Many a person will tell you that this is the best potential series of the Eastern bracket, but last time we checked, the Cavaliers won 50 games (in spite of themselves), which does indeed make them a “better” team than the Bulls.
Of course, with a first-round sweep of the Heat, Chicago has positioned themselves as the far more interesting team than Cleveland, and thus tonight’s CHI-DET matchup is surely more interesting (at this time) than any other we can see.
Nobody quite knows what will happen, but everyone is sure this will be a war. Both teams are feisty in their own ways, the two franchises obviously have history, and the whole “Ben Wallace used to be our guy but now he’s your guy, even though Tyson Chadler is better, younger, and cheaper” thing makes for a fine backdrop.
THAT SAID, much of the focus is on young Chicago forward Luol Deng, so let’s warm up Sheed-huntin’ season with a word from…Sheed.
“Luol’s a good player, and he knows how to get a bucket,” Rasheed Wallace said. “But Tay’s a hell of a defender. He’s the same guy who people were doubting in a big matchup with Kobe. He always matches up well with those guys — LeBron and different dudes at the three. I’m not even worried about Luol, because I know what Tay can do.”
“I Know What Tay Can Do” is actually a favorite song of ours – we just now made it up, and while we’d love to sing it for you, we haven’t put it to music yet.
What that means is we could say it to you, which technically would make it a poem – that might get the idea of the words across, but without the correct melody the message becomes skewed.
Is this what you want? What you ask for? We think not – when we actually show up to write things, we expect that you expect a full analysis of things.
So here it is – DET too strong inside, CHI too “not scorey” enough and “too outside shooty”. Pistons in six, and that’s actually our preference, too.
If CLE makes it past Jersey (which we expect they will), we’d much rather they see DET than CHI. If they see CHI, it means the Bulls are rolling hardcore, and we don’t like Cleveland’s chances against anyone with too much enthusiasm.
{ 17 comments }
Dear Cav,
unfortunately i think jersey is gonna dominate the matchup.
because: larry hughes and ilgauskus will not do a bit against jersey.
All-World defender Jason Collins will play really good D on Ilgauskus.
to win this matchup:
Larry Hughes must step his game up. means making open J’s or rather not taking stupid contested shots,
and play heck of a zone defense WITHOUT gambling. Jason kidd is too good a passer for him to gamble.
A zone D with Larry and another gaurd (not named eric snow or lebron) playing zone D on the perimeter.
slowing the game down, and have lebron drive and foul Jason Collins/insert NJ center here early in the game. this way ilgauskus will be able to be more aggresive late in the game, where they can pound the ball inside and not take long shots that spark NJ fastbreaks (Jkidd is excellent at taking long rebounds to initiate RJ and VC’s dunk contests in a game.
playin good transition defense. (not possible for the cavs, unless u want lebron to play d and score, thus making him too tired after a game and a half, turning him back into a jumpshooter)
injure richard jerfferson.
what would help:
donyell making threes like layups.
larry and lebron taking turns to run plays on the same page.
gooden actually having a game iq.
ilgauskus being able to plod up the floor for defense in less than 20seconds.
First, there is no way on earth NJ dominates this series. Cavs should win in 5 or 6, and if Hughes’ shot is on, forget about it. Cavs are simply a substanially better basketball team and if they lose, it will be on the Cavs not playing to their potential. But, no way NJ will “dominate”.
Second, it would be far better for the Cavs to play the Bulls. The playoffs are about matchups and Cavs matchup better against the Bulls, and to be honest, the Pistons own the Cavs and are probably in their heads, to a degree. Also, how could you favor playing the Pistons without homecourt, over the Bulls with the homecourt advantage? That in and of itself is reason to want the Bulls to win.
The Cavalier,
graham makes a great argument (I didn’t capitalize his name even though it started my sentence because his name wasn’t capitalized by him by choice). He said, “Cavs are simply a substantially better basketball team and if they lose, it will be on the Cavs not playing to their potential”, and then he rattles off some other nonsense.
Now, I’ve been posting here for almost a year (my year anniversary is coming up soon, I should get a t-shirt or something)… I have yet to see CLE play up to this “potential” of which all of the CLE fans think they have.
As a fan of the CLE, The Cavalier, do you really think that CLE is as good as being up 3-2 on DET (with Sheed and Hamilton on bad feet), or do you think they’re as good as struggling to get by a healthy Wizards team? I don’t think CLE proved much last postseason, honestly. Say what you want about being up in the series against DET, but DET pounded CLE’s collective balls in the dirt in games 1, 2, and 7. Then they pounded CLE’s balls in the dirt 3 out of 4 this season.
Where did all of this pre-season’s blind predictions come from? They didn’t improve on 50 wins, noone on their roster got better except ‘Bron, and although they’re the #2 seed just look at what happened to the East this season… my god, Toronto won their division, Wizards were #1 at the break they got hurt, etc.
It’s a question that you have yet to answer this season, but I’ll ask it again. Do you really think CLE has improved, or do you think it’s the rest of the Eastern Conference not being as good as last year and the year before? I think it’s the Eastern Conference isn’t as good (at the top) as the last 2-3 years. I have to admit though, I’m hoping that CLE makes it to the conference finals, it’ll make for fun reading for at least the first 4 games of the series.
Love
Boney
quote:
… I have yet to see CLE play up to this “potential†of which all of the CLE fans think they have.
When i stated ‘dominate’, its like, as in, did u see the warriors? they totally dominated the mavs last night. or as in, “hey dio, good luck with graduation, dominate all things”
totally vernacular, totally (technically) :
counterfactual, defective, erring, erroneous, fallacious, false, faulty, fluffed, goofed*, in error, inaccurate, inexact, miscalculated, misconstrued, misfigured, misguided, mishandled, mistaken, not precise, off-target*, out, perverse, rotten*, sophistical, specious, spurious, unsatisfactory, unsound, unsubstantial,
so in closing, nets will “dominate” a game as it is played during the final moments to:
achieve, arrive, attain, bring about, bring off, carry out, conclude, consummate, effect, finish, fulfill, gain, make it, manage, nail it*, perform, produce
a win.
Nets in 6.
(disclaimer, unless the Cavaliers actually “play”*, the above is “true”**)
*play: definition: have a go; an honest concentrated effort
**true- disclaimer- the truth of the stated is adversely affected by fate of the matchup in the near future
“Unless the Cavaliers actually ‘play’*….”
Where is all this “playing” that they have done? What have the Cavaliers even begun to prove?
quote:
“Unless the Cavaliers actually ‘play’*….â€
Where is all this “playing†that they have done? What have the Cavaliers even begun to prove?
that they are lucky to have that no1 pick in 2003
and there will be a lot of “ballsack pounding” as you put it, but the bad kind (ie: not watchable). which means it does not involve some lips (either on a head or in the “interstellar black hole” below the belly and infront of the anus)
unless the cavaliers have any space/time travelling abilities
Larry and Ilgauskus still suck; this team will not get laid at the conference championship celebration.
I’ve said all I can about the Cavaliers – you won’t be happy until I just say “you’re right”.
In my opinion, they have enough talent, but
1) Said talent is utilized incorrectly due to inept coaching.
2) Said talent doesn’t play hard all the time due to inept coaching and a lack of focus/effort by Lebron.
What else do you want me to say? Yes, the East is worse this year. Look at all the Cavs wins vs losses though – it backs up my theory – when they try hard, they can beat anyone. The majority of the season, they didn’t try hard at all – they won 50 in spite of themselves, and it was so pathetic I stopped watching them altogether for two separate stretches.
Cavs had a winning record against the West, yet multiple losses to Charlotte, the Knicks, etc.
You talk as if all I do is speak good of this team, when all I’ve done is rip them to pieces this season. I watched one half of one of the Washington games – they weren’t trying, so I didn’t care. They make me sick far more than they make me happy. Get on my “bandwagon”, though – by all means!
The Cavalier really reminds me of Michael Douglas in Falling Down. All he wants is for his team to care/to get to his daughter’s birthday party, but no one will listen to what he’s saying, and no matter how long he waits for the team to give a damn, even into the playoffs/tries to get to the party it still stretches before him.
I’m hoping, for this site’s sake, the Cavaliers make it to the ECF.
the cavalier? what did he say?
THIS IS MY ONE SHINING MOMENT NOW! I HAVE POSTS THAT ARE ACKNOWLEDGED! MY EXISTENCE IN THIS ONE UBER SYBER WORLD (yay!) IS RECOGNIZED! I HAVE MADE MY CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PATHETIC EXISTENCE THAT IS HUMANITY! (better yet, the awesome blog that is YAY!Sports)
Quote:
I’ve said all I can about the Cavaliers – you won’t be happy until I just say “you’re rightâ€.
What else do you want me to say? Yes, the East is worse this year. Look at all the Cavs wins vs losses though – it backs up my theory – when they try hard, they can beat anyone. The majority of the season, they didn’t try hard at all – they won 50 in spite of themselves, and it was so pathetic I stopped watching them altogether for two separate stretches.
You talk as if all I do is speak good of this team, when all I’ve done is rip them to pieces this season. I watched one half of one of the Washington games – they weren’t trying, so I didn’t care. They make me sick far more than they make me happy. Get on my “bandwagonâ€, though – by all means!
Mr Cav/Michael Douglas,
i have already purchased tickets to your amazing troupee. I am in bandwagon “numerous a lot of people”
number “1000thSeat Row2 Isle10″ next to the hot La Cheerleaders who want to meet that black dude off the Green Mile who is currently going to game one between Nets and Cavs. I paid for this ticket the shortly after the third time i read your site and said, this is one Troupee Leader that i makes total sense. he points out the obvious like Michael Kramer before Kramer went all sprewell on black people. but i hate kramer tho. he is a crackerhead.
You do not speak much bad of this team, you just do not speak much good. But your stylistics is very much unique to mankind that we all get puzzled yet entertained but also come away with a warm fuzzy feeling inside. Truth is, in reading of your said YAYSports! blog, we have aqquired a lifeform of our own in this cyberspace and are subconciously regurgitating your opinions.
the thing is, Mr Cav; nay Michael, YOU’re right.
youve said it before, youve said it a million times, and i am just the amoeba creating duplicates off it.
or maybe amoebas of a kind flock together.
except your amoeba has a track record of being 1st, numero Uno, and being ripped off by scoop jackson (the whitest black man), and having electronic blogs.
thanks for writing this blog, cav.
The morphing of LeBron James into Allen Iverson is nearly complete!
nice L and J tattoos on the back of both arms, all he needs now is a arm sleeve full time and some neck tattoos like Larry Hughes and he’ll be set.
i have to say I fear for LJ and the Cavs against Jason Kidd. When he’s on, he can make the whole Nets team pretty tough to stop. And he seems to be on these days.
Two moments in Game 1 stuck out to me.
After Boston Snackbar hit what looked like at three from the corner to make it 75-71 it seemed clear that the Cavs couldn’t shake the Nets. Then LeBron sank a 19 footer to make it 77-71. Nothing fancy, just a perfect jump shot continuing the momentum shift that started when it was tied at 67. I saw Jordan do this type of thing a hundred times.
Then LeBron blocked Snackbar’s jumper on the Nets last posession. Nothing but switching off his man and sealing the victory. Jordan-esque.
Then he even pulled the “Oh by the way, I’m under the weather” in his post game interview. The Jordan Hat Trick.
I’m happy for the Nets fans that their team has become the sexy pick, I mean they did beat Toronto and all but I don’t think they’re going to beat the Cavs. I’m sorry to express this feeling on a Cavs-centric blog, I know that makes me a delusional homer.
nice TVBrain, it’s nice to see that your morphing into a typical CLE homer. You know, someone that likes to predict a 55 win season after a lucky run in the previous playoff year followed by a year of saying how much he hates the team and then he loves them for the playoff run…
they’re gearing you up for another heartbreak… easy win over the Wiz… match up against a team that’s good enough to beat them, but not quite consistent enough to beat them…
things will ratchet up around here come next round, if you make it that far… and then if you make the ECF this year I’m sure we’ll read the predictions of 60 wins next season…
And how hard that will be for all of us to bear. Man it sucks when people root for and get excited about their team.
I’ve never commented here before, but I do read the comments quite a bit, and I gotta say:
Wow, Boney calling someone else a “homer”. Pot, meet kettle.
up two-nil… no way
take that disbelievers!
oh wait.. two nil the OTHER way… snap!
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