duncan228
12-26-2009, 02:48 AM
http://l.yimg.com/a/p/sp/tools/med/2009/12/ipt/1261812846.jpg
LeBron James and the Cavaliers sent a message after hammering the Lakers: They're back and tougher than last season.
Cavs’ championship plan shows progress (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ys-cavslakers122509&prov=yhoo&type=lgns)
By Brian Windhorst
LOS ANGELES – As they put on their suits and adjusted their ties deep inside Staples Center on Friday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers players and coaches tried to exude a calmness. It was just another game, just December, just the end of a long road trip in the midst of a long season of ups-and-downs.
It was a facade. Inside they were pounding their chests and patting their backs, having not only beaten the Los Angeles Lakers, 102-87, in the featured Christmas Day game, but getting under the Lakers’ skin and unnerving their fans.
In truth, it is just one of 82 games and what happens now is nothing but a footnote to what happens in April, much less in June. But the Cavs have spent the last six months building for games like these and receiving more positive feedback that their plan is on track was rewarding. Even if decorum prevented them from showing it.
“It wasn’t about sending messages to them, it was about sending messages to ourselves,” said LeBron James, who had 26 points, four rebounds, nine assists and two steals in the win.
“We want to see how we matched up against the best team in the NBA to this point. It was a good road win for us because of the caliber of team and the caliber of players they have.”
If the Lakers considered the Cavs a legitimate threat to their title before this game, it was hard to tell.
It wasn’t like facing the Boston Celtics last Christmas, Kobe Bryant said. Not like facing Shaq when he was with the Heat, Derek Fisher said. They might not be better this season, Ron Artest said.
By the time it was over, the Lakers were flustered and handing out cheap shots while their fans tossed foam fingers and water bottles at the floor, projecting their displeasure with the home team’s effort on the officials.
The truth was the Cavs were better prepared for the game, having already played a league-high 18 road games this season. They’ve been playing high-level, physical defense for weeks now, even if they haven’t played perfect basketball.
Along the way they’ve had some setbacks and some questionable losses, which perhaps caused them to slip from the front of the championship discussion. Shaquille O’Neal has looked old and slow at times, leaving some wondering if he can still make an impact. His numbers are way down, like his lift and quickness.
But Shaq’s still 7-foot-1 and 325 pounds, and it is still something the Lakers don’t see every night, and that showed. He can still play with Zydrunas Ilgauskas, giving the Cavs a matchup that looks dreadful against some teams, but also can be effective against the league’s elite like the Lakers and Orlando Magic. The Cavs have beaten both on the road now.
The Cavs’ tall wings, Jamario Moon and Anthony Parker, weren’t as impactful offseason signings as Artest or Trevor Ariza. But they combined to hold Vince Carter to 11-of-23 shooting, Ray Allen to 5-of-16 and Kobe Bryant to 11-of-32 so far. The Cavs didn’t have players like that last season or a big like O’Neal, which is why they were 5-11 against the Lakers, Magic and Celtics and 69-9 against everyone else.
“We know that we can match up well with anybody,” O’Neal said. “I knew this was going to be a good test for us. The Lakers are the best team in the league.”
The Lakers are indeed. And they are a lot better than they showed on Christmas. But they are going to have to be better. As good as they have been since getting Pau Gasol back from his hamstring problem – they were 15-1 with him before Friday – they have fattened their record at home and mostly against also-rans.
This also was the Lakers’ league-high 19th home game. Over the last couple of weeks they survived some games they perhaps could have lost without Bryant bailing them out with some great last-second plays. They were able to get past some of the midlevel teams without playing at a high level.
So the Cavs came in and were physical on defense. O’Neal didn’t let Gasol or Andrew Bynum get close to the basket much. Moon and Parker didn’t allow Bryant to have clean looks at the rim while fiercely defending entry passes. When Bryant got past the first line of defense, he then had to deal with Anderson Varejao, Ilgauskas or O’Neal.
This is how the Cavs play: They lead the league in allowing the fewest points in the paint per game. They are second in defensive field-goal percentage. They are in the top five in points allowed and 3-point defense. They win ugly and sometimes James is the lone offensive star, but they do play defense.
The Cavs figured out early the officials were going to let them play physical. There were only four fouls called in the first quarter and only 15 called in the first half, 12 of them on the Cavs. The reaction was to play harder and tougher; the whistles had been swallowed.
The Lakers’ reaction was to complain about the officiating and rack up five technical fouls and remove their home-court advantage as the score became more lopsided. The Lakers shot just 37 percent and had just 38 points in the paint, nine below their average.
Bryant became frustrated enough to shove Cavs guard Mo Williams to the ground without the officials noticing in the third quarter. Bryant later shoved James for a foul 25 feet from the basket with the Lakers down 20 points.
“I do not think we competed,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. “Competing is a nebulous term when you talk about it in those terms. It’s about being able to play aggressively in the territory you feel comfortable with.”
The Lakers will respond and the Cavs will probably have some more rough spots as the season goes on. When these two teams meet again on Jan. 21 in Cleveland, count on the champs bringing significantly more intensity than they waltzed into Staples Center with on Christmas.
Already, however, the Cavs have proven they’re better than they were last season. And the Lakers are going to have to do some fighting to defend their title.
Brian Windhorst covers the Cavaliers for the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
LeBron James and the Cavaliers sent a message after hammering the Lakers: They're back and tougher than last season.
Cavs’ championship plan shows progress (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ys-cavslakers122509&prov=yhoo&type=lgns)
By Brian Windhorst
LOS ANGELES – As they put on their suits and adjusted their ties deep inside Staples Center on Friday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers players and coaches tried to exude a calmness. It was just another game, just December, just the end of a long road trip in the midst of a long season of ups-and-downs.
It was a facade. Inside they were pounding their chests and patting their backs, having not only beaten the Los Angeles Lakers, 102-87, in the featured Christmas Day game, but getting under the Lakers’ skin and unnerving their fans.
In truth, it is just one of 82 games and what happens now is nothing but a footnote to what happens in April, much less in June. But the Cavs have spent the last six months building for games like these and receiving more positive feedback that their plan is on track was rewarding. Even if decorum prevented them from showing it.
“It wasn’t about sending messages to them, it was about sending messages to ourselves,” said LeBron James, who had 26 points, four rebounds, nine assists and two steals in the win.
“We want to see how we matched up against the best team in the NBA to this point. It was a good road win for us because of the caliber of team and the caliber of players they have.”
If the Lakers considered the Cavs a legitimate threat to their title before this game, it was hard to tell.
It wasn’t like facing the Boston Celtics last Christmas, Kobe Bryant said. Not like facing Shaq when he was with the Heat, Derek Fisher said. They might not be better this season, Ron Artest said.
By the time it was over, the Lakers were flustered and handing out cheap shots while their fans tossed foam fingers and water bottles at the floor, projecting their displeasure with the home team’s effort on the officials.
The truth was the Cavs were better prepared for the game, having already played a league-high 18 road games this season. They’ve been playing high-level, physical defense for weeks now, even if they haven’t played perfect basketball.
Along the way they’ve had some setbacks and some questionable losses, which perhaps caused them to slip from the front of the championship discussion. Shaquille O’Neal has looked old and slow at times, leaving some wondering if he can still make an impact. His numbers are way down, like his lift and quickness.
But Shaq’s still 7-foot-1 and 325 pounds, and it is still something the Lakers don’t see every night, and that showed. He can still play with Zydrunas Ilgauskas, giving the Cavs a matchup that looks dreadful against some teams, but also can be effective against the league’s elite like the Lakers and Orlando Magic. The Cavs have beaten both on the road now.
The Cavs’ tall wings, Jamario Moon and Anthony Parker, weren’t as impactful offseason signings as Artest or Trevor Ariza. But they combined to hold Vince Carter to 11-of-23 shooting, Ray Allen to 5-of-16 and Kobe Bryant to 11-of-32 so far. The Cavs didn’t have players like that last season or a big like O’Neal, which is why they were 5-11 against the Lakers, Magic and Celtics and 69-9 against everyone else.
“We know that we can match up well with anybody,” O’Neal said. “I knew this was going to be a good test for us. The Lakers are the best team in the league.”
The Lakers are indeed. And they are a lot better than they showed on Christmas. But they are going to have to be better. As good as they have been since getting Pau Gasol back from his hamstring problem – they were 15-1 with him before Friday – they have fattened their record at home and mostly against also-rans.
This also was the Lakers’ league-high 19th home game. Over the last couple of weeks they survived some games they perhaps could have lost without Bryant bailing them out with some great last-second plays. They were able to get past some of the midlevel teams without playing at a high level.
So the Cavs came in and were physical on defense. O’Neal didn’t let Gasol or Andrew Bynum get close to the basket much. Moon and Parker didn’t allow Bryant to have clean looks at the rim while fiercely defending entry passes. When Bryant got past the first line of defense, he then had to deal with Anderson Varejao, Ilgauskas or O’Neal.
This is how the Cavs play: They lead the league in allowing the fewest points in the paint per game. They are second in defensive field-goal percentage. They are in the top five in points allowed and 3-point defense. They win ugly and sometimes James is the lone offensive star, but they do play defense.
The Cavs figured out early the officials were going to let them play physical. There were only four fouls called in the first quarter and only 15 called in the first half, 12 of them on the Cavs. The reaction was to play harder and tougher; the whistles had been swallowed.
The Lakers’ reaction was to complain about the officiating and rack up five technical fouls and remove their home-court advantage as the score became more lopsided. The Lakers shot just 37 percent and had just 38 points in the paint, nine below their average.
Bryant became frustrated enough to shove Cavs guard Mo Williams to the ground without the officials noticing in the third quarter. Bryant later shoved James for a foul 25 feet from the basket with the Lakers down 20 points.
“I do not think we competed,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. “Competing is a nebulous term when you talk about it in those terms. It’s about being able to play aggressively in the territory you feel comfortable with.”
The Lakers will respond and the Cavs will probably have some more rough spots as the season goes on. When these two teams meet again on Jan. 21 in Cleveland, count on the champs bringing significantly more intensity than they waltzed into Staples Center with on Christmas.
Already, however, the Cavs have proven they’re better than they were last season. And the Lakers are going to have to do some fighting to defend their title.
Brian Windhorst covers the Cavaliers for the Cleveland Plain Dealer.