Another Game 1, another round of Lebron stinks reaction. Second verse, same as the first. While the reaction tilts more towards the Spurs excellent defensive effort, I'm a surprised to see the so many people writing off the series already. Did you really think San Antonio, with their vast playoff experience, would lose the first game at home to a group of NBA Finals Rookies? The Cavs are dreadful in Game 1's. Not just this team, the entire history of the franchise. Mike Brown's complete lack of imagination is always a cause for concern, but let's not overreact too much. Lebron will adjust.
A couple other quick thoughts:
- Eric Snow HAS to play more. I understand that makes it 4-on-5 on the offensive end, but his leadership and defense is a great counter move.
- If this is possible, Tony Parker is still underrated. Eva Longoria - overrated.
- Let's hope this Finals (win or lose) gives Pop some more credit as one of the best in the game.
- Is it possible to hate someone on the court, but feel precisely the opposite about him off the court? See: Bruce Bowen.
- Has Tim Duncan EVER committed a foul? Apparently Robert Horry is exempt from fouls too. Duncan is fantastic, but just once I'd like to see him admit to a foul.
Alright on with the reaction this morning from around the blogosphere:
Brian Windhorst (Cavs Blog) is disheartened ...
So the Spurs are pretty good. Here's the scary part Cavs followers: in the 85-76 loss in Game 1, the Spurs played about average. They played good defense, Tony Parker was the fastest guy on the court, Tim Duncan was dominant, and Manu Ginobili hit a few shots. Then they called it a night. The word you're looking for is: eek.
Dan Shanoff seems to have written James off already. I swear I've seen this before ...
You know what? I'm being too kind to him. He got schooled. He got served. He got roasted.True Hoop questions the offensive strategy (you'll see a theme) ...
Guess what? Even LeBron can't save these NBA Finals, which rested on his individual brilliance countering the Spurs' superior team.
Maybe it was first-game jitters. But, more likely, it was foreshadowing. LeBron won't have a game that bad again. He's too brilliant not to make adjustments. But he looked overmatched last night.
I swear, every time LeBron gets the ball he likes to hold it for three or four seconds to look at the defense. That pause helps the defense. I'd love him to mix in some catch, rip, and go. That would get him layups sometimes.
Salute the Spurs. They played well all game, and then they finally managed to get those outside shots to fall. They finished 6/16 from downtown, which is just one make better than Clevelands 5/15. But San Antonio outrebounded Cleveland by 11. That's not something the Cavaliers are used to.
Winning the Turnover Battle says what we already know, but says it well ...
Pounding the Rock has a beef with the announcers and the screens ...If you had a friend that was drunk you would probably try to convince him not to drive, right?
And if your friend was about to smash a Ferrari, you would probably try a little harder to stop him than if he were trying to drive a Yugo, right?
Well, Mike Brown is about to smash the LeBron Ferrari into a wall. Honestly, if you have been watching the Cavs this postseason it is obvious that Brown has no imagination on offense. Running a pick and roll every play or hoping that Pavlovic or James makes a huge drive at some point is not an offense. Granted, Brown has greatly improved the Cavs defense since he arrived last season. Kudos to him for that. He does not however, have the chops to be the coach of a championship team. Granted, the Spurs vastly outman the Cavs in all ways except for small forward, but the fighting chance the Cavs may have had against them solely based on LeBron's sublime talent goes out the window as soon as you realize that Brown is the man calling the shots. He is a great defensive coach, and that is exactly what he should be: a defensive assistant coach somewhere, helping a contender stiffen their D.
Tonight was a perfect example of why sports announcers, especially the color guys, are totally pointless. Because although this was blatantly obvious to anyone with half a brain, neither Mark Jackson or Van Gundy pointed out Mike Brown's pathetic coaching job.
It's one thing to be disorganized on offense. NBA players are used to getting by on athleticism and aren't necessarily known for superior cognitive abilities, so implementing an offensive scheme can be difficult. But the Cavs problem wasn't poor organization. They just kept running the same stupid offense over and over and over again.
Question: does someone set a pick for Lebron James before he gets on the bus? Is he allowed to take a piss without going around a pick first? Brown kept calling some form of a pick and roll despite the fact the Spurs were repeatedly doubling James, leading mostly to missed shots by his teammates along with 6 turnovers from "King" James. I simply can't fathom why Brown didn't iso James at the top of the key, where he could have taken 18 foot pull up jumpers all day.
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