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Statistically they were a top defensive team during the regular season and the top defensive team during the playoffs...
The last 2 days i keep hearing from the media and the experts that the Cavs D is right there with SA and that is why this will be a tough series. Am i the only one that doesn't get why they are saying this? Nobody on the Cavs made either of the all defensive teams and they really do not have any shot blocking to speak of. Ilgauskas is big but he is not a shot blocker averaging less than 1 BLK a game in the playoffs. Gooden same thing less than a Blk a game and he is not strong enough or big enough to handle Tim down low, he will get whipped one on one. Is there team defense that good that this is a genuine problem for SA?
Statistically they were a top defensive team during the regular season and the top defensive team during the playoffs...
Against a Wizards team minus Agent Zero and Caron Butler.
Against an aging Nets team that was barely .500 out East
Against an inept Pistons team that looked lost all series and slows the tempo anyways (although, this was their best accomplishment of the postseason)
:eastern conference:
How good is the Cavs' offense? 24th in FG% this season. 18th in 3 point FG%. 29th in FT%.
Spurs were 2nd in FG%, 4th in 3 pt FG%, and an unheard of 17th ranking in FT%.
Spurs in 5.
All good points especially about the Pistons tempo. Just seems weird to me if this is a battle of Defense the Spurs have better one on one defenders and play a better team D, so i fail to see why this would be a serious problem for the Spurs.
i wish i had your confidence.
Disparities like that don't lie.
i just keep thinking there's something i'm missing. the disparities are so obvious, why give the cavs any chance?
Well Marcus I like you're post...and ultimately there's NO DOUBT they will prove true. BUT (that's a bit BUT) regular seasons stats are foolsgold...see the 2005-7 Dallas Mavericks
Good points and when i keep hearing how good the Cavs D is and i look at their players and numbers i just don't see it. Hopefully they can't stop the Spurs with great regularity.
The only team to have beaten the Spurs in a 7 game series in the last 3 playoffs (incl this one) were 7th in FG%, 9th in 3 pt FG%, & 6th in FT%.
statistically, they were vulnerable to the warriors, who scored second most in the west and could score more than the mavs. the mavs tried to get into a running game because they couldn't do the slow down post thing. the cavs are a worse offensive and defensive team, worse at steals, worse at turnovers, worse at freethrows. they get about three more boards than the spurs, though.Well Marcus I like you're post...and ultimately there's NO DOUBT they will prove true. BUT (that's a bit BUT
SPURS will eXPOSE their dynamic defense
That team also forced a major change in the Spurs' rotation which weakened their defense considerably.
Unless the Cavs can force the Spurs to start Michael Finley at the 4 I'm not worried.
Proclaiming that the Cavs are a stellar defensive team is the same as people oggling Leandro Barbosa's numbers in the Phoenix system. The Cavaliers have a significant advantage in this department as they only played San Antonio, Dallas, Phoenix, Utah, Houston, Denver and the rest of the west but twice. Meanwhile they were allowed to run amuck on Milwaukee, Boston, Charlotte, New York, Atlanta and the rest of the dredges of this league. Frankly, it's not too difficult to put up stellar numbers on dismal teams just like it's not too difficult to average 12 points a game when your team has 18 seconds left on the shot clock on average each possession (Barbosa). Take Cleveland's numbers therefore, with a grain of salt.
That being said, I do not mean to presume that Cleveland is a poor defensive team. It is obviously at the heart of what they do and is a significant asset. They are just nowhere near the Spurs' level. Period.
Good points i mainly posted in response to an interview PJ did here where i live in NY. He said that he feels they have matchup problems for the Spurs without getting specific as to who that was and raved about their D being right there with the Spurs. Then when i looked at the stats and who they have played i was like HUH??
this has nothing to do with nothing, but i realized for the first time today that he has the same name as the mutinous captain who left jack sparrow on a deserted island. made me giggle.
The problem is that the Spurs have a better offense and defense than any the Cavs have faced thusfar in the postseason. The teams the Cavs have faced so far have not executed well on the offensive end. The Cavs will struggle mightily to defend the Spurs' O and on the other end of the court the Cavs will be facing the best defense they've seen in the playoffs.
Spurs in 5.
Sure it does. People have consistently pointed to "well the Cavs are ranked such and such in FG%" or "But the Cavs only allow this many points". People use stats to try and and legitimize this defense when it simply is not on par with what San Antonio brings. Thats my only point.
No doubt.
no, i meant that the fact that leandro and the mutinous capt share the same last name had nothing to do with anything.
just comparing cavs to the 02-03 nets:
nets scored avg 95.4 ppg, held opponents to 90.1, had a differential of 5.2, shot 44.13 %, 33 % from 3, held opps to 36 percent from three
cavs scored 96.8 ppg, held opps 92.9, differential of 3.8, 44.73 fg%, 35 % 3 fg, 33 opps fg % from 3.
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