Glad to see the ESPN announcers for the Cavs-Raptors game call out the league for this decision. Usually they are such lackeys that they just act as parrots for the commissioner's office.

What is really unfortunate is that GS will get the calls tonight so that the series can be tied 2-2. Without Green and his moving screens, elbows, and flailing, OKC would definitely go up 3-1. Let's hope the Thunder's hot shooting continues and they win anyway.

Tim Donaghy made some comments at start of playoffs hinting that there were shenanigans going on. Media dismissed him.

Watching some of these calls and non calls this playoffs...Goombah, as your fellow Clevelander, Arsenio Hall, used to say....these are "things that make you say hmmmmm?"

Tyronn Lue nows gets to show what he's made of as a coach.

Found this picture and appreciated that Lue has a sense of humor.



and yes....the image on the t shirt is what you think it is

That's great. Was that a regular season game, or did that happen in the Finals?

Lue gassed LeBron last night. This is his first real post season adversity as a coach. We'll see how he gets his team to respond.

Goombah,

it's a pic from a regular season matchup from last season in Philly.

I'm gonna try to watch the next complete Cavs game to see what kinds of adjustments they make.

They should play Mozgov so that he punishes the small frontcourt of Toronto. Cavs are trying to be midwest version of GSW rather than exploiting their advantages over Raptors.

I get the sense the Cavs will try to really disrupt Toronto's backcourt. The Cavs will dare the other Raptors to beat them. I also see the Cavs playing Frye more to draw Biyombo out from underneath.

The Warriors look done. I think they'll win Game 5 at home, but putting Adams on Curry at times was a stroke of genius. Curry is not used to have a 7 footer on him and it has disrupted his shot. Draymond Green looked foolish again last night with all of his turnovers. He's played small this series.

Goombah,

didn't watch the game, but in the highlights ,just like you said..Cavs were harassing the backcourt into multiple turnovers.


Draymond is a fake tough guy. Good skilled player who fits into their system but severely undersized as a power forward/center. If the Warriors have a lead...opposing teams aren't going to feed the low post player and abuse DG because they don't want the lead to balloon, but if the score is close...that's a matchup ripe for exploitation.
Small ball doesn't work if the warriors are behind.Bogut and Festus are fouls waiting to happen.

Still not sold on Thunder...and think Warriors have a rabbit to pull out of their hats. But my predictions have been laughable in playoffs so far.

The GS offense has some similarities to the 99-01 Rams "Greatest Show on Turf." Conditions have to be just right for the offense to work. For the Warriors, it's no coincidence that Curry has had poor output in the games Green has been struggling mightily. Without the illegal moving screens set by Green, Curry is not getting as many open looks.

You're not sold on the Thunder? Maybe it's my damaged Cleveland sports psyche, but OKC looks invincible now. I feel like they're clicking at the perfect time. But maybe they just matchup well with GS.

Should be an epic series if it's LeBron/Kyrie vs. Durant/Westbrook. I really, really hope the Cavs can bring my city a championship.

Green should/could have gotten T'd up at least 3 times last game. He's daring the refs to toss him out of a game. NBA office is looking silly now for not giving him the suspension. They did get to stretch the series out though, which is what the NBA seems to care about primarily.

Thunder still doesn't run plays in crunch time.

Cavs should close out tonight and might have to play a team that had to go to 7 games.

welcome back to the Finals, Goombah.

2 straight years.....and 6 straight years for Lebron.

Thank you, kind sir.

The Cavs played the last two games like they should. Lowry was amazing in Game 6, but the Cavs had 80+ points from the Big Three and good contributions by RJ, Frye, & JR. Cavs are in much better health than this time last year. It should be a fun Finals, no matter who the Cavs face.

Meant to reply to this in earlier post.
Interesting point comparing GSW to that Rams team. Patriots(in addition to cheating by possibly having tape of rams walkthrough) slowed them down by jamming the receivers at the the line...neutralizing their speed advantage. Thunder's scheme of not switching on pick'n'rolls, throwing an athletic big(SA) on Curry, and the refs limiting the illegal screens has slowed the fluid movement of the Warriors. It worked and has slowed down GSW. That small ball stuff only works if they have a lead....otherwise you can exploit their lack of size.

I hope Coach Donovan has another trick up his sleeve because I think refs will call the game so that the NBA has a big payday in a Memorial Day game 7.

That was a meltdown of epic proportions by OKC. I think they lost it much more than GS won the series. In the end, OKC was a two-man show vs. a much deeper Warriors roster.

It will be interesting to see whether GS is truly on a roll or whether they expended a ton of energy just to get this point. I think that they were expecting to face San Antonio in the WCF and took OKC lightly. That approach almost cost them the series.

If I am Ty Lue, I send one of my scrubs to bait Draymond Green into a fight. Then he gets the automatic suspension.

This Cavs team is vastly different than the one GS boat raced off the court in mid-January, let alone the team Cleveland fielded in the 2015 Finals.

Cavs in six.

Cavs have to shake off the rust.

Love is the pivotal player in this series.GSW has nobody who can handle Love on the low blocks. That's one of their weaknesses. KL is bigger than Draymond and more agile than Bogut/Festus. He's also a good passer.

Run the offense through KL on the high or low post.

One of the reasons why OKC couldn't beat these guys is that their offense was predictable.....iso KD or RW.....now they are facing iso LBJ or KI.

If KL shows up and plays like he says he's capable of playing, Cavs can beat these guys. You can shoot from the outside when you have to, but gotta be able to set up plays in the halfcourt offense..and you need a post player for that. Last year Mozgov was abusing GSW until they started swarming him when the entry pass came in. Love is a better passer/decision maker than TM.

Excellent analysis Getthesets.

I would add the Cavs missed 28 shots inside the paint, including 12 points within 2 feet. Then they focused on stopping Curry & Thompson at the expense of giving up at least 16 points to a wide open Warrior beneath the rim.

I'm not a gambler, but would put $$ down that the Cavs win Game 2. LeBron is 9-0 since 2009 in Game 2. If the Cavs do lose tonight, then the series is over.

Goombah,

thanks

Interesting that they missed 28 points in the paint and GSW doesn't have a shot blocker except Festus. Never mind trying to shoot layups....as Bill Walton would say "throw it down"...especially against the undersized Warriors

Draymond is still allowed to swipe for the ball...hitting Cavs player in the arms/hands with no foul called...refs are terrible

Coach Lue has to make adjustments,Cavs can beat these guys.

I think those close range misses were a combination of getting fouled and just not finishing. The refs have been terrible, but across the board not for or against one team. Although Curry is as fragile as a teenage girl, so he gets more calls than LeBron.

I think the Warriors are in the Cavs' heads. As a fan that is extremely frustrating. I agree with you - the Cavs can win this. But the Cavs need to dictate the tempo and hope to draw fouls. They also have to stay at home on defense - way too many times not recognizing the switch in Game 1.

And on cue, Bogut blocks 5 shots in first quarter of game 2. :)So much for my basketball expertise.

I'll sit out the rest of the series with my analysis...eheheh

agree with all of and especially the draw fouls part..attack whoever Steph is guarding

The series is over. I was so disgusted I shut it off with 6:00 to go before the half. If Silver had the balls to suspend Green last round, GS wouldn't even be here.

I see what you did there.

Lue has to justify the contract they gave him, because Blatt wasn't outcoached like this last year....even undermanned.

Until yesterday, I had not been this embarrassed watching the Cavs since LeBron quit in Game 5 of the 2010 series vs. Boston. I will never forget his phantom elbow injury and starting shooting free throws left handed.

What I saw in Games 1 & 2 was a Cavs team scared to play. The depleted roster of Thompson, Dellavedova, LBJ, Mozgov, & Shumpert played with 100 times more heart last year than this year's team at full strength. In the first two games, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, & JR Smith have shrunk under the pressure. Thompson has been forced out of the lane and then has been rushing to get back into position, with absymal results.

If I were Tyronn Lue, I would shake up my starting lineup and start Shumpert or James Jones in place of JR Smith and Channing Frye for Love. I would also play Mozgov when Bogut is in the game, even if that means starting Moz. These moves would strengthen the second unit and may actually stop the bleeding with the starting unit.

Goombah,

Don't be surprised if Lue does exactly what you suggested, because his way isn't working.

With all the bizarre turns this playoffs, don't count Cavs out just yet. One key injury or ejection can turn this entire thing around.

One thing for sure, Kyrie and Kevin need to play like the superstars they think they are.

Getthesenets,

I don't see Love playing Game 3 from the concussion in the previous game. Still not sure how he was elbowed in the head and no foul was called.

If Lue is stubborn, then he will insist on his way . I think he's smarter than that, but I don't know if it will matter. David Blatt had his critics for sure and some of it was justified. It's easy to forget that the Cavs were nearly up 3-0 in last year's Finals. But what will it say if the Cavs get ousted in 4-5 games with a full roster and David Blatt took GS to 6 games with effectively 7 players last year? The defense has slipped considerably from last year. And look at LeBron's lack of offense in the first two games comparied to the monster he was in the '15 Finals.

The Cavs have also stopped running offense. It's basically four guys sitting on the three point line while either Irving or LeBron try to drive. The defense just sits back and waits to converge. The Cavs offense is most effective when it snaps off quick passes and players are in constant motion. None of that has happened in the first two games.

If I were Lue, I would set the tone in the first five minutes. I would send out an expendable player to smash Green with an elbow or forearm. If he can get away with thuggery, there's no reason for the Cavs not to dish it back.

Goombah,

Agree. The perimeter clearouts that Cavs run...or that OKC ran last series won't work against the Warriors for a few reasons.

One....the shooters floating at 3 point line are SCARED....so the defense isn't playing them honestly (you don't have Mike Miller or Shane Battier out there)

Two....the scorers have the ball so defense is keyed on them the entire play (imagine having a high iq veteran pg who has the ball and your scorers are off the ball ?)Defense is keyed on stopping the scorers ,so pg can exploit the defense. For all the talk about all the great pgs in the league...give me an old veteran pg in clutch situations...he'd make the right play

Three....outside of Steph...entire Warrors team are interchangeable 6'6" to 6'9" long athletic wings who can switch on picks n rolls....so you can't even run pnr's

Getthesenets,

I agree the Cavs have been playing scared. I would add that GS is not respecting LeBron's jumper, so they will leave him alone at the arc and take their chances of him driving. So far, it's worked well since they are blocking his shots or he's missing contested layups from point blank range.

I had no feel heading into Game 2. I know the Cavs are not going to win the series, but I will be much more upset if the Cavs do not show some fight.

Goombah,

It's 3rd quarter of game 3 and Cavs are definitely fighting back.
Crowd should be much louder though.

James just caqught the alley oop dunk and the roof should be blown off....

I thought the volume on my tv was not working.

With the lead, Cavs should be trying to draw fouls...get GSW in the penalty and shut the door on GSW..but they are shooting jumpers instead. why?

I think the quietness came after a terrible 2nd quarter by the Cavs. They went away from everything that worked in the 1st quarter, at least on the offensive side. I also think that many, including myself, realize that no lead is safe with GS. A lot of Clevelanders were waiting for the other shoe to drop. I didn't feel like the Cavs were not going to lose until the alley oop.

I'm not sure of the true number, but I lost count of how many drives LeBron didn't finish at the rim. It had to be at least 14 points. I don't understand how so many of those shots are not falling. I think that's why he started resorting to his jumper. By the 3rd quarter, LBJ drove a few times to the hole only to pass.

I was so hoping Klay Thompson was knocked out of the series when he collided with Mozgov. I loathe Thompson's fake tough guy persona.

Don't get me wrong, I am happy for the win. But I won't get overly excited unless the Cavs take Game 4. I hope Lue has the guts to have Kevin Love off the bench to maintain the athleticism of Richard Jefferson in the starting lineup. And the Cavs did a great job of limiting Bogut and Green's effectiveness in Game 3.

I hear you about no lead being safe against the Warriors,Goombah. Cavs shooting jumpers early in shot clock, even with a big lead, plays into GSW hands though. That's how they erased leads playing against the Thunder.

force the small ball warriors to play halfcourt defense, and you can expose the right matchup.....and more importantly..get klay and steph in foul trouble...those other gsw guys scored a lot of points in the first 2 games...but klay and steph are the closers ..the guys you want sitting down because of foul trouble.

You mentioned RJ being a big upgrade from Shawn Marion earlier in this thread and you were right...and it paid dividends.


Bron is missing shots on drives, to me, for the same reason that Channing Frye almost elbowed KT's head off last night...gsw is allowed to reach and smack people across hands and forearms with no whistle. KT had fouled CF after he got a rebound....refs act like they didn't see it, so he cleared space with elbows. Refs then called a tech on frye for "physical taunting" or some other garbage. Bron is getting his hands and armed smacked around on drives(no whistle) and it's throwing him off.He's strong enough to power through hat stuff if he goes all the way to the hole and dunks it, but on pullups....it's throwing off his balance a bit.

That's a very astute point. I have thought LeBron has been getting hacked, going back to the 2015 Finals. But I also attributed that to my having a definite bias toward Cleveland and thinking the refs were screwing us. I'm glad to see it's being noticed, just wish it was by the officiating crews.

I fully expect Love to come off the bench for Game 4. And I think Kerr will adjust to Jefferson. It's up to Lue to counter adjust. Moving LeBron to the #4 against Green was a good move by Lue. LeBron is a matchup nightmare for Green. I also think the Cavs should go after Green and try to either get him into foul trouble, or better yet try to bait him into a flagrant foul.