Cavaliers eliminated by Indiana

    The Cleveland Cavaliers did almost everything right in the regular season.

History tells us that means little in the postseason, and sudden flaws, along with a good opponent on a hot shooting streak, eliminated the Cavaliers last night. The Indiana Pacers survived the Cavaliers' best shot early and controlled the second half of a 114-105 game five win.

Donovan Mitchell scored 35 points, and Evan Mobley added 24 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Cavaliers in their losing effort

I plan on a future look at the Cavalier season and the tremendous problems that they face this off-season.

Swashbucklings

1)  The key play in this one?

Donovan Mitchell was fouled by Aaron Nesmith with 1:49 remaining on a three-pointer.

Mitchell goes to the line for three shots, and Cleveland is down six.

Mitchell misses all three free throws, and even though Cleveland would get as close as three points, I never had the feeling that the Cavaliers had a chance to pull this out.

2)  Give Donovan Mitchell tons of credit for fighting through the series on one leg, and he rolled up points, but the leg clearly cost him with his shooting, eight of twenty-five in this game.

Points for toughness and effort, but the facts are simple- Mitchell didn't shoot the ball well in the series.

3) Another disappearing act in the playoffs from Jarrett Allen, who finished with nine points and only four rebounds.

I like Allen, who is as personable and likable as a professional can be, but in three postseasons with Cleveland, Allen was bullied by the Knicks, sat out through a rib injury against the Celtics, and vanished against the Pacers.

Of the Cleveland "Core Four", Allen is the easiest to try to move and try something different.

The problem with that is, every other NBA team has seen Allen's postseason play as well, and who can you receive to improve the team?

4) Max Strus played well in the postseason, but he threw up a clunker in game five, finishing tied with me for game five points and missing all nine of his shots.

5) Darius Garland's toe injury affected his play in his return, and his numbers showed it with eleven points, four for sixteen shooting, with six misses in six attempts from three.

Garland is also a fun player to root fo,r but his postseason shortcomings have been glaring, and it's fair to question if a team can go far with two undersized guards (Garland and Donovan Mitchell) that aren't defensive standouts.

6) The Cavaliers themselves need to evaluate how poor their shooting is in the playoffs and what they could do to improve.

Cleveland was the second-best team in three-point percentage in the regular season and tapered off as the worst of the eight teams in the playoff quarter-finals.

Woof.

7) Two players that Cleveland needs to move away from with their second-apron status (salary cap term) are Isaac Okoro and Dean Wade.

Neither are players that you can win with in the postseason, and between the two, Cleveland spends seventeen million dollars, eleven on Okoro and six on Wade.

Those salaries wouldn't allow the Cavaliers to miss the Salary Tax, but any savings help, and neither player would be too difficult to replace.

8) Give Indiana full credit for the series win, and same to their brutally underrated coach, Rick Carlisle, who I remember as a college player at Virginia!

Damn, time moves by fast!

Anyway, Indiana's push-the-pace style on both ends is going to cook a lot of teams, and they did so to Cleveland.

Were there circumstances for that victory?
Certainly, but that doesn't mean that Indiana wasn't the better team.

9) Indiana won all three games in Cleveland's Rocket Arena in the playoffs and won seven of nine games against Cleveland overall. This was no fluke, and I'm not sure homecourt is the advantage that it once was in the league.

That's a feeling and one without actual data, but it seems that visitors are winning at a rate better than previous seasons.

10) In the end, another excellent regular season feels hollow with a postseason exit that creates offseason questions.

Kenny Atkinson did an excellent job in the regular season but was outcoached by Rick Carlisle in the Indiana series.

I can give that a pass as it was Atkinson's first playoff season, and coaches need to gain experience there as players do.

There is plenty to be said and done between now and October, but for all the regular season brilliance, the Cavaliers had their chance to step forward and allow the league to see who they are.

For now, that team folded against adversity and melted on the bigger stage- the Cavaliers indeed  #Letemknow. 

Cavaliers pull vanishing act in Game Four

       The Cleveland Cavaliers were so awful in the first half of game four of their series with the Indiana Pacers that I did what I rarely do- I quit watching the game.

Indiana led by FORTY-ONE at the half and cruised to a twenty-point win, 129-109.

Darius Garland led Cleveland with twenty-one points.

I will keep this brief since I didn't watch the second half.

I'll give DeAndre Hunter credit for knocking down Bennedict Mathurin after he was cheap-shotted (Mathurin was ejected from the game) 

Donovan Mitchell injured his ankle, didn't play in the second half, and will undergo an MRI today.

That's what I have after a pitiful game from Cleveland, who has one choice- win the next three games or their season has ended.

Cavaliers pound Pacers, win Game Three

   Donovan Mitchell scored forty-three points, but the three missing players from game two played in game three as the Cleveland Cavaliers spanked the Indiana Pacers 126-104 in Indianapolis.

Max Strus scored twenty points while Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen each posted double-doubles for Cleveland.

Indiana leads the series two games to one, with game four Sunday night in Indianapolis.

Swashbucklings

1)  After three days of criticism and questions, the Cavaliers came out firing, and other than a small chunk of time in the second quarter, the Cavaliers led the entire game.

They did the same in game two and lost, but this time was different; it didn't have the feel of a team watching the clock and hoping to hold on.

2) Cleveland's three missing players from game two all returned for this game, with Evan Mobley having the most success with eighteen points, thirteen rebounds, and three blocks.

3) Darius Garland struggled with foul problems but finished with ten points and three assists.

Garland will be a big key should Cleveland win the series.

4) Cleveland's three-point shooting improved in success, if not percentage, as the Cavaliers hit fourteen from long range.

5) Max Strus played well with twenty points, seven rebounds, and seven assists.

Strus's game has picked up in the playoffs, and he is hustling all over the floor.

6)  Ty Jerome's struggles continued, hitting one of eight from the field, and Kenny Atkinson's patience in such an important game was short as Jerome played thirteen minutes.

Sam Merrill played more than Jerome (twenty minutes to thirteen), and it'll be interesting to see if the trend between the two continues.

7) Cleveland controlled Tyrese Haliburton as the Pacer star scored only four points on two for eight shooting.

Haliburton fell hard on his wrist in game two, and it could have affected his shooting.

8) The road team has won each of the three games in the series, and the win took Cleveland off the hot seat going into Sunday's game.

Win Sunday, and it's a best-of-three with home court advantage.

Lose it, and there is no room for error. 

Magnificent Mitchell not enough in Game Two

     Donovan Mitchell's forty-eight points weren't enough to hold off the late run of the Indiana Pacers. Tyrese Haliburton's three-pointer with two seconds to play gave Indiana a shocking 120-119 win in game two of the Eastern Conference semi-finals.

The crippled Cavaliers played without Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and DeAndre Hunter, which handicapped them but they don't grade basketball games on a curve, and the Pacers return home to Indianapolis for games three and four with a two games to none lead.

Max Strus finished with twenty-three points and Jarrett Allen with twenty-two, supporting Cleveland.

Swashbucklings

1) Donovan Mitchell is a warrior.

He left everything he had on the floor, and I'm unsure of his game two status, considering the pounding he took during this game.

2) Mitchell wasn't perfect; he's still struggling from three, hitting only one of seven attempts.

It's hard to criticize Mitchell, considering the game he played, but his game becomes much more effective when more of those shots from the distances drop.

3) I wasn't sure whether to tip my cap or be angry at Tyrese Haliburton for his "marbles" strut after drilling the game-winner a la Tanaka in Major League 2.

4) Ty Jerome played twenty-eight minutes, shooting one for fourteen from the floor.

Jerome had a fine season, but he's not the type of player who flourishes with more than fifteen to eighteen minutes.

Currently, he's forced to log higher minutes, and his deficiencies are showing.

5) Speaking of forced, Cleveland was also forced to give too many minutes to players who are afraid/ineffective in shooting the ball.

Dean Wade did grab ten rebounds in his thirty minutes, but scored three points on three shots.

Isaac Okoro scored five points and took two shots.

Indiana knows these guys don't want to shoot and aren't worried about them.

6) If you circle one play, it's Tyrese Haliburton's missed free throw.

Haliburton misses, charges the boards, grabs his own rebound, and takes it back to prepare for his game-winner.

Grab that rebound, Cleveland wins.

7) Cleveland did receive 23 points from Max Strus, who had a good game until his lousy pass caused a late turnover, and was given 14 points from Sam Merrill, who hit four three-pointers.

8) What concerns me is how Indiana is beating up the Cavaliers.

I'm not blaming the referees, I'm blaming the team for not standing up to the Pacers, and it's too late to bring someone in.

Jarrett Allen might be too nice, and outside of the washed-up Tristan Thompson, there is no one on the bench to push someone around.

Koby Altman has created a fun team to watch and one that is filled with players who are fun to root for, but that may not be a championship team without someone to bang around and take no quarter from opponents.

I'm not sure how Cleveland adds a player of that type, but they need one in the worst way.

9) Cleveland trails two games to none, so they must split in Indiana to avoid a sweep and have hope for a series win.

Which of Garland, Mobley, and Hunter can play in game three?

They need at least two of the three, I think.

Win game three and hope is back, lose it and it will be a long off-season in Cleveland.

Cavaliers surprised by Pacers in Game One

     The Indiana Pacers started fast and finished strong. 

And for the first time, the Cleveland Cavaliers missed the injured Darius Garland as the Pacers upset the Cavaliers in game one of the Eastern Conference semi-finals 121-112 in Cleveland.

Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with thirty-three points, and Evan Mobley scored twenty points with ten rebounds.

Game two will be in Cleveland on Tuesday as Cleveland will attempt to tie the series at one game apiece.

Swashbucklings

1) Donovan Mitchell scored 33 points, but he shot the ball thirty times (13 of 30) and hit only one of his eleven shots from three-point land.

2) I know Mitchell is the focus of the offense with Darius Garland injured, but Cleveland works best when Mitchell takes fewer shots, not more.

It's not Mitchell's fault that the shots from Garland need to be replaced somewhere, but it showed that Mitchell cannot be the be-all and end-all for the Cavaliers to be effective.

3) Indiana likes to force a faster pace, and it seemed the Cavaliers wore down as the evening progressed.

It's fair to wonder if the pace will be a factor if the series goes six or seven games.

4) Indiana shot 53 percent from the floor and 52 percent from three-point distance while Cleveland shot 45 percent overall and a pitiful 23 percent from three.

5) A scary point came when DeAndre Hunter took a huge bump on the floor and appeared fortunate to avoid injury.

Hunter continued to play, but for a minute, it looked very ugly.

6) It's one loss, and even though the loss of home-court advantage (for now) is concerning, the bigger concern is Darius Garland.

When will Garland return, and how effective will he be when that happens?

For all that Ty Jerome has delivered this season, he isn't quick defensively (making Tyrese Haliburton even more effective for Indiana), and Indiana took advantage of Jerome's defense.

7) Cleveland didn't look sharp off a week's layoff, but Indiana wasn't active either, and it didn't affect them.

Game two at home is now a must-have.

Road Trip: Florence

   The final day of the trip involved more antique stops for the collection, a stop for dinner, and another park checked off the ballpark passport. 

We started the day with a trip that hadn't been planned originally.

I had thought since we had until the 6 PM start for the baseball game, that it might be interesting to travel to Indiana or Kentucky to the nearest large antique mall and see what they had to offer.

Those two states were intriguing as I was hoping to find some ABA items as both states had teams in the league as well as looking for the usual that I look for.

The decision was Indiana and Exit 76 Antique Mall in Edinburgh, Indiana and I'm glad we had extra time because the GPS took us through about every farm road in the state, which meant we spent about an hour more than we would have needed to arrive via the highway!

This was another excellent Antique Mall and I found a few things that I was looking for - including one that was placed back for a Christmas present (I reserve the right to edit this in a few months to insert the item)!

I did find several programs with the jewel being a 1975-76 Indiana Pacers media guide from the team's final ABA season!

I liked the price even better at three dollars and I added two 1993 NCAA regional programs, several Pacers programs from the eighties, and a 1985 Indiana State vs Evansville basketball program all at fifteen dollars for the bunch.

There was one other thing that I saw early in our visit and was considering purchasing but I forgot about it and I wish I wouldn't have!

I did buy one other item as there were two drinking glasses from Shakey's Pizza with characachers of Richard Nixon (red) and George McGovern (blue) from the 1972 presidential election.

I was tempted to buy both but the Nixon didn't even remotely resemble him, so I only purchased the McGovern glass.

After leaving Exit 76, we stopped in Columbus, Indiana, just outside the state capital of Bloomington and the home of the University of Indiana.

The lunch choice was Jaggers, a regional fast-food chain.

I ordered a burger with egg and ham (I can't remember the name on the menu) with fries and the young lady behind the counter started raving about their chicken, which she claimed was "better than Chick-fil-A", so I ordered it as well.

Well, she was wrong as they were overcooked and scrawny to boot.

It was too bad because the burger was pretty damn good.

By the time we arrived in Florence, Kentucky, we had an hour to kill so I ran into a Target looking for a Cincinnati Reds T-shirt for Cherie.

They didn't have a wide selection, so I would stop and find her one at a Walmart after the game before we left town.

The Florence Ya'lls are a team in the independent Frontier League and are named after the city water tower.

The story goes that the tower had the local mall's name on it but the city changed it to Ya'll due to legal concerns.

The Ya'lls open their ballpark very early, so we were able to go inside and check out the team shop (no baseballs for sale, which was the second time this season that a team shop didn't sell baseballs) for a bit before the players come out to the field.

Thomas More Stadium was in nice condition but nothing stood out as particularly unusual and it seemed pretty typical of a stadium built in its time (2004) with one exception.

Florence, Kentucky is located on the opposite side of the Ohio River and is the location of the Cincinnati area airport, so there is the unusual slice of attending a Ya'lls game as you constantly see (and hear) airplanes taking off and landing.

It's pretty loud and even though it's been years since my concussion, loud noises like that still bother me and while the locals are used to it, it wasn't pleasant for me!

After a quick stop at a nearby Walmart for Cherie's Reds shirt, we headed home with only stops for stretching the legs and bathroom breaks until hitting the homestead.

Florence was the final stadium that I visited for the first time this year, bringing my total to 89.

New Stadiums this year included Worcester, Portland, Somerset, Omaha, Dayton, Cincinnati, Florence, and the new park in Hagerstown.

The trips for next year are unknown as it's becoming more difficult to find parks that are close enough to do in a day.

One trip in the works would add the final minor league stadium on the east coast, New Hampshire, and add it to Fenway Park in Boston.

Once I add New Hampshire, I would have every park from Maine through North Carolina except for two parks in the New York City area (Brooklyn and Staten Island) and I find it unlikely that I go through the hassle of NYC traffic for those two parks.

The nearest stadiums to the south that I would need would be (whichever is closer to these) a new park in Spartanburg, Columbia, Charleston, or Myrtle Beach in South Carolina, while the closest to the west would be one of these Indiana facilities- Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, or South Bend.

I still have one more trip to write about before concluding the summer road trip series and I'll be working on that in the future!

Cavaliers lose Tournament Opener in Indy

   The Cleveland Cavaliers offense showed up late for their first outing in the new "NBA In-Season Tournament" in Indianapolis against the Pacers, trailing by seventeen points at halftime.

The Cavaliers would make a valiant comeback in the second half and pushed the Pacers to the wire before falling short in a 121-116 loss.

Donovan Mitchell scored 38 points to lead the now 2-4 Cavaliers, who will face Golden State on Sunday evening in Cleveland.

Swashbucklings

1) Yes, this was the Cavaliers' first game in the new NBA In-Season Tournament, an idea of league commissioner Adam Silver to emulate what European soccer leagues do in their seasons.

While I don't hate the concept, I don't see anything special about it either.

2) The reason it isn't special because it's not exactly what is done in the European soccer tournaments.

Those leagues involve all the lower levels so you can have multiple times every year, a smaller league team playing a top team.

Imagine if the Hagerstown Suns drew the New York Yankees in a tournament and depending on the blind draw, the Yankees coming to Municipal Stadium?
That can happen in those tournaments and it's missing in the NBA version.

3) The only way to approach that would be to integrate the G-League teams, maybe some teams from Europe, and (although I don't think this would be possible) a few college teams.

That would be the only way to bring the underdog aspect to the tournament and give it more value than a bunch of specially tagged regular-season games with a trophy at the end.

4) While I don't love the tournament, there isn't anything to be griping about either.

Well, except for one thing- the special courts made for each team are just blinding.

Most are terrible in these super bright team colors with what looks like a runway strip down the middle of the court which the NBA states is supposed to symbolize the road to Las Vegas where the finals of the tournament will be.

Indiana's blue and yellow was very loud and hard to watch and I saw that Philadephia's red (who the Cavaliers will play in the tournament) looked really bad.

5) Jarrett Allen made his season debut against the Pacers, scoring ten points and grabbing seven rebounds.

Allen's minutes are being limited and he played just twenty-one minutes as the team gradually rounds Allen into full-time shape.

Sorry, I spent more time on the tournament than on the game but Ohio State is starting shortly and I need to wrap this up.

Cavaliers dominate late, storm past Pacers

  The Cleveland Cavaliers didn't start slow in Indianapolis against the Pacers-

The Pacers were simply white-hot as Indiana scored a franchise-record 47 points in the first quarter and it looked like one of those nights that you run into the wrong team on the wrong night.

However, shooting like that is unsustainable on even the best evening, and this Cavaliers team began to chip away from a nineteen point deficit after the first quarter,

Still late in the third, Indiana led by as much as eighteen points, and then Cleveland turned on the gas to catch the Pacers and blow by them to take a 120-113 win.

Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen each scored 22 points to lead a balanced Cleveland offense that saw seven Cavaliers finish with double-figure scoring.

Cleveland's win moved them to 35-21 overall and moved into a tie with Chicago for second place in the Eastern Conference, one game behind Miami, and a tie for the Central Division lead with those same Bulls.

Cleveland travels to Philadelphia tonight for their final game before the All-Star break against the 76ers and their new arrival James Harden.

Swashbucklings

1) Cleveland played again without Darius Garland and I'm not sure if he will play tonight against Philadelphia as my guess is that the team wishes to keep Garland's back from pounding on back-to-back nights.

And with the All-Star game in Cleveland, it's possible that the Cavaliers want to be very cautious as I'm sure the first-time All-Star will badly want to play in that game at home.

2) Caris LeVert made his first start as a Cavalier and made the most of it with his high total.

Levert hit ten of nineteen shots and drove to the hoop with strength against his former teammates.

LeVert only shot two three-pointers, hitting one, and I wonder if the reason that he didn't shoot as many was his inside knowledge of the people attempting to defend against him?

3) Still, the Cavalier of the night, in my opinion, was the veteran Rajon Rondo, who hit six of seven shots, two from three-point distance, and with his play in the third quarter helped keep Cleveland in sight of Indiana for a potential comeback.

Rondo finished the night with seventeen points, seven rebounds. and six assists as Rondo continues to duel with Brandon Goodwin for the first point guard off the bench behind Darius Garland, which is a role that is even more important on evenings that Garland doesn't play.

Goodwin was a coach's decision DNP on the evening.

4) Kevin Love continues to buy into his sixth man role and he is doing it in ways other than only scoring.

Love seems to be all over the bench encouraging teammates in good times and bad and looks like he is having more fun even than in the championship days with LeBron James.,

5) Love is also drawing charges at a very high rate.

John Michael (Cavalier play by play man) mentioned during the telecast that Love had around fifteen charges with the second-highest number at only three.

Charges are always an effort play anyway as it takes a lot to see a two hundred-plus pound man flying at you and knowing you have to set your feet and take the hit, so Love accumulating so many of these makes you believe that he has truly bought into his role in the program.

6) Indiana made a big trade with Sacramento after the Pacers peddled Caris LeVert to Cleveland and I think it was a good one for the Pacers as they added Tyrese Halliburton as part of a six-player swap with the Kings.

While I like Domantas Sabonis (the main player heading west) a lot as a player, Halliburton had impressed me a lot in his year and a half with Sacramento after being drafted 12th in the 2020 draft from Iowa State.

In fact, I had Halliburton pegged as the future face of the Kings and their foundational building block in yet another Sacramento rebuild, so I was shocked to see him traded to Indiana.

The game was the debut in Indiana for Halliburton (as well as Buddy Hield and former Cavalier Tristan Thompson) and Halliburton (and Hield) would play forty minutes in the defeat.

Halliburton would finish with twenty-three points and six assists and I have a feeling that we might be seeing some classic showdowns between Halliburton and Darius Garland over the next few seasons in divisional matchups. 

Cavaliers acquire Caris LeVert from Indiana

 Before tonight's game against the Indiana Pacers, the Cleveland Cavaliers acquired guard Caris LeVert from the Pacers in exchange for the expiring contract of Ricky Rubio, the Cavaliers 2022 first-rounder that is lottery-protected in the unlikely event that the Cavaliers don't make the postseason, Houston's 2022 second-round pick and Utah's second-round pick in 2027.

Along with LeVert, Cleveland also obtained Miami's second-rounder in the 2022 draft.

The twenty-seven-year-old LeVert is averaging just under nineteen points for Indiana, shooting forty-four percent from the floor and thirty-two percent from three-point range.

Indiana acquired LeVert last season as their part of the four-team trade that landed James Harden with Brooklyn and Jarrett Allen with the Cavaliers.

LeVert at 6'6 can play small forward and shooting guard but will likely spend more time with Cleveland at the two-guard, although he could play some at the three until the return of Lauri Markkaken to the lineup from his ankle injury.

LeVert was at the top of a small list of shooting guards that were linked to the Cavaliers at the trade deadline and will be under contract through next season at 18.7 million.

As far as the cost goes, the first-rounder is lottery protected as a safeguard and the Cavaliers may have tried to move that pick had they kept it to stay under the cap and its various stipulations,

The second-rounders are a non-factor although the Houston second-rounder that was sent to the Pacers is likely to be a very early pick in that round.

Ricky Rubio's expiring contract opens up space for Indiana and I know the knee injury could be difficult for Rubio to return from but I wouldn't be surprised if the Cavaliers attempted to bring Rubio back as a free agent under an incentive-based contract.

You have to like this deal for the Cavaliers.

I would have wondered about the first-round pick being traded away had the deal been brokered before the season but considering the development of the team this season, I'm not as concerned about that currently.

The contract of Rubio was a sunk cost after his injury and LeVert fits into the salary slot that Rubio filled so that's not going to be an issue even against a potential luxury cap penalty for next season.

There is nothing not to like about this deal except I always hate dealing first-round picks and this time it makes sense to do so.

Pacers defeat Cavaliers 119-99

 The Cleveland Cavaliers ended 2020 as they did on so many nights during the calendar year- with a loss, this one to the Indiana Pacers in an afternoon game in Indianapolis 119-99.

Collin Sexton led Cleveland with 28 points with Darius Garland adding 21 points in the first game of a six-game road trip.

Cleveland visits the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night in their next game.

Swashbucklings

1) Cleveland's big men battled foul trouble throughout the game and it showed against Domantis Sabonis, who scored 25 points and finished with 11 rebounds and 7 assists.

2) Sabonis is the son of the great Arvydas Sabonis and just as his father, Sabonis is a well-rounded big man and an excellent passer.

Sabonis can shoot from the outside, yet always seems to be around the ball on the interior.

If Sabonis can avoid the constant injuries that plagued his father, he could be an All-Star for years to come.

3) Indiana entered the game as one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the league, yet they hit sixteen of them against Cleveland.

It's tough to stop a team when they shoot forty-five percent from three-point range.

4) Collin Sexton scored 28 points and Darius Garland 21, but the pair struggled on the defensive end against Victor Oladipo, Aaron Holiday and it seemed like every other Pacer short of Billy Keller and Rick Mount was scoring against the Cleveland backcourt.

I'm not as sold on basketball's plus-minus stat compared to hockey, but Garland was an awful minus 21.

5) JaVale McGee fell into foul trouble and played only fourteen minutes, but finished with thirteen rebounds.

I've liked what I've seen from McGee so far, but I do have concerns that he might be thinking he is more potent offensively than he actually is as far as his shot selection.

6) The foul problems allowed former Bucks first-rounder Thon Maker to play for nine minutes and Maker scored six points.

At only 23, Maker still has potential as a role player, and with the injuries to the Cleveland frontcourt it might be the right time to find Maker a little more playing time.

Cavaliers put away Indiana-Win game and series

LeBron James battled through leg cramps and exhaustion to score 45 points and carry his Cleveland Cavaliers past the Indiana Pacers 105-101 in game seven of their Eastern Conference series and take a victory in the series four games to three.
The victory lifts the Cavaliers to the Eastern semi-finals against the top seed in the East-the Toronto Raptors.
Game one is in Toronto on Tuesday.
No promises on coverage as I will be away during the game.

Swashbucklings

1) LeBron James not only accumulated his stats against Indiana, he fought through the above problems that sent him to the locker room for a tenure.
James also had nine boards and seven assists and certainly would have had a triple-double had he not been forced to leave the game.
James has literally tossed this team on his back, the bigger question is how far can he carry them?

2) I may be thinking of a hopeful bias here, but I think yesterday might give the Cavaliers a hint of hope that LeBron James might return.
LeBron had every chance to pack it in yesterday (like he arguably did in Boston before he left for Miami) and yet he continued to push through the pain.
I'm not saying that I KNOW he's is staying, but he had a chance to spit out the bit and he didn't.
I just have a feeling he's going to stay.

3) Tristan Thompson has had a bad year and rarely saw the court in this series, but Tyronn Lue took a chance and not only started Thompson, but played him 35 minutes.
Thompson rewarded Lue with 15 points and 10 boards in an inspired performance.
Thompson is always going to be overpaid and he may be a player that's time has passed with the evolution of the game, but on occasion might pop out and give some value as an energy player.

4) Kevin Love's shooting woes continued to a degree with a 5 for 13 shooting afternoon.
However, Love was 4 of 8 from three-point range, so that is a positive to take away from this game.
The answer to Love's problems might be as simple as letting him be aggressive and try to shoot his way out of them- as risky as that could be.

5) Kyle Korver scored just three points, but his biggest play came late in the game when Korver passed up a reasonably open three to run a give and go with LeBron James for the basket that essentially broke the back of the Pacers.
Korver's never been known as an ace passer, but he has a high level of trust with James and saw that was an open option.

6) Glad this series is over. The uniforms are just too similar to see on television and it's easy to become confused.

7) SO... Onto Toronto and after a series that was tougher than expected against a Pacers team that isn't anything special, it is the top-seeded Raptors that await.
The stats show DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry as the keys, but keep an eye on Jonas Valanciunas in this season.
Valanciunas averaged around 13 points and 9 boards and down low is going to be a force against the Cavaliers lighter post players- Tristan Thompson, Larry Nance Jr, and Kevin Love.
Is it possible that we see some very limited action from Kendrick Perkins to pound on Valanciunas a bit in an attempt to slow him and help the Cavaliers quicker, but smaller defenders?

8) LeBron James is tired and it's asking him a lot to carry this team out of the East, let alone to a title.
If that has a slim chance of happening, Cleveland is going to have to end a series in fewer games at least once in order to save some mileage on the legs.
Toronto's the top seed, but again just a hunch- but this might be the chance for the Cavaliers to do that.
Call it an upset special- Cleveland in 6

LeBron steps up! Cavs pop Pacers at the buzzer!

The Cleveland Cavaliers had frittered away another lead to the Indiana Pacers by not making a shot from the floor since the 7:19 mark and a turnover with 26 seconds to go gave Indiana the ball and the opportunity to lead with mere ticks of the clock remaining in the game.

However, Indiana didn't have the best player in the world on their side and he decided to take over and make sure that his side was taking game five home.
LeBron James raced by to block the reserve layup of Victor Oladipo and called timeout with three seconds remaining to set up the movie-like ending as James took the ball on the inbounds pass and drained the long three-pointer for the game-winner by a 98-95 score at the Quicken Loans Arena.
James finished with 44 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists with Kyle Korver adding 19 points as the second highest scorer.
Cleveland can polish off the Pacers Friday in Indianapolis with a win on the road.

Swashbucklings

1) You want to know why LeBron James is the best player in the world?
It's because he plays the total game.
Stephen Curry is a better pure shooter, Kevin Durant is likely a superior scorer and there are a few players that are slightly better defenders, but none of those gentlemen are elite at all facets of the game and do what LeBron James does every night and perform like he does logging 40+ minutes every night.

2) I've always said that I hate to define the best basketball player ever because the positions are so different- playing the low post, running the point, the athleticism playing the 3 or 4 and the shooting of the off guard that it's very difficult to weigh players that do such different things on the floor.
However, I think a real case can be made that of the elite players of all-time that would be in the conversation of the best player ever, LeBron James might have the best case as the most versatile of those players and therefore maybe the best/

3) LeBron James blocking Victor Oladipo might mean nothing in the big scheme depending on if and when the Cavaliers leave the postseason and if James leaves via free agency after the season, but that is the type of hustle play that great players make.
The Pacers and Oladipo may want to claim the play was a goaltend (arguable), but watch the replay closely Oladipo doesn't go up strong with the ball and the short time that it took for Oladipo to go the reverse route gave James a split second to catch up and make the block.
Oladipo might have more to blame himself with than a close call.

4) And we move to the three, which was on the same end of the same floor that James defeated the Orlando Magic in the playoffs years ago.
Straight out of the films, James drilled his only three-pointer of the night and it looked good from the moment it rolled off his fingers.
Thaddeus Young played decent enough defense, it was not a wide open look, but it was enough of a look to send the Pacers home with a loss.

5) George Hill missed the game with a back injury, so Jose Calderon ran the point.
Calderon hit two three-pointers, but what he brings is different from what Hill or any other Cavalier at the point this season.
Calderon brings what observers always call the "little things" or the "intangibles" and plays under control with a calmness that only floor burnt veterans possess.
Calderon may not have the quickness to defend young and quicker guards on the point anymore as he did in his salad days in Toronto with the Raptors, but in limited playing time, I like seeing him on the floor.

Cold Cavaliers lose game three in Indiana

The Cleveland Cavaliers looked like a world beater for a half in Indianapolis in game three of their series with the Pacers.
The sad part came after the intermission when Indiana rallied from a 17 point deficit to shock the Cavaliers 92-90 and give the Pacers a 2-1 lead in the series.
LeBron James led Cleveland with 28 points with Kevin Love adding 19 more in the loss.
Game four in Indianapolis is Sunday night.
I'll try to have coverage, but as I am on the road, I'm not sure when I'll be able to watch the game or not...

Swashbucklings

1) Just mind-numbingly awful in the second half.
I cannot even really wrap my mind around how bad- 12 points in the third quarter?
Really? Are you bleeping kidding me?
12 lousy points when even an average quarter would have put their foot on the Pacers throat and finished them off?
Geez.

2) I was talking to my buddy, Fred Landucci, on my way to Frederick last night and was talking about the then-upcoming game and we talked about Kevin Love.
I made the statement that Love might be better suited to be the best player on an average to bad team because he needs to be the focus of the offense, in Cleveland he is not and without being that focus, his game can be almost passive.

3) Kevin Love did finish with 19 points, but took only two shots in the second half, one of them being a desperation three-pointer that he nailed in the final seconds of the game.
Now, who do you blame for the team's second-leading scorer going AWOL to that degree?
Love can be given his share of the blame, but some of this has to go on Tyronn Lue for not doing something (anything) to integrate Love into the offense.

4) Bogan Bogdanovic? 30 points? Seven three-pointers?
Ordinarily, I'd say that it isn't your night when that happens, but some of those three's were so wide open, if seemingly out of his range that they could have been considered uncontested.
Bogdanovic's four-point play was essentially hitting a wide-open jumper and being fouled after releasing the ball by a desperate Kyle Korver.
In a seven-game series, occasionally you'll have a player play over his head for an evening or two. but when a player averages 14 points a night, you cannot afford to have him double his average and add a little more to it as well.

5) I know most coaches shorten their bench in the playoffs, but I'm not sure why the Cavaliers are living with Jordan Clarkson's struggles thus far off the bench and not using Cedi Osman, who I would think would bring some athleticism on defense and open up the floor a little more rather than clogging to offense by waiting for a jumper.
You cannot play everyone, but Osman's strengths would play well in changing some tempo in a series that has been mostly played at the Pacers speed.

6) I've written that I like what Kyle Korver brings to the offense as a pure shooter, but on some nights when you can see that either the shots aren't falling or even there at all, I can see sitting Korver down.
Last night Korver scored zero points in twenty minutes, missing all three shots and being a minus defender (and I think I'm being kind there), Korver didn't bring much to the court.

7) I'm just not sure what to think right now.
The Cavaliers are down 2-1, but can make a great case to be up 2-1 and if they win on Sunday night, Cleveland regains home court.
That part I feel not too bad about.

8) However, blowing two huge leads (going 1-1) cannot make you feel great about things and Indiana can make an argument that they could be up 3-0.
There are a few tweaks that Tyronn Lue could make and maybe they would help, but will they make a big enough difference to turn the tide?
I mentioned more time for Cedi Osman, maybe less for Jordan Clarkson and I might try Jose Calderon to move the ball and open up shots for Kyle Korver,Kevin Love etc, but as I mentioned, is that enough?
I just don't know...

Streaky Cavs hold on for Game Two win over Pacers

Photo Credit: Cleveland Plain Dealer

The Cleveland Cavaliers blasted out of the gate in the first quarter that left the Indiana Pacers wobbling and feeling like Wednesday night was going to be a long night.

However as happens almost always in sports, such performance is extremely difficult to maintain over the course of a game and the Pacers chipped away and away and even more but could never get closer than the final deficit of three points as the Cavaliers took a 100-97 nod and tied their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series at one apiece before the series returns to Indianapolis for games three and four.
LeBron James scored 46 points on a team that had just two other players in double digits ( Kevin Love 15 and Kyle Korver 12) and ripped down 12 boards in a game that should be remembered for a long time and if this game occurred later in the playoffs would certainly be remembered longer than this likely will be.

Game three is Friday night at seven o'clock from Indiana.

Swashbucklings

1) LeBron James not only scored 46 of his team's 100 points, he scored the first 13 points of the game period and the first 16 for Cleveland.
An angry LeBron James almost plays possessed and when the best player in the game is angry, it's not just look out- it's get out!

2) Kevin Love didn't shoot well for the second game in a row as he hit just five of sixteen from the floor, but the news gets worse as Love left the floor holding the hand that he broke earlier in the season.
The x-ray came back clean, but is it possible that the hand is bothering Love and therefore his shooting?

3) The Cavaliers will need to shore some issues inside the paint as they were outscored 62-30.
Cleveland has become more of an outside shooting team (11 to 6 from three-point range), but that difference is pretty vast and at least needs to be narrowed...

4) Kyle Korver drilled four three's and even though this is an easy take, it's still a true one-Kyle Korver more than anyone not named LeBron James is the Cavalier that helps make a machine run well.
Korver's shooting often can open up points for a player that may not be a scoring machine, although it didn't happen in this game.
Watch for that as the Cavaliers progress.

5) Just a note on three players brought in at the trade deadline- none of Jordan Clarkson, Rodney Hood and George Hill played more than 20 minutes, none scored more than six points and only one finished with a plus rating (Hill at + 16 because he started and was on the floor with LeBron's hot start). No judgment. Just some numbers.

6) I really hate playing the Pacers.
The main reason?
They wear gold, the Cavaliers wore black for their first two games and from a distance, it's not easy to keep the teams apart.
Ugh...

7) Can the Cavaliers take two in Indianapolis?
I think so, but they at least need to win one of the past.
It would be nice to see someone (two would be even better) step up and help LeBron James a bit and would go a long way to save James physically.
We'll see.

Flat Cavaliers felled by Pacers

The Cleveland Cavaliers showed up flat and only at times did they round into any type of shape as the Indiana Pacers dumped the Cavaliers in game one of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals 98-80 in Cleveland.

LeBron James led Cleveland with 24 points as part of a triple-double, but the Cavaliers would not receive a double-figure point number from any starter, although they were aided by J.R Smith's 15 points from off the bench.

Cleveland will attempt to tie the series on Wednesday in Cleveland.

Swashbucklings

1)  A slow start saw the Cavaliers down by 19 after one period and they would never get closer than seven points from there on.
Indians outscored Cleveland by a combined 29 points between the first and final quarters.

2) Cleveland shot just 38 percent from the floor and there aren't many games where that's going to result in a victory.

3) Add to that an eight for thirty-four night from three-point range and your issues are even worse.
I would like to think that the shooting almost has to improve for game two.

4) Kevin Love finished with just nine points (all on three-pointers), but he only took nine shots from the floor.
Love is the second offensive option and as such, he will need to be more involved in the offense in game two and hope for a better shooting night.

5) Tyronn Lue started Jeff Green in game one and Green didn't score a point in 27 minutes of court time.
I would think that Green will not start game two after J.R. Smith scored 15 points in this loss.

6) Kyle Korver has been dealing with a bad foot, but I would have still thought that he would have played more than four minutes.
Korver missed all three shots that he took in the loss, but his first shot did everything but fall in around the rim.
Sometimes, it's not your night.

7) And folks, that is what the Cleveland Cavaliers are going to have to hope for- that it was just one bad night.
Adjustments will have to be made, but I suspect those are already in motion.
The NBA's long drawn out playoff gives the fans three days to speculate, but it also gives coaches extra time to try to fix things that are broken.
Game two looms as a big game,, here's hoping that the Cavaliers won't have a bigger game in game three being down two games.

Busy Day/Dull Night-NBA Draft

After a busy day spent running from work to home to auto service centers multiple times and the same looming for tomorrow,I expected the NBA Draft to hold my attention.
The Cavaliers didn't have selections in either round one or round two,but all week there had been so many rumors about trades with not only Cleveland being involved,but many others as well-to the point of this being thought as a night that would have impact beyond the drafted players.

Instead,absolutely nothing happened as only one big name connected to the Cavaliers moved as Jimmy (I want to play my entire career in Chicago) Butler was dealt to Minnesota,where he will play for his old coach with Tom Thibodeaux and the evening ended with a tweet from the team that basically talked about being interested,but found nothing exciting enough to pursue.
In other words,for all the bluster and rumors that had players ranging from Butler to Paul George to Carmelo Anthony to even at the draft LaMarcus Aldridge and Danny Green being chased by the Cavaliers-the draft was more like a one person jog around the neighborhood.
It'll be interesting to see just what the Cavaliers do or maybe even don't,but they have to do something-even if it risks what they currently have.

Meanwhile about the only thing on draft night that really interested me was the drafting of Xavier guard Edmond Sumner by New Orleans in the second round and was then sold for cash considerations to Indiana.
Sumner was the best player on Xavier last season and the late season slump by the Musketeers was directed caused by the torn ACL suffered by Sumner in late January against St,John's.
Sumner was averaging 15 points and five assists a game before the injury and Sumner was thought to have been a possible first round pick,if he would choose to be eligible following his sophomore year.
The knee injury threw a crinkle into that,but even with the injury,Sumner still made into the second round,although I think he might have been better off returning to Xavier and proving the knee was solid.
Sumner is more of a slasher than a pure shooter,but he has excellent physical tools and assuming that his knee heals properly,could have a solid NBA career...



I might be back with a Devils draft preview,but if not,the next post will be about the results of the first pick in the NHL draft.

Cavaliers back from the dead-Win Game Three

The Cleveland Cavaliers appeared to be throwing in a cropper in Indianapolis Thursday night,shooting well under forty percent in the first half and trailing by 25 points at the half.things appeared to headed for a 2-1 series as the fans went mad in Indiana for their Pacers.
However,something happened when the Cavaliers came out for the second half-LeBron James awoke and snatched the game by the horns in the manner that only the greatest to ever play the game can and when it was all over,it was LeBron James and Cleveland's Cavaliers standing tall with a history making 119-114 win and a 3-0 series lead.
James,of course,was the leader with a triple double with 41 points,13 rebounds and 12 assists to lead Cleveland,who helped James with five players that scored either 12 or 13 points.
Cleveland leads the series 3-0 and can eliminate the Pacers with a win Sunday.
No coverage on that as I will be doing baseball on that day...

Swashbucklings

1) That was about as powerful of a performance by LeBron James that I can remember since he singlehandedly carried the overmatched Cavaliers by the Detroit Pistons to their first NBA finals.
The look on that face when the Cavaliers hit the floor for the second half as I watched at work caused me to think to myself-they may not win this,but I would bet almost anything that they are going to make the Pacers and their crowd worry sometime during this half.

2) Russell Westbrook might win the MVP and deservedly so,but the best player in the world still resides in Cleveland.
This is very reminiscent of those years in the 90's where Charles Barkley and Karl Malone would win the award,but in the playoffs Michael Jordan would show up in a rage and remind everyone that the best player in the world was still a Chicago Bull-this was much like what we saw yesterday.

3) The comeback was the largest from a halftime deficit in NBA playoff history and the surprise in how it happened?
Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving sat on the bench during the 4th quarter in favor of Devin Williams at the point and Channing Frye at the 4.
Williams hit his only shot,but was a steadying influence and Frye hit two key three pointers.
Points to Tyronn Lue for sticking with what was working and to Love and Irving for being supportive and not sulking.
That shows that the team really buys in and isn't all about personal gain...

4) I really hate playing the Pacers.
Not because I have a soft spot for a former ABA team,which I do,but because when they wear their gold uniforms as they did in this game and the wide angle is used,it can be hard telling which team is which as the Cavaliers gold is pretty close to the Pacers version...

5) This series is over.
Not only is it beyond unlikely that Indiana wins four straight,but it would be a shock to me for Indiana to even win Sunday despite being at home.
A loss like that isn't one that you bounce back from in a season,let alone in three days.
Get this win and hope for a Atlanta Hawks comeback to stretch their series with Washington along.....

Cavaliers nip Pacers 109-108

The Cleveland Cavaliers put forth an uneven effort and allowed the Indiana Pacers to put together a fourth quarter that put them back into the game and with a chance for the underdog to win.
Fortunately for Cleveland,former Cavalier C.J.Miles was short with his jumper and Cleveland escaped with a 109-108 win in game one of their series..
LeBron James scored 32 points and dished 13 assists with Kyrie Irving adding 23 points.
Cleveland will host game two Monday night....

Swashbucklings

1) The Cavaliers defense had its problems again in this game,but when the game was on the line,Cleveland stepped up with the Pacers inbounding with ten seconds and kept the ball out of the hands of Paul George.
Evcn if C.J.Miles drills the jumper to win the game for Indiana,that was exactly the type of defense that you hope to see when the game is decided...

2) LeBron James played in his 200th playoff game in the victory.
James threw down the pictured dunk and set the packed house down with screams...

3) Tyronn Lue is going to stick to a tight rotation as Iman Shumpert and Derrick Williams didn't play in this one.
I'm willing to bet that that both Shumpert and Williams will play a bigger role sometime during the playoffs.
Lue played matchups in last years playoffs,he is likely to do so again...

4) Kyle Korver did play 15 minutes,but Indiana was prepared for the sharpshooter,didn't leave him alone and played him tight enough that he was only able to launch one shot-a two pointer that he made.
Korver had big games (25 points per game) against Indiana earlier this season and the Pacers figured that into their defensive plans in game one...

5) Kyrie Irving did score 23 points,but he did it on 11 for 27 shooting and just 1 of 9 from three point range.
Combine that with a missed layup late in the game and Irving's numbers looked better than they were..

6) Yes,Cleveland was lucky to escape with a win,but despite defensive breakdowns and many missed opportunities,the fact still remains that the Cavaliers won on a day that they were far from at their best.
The main thing is the win,I'll take that everytime.