| Analysis of the Cavaliers game 5 loss against the Celtics |
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Thoughts following the Cavs 120-88 loss to the Boston Celtics:
* There is no one reason the Cavs are in a 3-2 hole to the Celtics after what probably was the worst performance -- considering the stakes -- in the 40-year history of the franchise.
But there are signs that some of the culprits are deeper and that they are decaying the team that won 61 games and assembled a rock-solid postseason resume after an impressive six-month season.
Let's start with coach Mike Brown, since that is where many of the fans have started. There are several players who are upset with him and how he's handled his rotations during the playoffs, sticking guys in and yanking them out of the lineups.
This came to a bit of a head after Game 4 in Boston, where Shaquille O'Neal was upset that he didn't come back into the game after leaving early in the fourth quarter.
He's also been moving around playing time for Zydrunas Ilgauskas and changing roles of bench players and even starters. During the playoffs, Anthony Parker has played as little as 19 minutes and as many as 42. O'Neal as few as 15 and as many as 28. The players haven't been fully comfortable with those role adjustments,
Ultimately it goes back to the fact that the Cavs didn't have a complete team until the first game of the playoffs. The return of O'Neal forced one odd man out and it destabilized the rotation. The pressure of the playoffs already causes enough back-and-forth and adjustments, but coming into the playoffs blind has taken Brown out of a comfort level and it has carried over to the players.
After nearly a month of it, tempers have flared. There were a number of angry players Sunday in Boston. They were displacing their frustration over the loss on the coach and not on the lacking effort they clearly put forth.
Also, Brown seems to be searching during games without any real plan of what to do. The players can sense this and it undermines him to a certain degree. Very rarely during the playoffs have the Cavs made in-game adjustments that have provided fruit. In between games with practices and film sessions, yes. But not within the game. When the Cavs look like they are going to lose in the first quarter, usually they have lost.
This is either because Brown isn't making proper adjustments or that the team is not executing those commands. Either way, it is a sign of trouble.
Beyond Brown, however, there are other responsibilities. It lies with the captains and that means LeBron James. While he will be the first to tell you that he's a leader and you can see that his teammates are fully invested in that situation, he has not seemed to act like one during much during this series.
First off, he's undermined his coach by acting lax after losses when Brown has been sounding alarm bells. It is James' personality not to be too worried about anything and it was not expected that he'd be throwing people into lockers and such. But his "we'll get 'em next game" philosophy has clearly backfired. With the exception of Game 3, despite all the handshakes and nonsense, the Cavs have been knocked on their heels in every game.
It has further become problematic that James has been disengaged during the games. Not only has he fallen into the trap of "letting the game come to him," but he's been increasingly distant. In huddles he's looking at the ceiling or into the distance. It is not the James anyone on the team knows and his teammates and coaches have seen it. More problematic, they can't explain it and that is making the entire locker room uneasy.
On Tuesday it was Zydrunas Ilgauskas and O'Neal that actually were more proactive. They were showing more leadership than James both on the floor and off the floor.
There were two skirmishes on the court. One was with Kendrick Perkins and O'Neal and the other was with Mo Williams and Rajon Rondo. James showed no such fire and then didn't get get involved in the exchanges, staying off to the side.
Whatever James says in the locker room behind the scenes stays there. In the past, it has been quite obvious that James has a huge role in everything that happens. Perhaps that is still the case. But the way his teammates are playing they have either tuned him out or he's not showing the same fire as he regularly did during the season,
All of this is magnified because right now the Celtics have excellent chemisty. They are playing like the team that is tighter and has more confidence and more stars. That is only making the issues more glaring.
And there's very little time to figure this all out.
Recap:
Fourth Quarter
• Comeback hopes were ended quickly and mostly by Celtics backup forward Glen Davis. He scored 12 of his 15 points in the quarter before having to leave with an ankle injury.
• To show just how bad things got, Mike Brown ordered his players to begin fouling Kendrick Perkins with five minutes to play to put the poor foul shooter in the line. He went 4-of-6 to undercut the strategy.
• Shaquille O'Neal never stopped playing, he scored eight of his 21 points and had three rebounds in the fourth.
Third Quarter: Celtics 80, Cavs 63
• After not doing much damage in the first half, Rajon Rondo was re-activated in the third and it caused problems everywhere. Ray Allen nailed three 3-pointers, which caused the Cavs to alter their defense and put smaller defenders on Rondo. That gave Rondo the green light to attack and he scored 12 points with four assists to help push the Celtics' lead to more than 20 points.
• LeBron James looked to shoot more but the Celtics clearly knew he was off his game and stayed off him to encourage jumpers. All of James' attempts seemed either flat or short. He finished the quarter just 2-of-11 shooting, making just one jumper.
• Mike Brown played nine different players in the quarter and tried several different defensive alignments. Nothing worked as the Celtics were able to execute smoothly offensively.
Halftime: Celtics 50, Cavs 44
• With Rajon Rondo on the bench, the Cavs lost control when the Celtics went on a 16-0 run. It it mostly due to ineffective and stagnant offense. They turned the ball over five times and made just one of seven shots during the run. LeBron James was a major culprit as he repeatedly stopped the ball and allowed the Celtics to set and tilt their defense to clog everything up.
• Rondo had no points and just three assists in the first half, a huge improvement for the defense over Game 4. But the Celtics' Big Three woke up in a big way. They combined for 39 points and 11 rebounds on 15-of-31 shooting. Boston also benefited from strong offensive rebounding. Though the Cavs won the rebound battle, 23-20, the Celtics had 11 second-chance points to the Cavs' five.
• James did get somewhat aggressive late in the first half, drawing five shooting fouls. However, he had another overall low-energy half. He didn't make a basket, the first time he didn't make a hoop in a playoff game since June 7, 2007 in the NBA Finals against the Spurs. He made eight of 10 free throws and had five rebounds and five assists.
First Quarter: Cavs 23, Boston 20
• Trying to break out of his slump, Paul Pierce came out very aggressive in the first. He was looking to drive and challenged his defender, usually LeBron James, whenever he could off the dribble. He found some success, making 3-of-8 attempts to lead the Celtics with six points.
• Cavs coach Mike Brown removed J.J. Hickson from the rotation and instead inserted Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who got his first playing time in the series since Game 1. In his first two minutes on the floor, Ilgauskas made a jumper and grabbed a rebound, which seemed to fire up the crowd.
• Shaquille O'Neal was the focal point of the offense for much of the quarter. He took five shots and scored seven points but also was able to put Kendrick Perkins in foul trouble.
• Rajon Rondo faced Anthony Parker and James in the first quarter and had little impact. He had no points, no assists and one rebound.
Projected starting lineups
Celtics: Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Kendrick Perkins
Cavs: Mo Williams, Anthony Parker, LeBron James, Antawn Jamison, Shaquille O'Neal
Officials
Joey Crawford, Marc Davis, Greg Williard
• Since Game 4 ended, two Cavs have been willing to talk to the media. 1. Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who hasn't played since Game 1. 2. J.J. Hickson, who played five terrible minutes in Game 4. All others have declined to be interviewed or not made available including Shaq, LeBron and Williams.
This upsets most of the now very large media contingent covering the series because they need quotes. It is fine with me, though, because recently what the Cavs say and what they do are often two different things. So why bother with what they say, right? For example, they have been saying they need to come out with the sense of urgency and then play aggressively for 48 minutes. But they have only done that about 25 percent of the time. Therefore, it is difficult to predict how they will play in Game 5 based on what they say before games.
• It is likely that LeBron will indeed guard Rondo, but in the game plan is likely for him to just do it in shifts. Unless there is a major strategy change, and there are no vibes of this, Parker will probably start the game on Rondo and still handle much of the load. The Cavs' strategy isn't just to use LeBron but also to give Parker some rest within the game. In crunch time it is possible LeBron would spend more time on Rondo, if the matchup works.
As part of the above, expect Jamario Moon to get more playing time. Moon will get some possessions on Rondo but also likely will be in the game with LeBron so that Moon can take over guarding Paul Pierce if James shifts to Rondo. If the Cavs put a guard on Pierce, it will be an invitation for Pierce to post up.
The biggest thing you will see from the Cavs is how they react to Rondo after they take a shot. He never had a body on him in Game 4 and was allowed free range to chase down rebounds, which he did 18 times. The plan is to make him at least have to jump for them in Game 5.
• I did catch up to Andy Varejao this morning. Wanted to check on his back, which is still bothering him. In Game 4 it seemed late in the game that he was getting no lift. Several times he missed out on rebounds he'd usually get when the ball just bounced over his head.
Varejao said his back is "up and down, but it is the playoffs so you must play."
He's a vital role player because of his defensive abilities and his rebounding. He hasn't been great in either area so far in the series and much of it seems to be because he's being limited. When Varejao plays well against the Celtics, the Cavs usually win.