dunkin, and were talking about having nothing against him being in the dunk contest right after that

 

remember that home game vs gsw that rhyno help us win?

 

nice!

 

Golden States (And the Cavs for that matter) core has played deep into the post season the last 4 years. It takes its toll. Some argue Harden was fried much sooner aka in game 6 last year. It’s very difficult to repeat. Let’s just take advantage and secure the first seed and the title. Kerr hears our footsteps and is making excuses. Hardens stepback / he meant to DM and now they are fried.

 

Flyin Ryan with another dunk in this game. He is becoming untouchable

 

Yes sir, enjoy the all star break 4 all star Warriors. I’m sure they will use that as an excuse as well.

We never get to rest.....even when it’s all star break

 

Looks very dejected. Things are coming to a head in Cleveland.

All the same, he's still one of the top ten best defenders in the NBA.

YOU HAVE TO:

1. Know the player. This is the most important thing when it comes to evaluating how good/bad a player is and whether or not he is at the end of his career and his skills have faded.

Lebron is one of the three greatest players of ALL-TIME. And a huge part of his status is because he has ALWAYS been a great defender. Has that changed? Has his defensive skills eroded? Look no further than his offense. Has any of those skills eroded? Nope. Neither has his defense.

All that is happening in Cleveland is Lebron is refusing to carry the team defensively. It's not because his skills have eroded to the point where he's a bad defender. It's because he's playing on a bad defensive team. He's surrounded by guys that don't want to be there (Love, Shump, others), or that can't play defense (Love, IT, Rose, Korver, Frye), or that are distracted (TT, others) and aren't giving effort, or are injured or coming off injuries, or who are over the hill in their career.

This is why you watch the player. And it's why you -

2. Watch the games. You watch the games to see what the team is doing, what's the defensive scheme, what the matchup are, who is getting beat, who is helping, rotating, etc.

When you watch the games you see what I just described above, a listless bunch of players. And that explains

3. The numbers. The numbers say they're a bad team. The numbers say LeBron is on a bad team.....not that LeBron is now all of a sudden the 300th best defender in the league this year when he's been a top ten defender throughout his career and arguably one of the twenty or so best defenders to ever lace them up in the Association.

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This is why you don't look at numbers and make your belief and argument around numbers. There's bodies and minds and teams behind those numbers. You have to watch the games. And you have to know the talent. Then you can understand the numbers.

Thank you very much.

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Now let's speak to what LeBron is, once again, failing at. That is....his relationship with the owner and front office of the Cavs. He failed his first time. He failed in Miami after and during their championship runs. And he's failing again.

When Lebron returned to Cleveland, Gilbert and him made up. They patched up their differences. Gilbert wanted to win enough to swallow his pride. Lebron wanted to win his way sooooo badly that he left a championship team and environment to go back home and be the hometown hero. Lebron didn't like Riley keeping a tight reign on everything and not responding to all of LeBron's whims concerning personnel, coaching, and player discipline and.favoutritism Lebron wanted more say so in the roster, style of play, and how the team was operated. So he divorced Riley and remarried his first wife.

But this time Gilbert, in order to make amends, bent over backwards to accommodate LeBron with the roster. They traded the first pick (Wiggins) for Kevin Love. As it turns out, that was a crappy deal long term for Cleveland. They have used Love as mostly a Ryan Anderson clone floor spreader over the years, making him the third option while paying him max money and severely limiting his touches. A very team limiting move when your #2 option (Kyrie) was and is still one of the WORST defenders in the NBA (but that's covered up since Kyrie is on one of the best defensive teams in the NBA where three or four other guys cover for him, another reason why you know the player and watch the games). The Cavs would have been much better off to keep and develop Wiggins, clear cap, and sign an ace wing/shooting guard that was both an ace defender and great shooter, and sign or trade for a great defensive center and a floor spreading 4.

No, they went out and traded for JR Smith and Iman Shumpert in a move Lebron loved right along with the acquisition of Love. Those were his boyz, a very low character JR, and a dinged Shumpert who has never been the same since his rookie season knee injury, who has never been able to average 30 minutes a game and who was out on injury when they traded for him. Not only did they go get those guys....but they re-signed them when it was obvious they needed to move on.

They subsequently fired the coach to please LeBron and brought in a former player with no head coaching experience to be the head coach (if you call him that) and keep Lebron happy and not pouting.

Lebron, with his on court greatness and a tidgen of luck because Draymond Green got suspended a game, pulled that sack o' mess across the finish line once in three seasons. That happened to be the year he spent sucking on popsickles with Love at the beach to convince Love (a role player on a Lebron team) to graciously accept the max 5-year deal the Cavs were now desperate for Love to sign because they would have no cap space to sign anybody else if he walked. And also the same year he thumped on Gilbert's desk and made the Cavs hand Tristan (another obvious replaceable role player on a Lebron-led team) over $80 million to be an undersized mediocre player at a key position for a team with championship aspirations.

Lebron then lost Kyrie who basically just got tired of putting up with Lebron's dominant presence and identity and demands.

Most all that failure is on Lebron. He took advantage of a weak owner and a situation that gave him control. He's not a very good general manager, and he has a demonstrable weakness in being a good follower. He's had trouble following the coach at every stop. And he's had trouble leading every team except for the team he walked on to where Wade was already esconced and Wade supported him becoming the leader. And in that situation he chafed with the GM and coach.

So, like Kobe at the tail end of his career, Lebron has created his own mess now in Cleveland. Because of his demands on the front office they are now somewhat land-locked in their ability to adjust the roster and at least partially because of the demands of playing alongside him, he lost Kyrie and now Love is listless. The whole thing is crumbling and Lebron bears his share of the responsibility.


But regardless..............all that does not mean he is all of a sudden a negative value poor defender. He's on a crap team, partially due to his own making, that he has lost in the locker room as well as the fact that many of their (not his) skills have now eroded with age and injury.

Big changes are coming. Love most likely gone next week. DJ and Kemba may be riding to the rescue....But only if Lebron commits to 18-19. Barring that (major moves) the Cavs are dead in the water. And Lebron may even request a trade out next week. Would not surprise me one bit.

 

I agree. Wow...

 

23-1 with Harden, CP & CC.

CP was +47 last night

 

People forget Harden was injured just before playoffs last year and he wasn't the same after that.

 

best team of all times confirmed...shame on the refs for that one loss

 

If the Cavs keep losing Lebron looks like less of a dick when he leaves.