First, see the comment I made on the last post to get my last take (for now) on Bustomania 2007: The Detroit Pistons. I'ma try to move on now.
The finals. So I picked Cleveland to win, because I think they match up well with the Spurs, as long as they aren't too happy just to be in the finals. So what happens? They go and get intimidated by the bright lights and lose in a game that wasn't really ever competitive.
I could go on about Mike Brown's strategic ineptitude for a while (So it was a good idea to have Bron bring the ball up, even though you won in Detroit by playing him off the ball? What about leaving the only guy shooting the ball well on the bench for most of the game?), but fear of the moment was what made the Cavs miss open looks and get outrebounded more than anything the Spurs were doing. And then there was King James. 14 points and 6 turnovers won't get it done.
The good news for Cavs fans is that the team probably won't play as bad in game 2. And the Spurs? They did what they were supposed to do. Timmy played well, but wasn't as dominant offensively as he'll need to be when (if?) Cleveland shows up for this series. That's to be expected though, when Parker can get 20+ on mostly layups. Maybe the Cavs will make him shoot a jumper next time around. Or something. Just an idea.
The Cavs played badly, but this was the one game they could afford to use to get their finals sea legs. Game 2, though, now becomes a must-win for Cleveland, thanks to the 2-3-2 format that stacks the odds so strongly against the underdog. If the Cavs lose game 2, they would have to sweep their three home games to win the series. Last time that happened? Oh yeah, Pistons '04. So much for moving on.
Oh man. You also have problems with Coach Brown. I, with ya Guru. Check my post titled "If I were coaching the Cavs..." Tell if that's more logical than his current strategy.
I guess that's one way to look at it. so the cavs did everything to lose and the spurs "were lucky" to get game one. I guess the spurs were at the top of their game and the cavs were totally unprepared and out of sync. So when they raise their game the Spurs will fold and not have an answer? Good news is the spurs can't play at that level the whole series and they will wear down and quit like detroit. Yep that's one way to look at it.
Timmy played well, but wasn't as dominant offensively as he'll need to be when (if?) Cleveland shows up for this series.
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how is 24 - 13 with 5 blocks not dominant .. man i wish i could be not that dominant
Experience is a good teacher is what I always heard. Game 1 showed the Cavs what they need to do differently in Game 2. The Spurs will adjust, but the youth of the Cavs will create a matchup problem for the Spurs by Game 4. Three straight for the Cavs before Coach Pop and Timmy get a clue. Spurs in 7.
Welcome to the blog Wreal (I checked out the post) and Adubb, thanks for reading.
To you and Rev, coaches have to be careful with lineup changes, they don't always work as you expect. Guys get comfortable in their roles, and changing the role risks messing up their rhythm. With experienced guys, changing the lineup is easier because chances are they know how to react. But with young guys like Boobie, it's a riskier proposition. So basically, its hard for me to say what Mike Brown should be doing because I don't know how his guys will respond. My gut instinct would be to continue to start Hughes, and if he keeps struggling at both ends, yank him early and put in Gibson.
But when Hughes is playing like he did in game 1, you've gotta give the youngster a shot. In the third quarter yesterday, I think Brown shoulda come with Boobie earlier than he did.
As for you others, this is the problem with short posts. Because I didn't gush about the Spurs, now I'm a Spurs hater. I didn't say anything like "the Spurs got lucky." I also didn't say anything about how good defensively Duncan was - he was huge. But offensively, most of his buckets were of the easy variety - transition, a few oops, putbacks, etc.- not from him being particularly aggressive/dominant. Not that he had to be in this game, because of Parker.
But if Cleveland comes to play, he'll need to be more dominant, getting guys in foul trouble, because otherwise the Cavs will hurt San Antonio badly on the glass. This is the worst rebounding Spurs unit in years, and they're vulne
Let it go, young Jedi. The Force, known as San Antonio, is the best defensive unit in the league.
LeBron had a crappy(will it bleep) first game.
The Cavs need more talent around LeBron.
Game 1 looked like and East Playoff game with the low scoring. It'll probably continue.
2-3-2 stinks.
2-2-1-1-1! Travel, Schmavel! The take three days between games. Thursday, Sunday!
Brown desperately needs to find an offense-minded assistant coach for next year, cause he's hopeless on that end. His playbook seems to consist of "Pass the ball to Lebron on the wing and let him create" and "have Lebron bring the ball up and hope he can do something good with it". He's a solid defensive coach and he's made a nice atmosphere there, but he's brutal with substitutions and offensive sets. The Spurs are gonna win this one handily because they're the more talented and more experienced team, but also because Pop is gonna coach circles around Brown.
Brown desperately needs to find an offense-minded assistant coach for next year, cause he's hopeless on that end. His playbook seems to consist of "Pass the ball to Lebron on the wing and let him create" and "have Lebron bring the ball up and hope he can do something good with it". He's a solid defensive coach and he's made a nice atmosphere there, but he's brutal with substitutions and offensive sets. The Spurs are gonna win this one handily because they're the more talented and more experienced team, but also because Pop is gonna coach circles around Brown.
