Cavaliers led 61-51 at halftime. Cleveland fans had to be happy with their 10-point lead on Phil Jackson’s Lakers after the second quarter came to a close on February 8. A lot changed after the teams reemerged for the last 24 minutes of basketball.
Lamar Odom, for instance, almost single-handedly took over the game in the second half of the Laker victory, having easily the best game of his season thus far.
More significantly, the squad from LA locked down on defense, snapping the Cavs 23-0 home winning streak at Quicken Loans Arena and winning the season series 2-0.
Cavs fans can only hope February 8th isn't the last time their team will face off versus Kobe & Company this season. If their wishes do come true, however, it will be on a much bigger stage: The NBA Finals. In the sports world of "one game at a time" mentalities, there's very little talk of such hypothetical rematches - especially in the Cavs case, where they are currently faced with the daunting task of keeping pace with Boston and Orlando while also incurring a flurry of midseason injuries.
Regardless, it isn't an absurdity to think that King James can guide the Cavaliers to the championship series in June. In the event that Cavs fans are privileged to witness such a playoff run, there is a good chance the Los Angeles Lakers will be staring them down once they get there. If the Cavaliers expect to complete the task and not see the trend continue versus the Lakers, a few things must change.
- Stay healthy. In the first meeting between the Lakers and Cavs on January 19, Cleveland was without 2 of its usual starters – center Zydrunas Ilgauskas and shooting guard Delonte West. The depth issue proved to be a huge factor as Lorenzen Wright and JJ Hickson simply were unable to match up versus the oversized and talented frontcourt of the Lakers. Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum muscled their way to the rim time after time, allowing for several offensive rebounds and put-backs. The presence of Big Z did provide some balance to the previously lopsided battle under the rim during the second meeting on February 8. Ilgauskas poured in 22 points and grabbed 9 rebounds while blocking 2 shots. Regardless, the production from Z alone is not going to be enough to beat a team like the Lakers. At least one other big man will need to step up his game and bring consistent intensity for 48 minutes if the Cavs expect to win. Whether it be Anderson Varejao or Ben Wallace, Cleveland needs more production out of the frontcourt versus the Lakers. In addition to missing Ilgauskas with injury, the Cavs played without underrated 2-guard Delonte West in both contests as he’s currently nursing a broken wrist. The replacements for D-West have been incredibly mediocre as well. Pavlovic is occasionally effective, but also left the game with an injury (high ankle sprain) on February 8. Wally Szczerbiak can, at times, be a lights out sniper from 3-point range, but might as well be blindfolded on rollerblades when the team plays defense. When Wally isn’t hitting shots he tends to be pretty much useless on the court. Delonte West may be overshadowed by LeBron, Z and Mo on the hardwood, but Cleveland will definitely need their scrappy shooting guard back if they expect to beat LA.
- Another issue that stands in the way of the Cavaliers success versus the Lakers is energy. Several times during the 2007-08 season the Cavs would play great basketball through the first 24 minutes of the game. Cleveland would look efficient and sharp heading into the locker room at halftime only to be blindsided by a much more energetic opponent in the 3rd period. It sometimes appeared that the Cavs went and took naps during the intermission and came out groggy and sluggish. This lack of energy to start the 3rd quarter has almost never been an issue during the 2008-09 season, with exception to the Laker games. In high school, halftime is for pep talks. In the NBA, halftime is for adjustments. Mike Brown’s coaching staff and the players themselves must find a way to carry the energy and success over from the first half. During the 2 meetings, Cleveland has outscored Los Angeles 111-100 during the first halves of basketball. LA has outscored Cleveland a combined 106-68 after the break in those games. That’s a problem.
- A final concern that surrounds the Cavaliers’ struggles with the Lakers is their offensive production, and more specifically, their offensive flow. Face it, in single coverage LeBron James can score whenever he wants. However when a good defensive team such as the Lakers tightens the clamps late in a game, LeBron’s supporting cast needs to prove their worth. Role players will need to make the extra pass and find the open man. Occasionally the Cavs settled for deep jumpers against the Lakers rather than taking the ball to the rim. In the first meeting with LA the Cavs were “out-assisted” 25-22. In the second meeting the Cavs came up short again in assists, 27-19. Indeed the Cavaliers have played championship caliber basketball during the first halves versus the Los Angeles Lakers this season. But if these teams meet in the NBA Finals, Cleveland must find a way to play at that level for 48 minutes.
