June 20, 2013

Congratulations Mike Brown! You Just Cost Your Team a Game…

April 30, 2008 by 17 Comments

mikebrown1.jpgThe series moves back to DC, (sorry Dan, you’ll have to find a sitter) with the Cavs up 3-2.

The Cavaliers shot 36%, turned the ball over 13 times and had their rebounding edge negated. Still they were up 87-82 with 1:37 left on the clock. Then Mike Brown, offensive genius, called the same play 4 times in a row. You know the play. LeBron at the top of the key dribbling the ball until time is running out. Yeah, that one.

The first try LeBron launches a three from four feet past the arc with a hand in his face- no good. The second time he drove the lane and passed to Daniel Gibson, who attempted another 3- no good. (So to recap, we’re trying to ice the game and instead of trying to get the sure 2, we’re chucking three pointers. Just making sure we’re all on the same page.) The third time, and this one happens while we’re only up 1, James swings the ball around the horn and Joe Smith ends up taking a shot that he should have made.

Now the Wizards take the lead. Caron Butler flat out beats LeBron on the defensive end. Our best defender got beat there, nothing you can do. So we have 3.9 seconds left, and we run? Anyone? That’s right, LeBron isolation. He goes to the lane and instead of focusing on making a shot, he tries to draw a foul. I don’t want to hear that he was fouled. There was a little contact, but no more than LeBron gave Butler at the other end.

So Mike Brown decided to try and take a knee with 2 minutes left and nurse a 5 point lead. Nice move Mike. What got us back in the game, and in fact got us the lead? Driving the lane, taking the ball to the hole and drawing a foul. Haywood was fouled out. Songaila had 5 fouls on him. But instead we waste time on the perimeter and take 3 point shots, when we were only hitting 36% on the night! Then there was the Wally Szczerbiak factor.

Wally redefined struggle in the first half. He turned the ball over on the first two Cavs possessions! He made 1 shot all night, that being a three at the beginning of the second half. Wally has not earned ANY playing time, let alone starting. Start Devin Brown. Start Daniel Gibson. Give Wally’s minutes to Damon Jones for goodness sake. Damon is rested. He’s fresh. He can hit at least 35% of his shots.

The Cavaliers now have to travel for a Friday game, and possibly a Sunday game as well. Sure would have been nice to rest some of these guys for the 2nd round. Nice job Mike, nice job.

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  • Adam

    starts slow clap …

    (we can blame Brown for the mental errors too right?)

  • Joe

    The worst part was listening on local Washington, DC radio, hearing the resigned announcer say the Cavs were up five, going into Ikea before it closed, coming back out to hear the elated local announcers saying the Wizards pulled it off.

    /sigh.

    But maybe I can find some tickets to the game here in DC.

  • Ricky

    Wally stayed in the game faaarrr too long. He was getting beat every time down the floor on defense, and every time he touched the ball he either turned it over or missed a shot, with the exception of one made wide open 3. remember when he tried to bank a wide open 8 footer when he could have taken the wide open lane? I do. I almost broke my TV

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com Mike

    It literally felt like the Cavs attempted the NBA equivalent of the prevent defense for that final minute and a half. That was a tough one to swallow.

  • Ricky

    I’m nervous as shit about the rest of this series, Washington has all the momentum going into this next game, and they will be at home. It is going to take a big time effort from the cavs to win that game, and for some reason that is a problem with this team — getting a big time effort. that is a direct reflection of coaching (Mike D’Antoni anyone?). And if it comes to a game 7, yea we are at home, but anything can happen in one game and I don’t like the prospect of playing a washington team with loads of confidence in a winner-take-all game

  • Adam

    I feel like I did after the cavs blew game 6 in 2006. Yeah they had one more game to play, but I knew they had lost the series.

    I don’t think the cavs lose this series because Washington is just as inept as Cleavland. However, there is no way we even win 2 vs boston if we’re not showing up every other game. So I feel like we already lost.

  • Dawgs0710

    Knowing there is no way that this is a championship caliber team, I big part of me would like to see them lose this series. It seems that Brown’s coaching flaws were overlooked because the Cavs made the finals last year. They made it to the finals despite the coach. Something dramatic needs to happen to get Brown out and I think a 1st round loss would definitely help.

  • MacNip

    All right, everyone relax, it was just one game. Yesterday at about 5 PM we were al convinced that the Cavs were winning the East again, now they lose one game and we can;t win 2 against Boston? Just take a deep breath

    Last night was a very tough loss considering the Cavs had no right losing it. I think blame needs to be placed on Brown and Lebron. Lebron’s 3 was his own doing. He loves that shot. When he got the ball I told my brother-in-law, “watch, he is going to do the ridiculous play where he dribbles out the shot clock and then jacks a 3″ and that is exactly what he did. Lebron was trying to put the nail in the coffin with a huge eff-u 3 instead of just playing his game. The next couple plays are the coaches fault. It is inexcusable that Z did not get the ball in the last 2 minutes.

    As for Wally, he is trying way too hard and is way too nervous. He really needs to sit next game, for the whole game. I can’t believe I am going to say this but I would much rather see Damon in instead of Wally

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  • McFad

    I wonder how many layups we missed….Andy missed at least one, so did Joe, Delonte and even Bron had one. I’m not talking challenged layups either. Why even call a high pick and roll if Bron is just going to try and split the defenders or wave Z or Joe Smith away. It seemed to me like we had no pick and pop plays run for either guy. I wish we could grab a rebound instead of playing volleyball every time on the offensive end, with under a minute if Joe Smith grabs the miss or taps it out instead of trying a tip in, we probably hold on. Please keep Andy and Big Ben on the floor at separate times, especially on nights when the offense is below anemic. Finally why does lebron insist on waiting to take over, why not take over in bursts. Right out of the gate, right after the half, then at the end. His lazy pull up J’s kill me, take it to the hoop.

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com Scott

    Aside from rotations and bright-colored ties, would we even notice if Mike Brown wasn’t there?

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com Scott

    And McFad… I think Windhorst counted 15 missed layups.
    Caron Shines Brighter…

  • MacNip

    Who would come running out on to the court every time Lebron got fouled if Mike Brown wasn’t here? Honestly Brown has a great defensive game plan, but I hate, absolutely hate this offense. Also, we now have seen basically 2 rosters, pre-trade and post-trade, that play the exact same flat game of basketball on so many occassions. Whose fault is this? Brown? Lebron for not coming out strong and dominate immediately to get the team fired up?

    15 missed layups last night (it is actually a kept stat, a layup is any shot taken from within 2 feet).

  • MacNip

    Also, D’Antoni would not be a good fit here unless you plan on trading Z, Ben Wallace and Joe Smith for guys who can run the floor.

  • Anon Imus

    I already called the Wally must sit card back in game 3, commenting about Brown’s refusal to sit him even when it is crystal clear that he is hurting the team. This is especially stoooopid considering that both Brown and Jones earned those minutes with quality play during the regular season. Anyone watching the game probably noticed that the CAvs were playing very nonchalant, almost as if it was an exhbition game. I mean what do u need already to hike up your energy level — this is a home game in the playoffs to close off an annoying dirtbag opponent — WTF??? It all points back to Brown, Brown, Brown — I am not sure what he does during the games, except stare out like retard.

    IMHO

  • http://www.intentionalfoul.com IFChris

    Um, this horrible offense allowed LeBron to have a shot at winning the game a mere three feet from the basket.

    He missed. Is that Brown’s fault? What kind of offensive sets do you have in mind, exactly? The best player had the ball, the Wizards LET HIM DRIVE (instead of double-teaming the ball out of his hands) and he got the rim with a shot to win it.

    Not sure what else you want besides the ball going in the basket… and I’m not sure who Mike Brown gets the blame for this either. All the plays you ripped on resulted in open shots for teammates.

    Is it Brown’s fault they missed?

  • Rick

    How about instructing his team to continue to go the basket? A stretegy that had been working. How about insisting that they try for the best shot, instead of using 85% of the shot clock before starting the play. When the Cavs hold the ball like that for 20 seconds, they are making the defense work for only 4 seconds. Even I can play defense for 4 seconds. Why not make them work the whole shot clock?

  • Adam

    Chris, the point is that it shouldn’t even have come down to a last second shot.

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