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Cavs-Wizards 1st round playoff series

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Two comments. First of all, those of you bitching about the refs, take a look at LeBron's footwork on the game-winning basket. I'm surprised none of the announcers mentioned that both of his feet moved before the shot. :wink2:

And I liked the stat that ESPN showed (if you watched a local Cleveland broadcast you probably didn't see this), about him leading the league in crunch-time shooting. He was 66% for shots taken at the end of the game this regular season, when neither team had more than a 3-point lead. I missed the time-frame part of the criteria, whether it was the last 1 minute, whatever. But that certainly belies the well-publicized tidbit about him not hitting a game-winner until March, which implies that he couldn't make big-time shots when it really mattered.
 
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What a great game. It was frustrating, at times to watch, when Washington could miss a shot, but LBJ pulled the team together and I think the miny run we went on right b4 halftime, was what really got us back into the game.

It was also nice to see Hughes help out down the stretch.

We need some guys to step up tho, preferribally Z or Donyell.

Should be fun to watch the next one, but you know the team that wins the 3rd game in a 1-1 series tie, wins the series 75% of the time.

Also LBJ is amazing and is it is a lot of fun to sit back and watch what is coming next.

He is 21 right now and he has 3 game winners this year. Lets say he averages 3 game winners for say 16 more years. That would put him at 48 game winners. I would think that would be the record, but not sure. I think 3 might be a little low tho, b/c eventually he will be playing the full alotment of games in the year when he starts taking his teams deep into the playoffs.

He is just rewriting the history of the nba and smashing records left and right.
 
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I know all the top things he's keeps doing is really amazing for his age and most N.B.A stars that do it or did it in the past were years older then him but, the damn media keeps making up things or down playing his talent

TNT is the only station thats backs up his stardom without being negative
except, Barkley keeps saying lebron will never be like Mike. lol

He will always say that about his buddy no matter what even if Lebron can take his game to an unknown area of being better.
 
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They are too busy being enfatuated with Kobe and him actually trying to get his teammates involved for once in his life, when LBJ has been doing it all season while still putting up 30+ everynite.

Kobe has 7 assits which is probably a career high, but can only put up 17 pts.
 
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Kobe's dunk on nash keeps going like that was so hard to do.

But, esucky thinks that he should have won the MVP cause of that dunk, what idiots

If a 6 ' 6 guy dunks on a 6' 0 guy whats so special about that.

At least Nash tried to take a charge or send a message with his little body to Kobe by contact. There defense sucks
 
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ABJ

4/29/06

James takes lane to gain 2-1 advantage

By Brian Windhorst

Beacon Journal sportswriter

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(Ed Suba Jr./Akron Beacon Journal)
Cleveland's LeBron James celebrates after hitting a shot over Washington defender Michael Ruffin with 5.7 seconds left to give his team the lead in the Cavaliers' 97-96 victory over the Wizards in Game 3 at the Verizon Center on Friday, April 28, 2006, in Washington D.C.
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<!-- begin body-content -->WASHINGTON - There's a long history of thieves in Washington. And now you can include the Cavaliers.
With the tide and the breaks seemingly going against them in a long, hard night at the Verizon Center, the Cavs and their superstar miraculously persevered. Thanks to yet another record-setting performance and yet another game-winning shot, LeBron James willed his team to the upper hand in an intense series with the Washington Wizards.
James' off-balance, fall-away, hanging bank shot with 5.7 seconds left proved to be the difference in a heart-pounding, 97-96 win. With that mentally and physically clutch effort, the Cavs recaptured the homecourt advantage and claimed a 2-1 series edge. Game 4 is 7:30 p.m. Sunday.
James' 41 points set an NBA record for most by a player in his first road playoff game and capped a thrilling duel of play-making between James and Wizards star Gilbert Arenas. Arenas, who had 34 points, missed his attempt to answer when his wide-open 3-pointer just before the final horn rimmed out.
The Cavs trailed in 46 of the game's first 47 minutes and were down by 14 points in the first half. But despite getting spotty help from his teammates, James kept them in it by going 16-of-28 from the floor. Nothing, though, compared with his final shot.
Being guarded by Jared Jeffries, James ran a side pick-and-roll with Larry Hughes, who was being covered by Antonio Daniels. Daniels and Jeffries switched and James attacked. He faked a jumper and got Daniels off his feet, then went around him and jumped.
Michael Ruffin seemed to save the day when he blocked James' view and angle and stopped him from shooting with long arms and contact.
James started falling back to the court but on his way down lobbed the ball over Ruffin's fingers and off the glass.
``I didn't want to force a jump shot. I wanted to go into the paint,'' James said. ``I was able to get (Daniels) off his feet and take the contact. It was a good play.''
It was James' third game-winning shot in the last month, but the stakes and challenge made this the biggest. Only moments before, he had taken a risk that could have cost the Cavs the game.
The Cavs went ahead with 30 seconds left on another impressive James driving layup in which he lost the ball in mid-air and then landed and went back up.
Then James tried to get it done on the defensive end by taking a charging foul. Arenas had spun free, and James set up outside the no-charge zone. The two collided, and the ball went in the basket. The officials called it a blocking foul on James. Arenas made the free throw to give the Wizards a 96-95 lead.
``That was a tough call, I don't take many charges and I took a big blow on that one,'' James said.
``It was over and done with, we still had a chance to win the game.''
It was not an unfamiliar situation for the Cavs, who have won numerous close games down the stretch. The Cavs are 14-2 in the last 16 games decided by four points or less.
None of it would have been possible, though, without a strong defensive effort in the third quarter. After letting the Wizards shoot 65 percent in the second quarter, the Cavs held them to just 13 points in the third. It enabled a run to tie the score heading to the fourth.
Hughes had 16 points but was just 6-of-15 shooting. Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 15 points but was just 4-of-12 from the floor and fouled out with five minutes to play. Bench leaders Donyell Marshall and Flip Murray were a combined 2-of-14 for six points.
But the Cavs limited their turnovers -- just five over the last three quarters -- and got on James' back.
The Wizards blocked 12 shots and had their ``Big Three'' going as Caron Butler supported Arenas with 20 points, and Antawn Jamison had 14. But they couldn't stop James.
``I had some unfortunate plays earlier in the season when I didn't capitalize. It made me a stronger player,'' James said.
``It paid off today.''
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ABJ

4/30/06

James shows poise in Game 3

After one of his worst nights, he comes through with one of his best in win over Wizards

By Terry Pluto

<!-- begin body-content -->Just as impressive as the 41 points in Washington on Friday was how the Cavaliers' LeBron James didn't force many shots. He played with the patience and poise of a 10-year pro.
And he's only 21.
Let's remember that, just as we must remember that he had one of his worst nights in the NBA in the Cavs' 89-84 loss to the Washington Wizards in Game 2 of the series Tuesday.
James had 10 turnovers compared to only two assists. He shot a dismal 7-of-25 for a very ugly 26 points. He seemed bothered by a couple of hard fouls, and some critics in the national media were questioning his toughness.
The temptation for James would have been to immediately put his stamp on Game 3. Instead, he waited six minutes to take his first shot as the Cavs worked the ball inside to Zydrunas Ilgauskas.
James shot only 3-of-5 in the first quarter, his teammates were 3-of-15, and the Cavs were behind 26-19.
Then James slowly took over the offense without dominating the ball. He drove hard to the basket. He made layups with the right hand, layups with the left. So few NBA players can score with either hand near the basket with the same skill as James.
James seemed to wait for the right spots to shoot, and then he took the right kind of shots. Washington tried to entice James into taking lazy jumpers, but instead, he mostly made determined drives because he realized no one in a Wizards uniform could stop him.
When the 97-96 victory was in hand, Cavs coach Mike Brown marveled not at the 41 points, but at how James needed only 28 shots to do it. He wasn't just productive, he was efficient at 16-of-28 from the field, 6-of-9 at the foul line, 3-of-5 on 3-pointers.
James also scored eight of the Cavs' final 10 points, doing it in the last 141 seconds.
In the end, James' drive with 5.7 seconds left (He was fouled, but there was no call) decided the outcome. But the Cavs won this game much earlier when James pulled himself together after Game 2, developed a plan for Game 3 and then stuck with it.
Greatness is more than just God-given talent; it's basketball maturity and intelligence -- and James showed an abundance of both.
TALKIN' CAVS
• I have a feeling the Wizards will try to really hammer James as he drives to the basket tonight. It will be up to the officials to keep the game from getting ugly. Washington is down 2-1 in the series and knows if it loses this game at home, it's just about over. So there will be a sense of desperation, and that can lead to some flagrant fouls.
• This is the one time of the year when there should be no complaints about James playing 48 minutes. There's usually at least one day off between games, if not more. He can get rest.
• Since Lenny Wilkens quit as coach in the summer of 2002, the Cavs never won more than one game in a playoff series. Their record was 2-12 under Mike Fratello. Just being up 2-1 in a series is almost ground-breaking, as the last time that happened was May 5, 1993.
• You know it's a new era when James scores with 5.7 seconds left, then Washington star Gilbert Arenas misses an open 25-footer with three seconds left that would have won the game for the Wizards. In the past, those shots always seemed to go in against the Cavaliers. Of course, Michael Jordan always seemed to be taking them.
• The key to winning a playoff game on the road is to withstand the early rush from the home team. In all three games, the home team has jumped to a quick lead. In Game 1, the Cavs continued the momentum and rolled to a 97-86 victory. They had a 31-20 lead at the end of the first quarter. In Game 2, the Cavs were ahead 23-9, then Washington scored 18 in a row and eventually won. In Game 3, the Cavs were behind by 14 points in the second quarter, then cut it to 58-50 at the half.
• In the past two games, backup big men Donyell Marshall and Anderson Varejao have played 77 minutes, and have only seven rebounds. They've shot 4-of-15 for 11 points. The Cavs must get more out of these guys, especially on the boards.
• You could tell that Mike Brown wanted to use Damon Jones, but the Cavs' veteran guard could not defend Antonio Daniels. The Bowling Green product consistently drove past Jones to the basket, limiting Jones to seven minutes. That's why Eric Snow (37 minutes) was on the court so much. He at least made Daniels work to get to the hoop. In 17 playoff minutes, Jones is 1-of-1 (three points).
• From Michael Wilbon (ESPN) in his Washington Post story Saturday: ``No Wizards lead is safe. No opponent is ever helplessly behind. The Wizards seem to think the object of the game is to let the other team stay close enough to win... The Wizards played as soft as cotton candy. They didn't touch James on his, oh, dozen times blasting to the basket.''
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ABJ

4/30/06

Wizards coach has complaint

Jordan likely to be fined after claim that officials favor James over Arenas

By Brian Windhorst

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->WASHINGTON - Tensions are flaring in the Cavaliers-Wizards playoff series, and they're starting to manifest themselves.
Washington Wizards coach Eddie Jordan, his team down 2-1 after a disheartening 97-96 loss Friday night, went on the offensive Saturday. In a move that will likely get him fined by the NBA, Jordan lashed out at the officials for giving what he says is favoritism to LeBron James ahead of his star, Gilbert Arenas.
At the center of his ire was James' game-winning basket Friday in which Jordan believes that James got away with a travel when he dodged Antonio Daniels on his way to the hoop.
``I'm not going to get fined for saying what's obvious,'' Jordan said. ``Everybody sees it. I want to give all the credit to Cleveland, Mike Brown, his staff and his players, but the truth is the truth.
``I want our players to understand that we did a lot of things to win the game, but because a traveling wasn't called, we don't win the game.''
He went on.
``Officials are human, and they see a great move by a great player,'' Jordan said. ``They see a secondary defender come over or they see a hop-through move that's a travel and they say: `That's a great move by a great player, an exciting move; it's a great finish, we'll let it go.' That's how I look at it. Michael Ruffin gets fouled, and he's Michael Ruffin. Gilbert Arenas doesn't get the calls LeBron gets. LeBron gets the and-ones, and Gil doesn't get them. It's clear that Gil doesn't get the calls that LeBron gets.
``But I'm not crying in my beer. I'm just telling the truth. We shot ourselves in the foot a lot. I'm ticked off about a lot of plays my team made and give them a lot of credit for what they did.''
Jordan has been begging for traveling calls on James for this entire series, angrily approaching officials at halftime of Game 2 about a James drive in which he felt his jump stop move was a violation. After watching the film, James didn't believe he traveled on the call in question.
``It was a basic up and under move with a step through, which all big men do in this league,'' James said.
``You just don't see many guards or forwards do it; maybe that's why they think I traveled.''
But Jordan's tirade after the Wizards' practice Saturday was likely a bit of gamesmanship to apply pressure to the officials for tonight's Game 4. His argument, though passionate, doesn't appear to be well-rounded.
The Wizards were on the positive end of several questionable calls Friday, including a blocking foul on James with 23 seconds left in which Arenas ran over him outside the no-charge zone and got the call. Meanwhile, on the James basket in question, replays indicated he seemed to be fouled by Ruffin, but no call was made.
Beyond those whistles, a season's worth of statistics indicates that James actually does not get more whistles than Arenas, especially in clutch situations. This season, James averaged 10.3 free throws per game, Arenas averaged 10.0. But James took 36 percent of his shots inside the paint, where fouls occur. Arenas took just 24 percent of his shots inside according to mega-stats site 82games.com.
Arenas also led the NBA in free-throw attempts in the fourth quarter. Friday, the game that fired Jordan up, Arenas got to the line 11 times, six times in the fourth quarter. James got to the line nine times and four times in the fourth. In the three games, James and Arenas have both been to the line 35 times, though James has attempted 11 more shots.
``The game isn't won or lost on one play,'' James said. ``There are a lot of questionable calls in the game.''
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