Category: NBA Finals (Page 52 of 58)

For most fans (including this writer), a Pistons/Spurs re-match in the Finals would have been a snooze-fest, but the Cavs’ triumph in the Eastern Conference Finals actually has me looking forward to Game 1 on Thursday night.

Don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t mean the series will necessarily go six or seven games, but the sheer presence of LeBron, the league’s youngest superstar, should make for some compelling basketball. We’re watching “King” James as he tries to finally earn that nickname. His performance in Game 5 against Detroit was phenomenal, but it’s going to take more than one great game to impress the hordes of critics who keep saying James is lacking in one area or another.

It seems like LeBron has been around a long time, but keep in mind he’s just 22 years old. It took MJ seven seasons to lead the Bulls to their first Finals (which they won). He was 28 at the time. He went on to win five more titles in the next seven years, and he might have won two more had he not retired smack dab in the middle of that historic run.

But back to LeBron, who faces a tougher challenge in his first Finals. The Bulls played an aging Lakers team on the decline, while the Cavs have to play the Spurs, a team that is still in its collective prime. A vast majority of pundits are picking the Spurs (the line is –500), and while some are saying that the Cavs will make it interesting, no one really thinks the Cavs have much of a chance to actually win the series. (Though the results of our current poll would indicate otherwise.)

Do they have a shot? Sure. The Spurs could come out rusty on Thursday and drop Game 1, which would even of the series considerably. And it doesn’t hurt that the Cavs won both meetings this season. While LeBron put up his usual numbers (27 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 4.5 apg), two of Cleveland’s young guns, Daniel Gibson and Sasha Pavlovic, didn’t get the minutes necessary to be factor in either game. The Spurs role players – Robert Horry, Michael Finley, Brent Barry and Fabricio Oberto – scored a total of 28 points, which just isn’t going to get it done. Manu Ginobili was also starting at the time, and just scored a total of 20 points in the two games. He plays much better when he comes off the bench (and when the pressure is on), so expect his scoring to double in the Finals. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker were their usual selves, so they should both have a strong series.

Even though the Spurs are the better team, I don’t think their personnel advantage will necessarily be the difference in the series. The Cavs’ Mike Brown faces his old mentor, Gregg Popovich, and is severely outmatched in terms of experience and ability. Brown is clearly a good defensive coach, but in the last two seasons he’s failed to realize his offensive limitations. The Cavs still lean on the “LeBron clearout” far too often instead of finding inventive ways of giving James and the other players the ball in positions where they can be successful. You can bet that Pop will have a scheme to limit both Gibson and Pavlovic, while keeping LeBron under control with Bruce Bowen (and his dirty ways). Nothing in Brown’s history leads me to believe that he’ll formulate a capable response.

Regardless, it’s going to be fun to watch LeBron and Co. take on the biggest of challenges. I won’t know for sure until Game 1 starts, but despite my dislike for the Spurs, I think I’m actually going to root for San Antonio, because I don’t want to see such a flawed Cavs team win the title. Not yet, anyway.

Spurs in 6.

LeBron James has taken a lot of (much deserved) criticism over the last couple of years for his tendency to play lackadaisically and for his statement that his #1 goal is to become a “global icon” (instead of a NBA champion), but he showed last night that he has the heart and talent to single-handedly will his team to a playoff win.

He dropped a career playoff-high 48 points (including his team’s last 25) on one of the best defensive teams in the league in what might go down as the most amazing individual performance in league history. (You can see the final 25 points here.)

Inevitably, James has drawn comparisons to Michael Jordan, but he’s really more like another MJ – Magic Johnson – a point forward who handles the ball and serves as playmaker for his team. While Jordan was the consummate finisher (allowing Scottie Pippen to fill the playmaker role), Magic was the consummate catalyst, distributing the ball to his teammates at exactly the right moment to give them the best opportunity for success.

Normally, this is how LeBron tries to play, but he’s not hitting the court with James Worthy, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Byron Scott. He’s playing with the likes of Larry Hughes, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Drew Gooden. Last night, the entire Cavs roster was pretty ineffective, especially down the stretch, so LeBron took it upon himself to win the game. He showed that killer instinct that Jordan, Magic and Larry Bird showed every time they stepped on the floor.

But that’s what’s so frustrating about LeBron. He should be living in that zone, night in and night out. The will to win is not a finite resource. You’re not going to use it up if you approach the first game of the season the same way you approach Game 5 of the Conference Finals. The mindset should be the same before every game: there’s a team that wants to beat you tonight, and you’re not going to let it happen.

If the Cavs somehow end up losing this series after LeBron’s performance in Game 5, it will be a crushing blow to the franchise. They don’t have any salary cap flexibility until the summer of ’09, so this is pretty much the team that LeBron has to play with for the next couple of years. The only way they’ll get better is via the draft (Daniel Gibson is turning out to be a very nice pick) and possibly finding a taker for Ilgauskas or Hughes, though given their bloated salaries, it’s unlikely.

I don’t think this team has a chance in hell against the Spurs – they’re severely outmatched at every position but small forward and I don’t see how Mike Brown will ever lead any team to a title – but if LeBron can repeat his Game 5 performance three or four more times in the Finals, you never know.

Here’s the big question: is LeBron living in this zone or is he just passing through?

In Bill Simmons’ latest column, “20 reasons to heart Cavs-Pistons,” one of his readers steals the show.

I thoroughly enjoyed this e-mail from Rob in Kailua, Hawaii: “I’ve been noticing that during the Detroit-Cleveland series Gooden and Rasheed get into arguments or little scuffles at least 2-3 times a game. Is there a history there? My theory is that Gooden’s little patch of hair on his neck used to be the little patch of hair missing from Rasheed’s head. Drew must have won some epic battle and now wears that patch as a medal of honor. That’s the only logical explanation for such a ridiculous hairdo right?”

That’s some great stuff, Rob.

For most of Game 1, I was rather impressed with the Cavs and how they were able to control the boards. The Pistons didn’t play very well and still managed to win the game, which doesn’t bode well for Cleveland.

The Cavs are running Hughes at the point, which seems to help his activity. Defensively, he did a nice job limiting Chauncey Billups’ attempts, but Billups was still able to have an impact on the game. Aleksandar Pavlovic and Hughes combined for 8 for 27 shooting, which isn’t going to get it done. The Pistons did a great job of harrassing LeBron, but I thought that there were a few plays where he was fouled but didn’t get the call. He’s a lot stronger than Tayshaun Prince. I think the Cavs need to get him the ball on the block and let him operate from there. Then, he can either go up for the quick shot or pass out of the double-team. Instead, they’re asking him to attack Prince on the perimeter, where he is one of the league’s most effective defenders.

From the Pistons’ point of view, they have to be very happy to get a win even though they sleepwalked for most of the game. Rip Hamilton played terrific, carrying his team into the fourth quarter. It’s clear that neither the team nor its fans are taking the Cavs very seriously, and it almost came back to bite them last night.

I really thought that Tim Duncan would be matched up with Carlos Boozer, but the Spurs used Fabricio Oberto and Francisco Elson to cover Boozer for much of Game 1. If these guys are covering Boozer in Game 2, give him the ball in the post every chance you get. Tell Deron Williams and Mehmet Okur to spot up and Andrei Kirilenko to cut down the lane to keep his man engaged. Duncan and Parker won’t be able to double because they’ll have to stay with Okur and Williams on the perimeter. Mix in a little pick-and-roll and you should be golden.

Once Boozer starts having success, the Spurs will have no choice but to put Duncan on him. Then you can run a series of block to block screens to keep Tim moving and potentially get him into foul trouble.

Jerry, I’ve heard you’re kind of a hard ass, but I think you’re the league’s most underrated coach and I’d love to see you win a title. But you have to ride Boozer until you can’t ride him anymore.