My hat goes off to the Cleveland Cavalier defense for pushing the series to 7 games.

Cleveland held Boston to 43% from the field after the Celtics shot 48% during the regular season and 46% in their first round series with Atlanta.

Despite their defensive efforts, the Cavs lost the series because Mike Brown's offense is stagnant and LeBron James can't shoot.

Game 1

Boston 76 Cleveland 72

LeBron James: 2-of-18 from the field, 0-of-6 from the 3-point line, 8-of-10 from the free throw line.

0-7 from mid-range.

Game 2

Boston 89 Cleveland 73

LeBron James: 6-of-24 from the field, 0-of-4 from the 3-point line, 9-of-13 from the free throw line.

1-for-10 from mid-range.

Game 3

Cleveland 108 Boston 84

LeBron James: 5-of-16 from the field, 3-of-5 from the 3-point line, 8-of-12 from the free throw line.

1-for-8 from mid-range.

Game 4

Cleveland 88 Boston 77

LeBron James: 7-of-20 from the field, 2-of-5 from the 3-point line, 5-of-8 from the free throw line.

1-for-10 from mid-range.

Game 5

Boston 96 Cleveland 89

LeBron James: 12-of-25 from the field, 0-of-5 from the 3-point line, 11-of-13 from the free throw line.

5-for-11 from mid-range.

Game 6

Cleveland 74 Boston 69

LeBron James: 9-of-23 from the field, 1-of-3 from the 3-point line, 13-of-15 from the free throw line.

3-for-11 from mid-range.

Game 7

Boston 97 Cleveland 92

LeBron James: 14-of-29 from the field, 3-of-11 from the 3-point line, 14-of-19 from the free throw line.

4-for-6 from mid-range.

To Cleveland's Credit

The Cavs played fantastic rotation defense.

Pierce was held to 40% from the field for the series but with James defending him, erupted for 41 in the series deciding game 7. Ray Allen, 2nd all-time in career 3-pointers made, shot just 17% from beyond the arc and 33% from the field. Due in large part to the Cavalier defense trapping him in the corners and getting a hand in his face on nearly every shot attempt.

Cleveland's defense gave James a chance to win game's 1 and 5 but his one-dimensional offense couldn't deliver.

The Celtics took away his strengths and exposed his weaknesses just like the Spurs did in last year's NBA Final.

James averaged 27 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists per game but shot just 36% (55-of-145) from the field and 23% (9-of-39) from the 3-point line.

Further emphasizing James' shooting woes, LeBron was 15-of-63 from mid-range.

When his penetration is eliminated, James fires up 3-ball after 3-ball (like he did in game 7) because his mid-range game is non-existent.

After game 7, James said:

"At the end of [last] season when we lost four straight in the [NBA] Finals, I knew I had to get better extremely," James said. "At the end of this season, I just need to fine-tune the rest of my game. I've added some pieces to my game to make me a more complete basketball player. But now I don't have to reinvent anything. . . . So it's going to be a summer for me to fine-tune everything more than just trying to reconstruct something."

I disagree.

James needs to reinvent his jumpshot. He needs to hire a shooting coach and start from the ground up with his mechanics.

Too often, he's off-balance. He can't shoot off the dribble, especially going right. He's a threat to get to the basket - that's it - and great defenses will continue to play him accordingly.

A legitimate 2nd option would alleviate some of the scoring load on LeBron but that guy won't be able to shoot the ball for him. And in Mike Brown's offense, who's to say he would be utilized or that James would be willing to incorporate him.

The common refrain heard in most of the blogs and 'expert' articles is that James needs to be surrounded by shooters. Guys who can capitalize when the defense sags in on LeBron. But wasn't Damon one of the best 3-point shooters in the league when he was with Miami? Daniel Gibson can hit from deep. So can Sasha Pavlovic and Wally Szczerbiak.

The truth of the matter is that James is just as responsible for the stagnant Cavalier offense as Mike Brown is. There's too many times where James catches the ball at the top of the key and dribbles for what seems like an eternity before deciding to make a move himself or pass to someone else. More often that not, his teammates are reduced to standing around and watching.

Sure, LeBron gets his #'s but that's more a reflection of his do-everything role within Cleveland's offense.

The Cavs are close to championship contention. They could have as much as $30 million in expiring contracts to work with in trades. They will also have the No. 19 overall pick in the first round of the NBA Draft and the $5.5 million midlevel exception.

But if they are to get to the next level - first things first - Mike Brown has to go and LeBron James needs to get in the gym and get to work.

ballerblogger.com