May 22, 2013

Cavs snap skid, Tristan leads wine and gold past Celtics 97-91

April 6, 2013 by 5 Comments
Tristan Thompson finished with a career high 29 points and 17 boards.

Tristan Thompson finished with a career high 29 points and 17 boards.

Everyone take a deep breath. The losing streak is over. We can all relax. Well, at least a little bit.

Cavaliers bounced back from (possibly) their worst loss of the season, beating the Boston Celtics 97-91 and snapping their season-long 10-game losing streak. Tristan Thompson led everyone with 29 points and 17 boards (both career highs) and Alonzo Gee finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds, as the Cavs improved to 23-52. The Celtics were paced by Jeff Green’s 23 point, nine rebound, four assist evening and got 16 points and seven boards off the bench from someone named Shavlik Randolph. Boston, firmly rooted in the 7th seed in the East and playing without Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo, saw their record fall to 39-37.

This wasn’t Cleveland’s most impressive win of the season, but it was possibly their most important. Following a week of coaching speculation and the debacle that was Wednesday’s loss to the Nets, it was nice to see the Cavs bounce back and win on the road in Boston. Yes, the Celtics were missing key players on Friday night, but when has that foretold a Cavalier victory? The Nets were without Joe Johnson on Wednesday night and the Cavs lost by roughly a billion. That they played hard and didn’t overlook a hobbled Celtic team is (sadly) itself a minor victory.

A win is a win. But a bounce-back win after a week of “have the Cavs quit on their coach” speculation is even better. The Cavs played a fantastic third period, holding the Celtics to just 16 points and ending the quarter on a 19-6 run that (coupled with their 8-0 run to start the fourth) put them in firm control of the ball game. Cleveland’s lead ballooned to as many as twelve during the fourth (82-68) and while the Celtics made their requisite run, the Cavs never let them get closer than four points. There would be no repeat of last week’s loss to the Celtics at the buzzer. The young Cavs kept up their defensive pressure in the final period (and Boston did their part by missing open treys and stumbling into some unforced turnovers) and Cleveland went 7-8 from the free throw line in fourth quarter to keep their hard earned victory.

Oh, that Kyrie Irving guy played too. It wasn’t Irving’s best night, as he finished with just 11 points on 4-20 shooting (though also eight assists and five boards), but it was enough. The young All-Star set up Tyler Zeller for an easy layup to increase Cleveland’s lead to 93-87 with two minutes to play and he followed it up thirty second later with his only basket of the fourth, a step back jumper to put the Cavs up 95-87 and essentially ice the game.  [Read more...]

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Byron Scott: Given another chance, I’d call a timeout

March 29, 2013 by 3 Comments

I’m not going to go back and have regrets on things after I see it. The only one I wish I would’ve used now if I could go back would be to call a timeout [before the final shot]. The biggest thing with doing that is you give them a chance to set up on defense, and sometimes just having that spontaneity, just letting guys go, is sometimes the best thing to do. But sometimes with the group we have now, it might not be the best thing to do. That’s one of the things I probably learned [Wednesday] night. We get in that situation again [Friday] or any other game, maybe I’ll just go ahead and burn that one and set up something, especially for that person to try to get a better shot.

— Cavaliers head coach Byron Scott, Thursday afternoon, discussing how he managed the end of the team’s recent loss to the Boston Celtics. The Cavaliers lost by one point after squandering a double-digit lead and had three timeouts remaining.

[Related: Cavs do it again…]

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Cavs do it again…

March 28, 2013 by 34 Comments

164761565_10When taking into account the playing field that is the National Basketball Association, it is relatively easy to see how the Cleveland Cavaliers can blow a large lead to the New York Knicks. Even clearer, the way that an injury-ridden version of the same team could cough up a historical lead to the defending champion Miami Heat. But when the Boston Celtics come to town without All-Stars Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett and find themselves down double-digits late — the Cavaliers with a boat  load of timeouts and a rabid base of 20,000 fans willing them to the final buzzer — it is difficult to envision just how the Wine and Gold found themselves losers once again.

Certainly, the players who were tasked with winning said game played a factor; even when you strip away the injured stars for both franchises, the Celtics have a deeper roster. Yes, the lack of Garnett allowed Boston head coach Doc Rivers to deploy a smaller lineup, (allegedly) forcing Cleveland’s Byron Scott to play Luke Walton in points of the game where he would otherwise be a casual observer. And yes, the final 2.1 seconds were a complete farce — the Celtics, out of timeouts, were allowed to reconvene for a final play while officials reviewed Alonzo Gee deflecting a ball out of bounds after some incredibly stout defense on Boston’s Paul Pierce. But in the end, it is the Cavaliers who were on the wrong side of the ledger as the clock struck zeros.

They had led by 14 with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter.

[Read more...]

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Ben Cox talks Cavs, Browns and disc golf – WFNY Podcast – 2013-03-28

March 28, 2013 by 11 Comments

WFNY Podcast LogoBen Cox and I went live pretty much right after the Cavs lost. Ben was driving home, so he heard the radio call. I was watching on TV and interacting with you all on Twitter. Here’s how it all went down.

  • Moral victories stink.
  • Doc Rivers and how I used to think he was bad
  • Injuries happen, but losing doesn’t have to.
  • Cavs crowds.
  • What would Dan Gilbert tell you to do with all this losing?
  • Basketball fans skew young. Why is that?
  • The Spurs and their inimitable style.
  • Frisbee golf! Disc golf!

And much much more…

Check out this episode

Listen at Stitcher

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WFNY Podcast – 2013-01-28 – Did Jon and Craig get cocky?

January 28, 2013 by 2 Comments

WFNY Podcast LogoI don’t believe Jon was joking when he told me that we shouldn’t post this one today. We went for a long time and we talked about a lot of things, but I think Jon’s feeling is that we got too big for our britches. When going into these podcasts I prefer not to have an agenda per se, but this podcast might have benefited from an agenda. We talked about lots of things, including sports, but we also got off on some tangents. Anyway, in the interest of putting all our potential warts out there, here is the podcast.

Did we do OK? Was it a misstep? Let us know in the comments.

  • The Browns, their ownership and patience
  • The Indians and their ownership and patience
  • Craig watched a national NBA game
  • Deconstructing sports fans’ defenses of their favorite sports
  • Owning up to your own homerism for your favorite sport
  • The Pro Bowl and the band Train
  • The Goo Goo Dolls on Live from Daryl’s House
  • Omar Vizquel doing a karaoke version of “Broadway” by the Goo Goo Dolls
  • Jon’s database project over the weekend
  • Craig’s deathmatch weekend
  • Plagiarism and whether it is a good sign for the artist who commits it
  • Much much more…

Listen at Stitcher

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I’m Kyrie: Irving makes history on 40-point night

January 23, 2013 by 10 Comments

20130123-102356.jpgOutside of his locker — as he casually swapped his jersey for a t-shirt and hoodie, and his player exclusive Nike high-tops for a pair of more casual classics from the same company – Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving joked as he shared a story with teammate Alonzo Gee.

The crux of the smile-inducing story was that Irving was being temporarily detained by a security clerk who was evidently unaware of the status obtained by the 6-foot-3-inch reigning NBA Rookie of the Year.

The story was short, but Irving’s punch line was laced with as much confusion and surprise as it was innocence.

“But I’m Kyrie,” Irving stated in his humbled state, merely looking to gain access to his ultimate destination.

[Read more...]

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While We’re Waiting… Cavs Bench Jokes

November 17, 2012 by 1 Comment

While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

Yeah, it’s gotten so bad that we’re resorting to high school-esque jokes: “The Cavaliers bench is bad. How bad are they you ask? Well, let’s break it down, Yo Momma style:

– The Cavs bench is so bad, I’m jealous of the Charlotte Bobcats’ depth.
– The Cavs bench is so bad, Byron Scott doesn’t sub them in, the bench physically rejects them every 10 minutes.
– The Cavs bench is so bad, I’d rather stick a hanger on the stove, let it sit there for like a half hour, take it off and stab it in my tongue slow like ssssssssss than watch the second quarter of a Cavs game.” [Angelo Benedetti/Fear The Sword] [Read more...]

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NBA Rumor: Cavs Among Teams That Have Interviewed Bill Walker

July 15, 2012 by 4 Comments

Forward Bill Walker is the latest correspondent for HoopsHype, and he shares his experience in the first of his free agent blog posts:

This is Bill Walker, formerly of the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks. I’m a free agent now and will blog about my experiences this summer here at HoopsHype. Hope you find it interesting.

Recently I met with people from the Memphis Grizzlies in Las Vegas and previously with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Atlanta Hawks. It was not a personal type of interview, just business. They want to know how you are going react to certain things and see what your responses are. I think if you go in there with that type of attitude, willing to accept criticism, you’ll be fine.

Walker has averaged 5.8 points and 2.0 rebounds per game over his 157-game NBA career during the past four seasons. The 24-year-old Kansas State product is a solid scorer off the bunch who isn’t afraid to put up a lot of shots. Given the right environment, he could blossom as a premier bench scorer for a potential playoff team, such as the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Heck, I know I’d have a lot of fun seeing him as a scoring option in his precious few moments alongside Kyrie Irving on the court. That’d be plenty of fun. But given his current suitors, I don’t currently think he’ll sign with the Cavs. It seems he’s interested in returning to the New York Knicks, and that’s where I think he’ll land up eventually.

[Related: NBA Trade Rumor: Cavs Discussing Trade to Land Andrew Bynum in Magic-Lakers Deal]

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2012 NBA Draft: Buckeye Jared Sullinger goes 21st to Boston Celtics

June 28, 2012 by 6 Comments

Jared Sullinger seemed to be paying a steep price for having some injuries as a sophomore. The Buckeyes star fell so far in a year that he wasn’t even invited to the draft because he wasn’t expected to go in the top 15.

Well Sullinger did end up outside of the top 15 as the Boston Celtics took the 6’9″ OSU star with the 21st pick in the draft. Buckeyes fans will certainly wish Sully well, but those that are also Cavs fans won’t wish him too well now that he will don the Celtic green.

[Related: Sullinger not invited to the NBA Draft]

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NBA Draft Rumors: Boston Wants Harrison Barnes

June 15, 2012 by 12 Comments

During an appearance on Thursday evening, long-time Boston sports columnist Bob Ryan stated that the Celtics would like to trade up in the upcoming NBA Draft with aspirations of landing small forward Harrison Barnes.

Barnes, linked to the Cavaliers and their fourth-overall pick, is largely expected to be gone by the seventh selection when the Golden State Warriors are on the clock. The 6-foot-8-inch swingman had a largely disappointing sophomore season, but has seen his name amongst the top players to be taken come June 28th.

The Celtics presently own the 21st- and 22nd-overall selections in the draft and are expected to address the wing as well as the center position having been forced to give playing time to Ryan Hollins late in the 2011-12 season. The Charlotte Bobcats have long been rumored to be looking to move the second-overall selection, but are reportedly floating a heavy asking price.

[Related: Cavaliers Summer League Schedule Announced]

(Source: Red’s Army)

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NBA Playoffs: Contention Windows And Team Evolution

June 9, 2012 by 4 Comments

With tonight’s Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals just hours away, we have two teams, remarkably different in makeup. One might as well have been penciled into this series back in July 2010, and the other was too old, their contention window not just shut but sealed and painted over. But, when the ball is tossed up in American Airlines Arena tonight, the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat will square off for the right to play the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals. It got me thinking a lot about the endless, often mindless chatter on ESPN and TNT about contention windows and breaking up teams from the armchair GMs.

I’ll focus on three cases that defy this reasoning: the Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs, and Dallas Mavericks. I’m not saying that teams haven’t overstayed their welcome with a given setup, but often times, the coaches and GMs have a better feel for when there’s time for a change in the chemistry and personnel of a team than the general public.

The Celtics won their title back in 2008, in the first year of the “Big Three’s” run, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen (both acquired via trade) joined the incumbent Paul Pierce and brought the title to Boston. It was a team built for the now, and even though they followed the title up with three 50+ win seasons, one more trip to the Finals in 2010, and made it to the second round or further each of those seasons, it wasn’t good enough in the eyes of many. Last season was supposed to be the end of Boston’s run after their loss to these Miami Heat in five games in the East Semis. Garnett and Allen were 35 at the end of the season, and Pierce was 33. Rajon Rondo rose to the level of an elite point guard in this league, but the thought process of some was to blow up this team and start over. This year, the Celtics won 39 of 66 and coasted to a #4 seed. But, in doing so, the window opened for them the minute that Derrick Rose went down in a heap. Rondo continued to improve his game in all facets, the acquisition of Brandon Bass to play an undersized center role proved to be an excellent one, and the spread out format of the playoffs has allowed Ray Allen to heal from injury and the old legs of the Celtics to avoid extreme fatigue. So much of it truly is the Celtics know what it takes, and they’ve been there before. [Read more...]

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NBA News: Ryan Hollins to Sign with Boston Celtics

March 22, 2012 by 7 Comments

This past Tuesday, a source close to Ryan Hollins told WFNY that the recently released center would “have a new home” after clearing waivers. Two days later, Hollins has in fact cleared waivers — no team wanted to be on the hook for the remainder of his $3 million player option — and it appears that a new home is indeed on the horizon.

Sherrod Blakely of CSN New England reports that a deal between Hollins and the Boston Celtics could be consumated as early as this evening with the player being available on Friday evening when Boston plays the Philadelphia 76ers.

Celtics stalwarts Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett had the opportunity to play alongside Hollins this past offseason and reportedly feel that the 7-footer would fit in nicely within Boston’s system.

Hollins and the Cavaliers decided to split, amicably, after the center was all but completely removed from the team’s rotation to allow rookie Tristan Thompson some additional playing time. Through 24 games, in what was mostly reserve minutes for the Cavs, Hollins averaged 3.7 points and 2.3 rebounds.

The Cavaliers’ roster still stands at 14. It is expected that the team will sign either another D-League prospect or a recently released, post-trade deadline casualty.

[Related: In his Final Game at Age 19, Kyrie Irving Drops 29, 9 and 9]

(Source: CSNNE)

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Cleveland Cavaliers Kick Off 2nd Half of Season Against the Boston Celtics

February 28, 2012 by 12 Comments

Kyrie Irving has already knocked off the Celtics once this season

The Cleveland Cavaliers (13-18, 9th in the East) get back to business Tuesday night when they welcome the Boston Celtics (15-17, 8th in the East) into the Q. It was a pretty good All Star break for Cleveland. Sure, Kyrie Irving didn’t fare so well in the Skills Competition, but Irving and fellow rookie Tristan Thompson both left their marks in the Rising Stars Game.

For the rest of the Cavaliers it was a period of rest, relaxation, and rooting on the young Cavaliers in the Rising Stars Game. Now that the batteries have been charged and some wounds have healed, the Cavaliers can get back to chasing that playoff berth.

The Celtics are the team standing in their way, both tonight (as the opponent) and in the long run (as the 8th seed). Perhaps no team was happier for the break than the Celtics, who carried a 5 game losing streak into the break and had lost 7 of their last 8 overall. [Read more...]

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ESPN’s Bill Simmons would like Boston to trade for Anderson Varejao

February 3, 2012 by 61 Comments

“…if I were Danny Ainge, I’d offer O’Neal’s expiring, my 2012 no. 1 AND the Clippers’ no. 1 for him.2 Wouldn’t you take your chances with a Rondo-Allen-Pierce-Garnett-Varejao quintet this spring? Or am I just a complete homer?” -Bill Simmons

Ok Sports Guy. I’ll take on your proposed trade.  Here is the offer as you have laid it out.

Cleveland gets: Jermaine O’Neal ($6.226 million), plus Boston’s 2012 first round pick and the Clippers’ 2012 first round pick.

Boston gets: Anderson Varejao ($7.7 million).

Let’s take a hard look at those draft picks first. The Clippers’ pick is technically the lessor of L.A.’s or Minnesota’s pick, but you would have to imagine it would take a few monumental injuries for Minny’s pick to be worse than the Clippers’ pick. Additionally, that pick is top 10 protected this year, so injuries to say CP3 and Blake Griffin would knock them below Minnesota in all likelihood, but also into protected territory. [Read more...]

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Doc Rivers: Anderson Varejao is an All-Star

February 1, 2012 by 3 Comments

[Anderson] Varejao’s energy is just amazing. It’s amazing to watch him run around relentlessly, and pursue [loose] balls…Varejao’s always an All-Star as far as I’m concerned. I think they should keep a spot for a role player. That’s what he does, he plays his role…He had 20 points and they didn’t run one [offensive] set for him…Down the stretch, he and Kyrie [Irving] were tough for us to handle.

- Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers on Anderson Varejao following the Celtics’ 93-90 win over the Cavaliers. Varejao amassed his first career 20/20 game, including 10 offensive rebounds.

[Related: Anderson Varejao, All-Star?]

 

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Celtics-Cavaliers Set To Rematch In Cleveland

January 31, 2012 by 5 Comments

Irving with the game winner

Lets do this all over again.

Tuesday night the Boston Celtics (9-10) travel to Cleveland for a rematch with the Cavaliers (8-11).

I’m going to keep this one brief. Rajon Rondo is out again for the Celtics. Anthony Parker and Daniel Gibson are out for the Cavaliers. No word yet (as of this writing) on who will be the starting SG. Coach Scott could start Irving and Sessions together in the backcourt, but then they’d be without a backup PG. Mychel Thompson could start, or Alonzo Gee could slide over to SG to start.

If I were the coach of this team, I would probably start Irving and Sessions together and then substitute Gee in early for one of them, and from there get creative in doing circular rotations of Thompson, Sessions, and Irving from there. No matter who starts, all of the above mentioned are going to be called upon to play extended minutes tonight.

As for the game itself, Boston is going to come out looking to make a point. The Cavs snuck up on them once. It’s not going to happen again. If the Cavaliers are going to win this time, they need to earn by giving consistent effort from start to finish. [Read more...]

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Irving: No Pressure With Game-Winners

January 30, 2012 by 2 Comments

There’s no pressure [with taking game-winning shots] unless you’re unprepared. It’s a game of percentages. If you miss the first, you have to tell yourself ‘I’ll get the next one.’ It’s all about feel and having confidence in your teammates. It’s a team game.

- Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving, Monday, following the team’s practice. Irving hit what would amount to be the game-winning lay-up against the Boston Celtics with 2.8 seconds remaining. Irving claims to have hit game-winners in his past and was quick to point out that the team has an upcoming game this Tuesday when Boston comes back to Cleveland.

[Related: Cavs and Celtics: Who Gets Your Gameball?]

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Video: Kyrie Irving’s Game-Winner in Boston

January 30, 2012 by 10 Comments

The de-fense chants only add to the beauty. The kid is tough as nails.

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Cavs and Celtics: Who Gets Your Gameball?

January 30, 2012 by 12 Comments

Kyrie Irving is undoubtedly the cover boy for Game Winner magazine on this very Monday morning. After his high screen pirouette through Brandon Bass and Avery Bradley resulted in an off-balance, left-handed lay-in, jubilation obviously careened throughout the homes of Clevelanders who just witnessed the Wine and Gold coming from behind to take down the Boston Celtics in their own home.

Irving’s conversion with just over two seconds remaining was the shot that capped off a 12-0 run that gave the Cavaliers their first win which would firmly plant a feather in the cap of confidence. Sure, this team has won several games. Sure, they came back from a monumental defecit against the Lakers only to fall just short of a road upset. But this one, this comeback win fueled by youth and hustle, gave the Cavaliers one of those “know how to win” moments.

[Read more...]

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Varejao: It’s What I Try to do Every Night

January 30, 2012 by 2 Comments

Well, it’s what I try to do every night: get the second chance and stuff like that. Tonight worked out. Tonight worked out. We had the ball back and we had the chance to win the game. And Kyrie [Irving] made the shot. And we won. Tough game. But the key for the game to me was how our defense in the fourth quarter. Through the whole game we played hard on defense. And that’s why we won the game.

- Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao following the team’s 88-87 win over the Boston Celtics. Varejao finished with 18 points, nine rebounds and two steals. His ability to harness a loose ball with 22 seconds remaining provided the opportunity to earn the win.

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