While We’re Waiting… LeBron’s Pregame, NFL Combine and Stallworth’s Future
February 26, 2010What a Difference a Year Makes… February 2009
February 26, 2010
I have to swallow my pride for a moment. Charles Barkley was absolutely correct. (That really hurts to say.) The Cavaliers were down 8 at the half, and looked to be completely out of sorts. O’Neal had sprained his thumb and was ruled out for the rest of the game. Z is sitting on a couch somewhere. And Charles Barkley guaranteed the Cavs would win the game. It wasn’t so much the prediction of a win that was impressive, but that he called exactly how the game would be won. The comment that got my attention- “the Cavs don’t need Shaq to beat the Celtics.”
He was correct. The Cavaliers completely switched gears in the second half, going with a much more athletic line-up and just pummeled Boston. (Yes, Boston was playing without Paul Pierce, thank you for noticing.) The defense, which was non-existent in the first half clamped down on Boston’s guards and swung the game wide open. At half Boston’s guards held a 33-6 scoring edge. In the second half Delonte West, Jamario Moon and Mo Williams reversed the trend, outscoring Allen, Rondo and Robinson 25-14.
J.J. Hickson was quite the difference maker. He finished with 8 points, 4 boards, 2 steals, 2 assists and a block. Not bad for basically a half. It was his defensive energy that really helped the Cavs come back.
Barkley said before the game, and repeated at the half that the Cavs needed to push the tempo more, and in the second half they were able to outrun the slower, older Celtics.
LeBron was terrific in this writer’s opinion. He finished with 36, 9 and 7 and only 2 turnovers. He was good on 50% of his triples (3 for 6) 73% from the line (11-15) and 48% from the field. He did not run the isolation offense for entire possessions. In fact, there were a couple of deep shots he attempted that were the result of another player’s unwillingness to pull the trigger. He tried to bail out West and Jamison once each (those two from memory) when they hesitated to take a shot and passed back to James. If not for LeBron’s first half aggressiveness the Cavs are nowhere near position to make a comeback.
Now for the bad news. Shaq already is being called out for the Raptors game. The next two games are Monday night at home against the Knicks, and Wednesday in New Jersey. I’m going to go out on a limb and say Shaq won’t play in either of those. Not unless the injury is significantly better by then. The injury is on his shooting hand, which is also his dominant passing and catching hand. It’s tough to grip a ball when your thumb is messed up. Shaq is expected to see a doctor immediately.
Mo Williams seemed to get some confidence back in his shot, and whole game really in the second half. I have to admit I would have been using Daniel Gibson for some of his minutes in that half after what we saw from Mo the last 2 games. Hopefully he carries the hot shooting into tonight’s game.
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44 Comments
How long until we can resign Z? I dont like having AV as our only center….
Great to see Mo get some of his swagger back. Hopefully he can keep it up. Also, in limited time, what I saw from Powe made me happy.
JJ’s insertion really seemed to be the spark they needed last night. I like the smaller line up they were running. I think they might have gotten too used to running the offense through shaq lately, and needed to get out and run some. With that said I hope the injury to shaq’s thumb doesn’t keep him out too long. Let’s hope andy doesn’t get hurt! *knocks on wood*
Shaq injury could be a blessing in disguise.
JJ Hickson needs to play.
Windhorst is saying that Z won’t be back until the 22nd. Losing Shaq hurts but like Barkley says, we don’t NEED him until the playoffs. For now, I’ll take a stroking Mo Williams and focused JJ over Shaq any day.
Upcoming games area against Toronto, New York, New Jersey, Detroit and Milwaukee. Cleveland should be able to run small against all of them. Andy’s pick-and-roll defense will need to be grade-A tonight.
The San Antonio game in a few weeks worries me a bit…
Barkley has been saying for sometime that the Cavs need to run more and push the tempo. Well, now with a smaller lineup I think well see that. Should be an interesting game tonight vs Raptors.
I believe Bosh is out tonite, which would be HUGE for us. We can definitely win games without Shaq, espeically if those games aren’t against Orlando or LA.
Maybe I’m just looking for something because I hate the Celtics, but did anyone see the Sportscenter highlights of the game? They showed the play AFTER Shaq got hurt, and it looked like Big cryBaby intentionally went after the thumb, like he was trying to finish the job.
Cavs made their run with this lineup:
LeBron
Mo
D West
JJ
Andy
Any significance there that Antawn was on the bench. I personally think it is going to take at least 10 more games for him to gel with everyone else. He still seems to be playing a bit timid. Interesting that Shaq told him to play like he always has.
Finally, this Shaq injury may be a blessing in disguise as I see him being out for several games at a minimum. Probably could use the rest now as his minutes have continued to increase over the last 2 months.
JNeids-
I saw that to. I was angry about it but I guess I probably would have respected it had Shaq done it to an opposing player. I know this because I was never as excited all night as when Andy forearmed Perk in retaliation for him pushing LeBron. I love that stuff. Not for the act itself but for the intensity and sticking up for his teammate. Maybe it’s different…I don’t know.
The thing I worry about most with Shaq is the fact that he seems to fall out of shape so quick when he isn’t playing. He looked near death at the beginning of the year and was looking pretty slow after the All-Star break. I don’t know what 4-6 weeks will do to him.
Personally I’m ok with shaq being out. If it forces this team to scrap and fight for every win it’s a plus. Last year was too easy this team rolled out of bed knowing they were gonna get a W, then come playoff time the magic didn’t roll over and we never recovered. This team needs a little adversity to keep them grounded.
Loved Andy sticking up for LBJ.
Do we need a milk carton for Boobie? I mean he played well in Mo’s absence, and now he can’t get on the floor with Mo struggling. (admitedly, after that 4th Q it’s hard to argue)
What a bizarre game. The Cavs played some of the worst defense ever seen by the team in the Mike Brown era in the first half and then rallied to absolutely blow the Celtics out of their own building. I was so incredibly angry in the first half and then overjoyed in the second.
I hope the injury to Shaq doesn’t keep him out too long. The Cavs will need him to be effective heading into the playoffs if they are going to win a championship. Now some of our other bigs will get a chance to play and hopefully Mike Brown can see how powerful a small lineup can be with this team. Great to see Mo firing with confidence last night. If he’s on, I think the Cavs are going to be extremely difficult to beat.
In a perfect world, Jamison would have had 20+ games to get used to his role on offense and defense with the team’s two real centers on the court. Alas, world ain’t perfect. I’m a little more concerned about Delonte’s current state. Doesn’t seem to have returned to last year’s level, and we will really need him to do his smothering defensive thing and heady play come April.
@JNeids, I missed that replay. What strikes me is that the play where Shaq got hurt there was no foul called. Yea, that was really all ball /s
Postgame conversation in Cavs locker room:
Mike Brown: “Boy, that escalated quickly… I mean, that really got out of hand fast”
LeBron: “It jumped up a notch”
Mike Brown: “It did, didn’t it?”
Hickson: “Yeah, I stabbed a man in the heart”
Mike Brown: “I saw that. Hick(son) killed a guy. Did you throw a trident?”
Hickson: “Yeah, there were horses, and a man on fire, and I killed a guy with a trident”
Mike Brown: “Hick(son), I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that. You should find yourself a safehouse or a relative close by. Lay low for a while, because you’re probably wanted for murder”
haha mgbode
Shaq’s injury aside, I need an update: are we still in panic mode over the 3-game losing streak? Or are we back to appreciating a team that can win with different styles and is 15-3 in its last 18 games?
While I do like our small lineup when we can do it, make no mistake we are not going to win it all without running into some dominant big men. We will need all our bigs when it matters.
@Harv21 regarding Delonte, what game were you watching? How many times did he get layups for Andy in the first half off of picture perfect bounce passes? How many points did Rondo account for either by assist or himself actually scoring after Delonte was unleashed on him? Delonte played the second most minutes of anyone last night and he put up a solid 7 pts, 8 rebs, 5 dimes, with a block and steal and no turnovers. Delonte remains the second or third (Andy) most important player on this team for me because of all the little things he does on a nightly basis.
@Harv 21 – I thought Delonte played well last night. 7pts, 5ast, 8rb, 1 blk. I want him out there more and he has gotten more minutes the last few games. West will thrive with a small lineup.
Sorry Harv 21, not try to beat you up. Posted at the same time as bigredwitness.
it’s about time for a commenter to dampen the positive JJ feelings, because anyone with positive JJ feelings is just a touchy-feely dingbat
Sorry, that was “bad Matt#2”
Just can’t get that excited about this win. No Paul Pierce. This win didn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know. We already knew Cavs play more up-tempo with Hickson in the game.
@Harv21 – It is circumstantial but for what it matters Delonte had a ridiculous +27. I thought he had an excellent game.
How can you not like Chuck Barkley? I was watching a Lakers playoff game last year on TNT. It was halftime and they went to the studio with Chuck, Kenny and EJ. Chuck was looking uner the desk and Kenny asked ‘Chuck, what are you looking for?’… Chuck responded ‘Im looking for Andrew Bynum, he hasn’t shown up yet’… Lol
How can you not love Chuck?
Agree Delonte did play well in second half, which makes me notice when he seems kind of floating on both sides and missing so many shots. Maybe he was hot and cold last year and I forget. What I do remember was the emergence of a consistent inside/outside shooting and lock-down d that now we see maybe every few games. I’m not busting his chops, he’s my 2nd fav player, just hoping for that consistent X-factor that was so exciting last year.
bad Matt#2:
JJ has his ups and downs but how can you not feel good about the way he is progressing and what he was able to do last night. Granted he was being guarded by a guy with one knee but he still looked good. I agree that he can’t be counted on to contribute consistently but he is coming along. Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow.
All of the Andy worshipers will appreciate this. I think Andy played great last night. That’s tough for me to say, b/c I just want to punch him repeatedly in the face most of the time he’s on the court.
@Matty have you heard Sir 5 buck box slam Cleveland as a city on multiple occasions? The guy runs his mouth about things he doesn’t need to. Not to say he can’t be funny which he can be….but he rarely thinks before he talks.
Btw,if you live in Boston how bad was this collapse. They got comfy at halftime and just couldn’t get energized or adjust, even at home on national tv against a rival. Garnett looks like he just can’t assert his will on a game now. Would be suprised if they reach the conf finals, Peirce or not.
I have also heard Chuck say Lebron will be staying in Cleveland.
@Harv – great game to be at (at least for the second half) – loved watching all of the Boston “faithful” start to file out with about 3-4 minutes left in the game – they know their team’s old
@33 Thats all well and good but that’s not going to make me like him anymore.
@Harv 21 – I agree completly. KG looks done. He is laboring up and down the court. Garnett had no lift in his legs so his jumpshot is flat. I think Sheed is a disaster. Rondo is a really nice player but I dont think he can carry them as he cant shoot. They really need Pierce to lead them and I dont know if he has enough in him to do it through a 7 game series.
Its a shame about Garnett. KG drives me crazy sometimes but he has been a great player.
yeah, seriously.. Charles just seems to like to say controversial things and hate on Cleveland. And then, flip-flop. Thought he was a Lebron-hater, and then he goes and says he thinks Lebron is the best in the NBA. Thought he was gonna be on-board with the “Celtics are the best when healthy, my money on the Celtics” bandwagon… instead, he called for the cavs to win. Now, I am waiting for him to say “Y’know, Cleveland is tuuurific city, I don’t care what Forbes says” so I can be more confused.
@MattyFos… he actually said HE WANTS Lebron to stay in Cleveland. More baffling statements… but I guess if he’s a Lebron-hater (?), and a Cleveland-hater, they may as well stay together, in his mind. So he can keep his hate all in one place. Nice and neat.
The Cavaliers shoot way to many jump shots and still noone other then LeBron James ever drives to the basket. I used to think Delonte West was the second best penetrator when actually it’s probably Varejao since he’s the only one who cuts to the basket.
I sure hope next year someone makes Brown add a true offensive minded coach because I’m getting sick to my stomach watching the Cavaliers try to score. The Cavaliers pet plays: Give the ball to LeBron and flair out; Give the ball to LeBron and let him pretend he’s in the 3 point contest; Give the ball to LeBron and watch him drive; Give the ball to LeBron on an iso wing and watch him shoot; Give the ball to LeBron low post and watch; Give the ball to Shaq and watch. There you go your Cavaliers offense in a nut shell! Absolutely absurd coach of the year my blank.
Chuck has always dogged the city of Cleveland. I think the story was he got beat down at a club in the Flats back in his playing days (feel free to fact check this).
However, every time I have seen him on TNT this season he has consistently said Lebron is the best player in the league right now and the Cavs are contenders.
I don’t like the guy hating on the city but I can’t help but appreciate his honesty in his affairs (i.e. telling the officers what he was really doing out in the middle of the night, blasted.)
@boogey, Delonte can get to the rim. Someone pointed out earlier that he got assists on many of his drives to the basket b/c AV or JJ or someone was slashing.
I’d often agree with your offensive assessment but they played good ball in the 2nd half to win that game.
Last night proved that JJ Hickson needs to get his minutes regardless of the game. Jamison is great for some offense, but JJ Hickson stepped it up last night and really brought this team back up to the level they played at before the break.
I really think JJ is the reason we were on such a streak.
Cavaliers Recall Jackson from Bayhawks
CLEVELAND, OH – February 26, 2010 – The Cleveland Cavaliers have recalled forward Darnell Jackson from the Erie BayHawks of the NBA Development League, Cavaliers General Manager Danny Ferry announced today.
Jackson was assigned to Erie on Wednesday and played in the BayHawks’ 114-108 victory over the Dakota Wizards last night. He posted game highs of 34 points on 14-22 shooting (.636) and 12 rebounds while adding two assists, four steals and one block in 42 minutes. Pending his arrival in Toronto this afternoon, he will be available to play tonight for the Cavaliers in their 7 p.m. game versus the Raptors.
The BayHawks are the D-League affiliate of the Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors.
this team has the ability to match up with anybody in the nba, so why does mike brown insist on shortening up his rotation?
i think we won last night because we couldn’t use shaq down the stretch, hence jj’s minutes.
it’s nice to think that other teams should have to adapt to the style of play of our starters, but why not exploit our versatility to constantly keep teams guessing?