Wells4Heisman
Fifth Year Freshman
They made a bit of a comeback but not good enough. Their going to have to step their game up.graveyard.roses;859804; said:
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Brutus1
Don't be penurious, donate to the BP Spring Dr.
lbj 4-16, Hughes and Z a combined 2-13 (neighborhood).
James will shoot better and the other 2 will shoot somewhat better. Duncan and Parker getting their combined 51 points is fine. The rest of the team was pretty quiet and if the defense can keep it that way, then the Cavs will have a chance in game 2.
The third quarter blues lost then the game. No suprise there.
Gibby needs to play and shoot more. He missed his first shot (that I remember) , and shot 7-8 the rest of the way. He's showing he's not a fluke.
More Gibby and less Hughes.
All in all I'm encouraged that they stayed fairly close despite horrible shooting from 3 starters.
Give credit to the Spurs for making LBJ and Z shoot so horribly. Hughes shoots like that every game, so that was no different.
James will shoot better and the other 2 will shoot somewhat better. Duncan and Parker getting their combined 51 points is fine. The rest of the team was pretty quiet and if the defense can keep it that way, then the Cavs will have a chance in game 2.
The third quarter blues lost then the game. No suprise there.
Gibby needs to play and shoot more. He missed his first shot (that I remember) , and shot 7-8 the rest of the way. He's showing he's not a fluke.
More Gibby and less Hughes.
All in all I'm encouraged that they stayed fairly close despite horrible shooting from 3 starters.
Give credit to the Spurs for making LBJ and Z shoot so horribly. Hughes shoots like that every game, so that was no different.
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tsteele316
Mr. Such and Such
A few points:
tim duncan is a bitch.
With the bad foot Hughes is a bigger liability than normal. He should not guard parker period.
drew gooden may be borderline retarded and one of the most frustrating players to watch. He was out of position defensively all night, and screwed up basic rotations, then he makes nice plays on the offensive end. No consistency.
tim duncan is a bitch.
lbj won't get points or hoops going to the basket in SA. The officials will not blow the whistle enough.
mike brown, quit being a shitstain. how long will you watch parker run circles around hughes? if gibson can't D him up enough, put snow in and move gibson to the 2 guard. you're sacrificing both offense and defense with hughes out there, at least with snow, you're only giving up offense.
tim duncan is a bitch.
tim duncan is a bitch.
With the bad foot Hughes is a bigger liability than normal. He should not guard parker period.
drew gooden may be borderline retarded and one of the most frustrating players to watch. He was out of position defensively all night, and screwed up basic rotations, then he makes nice plays on the offensive end. No consistency.
tim duncan is a bitch.
lbj won't get points or hoops going to the basket in SA. The officials will not blow the whistle enough.
mike brown, quit being a shitstain. how long will you watch parker run circles around hughes? if gibson can't D him up enough, put snow in and move gibson to the 2 guard. you're sacrificing both offense and defense with hughes out there, at least with snow, you're only giving up offense.
tim duncan is a bitch.
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They played like the first two games in Detroit. either get it stepped up or take your ball and go home Cavs
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exhawg
Mirror Guy
Too bad Lebron, Gibson, Pavs, Gooden, and Varejao can't play the whole game because that's all the Cavs have right now. The way Gibson is shooting he needs 20+ shots per game. They might want to give a guy like Newble or Brown a shot to see what they can do. On the bright side the Spurs have enough so so offensive players that they can probably hide Damon Jones someplace to have his threat of shooting on the floor. Hughes had nothing last night. I hope there is a lot of growth between game 1 and 2.
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SanAntonioBuck
RIP Our Friend and Hero
The Spurs grades for Game 1:
Tim Duncan
Duncan came out with a lot of energy and purpose in Game 1 of the 2007 NBA Finals. His offense was clicking as he scored in a variety of ways, finishing with 24 points on 10-for-17 shooting. He was the anchor of the defense with five blocks and 13 rebounds. The Cavs were physical with him and he responded by being equally physical. Duncan had a very good overall game in every aspect.
Grade: A
Manu Ginobili
When Ginobili first entered the game, he was a little too anxious offensively and that led to him forcing the issue at times when he should have reigned it in. As the game went on, Ginobili got more and more comfortable on the offensive end. He finished with 16 points on 5-for-12 shooting from the field. Defensively, this was Ginobili's best game of the playoffs. He spent some time on LeBron James and held him in check. He also was rotating wonderfully and pulled down eight big rebounds.
Grade: B+
Tony Parker
Parker exposed mismatches all night long offensively in one of his best playoff performances of the season. For stretches, he played like he was the best player on the court. Offensively, 19 of the 34 baskets the Spurs scored were either on a Parker hoop or a Parker assist. On defense, Parker was solid for most of the game. However, Parker still has room to improve. He got sloppy at some points and his defense fell off in the fourth quarter. For the game, he finished with 27 points and 7 assists on 12-for-23 shooting from the field.
Grade: A-
Bruce Bowen
Bowen had hands down his best showing of the playoffs. He was simply phenomenal defensively against LeBron, holding him to 4-for-16 shooting from the field. Part of it was LeBron just having an off night, but Bowen deserves a lot of credit. Bowen came ready to play and ready to prove he is up for the task. Bowen also hit 2-of-4 from beyond the arc and led the team in plus/minus at +12.
Grade: A+
Fabricio Oberto
Oberto had an out of this world playoff series against the Utah Jazz. Against the Cavs in Game 1, Oberto came back down to earth a little bit. He was held scoreless in 17 minutes of play, but did pull down four rebounds and dished out two assists. Cleveland isn't a great matchup for Oberto but he'll need find a way to contribute.
Grade: C+
Michael Finley
Finley knocked down his first shot and then proceeded to miss his final six attempts from the field. After some forced shots in the early third quarter, Finley was pulled and never saw any meaningful minutes for the rest of the game. Hopefully his problem was related to the pressure of the NBA Finals and not anything to do with his bad back.
Grade: D+
Robert Horry
Horry still is trying to find his groove after not playing overly well against the Jazz. In Game 1, Horry still wasn't playing like he's capable of, but did find ways to contribute. He handed out six assists in 23 minutes and played pretty good defense. His lone points came in the beginning of the fourth quarter when he nailed a three-pointer. If he can get rolling like he was earlier in the playoffs, this is the type of series in which he could end up playing a lot of minutes.
Grade: C+
Jacque Vaughn
Vaughn did his job. He came in, ran the show and didn't hurt the team in his ten minutes of play. Vaughn's main role in this series is to just come in and play steady. They won't need many big offensive or defensive plays out of him given the matchups.
Grade: B+
Francisco Elson
Elson played one of his two or three best games of the playoffs in Game 1 of the Finals. With the Spurs wanting to get out and run versus the Cavs, he has a chance to earn a lot of playing the rest of the way. Offensively, he got out on the break and got a dunk and a foul. He also had a solid post move when the Spurs needed a hoop. Defensively, Elson did his job in all aspects. Five points and six rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench is good production from a backup center.
Grade: A-
Brent Barry
Barry was on the court for eight minutes. His only dents in the stat sheet were a turnover and a foul. He didn't hurt the team offensively, but he also wasn't much of a help. Defensively he struggled a little bit. Barry will have a chance to have an impact in this series, so hopefully he can find his offensive rhythm.
Grade: C
Pop
Pop seemed to work the layoff rather well. The players looked ready to play and although they got winded, they remained pretty sharp throughout. Pop also did a good job of getting it into the hands of the Big Three offensively. Defensively, the Spurs played very, very well. They were crisp with their rotations and didn't allow many easy looks. Going with Elson to help speed the tempo was a very nice move. Taking out and leaving out an ineffective Finley was a good move. Overall, there's not much to be upset about after Game 1 of the Finals.
Grade: B+
Tim Duncan
Duncan came out with a lot of energy and purpose in Game 1 of the 2007 NBA Finals. His offense was clicking as he scored in a variety of ways, finishing with 24 points on 10-for-17 shooting. He was the anchor of the defense with five blocks and 13 rebounds. The Cavs were physical with him and he responded by being equally physical. Duncan had a very good overall game in every aspect.
Grade: A
Manu Ginobili
When Ginobili first entered the game, he was a little too anxious offensively and that led to him forcing the issue at times when he should have reigned it in. As the game went on, Ginobili got more and more comfortable on the offensive end. He finished with 16 points on 5-for-12 shooting from the field. Defensively, this was Ginobili's best game of the playoffs. He spent some time on LeBron James and held him in check. He also was rotating wonderfully and pulled down eight big rebounds.
Grade: B+
Tony Parker
Parker exposed mismatches all night long offensively in one of his best playoff performances of the season. For stretches, he played like he was the best player on the court. Offensively, 19 of the 34 baskets the Spurs scored were either on a Parker hoop or a Parker assist. On defense, Parker was solid for most of the game. However, Parker still has room to improve. He got sloppy at some points and his defense fell off in the fourth quarter. For the game, he finished with 27 points and 7 assists on 12-for-23 shooting from the field.
Grade: A-
Bruce Bowen
Bowen had hands down his best showing of the playoffs. He was simply phenomenal defensively against LeBron, holding him to 4-for-16 shooting from the field. Part of it was LeBron just having an off night, but Bowen deserves a lot of credit. Bowen came ready to play and ready to prove he is up for the task. Bowen also hit 2-of-4 from beyond the arc and led the team in plus/minus at +12.
Grade: A+
Fabricio Oberto
Oberto had an out of this world playoff series against the Utah Jazz. Against the Cavs in Game 1, Oberto came back down to earth a little bit. He was held scoreless in 17 minutes of play, but did pull down four rebounds and dished out two assists. Cleveland isn't a great matchup for Oberto but he'll need find a way to contribute.
Grade: C+
Michael Finley
Finley knocked down his first shot and then proceeded to miss his final six attempts from the field. After some forced shots in the early third quarter, Finley was pulled and never saw any meaningful minutes for the rest of the game. Hopefully his problem was related to the pressure of the NBA Finals and not anything to do with his bad back.
Grade: D+
Robert Horry
Horry still is trying to find his groove after not playing overly well against the Jazz. In Game 1, Horry still wasn't playing like he's capable of, but did find ways to contribute. He handed out six assists in 23 minutes and played pretty good defense. His lone points came in the beginning of the fourth quarter when he nailed a three-pointer. If he can get rolling like he was earlier in the playoffs, this is the type of series in which he could end up playing a lot of minutes.
Grade: C+
Jacque Vaughn
Vaughn did his job. He came in, ran the show and didn't hurt the team in his ten minutes of play. Vaughn's main role in this series is to just come in and play steady. They won't need many big offensive or defensive plays out of him given the matchups.
Grade: B+
Francisco Elson
Elson played one of his two or three best games of the playoffs in Game 1 of the Finals. With the Spurs wanting to get out and run versus the Cavs, he has a chance to earn a lot of playing the rest of the way. Offensively, he got out on the break and got a dunk and a foul. He also had a solid post move when the Spurs needed a hoop. Defensively, Elson did his job in all aspects. Five points and six rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench is good production from a backup center.
Grade: A-
Brent Barry
Barry was on the court for eight minutes. His only dents in the stat sheet were a turnover and a foul. He didn't hurt the team offensively, but he also wasn't much of a help. Defensively he struggled a little bit. Barry will have a chance to have an impact in this series, so hopefully he can find his offensive rhythm.
Grade: C
Pop
Pop seemed to work the layoff rather well. The players looked ready to play and although they got winded, they remained pretty sharp throughout. Pop also did a good job of getting it into the hands of the Big Three offensively. Defensively, the Spurs played very, very well. They were crisp with their rotations and didn't allow many easy looks. Going with Elson to help speed the tempo was a very nice move. Taking out and leaving out an ineffective Finley was a good move. Overall, there's not much to be upset about after Game 1 of the Finals.
Grade: B+
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Big Papa
Urban!!!!
SanAntonioBuck;859451; said:I just hope the Spurs can make it a game.
Just proves that I don't know what the fuck I am talking about.
I need to lay off the Cavs Kool-Aid for a couple days and we will look at Game 2 a little more realistically. If the Cavs shoot this poorly on Sunday, this could be a very short series.
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Big Papa
Urban!!!!
exhawg;859899; said:
It kills me that Hughes is this ineffective offensively. Yeah, great, he plays good defense, but that is not why we pay him 12 Million dollars to do for us. He needs to be a second option to LeBron. He needs to pose some kind of offensive threat when he is in the game. For godsake, Boobie is more of a threat on offense and he's a ROOKIE!!! I realize he has a sore toe/foot, whatever. It's not like he has been anything like what we went out and got him for.
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Time for me to chime in. While I have not been a Hughes fan it is tough to blame him. The type of injury he has criples his game, it takes away his lateral quickness which is what we need from him. The blame for that falls on Mike Brown for playing him in the situations he does.
Also, I knew it was going to be a long game when every time LeBron drove to the basket he had 3 Spurs surrounding him, runs into a few bodies, forces up a shot and there is no whistle. And from the total fouls called in this game the refs swallowed their whistles. Where are the refs from last year's finals when we need it?
If the refs call even 1/3 of the contact that is going on in the paint things would loosen up for LeBron.
But you have to give it up for the Spurs, they took what the Pistons were tying to do and took it up a notch. It also helps they have better overall defenders to cog up the middle and close LeBron's passing lanes.
Now a few smaller points. Where were Z's pick and pops? It seemed like Z barely took any jumpers. Gawd that was a horrible rebounding night for the team, but it seemed like alot of long rebounds that just overbounced are positioned big men. It also helped I counted about 5-6 over the backs that were never called.
Also I love the idea of LeBron guarding Parker and why couldn't Hughes figure out that was how you should play Parker? Lay off him a few feet to block his drives and dare him to shoot.
Another point... thank god for Gibson! Really can I just get someone to take a bat to Hughes foot to make sure he can't play the rest of the series? Or at least someone to tell Mike Brown "Hey, why don't you have Gibson, Hughes and LeBron on the floor at the same time?" Or that it is ok to play Gibson 35+ minutes?
EDIT - Also, why do I get a feeling this will be the last we see of Sasha in a Cavs uniform. He is a restricted free agent and maybe the only guy we can trade this offseason for a better piece. I can see are starting 5 next year being Gibson, Hughes, LeBron, Gooden & Z. You hope Shannon Brown can step up his game and whatever we get for Sasha can fill in off the bench being a true PG or another swingman.
Also, I knew it was going to be a long game when every time LeBron drove to the basket he had 3 Spurs surrounding him, runs into a few bodies, forces up a shot and there is no whistle. And from the total fouls called in this game the refs swallowed their whistles. Where are the refs from last year's finals when we need it?
If the refs call even 1/3 of the contact that is going on in the paint things would loosen up for LeBron.
But you have to give it up for the Spurs, they took what the Pistons were tying to do and took it up a notch. It also helps they have better overall defenders to cog up the middle and close LeBron's passing lanes.
Now a few smaller points. Where were Z's pick and pops? It seemed like Z barely took any jumpers. Gawd that was a horrible rebounding night for the team, but it seemed like alot of long rebounds that just overbounced are positioned big men. It also helped I counted about 5-6 over the backs that were never called.
Also I love the idea of LeBron guarding Parker and why couldn't Hughes figure out that was how you should play Parker? Lay off him a few feet to block his drives and dare him to shoot.
Another point... thank god for Gibson! Really can I just get someone to take a bat to Hughes foot to make sure he can't play the rest of the series? Or at least someone to tell Mike Brown "Hey, why don't you have Gibson, Hughes and LeBron on the floor at the same time?" Or that it is ok to play Gibson 35+ minutes?
EDIT - Also, why do I get a feeling this will be the last we see of Sasha in a Cavs uniform. He is a restricted free agent and maybe the only guy we can trade this offseason for a better piece. I can see are starting 5 next year being Gibson, Hughes, LeBron, Gooden & Z. You hope Shannon Brown can step up his game and whatever we get for Sasha can fill in off the bench being a true PG or another swingman.
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SanAntonioBuck
RIP Our Friend and Hero
Daniel "Boobie" Gibson needs more minutes. He's going to be a special player! He scares me death. Game 2, should be a grind it out nip & tuck game down to the wire.Big Papa;860072; said:Just proves that I don't know what the fuck I am talking about.
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billmac91
Head Coach
the biggest disappointment for me last night was the ineffectiveness of Zydrunas. If Z can't stay on the court we're screwed.....going into the series I at least thought Z could give Tim some trouble with his length and phyicality, but he got abused early and often and he was a liability defesnively all night....he just can't stay in position when the Spurs run the pick & roll......we're gonna have to figure out a way to keep Z in the game for his rebounding, but whenver he's in their they just exploit him by using a 2-man game...not sure what the answer is, but it will be a short series if it doesn't get figured out
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cincibuck
You kids stay off my lawn!
What's going on? Greer can't cover Havilecek and Russell has Chamberlain boxed out everytime there's an important rebound. The sixer's can hang in there for awhile, but the Cletics are going to close the deal.
Seriously, what are the numbers? The NBA puts its premier show on at 9:15, No Friday or Saturday games, no games before 9. It's fuckin' June already.
How do they pay the rent?
Seriously, what are the numbers? The NBA puts its premier show on at 9:15, No Friday or Saturday games, no games before 9. It's fuckin' June already.
How do they pay the rent?
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SanAntonioBuck
RIP Our Friend and Hero
My spin on Game 2 adjustments
For the Cavs:
--Find a way to slow down Parker. This has to be their number one goal. If Parker is getting to the basket like he was in Game 1, it's almost impossible to beat the Spurs. Their best options looks to be LeBron James. Larry Hughes didn't look like he could do it. Perhaps Boobie Gibson has a chance, but not for long stretches. It'll have to be up to LeBron.
--Play with Boobie. The kid is on fire. Whatever he's shooting is going in right now. On top of that, he's playing pretty good defense. He's confident and is in a groove. I expect 35 minutes from him in Game 2, whether he's starting or coming off the bench.
--Get Big Z going. The Cavs are going to try to force it into Big Z and let him operate down low. It makes sense to go to him no matter who the Spurs have on him. Oberto and Elson aren't great matchups for him and if Duncan is guarding him, Big Z can try to get Duncan in foul trouble.
--Get LeBron the ball deeper. In Game 1, LeBron almost always got the ball on the perimeter. In Game 2, expect him to catch the ball closer to the foul line as often as possible. Either way, LeBron will have a bounce back game and should have good numbers.
--Rebound better. The Cavs are a very good rebounding team. Expect them to come out with more of a purpose on the boards in Game 2.
For the Spurs:
--Don't leave Boobie uncovered. He's on fire right now and is knocking down all his jumpers. In the fourth, the Spurs didn't do a very good job of staying with him at all times. As it stands, he's a guy you simply can't double team off of.
--Expose Boobie. If he's going to play more minutes, the Spurs have to expose him defensively. If he's guarding Parker, Parker needs to drive the lane. If he's guarding Manu, Manu needs to drive the lane. The Spurs have stronger guards and need to use that to their advantage.
--Get Manu a bit more involved. If he has a mismatch, I wouldn't mind a few more isolations called for him. Manu has to do his part and drive the ball to the basket. The Cavs are physical and will send you to the line if you attack.
--Up the tempo. The Cavs are a very good halfcourt defensive team. Probably the best the Spurs have faced in the playoffs. It's hard to score on them in that setting. To combat that, the Spurs need to get out on the break. Transition points in this series are going to be huge. Parker and Manu meed to push the ball and the bigs need to run.
--Concentrate. While the whole world is waiting to crown the Spurs, it's way too premature to be thinking of a championship. In Game 2, the Spurs need to come out and concentrate on winning the game. It's easy to lose focus and start looking at the big picture instead of the next step. The Cavs are a good team. Their two best players played as bad as they can play and they still only lost by nine points. Game 1 was far from their best punch. Expect them to play better and be prepared to up your game to match their intensity.
For the Cavs:
--Find a way to slow down Parker. This has to be their number one goal. If Parker is getting to the basket like he was in Game 1, it's almost impossible to beat the Spurs. Their best options looks to be LeBron James. Larry Hughes didn't look like he could do it. Perhaps Boobie Gibson has a chance, but not for long stretches. It'll have to be up to LeBron.
--Play with Boobie. The kid is on fire. Whatever he's shooting is going in right now. On top of that, he's playing pretty good defense. He's confident and is in a groove. I expect 35 minutes from him in Game 2, whether he's starting or coming off the bench.
--Get Big Z going. The Cavs are going to try to force it into Big Z and let him operate down low. It makes sense to go to him no matter who the Spurs have on him. Oberto and Elson aren't great matchups for him and if Duncan is guarding him, Big Z can try to get Duncan in foul trouble.
--Get LeBron the ball deeper. In Game 1, LeBron almost always got the ball on the perimeter. In Game 2, expect him to catch the ball closer to the foul line as often as possible. Either way, LeBron will have a bounce back game and should have good numbers.
--Rebound better. The Cavs are a very good rebounding team. Expect them to come out with more of a purpose on the boards in Game 2.
For the Spurs:
--Don't leave Boobie uncovered. He's on fire right now and is knocking down all his jumpers. In the fourth, the Spurs didn't do a very good job of staying with him at all times. As it stands, he's a guy you simply can't double team off of.
--Expose Boobie. If he's going to play more minutes, the Spurs have to expose him defensively. If he's guarding Parker, Parker needs to drive the lane. If he's guarding Manu, Manu needs to drive the lane. The Spurs have stronger guards and need to use that to their advantage.
--Get Manu a bit more involved. If he has a mismatch, I wouldn't mind a few more isolations called for him. Manu has to do his part and drive the ball to the basket. The Cavs are physical and will send you to the line if you attack.
--Up the tempo. The Cavs are a very good halfcourt defensive team. Probably the best the Spurs have faced in the playoffs. It's hard to score on them in that setting. To combat that, the Spurs need to get out on the break. Transition points in this series are going to be huge. Parker and Manu meed to push the ball and the bigs need to run.
--Concentrate. While the whole world is waiting to crown the Spurs, it's way too premature to be thinking of a championship. In Game 2, the Spurs need to come out and concentrate on winning the game. It's easy to lose focus and start looking at the big picture instead of the next step. The Cavs are a good team. Their two best players played as bad as they can play and they still only lost by nine points. Game 1 was far from their best punch. Expect them to play better and be prepared to up your game to match their intensity.
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