In a few months, basketball fans might be able to look back on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ season and think of the successes.  They had the best record in franchise history at 66-16.  They had the league’s MVP in LeBron James, and the NBA’s coach of the year in Mike Brown.  They finished the regular season with the league’s best record.  Maybe that will happen in a few months because right now, the only word I can find to describe the season is disappointment.

 

This comes after yesterday’s 103-90 loss in Game 6 to the Orlando Magic, who advanced to the NBA Finals by winning the best of seven series, four games to two.  The Cavs’ season ends one series prematurely.

 

LeBron James had nothing left after his scintlilating first five games, finishing with 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists.  These are great numbers for many, but judging by the standards The King sets for himself, they were rather ordinary.  The Cavs did not try to attack the basket, and they didn’t use the same set up which worked very well for the team in the fourth quarter of Game 5, setting up James at the free throw line, and letting him dictate the offense.

 

They also picked a bad time to be horrible from the charity stripe, hitting just 11 of 22 free throws.  Parlay that with getting hammered on the boards, 47-34, and you get a 13 point loss. 

 

The Cavs’ big men got in foul trouble early, with Anderson Varajao, the team’s best interior defender, getting two fouls very early in the first quarter.  Delonte West played hard all the way to the end, and Mo Williams stats look good in the box score, but he was unable to get it going early.  All in all, the wine and gold picked a lousy time to play their worst game of the series.

 

Much will be said about the lack of support James received from his teammates, and for the most part they didn’t play well, but the Cavaliers lost this series on the defensive end.  The Magic routinely exceeded 100 points per game, well above what Mike Brown’s crew normally allows.  They simply had no answer for the incredible three point shooting by Orlando.

 

Every basketball coach will tell you they are trained to allow teams to take 25 foot jump shots rather than get beat at the rim, but that conventional wisdom goes out the window against the Magic, who shot over 40% from behind the arc on the series.   The Magic play against the grain by taking so many threes, but they are awfully good at it, and if they are hitting from that distance, they are a tough matchup for everyone. 

 

I don’t blame Brown for the defeat, but I do have to question how he used James, runnerup for the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year, on that end of the floor.  He started using #23 on Rafer Alston, which would allow him to help on double teams, but after the first game, he should have been shifted to Rashard Lewis or Hedo Turkoglu who killed the wine and gold from the perimeter.  Also, Joe Smith should have received more time as his shooting touch from the perimeter was needed.  In the end, the three point shooting of the Magic made him useless.

 

After game one, the conventional wisdom was to make Howard make free throws instead of dunks.  Last night, he did both, getting six dunks, and making 12 of 16 from the line.  If he can make free throws consistently, he will join the trio of James, Kobe Bryant, and Dewayne Wade as the game’s greatest players. 

 

When you think about it, this series changed when Lewis hit that three in the first game.  After that, the Cavaliers played like a desparate team, trying to regain the home court advantage they played so hard for from the first game of the season.  If that shot doesn’t fall, it is a different series, and one more game would be played on Monday night. 

 

Instead, a potentially great season became a bitter disappointment.

 

JK

 

 

 

 

 

The simplistic view of the Eastern Conference finals was the Cavaliers needed to make some shots.  Last night, the wine and gold shot 50% from the floor, and went on to defeat the Orlando Magic 114-104 to force a Game 6 Saturday night in Florida. 

 

Mo Williams finally regained his shooting eye, scoring 24 points on 7 of 14 shooting (including 6 of 9 from beyond the arc), and the Cavs got a better effort from the bench, offensively from Daniel Gibson, and defensively from Ben Wallace in the victory.  Oh yeah, LeBron James continued his tremendous play in the series, getting a triple double in the win, scoring 37 points, grabbing 14 boards, and dishing out 12 assists. 

 

Orlando shot just 46% for the game, and just 32% from the three-point line, a drastic drop from the 45% they shot in the previous game.  More of these attempts appeared to be contested by Cavalier defenders, which is a big improvement from earlier in the series.  The Magic attempted only 25 threes, also down from previous games.  Also, Rafer Alston returned to being well, Rafer Alston, making just one shot all evening. 

 

James got others going early, particularly Williams, who hit three three pointers in the first quarter, but in the fourth quarter, Mike Brown put #23 in the middle of the floor, making it tougher to double team him, and he drove, shot jumpers, hit open teammates, and generally showed why he was the league MVP with another stunning performance.  Of course, he has made the same passes all series long, but this time the guys made the open looks The King created.

 

It was a brilliant move by the coaching staff, and now it is Stan Van Gundy who has to adjust, otherwise LeBron will control the rest of the series. 

 

James also guarded Hedo Turkoglu during much of the fourth quarter, jamming up the pick and roll game that has been so effective for Orlando in this series. 

 

Besides Williams, the Cavaliers needed someone from the bench to get going, and Gibson filled the bill.  He hit three big threes in the second half.  Also, Wally Szczerbiak did a nice job defensively on Rashard Lewis and his presence on the floor helps open the court so others can attack the basket.

 

Once again, the Magic complained about foul calls, saying James gets preferential treatment from the officials when the Cavs were whistled for more fouls than Orlando, and the Magic shot more free throws.  Zydrunas Ilgauskas took exception early in the game to a Dwight Howard elbow, and he seems to be pretty free with swinging them around both on rebounds and when he gets the ball down low.

 

The one disturbing development from last night’s game was another big lead was blown.  The wine and gold went up by 22 points early in the second quarter only to have the Magic rally to close that lead to one at the end of the first half, and Orlando actually led by eight early in the third quarter.  Turnovers had a lot to do with this, and I understand the Magic’s style of play lends itself to these wild swings, but it sure does make it for a very nervous game watching experience.

 

The Cavaliers did what they had to do last night.  Now, they have to win in Orlando to force a deciding seventh game.  The Cavs had a chance to win both games on the Magic home court, so the wine and gold have no reason to be intimidated by playing there.  They simply need to get it done, and once again they need someone else besides James to make shots.  Perhaps it’s Delonte West or Szczerbiak tomorrow night, but somebody has to help #23.

 

Remember, when you have the best player on the court, you always have a chance.  Ask Detroit about Game 5 just two years ago.

 

JK

 

After winning a club record 66 games during the regular season, and sweeping the first two rounds of the playoffs, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ backs are pressed firmly to the wall.  They lost Game 4 in Orlando, 116-114 in overtime and now trail the Magic three games to one in the best of seven series.  The Cavs played hard, but still fell because of the remarkable three point shooting of the Magic.

 

As a basketball purist, I hate the way Orlando plays.  Mike Brown is a fundamental help defense type of coach, but that doesn’t work against a team that shoots as many threes as Orlando, especially when they can hit 45% of those shots, which they did last night.  If the ABA godfathers would have never invented the three point line, the Cavs would have won the series, or at least be up 3-1.

 

The Cavs had just 12 turnovers for the game, but they made several critical mistakes with the ball in overtime, with two of them made by LeBron James, who otherwise played another marvelous game with 44 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists.  Delonte West and Mo Williams were both more aggressive in taking the ball to the hoop, but they were a combined 0 for 6 from behind the arc, adding to the frustration of Orlando’s success in that area.

 

The other key to the came was the red hot shooting of Rafer Alston, who hit 6 of 12 three-point shots in route to a 26 point night.  Alston single-handedly erased an eight-point halftime lead for the Cavs with a series of wide-open looks.  That got the former playground legend going, and he got so hot that he even banked in a three with James bearing down on him.

 

I hate to be simplistic about it, but the series has really come down to one team making shots, and the other team being cold.  Three of the four games have come down to the last shot, so really the series could easily be going the other way.  That’s amazing considering the way Orlando has shot the three point shot. 

 

Look, coming back from a 3-1 deficit to win a series has been done before.  The Cavs simply have to take it one game at a time, which I know is a cliché, but it’s true.  The Magic haven’t dominated the series, so Cleveland should have every belief they can win at home, and then go back to Orlando to even up the series.  However, they need someone besides LeBron James to be a consistent offensive force.

 

I do wish the Magic would stop complaining about the officiating, though.  Dwight Howard’s whining about the call at the end of regulation is pathetic.  Howard was holding Anderson Varajao as much as it was the other way around.  And if Stan Van Gundy wants to complain about flopping, he should look no further than Mickael Pietrus, who could be the King’s floor mat as much as he falls down in front of James.

 

I still wish the Cavs would play Howard one on one in the post, and cover up the three point shooters they would be much more successful.  The three point shot fuels the Orlando offense, and stopping it may just give the Magic something to think about.  Remember once again that the Cavs tried this in the first game in the first half, and they were up 15 at halftime.

 

A comeback is possible, but it absolutely must start with a victory in Cleveland tomorrow night.

 

JK

 

I must reiterate what I have said all along.  In a seven game series, the even numbered games are the most important until the final game.  That’s why I’m not jumping off the roof after the Cleveland Cavaliers dropped game three in Orlando, 99-89, last night.  It certainly makes Tuesday night’s game another must win contest for the wine and gold.

 

Once again, LeBron James played well, scoring 41 points, even though his outside shot wasn’t falling.  However, he is getting no help from his usual supporting cast, none of whom are consistently making shots from the perimeter.  Mo Williams, Delonte West, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas have got to start making outside shots if the Cavs want to win the conference championship.  It’s not the Orlando defense that is stopping this trio, they are getting open looks and they aren’t hitting them.

 

I would like to see all three closer to the basket.  Making only five of 26 from behind the arc isn’t getting it done, and Ilgauskas in particular shouldn’t be taking the three pointer if it is not going in.  It wouldn’t be a bad thing if Williams and West got a little closer either.  All three seem intent on matching the Magic three point shot for three point shot, and that’s not the Cavs game.

 

Sasha Pavlovic showed why he is such a frustrating player to coach and watch by contributing almost nothing in Game 3.  It might be time for Mike Brown to give Daniel Gibson and Wally Szczerbiak some more minutes to see if they can produce some offense off the bench.  The only consistent non-starter offensively has been Joe Smith.  Someone has to step up.

 

I really wish the Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy would quit whining about calls, particularly involving LeBron James.  It seems foolish to me that someone whose team shot 51 free throws in a game should complain about the referees.  James takes a beating, and in watching all season, at times he doesn’t get calls because he is so big.  I’m not saying he doesn’t get the benefit of the doubt, but he certainly gets hit frequently.

 

Sure the Cavs were following Dwight Howard on purpose, but that’s Howard’s fault.  If he were a better free throw shooter, that tactic would be rendered useless.

 

The Cleveland Cavaliers need to play their best game of the series on Tuesday night in Game 4.  A win evens the series and give the home court advantage back to the Cavs.  There is no doubt it is the most important game of the season to this point.

 

JK

 

 

 

 

There will definitely be comparisons to "The Shot" that Michael Jordan made to eliminate the Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs twenty years ago, but LeBron James’ three pointer to win Game 2 against Orlando didn’t win the series for the wine and gold.  However, it did save the season.  Going to Orlando down 0-2, would have most certainly been tough for the Cavs to overcome.

 

It would have forced Cleveland to win four of five from a team they have struggled to beat over the past three seasons.  I’m not saying it would have been impossible, but extremely unlikely is a best case scenario.

 

The Cavaliers still have some problems.  They need to find a way to maintain the same style of play that allows them to take big leads against the Magic.  They need to get more consistent play from Mo Williams and Delonte West.  They need to get some production from the bench, where last night only Sasha Pavlovic contributed offensively.  And they need to defense Orlando’s pick and roll offense a whole lot better. 

 

Still, both teams are one shot away from leading 2-0, or trailing 0-2.  It’s been that evenly matched of a series.

 

It appears to me like Williams and West have lost confidence in their shots, which means LeBron James should try to get them going early in Game 3.  When the starting backcourt combo isn’t making shots, the offense becomes stagnant, with James dominating the ball, and everyone else just standing around.  The Cavs did do a better job of attacking the basket Friday night, which is a good sign.

 

The wine and gold also made a conscience effort to not allow Dwight Howard easy dunks, and forced him to make free throws.  Still, I will say it again, the best defensive strategy may just me to let Howard get his, and stop the three point onslaught.  The Cavs had a 15 point lead in Game 1 with that game plan, and Orlando plays with much more confidence when they are hitting the three.

 

It’s also time for Wally Szczerbiak to step up and hit some shots.  The Cavs need a hot hand from the bench, and if Szczerbiak could come in and loosen things up with a couple of threes, it would help greatly.

 

Mike Brown and the coaching staff have to be breathing a huge sigh of relief.  This team was one second away from being down 0-2.  On the other hand, if Rashard Lewis misses a tough shot in Game 1, they could be heading to Florida up 2-0.  One thing is certain, the Cavs can and need to play better defensively, which is the strength of the team. 

 

They should be a little looser after the best player in the world saved their season with a spectacular three pointer with one second remaining.  The only negative in the comparison of James and Kobe Bryant is that the latter makes clutch shots at the end of the game.  Cross that one off the list.

 

JK

 

Cleveland, welcome to the NBA playoffs!  After the Cavaliers waltzed through the first two rounds of the post-season with nary a defeat, the wine and gold played a very good Orlando team last night and lost Game 1, 107-106, and now trail the best of seven series, one game to none.

 

Still, it’s not a reason to panic.  While the Magic are arguably the best road team remaining in the playoffs, they also have the worst home record of the four teams left standing.  However, it does make Friday night’s game two a must win for the Cavs.

 

While the rust from all of the inactivity did not manifest itself in the first half, which ended with Cleveland holding a 15-point lead, it was definitely there.  The Cavaliers got off to a great start due to the emotion of playing in the conference finals, but in the end the poor shooting of Mo Williams and Delonte West, which may have been caused by the layoff, probably did in the Cavs.

 

The defeat occurred despite an unbelievable performance from LeBron James, who hit 20 of 30 shots from the floor, in route to a career playoff high of 49 points.  There was some post game criticism about the rest of the team standing around watching, but it’s not as though James was forcing shots.  Also, he hit two-thirds of his attempts, it’s not like he was 13 for 30. 

 

The problem was that outside of Anderson Varajao, no other Cleveland player hit more than half his shots.  That was the biggest factor on offense, not #23 being red hot.

 

If you’re the Cavs, you know you have to have a better defensive effort that you had in the second half.  However, I would be smiling thinking Orlando shot 55% from the floor, and won by one point. 

 

The Cleveland defense did let the Magic three point shooters go crazy after halftime.  In the first half, Dwight Howard was doing the bulk of the scoring and the Magic was trailing by 15.  The Cavs seemed to be staying at home against the perimeter players for Orlando, and they were winning.  When they started doubling down low, the Magic shooters, Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu in particular, got it going.

 

I think Mike Brown will go smaller Friday night, by leaving James on Turkoglu, but putting Sasha Pavlovic on Rashard Lewis.  Pavlovic is quicker than Varajao, and should be able to play up on Lewis better than the Cavs’ big men, who have to be worried about Lewis getting past them.

 

Ultimately, the Cavaliers need better shooting from Williams and West, who had a lot of open looks, and also from Wally Szczerbiak, who didn’t really contribute in game one.  If that happens, the Cavs will be fine.

 

The Cavs have their first must win game in the playoffs on Friday night.  They cannot afford to go down 0-2, and head to Orlando in that situation.  Everyone expected the wine and gold to win at least one game in Florida, now they have to if they are going to win the Eastern Conference title.  Remember that the Lakers lost the first game at home to Houston, and won the series.  The Celtics lost the first game in round one to Chicago, and won the series.  It’s not the end of the world.  But, the Cavs have to win Game 2.

 

JK

 

The Eastern Conference finals start tonight for the Cleveland Cavaliers even though it seems like they have gone through an entire off-season already.  The NBA playoffs started about a month ago, and the wine and gold have played a total of eight games.  If rest is any factor in the playoffs, then the Cavs should be the strongest team left standing.

 

The Orlando Magic are a dangerous basketball team.  They won two of three games against Cleveland during the regular season, including the Cavs’ worst defeat of the season in Orlando in late March.  In fact, that was the last game the wine and gold were defeated in which they played their usual starting lineup.  That game could have removed any sense of entitlement the 2008-09 Cleveland Cavaliers thought they had with all of their success this season.

 

Orlando relies on its three point shooting from the outside and Dwight Howard on the inside.  If they are making their perimeter shots, it opens up the middle for Howard to operate.  Howard is not blessed with a wide variety of post moves, but he gets a lot of dunks off of penetration, so he doesn’t exactly have to be Kevin McHale inside.

 

This is where Cavs’ coach Mike Brown shines, though.  In the past, Brown has devised various defensive schemes in the playoffs to stop another teams’ key players from making a huge impact.  He held down Chauncey Billups with the Pistons by defending him with big, strong guards like Eric Snow and Larry Hughes.  Last year, Ray Allen had a miserable series against Cleveland.  What will he have in store for the Magic?

 

In watching Orlando, they play their best when they are hitting the three pointers.  It gives them added energy on both ends of the floor.  That would be the focus of any defensive scheme I would design.  That leaves Howard one on one against the Cavs’ big men, but I would take that gamble. 

 

Really, if Howard scores 45 points in every game, but the Cavaliers win, who will care?  When Cleveland played the Magic the first time this season, they were playing well in the first half despite Howard going crazy inside.  They weren’t getting good looks on their perimeter shots. 

 

Another benefit of Howard getting looks inside is that he is not a good free throw shooter.  This strategy may involve using rookie Darnell Jackson to use up some fouls, but the team would be better off stopping the Orlando game of hitting the three and then driving to the basket to create mismatches.

 

The most important thing is too keep Orlando’s three point shooting under control.  Their three and four men (Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis) are long and athletic, and when they get it going, the Magic are tough to beat.  When they are not making threes, they are a below .500 team.

 

However, the Cavs also have to make these two guys work very hard at the defensive end.  My guess is that Stan Van Gundy will put Howard on Anderson Varajao because he plays more in the post, and he will guard Zydrunas Ilgauskas with Lewis.  This means Z must go to the post, and make the undersized (for a four) Lewis play him near the basket.  If Turkoglu is checking LeBron James, good luck to you, Hedo.  Playing defense is done with your legs, which could take a toll on Turkoglu’s outside shot.

 

On offense, the Cavs have to make sure the Magic work on defense.  That means they have to do what they normally do to be successful, which is move the ball and make the opposition chase.  They also must continue to be aggressive taking the ball to the basket, and that includes Delonte West, who has done that in the post-season, but also Ilgauskas. 

 

It is also important that the Cavs get off to a good start in each game.  I would say Orlando is a team who most definitely thrives on feeling good about themselves.  Having the Magic get behind early would cast doubt that they can win the series, and since they are a young team who has never been this far before, they might be satisfied with that.

 

The Magic are a much better team than either Detroit or Atlanta.  Don’t expect the same easy time of it as the wine and gold experienced in the first and second rounds.  The Cavaliers are now in the conference finals, it doesn’t get any easier from here on in.  Still, I believe the Cavs have enough to advance to The Finals for the second time in three seasons.

 

JK

 

The summer of baseball in Cleveland appears to be over before Memorial Day.  The Indians lost three out of four to Tampa Bay this weekend, dropping their record to 14-25 as the team nears the quarter pole, and they are now 7-1/2 games behind the Tigers in the AL Central Division.  Right now, this team is a complete and total mess.

 

The bullpen has received the lion’s share of the criticism, and justifiably so, but the starting pitchers not named Cliff Lee have not held up their end of the bargain.  Outside of the Cy Young Award winner, the starters cannot get past the sixth inning, which puts an unbelievable strain on the relief corps.  Thursday night was a prime example.  Fausto Carmona had a 9-0 lead, and suddenly the control problems that have plagued him since last year crept up, and he couldn’t finish the sixth. 

 

That being said, the bullpen has been horrible, the biggest problems being the inability to throw strikes, and not being able to keep the ball in the park.  Jensen Lewis has a 3:1 strikeout to walk ratio, but he’s allowed six dingers.  Rafael Betancourt has fanned 21 while walking just 10, but he’s given up three homers.  Matt Herges has thrown strikes, but allowed two long balls in 10 innings of work.  The rest of the relief corps has come in and fallen behind hitters on a consistent basis.

 

Offensively, the Tribe is starting to score a few more runs, but they are still up and down like an elevator.  Grady Sizemore continues to hit like one of his ladies.  The front office can spew out excuses about Sizemore all they want, but there is no good reason why he shouldn’t be able to hit at least .285.  With his speed, he should slap the ball to the left side with two strikes and use his legs to get on base.  Showing bunt more often would draw in the 3B and make this easier to do.  

 

There are only two players who walk more than they strikeout, and one of those guys (Ryan Garko) seems to be anchored to the bench.  The only other regular player who has fanned less than twice as much as they have walked is Shin-Soo Choo.  Thank goodness for the remarkable Victor Martinez (.401/. 478/. 632) with 24 walks and only 14 whiffs.

 

Defensively, they finally seem to have made the move putting Jhonny Peralta at 3B, and moving Asdrubal Cabrera to shortstop where he belongs.  I still don’t understand not playing Mark DeRosa at second, though.  Eric Wedge has said he wants to get more athletic at 1B?  Look at the history of the game; there have been many first baseman that were basically sticks in the ground with a glove.  If Garko is in the lineup, he should play first, and DeRosa, who has a history of playing multiple positions, should be moved around.  That being said, why not play DeRosa at second, where he played much of the year for the Cubs in 2008.

 

The only people who had a worse weekend than the Tribe in Tampa were the umpiring crew who blew call after call.  Tim McClelland’s crew is the clubhouse leader for the worst group in the majors.  They missed a call Friday night on DeRosa, and the out call on Garko’s drive Sunday may just be the worst call of the year.  How the third base umpire saw Carl Crawford catch that ball is a mystery. 

 

The Indians still have six games to go on this road trip, and there is nothing to indicate a turn-around is near.  A season that started with high hopes and predictions (not here) of a post-season appearance could be over by Memorial Day.  Thank goodness for the Cavaliers.

 

MW

 

Hooray!  The Cleveland Indians actually won a series this week, taking two out of three at home against the Chicago White Sox.  The bullpen is actually taking a little bit of a form, and while the starting pitching hasn’t been spectacular, it has generally gotten the ballclub into the sixth or seventh inning, Jeremy Sowers notwithstanding.

 

However, this team is still in panic mode.  With a 13-22 record, there is no need to be happy with the direction of the team, and there is no doubt that changes should be made, but are they the correct changes?

 

Prior to Wednesday’s game, Eric Wedge said they are considering giving Jhonny Peralta some time at both corner positions.  Both?  Peralta may be joining the increasing number of players who may play 1B for the Tribe?  Pretty soon, the team will run a promotion where random fans will get a chance to play the position for an inning.

 

Perhaps the Tribe’s defensive issues are due to the fact that they are constantly changing positions for the players.  On Tuesday night, the White Sox got two insurance runs from a Matt LaPorta error.  LaPorta was playing first for the first time this season, while Ryan Garko, a first baseman for the last three years, was the DH.  Can anyone explain why the rookie wasn’t DH’ing while Garko played first?  I feel pretty confident that Garko would have made the play.

 

That is not to denigrate LaPorta, who definitely should be in the lineup more often.  It is just to point out the team isn’t putting its best defensive team on the field.  Switching guys all over the place does not generally lead to good defense.

 

Of course, this blog pointed out in the off-season that the Indians’ best defensive infield would be Asdrubal Cabrera at SS, Mark DeRosa at 2B, and Jhonny Peralta at 3B.  This wasn’t done because Peralta and DeRosa are more “comfortable” at their current positions.  Versatility is good for reserve players.  Your starters should play the same spot everyday.

 

The panic is starting to seep to the minor league level.  The organization moved top pitching prospect, Hector Rondon, from the starting rotation where he was 5-0, to the bullpen at Akron.  After his start to the season, I would have moved him as well, but to Class AAA as a starter in place of guys like Jack Cassel or Kirk Saarloos.  The bullpen is indeed a concern for the Tribe, but it’s not like the starting rotation doesn’t have any holes either.  Anthony Reyes or recently sent down Jeremy Sowers aren’t exactly lighting up the world. 

 

Let Rondon pitch five or six games at Columbus, and if he still is lights out, bring him up to the big club. 

 

The problem with the Indians is they seem to be unwilling to make decisions; they seem to be afraid to make a mistake, or at least admit one.  They still have Masa Kobayashi on the roster even though the manager has no plans to ever use him, nor should he based on performance.  David Dellucci continues to be on the team, and keeps showing up in the starting lineup.  Jeremy Sowers keeps getting opportunities. 

 

There is a fine line between patience and stubbornness and the Cleveland Indians are straddling that line.  If you want to improve the defense, make the change in the infield alignment.  Play Luis Valbuena at 2B more often.  If Matt LaPorta is on the roster, he should be playing at least five games per week.  Bring Zach Jackson back up and let him start, he did a decent job during the last two months of 2008, certainly better than Sowers. 

 

Despite all of this trouble, the Cleveland Indians are just 5-1/2 games out of first place.  Taking a bold step now might just salvage the season.  However, the decisions must be made based on past performance and without regard to the payroll.  I don’t know if the front office is capable of not worrying about making mistakes.

 

KM

 

The Cleveland Cavaliers have played eight playoff games this season, and they have won them all.  They’ve played very well at times, and gutted games out at others.  The bottom line is that they have advanced to the Eastern Conference finals for the second time in the last three years, and will open that series against the winner of the Orlando-Boston series either Sunday or Tuesday (likely) at Quicken Loans Arena.

 

The Cavs won both games in Atlanta in different ways.  In Game 3, they rode the brilliance of LeBron James, who scored 47 points, to victory, and Monday night, the defeated the Hawks in a defensive struggle getting a big game out of both James, as usual, and Delonte West, who scored 21 points.  In both games, the wine and gold were tested, but they stuck to their game plan, winning at the defensive end, and picked up victories. 

 

They earned the rest they will get, as they will have either five or seven days without a game before starting the conference finals, which they will be favored to win.  

 

There was no real excitement over the series win by the players, because they understand what the goal is, and that is a title.  This is just another step toward that goal. 

 

Don’t think for a moment that this was as easy as the first round sweep of the Pistons.  Detroit didn’t show much fight outside of the third game of the series.  When the Hawks went home, they did turn up the intensity.  Don’t forget that they were 31-10 at Philips Arena this season.  It took a vintage performance from #23 in game three to win that one, and Monday night’s series finale was a tough defensive battle.

 

It’s funny how this team wins, too.  Mo Williams didn’t play particularly well in Game 4, but there he was sticking two daggers into Atlanta with three pointers late in the fourth quarter.  Williams has the prototypical shooters’ mentality:  The next shot is going in.  He has done this a number of times in the regular season, and did it again to vanquish Atlanta.

 

What is funny to me is the reaction of some people in Cleveland, who are discounting the eight game post-season winning streak because the competition is not of the highest caliber.  Would they prefer the Cavs to lose to teams they shouldn’t lose to?  What would happen here if the wine and gold had lost to a Yao Ming-less Houston team by 20 points? 

 

The Cavaliers were the better team and they took care of business.  Look around at the other series.  Every other team, including the Lakers have had a poor game and lost in the playoffs.  Cleveland didn’t play well in Game 3 against the Pistons, and didn’t play particularly well in Atlanta.  But you know what?  They won anyway, and remember how difficult it is to win on the road in the NBA. 

 

Fans should be amazed and happy that the Cavs swept both series.  Of course, this is Cleveland and we are always worried about something when it comes to our sports teams.

 

JK