I Think I'll Go To Boston....

The Cavaliers have tied up their series with the mighty Boston Celtics 2-2 and are heading into a crucial Game 5 at the Garden. If they want to win this series they have got to go in there and stun Boston Wednesday night. As these playoffs have moved along, we have seen the Cavs finally start to come together as a team. Here is what I have been noticing. I am also in a great mood after Game 4, so this is a very positive column. Also, Bill Simmon’s column this morning about how Doc Rivers has no idea how to coach makes me laugh. It is awesome to see frustrated Celtics fans vent. So much for the best team in the NBA huh?

-The defense is back to where it was a year ago. No one seems to want to talk about this, but the Cavaliers have held their opponents under 90 points in 8 of their 9 playoff games. They played this same kind of shut down defense a year ago that propelled them to the finals. Anderson Varejao did an amazing job on Kevin Garnett in the fourth quarter, not allowing him to score a point. He also hit a few open jumpers, something he has not been doing the entire playoffs. He finally stopped trying to drive when he receives the ball and trying to make some crazy shot. Andy is at his best when he is rolling to the hoop for a lay-up, or hitting open 10 or 15 footers, not when he is trying to create on offense. Monday night Andy got back to playing defense and rebounding, the things he does best. He had not helped this team until Monday night, and the Cavs need to see more of it.

-Players are finally starting to find their roles. I must admit I was not a huge fan of Wally Szczerbiak when he arrived in Cleveland. He was hyped as a great shooter, yet struggled with his shot and often tried to force things when he received that ball. He would back a defender down and shoot a fadeaway jumper or force up a bad three. He seemed to be trying so hard to score and impress his teammates that he forgot what kind of player he was, and was also a step slow on defense. But in this Celtics series, Wally is one of the few players who is knocking down shots consistently, and that is because he has learned his role. Wally needs to be a Peja Stojakavich type of player for the Cavs. Getting open for threes and then being able to go off the dribble to the hoop when his 3’s are falling. He has been huge in this Boston series.

-What can you say bout Boobie Gibson? The kid looks like he is 12 but has ice for veins. Hitting backbreaking 3’s is what Gibson does, and has a beautiful shot to go with it. If the kid could drive a little bit more he would make the defense respect him ten times as much. He has got to start hitting those big three’s on the road. LeBron will always find you Boobie, keep shooting.

-Delonte West has really impressed me. He has been extremely aggressive in this series, especially at times when LeBron has seemed a little passive. He is fearless going to hole, as was evident in game 3 when he hit a floater over KG in the paint. He pushes the ball, and although careless at times, he has really been the X-factor for the Cavs in this series. He has played great defense too, he was the one that got back on defense when Paul Pierce had a breakaway lay-up, and he made him miss it. Boobie then hit a 3 on the other end, and that pretty much sealed it.
-A big shoutout to Ben Wallace and Z. Ben is in Detroit form with his rebounding and defense, and Z is everything you could want him to be, tapping in offensive rebounds and putting up his smooth J.

-The offense still gets stagnant, to many times is the shot clock down to 5 before the Cavs even get a shot off. This team could be amazing if they ran a better halfcourt set. I noticed, especially when leBron went out in Game 4, that the offense really stood around while Wally of all people dribbled the ball for much too long. LeBron even yelled at them from the bench “MOVE THE BALL!” It seems so simple yet the Cavs cannot figure how to be consistent on offense.

-I can remember so many moments when LeBron has thrown down an absolutely devastating dunk that has shot energy through my body. His dunk over Delonte West when he was with Boston, his dunk over Damon Jones in Miami, and his dunk over Rasheed Wallace in last years playoffs. But the ferociousness with which he dunked over KG Monday night was unbelievable. It changed the game and could ultimately change the series like his dunk over ‘Sheed last year did. Both dunks sent me running out of the room, yelling like a maniac. The man is special and I am thankful I am alive to be watching him. When LeBron retires (hopefully as a Cav) I will look back and remember each time I was sitting watching a Cavs game and he got me out of my seat because of a ridiculous dunk he had. Let’s get it done in Boston on Wednesday!

Pardon my recent apathetic blogitude...

In case you didn't know, the Stanley Cup Playoffs have already reached semi-final play, where as the NBA Playoffs won't reach that point until late October. Here are some highlights:

Boston vs. Montreal: The Canadiens lived up to their number 1 seed, until they squandered a 3-1 series lead. Carey Price faltered like a normal 20 year old rookie, and the Bruins forced a game 7 back at the forum, in which they were promptly shut out by a 20 year old rookie. But credit the play of the Bruins, along with the Original Six match up, for sparking interest in a very troubled franchise. Something is A-Bruin in Boston, that's for sure.

Washington vs. Philly: Another exhilarating 7 game series that showcased two of the NHL's most improved teams. Of course, only the Capitals have Alexander Ovechkin, who played a huge part in the series; most notably leaving Joffry Lupul open in front of the net, allowing Lupul to tap in a rebound for the series clinching goal in overtime. 

Im pretty sure some stuff happened out west too....but trust me, aside from the Sharks/Flames series, in which the Sharks played like shit and almost choked, nothing interesting happened.

Second round? Penguins won the series in overtime, which was the series' only good game. Gary Bettman must have been happy to see Sidney Crosby playing on the nations biggest stage on national TV (Yes, NBC televises games on the weekend.)

Karma came around and lacerated Sean Avery's spleen. Awesome.

In a battle between two hockey rich markets, San Jose and Dallas played an incredible series the consisted of four overtime games. The last being an actual four-overtime game which the Sharks dominated, but were out-dominated (?) by Marty Turco, who turned away 473 shots. 

The Sharks, unfortunately, were my pick to win the cup. They have the size (only four guys under 200 pounds, one being a goalie, and one being Brian Campell who hits like a truck), talent (Thornton, Campbell), youth (Pavelski, Michalek), leadership (Marleau, Roenick), and most importantly, goaltending (Nabokov won 46 games with a 2.14 GAA). Unfortunately, Marleau and Nabokov were the only ones to make any sort of impact on the series, which allowed an old ass Dallas team to skate with them for two full games before winning the series on the power play (with Campbell in the box, no less)

Even worse, the Sharks were the only team that could beat the Red Wings. The Wings have choked in the last several years, but I think they are finally experienced enough not to. IThis message was made clear in an 8-2 dismantling of the Avalanche at the Pepsi Center in the deciding game. Zetterberg and Datsyuk are mature enough to step up, which will take some of the load off the youngsters like Filppula and Lilja. They also have this guy named Nick Lindstrom, who is about to win his 69th Norris Trophy. 

So we're left with the interstate rivalry of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia in the East, and Dallas and Detroit in the West. And even though Dallas and Philadelphia have played extremely well this postseason, neither stand a chance. The Penguins have Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, and hired gun Marian Hossa, all of whom can score at will. With Sergei Gonchar running the point, the Penguins are one scary offensive team. That being said, Marty Biron has played like a man possessed for the Flyers and will be responsible for at least one win, but the Pens' onslaught will be too much.

As for the Stars, I guess its not so much that they've played that well, as it is their opponents playing poorly. With the best players on that team all hovering around their 30's, there is no logical explanation for the victories over the Ducks and Sharks (Arguably the two best teams in the West), other than lack of effort from the opposing bench. They'll pick up a win or two, just so long as their best players keep playing well (Modano, Morrow, Turco), but in a 7 game series, Detroit has few predators.

New cup prediction? Wings over Penguins in 4...maybe 5. Maybe Osgood or Hasek will have an off game, but at the end of it all, the Wings are too damn good, too damn experienced, and too damn overdue.

 

Bring On The Celtics

-The Boston Celtics were dragged along to the finish line, which came in a blowout win over the Atlanta Hawks in Game 7. A very strange series between those two teams. The Hawks had no idea how to play on the road but played like a team possessed at home. We talk about how Detroit could not get their energy up in their first round series, how about Boston thinking they could just go into Atlanta and win two. Instead they got a full dose of Joe Johnson, who emerged as one of the next superstars in a league full of them right now.
-The Celtics had not played a meaningful game in over a month, that is the so-called explanation for the struggles they had with the Hawks. But let us not forget that the Celtics “superstars” have not been experiencing the playoffs very much lately. Ray Allen made the first round with the Sonics three years ago, Paul Pierce has not been to the playoffs in a few years, and the same with KG. The fact is, none of the Big Three have much recent playoff experience. The intensity of the playoffs may have taken the Celtics by surprise, and the amount of fans in Atlanta’s seats may have also surprised them.
-Let us look ahead to my Cavaliers taking on the Boston Celtics. Joe Johnson went off at home against the Celtics. The Cavaliers have a player by the name of LeBron James who is maybe ten time better than Mr. Johnson. If the Celtics had trouble figuring out how to guard Joe, what is LeBron going to do to them? Do we remember last year when he went off for 48 against Detroit in game 5?
-If Boobie and Wally can continue to shoot the way they did in Game 6, it is going to space the floor. Game 6 vs. the Wizards was a perfect example of how the Cavs need to run their offense. No more of LeBron standing around at the top of key trying to go one on five. Moving the ball around, getting open shots or Boobie and Wally, that is the way the Cavaliers need to play. Also, Zydrunas must be more involved this series. He has had a quiet first round, and is crucial to get going early in this series.
-The Cavaliers are a mentally tougher team than the Celtics right now. The Celtics won zero games on the road, while the Cavs won two. Game 1 is a very winnable game for the Cavaliers.
-There is a lot of bad blood here between the Cavs are Paul Pierce. Expect another very physical series between these two. Keep roughing up Pierce as he goes to the basket, he definitely got rattled at times in Atlanta.
-This series could go seven games, and I am confident that the Cavaliers have a chance in this series. Game 6 was one of the best games they have played all year. Game 1 is huge for the Cavs to set the tone for the series. Cleveland is not the Hawks. Go Cavs.