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 

 

 

 

The Boston Celtics are a veteran team.  Three of the four principle stars on the team (Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce) are on the wrong side of 30 years old.  However, don’t dismiss them as an old team.  Instead, remember that they won a title just two years ago, and have the heart of a champion.

 

What should the Cavaliers do to win this series?  Here’s our take on how to accomplish the feat and advance to the conference finals.

 

On defense, the wine and gold need to keep Rajon Rondo from going to the basket and creating havoc.  That’s easier said than done, especially for Mo Williams, whose defensive skills have slipped from a year ago.  Rondo simply isn’t as effective from the perimeter as his outside shooting is not the strength of his game. 

 

When Mike Brown plays Delonte West and Williams together, it makes more sense to put West on Rondo, where his quickness and length can bother the Celtics’ point guard.  Williams can play Allen, who can go to the basket, but seems more content to spot up on the perimeter.  Also, the height difference isn’t much of a difference between the two.

 

The Cavs should use their depth to pressure the Celtics, and make them work hard on every possession.  Cleveland can run multiple looks on defense using Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon to make a short shot clock for Boston.  Mike Brown doesn’t use a lot of pressure defenses, but he may want to reconsider it in this series.

 

Offensively, the wine and gold should run as much as possible.  The defense is part of this, because if they can force the Celtics into misses, the Cavs can get up the floor in a hurry for fast break opportunities.  This strategy once again put pressure on Boston, which can pay dividends as the series goes on.

 

They also must move the basketball.  The Cavaliers cannot run the offense where LeBron James dribbles endlessly on the perimeter.  If they can move the ball back and forth, using both sides of the court, they can blow up the Celtics defensive game plan.  Boston’s defenders are simply not a quick as they were two years ago. 

 

Lastly, this is the playoffs, so every possession is precious.  Cleveland has to take care of the basketball.  And they can’t afford to fall in love with the three point shot.  They have to challenge the Celtic defense by attacking the basket.  Kendrick Perkins is solid defensively, but Garnett is not what he once was at that end.  Although, he is still pretty good. 

 

Much is being made of the three days off between games two and three, but that is because this is the first second round series to get started.  Either both teams would get extra rest before the series started, or it would happen during the series.  And television dictated they wanted this series to start tonight in prime time. 

 

In the 60’s and 70’s, basketball fans talked about the famed Celtic fast break and their running game.  Ironic, isn’t it, that the Cavs need to run the Celtics to win this series. 

 

JK

 

 

 

The Cleveland Indians are a patient organization and general manager Mark Shapiro will tell you that we all need to wait 40 games before making evaluations about the ballclub. 

 

In some respects, he is correct, a few days ago, Lou Marson looked completely overmatched at the plate.  The last two games, it appears he may be able to contribute at least something offensively.  It’s way too early to give up on players, particularly ones with track records, like Grady Sizemore. 

 

That being said, here are some early impressions on the 2010 Cleveland Indians.

 

·          Thank goodness for Austin Kearns.  Outside of Shin-Soo Choo, he is the only Indian who has provided any kind of pop this season.  He leads the team with nine extra base hits despite being just eighth on the team in at bats.  His record shows that this likely will not last (he’s hitting .383), but he’s been a solid acquisition thus far. 

 

·          Justin Masterson isn’t a starting pitcher.  You have to love the guy’s arm, but he certainly can’t start if he can’t get left handed hitters out.  Lefties are 18 for 37 with seven walks against him so far this year.  He might be better served working as a set up man in the bullpen because he throws hard and can strike out hitters.  And here’s the guy he can replace in the relief corps…

 

·          Joe Smith.  Smith is one of those guys who should be classified as a National League pitcher.  He did have some success against right-handed hitters last season (they hit .198 against him), but as a sidearm pitcher that’s not all that impressive.  This year, righties are 6 for 18 with 2 HR’s against him.  Wednesday night, he came in to face one hitter, Torii Hunter, who promptly doubled and scored the winning run.  Let’s see if there is any interest in Smith from the NL when Kerry Wood is ready to go.

 

·          Mark Grudzielanek is a solid pro and has been a productive major league player over the years, but he seems to struggle to hit the ball out of the infield.  He has seven hits on the year, all singles.  Wouldn’t Jason Donald or Anderson Hernandez give the ball club more right now?

 

·          The Tribe is last in the AL in runs scored, and the biggest reason is the performance of three players:  Grady Sizemore, Travis Hafner, and Jhonny Peralta, who coincidentally hit second, fourth, and fifth in the batting order.  You have to think all three will start hitting better at some point based on track record.  Sizemore is hitting .192 with no home runs and only six walks to go with 17 strikeouts.

 

Hafner is hitting just .190 and has just four extra base hits, and he is striking out (17) almost twice as much as he walks (9).  Peralta had a good series in Anaheim, but is still hitting just .190 with just five extra base hits.  Peralta is walking more this year, which bodes well for the rest of his season.

 

·          You would think the Indians lead the league in hitting into double plays, but they aren’t even in the top 3.  The Tribe has hit into 23, trailing the AL leading White Sox by six.

 

·          The pitching by and large has been pretty good, but only three Tribe pitchers have good strikeout to walk ratios.  They would be Masterson (24 K/11 BB), Aaron Laffey (4 K/2 BB) and Jensen Lewis (6 K/3 BB).  That isn’t positive for the future.  If this trend continues, the pitching will not be as successful as it has been in April.

 

The Tribe’s record is 9-12 going into a weekend series with the Twins, and really, it’s surprising their record is that good considering the anemic hitting.  If some of the guys who are supposed to hit do not start doing so, it’s hard to see even a small improvement in this team.

 

Then again, winning doesn’t matter to this ownership, only profit margins.

 

KM

 

 

It wasn’t the dominating performance the fans wanted, nor was it like the game they played on Sunday in Game 4, but the Cleveland Cavaliers did enough to win last night, 96-94, beating the Chicago Bulls and winning the series four games to one. 

 

Now, the real playoffs begin.  Saturday night, the Cavs start the Eastern Conference semi-finals against the hated Boston Celtics.  No disrespect to the Bulls, who played hard and will be a force to come with Derrick Rose leading the way.  However, the Celtics are basically the same crew that won the NBA title two years ago.

 

And of course, let the hand wringing begin over the elbow injury, which forced LeBron James to shoot a free throw left-handed with less than ten seconds remaining in the game.  James showed no ill effects in his post game press conference, but then again, Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins were not hitting him on the arm at that time.

 

However, the Cavs didn’t play well again last night, allowing the Bulls to stay in the game far longer than they should have.  In fact, they almost gave up a nine-point lead with a little over three minutes to go.  They took a series of forced shots, instead of attacking the rim.  It almost cost them a trip back to Chicago for game six.

 

The officiating also played a part as they took the Chicago big men, Joakim Noah and Brad Miller, out of the game with some questionable foul calls against Shaquille O’Neal.  Those calls also allowed the Cavs to get in the bonus very early in the fourth quarter. 

 

Remember though, that this Bulls’ team took the Celtics to seven games a year ago, while it only took Cleveland five games to dispatch Chicago.

 

It is possible that the Cavs attitude in this series was simply to do enough to win and advance, and now the intensity will be kicked up.  Again, remember that the year the Celtics won it all, they went seven games in the first round against the Hawks, and in the second round against the Cavaliers.

 

The wine and gold simply had to win four games out of seven, and they accomplished it. 

 

Brown does need to sharpen up his playing rotation.  After playing well on Sunday, J.J. Hickson was on the court for just three minutes last night.  Anthony Parker was a factor in Game 4, and he played just 19 minutes last night.

 

Delonte West did play well in Game 5, scoring 16 points, but certainly Parker could have played in place of Mo Williams, who had a dreadful shooting night, hitting just 2 of 13 shots. 

 

Hickson has played well against Boston this season, and though it was understandable that the Cavs wanted to get Shaq involved more, but the second year man should have received more time. 

 

Remember, this is not new for Brown.  When he gets guys back from injuries, like Shaq, it usually takes him awhile to get his rotation down.  The coaching staff needs to decide who should get playing time against Boston during these days off.  Clearly, Hickson should be on the floor more.

 

Once again, the real playoffs begin on Saturday night.  This series will be physical and chippy, because the Celtics like to talk.  Do not underestimate the heart of a champion.  The Celtics are just two years removed from a title.  They will not be an easy out.

 

JK

 

 

It happened with three minutes to go in the second quarter.  Somebody flipped the switch and suddenly the Cleveland Cavaliers decided to return to being the great defensive team their coach demands them to be.  And a few minutes later, this game was over, and the wine and gold took a commanding 3-1 series lead.

 

Early on, it looked like the same Cavs that played in the second and third games of the series.  Yes, they did try to establish the Shaquille O’Neal inside before he picked up two fouls, but they were taking an excess of three point shots.  The Bulls do not have anyone who should frighten potential drivers away, but the Cleveland was jacking away from beyond the arc. 

 

The Cavaliers were in the game, but it didn’t look good for the good guys.

 

Then, the Cavs decided to play defense.  They contested every jump shot.  They had hands in the face of Bulls looking to pass.  They switched men in order to keep Derrick Rose out of the paint.  And they started rebounding with verve, limiting the Bulls to one shot. 

 

With three minutes left, Rose missed a free throw that could have tied the game at 47.  When the half ended, the wine and gold extended their lead to ten points, 62-52, meaning the Cavs outscored the Bulls 15-6 to close the half.

 

Only two of Chicago’s points came in the paint, Rose’s layup with 11 seconds left.

 

The defense continued in the third quarter, as the Bulls mustered just ten points in the first eight minutes.  By then, the Cavaliers had scored 24 points and Cleveland had an 86-62 lead and the game was effectively over.  And since the series shifts to Cleveland for game 5 on Tuesday, the series ended as well. 

 

The rest of the game was anti-climatic, except for a little blip early in the fourth quarter with LeBron James on the bench.  Mike Brown quickly put James back in, and that was that.  As it was, James played just 36 minutes, and totally dominated, scoring 37 points to go along with 12 rebounds and 11 assists.  Antawn Jamison threw in his array of jump shots and strange looking shots to pitch in with 24 points.

 

Mo Williams had a strong game, shooting 6 of 10 from the floor, scoring 19 points, and Anthony Parker was assertive early on and wound up with 12. 

 

Brown decided to give J.J. Hickson minutes instead of Zydrunas Ilgauskas to be more athletic, and though he didn’t have an impact on Joakim Noah, who had 21 points and 20 boards, he did pitch in with 10 points off the bench. 

 

Rose scored 21 points as well, but much like his effort in the first game, he needed 20 shots to get them.  Kirk Hinrich could not repeat his game 3 shooting, hitting just 3 of 13 from the floor.  In all, the Bulls shot just 37% from the field, and hit just 4 of 12 threes.

 

Cleveland took 25 three-point shots, which is more than they should be taking, but they hit 12, a very good percentage. 

 

It appears the loss in Game 3 was the slap in the face that the Cavs needed.  They played with playoff intensity on Sunday.  Now, they come home to hopefully finish out the series in five games.  This has been a tougher series than expected, and it is just the beginning.  Don’t expect a lack of focus from here on out.

 

JK