Some baseball teams operate with an eye toward player development, and others operate solely based on what the major league club is doing.

 

There is no question that the Cleveland Indians run their organization with an eye toward the bottom line, but they also seem to always be looking at a worst-case scenario.  This leads to making decisions out of fear. 

 

Take for example, the case of one Rafael Perez.  The lanky southpaw was one of the game’s best relievers in 2007 and 2008, but last year fell on hard times, posting an ERA of 7.34.  In 48 innings pitched, he allowed 66 hits and walked 25 batters.  Basically, he allowed almost two men to reach base in every inning he pitched. 

 

This year, his ERA is 8.18, and he has allowed 21 hits and nine walks in 11 frames, allowing almost three hitters per inning to reach base. 

 

This means for the last year and two months, Perez has been knocked around like a batting practice pitcher. 

 

Yet, he remains on a big league roster. 

 

Why?  Because the Indians are afraid he may go someplace else and re-capture the magic he had two years ago. 

 

Listen, organizations should unload players because they’ve had a couple of bad weeks, or even a poor month.  However, Perez has had eight consecutive bad months.  Manager Manny Acta only uses him in games that are totally out of reach, and still the southpaw gets pasted. 

 

Perez is out of options meaning he can’t be sent to the minors without passing through waivers.  Obviously, the Tribe is afraid he won’t make it through. 

 

Let some team pick him up.  Even if he does return to the pitcher he used to be, it’s not like Cleveland disposed of him without giving him a boatload of second chances.  He simply doesn’t deserve to be on a major league roster at this point.  The Indians shouldn’t be giving their skipper a short roster.

 

It’s the same logic they use in regard to Jhonny Peralta.  It’s obvious that Peralta is no more than a slightly below regular in the majors, yet the Indians seem afraid to try someone else.  Certainly, money is an issue once again, but you are going to have to pay him whether or not he plays regularly.

 

They also seem scared to bring up prospects that are obviously dominating in the minor leagues.  Carlos Santana is ready to play in the majors.  In fact, he may be one of the team’s best hitters when he finally gets the call to the big leagues.  His superior bat would offset whatever shortcomings he may have in calling a game. 

 

The young catcher, remember he is older that Lou Marson, is currently raking at Columbus at a .336 clip, with 9 HR’s and 36 RBI’s.  His on-base percentage is a whopping .463, while his slugging percentage is at .617.  These are numbers that Albert Pujols puts up at the major league level. 

 

Santana has now spent six weeks at the AAA level, and on June 1^st, he will have passed the point in service time that would allow him to be eligible for arbitration one year earlier than normal.  He’s served his time in the minors and needs a new challenge. 

 

The Indians are wasting his talents by having him spend another month or two in Columbus. 

 

Other teams react quicker.  Heck, the Tigers just sent Max Scherzer and Scott Sizemore to the minors, because they need an upgrade.  They don’t want to give away games.

 

That would be a welcome attitude in Cleveland.

 

KM

 

The Cleveland Cavaliers were eliminated from the playoffs almost a week ago, and the sting still lingers for fans of the wine and gold.  Of course, the biggest news from the worldwide leader is the constant speculation about where LeBron James will play next season. 

 

Just as big is the question of what will happen to the Cavs next season.

 

Many of the national media have James long gone already, and there isn’t any doubt that word is coming from LBJ’s camp that he is ready to leave.  However, remember that James has to be disappointed with his team’s early exit, and that feeling is still part of what he is thinking about his future.

 

In the next six weeks, that disappointment will wane, and LBJ and his “team” will look at his future from a calm, rational perspective.  What team will give him the best chance to win a title?  Maybe that team will be Cleveland, maybe it won’t, but Dan Gilbert has proven that he will do what it takes to bring an NBA title to this city.

 

If he stays in the wine and gold, the Cavs once again will compete for an NBA title, but there will definitely be some changes. 

 

The first change will occur any day now, and that will be finding a new coach.  Mike Brown established a defensive mindset during his time here, and that served the franchise well.  He took the team to its only conference championship. 

 

However, his offensive shortcomings will doom him.  He simply didn’t find a way to use newcomers Antawn Jamison, Anthony Parker, and Jamario Moon effectively.  His solution for Shaquille O’Neal was to have him stand in the low post, for the most part.  This team had offensive weapons, and they weren’t utilized correctly. 

 

As for those who say the new players weren’t capable on the defensive end, that may be true, but it is incumbent on the coach to put them in a scheme where they can be hid, or at least minimized.

 

As for the players, it is unlikely that Zydrunas Ilgauskas will be back, opting for retirement instead of coming back for another season.  Perhaps O’Neal will be asked back, but only if he takes a rather large pay cut.  Therefore, there will be a need for additional big men, and those guys should be defensive minded more than anything else.

 

Also, look for GM Danny Ferry to look for an upgrade in the backcourt.  Mo Williams is a good offensive player, but his lack of ability to stay in front of quick point guards proved to be a huge problem, particularly in the playoffs.  If Williams were back, perhaps he would be better suited to a role off the bench, similar to what Jason Terry does in Dallas.

 

The problem is the salary cap, though.  If James stays, Cleveland is over the cap, and it is doubtful that any team is going to help them out by taking a big contract for an all-star type player. 

 

So, the changes will have to be for role type players using guys like Boobie Gibson as trade bait.  Management will have to look for players who are under-utilized elsewhere, much like Delonte West was in Seattle. 

 

If James leaves, then all bets are off.  The Cavaliers will have to start a major rebuilding process, because O’Neal will be gone too, and the team’s best players will be Jamison and Williams.  That’s a team that barely makes the playoffs at best.

 

Therefore, the difficult thing for the organization is they are hamstrung until James makes his decision.  His presence determines what mode the franchise is in.  It’s a difficult time not only for fans of the Cavaliers, but for the people who run the team as well.

 

JK

 

On a recent telecast of “More Sports and Les Levine”, the host referred to a radio interview with MLB Networks’ Peter Gammons, in which Gammons said the commissioner’s office is very concerned about the franchises in Tampa, Oakland, and Cleveland. 

 

Levine said Gammons continued that MLB has started putting pressure on Indians’ owner Larry Dolan to move the franchise out of Cleveland.  (I am paraphrasing Levine because I didn’t hear the interview, although I trust the credibility of both Levine and Gammons, and in fact, I am a great admirer of their work).

 

If what the highly respected Gammons said is true, then more than ever, Bud Selig should be replaced as commissioner, and sooner rather than later, because he is an idiot.

 

Yes, the situations in Tampa and Oakland are dire.  The Rays might just be the best team in baseball this season, and yet their attendance is poor.  Tropicana Field is not in Tampa; it’s in St. Petersburg, and despite their newness as a franchise, the building is old and not state of the art. 

 

Oakland has had problems getting a new stadium and currently plays in a park that has been ruined in order to accommodate the Raiders.  Plus, the A’s have had problems drawing fans even when they were one of the dominant teams in the game in the early 1970’s and late 1980’s. 

 

Cleveland is a different situation.

 

First, if the Indians were winning, people would come to the ballpark.  In fact, it has been less than ten years since the end of a consecutive sellout streak at Jacobs Field, which reached 455 games.  Remember that, Mr. Selig? 

 

The honchos in the MLB office cite the decreasing population of Cleveland as the biggest reason for the declining attendance, but that doesn’t seem to hurt the Cavaliers, which regularly play to sell out crowd at Quicken Loans Arena.

 

Yes, the city’s population is dropping, but the metropolitan area is still ranked as the 26^th largest in the US, with more people in the area than Kansas City, and Selig’s hometown of Milwaukee.  Why aren’t those cities mentioned as problems?

 

The problem with the attendance in Cleveland has nothing to do with declining population or a poor stadium; they have to do with the lack of confidence in team’s ownership, the Dolan family. 

 

This team won 65 games last season, and did nothing in the off-season outside of minor moves.  Why would fans get excited?

 

Most of the communication from the ownership to the fans is based on complaints about how tough it is for smaller market teams, and how the best the Indians can hope for is to contend once every few years. 

 

And the commissioner’s office wants to know why no one goes to games?

 

If MLB baseball wants to turn things around with this franchise, then instead of telling the Dolan family to move the team, they should instruct them to sell it.  Sell it to someone who will make a commitment to winning, or at least show people they are trying to win. 

 

At one point, the Dolan ownership was considered successful.  Through 2007, the family owned the team for eight years, made it to the post-season twice (2001 and 2007), and went to the final day of the season with a chance to make the playoffs in 2005.  Since ’07, the success of the team has steadily gone downhill, and it appears it will be a few more seasons before they will make the post-season again.

 

You can change the uniforms, bring in aging superstar players, and have the greatest sales people in the world, but in this city, only one thing brings fans into a sports venue.  That is winning.  Nothing else really matters.  Dan Gilbert understands this, and Larry and Paul Dolan don’t. 

 

The place the Indians play isn’t the problem; it’s the people running the franchise.

 

MW

 

 

The best thing to say about Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals is that it wasn’t over at halftime.  The Cleveland Cavaliers were in the game until the final couple of minutes, but still lacked something as they dropped the contest and the series, 94-85. 

 

It marks the second time in three years that the Celtics knocked off the Cavs in the conference semis, and back-to-back years where the wine and gold had the league’s best regular season record only to come up short in the playoffs. 

 

And of course, the speculation will begin as to where LeBron James will continue his career, although he took a beating from the media for his play and his seeming lack of fire throughout the series, save for the third game. 

 

James had a triple double, scoring 27 points, grabbing a career high 19 rebounds and dished out 10 assists.  However, despite the lofty numbers, it wasn’t a dominating performance, due mainly to nine turnovers. 

 

Mo Williams finally showed up, scoring 18 points in the first half, but finished with only 22 in 46 minutes. 

 

The only other Cav who played well was Anderson Varajao, who had six points and seven boards, draw charges, and generally played the type of game Cleveland fans have been accustomed to seeing over the years. 

 

In the end, we said at the beginning of the series, the key was to control Rajon Rondo, who make no mistake, is now the Celtics’ best player.  They couldn’t do it, as the smallest guy on the floor dominated the series, much like Tony Parker did in The Finals in 2007.  The other matchup that killed Cleveland throughout the series was the decided edge Kevin Garnett had at power forward. 

 

The coaching staff seemed slow to put Varajao on Garnett, who is simply too big for Antawn Jamison. 

 

Mike Brown declined comment about his future after the game, but it is doubtful that he will be back after another disappointment in the playoffs, and the fact that Doc Rivers outcoached him in every way possible. 

 

For example, the Cavs started Game 6 with Shaquille O’Neal guarding Garnett.  Instead of continuing to have Garnett post up against the larger O’Neal, Boston took The Big Ticket outside, away from the basket, thus foiling the Cleveland strategy. 

 

Rivers and his staff had an answer for everything the Cavs did, you can’t say the same thing for Brown and his staff.  When Williams got going in the first half, the Celtics defense got up on him in the second half, and no one else could take advantage.  The Celtic defense was also determined not to let James go to the hoop freely, fouling him as he got near the basket.

 

The King couldn’t get anything going from outside, so Boston was content to give him the outside shot.  Jamison, who was acquired to be a second scoring option for the team, finished with just five points, although once again, there was nothing run to give him a good scoring chance. 

 

We’ll say it once again, when you go up against good defensive teams, who have to have a plan offensively, and the Cavaliers don’t have such a plan.  Even Hubie Brown, the guru of NBA analysts, was on the Jim Rome Show, and he pretty much said the Cavs have no plan on offense.

 

There can be a ton of excuses as to why the Cavaliers were eliminated, but for the second straight year, a regular season that ended with a team poised to win a title, turned out to be a disappointment of epic proportions. 

 

Whether James stays or not, there will be changes once again for the Cleveland Cavalier organization.  If the fans think they are upset, my guess is it pales in comparison to owner Dan Gilbert.  He said many times, the team was "all in" this season, unfortunately for him, the dealer turned up with blackjack.

 

It will be a long, long summer of anticipation for Cavalier fans, hoping that when James switches his number to 6 next season, it will be on the back of a Cleveland Cavalier uniform.

 

JK 

 

The Cleveland Cavaliers laid a huge golden egg in game five of their Eastern Conference semi-finals with a 120-88 drubbing at the hands of the Boston Celtics.  Most of the blame will be heaped upon the league MVP, LeBron James, and certainly he didn’t play up to his standards.  However, one of the problems this team has had since Mike Brown became coach was the real problem…the lack of an offensive structure.

 

The Cavs spent most of the game in their normal one guy with the ball, another in the post, and the other three spaced around the three point circle.  There is no movement, no cutting, no nothing.  It makes it very easy to guard James, becasue the defense can play a virtual zone defense, packing everyone in the paint, particularly if no one is hitting open shots. 

 

Why not start James below the free throw line, where he is a threat to score as soon as he catches the ball?  Is James the guy who wants to play with the ball at the top of the key?  Getting James the ball near the basket puts pressure on the defense right from the get go.

 

The lack of movement on offense also lends to a lot of long perimeter jump shots, which if missed, turn into long rebounds and fast break opportunities.  And when Rajon Rondo gets in the open court, he is a most dangerous offensive weapon.

 

Just watch the Celtics on offense, Ray Allen spends most possession running all around the perimeter.  They dump the ball into Kevin Garnett, and cut to the basket off of him in the low post. 

 

The Cavs will do this occasionally with Shaquille O’Neal, but most times the big guy gets the ball and waits for the double or triple team before passing out to the perimeter for a jump shot.

 

The management has put some offensive weapons around James, but they are not used properly.  It is telling that Anthony Parker, Jamario Moon, and even the recently acquired Antawn Jamison were all better offensive players with their former teams than they are with the Cavs.  Perhaps it is James demanding the ball, but more likely it is a poorly designed offensive concept. 

 

The Cavs led 29-21 in the middle of the second quarter, when Boston went on a 15-0 run, and the wine and gold settled for mostly perimeter jumpers in that stretch, because there is no motion in the offense. 

 

If you are playing a team with a good defensive scheme, such as the Celtics, it becomes more prudent to run sets where you know you are going to get a good shot.  The Cavaliers have no such plan, and that makes it a stuggle to score. 

 

Now, the team who has had the best regular season record the last two seasons faces the daunting task of going to Boston in a must win situation to continue its season.  Unless someone on the bench can solve the Celtic defense, which swarmed James everytime he touched the ball, and put together a package where you can penetrate the Boston virtual zone, this season of promise will be over. 

 

And the Cavs will likely be looking for a new coach, or at least someone who has some offensive game planning to help Mike Brown.

 

JK

 

We said after game three that the Cleveland Cavaliers had to be greedy and go after game four to take a commanding three games to one lead in the series.  However, they weren’t and the series heads back to Cleveland tied at two. 

 

Once again, the culprits were a seeming lack of intensity by the wine and gold, and a curious substitution pattern by coach Mike Brown.  The first reason is curious, and the second is predictable, based on the past.

 

However, the biggest reason for the loss was the play of Rajon Rondo.  Normally, the Cavaliers have the best player on the court when they play in LeBron James.  Sunday, that wasn’t the case as Rondo played a game for the ages.

 

Rondo scored 29 points, dished out 13 assists, and grabbed an incredible (for a guy barely 6 feet tall) 18 rebounds.  The Cavs once again let him shoot, and he took 21 attempts, but they allowed him to get to the foul line 16 times, and he made 11. 

 

Besides the play of Rondo, the wine and gold were simply out hustled and out worked.  They were out rebounded, 47 to 33, had five blocked shots compared to eight by Boston, and had only six steals, compared to ten for the Celtics. 

 

Boston didn’t shoot particularly well, hitting just 45%, and made only one of fourteen three-point attempts. 

 

But the Celtics did get a lot of production from their bench, getting 28 points and 13 rebounds off the bench, primarily Tony Allen, while Cleveland got just 11 points and 7 boards.  This is in part because Brown didn’t use his bench, as only Delonte West and Anderson Varajao got extended minutes.

 

West didn’t have a good game, missing all seven of his shots from the floor, and Varajao took an ill-advised baseline jumper in the fourth quarter, although he did get a three point play to bring the Cavs within two with four minutes left.

 

However, where was Jamario Moon?  Anthony Parker played 42 minutes chasing Rondo around.  Why not give Moon was time getting in his way.  J.J. Hickson played only five minutes.  And despite this, Shaquille O’Neal didn’t play in the fourth quarter after picking up his fifth foul early in the period.

 

Shaq had five rebounds in 28 minutes, the only Cavs who had more were James, who had nine, and Antawn Jamison, who had six boards in 36 minutes.  Plus O’Neal is a deterrent to little guys, like Rondo, who like to drive into the paint.  Why didn’t he come back?

 

Cleveland’s offensive philosophy also fell apart.  Gone was the ball movement they had in game three.  Instead, the team fell back into the stand around attack.  Early in the game, they had Jamison outside and let him use his quickness to get to the rack against Kevin Garnett.  They didn’t use that much the rest of the game.

 

The Celtics are loading up defensively to stop James from going to the basket.  Therefore, the offense has to move the ball in order to get the Boston defense moving.  There simply is too much standing around, which plays into the Celtics’ hands.

 

Doc Rivers is getting credit for putting Ray Allen on LBJ, if the Celts are going to keep doing this, James must take him into the post.  There is no way Allen can handle him near the basket. 

 

Now, it’s a best of three series, with the Cavs having two games at home.  The team has to find a way to keep Rondo in control, because he is the primary reason the series is tied.  If they can’t, Boston could find a way to win one at “The Q.”

 

JK

 

Apparently, the Cleveland Cavaliers made some adjustments following their disappointing loss in game two against the Boston Celtics.  They turned an 18 point loss into a 29 point victory, defeating the Celts on the road, 124-95.  It was the C’s biggest home playoff loss in their illustrious history.

 

LeBron James looked healthy, and took control of the game from the outset, scoring 21 points in the first quarter in route to a 38 point, 8 rebound, 7 assist night that reminded everyone why he’s the league’s most valuable player.  James was aggressive early, looking to score immediately, and had his jumper going.  When he’s hitting from outside, no one can guard him.

 

James had help as well.  Antawn Jamison also looked to attack the basket in the first quarter, and he finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds.  The wine and gold wound up with six players in double figures, all five starters, and Delonte West off the bench pitched in with 14 points.

 

The biggest difference was a the defensive end, though.  Boston was held to 43 points in the first half, as the Cavs built a 22 point halftime lead.  The most improved situation involved the handling of Rajon Rondo, who was a huge problem in the first two contests.  Rondo would up with 18 points and 8 assists, and he needed 17 shots to score his points.  Controlling him was the key to the game.

 

 

However, Doc Rivers correctly pointed out that Cleveland’s hot shooting may have been the biggest factor in keep Rondo in check.  The Cavaliers shot almost 60% from the floor, and it’s hard to run a fast break when you are taking the ball out of bounds under your own basket.  Anthony Parker did pick up Rondo in the backcourt several times in an obvious attempt to make him work as much as possible.

 

The blowout loss may work to the Celtics advantage though, because Rondo played only 35 minutes, the most of any Celtic.  Therefore, fatigue won’t be quite the factor it might have been for a quick turnaround game Sunday afternoon.

 

It was kind of the reverse of Monday’s game in that while the Cavs shot very well, Boston shot poorly, hitting just 43% from the floor. 

 

Now, Cleveland has to be greedy.  They have a chance to take both games in Boston, and come back home with a chance to win the series.  That said, the Celtics will definitely bring a different mindset Sunday.  They will be back in desperation mode, knowing another loss will mean their season will be ending soon.  The Cavs have to match that intensity or suffer another beating like the one they absorbed in game two.

 

Hopefully, a lesson has been learned.  It is doubtful the wine and gold will shoot 60% or put up 124 points in game four.  However, if the Cavs do bring the same type of defensive pressure to the court, they can win in Boston again. 

 

At the very least, the Cavaliers took back their home court advantage in the series.  That’s reason enough for our civic concern to ease just a bit. 

 

JK

 

Watching Cleveland Indians on television, one has to be struck by the paltry crowds at Progressive Field.  Listening to sports talk radio, one has to be struck by the lack of conversation regarding the Tribe.  Talking among friends, conversations about the city’s baseball franchise are short and greeted with groans.

 

If the team’s ownership wonders why, all they have to do is look in the mirror.  They are the reason. 

 

A poll recently said the Cleveland Indians were baseball’s most hated team based on articles on the Internet.  Apparently, more negative things are written about the Indians than any other baseball team. 

 

Once again, the ownership is the chief reason.

 

When you lose 95 games the previous season, and your biggest off-season acquisitions are Mike Redmond and Russell Branyan, there will not be any buzz or excitement about the team.  Baseball owners are either in the winning business or in the hope business.  The Dolan family isn’t in either.

 

On the field, the team is a mess right now.  Everyone, including me, thought the Indians would be able to hit, and the pitching would be questionable.  However, through 26 games, almost 1/6 of the season, we were very, very wrong.

 

A team has to have either power or speed to be able to produce runs, and the Tribe has neither.  Cleveland ranks 13^th in the AL in home runs and slugging percentage (ahead of Seattle), and they are tied for 11^th in stolen bases.  They can get guys on base, as they are 7^th in the league in on-base percentage, mostly because they draw walks.

 

However, the walks don’t do any good without power to drive in the runners, and they rank 3^rd in the league in striking out, another horrible stat for a team without pop.

 

The organization has to make some decisions.  Although, based on the past, they will them off until June or July.  Here is what they should do, and sooner rather than later…

 

Middle infield shift.  Mark Grudzielanek has been a productive player in his major league career, but is now 40 years old, and struggles to hit the ball out of the infield.  Luis Valbuena has struggled mightily at the plate, and his two errors, which cost the team a win yesterday, should signal his return to the minor leagues. 

 

Jason Donald is hitting .323 in Columbus, with a 940 OPS.  He should be called up and put in the lineup at 2B immediately.  Another plus for him is he was acquired in the Cliff Lee deal.  Either Brian Bixler or Anderson Hernandez can be called up as well to serve as the utility infielder.  Bixler is a natural shortstop that can provide defense when he is in there.

 

Shifting lefties.  Rafael Perez should be designated for assignment as soon as possible.  The front office was waiting for him to return to his 2007-08 form, but it has now been a year and a month since he’s done that.  If he’s not walking guys, he’s giving up hits.  He certainly cannot be expected to get guys out at the major league level. 

 

The Indians can bring up Jess Todd to replace him.  They would only have two southpaws in the bullpen (Aaron Laffey and Tony Sipp), but they really only have two with Perez as the third.

 

La Porta Problem.  The emergence of Austin Kearns has put the Tribe in a bind regarding La Porta.  He can’t get regular playing time, and he needs to have it to see what he can do.  Branyan is blocking him at first.  To me, Branyan would be the odd man out, but the front office seems to think he can contribute.  The point is La Porta needs to play, and he’s not playing in Cleveland.

 

No one is saying these moves will turn the 2010 Cleveland Indians into pennant contenders, but they would provide some help.  At 10-17 and already in the last place, this season is close to being over before it starts.  That’s why the Dolan’s can’t sell you hope.

 

MW

 

If the Cavs-Celtics series were a boxing match, Boston would have a decided edge, winning more quarters than Cleveland.  Fortunately for the Cavaliers, it’s not a fight, so the series in even at one game apiece.

 

Mike Brown was visibly upset after the game regarding his team’s intensity and effort, and called out Mo Williams in particular as someone who has to step up his play. 

 

The whole city knows how he feels. 

 

For some reason, this basketball team seems to think it can phone its way through the first two rounds of the playoffs.  For a team that hasn’t yet won a title together, this is a bad attitude.  Meanwhile, the Celtics, champions just two years ago, are playing with a sense of urgency.

 

The Cleveland Cavaliers have played seven playoff games this year, and have played up to their capabilities in two of them.  That’s not acceptable if your goal is to win a championship.

 

The wine and gold shot just 40% from the field, compared to Boston’s 51%.  The Cavs were out rebounded 43 to 32.  Boston had 30 assists compared to Cleveland’s 17.  It was a thorough beatdown by the Celtics, and it was at home! 

 

The Cavs have three days to figure something out to get back on track.  Can they win a game in Boston to regain homecourt advantage?  Of course.  But, the coach is correct in saying they have to play with more aggressiveness and passion.

 

Cleveland blew a tremendous opportunity early in the first quarter when the Celtics couldn’t make a shot.  In fact, it took the Celtics two minutes to make a basket.  In that time frame, the Cavs had a turnover, a missed three point shot by Williams, a missed driving layup from James, and another missed jumper from #23.  The wine and gold went four minutes without scoring after Antawn Jamison’s basket five seconds into the game.

 

The same type of drought came early in the third quarter for the Cavs.  In the meantime, the Celtics made four layups and two three point shots and opened up the lead.  The shots from point blank range are most troubling because it shows the defense is lacking, and that is Mike Brown’s hallmark.

 

Why was Jamison fronting Kevin Garnett in the post in the third quarter?  With his height advantage, that’s an easy pass for a lay in for Garnett, particularly with a skilled point guard like Rajon Rondo making the pass.

 

Rondo had 19 assists, a record by a Cavs’ opponent in the playoffs, and once again, Cleveland couldn’t control him and he causes huge problems.  And when Cavalier defenders did stop him from penetrating, he hit a couple of threes in the first half.

 

The coaching staff has to find a way to slow Rondo down.  It’s obvious that Doc Rivers doesn’t trust anyone else on the floor; the point guard received no rest until a minute was remaining in the third quarter.  The Cavs need to double team him, and put pressure on him to tire him out. 

 

We also said the wine and gold need to play an up-tempo game to win this series.  Walking the ball up the floor and playing a half-court style game is playing into the Celtics hands.  TNT’s Charles Barkley has been preaching this for years, and when you are playing a team with some age, you have to quicken the pace of the game.

 

That’s the mindset that has to be in place from the beginning of the game.  Move the ball on offense, pressure on defense.  That will take its toll on the Celtics.  Letting them dictate how the game is played is exactly what they want to do.

 

JK

 

 

Sometimes, the most unlikely event shakes a team out of its doldrums.  The Cleveland Cavaliers were struggling in game one of their conference semi-final series, until it happened.

 

Mo Williams, coming off a steal, dunked on the Celtics’ Paul Pierce.  Forget about dunking on someone, the fact that Williams dunked at all was a shock.  The unlikely event provided a spark to put Williams en fuego.  He scored 14 points in the quarter, and the wine and gold, who were trailing by 11 at one point, took a one point lead at the end of the quarter.

 

The first half was a worrisome affair for Cavs’ fans.  First, LeBron James looked very tentative at the outset, appearing to favor his ailing right elbow.  He didn’t shoot effectively from outside, and the Cavaliers were down by 11 going into the locker room.  Was something more seriously wrong with his right arm, or was he trying to get his teammates involved. 

 

Also, Rajon Rondo was kiling Cleveland.  He scored 19 points and dished out 8 assists.  He got into the paint at will, scoring and creating excellent opportunities for the other guys in green.  He went past Williams as if he were a statue.  No one could control him, and it appeared to be big trouble for the wine and gold in the first game of the series. 

 

They were still down 11 when Williams dunked occurred.  And from then on, the Cavailers took control, outscoring Boston 43-24 for the rest of the game.

 

James said his elbow loosened up in the second half, and he discovered his jump shot, going on to score 35 points to go with 7 rebounds and 7 assists.  Shaquille O’Neal contributed three big baskets in the fourth quarter, and J.J. Hickson played well too, winding up with 11 points.

 

The Celtics showed, however, that they will not be a pushover in this series.  And there is no doubt, they will come hard after the Cavs in game two on Monday night.  Another loss means they would have to take four out of five from Cleveland to advance, and that is highly doubtful.  If they are going to win this series, they need to win the second game.  The Cavs have to match their intensity. 

 

The Celtics big three of Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen all shot under 50% from the floor in game one, and that will probably not happen again.  Boston will play better, but the wine and gold have room for improvement as well.  Antawn Jamison and Anderson Varajao played okay, but they are capable of bigger things.

 

The Cavs usually need just one other player to step up with a big game along with James to win.  On Saturday night, it was Mo Williams.  Someone else will need to do the job on Monday.

 

JK