Cavs Magic Number over Lakers Down to 4!!

• SQ_Crazies

  

  Yeah Boobie has gotten A LOT better at staying under control when he drives to the rim. He's always been able to do it, but then he'd throw that floater up and tuck into a ball rather than follow through with it. He's gotten stronger, you can see that he's gotten thicker. Now when he goes up he isn't scared, he makes sure he finishes the shot before he looks for contact.
• dave

  boobie didn't have foul trouble when he was starting this year. mikey will never play him though, hopefully they move him in the offseason and bring in a young pg to develop (assuming bron stays).
  
  mo seems to be more consistent in terms of handling the point where boobie can have 6 assists/ 1 TO one night and completely flip it the next.
• ytownfootball

  

  The added weight has seriously boosted his confidence. The timidness is gone and he's not afraid of the contact like he used to be. This will be to his advantage later on with the Cavs or as a trade piece, (not that I'd be looking to dump him)
• Footwedge

  devil1197 wrote:

  Cleveland Buck wrote: Boobie is a MUCH better defender than Mo. Whoever Mo is guarding can blow by him almost at will. Gibson does a much better job of cutting off penetration and staying in front of his man. Gibson also does a better job contesting shots than Mo does.

  No he isn't, plain and simple they are both not good defenders at all. I am not sure you have seen enough of him this year to even make the claim that he is MUCH better.

  If you haven't noticed Boobie's improvement on the defensive side of the ball, then you haven't been paying attention.
  

  He has improved (mainly being due to his health) but he still lacks the defensive abilities of West and Parker, hence no minutes.

  Well, Parker's offensive numbers have really gone in the shitter lately. Where you give up a hair defensively, you are losing out on the offensive end. I like Parker..very sound player...but his offense has really slipped over the past month.
  

  At the end of games, if Mo isn't hitting at all I'd prefer to sit both and have Parker/West on the floor defending.

  Not me...I want one of the 2 out there. Having another high 3ball shooter at the end is deadly.

• SQ_Crazies

  

  Mo is one of the best FT shooters in the league--he has to be on the floor.
  
  But if he isn't hitting at the end of games, Boobie will take his minutes in the playoffs--watch it happen. He always gets minutes in the playoffs, says a lot about him.
• Footwedge

  SQ_Crazies wrote:

  Footwedge wrote: I was no angel regarding the Jamison hatefest here. And I deserved some of the bullets. So far, PTJ has played better than I expected him to. I thought the media overplayed him and I really thought that he would disrupt the chemistry. Well, looks like I was wrong.

  Holy Christ! Welcome back!

  Don't turn this into a lovefeast SQ. I said I deserved "some" of the bullets....not all.
  
  Obviously, i have been wrong in my assessment of Jamison. He has played pretty well as of late, and I don't swear nearly as often when he's on the court. I still think he blows as an outside shooter. But he has gotten to the rim, had several stickbacks, and that "slop" he throws in over his head from 8 feet has been going in lately.
• Footwedge

  SQ_Crazies wrote: Mo is one of the best FT shooters in the league--he has to be on the floor.

  This is the truth. When the Cavs are up a few..inside a minute, Mo is the free throw closer. He must be on the court here.
• hoops23

  

  It's easy to sit here and say who should be playing, etc..
  
  I'm trusting Mike Brown because he's a good coach, despite what some of his critics say.
  
  He's experimented with stuff all season, he's found stuff that worked and didn't work.
  
  His latest experiment was putting Jamison at the 3, which against the Kings when LeBron went out and Jamison stepped in at the 3, he scored 12 points in the quarter.
  
  I love Boobie as much as anybody, but I understand why he isn't getting much PT anymore. He's a very solid defender now. PG's don't drive by him nor take him to the rack. He's gotten a lot of strips this year when people have tried to take him in. His PG skills aren't up to Mo's par though and Mo needs to be out there to work out of this funk.
  
  If Mo isn't hittin, his PT will dwindle a bit, opening up the chance for Boobie.
• SQ_Crazies

  

  Agreed with all of the above.
  
  I trust Brown too, regardless of what anyone says about him. I think he's a great coach--anyone who ever coaches LeBron is always going to be the guy who just wins because of LeBron. Guess what? Phil Jackson had Michael/Scottie, Shaq/Kobe, Kobe/Gasol/Bynum. Coaches need great players to accomplish great things--but just because they have them doesn't mean they aren't good coaches. No one questions Phil Jackson.
• devil1197

  I like the lineup at Jamison at the 3 but I'd have Bron on the floor also.
  
  Foot, even with Parker in a funk he still is 42% from deep so I'll take his defense and size with the ability of a Top 15 3P shooter in the league.
  
  Boobie has improved, but not enough overall to take minutes away from the other guys. If it wasn't for his contract I think he wouldn't be on the team right now. West is playing very good and it doesn't look like his legal problems will do any damage to his play or status. Parker will bounce back shooting and his assists are starting to go up lately (3.4 instead of 1.9 average).
• Sage

  

  I fully expected the Cavs to win the overall the day they beat us up in Cleveland.
  
  They'll have it, but like last year, they won't make the Finals.
• devil1197

  Sage wrote: I fully expected the Cavs to win the overall the day they beat us up in Cleveland.
  
  They'll have it, but like last year, they won't make the Finals.

  Not sure anyone in the East can beat this year's Cleveland team in a 7 game series. They have every lineup option that you could think of imo.
  
  If any top team is unlikely to make it out of their conference its LAL.
• 2kool4skool

  

  Sage wrote:they won't make the Finals.

  
• hoops23

  

  Yeah really, the Lakers aren't looking to great right now..
  
  But of course, "they're just coasting"...
• Sage

  

  Well, yes, in a way--they're mailing it in. The #1 seed is pretty much locked up with the implosion of Dallas/Denver. We're not catching the Cavs, etc. So what's to gain from these last couple games other than to stay fresh for the playoffs?
• Sage

  

  Also, I heard the exact same song and dance last year from the Cavaliers bandwagoners. In fact, it's almost frightening.
• devil1197

  Sage wrote: Well, yes, in a way--they're mailing it in. The #1 seed is pretty much locked up with the implosion of Dallas/Denver. We're not catching the Cavs, etc. So what's to gain from these last couple games other than to stay fresh for the playoffs?

  So thats the explanation for getting it fucking handed to you by OKC?
  
  LAL hasn't beaten a team by more than 10 points in almost a month. Their not playing impressive basketball at all.
  
  Staying fresh? Kobe averaging 37 mpg, Odom 37 mpg, Gasol 38 mpg, Artest 35 mpg all within the last five games. Really staying fresh and cutting those guys minutes.
• ytownfootball

  

  Sage wrote: Also, I heard the exact same song and dance last year from the Cavaliers bandwagoners. In fact, it's almost frightening.

  Seriously though, have the Cavs done anything different to make us "bandwagoners" think or suspect anything different? Why the hell would we have thought we wouldn't be coming out of the ECF last year ...or THIS year...
  
  If you think the Cavs aren't in a better spot this season to come out of the East as opposed to last season you're crazy.
• Sage

  

  Last in the league in attendance before LeBron James was signed. I'd say that'd qualify as a bandwagon franchise.
  
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  We got shredded by OKC, for sure. It's a team that needed the game more than we did.
  
  The Lakers don't care until the playoffs. Sorry, but it's true.
• Sage

  

  Look, I'm a Dodgers fan. Compared to 90% of the teams in the league, the Dodgers are boss hogging. We have a lot of talent, and we'll probably win a couple games and maybe even make the playoffs this year.
  
  But, I'm well aware that THEYRE THE FUCKING DODGERS, and haven't done shit since I was 1 year old. Even if the Dodgers have the best record in baseball (as they did for most of last year) you won't see me spouting off about THIS IS THE YEAR and waiving my dick around a cyber forum.
  
  Dodgers fans (the ones with brains) are always waiting for the other shoe to drop. I never once bragged about the Dodgers or talked shit for them (except to SF bay area faggots).
  
  It's a mindset. Like Dodger fans, you guys shouldn't be excited until an elimination game. Otherwise, you're setting yourself up for failure and heartbreak.
• ytownfootball

  

  It's a mindset. Like Dodger fans, you guys shouldn't be excited until an elimination game. Otherwise, you're setting yourself up for failure and heartbreak.

  You are not seriously telling Cleveland fans to be prepared for a let down are you? LOL...please dude, stop the comedy routine.
• devil1197

  Sage wrote: Look, I'm a Dodgers fan. Compared to 90% of the teams in the league, the Dodgers are boss hogging. We have a lot of talent, and we'll probably win a couple games and maybe even make the playoffs this year.
  
  But, I'm well aware that THEYRE THE FUCKING DODGERS, and haven't done shit since I was 1 year old. Even if the Dodgers have the best record in baseball (as they did for most of last year) you won't see me spouting off about THIS IS THE YEAR and waiving my dick around a cyber forum.
  
  Dodgers fans (the ones with brains) are always waiting for the other shoe to drop. I never once bragged about the Dodgers or talked shit for them (except to SF bay area **).
  
  It's a mindset. Like Dodger fans, you guys shouldn't be excited until an elimination game. Otherwise, you're setting yourself up for failure and heartbreak.

  There is no reason not to get excited for our FAVORITE teams. Who gives a flying fuck about history of failure, I have faith in this years team to bring it home. I know the history and I really do not care we have the best team in the league, the deepest team in the league, and the best player on the planet.
  
  You shouldn't be afraid to talk shit for the Dodgers simply because they failed, have some fucking faith.
• sleeper

  

  Sage wrote: Last in the league in attendance before LeBron James was signed. I'd say that'd qualify as a bandwagon franchise.
  
  ----------------------------------------------
  
  We got shredded by OKC, for sure. It's a team that needed the game more than we did.
  
  The Lakers don't care until the playoffs. Sorry, but it's true.

  Weren't the Lakers like dead last in attendance before they got Shaq and won a championship?
  
  Edit: They were middle of the pack before Shaq, but afterwards I guess it was a coincidence they are now one of the tops in the league.
• Sage

  

  Oh, not contending that the Lakers franchise has a bunch of bandwagoners either. Probably one of the biggest bandwagon fanbases in sports (and idiotic). It's inevitable when you're in a place like LA and you've won for so long.
  
  I just love how everybody under 30 that's a Cavs fans claim to be fans before LeBron. I've only met two actual people in my life that fit that bill. And burt07 is one of them. And he, coincidentally enough, was booed off a bus in elementary for wearing a Cavs sweatshirt.
• Sage

  

  http://espn.go.com/nba/attendance/_/year/1996
  Lakers 21 out of 29 the year before they acquired Shaq.
  
  15/29 during Shaq's first year.
  http://espn.go.com/nba/attendance/_/year/1997
  
  7/29 the year they won their first of 3peat
  http://espn.go.com/nba/attendance/_/year/2000
  
  8/29 the year they repeated
  http://espn.go.com/nba/attendance/_/year/2001
  
  8/29 the 3rd champ
  http://espn.go.com/nba/attendance/_/year/2002
  
  BUT-----> 7/30 the year after Shaq was traded
  http://espn.go.com/nba/attendance/_/year/2005