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Do IT this week: Layering
By George M. Thomas
Beacon Journal staff writer
POSTED: 12:00 a.m. EDT, Oct 28, 2009
CLEVELAND: After starting the game with a bare-knuckled right hook squarely to the jaw of the Boston Celtics, the Cavaliers needed a strong third quarter to have a chance to win Tuesday night's season opener at Quicken Loans Arena.
Ultimately, however, suspect defense in the middle of the game, an inability to stop the Celtics and an old nemesis in Rasheed Wallace, who scored five crucial points in the fourth quarter, sunk the Cavs on the way to a 95-89 loss.
LeBron James led the Cavs with 38 points and four rebounds, and Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 23 points and 11 rebounds.
With 8:26 left in the third quarter, the Celtics led the Cavs by 15, and it looked as if they would run away with the game. Instead, the Cavs battled their way back and trailed 72-65 after three quarters and headed into the fourth with a little momentum.
The Cavs scrapped their way back to within four points with 5:44 left in the game, but despite some tense moments, the Celtics held their ground and claimed the victory.
The Cavs' first unit played with a sense of familiarity to start the game, jumping out to a 14-point lead at the 5:48 mark of the first quarter, a lead that disappeared almost as quickly.
''Defensively, one of our staples is to contest shots and for a stretch in the first half, we didn't contest shots, especially 3-point shots in transition,'' Cavs coach Mike Brown said. ''We have to do a better job of that.''
In those early moments, Anderson Varejao made a couple of fadeaway jumpers on his way to a nine-point, seven-rebound night.
Offseason acquisition Anthony Parker showed why his game attracted the Cavs enough to sign him. Parker made shots and flashed serious defensive credentials on a steal early in the game and by taking a charge at 2:32 of the first quarter.
And James? Well, he played like James, scoring nine points in the quarter.
And the defense? With Shaquille O'Neal in the paint, the shots didn't come easily for the Celtics.
But things quickly went from promising to bad.
The Celtics attacked the 14-point deficit from long range to begin a 14-9 run that closed out the first quarter. The offensive onslaught continued into the second, as the Celtics went on an 11-4 run. Once again, the Celtics did their damage from the perimeter. The Celtics made 7-of-9 3-point attempts in the first half and led 51-45 at halftime.
For as good as the Cavs looked to open the game, they regressed for the rest of it. The lack of familiarity sometimes showed. With the Cavs behind by four in the fourth quarter, Parker was caught by surprise by a pass in the corner for a costly turnover.
It was one of five Cavs turnovers in the fourth quarter.
''I've been around 17 years. Win the first game, lose the first game you just got to get better. It's still a very new team,'' O'Neal said. ''You've just got to take care of the ball down the stretch and just keep at it.''
If nothing else, the game validates what Brown said going into the season. With so many new players, there will be some bumps in the road. James agreed with his coach, saying that the Cavs needed work on both ends of the court — especially offense — to be successful this season.
''You have to be on the same page on offense, but on defense you can kind of cheat the system a little bit,'' he said.
No word on Daniels
Brown is all for doing whatever makes his team better. For that reason, he's open to veteran guard Antonio Daniels coming to the Cavs if it can be worked out.
Recent reports said the Cavs are close to signing the former member of the Minnesota Timberwolves who was cut recently. The sides reportedly are haggling over whether Daniels would receive a guaranteed contract.
Daniels would add more depth and flexibility to the Cavs' bench, because he possesses the ability to play both guard positions.
A league source said that a deal with the free-agent wasn't imminent.
Buzzer beaters
James became the youngest player in league history (24 years, 301 days old) to score 13,000 points, besting Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant by more than a year. . . . Tuesday's game was the 600th at Quicken Loans Arena . . . O'Neal had his first double-double as a member of the Cavs with 10 points and 10 rebounds in 29 minutes.
George M. Thomas can be reached at sportswriterabj@sbcglobal.net. Read the Cavs blog at http://www.ohio.com/thomas. Follow Cavs coverage on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/cavsabj
CLEVELAND: After starting the game with a bare-knuckled right hook squarely to the jaw of the Boston Celtics, the Cavaliers needed a strong third quarter to have a chance to win Tuesday night's season opener at Quicken Loans Arena.
Ultimately, however, suspect defense in the middle of the game, an inability to stop the Celtics and an old nemesis in Rasheed Wallace, who scored five crucial points in the fourth quarter, sunk the Cavs on the way to a 95-89 loss.
LeBron James led the Cavs with 38 points and four rebounds, and Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 23 points and 11 rebounds.
With 8:26 left in the third quarter, the Celtics led the Cavs by 15, and it looked as if they would run away with the game. Instead, the Cavs battled their way back and trailed 72-65 after three quarters and headed into the fourth with a little momentum.
The Cavs scrapped their way back to within four points with 5:44 left in the game, but despite some tense moments, the Celtics held their ground and claimed the victory.
The Cavs' first unit played with a sense of familiarity to start the game, jumping out to a 14-point lead at the 5:48 mark of the first quarter, a lead that disappeared almost as quickly.
''Defensively, one of our staples is to contest shots and for a stretch in the first half, we didn't contest shots, especially 3-point shots in transition,'' Cavs coach Mike Brown said. ''We have to do a better job of that.''
In those early moments, Anderson Varejao made a couple of fadeaway jumpers on his way to a nine-point, seven-rebound night.
Offseason acquisition Anthony Parker showed why his game attracted the Cavs enough to sign him. Parker made shots and flashed serious defensive credentials on a steal early in the game and by taking a charge at 2:32 of the first quarter.
And James? Well, he played like James, scoring nine points in the quarter.
And the defense? With Shaquille O'Neal in the paint, the shots didn't come easily for the Celtics.
But things quickly went from promising to bad.
The Celtics attacked the 14-point deficit from long range to begin a 14-9 run that closed out the first quarter. The offensive onslaught continued into the second, as the Celtics went on an 11-4 run. Once again, the Celtics did their damage from the perimeter. The Celtics made 7-of-9 3-point attempts in the first half and led 51-45 at halftime.
For as good as the Cavs looked to open the game, they regressed for the rest of it. The lack of familiarity sometimes showed. With the Cavs behind by four in the fourth quarter, Parker was caught by surprise by a pass in the corner for a costly turnover.
It was one of five Cavs turnovers in the fourth quarter.
''I've been around 17 years. Win the first game, lose the first game you just got to get better. It's still a very new team,'' O'Neal said. ''You've just got to take care of the ball down the stretch and just keep at it.''
If nothing else, the game validates what Brown said going into the season. With so many new players, there will be some bumps in the road. James agreed with his coach, saying that the Cavs needed work on both ends of the court — especially offense — to be successful this season.
''You have to be on the same page on offense, but on defense you can kind of cheat the system a little bit,'' he said.
No word on Daniels
Brown is all for doing whatever makes his team better. For that reason, he's open to veteran guard Antonio Daniels coming to the Cavs if it can be worked out.
Recent reports said the Cavs are close to signing the former member of the Minnesota Timberwolves who was cut recently. The sides reportedly are haggling over whether Daniels would receive a guaranteed contract.
Daniels would add more depth and flexibility to the Cavs' bench, because he possesses the ability to play both guard positions.
A league source said that a deal with the free-agent wasn't imminent.
Buzzer beaters
James became the youngest player in league history (24 years, 301 days old) to score 13,000 points, besting Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant by more than a year. . . . Tuesday's game was the 600th at Quicken Loans Arena . . . O'Neal had his first double-double as a member of the Cavs with 10 points and 10 rebounds in 29 minutes.
George M. Thomas can be reached at sportswriterabj@sbcglobal.net. Read the Cavs blog at http://www.ohio.com/thomas. Follow Cavs coverage on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/cavsabj
Comments
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Lorain, oh
Posted 02:10 AM, 10/28/2009
No reason to worry..good game by two very good teams. Cavs still having issues guarding mobile big men, but Parker looked good...Shaq seemed to fade a bit as the game went on.
Still gotta find that guy besides Lebron to make the shot consistently...Lebron was killer on D!!
Akron, Oh
Posted 08:11 AM, 10/28/2009
Judging by the smile on LeMoney's face after a loss I'd say there will be many more of these to come as he completes his farewell tour. Cavs are probably battling for 4th or 5th in the East and an early exit in playoffs.
Posted 08:16 AM, 10/28/2009
NO REASON TO WORRY...SEEMS TO BE THE EARLY SEASON CREED AMONG CLEVELAND SPORTS TEAMS. YEAH DON'T WORRY YOU ARE NOT GOING TO WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP THIS YEAR EITHER. THE CAVS LOOKED AVERAGE, EXCEPT FOR LeBRON. THE GUY PARKER IS GARBAGE(HENCE THE TURNOVER IN A CRITICAL MOMENT), SHAQ SHOWED NO DOMINATION LIKE HE USED TO AND D. WEST SITTING ON THE BENCH SUCKING ON HIS PROZAC POP WAS PROBABLY THE SADDEST MOMENT. SURE THEY WILL GET BETTER, BUT THEY ARE NOT EVEN CLOSE TO THE CELTICS,THEY GOT SPANKED ON NATIONAL TV...YOU TELL ME THAT IS ALRIGHT AND YOUR WRONG...DEAD WRONG, BUT WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT FROM CLEVELAND FANS...LOTS OF OPTIMISM; IN FACT THE WORD OPTIMISM MAIN ORIGIN IS RIGHT OUT OF CLEVELAND!
Paradise, Oh
Posted 09:01 AM, 10/28/2009
I thought they laid a perfectly lovely egg while the world was watching.
Greenwood, IN
Posted 09:01 AM, 10/28/2009
No reason to panic, but I am concerned where the bench points will come from especially if there is no Delonte. That game looked eerily like many of the Orlando playoff losses. Early lead, bench gets blown out in the 2nd period then the Cavs spend the rest of the game trying to get close only to lose.
akron, oh
Posted 09:28 AM, 10/28/2009
I don't know what you haters were watching, but the score was close between the two. CAVS turned over the ball twice during the last few critical possessions. LEbron & PArker both turned the ball over. To say that this team is likely to get 4th or 5th position in the eastern playoffs is ridiculous. If i recall the last year the CAVS loss their first game, but still had the better record in the NBA. Lets not get too ahead of ourselves & over react. BTW "They did NOT get spanked."
Posted 12:11 PM, 10/28/2009
It is one game. Anyone who judges this team on one fame is a fool. They have several new players who need to have time to learn to play together. The loss of Delonte West was huge because he is a true play maker. I really hope they sign daniels especially if Delonte is going to be out for some time. The big concern for me is Mike Brown. Like Jim Tressel he only seems to know how to coach one style. Why not, for example, start a second unit based on speed and run more? Moon was totally wasted last night. And why not start Hickson and bring varejo off the bench to give that unit more stability? And why not always have either Shaq or Lebron on the floor? Mike Brown lost the Orlando series because he admitted before hand the Magic had the match up advantages which set the team up to fail. He is truly on the hot seat. If they don't turn it around fast (and I'm willing to give 10-15 games learning curve) then Brown will be fired midseason.
alliance, oh
Posted 01:07 PM, 10/28/2009
Good game Lebron, Please cav's give lebron some help !!!!!.........
uniontown, oh
Posted 01:18 PM, 10/28/2009
I know what I was watching and it wasn't pretty. Why can't we come prepared and in shape. If you can't try 3 pointers and make foul shots on your home court where can you? Boston came to play, started slow but got better and hotter every minute. Sorry LeBron, no ring this year, but don't give up. I mean, look at it this way, you played football at St. V, you could have been drafted by the Browns. Good luck.
Akron, OH
Posted 02:18 PM, 10/28/2009
Thanx Ferry, and Brown, for failing to bring in any young talent to grow with Lebron. His farewell tour..He would never bring a Championship to Cleveland anyways.
Posted 06:14 PM, 10/28/2009
That game was a microcasm of the season. Cavs will be very good again, but not good enough to take the title. They are the second or third best team in the East. Boston looks very good and confident. Although the Cavs are improved, Boston did more to improve themselves and are now the team to beat in the east and maybe the best team in the league. Look for Boston to take the crown this year.
akron, oh
Posted 10:10 PM, 10/28/2009
well,they just lost a second game--I know--blame it on time zone--NOT I will be as negative as I want to be on the whiners--opps i mean cav's. and guess what?? my 2 kids feel the same!
kent, oh
Posted 10:22 PM, 10/28/2009
I refuse to watch any games that are broadcast by Austin Carr...........put the hammer down!!! Tonight he said the cav's are still in pre-season mode! guess what! the season started 2 losses ago!
