SportsStreet Ohio

During halftime of ESPN’s telecast of the Cavs-Mavericks matchup at Gund Arena, Jim Gray broke down his halftime conversation with Cleveland head coach Mike Brown. Gray report that Brown felt his biggest concern was Cleveland’s lack of defensive intensity - however, at one point in the third quarter, Cleveland managed 24 points in 19 minutes. Meanwhile Dallas showed no signs of eclipsing 100 points. Brown insists Cleveland needs to turn up its defense?

Cleveland’s plodding, predictable offense shouldn’t be dictated by Brown’s previous tenure at San Antonio. Brown fails to see the possibility in Cleveland’s offense, and his insistence on defensive posturing prevents any creativity from being injected into the game plan.

Disputing the notion that defense wins championships isn’t the argument. Its a key component in winning basketball and can be a catalyst for easy baskets. But constantly believing the only recourse to turning a ballgame around is playing more defense only produces dull basketball with scores in the 80s.

Even ESPN’s announcers Bill Walton and Jon Barry wondered aloud why Cleveland (and Ohio State for that matter) insisted on pedestrian offense tactics. At some point Brown must recognize he has more than a cast of marginal players and open up the game. Phoenix doesn’t seem to struggle…

Popularity: 67% [?]

Yahoo! Sports reports the Sacramento Kings have nixed a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers because Kings GM Geoff Petrie expressed little interest in receiving Drew Gooden as part of the package. So, despite his best efforts, GM Danny Ferry failed to secure a playmaker capable of reducing LeBron’s workload and boost the roster toward championship status similar to the way Pistons GM Joe Dumars managed to land Chris Webber.

Placing blame on any of the parties would be unfair, particularly considering Gooden has played reasonably well this season and the Cavs really didn’t have much to offer that would give the Kings the salary relief they were seeking. And while the Cavs seem to sit a notch below championship contenders Dallas, Phoenix, San Antonio, and Detroit, Cleveland’s playoff prospects can’t be considered grim given the Eastern Conference’s limited arsenal of talented teams.

On a related note, the Cavs would do themselves a favor by taking a pass on the un-retiring Scottie Pippen. The Cavs already have Donyell Marshall and Damon Jones, so adding a third guy to stand around the three-point line and wait for LeBron to kick the ball out doesn’t seem to be the missing piece the Cavaliers need to take the next step.

Popularity: 85% [?]

Watching the Cavs come up short against the red-hot Phoenix Suns Sunday afternoon demonstrated why this year’s team will have a hard time topping last season’s accomplishments - it’s pretty much the same roster and too many guys defer to LeBron James when the game hangs in the balance. They simply lack the requisite firepower to overcome premier opponents.

On Monday night, albiet against the much weaker Golden State Warriors, the Cavs thumped the Warriors 124-97 with eight guys scoring double-figures. The Cavs are 8-2 without LeBron James the past two seasons. They are not a better team without King James. But you have to wonder how the team’s approach changes with James on the floor. Do they become too passive on offense? There seems to be quite a bit of standing around when the ball is in James’ hands. James casts quite a large shadow - and the Cavs need to find a way to become more than just LeBron’s team.

Popularity: 65% [?]

It appears the Cavs of the future are the Cavs of the present. After securing LeBron James, Cleveland’s next biggest off-season priority signed a three-year, $23 million contract as the Cavaliers management continues to find ways to surround James with a cast capable of lifting the franchise to a NBA title. Gooden, considered one of the better free agent forward available, joins a Cavaliers team that looks a lot like the one from last season that pushed Detroit to seven games in second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Cavs GM Danny Ferry continues to make solid moves this offseason. After drafting Shannon Brown and Daniel Gibson, the former Cavaliers forward moved on signing James to a max contract and then immediately jumped into a potentially problematic negotiation. Given Denver forked over $60 million for the oft-injured Nene, Ferry and Gooden could have haggled over millions. Instead, the two found common ground and got a deal done.

While many Cavs fans would love to have seen Cleveland upgrade at the power forward position, the development of Anderson Varejao and Gooden’s continuing maturation in a stable coaching environment will pay dividends in 2006-2007.

Popularity: 64% [?]

Two hard fouls into the Cavaliers 89-84 loss to Washington in Game 2 of the first round of the NBA playoffs, Lebron James looked frustrated. He barked at the officials and glared at the Wizards delivering the hard contact on the way to the basket. Following his jaw-dropping playoff debut in which everything flowed effortlessly, the Wizards committed themselves to making James work harder than he did on Saturday afternoon in Game 1. And it worked.

James struggled with his shooting and uncharacteristically turned the ball over 10 times. He still managed to lead the Cavs with 26 points, but the 10 turnovers exceeded his nine rebounds and two assists. Everytime James headed toward the hoop, Washington collapsed and forced James into tough looks. Washington made adjustments and Cleveland stood around watching Drew Gooden enjoy a career night. Gooden single-handedly kept Cleveland in the ballgame scoring 24 points and 16 rebounds.

Game 3 tips off on Friday night and Cleveland better take note that the series has moved into a more physical realm. 30 years since the Miracle of Richfield, LeBron and the Cavs need to find a way to get past Washington.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Take a quick look at the NBA standings and ask yourself the following question: How many teams are in a position to win 50 games this season?

Answer: Seven. Detroit, San Antonio, Dallas, Phoenix, and Miami are all at 50-plus. Cleveland and New Jersey lurk just below the milestone at 49 wins. That’s some pretty elite company, and while Cleveland may not be favored to win the championship just yet - you have to believe that a 50-win season proves the Cavaliers are one of the NBA’s premier franchises.

Popularity: 11% [?]

Cleveland’s 91-87 loss to Dallas Tuesday night tells a story all too common - the second-half collapse by the Cavaliers.
One has to wonder what takes place in the locker room at halftime. Too often Cleveland squanders a halftime lead with a pathetic third and/or fourth quarter. A small sampling of poor second-half efforts the past two weeks:

• 8 points in the third quarter at Dallas on March 14
• 29 points in the second half at Orlando on March 10
• 9 points in the fourth quarter against Detroit on February 27

A few theories abound: coach Mike Brown doesn’t make solid second-half adjustments, Cleveland can’t handle complex offensive schemes, the team stands around and waits for LeBron James to make a play, etc. Too some degree, there is truth in all the reasons but unless Cleveland can find a way to score that doesn’t include tossing up long-distance jumpers for 48 minutes - awful 12 minute strectches will cost the Cavaliers key victories down the stretch.

Popularity: 15% [?]

The talk about a Cavaliers second-half collapse overlooks one important difference between this year’s team and last year’s team: the are completely different ballclubs. Sure, LeBron James is still the centerpiece and yes, the Cavaliers still spend most of their time on the offensive end of the floor standing around and waiting for James to make a play.

But look closely at last night’s 91-72 win over the Chicago Bulls. Cleveland kept the game close while James waited to turn it on in the fourth quarter. Flip Murray, the recent acquisition aimed to make up for the loss of Larry Hughes’s playmaking ability, delivered a few key passes to Zydrunas Ilgauskas that kept the Cavs in the game. Donyell Marshall, struggling with his shot in recent weeks, cued up three huge 3-pointers to push Cleveland out to a decent lead in the final frame.

Nothing against Jeff McInnis, Kevin Ollie, Lucious Harris, or Robert Traylor - but the Cavs have more talent this year than in year’s past, and that talent will keep the ship from sinking. Just look at the scoring comparison from this season to last:

2005-2006 Scoring Averages:

2004-2005 Scoring Averages:

Reviewing the scoring options from 05-06 to 04-05 shows the Cavaliers have six players capable of averaging 10+ points per game as opposed to four the previous season. However, the injury to Hughes has created a similar scenario to last season in that the Cavaliers lack a reliable third option. If the Cavaliers can play through this current stretch and get into the final weeks of the season, the monumental collapses of the past two seasons should be memories.

Popularity: 9% [?]

The criticism has been almost deafening — LeBron James can’t deliver in the clutch.

With the game on the line, James can’t hit the big shot or make the big play.

He defers too much to his teammates.

His free throw shooting is erratic.

With everything coming so easy, he can’t handle adversity.

Saturday night in Salt Lake City, James quietly hushed his critics for at least one day, scoring 51 points in a 108-90 win over the host Utah Jazz. The win ended a six-game slide and prevented the Cavaliers from returning to Cleveland winless on the six-game West Coast trip.

One night after struggling with his shooting enroute to a season-low 14 points, James connected on 19-of-35 shots to earn his third career 50-point game and the first in a Cavaliers victory. James, a game-time decision, almost sat out with a sore knee after colliding with the Warriors Mike Dunleavy the night before.

Check clutch performance. Check adversity.

Cleveland pulled away in the second half outscoring the Jazz 63-43 in the final two qaurters. Showing resolve and strength not typically seen at the end of a long road trip on the second night of a back-to-back set, James pushed the Cavaliers past Utah on their own floor by taking the ball to the basket and finding the open shooters. On this night, his teammates responded.

Donyell Marshall added 24 points for the Cavaliers, matching James from behind the arc with 4-of-8 from three-point range. The Cavs as a team finished 10-of-22 from three-point territory.
Mehmet Okur led the Jazz with 20 points.

Notes: James become the youngest player in NBA history to score 5,000 career points at 21 years, 22 days…The win was Cleveland’s fourth in a row against the Jazz and completes a season sweep…The Cavaliers return home on Tuesday night to face the Indiana Pacers…

Popularity: 9% [?]

LeBron James’ football-sized shoulders could easily carry the burden of Cleveland’s current six-game losing streak, but Friday night’s 99-79 loss to the Golden State Warriors showed that without help from the rest of the Cavaliers, the team’s recent struggles remain a collective effort.

James struggled all evening from the floor connecting on only 5-of-22 shots from the field. Unfortunately, his teammates followed suit, combining with James to shoot only 38 percent from the field (33-of-86). Drew Gooden led the Cavaliers with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

The Warriors, without starting point guard Baron Davis, received 22 points from both Jason Richardson and Mike Dunleavy. Dunleavy played tough defense on James all night, forcing James into a number of poor shots.

Once again the Cavaliers were unable to take advantage of Zydrunas Ilgauskas’s advantage over the opposing center. Ilgauskas scored 13 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, but the Cleveland’s poor outside shooting - 2-of-17 from behind the three-point arc - allowed the Warriors defense to collapse on Ilgauskas and clog the middle against LeBron’s drives to the basket.

Unlike some of the other losses on this road trip, Cleveland never had a chance after the first quarter. The Cavs combined to score only 29 points in both the second and third quarters, trailing 75-55 going into the final 12 minutes. Hoping to salvage at least one win on the journey away from home, Cleveland takes their 6-12 road record into Salt Lake City to face the Utah Jazz Saturday night.

Popularity: 10% [?]