Cavaliers @ Spurs | NBA Finals - Game 1 | June 7th, 2007

[Kypus]

That was ugly lastnight. We looked good defensively on the 1st couple posessions, great help defense on Duncan, then as soon as Finley broke our cover we got away from it. Our defense looked tenative instead of honest. We had zero ball movement, and for some reason, decided Varejao in the post was our #1 offensive option. I just don't get where Brown's head was.

SA has 3 great offensive levels- post play, fast slashers (2nd fastest in league behind Barbosa), and good shooters (both mid and 3pt). They were getting any ball movement they wanted. I am worried...I don't want to be negative but I have already conceded Game 2 (I have been to SA's arena, their home crowd there is spectacular with the cowboy whoops, etc).

Game 3 is where we make our stand, then it's anyone's series.

 

[Cleveland56]

:huh:

Someone missed the first half.

Im gonna go out on a limb and say they lost it in the third quarter....again.

 

[natedagg]

Cavs Problems:
1. Spurs' offensive rebounds: that tap-back move worked well for them. The solution is have our guards box out the 2nd level. Once Bron, Sasha, Boobie, etc. grab a few long rebounds, we will score some in moderate transition, and it will keep them honest from using this technique.
2. Our bigs aren't good defenders. AV is OK, but the league must have had a talk about flop stuff, and AV was all over the floor. DG can't rotate, but I've seen him do better at it, so there's hope. And Z, with the p&r with parker and duncan = no chance. I don't like Donyell playing much at all, but can't he guard Robert Horny?
3. LeBron. This is tough: he has to expend much energia at the defensive end if he guards parker/MG, but we need that some of the time. On O, they are making him pick up his dribble, and they prefer letting him spin because it puts him off balance and he can't see the rotating defenders and he has too much momentum after the spin. My solution: he's LeBron. He will figure it out. I really have no solution, but if I had to guess, I think he has to go back to keeping the ball moving quickly, instead of getting in the habit of dribbling too much and letting the opposition set up.
4. Consistency. The spurs are a damn good team. Solid offense, great defense. They wear you down mentally. We were closer than the score said, IMO: they scored 7 pts. in 1 min, when we lost focus; MG's 3 to end the 1st half; a (surprise surprise) lapse in the 3rd quarter. Not that we can avoid those all, but if we can stop a couple of those inconsistencies, we will be in the game, which is all we can ask against a team that is more talented and has more chemistry that we do.

oh yeah, and like everyone said: more boobie, less LH on TP. We have a decent backcourt and lebron, I just hope (with little confidence) that Mike Potato Head will figure out how and when to use certain combinations.