The Cleveland Cavaliers went and did what I didn’t think they could do.  They won at Washington last night to avoid a Game 7 match up with the Wizards, and now will go to Detroit to take on the Pistons in the second round of the NBA playoffs.  I thought the wine and gold would get this far, but after the win in overtime on Wednesday, I figured the series would go the distance. 

 

I also don’t think I’ve ever seen a player who has not appeared in the entire game, come off the bench to make a game winning shot.  Damon Jones can’t play a lick of defense, but he can stroke the "j", so the Cavs are going to the Palace tomorrow afternoon.

 

I don’t expect Cleveland to win this series, but it will give them added experience for the future.  Also, the Pistons will thug them up, so Mike Brown’s crew will realize they need to get tougher to advance in the post season. 

 

By the way, it would be nice for Zydrunas Ilgauskas to show up for this series.  I am a big Z supporter, but his offense will be needed by the wine and gold in this series.  It will be interesting to see if Brown decides to play up tempo with Detroit since the Cavs do not match up well in a half court game.  The James Gang’s best bet might be to push the ball at every opportunity. 

 

Cleveland needs to stand up and not let the Wallace boys kick sand in their collective faces. In the last three games against the Pistons, Detroit didn’t take the Cavs seriously.  They need to wipe that stupid grin on Rasheed’s face when he clubs a Cav, or gets clubbed. 

 

The Cavs won their first playoff series since 1993 last night.  That’s a good first step to winning the title, and also to keeping LeBron James here in Cleveland for a long time to come.

 

MW

 

Everytime you think LeBron James has done it all, he does something that reminds you of how special a player he is.  Last night was one of those moments when we realized that indeed, we are all witnesses.  People in Cleveland have the pleasure every night to see the best basketball player in the world.  A rare pleasure indeed.

 

All the defensive breakdowns and silly turnovers down the stretch of both regulation and overtime were erased when James was allowed to go baseline and score the winning basket with .9 seconds remaining.  LBJ was not the only reason for the victory however.  When LeBron was saddled with foul trouble in the third quarter, Larry Hughes and Flip Murray led the charge and actually put the wine and gold in the lead.

 

The much maligned Eric Snow was tremendous in overtime, taking the ball to the basket and scoring.  His veteran hand was needed, and his playoff experience was appreciated.  The Canton native averaged slightly under 5 ppg this year, but he can score more if the team needed it.  Not that he’s a 20 point guy, but he could throw in 10 a contest in he needed to. 

 

But in the end, it was James making a biggest shot of his still young career.  He put the Cavaliers one game away from winning their first playoff series in 13 years.  It’s still an uphill climb, but it would have been even more difficult being down 3-2 and heading to DC tomorrow night. 

 

JK

 

After starting a nine game homestand with a lot of promise, taking two of three from Boston, the Indians lost a series against Texas and split a short set with the White Sox.  Now it’s on to Oakland, Seattle, and Kansas City for eight games where Eric Wedge looks for some consistency from his ballclub.

 

Cleveland leads the AL in runs scored so offense is not the problem.  However, the pitching has not been as good as advertised so far, ranking 9th in the league in ERA.  The starters are simply not giving the team enough length in games, as they have had only four games where the starter has pitched seven innings in a game.  This is creating a burden on the bullpen.  Tribe relievers rank 3rd in the AL in innings pitched, below only Tampa Bay and Toronto.  The fact the relief corp is missing Rafael Betancourt and Matt Miller doesn’t help the situation.

 

Free agent signee Paul Byrd is like the little girl with the curl, when he has been good he has been very good, but when he’s been bad…  That accounts for the fact he has won three games with an ERA of 8.03.  Really, only Cliff Lee and Jason Johnson have provided any consistency among the starters, and Lee has struggled once he gets past the sixth so far this season.

 

In the bullpen, Bob Wickman has been fine, but is it me or does Guillermo Mota throw 30 pitches per inning?  Fernando Cabrera has struggled less since his return from the DL, but still doesn’t resemble the pitcher he was at the end of last season.  Jason Davis throws hard, but allows too many baserunners for a reliever.  Mark Shapiro signed veteran left hander Vic Darensbourg to a minor league contract to go along with Felix Heredia in Buffalo because Scott Sauerbeck has not handled lefties very well.  That makes it more important that the starters go deeper in games. 

 

Getting C.C. Sabathia back will hopefully stabilize the starting rotation.  But Byrd and Jake Westbrook must step up and be more reliable.  If not, Mark Shapiro may have to make some moves at the quarter pole to upgrade the staff.  The offense is championship caliber, the Tribe has to stop the other teams from scoring.

 

KM

 

What more can you say about LeBron James.  He single handedly gave the Cavaliers first road playoff win in 13 years Friday night despite getting hammered on the shot by Michael Ruffin.  This after James appeared to draw a charge on Gilbert Arenas in the previous possession. 

 

Of course, after the game, Washington only focused on the call it didn’t get, saying that LBJ travelled on the winning hoop.  He may have, but if he did, it was because Ruffin was hitting him in the head and shoulders.  That’s the way the NBA playoffs are, coaches whining incessantly when they lose close games.  If David Stern wanted to focus on something worthwhile, instead of a dress code, he could put an end to the intimidation of the officials by the league’s head coaches.

 

Besides, the Cavaliers have been victimized in the past by the NBA’s star system.  We have gone up against Larry Bird and Michael Jordan in the playoffs.  I can remember a questionnable 6th foul on Nate Thurmond against the Celts in 1976.  Also, John Bagley’s charge on a spin move in 1984, also against the Celts. 

 

Here some news for Eddie Jordan and the Wizards:  The NBA gives calls to superstars.  LeBron is one of them.  GIlbert Arenas is a great player, but not on James’ level.  Cleveland fans now know both sides of the coin.

 

MW

 

After a loss in Game 2 to the Washington Wizards, it’s the Cavaliers turn to adjust and respond.  Although fans of the wine and gold now think all hope is lost, it says here the Cavs will answer the Wizards victory on the road with one of their own this weekend.  Coach Mike Brown will make the necessary changes to bring the series back to Cleveland tied at 2 games each.

 

Just as you knew the Washington big three was going to shoot better in Game 2 than in Game 1, you know LeBron James will have a much better game tonight and Sunday.  The coach talked about limiting turnovers, and on Tuesday night LBJ was the chief culprit with 10 of them.  Remember that even with James’ subpar (for him) performance, the wine and gold only lost by five points. 

 

Another thing that has to happen is establishing Zydrunas Ilgauskas in the post.  Washington is under the mistaken idea that Brendan Haywood can handle Z by himself.  The Cavs must get the ball to their big guy early and often tonight.  If Z can get going in the first quarter, Wizards’ coach Eddie Jordan will have to think about changing his defensive strategy, giving the King more room to reign.

 

Cleveland won the first game because they stopped the Wizards from getting second shots.  That didn’t happen in the next game, but the Cavs have to get back to their good work on the glass for the rest of the series.  Limiting Washington to one shot will be a key.

 

The last issue was the chatting by the Wizards after the game, and the reporting of the Baltimore/Washington media.  They claimed that James was intimidated by the physicality of the Wizards.  I don’t think LBJ is intimidated by anything.  LeBron will take it to Washington, and will do it with authority.  The lip service done by the Wizards will only serve to fire up James and the rest of the Cavs.  Someone on the Cavs, either Drew Gooden or Anderson Varajao will level Gilbert Arenas or Antawn Jamison on the way to the hoop to send a message that the Cavs won’t be pushed around.

 

The series will be even going into Game 5.  Get ready for intense playoff basketball.

 

JK

 

Last year it was simple.  Get six innings out of the starter, bring in Rafael Betancourt or Matt Miller to pitch the 7th, Bobby Howry or Arthur Rhodes to work the 8th, and Bob Wickman would finish it off.  This combination caused the Cleveland Indians to have the best bullpen ERA in the American League.  Outside of Wickman, those guys are either no longer with the Tribe, or are on the disabled list.  Manager Eric Wedge is scrambling to find the right combination to close out victories in 2006.

 

As has been pointed out by many, the biggest problem is getting the starters to work innings.  There have been far too many five inning starts by the rotation so far this month.  Jake Westbrook has pitched just 9-2/3 frames in his last two starts.  Paul Byrd has been knocked out before the fifth in two of his four starts.  This means key innings are being pitched by Jeremy Guthrie and Jason Davis. 

 

Davis actually pitched well last night, but I do not trust him.  He seems like the typical guy with a million dollar arm and a ten cent brain.  He came on Tuesday night with a 4-2 lead, allowed a leadoff single to Mike Lowell, which is okay, but then he walked light hitting Willie Harris.  It cost him a run.  Even last night, he walked David Ortiz after sailing through the first five hitters with a 5-1 lead.  At that point, just challenge Ortiz.  Walking him puts a runner on for Manny Ramirez.  Maybe Davis will get more comfortable in the bullpen as he is used more, but I’m still skeptical.

 

The pen’s lone lefty, Scott Sauerbeck, has also been a problem.  His inability to get lefty hitters out will have him on a short leash.  With Felix Heredia at Buffalo, and Rafael Perez and Tony Sipp at Akron, the organization has alternatives, albeit inexperienced ones.  Sauerbeck has to start pitching well, and soon.

 

Hopefully, an effective Fernando Cabrera will help the situation.  If he can throw strikes, which has been a problem in the past, a combination of Guillermo Mota and Cabrera can handle the 7th and 8th innings.  Perhaps if Danny Graves can continue to pitch well (his last few outings were okay), he can contribute as well. 

 

Fans should watch the progress of Steve Karsay at Buffalo.  If he builds up his arm, he could be an important addition to the bullpen.  If things don’t improve soon, that could be the most important development of this young season.

 

KM

 

The city is abuzz thanks to yesterday’s resounding Game 1 triumph by the Cavaliers over the Washington Wizards yesterday afternoon.  An 11 point win that really wasn’t close after the middle of the second quarter will cause that excitement.  By the way, the playoff atmosphere didn’t seem to bother LeBron, did it?

 

However, this will be a close series.  The wine and gold played very well, and the Washington big three (Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison, and Caron Butler) did not shoot the ball well.  In the playoffs, it is all about adjustments.  Wizards’ coach Eddie Jordan will see what made the Cavs’ offense successful in the first game, and will change up his defense.  Offensively, Jordan will hope his main players make more shots.  For the most part, they had good looks, but the ball didn’t go down. 

 

I expect Washingto to come back with a revenge on Tuesday night.  If the Cavs’ can react and win that game, they will have a big leg up on winning this series and advancing to the conference semi-finals.  Look for Cavs’ head man Mike Brown to try to get Zydrunas Ilgauskas established early in the game.  One thing the Wizards’ have for concern:  Is there a defense for LBJ if the rest of the team is making their shots.

 

Now on to the Tribe.  No team looks good if the starting pitching stinks, and in the last four games, that describes the Indians’ starting pitching.  Jake Westbrook, Fausto Carmona, and Paul Byrd have combined to give up 24 runs in 13 innings in their last stop.  This has put a tremendous strain on the shaky bullpen.

 

Eric Wedge has managed like a man with waning confidence in his relief corps.  He left Westbrook in at least three hitters too long.  Carmona should have been lifted after a leadoff double with a 4-3 lead.  When you have inexperienced guys in the pen, you should try to bring them in at the start of an inning. 

 

The key man for the Tribe is Jason Davs.  The club needs Davis to provide another set up man with Guillermo Mota to get to Bob Wickman until Rafael Betancourt gets back. 

 

The biggest help would be for the starters to give Wedge six or seven innings every day.  When the Tribe made its run last year, it went a long stretch without giving up four runs in a contest.  That’s what the Tribe needs starting today.

 

MW

 

The Cleveland Cavaliers will make their first playoff appearance in eight years this weekend.  They will take on either the Washington Wizards or the Chicago Bulls in the best of seven game series.  Either match up will have historical meaning to Cleveland fans, one with fond memories, the other with heartbreaking ones.

 

This is the 30th anniversary of the so called "Miracle of Richfield".  For those who are too young to remember this edition of the Cavs, they won the only division title in the history of the franchise.  The wine and gold missed their first playoff appearance on the last day of the season in 1974-75, so the title marked the team’s first visit to the post season.  The Cavs were arguably the hottest team in the NBA going into the playoffs, and beat the then Washington Bullets in a seven game series.  Most of the games went down to a final posession, including Game 7 when Dick Snyder’s runner moved Bill Fitch’s crew into the Eastern Conference finals against the Celtics.

 

Prior to the Boston series, center Jim Chones broke his foot and couldn’t play.  Aging Nate Thurmond did an admirable job, but the wine and gold lost in six games and wouldn’t win another playoff series for 16 years.  The Celtics went on to win the title, leaving Cleveland fans to lament they would have beaten the Celts in Chones hadn’t gone down. 

 

At that point in time, the Coliseum was the loudest arena in the NBA.  The crowd would be standing and cheering at these playoff games a good 15 minutes before tip off.  It was a new experience for the town, its first competitive basketball team, and they responded.  Outside of the Lenny Wilkens led teams of the early 90’s and the arrival of LeBron James, it was the highlight of the franchise’s history.

 

The Bulls represent the other end of the spectrum.  They eliminated the wine and gold from the playoffs five times from the 1987-88 season through the 1993-94 season.  Several of those defeats are on the list of crushing Cleveland losses, most notably "The Shots" by Michael Jordan over the outstretched hands of Larry Nance and Gerald Wilkins. 

 

What people don’t remember was that early in Jordan’s career, the Cavaliers beat the Bulls on a regular basis.  When Jordan made the shot, the Cavs won every game that regular season against Chicago.  By the way, I’ve never heard an arena get quiet so quickly as when MJ hit that basket.  It went from a party to a funeral in a second. 

 

The only other time the Cavs made the Conference Finals, they were defeated by Jordan and the Bulls after winning series against New Jersey and Boston.

 

The best thing about these playoffs is that it will be James’ first appearance in the playoffs.  This is the first step in getting to the NBA title that LeBron, Danny Ferry, and Daniel Gilbert expect in the near future.  Enjoy the ride, and get used to playoff basketball in the NBA.  The guess here is it is the first of many visits down the road.

 

JK 

 

Listening to baseball analysts all the time might sound tedious, but for those who love the game it isn’t.  Occasionally you pick up on small tidbits that make all the sense in the world.  I think Mike Hegan said this during a broadcast a few years ago, but I could be wrong.  He said ideally you want to win three out of every five games.  If you do that, you wind up the season with 96 wins and that should get you in the playoffs. 

 

I bring that up in case anyone is upset by the Tribe losing four of their last five games.  The Indians are still 7-5 for the season and if they win two of their next three, they will be 9-6 on the campaign, exactly the pace Hegan talked about. 

 

However, I do want to point out a couple of things that bothered me last week, a week the Tribe went 2-4 against the Mariners and Tigers. 

 

Bullpen issues:  There are two things relievers cannot do when they enter the game:  walk guys and give up home runs.  For the most part, Cleveland bullpenners have kept the ball in the yard, at least the ones who will get innings with the game on the line.  However, we have struggled with control.  The opener at Chicago was lost when Fernando Cabrera couldn’t find the plate, and Thursday night’s loss to Seattle was more of the same.  Rafael Betancourt (usually reliable) walked the lead off man with a 5-3 lead, and then gave up a bomb to Jose Lopez.  Guillermo Mota came on after another base hit, and had control issues as well, walking in a run. 

 

Last year’s pen did an outstanding job of coming in and throwing strikes, and they have to get back to that.  One of the reasons Cabrera was put on the DL was so he could get his mechanics under control after his injury heals.  Matt Miller has had control issues in some of his outings as well. 

 

That’s why bullpens are a crap shoot pretty much every year.  Most of these guys are in the ‘pen are there because they are not good enough to be starters.

 

The bench:  Teams that have productive benches generally make use of them.  Eric Wedge has struggled with this in the past, and so far this season that hasn’t changed.  Todd Hollandsworth finally got in the lineup on Saturday and contributed with two doubles and an outstanding catch.  Why he hasn’t been in sooner, I don’t know.  Wedge could have gotten him in there against Seattle subbing one game for Jason Michaels and another for Casey Blake. 

 

Kelly Shoppach has to play more to keep Victor Martinez fresh, and Ramon Vazquez can get a start once a week as well.  I realize many of the Tribe’s core players are young, so they don’t require as much rest, but the skipper has to keep his bench active so they can contribute when the opportunity arises. 

 

The season is early and the off days are plentiful, but these bench players are on major league rosters.  The season is a long one, and the regulars have to be kept fresh for the end of the year.

 

MW

 

 

 

Yes, the Cavaliers were thumped by the Detroit Pistons yesterday in Motown.  Yes, LeBron James hurt his ankle in the defeat.  Yes, Pistons’ forward Rasheed Wallace gestured at the Cavs’ bench after Anderson Varajao got in some retaliation for Wallace’s bloodying of Zydrunas Ilgauskas last month.  However, the whole posturing by the media was overblown.  The only message I took out of yesterday’s game was the Pistons are a much better basketball team than the Cleveland Cavaliers.

 

The Pistons have been to The Finals the past two seasons, winning the championship in 2003-04.  They are a polished, veteran group and they have the best record in the NBA again this season.  The two teams have played four games this year, and the wine and gold won once, about the same thing we could expect if the Cavs and Pistons met in the playoffs. 

 

Since the Cavs don’t have much playoff experience on their roster, the whole process will be a lesson for them, and they will be better for it in future years.  Mike Brown and his team will learn about the adjustments that will be made from game to game in a seven game series.  They will learn how and when hard fouls must be given.  They will learn the importance of a low post game.  It isn’t anything they can simulate.

 

Varajao’s hard foul on Wallace was definitely needed.  The Cavs’ players had to show that someone will step up when the Pistons were using the team as a door mat.  It should have been done the next time the two teams played, not a month later.  If the Cavs and Pistons do meet in the conference semi-finals, Detroit will try to intimidate again.  Cleveland has to even the score right away. 

 

The Cavalier players were probably down after being blown out, and as competitors they should be.  But as fans, last night’s game was just a re-affirmation that the Pistons are the best team in the East.  When the season ends, LeBron and company will look at Detroit as having something they want.  Then they have to make the adjustments necessary to get it.

 

JK