Cavs still seeking to find level play
Lack of consistency, another losing streak frustrate rookie coach
By Brian Windhorst
Beacon Journal sportswriter
<!-- begin body-content -->DALLAS - Leaving the American Airlines Center late Tuesday night, Mike Brown was frustrated, angry and stressed -- all at the same time.
His Cavaliers had just blown a 19-point lead in the Dallas Mavericks' building and let what could have been a pivotal road victory slip away. It happened two days earlier in Miami, when a woeful stretch run doomed a 15-point lead in a loss to the Miami Heat. It's another losing streak to deal with, this one at three games, for his erratic team, and much of the blame has been put on him.
Brown has seen worse in his career, like that night 16 months ago in Auburn Hills, Mich., when his Indiana Pacers lost their season in a shocking brawl with players and fans of the Detroit Pistons.
Brown has maybe seen worse this season alone: nights at the end of five- and six-game losing streaks.
After 65 games with a 36-29 record, this has been a quizzical rookie NBA coaching season for Brown, who preaches consistency and level-headed play while his team has given him little of either.
Some nights they look like one of the league's best.
On others, they resemble one of the league's worst for reasons that are hard to understand.
It could be much worse for a first-year coach, and often is. Two years ago, Brown nearly landed the Atlanta Hawks' coaching job, a position with a completely different set of circumstances than his current one.
As it is, he's likely going to lead the Cavs to their first playoff season in eight years and post the second-best record for a first-year coach in team history. But it has been far from mistake-free.
``It's been a learning experience for me,'' Brown said. ``We're not in the playoffs; we haven't done anything yet.''
Brown's defensive mantra has been sometimes overshadowed by his team's offensive breakdowns. He openly admits there have been plenty of nights when his preparation and in-game decision-making have been faulty compared with his competition. And his team has earned the reputation of being soft and easy to push around when the pressure is on, especially against the league's elite.
His defensive system and techniques have often paid off and, unlike last season's collapse, the Cavs have rarely been beaten because they simply couldn't defend as much as a pick-and-roll. But they are giving up just as many points per game (95), and opponents have the exact same shooting percentage (45) as last season.
Meanwhile, the Cavs have been challenged offensively since free-agent import Larry Hughes went down in January. While Brown's offense has more facets than the one of former coach Paul Silas, it seems to have the same flaws when games get tight -- one of which is having star LeBron James wind up with the ball and little or no help.
Brown has tried to establish a solid rotation, but it has been disrupted by injuries, trades and inconsistent play from his veterans, leaving him to try numerous things on the fly.
``As a first-year coach, I'm still trying to feel my way through this,'' Brown said. ``We've still been winning a few games and it will give me a lot to look at this summer so I won't have to search as much next season.''
Mostly, Brown tries to stress the positives. While he's not afraid to point the finger at himself, he usually deflects individual blame. His attitude with the players has been more loose than exacting. Though early on the players grumbled at the length of his practices, he rewards them as often as he can. He dishes out more praise than criticism and more support than anger when times get tough.
``I believe as long as you're getting effort, which I think our guys have given most of the year, sometimes it's not their fault. It could be my fault,'' he said. ``Until we get to a point where we can be consistent, they're learning and I'm learning, so I have to give them a little leeway. I have to hold them accountable... I don't have to do it in public.
``I've had my share of slamming my hand against the blackboard, but it is my feeling that you don't need to rant and rave all the time to get a point across.''
Whether his methods will work over the long haul is yet to be determined. But his first season thus far has been a rolling sample of both ends of the spectrum.
``We want to be an elite team and we have to learn how,'' James said. ``The feeling I had last year at this time is totally different. It is a whole different environment this year. He (Brown) knows what I want from the team and I know what he wants.''
Schedule change
The Cavs' game at Houston on Sunday, March 26, has been changed from a 1 p.m. start to 4 p.m. The game will not be broadcast on ABC-TV, but move to WUAB, Channel 43, instead. Also, the Cavaliers' home game on Thursday, April 13, will be shown on TNT cable, the team announced.
If that isn't an idictment on one's own coaching ability, I don't know what is.
