Cavs 99, Nets 89: Nothing to See Here
Written By: Rick | Category: Cleveland Cavaliers | Comments: 44
This one isn’t difficult to recap. The Cavaliers won because they are a lot more talented than New Jersey. Filling in the details seems almost irrelevant. The Cavs showed some energy early, but ended up in foul trouble and let the Nets stay in the game because of free throws.
The Cavs made Brook Lopez look like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the first half, as they were seemingly helpless to shut down New Jersey’s big man. Lopez scored 20 points in the first half by using a variety of low post tricks to score and get to the free throw line. Shaq had a good start offensively as well, scoring 9 points quickly. The short hook shots were falling for Shaq, which has been a rarity lately. It’s hard to really tell if Shaq was on his game or if Lopez is that bad of a defender. Zydrunas had his way with Lopez as well. The two-headed center monster finished with a combined 32 points and 6 blocks split right down the middle.
But the Cavs failed to seize control of this one. LeBron, who didn’t sit at the start of the fourth again, played 40 minutes in this one. Mo Williams logged 37 minutes, mostly because Delonte West turned out to be inactive for this one. Not exactly what you would have drawn up considering the team travels to Philadelphia tonight for a game tomorrow.
The main topic of conversation in this one will no doubt end up being Devin Harris’ flagrant foul on Jamario Moon, or possibly LeBron and Mo getting careless at the end of the game allowing the Nets to cut back into the lead. But to me the bigger story is probably West’s inactive status. It just confirms that we can’t count on Delonte this season. And that is going to eventually be a problem.
What about you? Are you more concerned with Delonte’s absence, the lack of a killer instinct or the defense of our bigs?
Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images
Author: Rick
Rick is a co-founder and editor of WFNY. His love of Cleveland sports is surpassed only by his faith and love of his family. Follow him on Twitter- @rickwfny.Rick has written 917 articles for Waiting for Next Year.
It seems like the Cavs are treating these early season games as exhibitions and have it in their heads (I’m looking at you LeBron) that they can play lackluster defense and just cruise until the 2nd half of the year/playoffs. It makes me uncomfortable to think that this team is planning on playing a certain way now and then a different way later. It’s going to take guys out of their comfort zones (Mo in last year’s playoffs) when they decide to ratchet up the intensity.
The biggest problem I see though is that Brown and the front office don’t really know what they have and therefore don’t know what they need. Is JJ’s recent slump a result of him reaching his ceiling or is he sandbagging? If they don’t know they can’t feel good about trading him or benching him. Do the Cavs need to pick up a defensive stopper or will the team start playing defense when it matters? These questions still shouldn’t be lingering at this point.
I think all 3 are legits concerns. When he plays, Delonte proves how valuable he is to this team, and the difference without him is just scary. The killer instinct from last year is definitely lacking, and whereas I’m not overly concerned about it at this point in the season, it’s not just a switch that we can flick on for the playoffs. And the big man defense is a little worrisome. We brought it Shaq to help stop Howard, which he was able to do in the first matchup with a little help from some early questionable calls. But he has struggled against these younger quicker bigs, and Z isn’t any more effective. Thankfully/Hopefully those younger, quicker bigs won’t be around in the later rounds of the playoffs…
“Low post tricks” made me laugh. I hear those get you arrested if done in public.
I share many of the concerns that have been articulated in the post and in the comments, especially the seeming lack of a killer instinct. One thing that is not getting a lot of attention though is how brutal the Cavs’ schedule has been to this point – countless back-to-backs (with many having a second night on the road) and lots of traveling. Think about last week for instance. Back-to-back road games at Memphis and Houston, followed by a day traveling halfway across the country back to Cleveland, followed by a day traveling all the way back to play in OKC then a day traveling back once again to play NJ. Now, Philly on the second night of a back-to-back. That’s some pretty bad stuff and we haven’t even gotten to next week’s brutally scheduled west coast trip. I think we’ve seen when the Cavs get a couple days off, get in some practice and recharge their batteries, that they’ve played at their best. I’d be very content with a .500 record over the next couple weeks with the bad schedule.
Also, did anyone else hear Mcleod announce one foul as an “Illegal Reach-Around”? I need my job so I’m not going to Google to see if that is the proper terminology or not, but I giggled anyways.
AMC – Problem is, as WFNY and StepienRules has highlighted, the schedule is only getting tougher.
I think they are cruising. I think they’ll be OK. It’s frustrating for a an though. Lebron & Co. had no intentions of blowing the Nets out, or working hard (only in a few moments when it got tight).
But they seem to get up for and work good teams. I mean our wins over top teams have not even been grind it out efforts. We beat up on PHX, DAL, and ORL. So that’s a good sign.
I think we are just going to have to accept the fact that this team was heart-broken from last year, that Lebron’s indecision 2010 is really weighing on the team, and that they aren’t going to make noise until after the holidays.
It will be interesting to see what happens on the upcoming west coast trip. It would be nice for the team to get motivated all at the same time.
It’s becoming more apparent that this team can’t win a championship until they get a legitimate point guard. Someone that takes the ball out of LeBron’s hands.
AC was on his game last night with this gem – “Mo Williams getting going early late in the 4th quarter.”
Also in relation to AC, the game was broadcast nationally and I couldn’t help feeling like I was introducing that proverbial weird/creepy uncle to my friends. He’s lovable when you’ve been around him and gotten to know him, but…
The biggest problem with the team’s cruising is that our success in the post-season is going to depend on Hickson’s development and the integration of all the new pieces (Parker, Moon and Shaq). The team has to learn how to most effectively play together and that’s not going to happen when they’re phoning it in.
This is like Iverson scoffing at practice, and I find it unsettling.
Mo Williams is about as legit a point guard as you’ll find, unless you think somehow the Cavs can pull in Chris Paul. Is someone new going to step in and demand the ball from Lebron? Absolutely not- it’s his team and his show, and that’s that.
The Cavs play to the level of their competition. The Lakers have periods during the season where they do the same thing. The Lakers have Phil Jackson to keep it from becoming an issue. The Cavs have Mike Brown. Make of it what you will.
@Chris
One of the things I like most about Delonte, though, is from the moment he got here he wasn’t afraid to wave off Lebron if West was bringing the ball up and Lebron came up beyond the arc and called for it. He knew that wasn’t good for the team and wasn’t afraid to hold the ball when there was a better option.
A PG is well down our list of concerns.
We need a forward who can shoot still (a la Jamison).
We need a starting 2 guard who can do more than hit 3s. He needs to be able to go to the rim with athleticism. We need Jax, or Gay, or someone.
@EZ – Great call. That was a huge plus for West. Plus, he could get to the f-in’ rack from time to time and make “BUNNIES!”
This team won’t win a championship, if LeBron can’t give up the ball to a point guard that he trusts, Mo Williams or otherwise. I blame Mr. Potato Head for LeBron’s bad habits.
Rick: a well written summary of the game. And DCBucks, those are hilarious comments about AC, the “weird/creepy uncle” of Cavs’ fans.
My attitude is that these questions can’t be resolved just yet. It’ll be very telling to see how the Cavs weather the last week or so of this month’s schedule. They have risen to the occasion when facing tough opponents (notably in Florida), so there’s hope that the team is better than it seems when faced with weak ones.
@ EZ – I couldn’t agree more. I guess my point was more along the lines of that in all probability, I don’t see how we could instantly bring that type of player in mid-season and expect that to happen.
Mo’s personality is that of a side kick, so he will always defer to Lebron when Lebron wants the rock.
Jack-
I’m with you…I think AP has been able to dodge a lot of criticism so far but he’s been a disappointment. He hits a couple 3-pointers every game but his defense (like everyone else I guess) has been average at best and I haven’t seen him hit too many shots off of screens. Weren’t these supposed to be some of his best qualities? I would love to bring in a better SG but failing that I’d rather see Gibson start ahead of Parker. Yeah I said it.
@ Jack – right on, and Jamieson (despite his awful contract) would be a great fit for this team and a true second scoring option who could sustain the offense while LBJ was on the bench. He can also stretch defenses and shoots the 3 pretty well.
DCBucks
AC purports to share some fairly cool inside knowledge of the game and, thus, of what’s going on. I tend to believe him, too. That is way better than the stream of Wikipedia tidbits and stats thrown out by other commentators. While I like the halftime analysis of, say, Kenny Smith, AC – in game – is as good as it gets (to me).
Mo Williams is a SG playing PG IMO.
“This team won’t win a championship, if LeBron can’t give up the ball to a point guard that he trusts”
This statement is 100% accurate.
Here’s a bomb:
Pavlovic could get to the rack, not athletically, just effectively.
His outside shot was middling, but he played hard-nosed.
I’d like to see him back.
@Matt#2 – I agree with you on all those points, except Kenny Smith. But you know AC, the rest of the country doesn’t. That was my observation.
@24 – Serious, Pavlovic? Dude was a ninny. Sure, we could get to the rack, but he couldn’t finish. He was one of the most frustrating players to watch ever – loads of potential, extremely inconsistent.
@Chris&Co. – That’s probably true. I think Mo can suffice though. I really do. Sure, he’s the “combo guard,” a euphemism for the 2-guard that doesn’t have the size.
But I think Lebron kills Mo’s game. He makes him nervous simply by NOT trusting him. Mo can be trusted enough I think. He can get inside when he needs to. I think he should be let loose more early in games and not just defer to Lebron, taking initiative only when Bron is on the bench. He’s just never allowed to make plays because Lebron demands we waste 12 seconds of shot clock by having Mo dribble to a spot, pick up his dribble, and then watch LB awkwardly fight for position 25-28 feet away from the basket until they can throw an entry pass just south of halfcourt.
LEBRON HAS TO TRUST MO. He can’t keep being so immature as to not put people in positions to make plays and then become visibly upset (a further detriment to everyone’s confidence, resulting even more ready deference) when they can’t make plays down the stretch.
Bron, along with Wade, have taken pouty steps back this year. They are showing their immaturity as things are success has become much harder to obtain in an increasingly competitive NBA landscape.
You mean Sasha “My Offense is My Defense” Pavlovic? Really??
I also enjoyed the tidbit I heard this morning that the Lakers have played 17 home games and 6 road games. That’s great for them, but at some point they’re going to have to make all of that up.
Haha, the Cavs have been the home for all three players in NBA history who could consistently and remarkably get to the rim and promptly manage to consistently and remarkably BRICK LAYUPS:
Bobby Sura
Larry Hughes
Alexander “Sasha” Pavlovic
Last year the Cavs dominated mediocre teams but the problem was they didn’t beat the good teams (0.500 ball).
This year the Cavs are beating the good teams but the problem is they are playing mediocre against the mediocre teams (0.750 ball).
Whatevs
please define “a legitimate point guard.” do mean a pure PG/facilitator, like a kevin ollie or brevin knight type? if so, i would completely disagree. that would be fine as a backup, but not as a starting complement to lebron. do you not remember how teams defended eric snow? with a PG like that, defenses would just ignore him and concentrate more on lebron. lebron is always going to dominate the ball. its pointless to have a kevin ollie or brevin knight type to “facilitate” by just passing it to lebron and then is not a threat otherwise. Mo can (1) facilitate at least reasonably well / better than average, (2) can score off the drive and (3) can shoot lights-out so defenses HAVE to pay attention to him.
jack – antwan jamison would be the PERFECT guy at the PF on this team. he is a leader. he “gets it.” he can shoot (stretch 4?). he can rebound. hes passionate. he would demand instant respect on the team. i think hes at least decent defensively. i think he would prove to fit in seamlessly. yes he has a “bad” contract, but that might make it easier to get him if he becomes available.
DCBucks – i agree that Mo is more of a SG playing the PG, but to me thats the ideal complement to lebron. like i said, mo can shoot, score off the dribble and can provide at least average PG skills when needed.
i would even go as far to argue that although devin harris might be a “better” pg than Mo, Mo is a better complement at the PG position than devin harris would be. devin is effective by dominating the ball, passing and scoring off the dribble (and free throws). hes not a very good shooter at all. playing off lebron could very well take away from what harris is effective at, since hes not a very good outside shooter.
It’s important to remember that Anthony Parker was not brought here to be a starter. He was supposed to be a 15-20 minute guy backing up Delonte and helping the second unit score…
mike – Good points.
We have to root for the Wiz Kid’s continual failure. Not that that’s really asking for us to extend ourselves…
To all –
I seem to have forgotten Pavlovic’s masonry.
Back to my day job.
Rick-
Then I say it’s time for him to reach that potential. I don’t like starting Delonte because of his value to the second team. It would make the starters possibly a little better…but the 2nd unit way worse. Give me Boobie or give me death.
Matt#2 – Don’t be so hard on yourself. I loved Sasha at times. Like someone said above, super frustrating guy.
He was a great piece when he worked out. Just never got it going. But honestly, we really need to get someone in that mold. Big guard. Can hit (albeit more consistently). Can drive once in a while and keep defenses honest. Solid defender with some length.
speaking of sasha – “June 23 2004: Traded a future first-round pick to the Charlotte Bobcats for guard Aleksandar Pavlovic.”
if i recall, wasnt that trade somehow tied into paxson letting kopono go in the expansion draft? can you imagine kopono setting up in the corner on this team with lebron?? thanks again, jim!
It’s funny, for YEARS people said how we need a legit, all-star PG to play with LBJ who can get his shot at ANY time and drain wide open 3′s when LBJ sucks the defense in. Ferry fleece’s the Bucks for Mo Will and now he isn’t good enough? REALLY?
PG isn’t the problem, really 2 guard isn’t that big of a problem either. PF is though. It doesn’t really matter who the starter is (JJ or Andy) but, JJ has got to play better mins later in the year. His D has got to tighten up and there is no excuse for him not being able to pull 8 boards down a night. Andy was able to do it the year we went to the finals and he had NO idea wat was going on during game time.
Parker can defend slower 2 guards, like the ones we’ll see in the playoffs, but has trouble against teams like the Nets and GS who play really 2 PG’s in the back court. VC, Ray Allen, John Salmons, Caron Butler, Rip Hamilton, and Granger (sort of) are the guys he’s able to stay with. Those are also the guys who we’ll see in the playoffs. I know VC is having a decent year, but everyone knows that if you get in VC early and knock him around that he won’t drive the lane. Parker can defend and defend all those guys well. Not saying they won’t score but he’s more than capable.
EVERYONE on Golden State has become available. Would you guys like to see Monta Ellis traded here? Him and Mo in our backcourt with Parker off the bench? But, then all the sudden we lose the defensive edge. Everyone says this team is SO TERRIBLE this year, but can’t offer up any ways to get better. Personally I’d like to see us try and trade for Tayshaun Prince and start him at the 2 or bring him and Jamario off the bench. Same goes for Rip Hamilton. Please, enlighten me with your ideas, since there’s so many things wrong with a team that’s 7-2 against teams over .500 and one of those losses came on the first night of the season.
There is much more to like about this years team. I think they are showing they can compete with the heavy hitters which last years edition, despite all their accomplishments,could not do.
Yeah, they are coasting a bit but,I beleive this is to keep Shaq, and Z healthy before turning it on for the playoffs. Delonte is a concern, however. I hope they find the right meds for him.
Don’t worry. Be happy.
Delonte is killing this team. The conditioning he brings to every game is unrivaled. Delonte picks up the tempo when he is in the game, and most games he’s been out of have seemed to drag.
Need to send Delonte elsewhere, or if possible, replace him through a sign and trade with wally, and any game he shows up for ends up being a plus.
I disagree with Jamison, he is old, we already have problems with Old and Slow. Besides, Jamison is fragile. He doesn’t solve our roster problems 2011 forward, which is Lebrons main concern. I wouldn’t want to stay here and play with a bunch of mid 30′s has beens.
Rudy Gay, Kevin Martin, Jarrod Bayless, Marc Gasol, Lamarcus Aldridge, Chris Paul….etc.
If we got a legit SG who can drive and shoot, putting Dwest and Parker to the bench, I am happy with our PF situation, but with our current situation and allstar at one or the other is needed to get past the 2nd round.
jamison isnt a spring chicken but i wouldnt call him old. i also wouldnt call him “fragile.” he hasnt missed significant time since his first 2 years (played half the season in both, and who knows if that was because of injury? i dont honestly). over the past 5 years, hes played 380 out of a possible 410 games (average of 76 games/season). before that, he played in all 82 games for 4 straight years. i wouldnt say hes fragile.
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