Cavs-Celtics Redux
Final thoughts and pie
–On Saturday night, I had some delicious Forrest Berry pie. The following afternoon, with two minutes left in the fourth quarter of Game 7, I ran into the kitchen and cut myself a slice of leftover pie. There was no way I was going to watch the last two minutes of that incredible game without some pie. Sometimes you want your epic Game 7 and you want to eat it, too.
–As much as the home away from homer in me wanted to see the Cavs pull an upset, this seems like a logical progression for LeBron and co. They fought hard, have nothing to be ashamed of, and look to be on the cusp—second scorer still needed—of glory. They were one clutch shot—DJ, live and brick from the corner; Sasha stepping ill-fatedly on the line—from being able to put themselves in position to deliver a knockout blow. Anyone else thinking Boobie’s absence made a huge difference? They needed a knockdown guy to space the floor and unclog the lane and they just didn’t have him on Sunday (though kudos to Delonte West in all of his creative glory and admirable will power).
–With the Celtics and Pistons a year older and the West wide open and beating the crap out of itself, I don’t see why the Cavs can’t win it next year. Yeah, I said it. Sure, the roster is overpriced and there isn’t much G-Managerial leg room. Still, the Cavs, health-permitting, will always be able to Team D up and that is criminally underrated in May and June. Hell, had they won yesterday, you know they weren’t going to lose to Detroit—the whole thing seemed set up like dominoes. (In truth, I was hoping for CLE-LA, mostly for Sasha vs. Sasha, both looking for the vic). Anyway, the Cavs have defensive structure; they just need another layer. If championship basketball is a house, the Cavs have most of it (LeBron&defense) in place. It’s hilarious to listen to the national pundits wet themselves because LeBron could sign elsewhere in 2010. They jump on the team’s weaknesses, and all of a sudden the average couch potato is sitting there arguing like the team got swept. Fellas…screamers…this is Cleveland basketball, not extreme makeover ho edition.
Plus, the Cavs, as currently comprised and with minimal tweaking, will always be a more dangerous in the playoffs than in the regular season.
–After game 1, I wondered if the Cavs really blew their shot at a game in Boston that was theirs for the taking. Bron’s seemingly inconceivable 2-18 was reverse reminiscent of Reggie’s 8 second Game 1 takedown of the ‘95 Knicks, who, despite the meltdown, were still a Patrick Ewing finger roll away from a ECF matchup with young Shaq/Penny. The roles were reversed in this series, but the hard fought grind it out nature was the same.
–Pistons-Celtics. Celtics in 7. Because sometimes it just is what it is.
24 Responses to “Cavs-Celtics Redux”
May.20 at 2:29 pm
TADOne says:
“Fellas…screamers…this is Cleveland basketball, not extreme makeover ho edition.”
And the winner is……..Jake.
May.20 at 2:32 pm
Krishan says:
Great read Jake. The Cavs would be insane to go through offseason without making any changes AGAIN. That second option might just come true this November.
May.20 at 3:26 pm
a. sam says:
Bron isn’t a winner. Yeah, I said it. It’s not that he can’t win, it’s that he can’t be THE WINNER, if that makes any sense. Peep: Clyde Drexler won a chip. Would you call him a WINNER? No, he’s a STAR and became a WINNER. Dream was THE WINNER and THE STAR. Young Bob (Philly, stand up!) Horry was a WINNER. Not saying Bron should be a No. 2, just that he needs a WINNER alongside him to win a chip. Delonte West shows signs, but that’s it for the Cavs, except for one other guy (think about it…). You don’t have to be a STAR to be a WINNER. I think Udonis Haslem is a WINNER. You know who else is a WINNER, believe it or not? Stephen Jackson is a WINNER. Out of all the guys in this draft, Kevin Love looks to me like he could be a WINNER in the pros. Sorry for being long-winded and off-topic. Pistons in 6. And I knew the Cavs would lose as soon as I heard Boobie was out. You know why? He was the only guy on Cleveland who showed last year that he wanted to be a WINNER. Bron was just THE STAR. Big difference.
May.20 at 3:32 pm
Z says:
a. sam, you make no sense at all.
May.20 at 3:38 pm
Tariq says:
Aggrey: What’s the difference between a STAR and a WINNER, exactly? Like what are the criteria?
May.20 at 3:40 pm
Tariq says:
Jake:
Pie is good. But Pi is bad.
May.20 at 3:42 pm
Jake Appleman says:
Aggrey, it took MJ 7 years to prove he was a winner. It took Dream longer than that. It took Kobe 4 years PLAYING WITH SHAQ. Give it time before you make that full assessment.
May.20 at 3:50 pm
Tariq says:
But I still want to know what WINNER signifies, because methinks 29 of the last 30 and 48 overall to take your team to the Finals a WINNER makes.
May.20 at 3:51 pm
Tariq says:
That Udonis Haslem part totally threw me off.
May.20 at 3:58 pm
Jake Appleman says:
I think it’s more about evolution than definition.
May.20 at 4:07 pm
TADOne says:
Ya’ll missed the most important part of Aggrey’s ramble: “Pistons in 6″.
May.20 at 4:21 pm
tealish says:
I actually get the Haslem thing. That guy wants to and plays to win - that’s a winner. It’s not always results or star quality. Allen Iverson 10+ years, no chip? A winner.
With LeBron, we don’t know yet. Definitely too early to make any conclusions because he’s shown very positive signs. But, y’all know who is a straight-up loser? One Carmelo Anthony.
May.20 at 4:30 pm
Michael says:
I may be the only person in the world who sees glaring similarities between Ai’s sixers teams and these Cavs. Have a great who dominates the ball in order to be effective, making it difficult for the team to find a legit second option(unless it’s a dominat center) got to the finals in Lebons 4th season AI’s 5th season becasue of how great their teams were on defense which allowed them to carry them on offense. IN the subsequent years their gms begen to make bad trade after bad trade breaking apart the nucleus that got to the finals only to see the team have less sucess each year.
May.20 at 5:01 pm
Ryan Jones says:
Also, Bron has no post game and a woefully inconsistent jumper and can’t make free throws. Don’t forget that stuff. That’s important.
May.20 at 5:02 pm
a. sam says:
As it’s something that I came up with on the spot (but constantly think about in less-definitive terms), bear with me on the criteria. A STAR is the team’s focal point. His coach tries to put the STAR in the best position to be successful because that’s how the team will be most successful. The opposing coach bases his game plan around how to make the STAR least successful. A WINNER is the guy whose play, whether measurable (by stats) or not, most often puts his team in the position to win. And not because of “a system” or “matchups.” I think Bron makes WINNING plays, but doesn’t comprehend the value of them, as if it was by accident. When people think of Mike as a WINNER, they think of THE SHOT. That’s just clutch. LOSERS can be clutch. But the steal on Karl Malone to set up THE SHOT, that was the action of a WINNER, not just a STAR. That was THE WINNER. I do agree that WINNING is learned behavior–to a degree–but I also think you can see signs early on. I was too young to say I fully understood what Mike was doing against the Pistons (I was a big Bad Boys fan, so that didn’t help), but I knew that when the torch was passed, he earned it. It’s not Bron’s fault that Isiah, Joe D. and Co. don’t play in this day and age, but last year’s run (his WINNING plays in Game 7 aside), didn’t help things. That was an era–even through the Kobe/Shaq days–of earning your spot as a WINNER and team-wise, as a CONTENDER, let alone a CHAMPION. I don’t doubt that Bron will get a ring; but pay attention to who else is on his team when it happens. NO MORE CAPS FOR ME!
Z: I don’t completely understand myself. That’s why I rarely comment. Don’t know why I did today.
Tariq: I hope that answered your questions. Rings and things are important, but more important is how you go about it.
Jake: Just my opinion right now. Subject to change.
tealish: Glad you feel me on Udonis, but what signs do you see in Bron? Unfortunately, I agree on Melo–very sad. Mixed messages.
May.20 at 5:31 pm
Jake Appleman says:
despite disagreement, always respect your opinion, AS.
May.20 at 5:35 pm
nothin personal says:
I don’t know about winners, but I know about people that want it more, never stop believing, and have the mental clarity to understand what needs to be done in the clutch. sure. iy’s impressive wartching superman acts, or Lebron smashing through a wall, but it’s a safer bet to find a door, or go around the wall most of the times. Do you know when I was definite that Bron is a huge winner? When he gave that 3pt to Donyell two years ago. That was a winners decision, and you can say whatever you want. Too bad that Marshall chocked, though…
May.20 at 9:11 pm
tealish says:
A.sam: There are some positive signs in LeBron, all stemming from his undeniable commitment to be the best. However, ‘being the best’ can cover a broader range than one might think. What I’m starting to see, is that perhaps LeBron strives more to become the best player, the largest icon, the brightest global star than to become the ultimate winner. The difference lies in one’s focus.
After game 7, LeBron was like “I told Paul Pierce, let’s give these fans something to remember”. Bron, you’re playing in game 7 of the Semi-finals — worry about winning the game, instead of putting on a show.
Bron also talks a lot about the history of the game, referencing the legends and the classical performances. I suspect that his focus is going down in history, with outstanding performance after performance rather than to go down as winner.
This is all speculative and his intentions might not be how it appears. I’d like to believe that we can at least hold off judgment because at least he plays with passion like he cares. Whether it’s about acheiving legendary status as a showman or a winner, we’ll see soon enough.
May.20 at 11:53 pm
Dacre says:
A. Sam…. I don’t agree with your definition of the terms WINNER and STAR. Udonis Haslem a winner??? NO ONE AT ANY POINT, on the Miami roster could be considered a WINNER…
I think the term your after, regarding quantifying someones value to the out come of a basketball game is my old favourite… “BLUE COLLAR”. The intangibles, the intensity, motivations and presence felt thats not necessarily measured in the box score add up to being a valuable asset at necessary times, ie
BIG SHOT ROB (Horry), Boobie, Luc Longley (against the Sonics in 1996 final - stay with me…). But then there is a thin line between ‘wanting’ to win, having particular skills and being borderline woeful: Adam Keefe, Sean Marks, Manute Bol, Shawn Bradley, Rick Brunson, Paul Shirley, Rich King. But at different times each of these players were on successful teams, even adding to their teams success. I just think defining anyone by being a STAR or WINNER is not substantial in terms of how accurate that is….But hey, you should DEFINITELY post more!
^_^
May.20 at 11:57 pm
Dacre says:
TEALISH:
The best thing for Lebron to do is treat the NBA for what it is….A BUSINESS. “Putting on a show” is the best thing to do for fans, and obviously by “putting on a show” he is going to give a thorough display of his skills…surely a show wouldn’t consist of his 2 for 18 performance, and you would have to say that wasn’t pre-arranged…and wanted to perform - if not every game? TIM DONAGHY is that you down there making calls/plays?
May.21 at 6:35 am
Slobodan Chutzpah says:
You know who most certainly aren’t winners? To name but three: Rashard Lewis, Melo, Antawn Jamison.
May.21 at 7:47 am
Tariq says:
Slobodan: Melo is taking a lot of (deserved) flak right now, but I think he can still havee a great career. IF he makes a commitment to improving his defense. Rashard isn’t a loser, he’s just massively overpaid. Jamison, however, is a WINNER. That dude is a class act.
May.21 at 7:54 am
Tariq says:
Aggrey: I kinda have an inkling of what you’re saying. It kind of reminds me of Vincent’s Franchise Player/ Max Contract Player distinction. I guess Dirk would be the quintessential STAR, who is not a WINNER. I think Dirk would a great second option, or even a first option on offense, but he needs someone else to be the WINNER on his team if he wants to win a chip. But Bron? I mean, look, I was watching a show about Muhammad Ali the other day, and I felt like there was a huge gap between Ali and any athlete today in terms of transcending the sport. LeBron is not transcendent in terms of giving a voice to the disenfranchised or whatever. But in strict basketball terms, if my team (and I don’t have one; I’m a bandwagonner, or “hoops aesthete” as I like to call it) had to play against Bron and a bunch of pre-schoolers I’d be scared, because LeBron can beat ANYONE. He’s cold-blooded, and he can do whatever he damn well pleases. He’s not my favorite player, but he’s definitely a WINNER in my book.
May.22 at 9:21 am
k says:
lebron iz the best player but needs somone to step up more