Long and Arduous

We’ve covered some of this in our last two posts as we began to see the meltdown taking place. However, here are our final thoughts as to why the Cavaliers folded come playoff time after posting the best record in the league for the second year in a row.

Mind you, Danny Ferry, the GM, gets somewhat of a pass. In 2010, he provided this coaching staff with more bullets in the gun – allowing this group to play different styles of basketball with different combinations – something that was unavailable in 2009. There wasn’t much more he could do this time around going in short of acquiring a true Robin to Batman (LBJ) – which was unrealistic.

First, this team has lacked a consistent scorer (instant offense) off the bench, putting immense pressure on the starters to produce points every night. This is a minor flaw compared to the rest.

We simply got this one wrong – overrating his potential. Anderson V. is simply an energy and hustle player – not a starter. When he plays major minutes he wears down, and more importantly, you play 5-on-4 on the offensive end when he’s out there. He can’t score the basketball unless he’s laying it in. There is simply no reason to guard him.

Along the same lines, running screen and rolls with AV is and has been a terrible offensive option. You are bringing the one guy on the floor who can’t dribble, pass or score the basketball into the main offensive fray. Yes, on occasion he finishes with a layup. However, it is always a better option to have someone set the screen the defense actually has to guard outside of four feet. The Cavaliers have been doing the opposition a favor with this moronic screen/roll option for years. Jamison and James, for example, should have worked this to death this spring.

I was wrong again. Mo Williams is a not a prime-time performer and A. Jamison did not establish himself as that much-needed consistent #2 option offensively come post-season. If he’s not scoring points, Mo is too much of a defensive liability to help your team. In a seven-game series, that gets exposed – especially by well-coached teams. We saw this two years in a row. As for Jamison, he tends to play soft and was asked to do something he can’t do – guard Kevin Garnett in the post. Truth be told – having Williams and Jamison on the floor means you have two subpar/soft defenders playing at one time. Well coached, disciplined teams (i.e. Boston) take advantage of that in the half court in a long series – where every major wart is exposed.

This team has badly needed a true defensive presence inside to provide cover for poor perimeter defenders (i.e. Mo Williams). Mark Price had Larry Nance and Hot Rod Williams covering up his mistakes. The Cavaliers simply don’t have that kind of presence. Marcus Camby, or a facsimile there of, would have helped. You can’t consistently allow opposing guards to penetrate at will, breaking down your defense time and time again. It not only affects your defensive rotation but it is the quickest way to cause on the floor finger-pointing.

Much to my continued dismay, this coaching staff and LBJ James have refused to emphasize potentially one of his greatest strengths – the post-up game. On the road to slow down opposing runs or when LBJ is simply having a poor shooting night, having him post up in the half court makes it next to impossible for the opposition to guard him. It also saves on some of the wear and tear from LBJ driving to the basket and taking the constant pounding that follows. Finally, it forces him to get engaged on nights he shows low energy levels (see game #5 versus Celtics). He’s too big for smaller defenders and too quick for bigger defenders in the block. And if the double comes, the Cavaliers should get an excellent perimeter look time and time again off his post-up. It’s basketball malpractice this has not been emphasized the past several years.

Once again, Mike Brown and company were outcoached. Last year, Ron Jeremy got over on Brown and Hedo T. got paid thanks to the Cavaliers. This year, Doc Rivers took an aging team with next to no bench and handled Cleveland in six games. This actually included arguably Rivers’ best player (Paul Pierce) underachieving for much of the series.

Again, along the same lines, this team’s refusal to put one of the game’s best defenders (LBJ) on the opposition’s most potent player in that particular series (Hedo T. in ’09 or R. Rondo in ‘10) made it almost impossible to get control of the series. Having James take Rondo, at minimum at the end of quarters and in crunch time, might have made a difference. You cannot allow the opposition’s main ball-handler to go where he wants, do what he wants, when he wants! Yes, plugging that hole could open up others (i.e. Paul Pierce) but if you don’t plug the hole, it doesn’t matter. Running double teams at RR and taking the ball out of his hands on occasion was also an option not consistently utilized.

I never thought I would be saying this but LBJ simply quit in game 5 versus the Celtics. Check that, he never even tried. I have never seen this in professional sports in my life – arguably the best player in his sport not give 100% in the most important game of the season. That’s impossible to fathom and inexcusable. If I had a vote, hell would freeze over before I give LBJ my next league MVP vote. And this, once again, is the best reason to hold off on MVP voting in any team sport until a champion is crowned.

Finally, call it lack of heart, toughness or whatever term you prefer - this team is simply soft. There is no other way to explain back-to-back post-season “flame outs” as the owner called them, after posting the league’s best record. Unfortunately, the Cavaliers join other long-standing regular season juggernauts (Sacramento, Dallas, Phoenix, etc.) that consistently showed big during the first 82 but could never win a title and often exited early in April and May. The Cavaliers of the late 80s/early 90s were often accused of this, but they had an out – the real #23 (MJ). This group has no such crutch to lean on. Ownership and management would do well to acquire a couple players this off-season who bring more than mere statistics to the roster. Players who bring heart/toughness are in need here.

Yes, I had this team losing to the Lakers in seven in the Finals before the season started. When the playoffs began, there was no reason to think otherwise. Something went terribly wrong in the post-season. Eventually, we’ll find out what happened in terms of off the floor antics. When ownership breaks this thing up, the rats jump off the ship and turn on each other. That’s the way sports works. Unfortunately, that's the way life works for some.

Regardless, there is plenty of "on the court" fault to go around as you can see by this entry, starting with LBJ – who decided prior to game #5 that July had come early. The “King” has enjoyed a tremendous amount of positive press since he was a young pup – mostly deserved. He has exceeded all expectations in terms of pure talent level to date. But this is more than a black mark on his record. In my mind, what happened in game #5 against the Celtics supersedes anything positive he’s done to date – including game #5 versus the Pistons two years ago.

Think of it this way - even with everything we have catalogued in terms of what went wrong and why - if James plays like an MVP in game #5, the Cavaliers likely win this series.

As I said, what we witnessed (total lack of effort) was unprecedented and inexcusable.