The Cleveland Cavaliers rode LeBron James and Zydrunas Ilgauskas to claim a 93-86 victory in Game 1 of their best of seven series on Saturday afternoon. And they also mixed in the great defense down the stretch that Coach Mike Brown loves. With the score tied with a little over two minutes to go, the wine and gold clamped down and stopped the Wizards’ offense. The King made two key hoops off of set plays (see the offense can be better off when it ends with James) with Daniel Gibson running the point, and the Cavs claimed Game 1.
As is usual in a seven game series, the second game will not be easy. Remember, two years ago, with Washington healthy, the Wizards defeated the Cavs in a game two at Quicken Loans Arena to square the series at 1-1. The Cavs will be in for a fight, and Washington has already showed they are going to be physical with LeBron when he goes into the paint. Having scored the two key baskets of the game in the paint will only toughen the resolve of the Wizards.
No one wants to see an NBA game develop into a mixed martial arts event, but the wine and gold cannot let their star continue to be hit time and again without retaliation. Someone on the Cavs must step up and deliver a hard foul when one of Washington’s big three of Gilbert Arena, Antawn Jamison, or Caron Butler make a foray into the paint. This might be a little more difficult since the Wizards didn’t really attack the basket with drives. Most of the points by this trio came from the perimeter.
When the small fracas at the end of the first half occurred, it was Zydrunas Ilgauskas who came to James’ assistance. The big man instinctually got LeBron out of the fray and challenge Brandon Haywood, who committed the foul, and Jamison, who was running his mouth. After last season’s playoffs at Saturday’s first game, it must be said that anyone who doesn’t understand Ilgauskas’ importance to this team simply doesn’t have a clue about the sport.
The coach did make one key mistake in the fourth quarter. When the Wizards made a little run to tie the game up, Brown left himself without an inside scoring option. He had both Ben Wallace and Anderson Varajao on the floor at the same time, which allowed Eddie Jordan to double and even triple team James when he received the ball. The coaching staff has to be mindful not to have these two on the floor together. Also, Varajao has to be reminded that sometimes players are open for a reason. When he tries to create something on offense, it’s not a good thing.
The key for the Cavaliers in the playoffs is they have to have a second banana to LeBron James. It doesn’t have to be the same guy, one night it can be Ilgauskas, the next night it can be Boobie Gibson or Delonte West. There has to be someone else who can put the ball in the basket. It’s the same formula that worked last season. Of course, it has to be in tandem with playing solid defense, especially with the weapons the Wizards possess. It’s going to be a tough one tonight, and it’s very important because of the struggles the wine and gold have had on the road lately. They can’t afford a loss at home this year.
JK
Cleveland Sports Perspective 