While We’re Waiting… Hardesty’s Role, Fausto’s Turnaround, and OSU’s NFL Draftees
April 28, 2010Indians 9 Angels 2: Austin Freaking Kearns
April 28, 2010The wind came out of the sails shortly before the the clock read all zeros. With 7.8 seconds remaining LeBron stepped to the free throw line and missed. That isn’t the particularly unusual part, the unusual part was that LeBron attempted the free throw left handed. His elbow was hurting enough to keep him from shooting the ball at a crucial moment, and he held the arm at his side as he played defense.
Despite trying to reassure the fans of Cleveland that “there is no reason to be concerned”, I assure LeBron that Cleveland fans will do nothing but be concerned until the game starts on Saturday and LeBron scores a few quick points.
Getting back to the game, it wasn’t the prettiest win- but it was a win on the first closeout try, which isn’t something that the Cavs have been good at historically. Antawn Jamison was hot early, and proved to be the consistent weapon that the Cavs hoped he would be in this series. His play helped ease a terrible shooting night for Mo Wiliams. Mo hit on just 2 of 7 three point shots, and was 0 for 6 from inside the arc.
Shaq had a better game for several reasons. First and foremost he stayed out of foul trouble, which even LeBron said in the post game interviews helps Shaq stay confident and focused in the game. His shots were falling. nearly all of them. Little hooks, line drives off of spins, they were all there. Shaq was 7 for 9 with 14 points and 8 rebounds. Shaq had good position all night, whether catching the ball close enough to the basket to do something with it, boxing Noah out for rebounds, or simply cherry picking easy baskets in transition. He also picked up key fouls on Brad Miller and Noah. This put the Cavs in the bonus early in the 4th and kept the Bulls from being aggressive at the rim down the stretch.
Mike Brown shortened his rotations even further in this one, playing Hickson only 3 minutes and going with a line-up of James, Mo, Delonte, Andy and Jamison for long stretches in the second half. Parker only played 19 minutes in this one, and the majority of those were in the first half. Delonte led the charge off the bench with 16 points.If there was a criticism to be leveled against coach Brown it might be refusing to use time outs to slow Chicago runs. Additionally, the Cavs played sloppy down the stretch, getting whistled for too many fouls in the last two minutes which allowed the Bulls to climb back into the game despite being down 9 with 3:29 left to play.
The Cavs will prepare to start the second round on Saturday against the Boston Celtics who won their series 4-1 with a victory over the Heat Tuesday. LeBron says he will play and everything will be fine for Saturday. There will be more about this to come I’m sure.
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(Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images)
40 Comments
I was hoping game 3 was a “wake-up call” based-on their play in game 4, but last night’s performance didn’t make me feel too good. That left-handed free throw attempt… I don’t know what to think about that. Really? He was that bad off he had to try a free throw with his left hand?!?!? Or was it just a show.
I really hope these performances vs. the Bulls can be attributed to the cavs not really respecting what they could do as a team and looking forward to the next round. If this team continues to allow teams to hang around they’re in for a rude awakening vs. the celtics who have looked extremely focused so far. I think we had the harder of the two match-ups with the Bulls even though they were an 8 seed, but still I hope the cavs realize whats waiting for them on monday.
I am really concerned with the series of stupid plays, repeatedly stopping the clock, in the last 3 minutes, and the general inability to finish off teams. We were better at it last year and this won’t cut it against more experienced teams. Believe the next series will go 7 and be fugly.
I do not want a repeat of last years results, but at least that team was fun to watch. Since around the end of February I find games frustrating more so than enjoyable.
Golic made a good point this morning. I wonder what Lebron would have done had he missed the first free throw and the lead was still just 3.
I’m pretty sure he shoots that next one right handed and does just fine. His elbow hurt, he didn’t need to make the second one, so he shot it left handed. Simple enough. Kepp using ice and therapy on off days, maybe a cortisone shot or two and see what happens.
The shooting motion puts a lot of stress on those tendons around the elbow, especially when you are jump shooting from halfcourt. I’m calling tendonitis.
So, I think we can all stop the charade here about the Cavs energy level and “up-ness” and focus and all that.
The fact of the matter is, this team has changed dramatically and they are not nearly as good defensively as they used to be. When Andy plays like he does, Antawn is at the 4, and Mo Williams is in the game, this team is not a good contesting team, nor a good rebounding team. Lots of offensive rebounds last night for Noah and Gibson at crucial times. And if it weren’t for LeBron coming in to ferociously snatch away another, could’ve been a different little ending there.
Williams, West, James, Jamison, Varejao is not a very good defensive team.
You can mock all you want, but Hickson needs more minutes. And what about sitting Mo down the stretch like Coach Malone did on Easter. That lineup sure looked pretty effective. If Mo is out there just be a spot-up shooter late in games (which he is), why not go with AP? Longer, stronger, down to the get friction on…
Lebron’s injury is a bit unsettling, but there is nothing keeping him off the court, this is a man that is determined.
I’m actually happy we faced the Bulls instead of a 1 man show like the Heat b/c they are are a lot similar to the teams we’ll face the next few rounds. Derek Rose is a better version of any of the PGs we’re going to face and it definitely tested us and showed us what we really need to work on going forward, especially when we see Rondo on Saturday.
Real happy to see Delonte starting to get back to the form he showed last year. Let’s hope this carries over into the series against the Celtics b/c I feel like he’ll be putting up some big minutes. The thought of Mo guarding Rondo makes me want to vomit, so hopefully Delonte’s given the task of at least slowing him down b/c he’s the key to the Celtics success.
At first I was all up in arms about this, the fact that we seemingly already forget the lessons learned in game 3. But then I took a deep breath and thought about it.
This game was positive for several reasons. Shaq finally got his mojo going. A lot of our offense focused on feeding the big man. That may not have been efficient for game five, but you can be damn sure we need it in the long run. As result of getting some offensive confidence back, the Shaqken also defended like a best last night.
Even Andy got going a *little* bit more that he was. I think Noah gives him trouble and Andy will be glad to see him go.
I mean look, this is one of those games I look back on and say we didn’t play great, but we didn’t play badly either. Both teams played pretty well. If LeBron hits his season average for points, we win by 15. I think some folks — myself included, at times — need to relax.
Do you guys remember playing Mortal Kombat and the rare instance when each player chose the same character? Then, the same fighter would appear on each side of the screen but with a slightly different wardrobe…
Anderson = Headband
Noah – Ponytail thing
I think this is why Andy struggled. It was just too jarring. THIS GUY KNOWS ALL MY MOVES!!! HE HAS THE EXACT SAME SPECIALS AS ME!!!
The Bulls earned that 8 seed with an injury plagued season. They were completely healthy for the series and played like a 5 or 6 seed.
I’m staying as positive as I can, for now. It was an ugly game, but a win is a win. It was nice to see Jamison have the game he did, and I love Delonte. He showed up, big time. Shaq is Shaq, so I think we’ll see more games like he had last night, and a few where he doesn’t show up at all. That’s his game, now, for better or worse.
The Cleveland fan in me is hoping that ‘The Elbow’ isn’t added to our lexicon of loss, though. It’s in the back of my mind, but I’m staying positive until after Game 1 on Saturday.
LeBron can expect plenty of whacks on that elbow area from Garnett, Big Baby, and everybody else in green.
It was hilarious watching Chicago racking up the fouls while trying to keep Shaq from backing in late in the game.
Thanks, Jack.
I was hoping there would be a comment concerning JJ (I am patiently waiting for the promised feature (from Scott?) on JJ.). JJ has been, for me, the Cavs’ best storyline this year.
If Lebron remains lame in the elbow, I see JJ’s quickness in/around the paint dampening the intensity of double teams on Lebron. JJ is spooky, like those footsteps you might hear in a first-person-shooter game before you get your leg shot off (at least that’s how it used to be for me).
He’s going to force players to stay closer to the basket than they’d like, cause overcompensation in defense of the now-open mid-range jumper, which will cause a vacuum in the paint, which JJ will quickly fill for the oop pass from said mid-range jumper guy. And he’ll convert it (about 60%?) and get an and-1 (about 40%?).
And then I awake in a sweat.
@Jack — PERFECT analogy! God I loved those old MK games.
Also!
This was the game where Antawn proved that, unlike any previous Cavs team of the LeBron era, we actually have a legitimate, consistent #2 scorer.
@Jack I personally don’t think the effort thing is a charade. Your probably right, they aren’t as good on the defensive end this year. But, they put the Bulls in a vice grip in game 4 and the defense looked outstanding; I’m just wondering where that goes half the time? There were also plenty of times during those games when it looked like the entire team was trotting back to the defensive end and Noah/Deng/Rose/The Mascot just leisurely took the ball straight to the rack for easy transition points. Call me crazy but I think there was some lack of effort in this series.
RE Mr. Cleaveland @ 12
Lebron should put on his royal elbow pad that (fabled?) super-permanent ink that they used to put on the fire alarm lever in high school (which would, supposedly, help nab the puller of a false alarm). Then he could alternately point at his royal elbow and said Celtic’s hand and say – SEE!
@Matt#2
I was cracking up in the fourth when Miller drew those two consecutive fouls, Noah came in, they fed Shaq the ball again and Noah got called for another foul.
Also, I have to say that once Lebron got that 10th rebound I looked at my friend and said “This is where we lose the game because we’re trying to force that last freaking assist,” and it seemed for a couple minutes they were trying to do just that (see: the turnover on the pass to Andy cutting to the basket.)
Calm down everyone. The left-handed free throw was OBVIOUSLY a tribute to the late Hank Gathers, who was featured in last week’s 30 for 30, “the Guru of Go”. Why Lebron is ashamed to admit it is puzzling to me.
and yes, I’ve really enjoyed the 30 for 30 films
Is it possible MB has a master plan? Instead of making this game as easy as possible to win, he is preparing the team for a title run? A small ball running lineup would have worked (and did in game 4), but is unlikely to be useful against the Magic and whoever comes out of the west.
Methinks “the elbow” picks up where “rust” left off at the beginning of the first series. Just lots of journalistic running at the mouth that leads us nowhere but somehow passes the time and gives us a delusional sense that we are increasing our pleasure of the sport and deepening our understanding of subtle matters.
Elbow this, elbow that… call me back on Saturday, game time.
EZ
“This is where we lose the game because we’re trying to force that last freaking assist,”
I thought the same thing. What’s up with that?
Thought bubble over Cavs: “Game’s sorta kinda in hand, how ’bout Bron’s stat line?”
@Jack – I ‘penned’ this on JJ a few weeks back. Unfortunately, his minutes have decreased, so it’s a tough comparison.
[Fox Sports Ohio]
LeBron’s Elbow Hurts! PANIC!!!
In trying to justify four games of lackluster hustle/effort/intensity, I find myself wondering if Game 4 was that “let’s just make sure we can do it when we have to” game, and that they’re saving it.
I’m not saying this is the case; I’m just wondering. They clearly were able to turn it on and destroy the Bulls on Sunday, but perhaps they’re saving it and/or playing their cards close to the vest for the C’s/Magic.
In other news, why yes, I AM grasping at straws. Why do you ask?
My thoughts: Shaq didn’t “get going” so much as he rammed his tuches into Bulls players until they were called for fouls.
There’s nothing embarrassing about a hard-fought five game series win, but after we were so powerful last year compared to Orlando, and still lost… It would have been nice to blow the the eight seed away again.
Windhorst was probably right when he alluded to Lebron being a little bit of a drama queen on the spur of the moment… But no news is better than potentially awful news.
Antawn is all that and more.
@Stin4u –
No, you’re right. I mean, I think it’s a combination of factors (which you also suggested). And I do think that it was next to impossible for the Cavs, being so heavily favored, to match the intensity of this Bulls team. I mean, if you compare Chicago to Charlote/Miami (with the exception of S-Jax and Wade), I think they would win the “heart” battle in a landslide.
I guess what I was really getting at is the following: the Cavs don’t have the ability to just flip the defensive switch like they once did. It’s not like they didn’t try in these 4th quarters to do so. With Mo being (at best) a yield sign rather than a stop sign and with Antawn still learning defensive rotations under Coach Brown’s occasionally overwrought schemes, they just can’t rely on that.
But yeah, there was no way for them to match the Bulls intensity. Every one of those guys is a scrapper.
@Scott – Nice piece and polished prose. There were a number of instances throughout the year, some of which you alluded to specifically, and others that have since escaped my mind…maybe thinking of some of his work on Bosh in that 2nd or 3rd TOR game, his work/block on Dwight at the Q in February.
I’m just looking around the league at these young players making an impact and I don’t think JJ is THAT behind the curve where we couldn’t benefit from his change of pace. Again, I’ve pointed to people like DeJuan “Bear” Blair, Serge Ibaka and maybe all of OKC, George Hill, the frontcourt we saw in round 1…now some of these guys seem a big more “heady” than JJ, in particular George Hill.
But I really think JJ has something to offer, especially against Boston. No one really matches up with him there. KG doesn’t have the athleticism even if he possesses the veteran foresight to recognize that a cut is imminent. Neither does Sheed. And Davis may still be young enough to move with Hickson but falls asleep on cuts and spacing all the time.
I just can’t think of any team in the playoffs right now that would not be giving this kid minutes. I’m not complaining, or saying it’s essential, but the Chicago series might’ve been a good time to get him going.
@Jason #18
Thats exactly what I was thinking. I can remember Bo Kimble doing that way back when.
I believe the elbow is fine. Watch on Saturday.
It took Dwight Howard 23 minutes to foul out of the last Magic-Cats game. Hope Mike Brown was paying attention when Shaq drew those three fouls in-a-row.
Also, nice to see Delonte with is Court Date haircut.
cant wait to see a pissed off shaq beat the crap out of big baby this series
Iz writin’ too much. Sorry, y’allz.
@The Other Tim – Giggle.
@The Other Tim you provide a legit strategy. After seeing that bobcats series my number one priority if we end up playing the magic is to get under Dwight Howards skin at all costs.
wait… we did win this series 4-1 correct? And we beat a surging bulls team that was finally healthy? A bulls team that is built to give us fits i.e. Rose and Noah. I am so much happier/confident than I was last year when we blew thru the first 2 rounds. I hope the celts take us 6 games. I hope we lose a game at the Q, I dont want this looking like last years playoffs when…. you know…
We need another “enjoy the ride” column
Stay positive cleveland! This is our year!
Seemed the Cavs had problems just stopping the ball this series. Couple games ago Noah goes coast-to-coast and gets fouled w/ andy back-pedaling. That can’t happen, and I expect a much better D effort starting Sat. Cavs have proven they can lock down on teams, new roster or not. Any chance AP guards Rondo this series?
RE the elbow, Windhorst’s reporting that it’s gonna need treatment but otherwise LeBron’ll be fine. Works for me. That lefty FT was weird, but I don’t think we need to get into Cleveland-style panic mode just yet. 3 days off is gonna help, too.
@Justin, there is no real doom and gloom here, just concern.
At best we got out hustled by a scrappy team. Years past the Cavs were the more energetic team, playing at the top of their game. Maybe the talent gap was so big that they could coast, but their lack of focus and effort is not fun to watch and it will not keep working.
The Catch,The Drive, The Fumble, The Shot,The Elbow
Am I the only one enjoying the evolution of DP’s avatar?
No one else wants to point out the obvious: that Lebron shooting that free throw left handed was one of the cheesiest, grandstanding-est moves in recent sports memory? It was a four point lead; the free throw didn’t matter. The opportunity to do something “dramatic” was just too tempting for our local hero. If youre hurt, then sit down, and let the Bulls pick someone on the Cavs bench to shoot it with his USUAL SHOOTING HAND!
If Phil Dawson stubs his right toe after a sideline touchdown celebration in a fourth quarter rout, does he come out and boot the extra point left footed? Does Travis Hackner take cuts right handed in a blow out against the Orioles because his micro-orchidism is starting to hurt him again?
Bottom line: that was a bush league move by the King. I love the guy as long as he plays on my team but if Dwight Howard or KG did something like that, Terry Pluto’s head would have exploded.
Anyway, Cavs over Celts in six.