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Open Discussion (Cavs + related issues)

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I'm not particularly concerned about Toronto [not even Ibaka].

I am concerned about PJ Tucker beating and grinding the hell out of LeBron. That's what Toronto brought him in to do and he's going to try.
 
if they took it to 6 last year and our defense doesn't look as good as it did then, then why are you so sure it goes 5 this year?

I see your point but I honestly think the Cavs are playing to the level of their competition and are just coasting by. We will see but I really don't think they make it past 5 games. The defense will step up once it's actually needed.


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if they took it to 6 last year and our defense doesn't look as good as it did then, then why are you so sure it goes 5 this year?
Not to mention Ibaka gives them a versatility they didn't have last year while Tucker gives them a solid defensive wing to make life more difficult on LeBron.

The Raptors have their deficiencies but they're a deep, talented team and are hungry to prove themselves against the Cavs. If Love and Kyrie don't get it together while JR continues playing like a clown we'll have a war on our hands.
 
I'm unsure where to judge the Cavs at this point.

It's not because of a lack of faith, per se, but there's a large of amount of Jekyll and Hyde going on all over the team.

A coaching staff that may run LeBron into the ground.

And a roster of misfit toys; relying on good/consistent play from bubble-heads who would rather rap than play ball (Shump), has-beens who may still or don't have "IT" (Jefferson/Derrick), lazy and unmotivated guys until the right moment (Deron), or guys who may have their heads up their @$$es when the spotlight gets bright (JR).

Is this team now of the belief they can turn it on and off regardless the team they play against? Or will they be bringing the right effort needed to win every game? Against the Pacers, progressively improving the D every game is a step in the right direction (from 1 quarter of good defense, to 2 quarters, to three).

But then I'm reminded if they don't respect their opponent, they get bored and/or embarrassed (especially after the battle was lost). They should look decent when the spotlight is on them, but it's never a guarantee. We should beat our opponents in the East. We should provide a challenge to any opponent who makes it out west. "Should" is a big word for a team that not only makes a comeback from 25+ points down, but also gave up a 20+ point lead at the end of the regular season.

Again, I'll ask: What f#cking team am I watching? One that'll make Cleveland proud? Or one that we'd rather forget?
 
I'm not concerned that the Raptors will beat the Cavs, what I am concerned about is how the Cavs defend their guards..and they must get their bench going strong..the one lineup Lue has been using has been working good but really the Cavs need a inside presence to handle their big men.
 
Not to mention Ibaka gives them a versatility they didn't have last year while Tucker gives them a solid defensive wing to make life more difficult on LeBron.

The Raptors have their deficiencies but they're a deep, talented team and are hungry to prove themselves against the Cavs. If Love and Kyrie don't get it together while JR continues playing like a clown we'll have a war on our hands.

Biyombo was more of a match up problem than Ibaka is. Very glad that he's gone.

I foresee another Cavs sweep.
 
Everything comes down to Kyrie and JR elevating their play on both sides of the ball....nothing more and nothing less.

By the time the finals were over last year Kyrie was playing Kobe level offense with average to possibly above average defense. He flat out wasn't a liability as a defender that is for sure.

Jr was playing great team defense, plus on ball defense and was lights out as a shooter.

Right now both are playing at about 60 percent of their peak form.

The only thing better about this cavs team than last years is Lebron is twenty percent better on the court. But at some point he will need legit help to get it done .
 
Biyombo was more of a match up problem than Ibaka is. Very glad that he's gone.

I foresee another Cavs sweep.
Biyombo was a problem because he mitigated TT's work on the boards and made it hard on LeBron and Kyrie to get to the basket.

Not only can Ibaka do the same as a small-ball center but he can also extend out to the 3-point line, where he's a good shooter. He just gives their offense a whole other dimension that it lacked last year.
 
Biyombo was a problem because he mitigated TT's work on the boards and made it hard on LeBron and Kyrie to get to the basket.

Not only can Ibaka do the same as a small-ball center but he can also extend out to the 3-point line, where he's a good shooter. He just gives their offense a whole other dimension that it lacked last year.

The one big thing that Biyombo did though was rebound, and that's where he really neutralized (and honestly outplayed) Tristan.

Ibaka is not nearly the problem on the glass that Biyombo was. In fact, he's subpar. I believe he's somebody we can exploit rather than someone we should fear.
 
I agree on paper Ibaka seems like he could be effective against the Cavs. But has Ibaka ever really hurt the Cavs in any real way? Anecdotally I just don't recall him ever being much of a factor against us whereas Biyombo has played like Bill Russell against us on several occasions.
 
Biyombo was a problem because he mitigated TT's work on the boards and made it hard on LeBron and Kyrie to get to the basket.

Not only can Ibaka do the same as a small-ball center but he can also extend out to the 3-point line, where he's a good shooter. He just gives their offense a whole other dimension that it lacked last year.

Ibaka is not a good rebounder and his willingness to shoot 3's can be exploited. He thinks he is some kind of a shooter, but he isn't. His defensive impact in the playoffs though can not be understated.
 
I'm worried about the combination of Tucker and Ibaka stopping Lebron from getting to the rim. I don't think we've played the Raptors since they picked up both those guys. I know we played them last game of the season but that doesn't really count.
 
I'm worried about the combination of Tucker and Ibaka stopping Lebron from getting to the rim. I don't think we've played the Raptors since they picked up both those guys. I know we played them last game of the season but that doesn't really count.


Agreed. That's why I don't quite understand those who predict that a worse Raptors team that took us to 6 games last year is going to get swept this year.
 

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