Do ya'll think the Cavs think....

[Tek_XX]

they can actually win this thing?

[thekingrobert]

yes they do ive played sports and been heavy underdogs confidence is what carries you, its the spurs job to take their belief away

[Marcus Bryant]

The Cavs thought they had Game 1 in the bag. Welcome to the West.

[makedamnsure]

they came in pretty confident.

where's that player who guaranteed a win now?

[Budkin]

Of course they do... even moreso because LeBron played awful and they were still within striking distance near the end of the game. I wish we would have stepped on their throats but I'm used to it with this team. A win in the Finals is awesome however it comes.

[csl24]

Thing is its not only the cavs we want to beat, its the fucking media and there hard on for (King the Shit). As much as i would love to win the title, stuffing that shit down the media's throat is almost even better. How about those commentators 2nite, suck on james nuts some more why don't you. DAMN!

[SAGambler]

I think as a player, you always believe you can win.

Now I'm not so sure the coaches and staff are actually buying into the hype that this is Clevelands year to shine.

[Borosai]

In the pregame show (I can't believe I watched that shit), they were saying the Cavs feel they will win the series, so they have confidence. But it will erode after each loss.

[csl24]

In the pregame show (I can't believe I watched that shit), they were saying the Cavs feel they will win the series, so they have confidence. But it will erode after each loss.



Do yourself a favor never watch that pregame shit. Those punks are all on bron brons sack...I never watch that crap and never will.

[Tek_XX]

yep

[Avitus1]

If they turn on the TV, watch ABC or ESPN, I bet they think they will. Not cause the analysis but because LeBron is like the second coming of Christ.

[Guajalote]

So far, all analysts have been saying things like, "Spurs can't feel too good about this win because LBJ played awful and still they only won by..." and "All the pressure is on the Spurs for Game 2 because..."

If the Cavs truly lost because LeBron had an off night, that completely discredits the Spurs' efforts. True, LBJ missed some wide open shots, but I saw plenty that were blocked out by the Spurs. And, if LBJ would have played well, Pop and the staff would have adjusted.

Simply put, the better team won tonight because of better team play and execution. I don't think there's any other explanation. And, as far as pressure goes, this team has shown that regardless of the prior game's outcome, each game is on a one-at-a-time basis.

[Marcus Bryant]

The Cavs should be worried that the Spurs figured out how to neutralize their star before the opening tip. It's hard to spin that any other way. There are definitely some things the Cavs can do to improve the play of their supporting cast, but if they are to have a shot at winning this series they cannot expect James to be dropping 35 a night or whatever.

[ZStomp]

Yes I do believe they do.

Damn, I hope they do- if not-- why in the hell are they there?

Silly silly question.

[BWJACKETS]

The Cavs should be worried that the Spurs figured out how to neutralize their star before the opening tip. It's hard to spin that any other way. There are definitely some things the Cavs can do to improve the play of their supporting cast, but if they are to have a shot at winning this series they cannot expect James to be dropping 35 a night or whatever.

Have to disagree with you. If you look at the Detroit series, game one he only scored 10 points and got better and better as the series went along. Tonight was a bad performance but in hindsight I should have seen this coming after Game 6 vs. Detroit. Lebron will get going, he just played like a fucking idiot tonight taking so many jumpers, Spurs just did a great job of getting him out of rythm.

[klx23]

So far, all analysts have been saying things like, "Spurs can't feel too good about this win because LBJ played awful and still they only won by..." and "All the pressure is on the Spurs for Game 2 because..."

If the Cavs truly lost because LeBron had an off night, that completely discredits the Spurs' efforts. True, LBJ missed some wide open shots, but I saw plenty that were blocked out by the Spurs. And, if LBJ would have played well, Pop and the staff would have adjusted.

Simply put, the better team won tonight because of better team play and execution. I don't think there's any other explanation. And, as far as pressure goes, this team has shown that regardless of the prior game's outcome, each game is on a one-at-a-time basis.

This isn't anything new. Analysts say that shit ALL THE TIME. They often refuse to give credit where credit's due, i.e. insist that one team "lost" the game instead of the other team "winning it." It doesn't make much sense.

To respond to the the general question of this thread, yes, the Cavs think they can win this series. Stupid question. If they didn't, they wouldn't even play the games. They would just hand the Spurs the trophy. That's not how it works in this series, or in any series in any sport. You don't just give in, especially when there's still a chance to put up a fight.

[koopa]

Of course they do... even moreso because LeBron played awful and they were still within striking distance near the end of the game. I wish we would have stepped on their throats but I'm used to it with this team. A win in the Finals is awesome however it comes.


they weren't in legit striking distance at the end, the spurs did what they did with the jazz, go up big, and then just let them come back a little but never enough to actually almost win the game, if the spurs felt they were in danger of losing at the end we all would've seen a team play harder, but no point in burning yourself out in game 1..........


and it's not like the spurs played their best game, they still have to make some adjustments too, so i think the spurs will be better in game 2 even though the media will make it seem like the spurs played their greatest basketball game of all time.......

[Tek_XX]

yep

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Have to disagree with you. If you look at the Detroit series, game one he only scored 10 points and got better and better as the series went along. Tonight was a bad performance but in hindsight I should have seen this coming after Game 6 vs. Detroit. Lebron will get going, he just played like a fucking idiot tonight taking so many jumpers, Spurs just did a great job of getting him out of rythm.

They were having to run double screens down low to get him free in the second half and everytime he tried to get to the lane he was either getting a charge or meeting with the Spurs bigs. He was taking jumpers because that is all Bruce and our defense would give him.

On the flipside Parker was smoking you on the pick and roll all game long either getting to the rim or if your big adequately trapped they never recovered and it was a dunk for Duncan. When you double the post your rotations are leaving guys open and Finley isnt going to continue to miss open 3s.

If you recall this was the scenario that we were spelling out to you for the last week and you simply dont have the horses to keep up.

[Tek_XX]

yep

[BigBeezie]

I am pretty sure that they think they can "adjust" and win a game. After watching them last night. I just don't see how so. The Spurs didn't play well on offense and I think they still took it to the Cavs.

[nkdlunch]

all it takes is one game. and they WILL WIN at least one of their home games. that will give them much more confidence

[td4mvp21]

Have to disagree with you. If you look at the Detroit series, game one he only scored 10 points and got better and better as the series went along. Tonight was a bad performance but in hindsight I should have seen this coming after Game 6 vs. Detroit. Lebron will get going, he just played like a fucking idiot tonight taking so many jumpers, Spurs just did a great job of getting him out of rythm.


Good point, but Detroit got progressively worse after Game 1. If the Spurs keep it up, unlike Detroit did, Cavs should be worried. If they relax like the Pistons did, the Spurs should be worried

Also, Cleveland's supporting cast is notoriously inconsistent...and last night they shot pretty well and put up numbers. Ilgauskas had a bad game as did Hughes, but guys like Pavlovic, Gooden, Gibson, etc. had good games. I don't expect Hughes to have many good games this series because of his PF. Their role players have had good games two games in a row, I'm willing to bet they will be off either next game or Game 3. I would be concerned as a Cavs fan about that.

[Obstructed_View]

Unless the Spurs just completely fail to show up, I don't know how Cleveland's going to get a sniff. The Cavs scored a bunch of points in garbage time to make it look closer than it was, and the Spurs were completely out of sync on the offensive end. Fortunately the Cavs have zero interior defense to speak of so the Spurs could score at the rim. The Spurs would have to stop playing defense AND miss all their jumpers to lose a game. It's possible, but it's hard to imagine that it could happen more than once.

[JoeTait75]

Good point, but Detroit got progressively worse after Game 1. If the Spurs keep it up, unlike Detroit did, Cavs should be worried. If they relax like the Pistons did, the Spurs should be worried

Also, Cleveland's supporting cast is notoriously inconsistent...and last night they shot pretty well and put up numbers. Ilgauskas had a bad game as did Hughes, but guys like Pavlovic, Gooden, Gibson, etc. had good games. I don't expect Hughes to have many good games this series because of his PF. Their role players have had good games two games in a row, I'm willing to bet they will be off either next game or Game 3. I would be concerned as a Cavs fan about that.

Up until that 4th-quarter garbage stretch, the Cavaliers were shooting in the low 30's as a team, which is bad even for what is admittedly one of the worst shooting teams in the NBA. Gooden's rotations and close-outs were brutally bad even by his low standards. Ilgauskas was horrendous offensively. And there were several egregious breakdowns defensively, particularly in the third quarter (leaving Bowen alone in the corner to double down on Oberto being the worst). LeBron also spent the entire game locked into his worst habits: pounding the basketball, and reacting way too slowly to the double-team.

I'm sure the Cavaliers are telling themselves they can play much better, and if they do so, they can compete.

[ambchang]

The Cavs are unlikely to win the series, but they still have a chance.
There are a few points of concern in last night's game.
1) The Spurs were not nailing their outside shots, I hope this will not turn into a prolonged shooting slumps to some players (namely Finley). Because when the outside shots are not falling, the Spurs much easier to beat (well, duh!).
2) The Cavs made a pretty good run at the end of the game. Sure this could be because the Spurs were simply bored, as in Game 1 and 2 of the Jazz series, but it may also be because Mike Brown accidentally stumbled into the circle of wisdom, and realized that the small lineup, if on-fire, can beat the Spurs.
3) Lebron had a similarly bad game vs. the Pistons in Game 1 of the ECF. Sure the Pistons are not as good defensively as the Spurs, nor was this game as close as that one, nor was Lebron deferring to his teammates like that game, but you would figure a player of Lebron's skills and basketball prowess could figure out how to combat a pick and roll defense that showed the big man every time. In fact, he threw a couple of decent passes to Gooden for open shots later in the game.