NBA Playoffs Rd 2: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics

[HeatCheck]

what the hell happened last night anyway? I watched a bunch of the first half and it was back and forth and looked pretty close. I never saw any of the 2nd half and woke up this morning to see it was a total spankage?

The first half was almost as bad. No ball movement, LeBron just standing around on O. You could almost see that a blowout win was coming from the way these teams were playing and LeBron's demeanor.

[theyhateme45]

Looks like the Cavs owner is not too pleased with the teams performance considering the $$$ payroll of the roster. If cleveland does not win this series I believe the marriage of Lebron and the Cavs are over.... Today is the first time i felt this way....

After the game, in an exclusive interview with The Plain Dealer, Gilbert expressed some frustration at the effort level of his team that he's spending more than $100 million in payroll this season; a team he put together by sparing no expense in an attempt to win the title this season.

"Our entire franchise has done everything in its power to put all of our players and its coaching staff in the best possible position to execute when it counts," Gilbert said. "And to deliver to the highly supportive fans of Cleveland a proud, intense, impassioned all-out drive to achieve a championship."

"The last two home playoff losses and the manner in which we lost these games does not come close to being anywhere near the high expectations all of us have of our organization. Our fans and supporters deserve more."

http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2010/05/cleveland_cavaliers_poor_effor.html

[Wither]

what the hell happened last night anyway? I watched a bunch of the first half and it was back and forth and looked pretty close. I never saw any of the 2nd half and woke up this morning to see it was a total spankage?

There were a few times where they got a spark, but with a few minutes left in the 1st half their D broke down, so they couldn't really rally back for a lead or anything. When they came out for the 2nd half, the effort just wasn't there at all. They looked sloppy and did not play very cohesively, with what seemed to be little to no communication. They looked like a team that was down 3-0 and thought they were already beat (even though a team down 3-0 would even put up more fight than them).

To be honest, they reminded me of Atlanta last night.

[Hawk]

I didn't see it posted here, but Seattle Sounders played against I think it was LA last weekend and the owners were so pissed about the performance that the Sounders put in, that they gave everyone in attendance a free ticket to the next game and the season ticket holders, 35,000 of them, got a full refund for the game!

[Wither]

I didn't see it posted here, but Seattle Sounders played against I think it was LA last weekend and the owners were so pissed about the performance that the Sounders put in, that they gave everyone in attendance a free ticket to the next game and the season ticket holders, 35,000 of them, got a full refund for the game!

If Cleveland does not win this series, they need to refund all the fans for the entire year.

I'm still shocked, really. Sure, the Celtics played well, but the Cavaliers looked terrible. Too many jumpshots, no ball movement, and just general lethargic play. It was evident that they weren't going to win when they started making silly fouls and giving up a ton of 3 point plays. Instead of taking a charge or bodying up on Davis, Davis (who is big and slow I might add) blew by him and the Cavalier reached in as he went to the basket. That play represents what the entire 2nd half looked like.

[DaCityKats]

LeBron's got plenty of help, though a common problem I see is that when LeBron plays poorly, no one else on the team plays well. When Kobe struggles, there have been many instances where the rest of the team, specifically Odom and Gasol, bails him out. They win without Kobe as well. Again, it's probably a combination of lack of leadership and the fact that Phil Jackson>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Mike Brown.

LeBron needs to stay in the East, strength of conference is still pretty one-sided.

his team is far less superior to that laker team.you just proved my point kobe can afford a bad shooting day bc the likes of odom,gasol, bynum, and artest will drop at least 50 points.lebron has a bad day, the entire team will.also that mike brown might be the worst coach in the nba

[Wither]

his team is far less superior to that laker team.you just proved my point kobe can afford a bad shooting day bc the likes of odom,gasol, bynum, and artest will drop at least 50 points.lebron has a bad day, the entire team will.also that mike brown might be the worst coach in the nba

Shaq's performance is determined by how many fouls he picks up, really. The rest of the players are role-players, even if they are good. Maybe Jamison can have a good night without Lebron, but he didn't have it last night, which was undeniably a very important game. The only other player that I have seen come out and be able to score without Lebron is West, and I don't remember him doing that as a starter (he did start at one time, right?), so it's not like they can just plug him into the starting lineup.

[AceMan]

Man...they are really giving it to LeBron today...:eek:

[DaCityKats]

yeah he did, i think west should start and mo should come off the bench.i never was a fan of mo but when he shows up he can drop close to 20.shaq is shaq. jamison has to drop 18-20 points for this team to be successful any time. but this team has talent but if lebron is off they are off.what if mj can talk lebron to come here lmao dreaming.

[Wither]

yeah he did, i think west should start and mo should come off the bench.i never was a fan of mo but when he shows up he can drop close to 20.shaq is shaq. jamison has to drop 18-20 points for this team to be successful any time. but this team has talent but if lebron is off they are off.what if mj can talk lebron to come here lmao dreaming.

I think Lebron is the best player in the league. I think he deserved the MVP. I have also not seen him play with such little fight as he did last night. With that said, I don't think that is anything to be worried about, so yeah, it would be pretty sweet to have him in Charlotte.

Jamison is a good player and I think he can be relied on to an extent.

Mo is just too inconsistent and I see him give up a lot of plays on defense. I haven't seen much of West on defense, but that is probably a good thing (meaning I saw no mistakes or just bad defense). When West comes off the bench he puts up points. I never thought the Cavaliers would have problems scoring, but right now they need more. The defensive problem is all mental.

Overall, I think I'm going to put the blame on the coaching at this point. They need to do something about KG yet for 5 games they still try to put Jamison on him and KG just shoots right over him.

[King Taharqa]

Man...they are really giving it to LeBron today...:eek:

Im happy too. Everyone is throwing the King under the bus, deservedly so after that performance. But now the Cavs backs are against the wall completely, the owner is calling them out publicly, and its become a forgone conclusion that the Cavs are finished. I still believe! The King and the Cavs in 7, thats my story and Im sticking to it. If they bounce back from this, Orlando wont have a chance next series.

[pantherfan49]

To think that the Celtics were open to trading Rondo last offseason!

[pantherfan49]

Jamison is a good player and I think he can be relied on to an extent.

I think Jamison is/has been one of the more overrated players in the league. He has never been much of a winner and I just don't love 4s that stand at the 3 pt line.

[Wither]

I think Jamison is/has been one of the more overrated players in the league. He has never been much of a winner and I just don't love 4s that stand at the 3 pt line.

I've never paid much attention to him. However, the reason I think he is useful is because he is pretty good going to the basket and he can sometimes produce even if Lebron is having a down night. I seem to a remember a game like that early in this series or later in the previous one.