Cleveland Cavs (2016 NBA Champions)

[CFPBuckeye]

The Cavs won, by the way...

They did. They've won more games than any team in the East. The problems are still there for everyone to see.

It's kind of like how the 2015 football team kept winning but we could all see that the offense was going to bite them at some point (Michigan St.) Or like two years ago when the Browns found themselves in first place later than the first week of the season. We all knew that Browns team was a fraud (like always) and the end of the year confirmed it (like always.)

 

[Bestbuck36]

Thompson last night with no LeBron...
37 min, 2 shots, 0 pts, 8 reb with 2 assists and he fouled out. $16M man.

Fuck. No shit, I could easily match those stats for only one of his paychecks.

 

[AKAK]

Fuck. No [Mark May], I could easily match those stats for only one of his paychecks.

Me too, if no one minds the 17 turnovers and people dunking on my all night. (Prolly gonna make the rebounds tough to get when they don't miss.. The dunks)

 

[Bestbuck36]

Me too, if no one minds the 17 turnovers and people dunking on my all night. (Prolly gonna make the rebounds tough to get when they don't miss.. The dunks)

LOL, true. I never said there wouldn't be that. Only that I could match those other stats. hehe

 

[CFPBuckeye]

I couldn't match the rebounds. I'm not very tall. BUT if they just wanted to pay me half of his $195k game check, I'd be happy to play just 19 minutes and still be able to get the 2 assists and 0 pts. Then some other guy can play my other 19 minutes and probably make up the rebounds...or at least come close. And to make good on their investment, I'll make sure to give them the 5 good fouls, too.

 

[NJ-Buckeye]

Cavs still have a roster spot open, yes?

Who can you pick up at this point?

 

[NFBuck]

God, the East is awful. The NBA as a whole is even more top-heavy than usual. The Cavs are probably the 3rd or 4th best team in the NBA because it's GS, SA, a large void, then either OKC or the Cavs. The Cavs should get out of the east based on talent alone. But the gap between them and GS and/or SA is a very large one IMO. They have to figure shit out really quickly if the goal is a championship this year, but I think the flaws are just too large at this point.

 

[LordJeffBuck]

This team just has no idea how to play with each other or what each other are doing.... They just have no clue.

I sometimes feel that this team would be better with LeBron and nine or ten role players. Kinda like last year's finals, but with this year's deeper bench:

LeBron scores 40 a night.
TT gets 20 boards a night.
Delly makes 12 assists a night.
Shump plays wing defense.
JR and Frye hit open threes.
Mosgov clogs up the middle.
Richard Jefferson fills in here and there.
James Jones ... just because.
Get another PG and rebounder and make a run next year.

 

[BuckeyeMafia]

I agree that the best formula to beat Golden State is the one the Cavs used last year. They need to slow the pace to an absolute grind and out-rebound and out-work GS. The lineup needs to be:

1. Kyrie/Delly
2. Smith
3. Shumpert
4. LeBron
5. Love/Thompson/Frye/Mozgov

The question is how you manage to play good defense with Love and/or Kyrie on the floor. Because as close as the Cavs were to going up 3-0 last year, I think they may still have lost four straight. LeBron simply did not have anything left. That's where Kyrie and Love can help to shoulder the scoring burden. The challenge for Lue and his staff is hiding Kyrie and Love in a way that Golden State cannot exploit them. That may require a Delly/Thompson in crunch time with Kyrie and Love providing scoring bursts throughout the game. They may not be able to play Love and Irving at the same time, at all. I'd feel a lot better with Blatt in this situation. As unlikeable as he may have been, I am almost certain he's a better tactician than Lue.

 

[tsteele316]

I agree that the best formula to beat Golden State is the one the Cavs used last year. They need to slow the pace to an absolute grind and out-rebound and out-work GS. The lineup needs to be:

1. Kyrie/Delly
2. Smith
3. Shumpert
4. LeBron
5. Love/Thompson/Frye/Mozgov

The question is how you manage to play good defense with Love and/or Kyrie on the floor. Because as close as the Cavs were to going up 3-0 last year, I think they may still have lost four straight. LeBron simply did not have anything left. That's where Kyrie and Love can help to shoulder the scoring burden. The challenge for Lue and his staff is hiding Kyrie and Love in a way that Golden State cannot exploit them. That may require a Delly/Thompson in crunch time with Kyrie and Love providing scoring bursts throughout the game. They may not be able to play Love and Irving at the same time, at all. I'd feel a lot better with Blatt in this situation. As unlikeable as he may have been, I am almost certain he's a better tactician than Lue.

the nba officials have to let the players be moderately physical with each other, end of story. otherwise, golden state has a cakewalk because curry will be shooting free throws 4 minutes into the game since nobody can get near him without getting whistled.

 

[NFBuck]

This team is a joke. Cleveland gonna Cleveland.

 

[Bucklion]

I still keep hearing this team is just going to blow through the east to the finals...what performances against teams like Toronto and Miami still have people thinking that way?

 

[CFPBuckeye]

I still keep hearing this team is just going to blow through the east to the finals...what performances against teams like Toronto and Miami still have people thinking that way?

As my friends continue to point out... "It's the regular season, wait for the playoffs to start. The regular season is meaningless." These guys have't got a clue and watch every game.

To continue my theme of pointing out the non-production of TT...

Last night he played 18 min (37% of the game,) took 2 shots, scored 2 pts, had 2 reb and 1 ast. He made $195k last night. I think you guys know where this is going...

$16M/yr

 

[NorthCoastKid]

People were saying the same things about the Hawks last season. The fact of the matter is, the Cavs have LeBron James and no one else in the East has any player remotely close. That matters come playoff time.

 

[CFPBuckeye]

People were saying the same things about the Hawks last season. The fact of the matter is, the Cavs have LeBron James and no one else in the East has any player remotely close. That matters come playoff time.

Didn't matter last year...

Absolutely no growth from last year to this year, either. It's evident every single game. I'm not falling for the OMG! LeBron! Kyrie! Love! Championship nonsense. The fans just think they'll flip the magic "championship basketball" switch come May but the games are on cable television for everyone to see. It's no secret that these Cavs are not champions. They're just lucky they'll get a shot because they play in a weak Eastern Conference that still gives the Cavs all they can handle. They fired the old coach who wasn't getting it done and now are barely holding on to the top spot under the new coach. The defense has fallen off of a cliff. Now they are saying that they will prioritize rest over the #1 seed. I'd say it too if I was losing ground to a weak Eastern Conference. Whatever helps them sleep at night...