Parker v. Langdon: 2006 Euro League Title Game

Anthnoy Parker is a great sign for the Cavaliers, but did you know that he was beaten and outscored by Trajan Langdon in the 2005-2006 Euroleague Title Game?

Go to Stepien Rules for the Details:

Anthony Parker, the European Years

Brown on Hot Seat

Despite the wins in the first four years of his career, 2009-2010 will undoubtedly put Mike Brown on the Hot Seat.

Will Brown beat the heat?

Go to Stepien Rules for the details.

Dunktapegate: Nike Commercial to Follow

It is my opinion that the Dunk heard round the web will soon be a Nike Commercial classic featuring LeBron James.

For more on that go to Stepien Rules to read:

Dunktapegate: Nike Commercial to Follow

Anderson Varejao: Chosen 2 Stay

Resigning Varejao was a move the Cavaliers had to make.

Go to Stepien Rules for the reasons why choosing to sign Andy was a solid play:

Anderson Varejao: Chosen 2 Stay

Josh Childress and the Full MLE

If you are the Cavaliers, and you have to pay the 6'8" 26 year old Josh Childress 5-years at $5.8 mil per to get him, I say you do that.

Go to Stepien Rules for full details:

Josh Childress and the MLE

Stepien Rules - New Member of Bloguin Network

If you are wondering what's been happening with the Shaver Sports posts of late, I apologize for the delayed response. While Shaver Sports was founded by two bloggers to remain nameless, one is getting married, and the other has launched a new site which will be home to the majority of his blogging energy. It is our hope here at Shaver Sports that Stepien Rules...A Cavaliers Blog will become one of your new stops on this the world wide web of information that Al Gore was so gracious enough to invent.

A proud member of the Bloguin team, Stepien Rules was recently launched, and if it weren't for a series of trips out of town over the last few weeks, the launch would have been quicker. But I'm home now, and if you stop by Stepien Rules in the days to come, you will find posts on a daily basis, that if you don't find interesting, I hope you read and come back anyway, because I am sure that one day something will be posted that you will be glad to have skimmed over.

Stop by Stepien Rules today...if you have time.

Stepien Rules: The Ariza Developments

Go To Stepien Rules:

The Ariza Developments Are Encouraging if your a Cavaliers' fan.

Jason Whitlock Hating On Shaq - Stepien Rules

Jason Whitlock called Shaq a 40 year old groupie with breast implants...Whitlock Hates on Shaq

Stepien Rules - A Cavaliers Blog

Check out Stepien Rules - A Cavaliers Blog - for the best in Cavaliers coverage and banter. Go to StepienRules today!

A.L. Cassoni presents....Money Talks, Stallworth Walks

I really don't even know how to start this article so I'm just going to flat out say it. 1 frickin month? Excuse me, not even a month, 24 days. More importantly, the victim's family is happy with the punishment (or lack there of) to Donte. Who said money can't buy you everything? Drunk Stallworth never said that. It bought him another life. Seriously, money bought him another life. Sad but true. It also bought the Reyes', the victim's family, another life. This guy rips off an all night bender, decides to hit up a late night spot (or make that the middle of rush hour spot if you will at 7 am) and hits and kills a guy. Not only is he going to serve less then a month in jail, but he is going to play ball for the Browns this year. Hell, I don't even want him. Get rid of him. What did he have last year, 200yards receiving and 1 touchdown? Let these rookies prove themselves. Goodell has one chance to salvage this thing and give him a big suspension, but who knows if that will happen. Apparently dogs are more important in civilization now then people since Vick got a couple years for his thing, and Stallworth gets just over 3 weeks. I really don't get people saying Vick's thing was premeditated and Stallworth's was not. Who cares? Stallworth ended a human being's life, and more importantly, he was drunk when doing it. I was talking to a guy at my office about this, and he goes, "Well, I heard Stallworth has his license taken away from him for the rest of his life, so that should count for something." Stallworth should be thrilled about that. The guy has enough money to buy a limo with a driver, and have him take him around whenever and wherever he wants while he sits in the back and sips on a cold one. Many new stations reported that if this were a regular dude with average income, he would probably have to serve 15-20 years in jail. So I guess ACDC put it best... "Come on Come on, lovin' for the money. Come on come on, listen to the money talk." Say hello to Art Modell in hell Donte...

More on the Shaq to Cleveland Rumors

For more on the Shaq to Cleveland rumors, read what I had to say about in my latest post on Midwest Sports Fans.

The Link is as follows: How Real Are the Shaq to Cleveland Rumors?

A.L. Casoni presents- Too much Bubbly ... A View from the Burgh

Like many Clevelandlers, I really don't understand icing and high sticking. I don't get it when you are sometimes allowed to catch the puck in mid air and sometimes you can't. None of that really mattered this past Friday night though. As I was sitting at a bar in downtown Pittsburgh Friday night, there were tons of Penguins fans and Red Wings fan around. As the clock struck 0:00 in game 7, I closed my eyes because I knew it was coming. The roar of another championship. The sound of drunk and sober people (mostly drunk) celebrating another one. The noises of a self proclaimed city known as, "City of Champions". It made me sick. I have lived in this city since April of 2005. Pittsburgh has brought home 3 World Championships in that span. 3 of them, are you serious? Out of a total of 13 possible championships that they could have won during that time, they have won over 20% of them. That stat even includes the God-forsaken Pirates who haven't had a winning record since the Reagan administration. What made me even more angry was some of the Penguins fans at the watering hole saying, "Finally the Penguins won one." It took me everything I had not to turn around and say something to them. Are they that spoiled? The stupid Penguins won the Cup in 1992. Sorry that winning a title every 17 years is not good enough for you. The Indians are somewhat close, maybe. The Cavs are even closer. The Browns are, well, the Browns are better then the Lions, at least last year. Yet Cleveland fans hear about our "championship drought" more in the media then from their peers. We all know how long its been, yet we still don't bitch about it. Cleveland has earned the right to say "Finally" when we win a championship, not these ridiculous people.

A Shaq In The Hand's More Than 2 In the Bosh

Plastered on ESPNEWS rolling ticker this morning is the sentence: "Shaquille O'Neal to Cavaliers trade talks heating up."

ESPN's Chris Brossard reported this morning on Sportscenter that the trade deadline talks that spurned rumors of Shaq teaming up with LeBron earlier this season never actually died, and are currently gaining new momentum. While he noted that the deal is not imminent, from all indications former teammates Steve Kerr (Suns GM) and Danny Ferry are certainly talking about the possibilities of it.

Waiting For Next Year while supporting the possible move, posted on this subject this morning saying in part: "...the trade would essentially tie up the Cavs roster for the year and hinder their ability to make any sort of trade during the season (like say...Chris Bosh). This would most likely be the final product we go to war with next postseason..."

Details of the trade involve the Cavaliers moving Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic to make way for the Big Fella.

While it is certainly true, that trading for Shaq and his $20 mil price tag would prevent other possible moves as the offseason and season move forward - specifically the aforementioned Bosh - that really shouldn't matter at this point. You can argue that the Cavaliers are not 'desperate' to improve their roster at this point, but there is no denying the fact that the sense of urgency is at an all-time high.

If you want to argue that Bosh is a better move than Shaq, I'll give you that. But how real is it? I don't see how the Cavaliers could wait on an opportunity like that (Bosh) presenting itself, when it may never come. If this Shaq deal, or a variation of it, presents itself, there is no way that Cleveland cannot make that move. Shaq makes you better right now, and there is no more time to wait on that. It's all in time for Cleveland, and I'll take my chances on the 37-old Shaq.

Fire Mike Brown?

Sam Amico caused a stir recently indicating that Mike Brown's job is in jeopardy. Whether that's true or not remains to be seen, but let's talk about that for a second.

Here is the only way I would fire Mike Brown: If LeBron James wants him fired. Right or wrong, if LeBron wants him fired, fire him.

But lets assume for a second that LeBron isn't leading this campaign. Can you really fire this guy?

Mike Brown won 66 games during the regular season. He won Coach of the Year, and then went into the playoffs and won 8 out of his first 8. 74-16 going into the Orlando series.

With that being the case, you are saying that he should be fired due to his performance during the Orlando series. Okay, so what went wrong there? Defensive match-ups, and offensive performance.

Match-Ups:

Hedo Turkulu: The Cavaliers best option on Hedo Turkulu was Delonte West. That being said, Mike Brown's best play on the 6'10" Turkulu was a 6'3" combo guard. No matter how gritty West might be, that's not good. And its not Mike Brown's, nor West's fault, that this was his best option here.

Rashard Lewis: What would you have liked Brown to do there. Cover him himself? Wally? Sasha? C'mon. Both guys would have been dominated inside. Or maybe he should have played his other 6'9" athletic big man...well that guys not on the roster. Should Ben Wallace have been covering him on that last second shot? No way, that was a bad move, but Lewis made plenty of other baskets besides that one. And truth be told, Anderson had a chance against Lewis inside, but when Rashard stepped outside it was over.

Rafer Alston: They left him open by design, and he hit shots. Should LeBron have been covering him? In hindsight no, but it was a decent idea. If Alston missed shots, you leave your biggest, best athlete to help all over the court on all the other mismatches, which were at the other four positions - all over the floor.

Courtney Lee / Mikael Petrus: Mo Williams is an average defender at best, and stood no shot against either player. Who should they have played instead? Daniel Gibson?

Dwight Howard: Z? Ummm...

Offensive Strategy:

The famous knock on Brown. During the regular season people said that Brown made dramatic strides on the offensive end of the floor as a Coach. I don't think so. He just had the luxury of having a point guard who could distribute and hit open shots - Mo Williams - and a combo guard that did the same in West. What happened then you ask? Well Mo Williams couldn't kick it into Lake Erie for one, and when your second best option doesn't show up, your kind of in a jam offensively.

The reports that are surfacing indicate that Dan Gilbert wants to see Brown replaced, and Danny Ferry disagrees. While I don't buy that, let's ask why Ferry wouldn't want to see Mike take the fall for this? Well, because the Cavaliers don't have enough talent. And before you say then why did they win 66 games then, I will tell you its because the Cavaliers played hard every night of an NBA regular season where teams take nights off regularly. As a result, they won more games than their talent should have dictated. They got into the playoffs, where every team plays hard, and talent won out.

Did Mike Brown Coach a perfect series? No. In addition to the Ben Wallace on Rashard Lewis basket at the buzzer, I blame Brown for not getting the ball to LeBron James more at the free throw line with a live dribble like they did in Game 5. They didn't do that in Game 6, and it cost the Cavaliers. But if your fire Mike Brown now, your acting irrationally as an organization. Your acting like, well, that team in Berea...and I think the Cavaliers are better than that.

Names Surfacing In Cavalier Rumors

Micheal Reghi mentioned (3) names as re-curring rumors as possible Cavalier offseason moves on air today, and while all three probably make the Cavaliers better, its hard to say that any put them over the top. I've listed them below though, and you can decide for yourself.

Jason Kidd - This was the move LeBron wanted a few years ago, and he was p.o'd when it didn't happen if you recall (Cavs made deal for Wallace, Szerbiak, Joe Smith, and Delonte at deadline instead - Kidd went to Dallas). You might make this move if for no other reason but to appease the King, but does Kidd make you better? A little better I guess. He adds size and consistencey to the Cavaliers back court, two things noticeably lacking against Orlando. Leadership? Sure he does. But how much does he have left in the tank at 37? That remains to be seen.

Charlie Villanueava - He would probably be the best offensive big man the Cavaliers have. Actually there is no probably involved there, he certainly would be. But is that saying much? Not really. The thing with him is if you can get him for (3) years, and reasonable dollars I say why not. But chances are you won't. I think he is going to be asking for (5) years, double digit millions, and do you pay that to a guy who averaged 26 minutes a game this season, and will be playing on his (4th) team in (5) years? Sounds a little like a guy with a hair patch growing out the back of his head that used to wear number 90 if you ask me.

Rasheed Wallace - Okay, he makes you better too - if healthy - but I initially say no. He is 34, played awful this past season, and is most likely going to disrupt any locker room that he is in at some point. Does he bring an edge the Cavaliers at time seem to lack? Yep. Additionally, he could step outside if healthy, and knock down the perimeter shot, and he would have matched up well against Rashard Lewis this past series. But I don't know. Health and dollars are huge factors here. The downside is huge, and is the upside at this point in his career really that high?

Lets just hope Ben Wallace retires, and go from there.

Aldrige Are You Serious, Call Byner?

I respect David Aldridge as an NBA Analyst. ESPN made a bad move replacing him with Screamin A. Smith, and I think that goes without saying at this point. However, in his recent article where he says that LeBron should call Earnest Byner to learn about sportsmanship? C'mon. Earnest Byner should call LeBron to learn how to not fold under pressure.

An excerpt from Aldrige's NBA.com Article is below:

Byner went left, looking like he'd score for sure. And then, he was hit from the side by a Broncos' defensive back, Jeremiah Castille. Byner fumbled. The Broncos recovered. Denver won. Cleveland lost. Again.

If anyone -- anyone -- had the right not to talk after losing such a game, in such a manner, after having been so heroic on the field, after having his heart broken in front of 75,933 fans at Mile High Stadium and millions more watching at home, it was Byner.

But Byner spoke. Did he ever.

"I was going for the touchdown, obviously, and the ball came out," Byner said. "So what can I say?...I tried to split two guys and the ball just popped out."

Time and time again, he answered the same question, over and over again: what happened? He answered it at his locker for more than half an hour, still in uniform, and if he raised his voice or was curt or profane to anyone, I am not aware of it, and neither are the dozens of reporters and camera people who were there. It remains the single most courageous, classy thing I have ever seen an athlete do. Ever. It should be required reading and/or viewing for anyone who plays any sport on how to handle defeat.

That's why you should call him, LeBron. He knows.

David, you might have be wowed by this at the time, but the whole event made Cleveland sick. And while everybody in Cleveland is well aware of the fact that Byner fumbled away a ticket to the Super Bowl, nobody remembers - or cares - that he talked to the media after he did so. And nobody would have even noticed - or cared - that LeBron didn't shake hands after the game, or talk to the media, if guys like you weren't making it a major issue. Move on. Time to cover the Orlando Magic and LA Lakers. And reminding us about Byner? Thanks for nothing.

So LeBron Didn't Shake Hands, Huh?

LeBron was supposed to shake Dwight Howard's hand huh? Because why? Because Dwight Howard is some great sportsman that deserves the respect of a humbled half court handshake from the King after his team bounced LeBron from the playoffs? The same great sportsman that threw powder up in an ESPN halftime interview during the Lakers - Nuggets game, mocking LeBron? In the words of Ozzie Guillen, 'shh please.'

I for one am glad that LeBron James was pissed off about the loss. I am glad that LeBron was so mad about losing that he didn't want to shake anybody's hand, give anybody dap, give anybody hugs, wish anybody good luck in the next round, and exchange pleasantries on national television, while I sat at the Harry Buffalo in Cleveland debating whether or not I should throw my chair through the window of the Corvette that was parked right outside in front of me. Props to my brother for telling me that would only make it worse.

My brother was right, that would have made it worse. And LeBron would have made it worse too had he shown Howard love. He sent him an email. Get over it.

A.L. Casoni Presents- "You too can be an NBA analyst"

Chris Broussard of ESPN published an article after last night's game entitled, "Cavs advanced as far as they could." He picked the Cavs to win in 6 before the series started. Jalen Rose was seen on Sportscenter late last night saying that he knew the Cavs just weren't ready for this stage. He chose the Cavs to win in 6. J.A. Adande stated on one of the weakest sports shows on t.v. (Around the Horn) after game 4 that the Cavs don't have a chance to win the crown because of Cleveland's lack of talent besides LeBron, and he even said he had been saying that for months. Surprisingly enough, Adande casted his vote for the LeBrons to win in 5 games. I can keep going, but for what? Does the term hypocrite mean anything to these guys? Since when are you just able to completely change your mind after things aren't going as you predicted? To make matters worse, if the Cavs had come out to a 2-0 lead in the series, these guys would be saying "I told you so." Did the Cavs lose to a better team? Maybe, maybe not. I really don't have an opinion on that. The Magic are a very talented shooting team, and had a great game plan in part by Stan Van Jeremy. They got the rock to a physical beast down low, and when we doubled, he kicked it out to the best shooting 3 point team in the league. And Cleveland had the coach of the year this year? Brown didn't know what hit him. The so called "experts" are all over Brown for getting outcoached. I even heard Tim Legler say they should choose the coach of the year after the season. While I agree with that, Legler had the Cavs in 6. These guys can say the Cavs just aren't a complete team right now, but that wasn't the case 2 weeks ago. Nearly everyone had them in the finals. Of the 10 experts that picked every series in the playoffs for ESPN, all 10 of them chose the Cavaliers. So, if you are unemployed in today's pathetic economy, pack up the bags and move to Bristol, CT. There's hope...


Late

And So It Ends

As fast at it seemed to come, its gone. The Cavaliers were exposed this series against the Magic as being exactly what they were all season long. I realized it after Game 3 but didn't want to say it. I didn't want to believe it. But its true.

The Cavaliers were a team that played hard night in, and night out during the regular season.

Sounds simple, but in an NBA where teams take regular season nights off on a routine basis, the Cavaliers never did during the regular season. No matter who was in the line-up they played defense, they attacked the rim, and they enforced their regular season will on their opponents. Some nights, they beat teams with more talent by out executed them. By out hustling them. By playing harder then the other team.

But in the playoffs, everybody plays hard.

Nobody takes nights off. With all else equal, talent wins out. And the Cavaliers simply do not have enough legitimate talent to keep up with the Orlando's, Lakers, and Nuggets of the world.

If you look, as I am sure you have, at the (3) other conference finals contenders, you will find 3-7 players on each team that would not only start for Cleveland, but could very well be the Cavs second best player.

Case in point:

Orlando: Howard, Hedo, Rashard Lewis, and Petrus would all be the second best player on the Cavaliers; specifically, they are all better than Mo Williams. Jameer Nelson might be as well, and at times Alston looked light years ahead of Mo, but I can't quite go their for sure.

Lakers: Kobe aside, Pau and Odom would be the second best player on the Cavaliers. Ariza would possibly start, and on an aside, Shannon Brown looks better than Daniel Gibson at this point in their careers.

Nuggets: Melo, Chauncey, JR Smith, would be the second best player, and Martin, Nene, and Birdman, would all start for sure.

What this brings me back to is the offseason: The Cavaliers needed to add a significant piece. Nobody thought that piece was Mo Williams at the time, and as the regular season wore on it looked like maybe he was. But he's not. At the trading deadline there was a clamoring to add a piece. I wrote about and supported Danny Ferry's move to stand pat on a number of sites, and I still can't blame Danny for the demise of this team, but it obviously needs something.

So on to the offseason. And the Cavaliers will likely add something, but to what nucleus. I have to imagine that Mo's confidence is no doubt shaken, and how will he respond? Z looks like he doesn't have too many starting center games left in him, and the Cavaliers have far from a top flight bench. Can you continue to start Delonte West and Mo Williams together? That back court kinda looks to small these days no?

So what do you change? What do you add? Who knows. But the Cavaliers need to do two things somehow if they are going to compete for the title next year. Get bigger, tougher, and more athletic inside, and get bigger, more athletic, and more consistent from the perimeter.

And while last night was tough. While people dressed in Cavs gear were ready to explode downtown last night, only to head home at 11, and while the disappointment of waiting another year stares us straight in the fact this morning, we still can't overlook the season the Cavaliers had. They didn't choke, they just aren't really good enough yet. The roster's not there, Mike Brown's not there yet, and the experience is not there yet, LeBron James aside.

This team overachieved this season whether you can admit that or not. And while the Cavaliers do have the best player in the world, he can't beat five good players by himself, and this is as much of an understatement as the fact that Cleveland hasn't won a championship in long time.

A.L. Casoni Presents: Look on the Bright Side-

In order to get everyone's minds off the Cavs and their struggles, I thought it would be a good idea to look at some other struggles Cleveland has endured. Let's see, let's make it a nice round number and look back at the past 25 years. So here it goes, here is my list of the most dissapointing moments in Cleveland sports over the last 25 years, 1984-present. This is completely an opinion, so I am certainly interested in fellow Clevelanders' input as well. Keep in mind this is 1984-present only.

10. Cavs fall short to the Celtics in the 2008 playoffs- after a truly magnificant series, the Cavs are eliminated in Game 7 by the Celtics even with a 45 point effort by LeBron.



9. Jordan hits "The Shot" in the 1989 playoffs- while some Clevelandlers would rank this higher as a dissapointment, I do not. Its dissapointing since everyone has seen it at least 387,463 times, but the truth of the matter is that it was the first round of the playoffs.

8. Tim Couch turns in to one of the biggest busts of all time- Fans excited we got our team back, players excited to take the field, quarterback is a bumb. Couch is part of the reason to blame the Browns are still struggling to this day.

7. Browns lose to the Steelers in the 2002 playoffs - After the Browns finally make it in to the playoffs for the first time since 1994, the Browns give up a late score to the Steelers in the final minute. Despite a 429 yard passing effort by Holcomb, the Browns came up short.

6. Indians lose 101 games in '87 despite S.I. article- Don't believe in the S.I. jinx, huh, tell that to the '87 Tribe. Despite the cover boys Corey Snyder and Joe Carter under the heading "Indian Uprising" predicting the Tribe to make the series, the Indians rip off 101 losses which was good for last place in the A.L. East

5. Cavs swept in the '07 finals against the Spurs- The Cavs finally reach the NBA finals for the first time in franchise history, and are decimated by the San Antonio Spurs.

4. Tribe loses game 7 to the Marlins in the '97 series- Just as we think are woes are over as we head in to the 9th with a 2-1 lead, the Tribe chokes game 7 and the non-championship streak continues.

3. The Fumble (1987)-Byner fumbles at the goal line, need I say more.

2. Browns move to Baltimore in 1996 - Modell, you are just the worst type of person. You took away the team that has the best fans of any team sport in professional sports.

1. The Drive (1986)- While I contemplated putting the Tribe losing to the Marlins in Game 7 in the #1 spot (as that was are closest chance at a championship), my love goes to the Browns. John Elway marched the Broncos 91 yards to send the game to overtime in the final minutes to end a chance at the Super Bowl. 91 yards, seriously Elway?


Well, that's my top 10 list. You know, the best part of being a Cleveland sports fan is that we are the most deserving city in the country for a championship. As much as the Browns, Cavs and Indians dissapoint, we love them and continue to love them. And mark my words, it will be the greatest party in the history of mankind in the streets of Cleveland the day we take home a trophy in any of the 3 major sports. Here are my odds of who will win a championship first.

Cavs- 75%
Indians- 20%
Browns- 5%

-

Speechless; We're All Tied Up

The Shot that Saved Cleveland. Le-Shot. The Chosen Three.



Call it whatever you want.

After all these years, now its Cleveland that has that player, that makes that play. Its Amazing. I can't wait for the commercial.

(Picture is courtesy of Tracy Poulian, The Cleveland Plain Dealer)

LeBron Calls For Sasha to Step In, and Step Up

Thursday morning we said that you might need to call on Sasha Pavlovic to counterbalance the mismatch issues the Magic exploited on Wednesday night.

[See Takes From Game 1 - As scary as it is to say we might have to trust Sasha with some meaningful minutes in this series.If Z continues to be cold and can't improve on the pick n roll we could go stretches with Andy on Howard and not have a huge drop off and put Sasha on Lewis ]

Friday Morning, LeBron James Agreed.

From LBJ via Cleveland.com:

"I think Sasha can be huge for us," James said. "Mentally, if Sasha's in tune, he could be really good for us with his 6-7 or 6-8, 240-pound frame, he could really help us on the defensive end, and he's also an offensive threat. You just cannot leave him open on the offensive end because he can make shots. Mentally, if Sasha's in tune, which I think he can be, and if he's called upon, I think he can be really good for us. We need that type of active body on the defensive end who can take a little bit of the load of myself and Delonte. . . . We could use him out there."

But make no mistake. LeBron did not say 'Mentally, if Sasha is in tune' twice, by accident. Its a big if, but looks to be a needed move here.

Go Cavs Tonight. One Goal.

Takes from Game 1

Disappointment obviously doesn't even begin to describe what occured last night. Especially since that crowd was in a frenzy unlike any I've been a part of at the Q. During Lebron's dunk-swat-three sequence I actually turned to my pop at the game and yelled something and didn't hear the words coming out of my mouth. You have to give credit to the Magic for overcoming that type of atmosphere on such a stage.

First off on Lewis' three, there is no way that dagger should have ever been thrown. I know it's a lot to ask Andy to go out in space and stop Rashard Lewis. It's just not his game. But under no circumstances can you allow a three to even be taken there. Even if Lewis gets by him and converted we're tied up, we take the last shot, if we miss we get 5 extra minutes at home against a Howard-less Magic.

Second, the layoff effected us in this game. It's hard to imagine that being the case considering we were up 15 at half and looked to be the same wrecking ball we've been for the last three weeks. But when you have 9 days off there's no way around the fact that you're going to lose just a little bit of game stamina because you can't simulate that without risking injury in practice. Atlanta was an ideal team to come off a long layoff against because their the kind of team you want to pack it in against and shrink the floor. Unlike the Magic when you have to rotate hard and sprint to close out on shooters on almost every possession. There's no disputing the fact that we were a step slow closing out in the 2nd half last night. Look for the Cavs to maintain their defensive effort for a full 48 minutes in game 2 as they get their legs back.

Third, the bench. Wow! Horrendous. The +/- for our 4 bench players that came in were laughable. This is one of the biggest reasons I wanted to play Boston. Wally has been a very solid producer for us and we need his offense coming off the bench. If we had Boston we would have lost virtually nothing on D because he could've hung out at the three point line with Scalabrine. But now, well, hopefully we don't have to watch him try to check Pietrus anymore. As scary as it is to say we might have to trust Sasha with some meaningful minutes in this series.
If Z continues to be cold and can't improve on the pick n roll we could go stretches with Andy on Howard and not have a huge drop off and put Sasha on Lewis. Probably too early in the series to make that move though.

Finally, if West and Mo shoot around 30% for the series we're done. Plain and simple. But I don't think that'll be the case. Even after struggling all night Mo hit a huge three down the stretch and so did West. Unfortunately neither could hit one more to send the roof off the Q.

With all this being said I'm still liking the Cavs. I'm still on board. As much as it hurt walking down Prospect last night I still think we'll win this series for a few reasons and I think everyone knows one reason. Lebron James. The 2nd is that Orlando relies on those three's. Howard will not beat us by himself. He just can't control the game that way. He had a better half then I could've possibly imagined in the 1st half and they were down 15. They couldn't get it turned around until they started to catch fire from outside. That's why they're one of the better road teams in the league. If they catch fire they'll win anywhere. The flip side of that coin has me optimistic still. If they go cold they'll lose anywhere. I would bet a paycheck on the Cavs winning Game 2 and winning one in Orlando. Step off the ledge for now cavs fans.

Cavaliers - Magic: Series Prediction

Before I give my prediction for the Eastern Conference Finals I want to first send a shout out to Dr. Anklesnap and our good friends over at the Hoop Doctors for the link yesterday - appreciate that fellas.

That said, I really want to agree with his Cavaliers in (5) prediction, but somethings telling me its going to take (6) to dispose of the Magic.

My guarantees for the series are as follows:

The Cavaliers will win Game 1 handily. They will also win Game 6 by at least (15). Other than that, I am not really sure how it will play out, other than the fact that the Cavaliers will lose (2) games somewhere in there; with (1) being at home, and (1) being on the road.

The (2) loses won't be all bad though, as they'll advance to the NBA Finals with a postseason record of 12-2 overall.



So now that that's out of the way, its time for some Le-Bombs...I want you to wake up with sugar all in your hair tomorrow...Go Cavs!

Cavaliers in 6

Western Conference Finals: Lakers - Nuggets

Game 1 Tonight:

Series Prediction: Nuggets in (6)

While Kobe v. LeBron would be one helluva Finals match-up, I don't see Phillip getting his crew there this time around.

Chauncey Billups is going to be a serious problem for Derek Fisher this series. Fisher had enough problems with second year PG Aaron Brooks last time around, and if Brooks didn't play at stretches like a second year player, the Lakers might be fishing right now. However, in his 7th straight conference finals appearance, Mr. Bigshot is no Aaron Brooks, and he will consistently dominate Fisher, Farmer, and whoever the hell else the Lakers roll out there to try to slow him down, all series long.

On the interior, while the Laker frontline looks great on paper, they were outplayed twice by a Yao Ming-less frontline -featuring Luis Scola, Chuck Hayes, and Carl Landry. The physicality of the Nuggets front line, lead by Kenyon Martin, Nene, and the Birdman, is going to be a problem for Pau, Lamar, and Bynum - none of whom care much for mixing it up.

Kobe is going to play great, and probably win (2) games on his own, but I don't think the rest of his squad matches up well enough to help him win two more. Anthony will be good, not great, but good enough to move on, and face his buddy LeBron in the Finals.

Cavaliers - Magic: Game 3 Wednesday

As predicted here at Shaver Sports on Saturday, the Magic went into Boston and took Game (7) from Celtics. While I would have thoroughly enjoyed completely dominating the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, I am fine with the consolation prize of eliminating the Magic.

I know we will hear a lot about the frontline of the Magic in days to come. The way they beat the Cavs in Orlando towards the end of the regular season; and how much better Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis are than Z and Andy. But before all that happens, I want to say this. The Magic have no LeBron James. And while I'll give the edge to the Magic at the 4 and 5 spot, I have to give the edge to Cleveland at the 1, 2, and 3.

In other words, I like Mo Williams over Rafer Alston, Delonte West over JJ Redick, and LeBron James over Hedo Turkulo...by a ton.

Cleveland will have to deal with Howard, that's a given, but I'll let Mike Brown take care of that. And defensively, on the interior for Cleveland, I'll say this right now, Anderson Varejao will come up huge this series.

Further analysis as well as a series prediction to follow.

Orlando it is!

Well Cavs Fans I'd be lying if I said I wanted to see Orlando come out of this series. I was looking forward to seeing our Cavs play a lot of meaningful minutes against Starbury and Michael Rappaport, err, Brian Scalabrine. Plus it would have just been nice to stick it to Boston in 4 or 5 games. But alas we get the super powered center and his merry shooters led by Stan Van Jeremy himself.

The thing that scares me about the Magic is that they are the type of team that can get hot and beat us in our building and Dwight Howard has the capability of making big Z look really old on the defensive end. But in the end we still have the last trump card. As good as Dwight Howard is he simply can't dominate a game like Lebron can. He's gonna have a much harder time pulling down 20 boards and swatting 5 shots when he's covering Z 18 feet from the tin.

In the regular season they beat us pretty good in Orlando with Z and West injured. We beat them in a nail biter at full strength back home at the Q because Lebron went Lebron, then of course the game happened that had me all nervous late in the season when the Magic were so hot that Marcin Gortat hit a 3 in the 4th quarter. In that game they went 13-27 from 3 and shot 53% from the field. If that happened again even once Coach Brown would have to be given mouth-to-mouth at halfcourt by our trainer, Mike Wilbon (http://photos.cleveland.com/plain-dealer/2008/12/max_benton_lebron_james.html). Something tells me it won't be happening 4 more times.

After thinking about it more I came to realize that my Cleveland sports cynicism was just creeping back a little bit. I'm just trying to find bad news in the fact that the Cavs have been a wrecking ball in the playoffs thus far and have the best player on the planet rested up and hungry as hell. Something tells me there's more to fear in Orlando thinking about having Hedo "I couldn't stop Wally Sczerbiak in our 1st matchup" Turkoglu trying to slow down the King.

See you at the game Wednesday night. If you're one of the guys paid to walk around on the rafters look up and give me a wave.

Cleveland Sports Blog League Update

Cleveland Sports Blog League - Fantasy Baseball - 5/17 - Update

It wasn't too long ago that the Shaver Sports' Fantasy Baseball team occupied the last place position in the '09 standings. The reason for the slow start can be attributed to the oversight involved with the activation of Chien Mien Wang during the stretch where he racked up an ERA of over 36. My bad on that. However, after refocusing, removing Wang from the line-up, and more frequently checking out my roster, Shaver Sports has risen to 5th place overall as of today. Currently, while continuing to focus on our yearlong goals, we are looking to take a step forward this week by gaining 1.5 overall points and passing The Cleveland Fan, thereby securing 4th place by week's end.

To do this though, we are going to have to continue to hit, and our pitching must improve.

I'll keep you posted.

To view the latest overall standings, go to Cry Me A Cuyahoga River

Remembering Craig Ehlo...

In the latest issue of Sports Illustrated, Chris Ballard wrote an article, Guarding Kobe, which is worth the read. In the piece Ballard details the match-up through (4) games between Kobe Bryant, and the guy trying to slow him down, Shane Battier.

The article applauds the efforts of Battier - which is well deserved. But it also reaches back, and reminds us of another guy, who gave the best scorer of his day all he could handle come Playoff time - year after year... and that guy is former Cavalier, Craig Ehlo.

As the article mentions, Ehlo is a guy who has 'secured goat status in the eyes of Cleveland fans.' However, it also suggests, that this might be an unfair label for Craig - and I agree.

To me, I have always believed that Ehlo gets a bad wrap. Did he shut Jordan down? Of course not. But find me one NBA player that did.

Craig Ehlo gave the Cavaliers (7) years of service. During that stretch, he averaged 10.5 points per game, over (40) postseason games, all the while chasing the likes of Jordan all night on the other end of the floor. Jordan may have gotten his number most times, but as Cavs Trainer Gary Briggs said to Ehlo after one game, "he may have gotten 45 points, but you were in his sh*t all night."

What more could you ask from the guy?

On a side note - for whatever its worth - Ehlo is probably the last American-born whiteboy who will ever be asked to guard the best player in the NBA for a full game...let alone a full playoff series...

unless Luke Walton steps his game up, cracks the starting line-up, the Lakers advance, and he's matched up against LeBron James up in the Finals this year.

But game after game, to give his team the best chance to win Ehlo took that match-up. As a sports fan, you have to respect that. Just like you have to respect Battier. But when you watch Kobe try to shoot his way past the Rockets Sunday, just remember that before there was Shane Battier, there was Craig Ehlo...and 'Eggs' was a helluva player...whether you chose to remember that or not.

A.L Casoni Presents: Where would the Cavs be right now if they were LeBron-less?

A View From the Burgh...

I know its not a popular topic of discussion, but where would the Cavaliers be right now without LeBron James? Exactly where they are now? Recently eliminated from the playoffs? 24 beers deep in Cancun on vacation? The Cavs are rolling through the playoffs like a freight train. The Hawks and the Pistons were like a gigantic piece of cake in front of a fat kid, without a chance of survival. All this possible without the King? The Cavaliers certainly improved their squad in the offseason. The addition of Mo Williams has added another legitimate scorer to the lineup, and guys like Varejao and West have certainly earned their paychecks. But really, 8 games in to the playoffs without a loss? Truth of the matter is this, LeBron proved 1 man can take a team to the NBA finals a few years ago. He single-handedly put the team on his back, and carried them to the NBA finals. If you doubt this, please refer back to Game 5 against the Pistons. Regardless of the fact the Cavs were swept by the Spurs, it does not downplay how truly amazing this run was for LeBron and his minions. I think you know where I am going with this. With that said, the Cavs, in my opinion, would have limped in to the playoffs a 5 or 6 seed without the King, and would be sitting on the beach right now. They may have given someone a test, but they wouldn't have been a factor in the East. Reality is though that Cleveland is in the best position right now in the East, actually make that in the entire NBA. They are at home kicking it on their Lazy Boys in preparation of watching tomorrow's contest between the Celtics and Magic. Their biggest threat in the West is in a 7 game struggle, and their opponent is without the most coordinated guy to ever come out of China. The Celtics are a different team without Garnett, no doubt. They are even giving minutes to Brian Scalabrine? Seriously, Brian Scalabrine? So 2010 is obviously the year we are not looking forward too as Clevelanders. If we want to continue to watch the Cavs in to June, LeBron must stay. If not, we better hope the Tribe comes out better than they did this year...

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