As discussed on this site, Cleveland sports fans can be very humorous. After going 1-2 in their first three games, the Cavaliers reeled off eight straight wins. Supporters were elated! Maybe LeBron and the gang could get to The Finals! Then came Thanksgiving, and the wine and gold got taken over Indiana’s knee and was spanked on national television. Cleveland followed up by shooting terribly in a two point loss to Minnesota two night later.
You would have thought the world had come to an end. Kenny Roda started again with blaming Zydrunas Ilgauskas for every loss, people complained about Damon Jones and Donyell Marshall who both shot poorly in the two losses. It seemed likely the Cavaliers will miss the playoffs yet again in the eyes of these fans.
RELAX!!
The loss to the Pacers was a defeat on the road to a very good team. Most basketball people figured the top three teams in the Eastern Conference were the Pistons, Heat, and Pacers. Losing to Indiana at Conseco Fieldhouse is no disgrace. This is not to say we should be happy with the Cavs’ performance in that game. The Pacers were physical with Cleveland, and Mike Brown’s crew did not respond. The wine and gold must get tougher physically to compete with the big boys in the East. However, it is very early and the Cavs’ will learn from this experience.
The second loss was due to an off night shooting, nothing else. When you shoot less than 40% and lose the game by two points, that’s because of a cold spell. Donyell Marshall is a good shooter. Damon Jones is a good shooter. Larry Hughes will be better than 2 for 15 on most nights. These nights happen to all teams. Did anyone notice the Pacers lost to the Atlanta Hawks?
Last night was a return to normalcy, as the Cavs beat the LA Clippers, who are off to a good start. Cleveland took the ball to the basket a lot, not settling for the outside shot. Roda’s whipping boy scored 29 points. (By the way Kenny, you give me $5 for every good game by Z, and I’ll give you $5 for every bad game…We will see who wins at the end of the year.) Marshall scored a big three point play late in regulation off of a rebound, and then hit two threes early in overtime. James and Hughes attacked the basket.
The Cavaliers are a good team, one that will likely win 50 games this year. Bad games happen to good teams. Basketball fans in Cleveland have to stop jumping off the bridge every time one occurs.
JK
Cleveland Sports Perspective 