2010 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals: Cavs (#1) Vs. Celtics (#4)

ASidd_1990 · May 12, 2010

The Cavs really miss John Kuester and his offensive schemes.

Mike Brown has always been a defensive minded coach who know nothing about the offensive side of the game. Kuester was the brains behind the offensive plays.

Mr. Space City · May 12, 2010

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LMFAO

Nolocke · May 12, 2010

Mr. Space City said:

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LMFAO
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If this ******* doesn't stop pointing at me like I'm the reason he still lives in his moms basement I'm gonna break it off. Btw nice way of sucking on Lebron then spitting it on the camera at the end.

rockets88MT · May 12, 2010

Mr. Space City said:

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LMFAO
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HAHAHAHAHA omg that was good.... CAVS, YOU SUCK!! lol
and is it just me or does he look a lot like...

Kojirou · May 12, 2010

Kwame said:

Can somebody please post the Inside the NBA from tonight's game? I was at the gym and didn't get a chance to watch Kenny, Charles, and EJ's post-game commentary. I tried searching for it, but was unable to find it online.
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I normally think that NBA posts it later in the morning, but yeah, a link would be nice.

Franchise3 · May 12, 2010

theimpossibles1 said:

I can't believe how many people jumped/are jumping on the bandwagon of Rondo because he has one great home game. Let's not forget how many options he has, he has the ideal teammates for a point guard to pad his stats. This stupid GIF showing Rondo KOing LBJ is some serious Boston homer crap... LeBron puts performances like Rondo's together on a consistent basis (with no supporting cast).
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ONE great home game? I guess you haven't been paying attention when Rondo has basically put the team on his shoulders for multiple games in this year's AND last year's playoffs. Rondo is a gamer who has shown he can step up when the team needs him or back off and facilitate the flow of the offense when the Big 3 are playing well.

He is already really, really good. And the scary thing is, he has been showing consistent improvement every year. If his work with Mark Price pays dividends and he develops a consistent mid-range jumper, he'll be nearly unguardable one-on-one.

Kwame · May 12, 2010

@larvs8: That

Kojirou said:

I normally think that NBA posts it later in the morning, but yeah, a link would be nice.
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I think you're right. I just watched it now. The entire segment is broken down into 16 short videos. All anyone has to do though is go to http://www.nba.com/insidethenba/ and click the tab 'latest show' and that will give you the most recent edition of Inside the NBA.

Kwame · May 12, 2010

Kwame said:

@larvs8: That gif or whatever it was that isn't there anymore that you posted of Rondo knocking out Lebron was hilarious

Kojirou said:

I normally think that NBA posts it later in the morning, but yeah, a link would be nice.
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I think you're right. I just watched it now. The entire segment is broken down into 16 short videos. All anyone has to do though is go to http://www.nba.com/insidethenba/ and click the tab 'latest show' and that will give you the most recent edition of Inside the NBA.
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Fixed

SwoLy-D · May 12, 2010

It's funny how LeBron is mentioned as being "denied" a Championship in ESP'n the MAG in the June 2006... which coincides again with the WORLD CUP in 2010... will we see a repeat, but at the hands of the Celtics this time?

ASidd_1990 · May 12, 2010

http://realcavsfans.com/showthread.php?t=31162

This was by "Wine and Gold", who is their version of Clutch or Doc Rocket.

Imagine Clutch posting something like this about one of our players after a playoff loss.

What I'm trying to say is that this isn't some random poster spewing nonsense, but a legit source.

Quote:
A Case of Class, Character, and Maturity

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

of lack thereof ... ??

Never thought this case scenario would ever be a possiblity. But, I'm going to lay out some opinions, and thought patterns that have been circulating in my mind since before this Boston series began. I can go back to three different points during the regular season actually.

But, the main issue is this. I no longer feel that Mike Brown has Lebron James confidence and support as the head coach of this basketball team. I think it's been hanging by a paper thin thread since last year's collapse against the Magic, and has never stabilized to a secure place since.

I think of late, he's also had some key people in his life ,,,in his ear poisoning his mind with alternatives.

I'll put four names together ... Leon Rose, Wes Wesley, John Calipari, Lebron James.

I believe parlayed w/ Lebron's wavering low levels of confidence in Mike Brown, has come these factors in his life that have him mentally compromised.

The Lebron we're seeing in this series is a Lebron James that no longer trusts, believes, nor buys into ANYTHING coming from our head coach.

The only person I've even hinted with in regards to what has been going on has been Jon/Va in a few texts a week or so back. I had heard via some Nike insiders that John Calipari was having strong interests in coming back to the NBA game, but only under the most positive of situations.

Obviously if I'm hearing these things, Lebron is getting them, and more from his people that surround him.

Please note two key, and I believe related issues. Wes Wesley is now an agent representing coaches. To believe he is now working for Calipari would be educated reasoning to say the least

Another key piece ...high ranking recruits to Kentucky aren't signing letters of intent any longer. They are signing something less binding, so that IF Calipari isn't there any longer, they no longer are tied to that university.

If you are smart, you can begin to piece together a puzzle.

I don't believe that I'm delusional ...

But, I'm shocked that, even given a diminished confidence in Mike Brown as our head coach, that Lebron would throw him under the bus in this fashion. No matter ...it's not something anyone of conscience would do.

Saying that ....I just refer to my subject title.

I'd like to think I'm way off base and delusional. But, something is up in my mind.

Red flags began to arise with the elbow injury, with me.

Lebron has always been a player that has been very upfront and vocal about any physical ailment that has or could hinder his play. To the point of obsessive personal concern. When he shot that one FT left handed, and then came out and said it was an issue he had been dealing with for weeks, it was very odd to everyone, because it took our Dr's and training staff by surprise completely.

Since that point in time, which coincides with all that was happening on the Wesley/Calipari front ...Lebron has been a completely different individual. Nothing like the guy we have gotten to know over thecourse of all these years with us.

Which then lead me to try and figure out and ask myself ....what could be causing this ?

And I'm only being honest when I say ...this is where my mind has gone, and the conclusions that I've been coming to.

I hope I'm dead wrong ...but, that's where I'm at mentally right now.
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J-Tang · May 12, 2010

I cant believe they decided to have LeBron James guard Rajon Rondo, I don't think he can keep up with him, it really tired him out. But then again, their offense runs around LeBron and their defense apparently runs around LeBron All NBA Defense First Team James.

And Mike brown needs to learn how to utilize Shaquille O' Neal. No excuses to have such a big center not have an impact on the game.

professorjay · May 12, 2010

Hollinger ESPN Insider

Actions speak louder than words.

And although the words coming out of Cleveland in the wake of Tuesday night's crushing 120-88 Cavaliers loss to the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals haven't been terribly revealing, a rewatch of the game tape shows what might have caused what my editor, Royce Webb, calls the "LeBacle."

Let me start by saying that the Cavs have several problems right now other than LeBron James. They gave up 70 points in the second half Tuesday, for crying out loud. The frontcourt pairing of Shaquille O'Neal and Antawn Jamison is defensively suspect, a problem exacerbated by their limited playing time together (just four games before the playoffs.)

The fact that Mo Williams is getting lit up like a Christmas tree in front of them isn't helping, either. I'm also wondering whether Anderson Varejao's back is hurting more than he has let on. And Mike Brown is flailing right now -- that Boobie Gibson cameo Tuesday night was a cry for help.

With all that said, if James had gone off for his usual 34-8-7 in Game 5, we'd be having a very different conversation this morning. The primary reason the Cavs looked so awful is that the man who dominated the league in the regular season did virtually nothing of note Tuesday night. (In a testament to how dominant he'd been coming into the game, he still ranks first in playoff player efficiency rating.)

The obvious question is: Why? Was his elbow bothering him that much? Was he sick? Did he just check out of this one?

We haven't been given many answers, so instead of words, let's look at actions. And what the actions scream from the hilltops is that both LeBron and his opponents knew something was wrong right from the opening tip.

When I rewatched the game this morning, several things stood out to me.

First, James couldn't make a jump shot. He tried 11 jumpers and made only one of them. Every miss was short -- most of them well short -- and a couple drifted off to the right. I suppose this could have happened just by chance, but a far more likely cause is that his elbow was bothering his shot.

Two other data points buttress that conclusion. First, James passed up several other opportunities to shoot open jumpers. Most notable was an isolation against Paul Pierce in the second quarter. James jabbed, and Pierce flinched backward a step and a half, leaving a clear opening to rise up for the uncontested J from 18 feet. Instead, James froze. He reset; Pierce got back into position; and James eventually drove into traffic and nearly threw away a pass.

[+] EnlargeLeBron James
David Liam Kyle/NBAE/Getty ImagesLeBron's elbow injury has created a world of hurt for Cavaliers fans.

That was just one play, but I counted several others in which James had a clear opening for the jumper and turned it down. One could argue this was a reaction to his cold shooting, but that has never stopped him before. Instead, I would surmise that he knew his elbow limited his effectiveness as a jump shooter.

It appears the Celtics knew this, too. What stood out while watching LeBron's screen-and-roll possessions, particularly in the second half, was how far under the screen Pierce was playing. It was far enough that he was just meeting James at the other side near the foul line to cut off his driving lane. This should have led to a profusion of wide-open J's that even an average outside shooter like James could have easily exploited. Instead, he went 1-for-11 on jumpers.

James didn't shoot, but he didn't drive, either. Rather, he passed up a lot of opportunities to make plays. What really stood out in the rewatch was how many pick-and-roll plays ended with James creating no advantage and ultimately passing the ball to a teammate who wasn't open. By my count, this happened a whopping 13 times.

This, to me, was the most disturbing part about James' Game 5 performance. The pick-and-roll should be able to create some kind of opportunity for James to either score or pass to a wide-open teammate, but when the Celtics offered him jumpers, he reacted by giving up on the play entirely. Cleveland's supporting cast members aren't good enough to create plays on their own without LeBron first creating an advantage for them -- everybody knows this. But too often Tuesday night, a play ended with somebody such as Anthony Parker or Delonte West trying to score one-on-one against a set defense.

As a result, a funny thing happened, something I doubt has happened many times in Cleveland: The Cavs' offense was dramatically more effective when James wasn't involved in the play.

Throughout the first quarter, the Cavs ran plays for Williams and O'Neal to get them involved. This is standard operating procedure for Cleveland, and it produced a respectable 23 points and a three-point first-quarter lead.

It's hard to remember, but Cleveland actually led by eight at one point early in the second quarter. The Cavs pulled James for a two-minute rest and couldn't score. When he came back, they ran nearly every play through him until the middle of the fourth quarter … and still couldn't score. Cleveland scored only 51 points in 2½quarters, with nearly every play going through James in the form of a screen-and-roll.

Even at that, the scoring plays tended to be the rare exceptions that weren't for James: post-ups for Shaq, screen-and-rolls for Williams, even an open-court basket-and-1 for Zydrunas Ilgauskas when the Celtics botched a trap at the end of the first half.

Thus, the most logical conclusion is that the elbow was a major factor and that it affected LeBron mentally as much as physically. We have one other data point to support us: his track record in this series. Since Game 5 of the Chicago series, James' effectiveness has correlated directly with how much rest he had between games.

Witness: Games 2, 4 and 5 came with just one day of rest; in those three, he shot 0-for-13 on 3s and 17-for-47 overall. Games 1 and 3, on the other hand, had an extra day of rest beforehand, which seemed to allow his elbow to feel much better: In those two contests, he was a one-man wrecking crew, making 26 of 46 shots from the floor and scoring 73 points. Needless to say, those were the two Cleveland wins in this series.

What it all means for the Cavs is rather worrisome because Thursday's must-win Game 6 (8 p.m. ET, ESPN) comes on one day's rest again. The silver lining is that Cleveland would have two days off before Game 7, which means it probably would have something closer to a 100 percent LeBron for a potential rubber match. Unfortunately, the Cavs won't get past Game 6 unless James either attacks the basket with much more conviction or finds a way to sink a few jumpers despite the balky elbow.
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Arun Sharma · May 13, 2010

I don't know if cavs will win tonight or not... one thing i am pretty sure about is we are going to see a big night from Lebron. At least 30 points.. if not 40

rockets934life · May 13, 2010

Is tonight's game the biggest for the NBA in the past decade +?

1) The result might impact the direction of a number of different famed organizations. (NY, Chicago, Cleveland..etc)

2) Shift the balance of power.

3) Destroy one city and bring another back to life.

I just find tonight's game fascinating on so many freaking levels.

Pull_Up_3 · May 13, 2010

Celts will close it out tonight

Keyser Soze · May 13, 2010

Keyser Soze said:

Celtics in 6
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1st post of this thread

professorjay · May 13, 2010

rockets934life said:

Is tonight's game the biggest for the NBA in the past decade +?

1) The result might impact the direction of a number of different famed organizations. (NY, Chicago, Cleveland..etc)

2) Shift the balance of power.

3) Destroy one city and bring another back to life.

I just find tonight's game fascinating on so many freaking levels.
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I was also wondering how everyone else views it. I don't have as much objectivity because I'm a Cleveland fan and this game could dictate the fate of the franchise for years to come (as you mentioned).

I haven't seen this much fervor for a single playoff game by the media in a long time, and that counts the finals too. Amazing that it's primarily caused by one player. It's almost as if the Celtics are playing a minor role.

UNFORTUNATELY I won't even get to watch the first half. It might be for the best...because I'm fearing the worst.

The funny thing is I already prepared myself before the playoffs that this could be the last time the Cavs are relevant. I just never expected it to end like this ...

BTW, I better see a ****load of Varejao on the court tonight.

ASidd_1990 · May 13, 2010

professorjay said:

I was also wondering how everyone else views it. I don't have as much objectivity because I'm a Cleveland fan and this game could dictate the fate of the franchise for years to come (as you mentioned).

I haven't seen this much fervor for a single playoff game by the media in a long time, and that counts the finals too. Amazing that it's primarily caused by one player. It's almost as if the Celtics are playing a minor role.

UNFORTUNATELY I won't even get to watch the first half. It might be for the best...because I'm fearing the worst.

The funny thing is I already prepared myself before the playoffs that this could be the last time the Cavs are relevant. I just never expected it to end like this...
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PJ, who do you think will be to blame for the Cavs ultimate failures? LeBron, Dan Gilbert and Ferry, Mike Brown, or LeBron's supporting cast?

rockets934life · May 13, 2010

professorjay said:

I was also wondering how everyone else views it. I don't have as much objectivity because I'm a Cleveland fan and this game could dictate the fate of the franchise for years to come (as you mentioned).

I haven't seen this much fervor for a single playoff game by the media in a long time, and that counts the finals too. Amazing that it's primarily caused by one player. It's almost as if the Celtics are playing a minor role.

UNFORTUNATELY I won't even get to watch the first half. It might be for the best...because I'm fearing the worst.

The funny thing is I already prepared myself before the playoffs that this could be the last time the Cavs are relevant. I just never expected it to end like this ...

BTW, I better see a ****load of Varejao on the court tonight.
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When they made the Jamison deal, Ferry made it obivous they were going all in and now it may have been their death nail. I don't really blame Ferry for his moves, I mean the team has won 60 games the last 2 seasons but I think they should have made the move for Amare instead of Jamison. Amare would have given James his "Robin" and set them up nicely for years to come.

IMO, tonight will setup the NBA for the next decade and begin a ripple effect starting with this summer.

professorjay · May 13, 2010

I'd like to reply, but I really have to go...

I don't know what happened in game 5. Tonight Lebron doesn't owe it to the city, the franchise, his coach, or even his teammates. Tonight he owes it to himself to win this damn thing.

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2010 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals: Cavs (#1) Vs. Celtics (#4)

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