It is a testament to how good the Cleveland Cavaliers are that their fans panic over a loss, particularly yesterday’s defeat by the Los Angeles Lakers, 101-91, that ended the wine and gold’s home winning streak at 23 games. I understand the Lakers took both games from the Cavs’ this season, but do I need to remind you that two years ago, the Cavs won both regular season games against the Spurs?
San Antonio swept the Cavs in The Finals at the end of that season.
Yesterday’s loss was a combination of things, but the Cavaliers did not play their best game, make no mistake about it. Here are some things that stood out to me:
· The Cavs shot very poorly in the second half. The Lakers interior defense had a lot to do with the huge edge Los Angeles enjoyed in the paint (62-24), but the wine and gold also missed many wide open looks after halftime. These were good looks from the 15-18 foot range, shots they normally knock down.
· Ben Wallace needs to lay the ball up when he doesn’t have a running start at the hoop. Wallace missed two dunks early in the third quarter that could have stalled the Laker rally at that point. Big Ben received very good passes from LeBron James and couldn’t convert. I’ve seen Wallace dunk the ball on drives, but not standing flat-footed underneath. Those two baskets could have kept the momentum from shifting to LA.
· J. J. Hickson picked the wrong time to show he’s a rookie. LA’s Lamar Odom beat Hickson like a drum in the third quarter. The rookie failed to box out Odom time and again, which gave the Lakers several chance points. That’s why there will be clamoring for the Cavaliers to add another big man by the fans. After Odom’s put back dunk at the end of the third quarter, I knew Hickson was done for the rest of the game.
· The officiating was bad. Phil Jackson did his usual subtle influencing of the referees prior to the game, talking about how James gets all the calls. Ironic, considering Jackson once coached Michael Jordan, but I digress. What’s disturbing about this is that it works, for some reason. Luke Walton carried a rebound out of bounds and the Lakers maintained possession, and late in the game, Anderson Varajao was called for a phantom loose ball foul.
· Mike Brown showed his displeasure with the officials by calling a timeout with 12 seconds left, and having Wally Szczerbiak foul with around six seconds remaining. The coach didn’t let the game end, making the referees stay out of the court as long as he could. This is not even mentioning how many times #23 was hit going to the basket, and that Kobe Bryant clearly traveled on his high, arching jumper over James late in the fourth quarter.
The Lakers were without Andrew Bynum, but the Cavs were still without Delonte West. When Sasha Pavlovic went out with a sprained ankle in the first half, it affected the wine and gold on the defensive end. It meant Szczerbiak had to get more minutes, and although he has been shooting very well as of late, and he tries to play defense, he is lacking in that area.
The only alternative now that Tarence Kinsey is also out, is Daniel Gibson, and when he is in the game with Mo Williams, it makes for a very small backcourt. So West’s injury, and the fact that the Cavs played the Lakers both times without him, makes you wonder how the Cavs would fare with Delonte in the backcourt.
It’s also funny that James’ excellence is such that when he scores 16 points, doles out 12 assists, and grabs 8 rebounds, people say he has an off night. The truth is James shot the ball poorly from the floor, but he played a very good game other than that. The Cavs needed James to get the ball in the basket on his drives, but the shot wasn’t falling for him.
The Cavs still have 33 games remaining, and a lot can change between now and this June when The Finals would start. It would be nice to see the wine and gold get healthy before the trading deadline, but it won’t likely happen that way. GM Danny Ferry has a week and a half to ponder whether or not he needs to make a move. It’s not like the Cavs played well and got beat yesterday. They were far from at their best yesterday.
JK
Cleveland Sports Perspective 