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Browns sick after sick loss in Detroit
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No. 1 Akron to play Stanford next
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Seven players added to Tribe’s 40-man roster
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Post-game defensive quotes
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Kent State defeats Rochester College, 63-44
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Gameblog: Cavs vs. Philadelphia 76ers
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OSU – Michigan college football rivals meet in Baghdad
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Four area football teams play tonight
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The Onion, By Any Other Name…
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Akron Law Café:
Health Care Financing Reform: (70) Savings in Medicare Advantage
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Vintage Chic
Car Chase:
TIME TO GET YOUR COLLECTOR CARS WINTERIZED
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Faye Dunaway to be Evicted?
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Monique asks how to get tickets for the Polar Express.
Sound Check:
Steely Dan Plays "The Royal Scam" at E.J. Thomas Hall
HRLite House:
Personal Rant – You are All Wrong About Jobs, or the Lack of Jobs, Being the Reason People Do Not Live in NEO
Akron Gamer:
Nintendo's Mario endures even as games come and go
By Brian Windhorst
Beacon Journal sportswriter
POSTED: 12:57 p.m. EDT, Apr 18, 2008
Control the tempo — The Wizards want to play fast and increase the number of possessions in the game. They only won nine games this season when they scored less than 100 points and only three when they scored less than 80. The Cavs are not a great offensive team; they want to push the ball off misses, and they want to keep it a defensive battle. The Cavs only won nine games this season when they gave up 100 points (in regulation).
Defensive rebounds — Both the Wizards and the Cavs are in the top five in the NBA in offensive rebounding. For the Cavs, getting putbacks is a significant percentage of their offense, and they rely on fastbreaks off defensive rebounds to get easy points. So whichever team is able to limit the other's offensive rebounds, that is what is better on the defensive end, will have an edge.
The LeBron Rules — The Wizards will likely attempt to double-team James on the outside to force him to give up the ball in crunch time. They have to make sure to do it with aggression and not allow him to split. James must be able to distribute the ball to beat the attack, and most important, his teammates must make open shots
Talking and listening — It is clear that the Wizards are a trash talking team, and they use it to build themselves up and throw off their opponent. It often works for them. The Cavs, on the other hand, have had their focus disrupted when they start talking during games this season, to both the opponents and the officials.
Protecting home — There has been much made of the Cavs' record after their big trade but here is something often overlooked: they were 12-4 at home after the deal. In the past two years, they are also 4-1 at the Verizon Center in Washington in the playoffs, and they have eight road playoff wins in the past two years. Taking care of business at home will be vital to both teams, the Cavs wanting to continue the trend, and the Wizards wanting to break it.
Brian Windhorst can be reached at bwindhor@thebeaconjournal.com. Read his blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/cavs/
Control the tempo — The Wizards want to play fast and increase the number of possessions in the game. They only won nine games this season when they scored less than 100 points and only three when they scored less than 80. The Cavs are not a great offensive team; they want to push the ball off misses, and they want to keep it a defensive battle. The Cavs only won nine games this season when they gave up 100 points (in regulation).
Defensive rebounds — Both the Wizards and the Cavs are in the top five in the NBA in offensive rebounding. For the Cavs, getting putbacks is a significant percentage of their offense, and they rely on fastbreaks off defensive rebounds to get easy points. So whichever team is able to limit the other's offensive rebounds, that is what is better on the defensive end, will have an edge.
The LeBron Rules — The Wizards will likely attempt to double-team James on the outside to force him to give up the ball in crunch time. They have to make sure to do it with aggression and not allow him to split. James must be able to distribute the ball to beat the attack, and most important, his teammates must make open shots
Talking and listening — It is clear that the Wizards are a trash talking team, and they use it to build themselves up and throw off their opponent. It often works for them. The Cavs, on the other hand, have had their focus disrupted when they start talking during games this season, to both the opponents and the officials.
Protecting home — There has been much made of the Cavs' record after their big trade but here is something often overlooked: they were 12-4 at home after the deal. In the past two years, they are also 4-1 at the Verizon Center in Washington in the playoffs, and they have eight road playoff wins in the past two years. Taking care of business at home will be vital to both teams, the Cavs wanting to continue the trend, and the Wizards wanting to break it.
Brian Windhorst can be reached at bwindhor@thebeaconjournal.com. Read his blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/cavs/
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