• New here? Register here now for access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Plus, stay connected and follow BP on Instagram @buckeyeplanet and Facebook.

Cavs 07-08 Season Thread

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Sort by date Sort by votes
CPD

As the face of a team and city, no one in the NBA touches Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James

In a star-studded NBA, no one is more representative of a team and its city than LeBron James
Friday, April 18, 2008Branson Wright
Plain Dealer Reporter
The tears rolled down the cheek of Austin Carr once the pingpong balls dropped and placed the Cavaliers in a position they had not been in before. Many others shared tears of happiness with Carr, a former player with the Cavaliers.
Suddenly, the fate of a franchise and a city was riding on the back of a teenager when the Cavs won the 2003 NBA Draft Lottery and the right to make LeBron James the No. 1 pick. And shortly after James was selected, he promised to light the city up like Las Vegas.
Well, the city lit up like Las Vegas following last year's Eastern Conference finals, but the San Antonio Spurs unplugged the power, winning the NBA Finals in a sweep. The Cavs and this region's hopes and dreams faded to black.
@StoryAd
Now the Cavs, led by James, are back in the hunt for a title, and it starts Saturday in Game 1 of the their first-round playoff series against the Washington Wizards. For the third straight year, the franchise and the region will wait on James' promise.
No other player in the league is as much the face of a city and franchise as James. The Los Angeles Lakers have Kobe Bryant and the San Antonio Spurs have Tim Duncan, but they are not nearly as identifiable with their respective teams and city as James.
"I was born for this," James said. "A family member once told me that I was born for this and I didn't know what it was at the time -- but now I know."




Cont...
 
Upvote 0
CPD

Recent history favors Cavaliers


Friday, April 18, 2008
The first time the Cavaliers met the Washington Wizards in the play offs was LeBron James' inaugural postseason experience. The six- game first-round series in 2006 turned into a James-Gilbert Are nas score-a-thon, with James edging Agent Zero in six thrilling games.
The second time the Cavaliers met the Wizards in the first round was last year. The poor Wizards were without Arenas and forward Caron Butler, who both sat because of injuries, and Cleveland swept Washington.
This time? Expectations are high for a repeat of the down-to-the-wire battle in 2006, partly because James is sure to be motivated after hearing Wizards guard DeShawn Stevenson call him "overrated," and Arenas blog about how the Wizards are eager to face the Cavaliers.
@StoryAd
A recap of the Cavaliers' first-round series against Washington from the previous two years:




Cont...
 
Upvote 0
Dispatch

Many new story lines for Cavs, Wizards

Saturday, April 19, 2008 3:20 AM
By Brian Windhorst


AKRON BEACON JOURNAL

CLEVELAND -- The annual rite of spring in the Eastern Conference is here, the Cavaliers against the Washington Wizards.
Old and familiar enemies, right? Well, not as much as one might think.
The Cavs and Wizards indeed are facing off for the third consecutive season in the first round of the playoffs. Many of the faces today in Quicken Loans Arena will be the same as two years ago when the two teams kicked off the NBA playoffs with the same 12:30 p.m. start.

Continued.....
Click to expand...
 
Upvote 0
Canton

Cavaliers vs. Wizards III
[FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Season of ups and downs leaves Cleveland in familiar spot: Facing Washington[/FONT]
Saturday, April 19, 2008
BY Chris Beaven
REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER


Enough talk. No more predictions. Blog time's over.

It's Cavaliers-Wizards III ? a first-round playoff series worth a Roman numeral like a 1970s heavyweight title fight.

It's LeBron vs. Gilbert ... and DeShawn ... and Caron ... and maybe even Antawn.

It's two weeks for the Cavs to prove they made the right trade two months ago and that, despite a season of inconsistency, the reigning Eastern Conference champs are ready for another run to the NBA Finals.

"I thought we played well in spurts throughout the season ... but I think this ballclub with all the new guys, and having everybody healthy, has a chance to be better in the postseason than we were in the regular season," Cavaliers Head Coach Mike Brown said. "So I'm looking forward to the postseason."

Continued......
Click to expand...
 
Upvote 0
Canton

Cavs know anything is possible with LeBron James
Saturday, April 19, 2008
BY Chris Beaven
REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER

A soaring LeBron James hardly amazes Cavaliers Head Coach Mike Brown anymore.

Brown has seen it all from his All-Star for three seasons. Then he sees something new, something like last Monday's slam dunk at Philadelphia when an open-court sprint to the rim quickly turned crowded for James. One Sixer closed in from behind, two set up in front of him as he reached the top of the key. This is where James, battling back spasms in recent weeks, could have pulled up and waited for help.

Continued......
Click to expand...
 
Upvote 0
It's great to see Lebron step up and hit the two big shots with eShawn guarding him at the end. I'm much less concerned now that the Wizards will be able to take him out of his game.

Also, I came away very impressed with Lebron's interviews and the half and at the end of the game. He didn't respond to the trash talk - he almost even complimented the Wiz for their intimidation tactics. But, ultimately, he knows now that the talking stops and the walking starts. The Cavs took some big steps today in a game THEY HAD TO HAVE.

On to Game 2. It's gonna be a long series. Let's hope West continues to step up his game.
 
Upvote 0
Dispatch

Apr 20, 1:24 AM EDT


LeBron James scores 32 to lead Cavs past Wizards in Game 1
By TOM WITHERS
AP Sports Writer


CLEVELAND (AP) -- Flanked by security personnel, one of his own bodyguards and several close friends, LeBron James was escorted from the arena. He was untouchable. He could have used the protection earlier.
Bumped and banged by the Wizards on every drive, James scored 32 points, making two tough shots in traffic down the stretch as the Cleveland Cavaliers opened the NBA playoffs with an intense 93-86 win over Washington on Saturday.
Determined to shut up trash-talking Washington guard DeShawn Stevenson, who had called him "overrated" last month, James took a physical pounding. But he led the Cavaliers to their seventh straight postseason win over the Wizards, who had their chances in the fourth but missed 10 straight shots and scored just two points in the final 4:39.
Afterward, James felt no need to rub it in Stevenson's face.

Continued.....
Click to expand...
 
Upvote 0
ABJ

Cavs 93, Wizards 86
Physical James KOs Wizards in Game 1
Bumping, banging end with superstar's plays at end
By Brian Windhorst
Beacon Journal sportswriter
POSTED: 07:54 p.m. EDT, Apr 19, 2008

CLEVELAND: First, LeBron James talked to the Washington Wizards. Then he walked all over them.
Behind another heroic postseason performance from James, the Cavaliers were able to strike first in what promises to be a long and intense series with their old adversaries from Washington. James put up 32 points, including two game-deciding hoops in the stretch run, to carry the Cavs to a 93-86 victory in Game 1.
It was an emotionally charged Saturday afternoon at Quicken Loans Arena, with much of the ballyhooed pregame war of words from the two sides manifesting itself in several first-half scrums. James, uncharacteristically, was involved in all of them, which was a sign that some of the chatter, indeed, had riled him up.

Continued.......
Click to expand...
 
Upvote 0
ABJ

Coach says LeBron deserves to get more calls Coach prompts officials about Wizards' tactics
By Brian Windhorst
Beacon Journal sportswriter

Published on Monday, Apr 21, 2008
INDEPENDENCE: The playoffs have officially started and so has the posturing.
Cavaliers coach Mike Brown, usually rather bland in his interviews, was aggressive Sunday in trying to send a strong message to the Washington Wizards and the officials working the rest of this series.
Wizards coach Eddie Jordan told the media after the Cavs' Game 1 victory that he wanted his team to be very physical in defending the basket, a tactic that was obvious at times when various Wizards hammered LeBron James on drives.
Brown seized on both and challenged officials to take notice ? not only to protect James, but also to prevent any more skirmishes.
''Washington has come out and said they're fouling (James) when he gets in the paint,'' Brown said. ''So that is something you hope the officials take a look at when he drives the basketball. If that is the case, don't make it be a real hard foul and let things get out of hand. If he gets bumped, call it a foul.''



Cont...
 
Upvote 0
ABJ

No shakes, all stirred up Pleasantries put aside, series is bitterness personified
Published on Monday, Apr 21, 2008

CLEVELAND: When LeBron James walked on the court for Game 1 of the Cavs' playoff series, he did not greet any of the Washington Wizards.
He did not shake a hand, did not give a hug, did not give a point to his friend Gilbert Arenas on the Wizards bench.
Significant?
Better believe it.
James always, always, always shakes hands. This reception was arctic.
Soon the hard feelings spilled into the game.
James was hit in the mouth, then knocked down by Andray Blatche. The first one hurt for a bit ? how the refs missed that call was nearly inexplicable ? but after the second, James got up and went right to the free-throw line.



Cont...
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top