Running Thoughts - Cavs v. Heat
Posted December 28th, 2008 by Michael Curry
Running thoughts from tonight’s matchup with the Heat here in the again-frigid Cleveland, Ohio:
- The Heat have been playing much better than most people expected, coming in with a record of 16-10. Miami beat the Lakers at home last week, and they have just enough firepower to be scary if you take them lightly. Dwyane Wade is leading the league in scoring and is averaging 6.8 assists per game, meaning that the offense runs entirely through him. If I’m Mike Brown, I’m telling the team to do everything they can to get the ball out of Wade’s hands, and make someone else beat you.
- And the Cavs do just that, causing the 24-second violation after a good double-team from Ben Wallace on Wade. That kind of focus on the gameplan was completely missing against Washington on Thursday. At least the Cavs have started tonight with the notion that they have to execute if they want to win.
- Z has been scuffling for the last few games, but is already getting touches tonight with success. He has 5 points in the first quarter, and the Heat are already over the foul limit with 5 fouls in the first 4:12 of the game. That causes a Heat timeout, with the Cavaliers out to an early lead 11-4.
- From what I’ve seen this year, Dwyane Wade does his scoring in bunches. He’ll be quiet for a bit, then score 8 straight points, then go quiet again. It will be an interesting night, as Delonte West should be a good defensive matchup against Wade. At least, as good as you’re going to get. Should it get close at the end though, I would love to see LeBron defending Wade.
- LeBron with an absolutely sick (that’s what the kids say these days, right? Sick?) reverse layup.
- Cavs get really lazy defending the dribble and taking care of the boards, and the Heat are back to within 4. Wade knocks down a tough jumper (that’s what he does), and the lead is down to 2 points as the Heat are on an 8-0 run. You can live with the tough jumpers, but when those are combined with the easy buckets, it creates real problems for the defense.
- Say whatever else you like about them, Anderson Varejao and Sasha Pavlovic enter the game with a defensive intensity and consistency that the Cavaliers don’t get from the rest of the team. Yes, the Cavalier defense is good, but as of now they do not bring it every play.
- LeBron’s lack of aggressiveness recently (only 13 shots on Thursday) is starting to weaken the Cavalier offense. These long droughts are partially caused by guys missing shots, but LeBron isn’t forcing the action, and there isn’t as much space for the rest of the players as a result. LeBron is the most dangerous and effective offensive player in the league (as he proves with an absurd fall-away right there), he needs to be the prime mover in the offense all the time.
- It doesn’t help that he’s back to missing free throws (2-for-4 tonight, 6-for-10 on Thursday).
- Daequan Cook hits a big three to end the first quarter, and after the Cavs got out to a quick start, the Heat have come all the way back and tied the game at 22-22.
- Miami already has 7 offensive rebounds. That’s a result of too much dribble penetration and too little boxing out. The Heat, just like the Wizards, are the more aggressive and energetic team tonight.
- Mo hits a nice jumper, but when was the last time he got all the way to the hoop? He’s settling too much for the outside jumpers of late. He shoots them very well (as he proves again on the next possession), but those jumpers off the dribble do not create more room for the rest of the offense. No point guard in the league ends more possessions without ever passing the ball than Mo.
- Z is having a rough time finishing tonight, though he’s getting very good looks because he’s working hard in the post. The Heat can’t keep him out of there, and the Cavs should keep feeding the big man because he is still getting high-percentage shots. They should start to drop.
- The Cavs are being outrebounded 26-19 at the moment, as the Heat have 8 offensive rebounds. With that in mind, it’s a surprise that the score is tied, 33-33. LeBron is stopping the ball, true, but I’m telling you that when the ball is in his hands, holes open up in the defense because everyone is leaning in LeBron’s direction.
- Did the Cavs not do a layup line tonight? Mo Williams butchers another layup, as the Cavs can’t knock down an easy one to save their lives.
- LeBron knocks down the long two to give the Cavs a 44-42 lead at the half. Almost won $1,000 for a lucky fan, but that fan will have to settle for a couple of tickets and a 2-point Cavs lead. Just like the game against Washington, the problem is not the defense (which is still giving up too many easy buckets), but rather the offense getting into some bad habits. Only 44 points, even with LeBron dropping 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting in the first half.
- Yes, Daniel Gibson is back to his 1-for-7 ways. I know that he is still recovering from his injury, but on the season he is only shooting 40% from the field (42% for his career), and only 32% from 3-point range (41% for his career). Perhaps more than anyone else, Gibson is having a tough time finding his role on this team, and doesn’t seem comfortable deciding when he should shoot and when he should create. Otherwise known as “exactly what happened to Damon Jones when he decided his was a point guard, rather than just a 3-point specialist.”
- Cavaliers are not defending well at all on the defensive end, as the Heat have 9 straight points and are getting to the basket too easily. Delonte West is defending ok to start, but when Wade comes around the pick West is giving up on the play. Wade ends up with just Z between him and the basket, and a roll-man coming down the lane if he runs into trouble. It’s too easy for them, and the longer the Heat hang around, the more likely it is that Dwyane Wade can will the team to win a close one, like Mike James almost did on Thursday.
- I love you Austin Carr, but the problem tonight is not “pace,” and it’s not that the Cavs are missing shots they should hit. The problem tonight is that the Heat are running a quality pick-and-roll, and the Cavalier defense has not adjusted in the slightest. It’s like when Team USA lost to Greece in the 2007 FIBA World Championships. The Heat are pulling Shawn Marion away from the offense, which in turn keeps LeBron away from the defense. Then they are attacking Z, who still looks very slow after his ankle injury. The Cavs need to make a change if they want to shut down the Heat.
- This is getting frustrating again. 9 third-quarter turnovers, terrible shot selection, weak defense. This level of complacency is what held them to just 45 wins a year ago, and it’s back for the second straight game. West, Gibson and Pavlovic are now a combined 3-for-17 (17.6%). If that’s not reminiscent of last year, nothing is. At the end of 3, the Cavaliers trail by 9, 67-58. Just 14 Cavalier points in that quarter.
- LeBron still with just 4 free throw attempts, as he has not been aggressive getting to the basket. Part of that is Shawn Marion, who is a big, long defender. Part of it is LeBron settling.
- Good job by the Cavs picking up 4 fouls on Miami in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter. Bad job missing 2 of the 4 free throws.
- Z for 3!!! Huge shot for the Cavs, cutting the Heat lead to 4 points and getting the crowd into the ballgame. Like the Cavs, the crowds for these last two games have been lethargic, expecting victory instead of cheering for it. Not that the home team is doing much to inspire cheering tonight. Still, a boost like that could be enough to push the Cavaliers over the top.
- Wade back in the game, and makes a shot over LeBron in the first possession. Like seeing LeBron on Wade, but he’s going to have to stay closer to him. He wants to shoot right now, not drive.
- Memo to Mo and Boobie: you are being paid to make those threes. Start doing that.
- Mo picks up a cheap blocking foul on Chalmers, which means a trip to the line thanks to the early work the Cavs did drawing fouls. Still, a 6-point deficit at this point means you have to get some stops, something the Cavaliers are struggling with at the moment.
- Wade has gotten 3 fouls called in his favor that no one else on the planet would get. The last one, a phantom trip on Z, was probably the worst.
- Crowd is finally fully into this game. Anderson Varejao coming up with the steal, but LeBron never fully got control of the dribble and had to settle for free throws instead of the crowd-exploding dunk. And he misses the second, knocking him down to 4-for-8 tonight. Color me officially worried about LeBron’s free throw shooting.
- Austin Carr is right about the Cavs needing to attack the middle first, rather than trying to pass around the perimeter.
- I’ll let Mario Chalmers and Michael Beasley shoot as many of these late-game shots as they want. Dwyane Wade is knocking down impossible shots, but the took rooks are hoisting with less than 5 minutes left? Good plan.
- Mo finally obliges by making the open ones, knocking down 5 straight points. That’s why they call him the Space Cowboy.
- Udonis Haslem catches a LeBron elbow, and he’ll be getting stitches. That’s going to be a mess, and he is a valuable part of the Heat attack, they’re going to miss him. Delonte West needs a new jersey because of the blood that got on him from Haslem’s forehead.
- Delonte wins the tap thanks to a pretty questionable toss, and the Cavs get it back up 7 points with under 3 minutes to go. LeBron makes it 8 on another free throw (after another miss).
- Wade has become a turnover machine. The Cavs are swarming to him, and since all his help is coming up small, he’s trying to do too much. But much respect to the Cavs defense, which is getting to the ball without fouling, causing Wade’s mistakes. The knock-away by Ben Wallace was a great play. The Heat went away from the pick-and-roll, and all of a sudden the Cavalier defense looks as dangerous as ever.
- Mo with a dumb foul to send Daequan Cook to the line for two cheap ones with the clock stopped. This one is in no way over, with the Cavs ahead 85-79 with 2:20 left.
- The home team then runs two straight terrible offensive possessions (get the ball to LeBron d*mmit). The first one ends with a Heat dunk as Mo Williams is afraid of picking up his sixth foul. The second one mercifully ends with a bad blocking call which sends Andy to the line, where he splits the pair. Cavs up 5.
- Two more Heat free throws, and it’s a 3-point game. 1:29 left in the game. Go to LeBron, keep the ball away from Andy. LeBron wastes a lot of time then gets the foul, got to hit the free throws…and this time he does. 33 points for LeBron.
- Cavs are going to win their second straight bad game by relying on the refs and taking advantage. It’s not a terrible strategy, but certainly not pretty. Cavs need to go back on the road, they’ve enjoyed the holidays a bit too much, they’ve lost a lot of the edge they showed throughout most of the first 30 games.
- Another ugly one, but the Cavs pick up the win, 93-86. Plenty of problems tonight, from some questionable pick-and-roll defense to some lack of hustle (11 offensive rebounds allowed) and some sloppy play (15 turnovers). Still, great play by LeBron James (33 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds), clutch scoring by Mo Williams (20 points), and good hustle by Delonte West hassling Dwyane Wade into just 6 fourth-quarter points when the Heat needed him most.
- I know that Shawn Marion finished with 10 rebounds, but other than that he was completely ineffective. Part of that was by design (keeping LeBron away from the play defensively), but what an unimpressive performance from someone who considers himself a star. It just shows how absurd that trade notion from a few weeks ago was.
Go Cavs. Next game is December 30th against Miami, LeBron’s birthday.
