Do you remember the strategy last year?  They doubled Paul George every time he got the ball.  Then did that to Derozan the next round, then IT in the finals.  I dont know why they arent doing that to Oladipo.  Double him up top every time

They did that only once last night...out by half court in the second half.  He got right of it right away and I believe they then turned the ball over.  So of course, we didn't try it again after that.

Lebron didn't even have a triple double tonight.  Weak.

the big man with the mega minutes and the team on his back.

 

how far can this go?

 

ugh.

It can go far. This like the 2009 and 2010 version of Lebron, except he is now a champion and knows how to close.  I believe that Indiana will actually be the toughest series in the east.  Toronto has a major mental disadvantage with Lebron and philly is too young

It can go far. This like the 2009 and 2010 version of Lebron, except he is now a champion and knows how to close.  I believe that Indiana will actually be the toughest series in the east.  Toronto has a major mental disadvantage with Lebron and philly is too young

 

The 2009 team had shooting everywhere. Delonte, Wally Szczerbiak, Mo Williams, Boobie, and even Pavlovic all shot right around 40%, all on high volume. They also defended at a high level. Still can’t believe they didn’t win it all that year. 4th ranked offense, 3rd ranked defense.

 

This team has shooting with....Korver, I guess? I think Philly wipes the floor with us. They just have so much talent and added lots of veteran shooting. The Cavs just aren’t very talented (or enjoyable).

The 2009 team had shooting everywhere. Delonte, Wally Szczerbiak, Mo Williams, Boobie, and even Pavlovic all shot right around 40%, all on high volume. They also defended at a high level. Still can’t believe they didn’t win it all that year. 4th ranked offense, 3rd ranked defense.

 

They all shot sub-40% from 3 in the playoffs.

If the Cavs are going to average 90-95PPG in the playoffs they won't make it past Toronto if they close this series. Something has to change. Toronto is 37-7 at home if you include the playoffs. I don't see the Raptors slugging it out to a 92-88 kind of game every night especially at Air Canada Centre.

 

In fairness though the Cavs have figured out something defensively. They let the Pacers average 108PPG in the regular season. Indy's highest scoring game so far in this series is 100.

Indiana always plays us tough in the playoffs. Look at how close all our games were with them were last year. So I'm not ready to declare this series over.

 

IF we make it past Indiana, I'm actually not worried about any other team except Philadelphia. Their only drawback is their lack of playoff experience, but they are learning fast and too many of the new Cavs players have little or no playoff experience either.

Wow.

 

Man, if Love could just show up on offense it would erase the need for all this heart wrenching drama.

 

I feel like the real hope for this team ended when the bold Wade/Crowder/Rose experiment failed. But agree with KJP, IF we make it past Indy this yet-to-gel team with no discernible offense is again repping the East.

The 2009 team had shooting everywhere. Delonte, Wally Szczerbiak, Mo Williams, Boobie, and even Pavlovic all shot right around 40%, all on high volume. They also defended at a high level. Still can’t believe they didn’t win it all that year. 4th ranked offense, 3rd ranked defense.

 

They all shot sub-40% from 3 in the playoffs.

 

Correct. It doesn’t matter how you shoot all season. It matters what you can find against that particular opponent.  The magic were better than the Cavs that year. Even look at the regular season games.

 

The Cavs are quietly building their toughness. They pulled a win last night with ZERO production from JR or Love.  All they need is for them to rebound Friday and this thing is over.

 

Toronto is good, but they have to look at Lebron and figure out how to beat him 5 out of 7, and he has essentially owned them for three straight years.  Don’t downplay mental blocks in the NbA. Lebron has one against Boston for many years.

 

Philly is the future. But they can’t beat the Cavs this year in 7.

 

 

But this team had a prolific offense during the regular season. Its defense is what was abysmal. That's why no one was giving us a shot in the playoffs. Now the defense has picked it up but the offense has gone in the toilet. If JR could average 10-12 points a game to go along with his great defense and Love could get 14-18 points a game to go along with his excellent rebounding, this team would almost certainly return to the Finals.

The Cavs can't average 93 PPG against the Raptors. They will lose the Toronto series regardless of Lowry and Co.'s mental blocks. Especially true with Toronto getting four home games.

 

If they can raise their offensive average by 10 points and extend this playoff lock down defense they have an excellent chance of getting the Finals. We'll see.

Well, one can argue you can remove the game 1 outlier. Then they are averaging 98 points per game

Well, one can argue you can remove the game 1 outlier. Then they are averaging 98 points per game

 

I guess I would ask why Game 1 was an outlier? They all count.

 

TBH, 98 isn't going to cut it against the Raptors either. No matter how the Cavs play on defense it's hard to believe Toronto will not have at least 2 games of 110+ if it were to go seven.  That's two automatic Ls if the Cavs offensive numbers don't improve.

 

Raptors have scored 114, 130, 122, 98, 108 against the Wizards. That being said, they've let the Wizards shoot well which is why it's a 3-2 series. Cavs need more offense and play lock down defense to get to the ECF. Kevin Love somehow needs to show up on offense.

 

Of course they need to take care of business with Indiana first.

Metro Lifeflight:

Flight Communications Office (FCO): "Lifeflight 1, FCO."

LF1: "Lifeflight 1 pilots, go."

FCO: "3 point at the buzzer, we won."

LF1: "Alright, Alright, Alright."

 

Bring on We The North!!

From @TheOnion

 

LeBron James Credits Teammates With Providing 4 Bodies Necessary To Avoid Forfeiture Against Pacers https://t.co/A6aZ7ec44v

Great win for game 1 on the road in Toronto.  By the end of the game the Raptors looked thoroughly demoralized.  Let's hope that stays in their head the next 4 games!

It took the Toronto Raptors 82 games to get home court advantage over the Cavs. Cleveland took it back in one night with almost no rest or preparation.

Huge win!  How often do you think a team wins a game without ever leading in regulation?

Nobody Pukes Up A Game Quite Like The Raptors

By Tom Ley

 

I’m not here to argue that the Raptors’ collapse in Game 1 of their second-round series against the Cavaliers is proof that their 59-win season was totally hollow and that they are in fact fraudulent pretenders unworthy of the No. 1 seed and should be expelled from the NBA so that no one ever again has to spend another second trying to convince themselves that everything we’ve ever known about the Raptors is not true and that, actually, they are good this time. I am not saying any of that. Yet.

 

I am simply here to say that last night’s game presented a breathtaking way to lose a basketball game. I honestly don’t know how they did it!

 

More: https://deadspin.com/nobody-pukes-up-a-game-quite-like-the-raptors-1825712221

 

-----

 

The comments are amusing

Huge win!  How often do you think a team wins a game without ever leading in regulation?

 

First time ever for LeBron in the playoffs.  Think I read/heard it was just the 2nd time for any team in the playoffs in the last 20 years.

Huge win!  How often do you think a team wins a game without ever leading in regulation?

 

First time ever for LeBron in the playoffs.  Think I read/heard it was just the 2nd time for any team in the playoffs in the last 20 years.

 

I believe it.  First of all, it requires the game to go into OT.  But even then, most of the time, there has been at least one lead change during the game.  And even in the odd case there hasn't been, only about half the time will the team that never led win the game.

Did you see LeBron in his postgame on-court interview with TNT? Dude was shaking with exhaustion. At first, I thought he looked like he was shivering from the cold.

Did you see LeBron in his postgame on-court interview with TNT? Dude was shaking with exhaustion. At first, I thought he looked like he was shivering from the cold.

 

That's not good...

Best graphic ever. #Cavs #ExtinctonByLebron

lebronto

Why can't they all be like last night?  I'm sure Toronto still has some fight in them, no matter how deep Lebron is in their heads.

^toronto is not as tough as Indy. The fact that we won 4 close games vs Indy tells more about Cavs than it does Anyone else.  I suspect game 3 will be close, Toronto’s last grasp. Then if Cavs pull that out, Toronto will roll over in game 4.

 

I also believe the Cavs are primed for a couple blowout wins in the conference finals.  Neither of those teams r tough or good enough to beat the Cavs in 7.  But I honk the party ends there unless someone knocks off GSW early

snl the other cavs — thanks lebron lol

 

Easy sweep.  Boston couldn't close out Philly so that series will go at least 5.

8)

I honestly feel bad for people are so bitter that Lebron is likely the greatest player of all time that they spend their time critiquing instead of enjoying

Well this is interesting...

 

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2018-nba-predictions/

If the finals is Houston vs Cleveland. I will guarantee that the Cavs win it all.  The only team that will beat the Cavs is the warriors

I honestly feel bad for people are so bitter that Lebron is likely the greatest player of all time that they spend their time critiquing instead of enjoying

 

Just about once every game I see LeBron do something and say to myself "Jordan never did THAT."

 

^this is the ultimate teller of the greatest.  There really isn’t anything Jordan did that Lebron can’t do. There is plenty that Lebron can do that jordan cannot do.  The weight put on rings is such a weird argument.  What if Jordan had better teams? Which he did. He also never faced anything like the warriors. The rings are there for Lebron, but individually and how he changed the game is so much greater than what Jordan did.  Jordan did it at that time, but Lebron is teaching youth to pass, efficiency, defend. And frankly doing things athletically that we will never see again in our lives. It’s been a pleasure to watch.

Enough about the greatest of all time.  How about the lamest?

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2774876-cavaliers-rumors-rodney-hood-refused-to-enter-4th-quarter-angered-teammates

Now that HOU just made the WCF (insane game by CP3) they’re predicting the Rockets have an 80% of making the Finals...really? I’d say CLE in 5 or 6, maybe 7. Houston has no experience in the Finals. I saw somewhere that LBJ has 27% shooting in the last five minutes of close games in the Finals. LeBron and the Cavs have made a ton of consecutive finals, putting them in elite company. No surprise, but if the Cavs beat the Celtics, LeBron would be the only player to lead two teams to Conference Champion four-peats! Who knows, maybe the Rockets’ lack of experience there will lead to bad shooting/unpreparedness...

Now that HOU just made the WCF (insane game by CP3) they’re predicting the Rockets have an 80% of making the Finals...really? I’d say CLE in 5 or 6, maybe 7. Houston has no experience in the Finals. I saw somewhere that LBJ has 27% shooting in the last five minutes of close games in the Finals. LeBron and the Cavs have made a ton of consecutive finals, putting them in elite company. No surprise, but if the Cavs beat the Celtics, LeBron would be the only player to lead two teams to Conference Champion four-peats! Who knows, maybe the Rockets’ lack of experience there will lead to bad shooting/unpreparedness...

 

I'd much rather face Houston than GSW, but admittedly I haven't been following the West much at all this year.  The Rockets finished SEVEN games better than Golden State?

Now that HOU just made the WCF (insane game by CP3) they’re predicting the Rockets have an 80% of making the Finals...really? I’d say CLE in 5 or 6, maybe 7. Houston has no experience in the Finals. I saw somewhere that LBJ has 27% shooting in the last five minutes of close games in the Finals. LeBron and the Cavs have made a ton of consecutive finals, putting them in elite company. No surprise, but if the Cavs beat the Celtics, LeBron would be the only player to lead two teams to Conference Champion four-peats! Who knows, maybe the Rockets’ lack of experience there will lead to bad shooting/unpreparedness...

 

I'd much rather face Houston than GSW, but admittedly I haven't been following the West much at all this year.  The Rockets finished SEVEN games better than Golden State?

 

GS had lots of injuries/didn’t care as much. They had a semi Cavs-y regular season. Still the best team in the NBA by a stretch (unfortunately).

We need to hope that Houston can oveRachieve and not choke like they always do. I’m hoping Chris Paul will help with that.  Also hope the warriors are uncomfortable. They have had home court in every series dating back 4 years

We need to hope that Houston can oveRachieve and not choke like they always do. I’m hoping Chris Paul will help with that.  Also hope the warriors are uncomfortable. They have had home court in every series dating back 4 years

 

Although I obviously hope we win the championship, I don't believe we can beat either Houston or Golden State this year.  I think you're underestimating the Rockets.

Not really Cavs news... but still, kinda:

 

"Raptors fire Coach Dwayne Casey after franchise-best record, second sweep to Cavs"

 

via CBS Sports

https://www.sbnation.com/2018/5/11/17345170/lebron-james-history-coach-fired-dwane-casey

 

So how many coaches has James gotten fired? Maybe two, maybe five or six, maybe seven, maybe even 10 or 11. It depends on your point of view. (And, again: add two or even three more of his own with Brown, Blatt, and maybe even Paul Silas).

He’s not only gotten coaches fired, he’s wrecked franchises. Think about that. Entire companies he’s ruined. The hawks were a 60+ win team a few years back, now they are a mess.  The bulls, the pacers were lucky oladipo grew this year to a new level.  He ruined the Celtics but the rebuilt quickly. The raptors will be doomed soon.  It’s crazy

And the article mention the 3 straight drummings of the Gilbert Arenas led Wizards a life time ago. If you are a fan of an Eastern Conference team, you've had virtually no chance for a long time.

 

But who knows. The Celtics are still a good team so I wouldn't count them out.