We’re really glad we put out a mass call for these reader-recap things, because Boney’s was just a disaster in terms of information gathering.
Lucky for us (and you, in a way), John A sent in a genuine, “I was there. I was at the game myself. I saw it. I watched the Cavaliers lose to the Suns at home, giving PHX their 17th win in a row.”
His answers to the five questions are excellent. They help. They’re helpful. They provide helpfulness. And perhaps even hope.
1) What was the team’s effort level on a scale of 1-14? Explain in two sentences or less.
8. A lot of players were definitely looking forward to the all-star break; even Andy V. didn’t fall around as much as usual. Drew Gooden, though, was really focused, except for one or two defensive lapses.
2) What was the estimated ratio of times “Coach Mike spit into that cup†to “times Coach Mike said something that looked halfway motivating�
My seat was about as high as you can get in the arena, so I didn’t get to see into the huddle. The best I saw was Coach Mike lecturing Drew Gooden on how to play defense by holding his arms in the air and standing still. Of course, Drew needed the primer because the Cavs kept switching and letting him guard Nash on isos. It was so bad, Nash was waving over whoever Drew was guarding by the end of the 4th quarter to set picks.
[Ed. note: JE-SUS!!!! Isn't defense the thing you're supposed to be good at, Coach Mike???]
3) Did LeBron care tonight or not? Don’t tell us his stats, because he can put up a triple double without even concentrating.
I think no. His timing was off all game long; didn’t pass enough in the first half, passed too much in the second half.
4) Did Daniel Gibson play?
Oh, definitely. Coach Mike recognized we needed him more today. He played a lot, and had some nice plays, including the presence of mind to try to drive a bit once instead of just taking 3’s like the rest of the Cavs. But he also fumbled the ball and got Matrix’ed in the face for his troubles.
5) How many times did you find yourself muttering and/or screaming, “Stop taking so many freaking jumpshots!!!†or something of that ilk? Please explain briefly.
About 5-10 times in the second half; the Suns seduced the Cavs into thinking they could shoot 3’s like Phoenix. Sure David Wesley is open, but that doesn’t mean he should get the ball. He looked old. Only Damon was really hitting 3’s, and then he got hurt. Pavlovic should have gotten more time to make up for the Larry Hughes nightmare. Like I said, Gibson got me excited just because he pump-faked the 3, took a dribble or two in, and THEN shot. Hey, progress!
BONUS: Did missed free throws play a part in the loss, if in fact they did lose?
NO, because we didn’t get to the line.
Damn, we got all pumped up on that “8″ in the first answer. We were then let down until the Gibson answer, at which point we were like mildly, “Yeah!”
We went ahead and checked the box score in a little breakdown, and found Boobie actually played more than Eric Snow, so that was a positive. The next step is to give him the start.
Hell, we’ve been through all this before. Sounds like the Cavaliers were maybe a little more energetic than normal, but were offensively still a mess.
Brian Windhorst has found some things to like in the past week, but we’re holding the line at “unwatchable”. Nothing we’ve read from you kind submitters has changed our feelings about Coach Mike.
It’s still him or us. Oh, and if you think we’re brutal, take a look at Cavalier Attitude – it may as well be written by Boney.
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I actually didn’t think they played that badly. They lost to a better team. Hughes was terrible, and the switching on every pick and roll was strange, but they actually looked much better today than they have recently. Phoenix is just really good.
The Cavs definitely played better than they did in Phoenix. Gibson wasn’t super impressive, though. He fouled out after only 19 minutes. One of those fouls was him driving his face into Marion’s leg. Still he played better than Ilgauskas, Hughes or Snow, I suppose.
I think the game would’ve been much uglier if Gooden wasn’t able to come up with so many offensive rebounds. Nash was pretty ridiculous. 15 assists to 0 turnovers.
The Cavs are in trouble. After watching that game Sunday I’ve lost respect for Le—Bron. On top of that, the Cavs have surrounded him with the wrong type of players. I can see why so many Cleveland fans are frustrated. I wish I knew more about the Cavs so I could say…they need to trade him, they need to do that…all I can say is they need to do something.
I did appreciate the 5 minutes during the game that Lebron played hard. Nice cutting to the basket without the ball, taking the ball to the rim, played a little D. Unfortunately, it’s a 48 minute game.
I tell you the pivotal move of the game was when LeBron tried to jump over the rim on a dunk that was half-assed contested by Leandro Barbosa only to have LeBron turn to him and give him the mean face as if he wasn’t supposed to contest the dunk.
Noone cares how high you jump LeBron. Noone cares how many little “I Can” wristbands you kiss at the free throw line. All anyone cares about is how many titles you win.
Allen Iverson and 76ers > LeBron James and Cavs
I’m can only agree with you that right now, Allen Iverson and 76ers (circa 2001) > Le—bron and the Cavs today. This is where it gets into me not knowing the Cavs salary cap and whatnot. What really caught my attention yesterday is that there isn’t a perimeter player on the team besides Lebron that has a FG% above 41.7 (Eric Snow)
Watch the Sportscenter highligths. All LeBron… oh and the Suns won again.
Allen Iverson – 30ppg
Eric Snow – 9 ppg
George Lynch – 9ppg
Theo Ratliff – 12ppg and 10 rpg
Dikembe Mutombo/Todd MacCulloch – 12ppg and 12 rpg
>
Eric Snow – 5ppg (41% fg%)
Larry Hughes – 14ppg (40% fg%)
LeBron – 27ppg
Drew “RatTail” Gooden – 14ppg and 8rpg
Zydrunas Ilgaukus – 12ppg and 8 rpg
There’s a reason why the 76ers let both Larry Hughes and Eric Snow go… The similarities don’t really end there either… Eric Snow, well he compares to 2006 Eric Snow. Larry Hughes is about as valuable as George Lynch (Lynch was a better defender)… LeBron and AI cancel each other out because both teams basically stood around and watched them dribble… Theo and Drew are equal, same with Dikembe and Z. Actually, Dikembe was more of a force down low in 2001 than Z is now, but for comparison’s sake I threw in Todd “Bad Feet” MacCulloch too, just because Z has ouchy feet too.
The Cavs with LeBron are never going to be better than AI and the 6ers. Cavs are locked in to too many shitty contracts (see Donyell Marshall, Larry Hughes, plus whatever they may be paying Damon Jones because he’s worthless)… Ahh yes, it’ll be nice to see LeBron in NY in a few years. A tandem of LeBron and Eddy Curry sounds mighty delicious…
ole!
Did Boney just predict the Cavs will make the Finals this year? That’d be great.
It’s the coaching and system, not the players. This team has far more talent on offense than those Sixers teams.
Is it any coincidence that Hughes, Marshall, and Jones all forgot how to play the year they signed with Cleveland? And Z was less productive suddenly, too? Hell, even Pavlovic is a nice offensive player when he’s put in a position to move around, run, etc.
Is there a reason that everyone on the planet except for Coach Mike is screaming to the gods that the offense needs to be overhauled? (If we do in fact have an offense?)
At least the Cavaliers aren’t trying to force Larry Hughes into being a point guard like the Warriors were…
Hughes is putting up his typical yearly numbers (minus the contract year in WAS). He’s always averaged 12-16 ppg on not much better than 40% from the field. He has only ever played 1 full season since coming to the league 8 years ago.
Look at it on the bright side though… at least he’s improved his 3PT % from what it was in Golden State… he shot below 20% from behind the arc there…
i hate every one i dont like the u.s.a and thats y i am in mexico so that u stupid white people wont get fuck u all bitches hahaha ima smack chris lopez that goes to st joseph school in santa ana california and maybe kill him hahahahahahah im not joking
i hate every one i dont like the u.s.a and thats y i am in mexico so that u stupid white people wont get me fuck u all bitches hahaha ima smack chris lopez that goes to st joseph school in santa ana california and maybe kill him hahahahahahah im not joking
Thanks for contributing, Ruben! Have a great day!
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