Chris Parker/Cleveland Scene answers your questions part 2

[David.]

New Column up

Cavs Sleep Till Brooklyn, Awaken To Disappointment
http://www.clevescene.com/scene-and...-sleep-till-brooklyn-awaken-to-disappointment

“....Playoffs? Playoffs? You’ll be lucky to get out of the first round,” Cornfed shouted, hand hitting the table for emphasis. “Your intensity’s for shit. Paint dries with more urgency. Your defense is flimsier that a porn plot and twice as likely to involve bending over. Don’t even get me started on the offense. Crack addicts share the rock more willingly.”

He turned and paced while his partner put his hand on his shoulder and leaned in to talk to him, pretend to calm him down. The second cop was shorter, hairier with some overambitious facial hair more appropriate to an organ grinder. “Shouldn’t you be tying a damsel to rails somewhere,” the impertinent Cavs cracked.

Stachy McStacheFace just chuckled. “Hey, this is no fun for you. We get that. You think this is fun for us? Try to understand our perspective. Well-traveled gents with a love of leather troll an entire city with promises of riches in what from here only looks like a well-oiled Ponzi scheme. What are you really intending to do with the money? A battalion of Banana boats? Maybe a giant coin-changer with wings to drop deadly dimes from above? If you tell us, we can make it easier on you.”

“Easier?” At this Cornfed spun around at lunged that the Cavs. “Listen you lazy sacks of entitlement, if I don’t see you getting back in transition again we’re putting you in Converse All-Stars and to hell with your ankles....”

Beautiful

 

[TFIR]

I think you summed it up early. Brooklyn had a bunch of pumped up guys trying to make their season. Fighting for jobs. A (as usual for the Cavs) large (away) crowd wanting to see a huge win.

Cleveland? On the road for the second game of a back to back. They got outhustled and outworked.

Shying away from physicality? That = not wanting to get injured in a game they barely cared about.

Worried about the #1 seed? Hardly. The Raptors themselves just rested Lowry in a game they lost - and rested him for nothing. So the Raptors themselves don't even care about #1 seed (and you'd think THEY would be the ones who would).

As for Lue, I don't exactly feel sorry for him. He is coaching a 51-21 team. He could be coaching the ...Kings? You want to see apathy?

If the Cavs get to the finals and lose will anyone be surprised? And if that happens, will it be because good habits weren't built during the year? Or will it be because the Warriors were just better?

Hmmm

 

[TFIR]

I know I am cynical about the regular season, but to me the entire NBA (except Popovich) is playing this hush hush game.

PRETEND the regular season is just fine the way it is.

To me, it's simply a money making scheme.

By the way, hockey is the same. Watch the NHL playoffs? An entirely different game. NFL? That's different because there's only 16 games - those games actually count.

Shorten the regular season in the NBA - but it will never happen because every game lost is $

 

[Jon]

It's hard to get invested in a team that's not invested in itself. I'm sure their attitude will change in the playoffs, and no doubt ours will follow; but they're not forming the habits they're going to need much beyond hope the shots go down when opponents pack the paint.

 

[TFIR]

It's hard to get invested in a team that's not invested in itself.

Certainly agree there. It's hard to watch.

One other thing that makes the team hard to watch. Without Lebron, they are not a well constructed team. I am not necessarily blaming Griffin really, he did have to throw it together pretty hastily. And he had to build a team WITH Lebron that complimented him. Problem was, Kyrie already did not complement him. And I don't think Love does either.

Back to the team without Lebron there are lots of examples, but in that game last night early in the 4th when Lebron was out the Nets REALLY took advantage.

The games where he sat were ugly.

So basically when you rest Lebron, it can really be a train wreck. We all know he carried the team on his back in the playoffs last year. Thing is, even with Kyrie and Love this year he still has to do that.

 

[Green Lantern]

It's hard to get invested in a team that's not invested in itself. I'm sure their attitude will change in the playoffs, and no doubt ours will follow; but they're not forming the habits they're going to need much beyond hope the shots go down when opponents pack the paint.

You would think they know they keep losing these clunker games to inferior teams ,especially on these back to back games..and come out strong and bury these teams..

 

[Chris Parker]

Not convinced of the tactical value of playing his entire starting team the entire (3rd) quarter.
Is it not possible to sub one guy out at a time? Maybe JR for a bit. Hard to believe the chemistry of this team after a year is so wonky that the starting squad needed to stay whole to do what they did. He did run his bench longer and deeper, but he never seems to make enough count of tiredness in his rotations. Of course, it sorta doesn't matter since day off between playoff games, but still makes me just a little queasy. He knows what he wants from rotations I think, but they get weird once someone is injured or throws them off. Like many, still not a fan of starting second Q for couple minutes without any Big 3 though Nets didn't make up any ground until Delly left for Irving. Go figure.

 

[Green Lantern]

Not convinced of the tactical value of playing his entire starting team the entire (3rd) quarter.
Is it not possible to sub one guy out at a time? Maybe JR for a bit. Hard to believe the chemistry of this team after a year is so wonky that the starting squad needed to stay whole to do what they did. He did run his bench longer and deeper, but he never seems to make enough count of tiredness in his rotations. Of course, it sorta doesn't matter since day off between playoff games, but still makes me just a little queasy. He knows what he wants from rotations I think, but they get weird once someone is injured or throws them off. Like many, still not a fan of starting second Q for couple minutes without any Big 3 though Nets didn't make up any ground until Delly left for Irving. Go figure.

ACTUALLY this should have been the game that LUE would give his starters a rest.

 

[HurricaneKid]

I know I am cynical about the regular season, but to me the entire NBA (except Popovich) is playing this hush hush game.

PRETEND the regular season is just fine the way it is.

To me, it's simply a money making scheme.

By the way, hockey is the same. Watch the NHL playoffs? An entirely different game. NFL? That's different because there's only 16 games - those games actually count.

Shorten the regular season in the NBA - but it will never happen because every game lost is $

This is a point I've been trying to make since Pop started resting guys several years back. The general public and media in general don't even tune in until the playoffs. And regular season accomplishments have completely been undermined in importance while playoff success, even just one shot like Lillard's, has completely devoured any care about regular season success. In fact, place too much energy into the regular season and lose prematurely in the postseason and you get publicly castigated.

So what do you get for winning twice as many games? One extra home game in a 7 game series. Home court barely even means anything anymore.

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/12241619/home-court-advantage-decline

Lets pretend the Cavs lose every remaining game this season. What does it cost them? Instead of playing the hottest team between Det/Chi/Was they would likely play Ind. The mix from 3-6 is completely up in the air and there currently isn't much difference between them. So the 2nd round matchup is essentially the same. The only difference would be that IF they played the Raps in the Conf Finals the Raps would have ONE extra home game. And given Tor is 2-4 at home in the playoffs with this team the last two years, WHO CARES? Hell, the path from the 2 seed looks cleaner.

And that's the secret of the NBA. For contenders the season is 82 games + 24 playoff games + 5 preseason X 48 minutes = 5348 minutes. This doesn't include summer league, national team (and not just US, an increasing number of players have national obligations. Even guys like Delly and Anthony Bennett). The college season is 40 games (AT MOST) X 40min = 1600 min.

So an NBA season is almost 3.5 times as long as the college season and most of that DOESN'T MATTER AT ALL. They either need to adjust the benefits of "winning" the regular season or you are going to see a continued decline in the player's investment (energy, passion, even PT) in the regular season.

 

[Kbiz]

Problem was, Kyrie already did not complement him. And I don't think Love does either.

I don't think that's necessarily the issue. When Irving was out, Love and LBJ complimented each other perfectly. When Love went down in the playoffs, LBJ and Irving complimented each other fine.

The issue is trying to make all three fit together when they all need their touches. That coupled with both Irving and Love not being great defenders have only exacerbated the "they don't fit" mantra.

You take one of them off of this team, replace them with a great defender, and this team's offense becomes much more simplified.

 

[Chris Parker]

So what do you get for winning twice as many games? One extra home game in a 7 game series. Home court barely even means anything anymore.

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/12241619/home-court-advantage-decline

Lets pretend the Cavs lose every remaining game this season. What does it cost them?

Very good argument. I would point out, however, that in Game 7 playoff series since 2000 the home team record is 34-11. Home teams 3 times as likely to win what would appear to be fairly even matchups. Think that's probably a little more salient than regular season homecourt pct.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NBA_game_sevens

The idea that if you meet No.2 in the finals you are perhaps fairly well matched, and would rather not have that last game uphill climb...

 

[Jon]

Ignoring the regular season with the thought they'd turn it on come post-season time has been problematic even for former champs, let alone teams still climbing the mountain.

But hey, maybe this is the year we get lucky (150 team seasons and counting?) ...

 

[TFIR]

He did run his bench longer and deeper, but he never seems to make enough count of tiredness in his rotations.

Conditioning for the playoffs?

 

[Chris Parker]

Conditioning for the playoffs?

Grasping at straws?

 

[Jon]

One other thing that makes the team hard to watch. Without Lebron, they are not a well constructed team. I am not necessarily blaming Griffin really, he did have to throw it together pretty hastily. And he had to build a team WITH Lebron that complimented him. Problem was, Kyrie already did not complement him. And I don't think Love does either.

Back to the team without Lebron there are lots of examples, but in that game last night early in the 4th when Lebron was out the Nets REALLY took advantage.

The games where he sat were ugly.

So basically when you rest Lebron, it can really be a train wreck. We all know he carried the team on his back in the playoffs last year. Thing is, even with Kyrie and Love this year he still has to do that.

It's a complex topic. If they didn't have LeBron, they'd have no choice but to find a way to win without him ... or make changes until they had the right mix - and perhaps they'd learn what it takes and how to elevate their game and play better together ... or maybe they'd be trashed.

James is a crutch and that's not always a good thing.

It's telling that the Bulls still won 50+ games without Jordan. One reason Phil was a proponent of the Triangle is it gave everyone else something to run when MJ wasn't ISO'ing. The most iconic thing for the Cavs when James is off the floor is either Kyrie ISO'ing or Delly running the P&R.

Ball movement in and of itself isn't answer if you can't get the defense moving.