Credit to the cavs

Went into Orlando and put a beating on them and tonite they beat the Heat handily in their gym. They are looking way better I watched both games and Mo Williams seems to be waking up.

And to top that off the Lakes are beatin on the suns. Lakers are big and physical this year. Bynum looks active and Kobe playing almost entirely inside.

This is one tough league. Good thing we're the perfect storm as Matty says.

But give the Lakes credit...they have weathered the injuries so far.

Watching the Lakers game tonight and they look mighty impressive. Their defense looks much improved from last year and are man handling the Suns pretty easy. Bynum is looking good and active. Their defense tonight is looking they are copying our schemes. With 2:28 minutes left in the 3rd it's a blow out, Lakers 85 Suns 62. When they get Gasol back it can get scary. But I trust in our perfect storm. Go C's.

Rico

2nd night of a back to back for the Suns. Lakes are very good but will sink in the storm!

Believe me life would be different if the Suns were shooting 3's unconscious like they were against the C's....

You are wright, but credit where is due. They are playing a heck of a game and without their second option. The Suns don't have the defense the perfect storm has. Go C's.

This is why each individual game should never be used to project into the future...one thing a lot of trolls just avoid in their smarmy agendas simply to taunt. These are all professionals, with highly professional coaches who have risen to their stature very largely because of their knowledge of how to make effective adjustments.

In the long run, the best teams usually rise to the top, and main reason between the bulk of the season and the stretch run is that the timing and logistics (practices) allotted to adjusting become much more limited toward the end of the season.

Then the playoffs come along, and the nature of the adjustments changes because a team is facing the same opponent for several games in a row. So the adjustments tend to be more strategic and a matter of fine-tuning rather than the major adjustments in a system that can take place over time.

One of the reasons home teams have such an advantage in the playoffs is that the lack of travel permits more practice time at home. Although they don't need as much practice time to make tweaks as to install new plays, etc., it's still an advantage to be able to achieve a modicum of tweaking time without seriously compromising rest time.

For my money, demonstrating their facility for adjustment is one of the main implications of game-to-game patterns during the regular season. I have been hoping that, because of their veteran depth and versatility, the Celtics would have the edge (perhaps a decided one) in terms of ability to adjust quickly. Now we've seen several contenders enter the "adjustment stakes." The 2010 championship could well come down to a matter of which team has the best ability to effect the most impactful adjustments upon demand.

Sam

Sam

Well said. It's also a match up and previous history deal. You could see in the Suns body language they did not expect to win.

Jeb

I remember back in the 80's following the Celtics in the playoffs. One of the announcers (probably Brent Musberger) made the simple comment, "The team that loses makes the adjustments." I decided to use this briliiant basketball statement in an argument with my girlfriend at the time, implying that I had won said argument, proved I was right and she needed to make the necessary "changes". Needless to say, that went over like the proverbial lead balloon and that relationship didn't go much further.

But I digress. Sam is dead on about adjustments. We all knew and know CLE and LAL are not going to roll over and play dead. They have made the in season adjustments and will continue to. We had to make just a small adjustment with Glen, which turned out not to be such a big deal yet. LAL, bigger adjustments with Artest in and Guffaw, Ariza out.

Hopefully, the Celtics won't have to make any playoff adjustments since they will hopefully go 16-0. But even with winning, adjustments are made. The "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" mantra doesn't hold in pro b-ball. All the best will be there, Doc, Phil and even Stan, who uses the old "I'm going to beat myself and my team up harder than and before anyone else in the press can say anything about how bad we suck as a team, it's all my fault," approach. Jury is still out on Mike. Clearly, he's expendable and will be cut loose if this season comes up any shorter than a championship for Cleveland.

Brown wants to be LeBron's pal. He is on the trapeze in the circus.

The lakers look awful tough. So do we. It is a long season. The Lakes aint goin anywhere without a healthy Gasol. With Gasol they have a problem with their bench.

I don't think Cleve as they currently are has a hope in hell of winning the east. They don't have enough shooters and LeBron's ego is just running wild. He does not trust his team.

Least that's how it looks to me.

I do give credit to the Cavs for playing better generally and particularly for beating Orlando and Miami on back-to-back nights. But I just don't think the Cavs are championship material as long as their offense turns into the LeBron show at crunch time. Last night against Miami, LeBron was the only Cav to take a shot in the last three minutes of the game, and he scored their last eight points. (Varajao should've scored but missed two free throws, but that was on a non-shooting foul.)

Here's Mike Brown after the game: "Man, for me that was so fun to watch. It's indescribable almost. He willed the end of the game to go the way it did. It was flat-out beautiful, like Picasso."

What LeBron needs is a coach, not an enabler. Brown is part of the problem, as is the fawning nature of the entire Cavs organization. Yes, he's a star, and yes, they're in a tough spot with LeBron's free agency looming, but somebody at some point has to stand up to him and educate him about what's required to be part of a championship team.

Sam wrote:This is why each individual game should never be used to project into the future...one thing a lot of trolls just avoid in their smarmy agendas simply to taunt. These are all professionals, with highly professional coaches who have risen to their stature very largely because of their knowledge of how to make effective adjustments.

In the long run, the best teams usually rise to the top, and main reason between the bulk of the season and the stretch run is that the timing and logistics (practices) allotted to adjusting become much more limited toward the end of the season.

Then the playoffs come along, and the nature of the adjustments changes because a team is facing the same opponent for several games in a row. So the adjustments tend to be more strategic and a matter of fine-tuning rather than the major adjustments in a system that can take place over time.

One of the reasons home teams have such an advantage in the playoffs is that the lack of travel permits more practice time at home. Although they don't need as much practice time to make tweaks as to install new plays, etc., it's still an advantage to be able to achieve a modicum of tweaking time without seriously compromising rest time.

For my money, demonstrating their facility for adjustment is one of the main implications of game-to-game patterns during the regular season. I have been hoping that, because of their veteran depth and versatility, the Celtics would have the edge (perhaps a decided one) in terms of ability to adjust quickly. Now we've seen several contenders enter the "adjustment stakes." The 2010 championship could well come down to a matter of which team has the best ability to effect the most impactful adjustments upon demand.

Sam

Well said, Sam.
As I've said (ad nauseum probably) I'm amused by how short the sports media's attention span AND memory is. Their like a guy with no long term memory. Last week....Are the Lakers slipping? Did Cleveland drop into the middle ..WOW those Celtics are just tearing it up...they'll be coming out of the east...... Today....Those Lakers...are incredible without Gasol.....can anyone beat them with Gasol?
Just gum flapping mostly, with some occasional insight. I know, they have to be controversial, they have to sell a product. If one station is playing hype and the other is level headed analysis...like yours Sam, the hype gets the ratings, I'm afraid. Common sense analysis, appreciated here, isn't sexy enough, I guess.

Well said. Right now, I hope no one tells him. I want that look of WTF!!! on his face in about 7 more seasons of coming up short. The Celtics can tell him, but won't. Not after those comments he just made about #23 on ESPN.com. This one is too far gone. I'm afraid the only man for that job is Phil, and he's probably going to retire very soon. Celtics better have a big plan ready to counter that one, otherwise the Laker trolls are going to have a field day @ our expense.

I'm beginning to think Mike can't find his a$$ with both hands. Perfect statements of an enabler, Outside. BTW, wasn't that game a blowout by the third quarter? WTF was Mike talking about? Mike's watching, not coaching!! Big disappointments coming up in Cleveland. I'm really, really looking forward to them right now!!

I love this game!!

LACeltFan,

But they're the ones on the short end of the stick. I have had the pleasure of personally experiencing my team win 18 championships, and some of them have barely lived 18 years. I have never once suffered the ignominy of being laughed at for stupid predictions; and they flop around with their big mouths at the whim of the law of averages. Good luck to them.

Sam

snip
"What LeBron needs is a coach, not an enabler. Brown is part of the problem, as is the fawning nature of the entire Cavs organization. Yes, he's a star, and yes, they're in a tough spot with LeBron's free agency looming, but somebody at some point has to stand up to him and educate him about what's required to be part of a championship team."
snip
Outside,
100% agree with you about MB-LJ. But my guess is that the train's left the station during 2003-2004 season. Now the question is is LJ smart enough to realize that and suck it up and work for a ring, in Cle or elsewhere.
Of course, there could be a fluke and he'd get a ring. This, IMHO, will be bad for NBA in the long run.
Thank you very much,
AK

Sam wrote:LACeltFan,

But they're the ones on the short end of the stick. I have had the pleasure of personally experiencing my team win 18 championships, and some of them have barely lived 18 years. I have never once suffered the ignominy of being laughed at for stupid predictions; and they flop around with their big mouths at the whim of the law of averages. Good luck to them.

Sam

You are ever the optimist my friend.....a good thing but actually it's 17...right? Unless I really overslept today...is it 2010?....

LACELTFAN wrote:

Sam wrote:LACeltFan,

But they're the ones on the short end of the stick. I have had the pleasure of personally experiencing my team win 18 championships, and some of them have barely lived 18 years. I have never once suffered the ignominy of being laughed at for stupid predictions; and they flop around with their big mouths at the whim of the law of averages. Good luck to them.

Sam

You are ever the optimist my friend.....a good thing but actually it's 17...right? Unless I really overslept today...is it 2010?....

laceltfan..

well, we wondered what'd become of ya,
boston won 71 games, took out atlanta in 4 games, the cavs in 4 and orlando in 7 in a series that made last yrs chicago series look like small time, 9 overtimes and no team won a game by more than 3 points in the series. regretably we didnt see the laker in the finals who were swept in the first round by minnesota (who became very good following the addition of dwayne wade and chris paul). instead we saw pheonix who'd maneged to be th eonly team to beat us twice all yr.

in a clash of the titans nash and rondo put on an epic series that even eclipesed the orlando series.

game 1- pheonix stole homecourt advantage 132-130 in a triple overtime game- nash- 31 points, 17 assists; rondo- 27 points, 27 assists, 17 rebounds, 11 steals- 1 turnover

game 2- boston loses in double overtime to go down 0-2, suns win 111- 108- nash- 29 points, 18 assists; rondo 21 points, 18 assists, 11 rebounds, 6 steals

game 3- boston's defense came back to life as they annilate the suns, 114- 61, nash scores 30 of his teams points and had 7 assists, rondo had 18 points, 11 assists. 4 rebounds and 14 steals- this is the now legendary game where brian scalabine was hit in the head 7;32 in the first quarter and as he was taken off the court, he turned and looked at doc rivers and asked Doc, "who am i?" doc replied "Bill Russel! now get back out there and win us this game. Scalabine went on to record 18 rebounds and 9 blocks in 22 minutes of play

game 4- pheniox rose like the bird they were named after and tried to assert themselves against boston testing them to the limit, 3 times nash hit buzzer beaters to put the game into overtime. due to fouls with 5.5 seconds left on the clock, the celtics are left with williams, house, rondo scalbine and baby on the court. the suns, up by 1, inbounded the ball under their own basket, nash attempted a shot with 4.1 left, however Scalabrine, still under the impression he's bill russel blocks the shot and Rajon get the ball, races downcourt and hits the layup with 0.01 seconds left.

game 5, no overtime but the suns bounce back under nashes 22 assists and 16 points, both teams looked exhausted, but the suns outlasted boston 99, 98. rondo's 11 points, 12 assists, 8 rebounds and 4 steals were one of his quietist games of the playoffs

game 6- boston not only tied the series 3-3 but did so coming back from a 15 point 4th quarter deficet to win 93-90. nash 25 points, 13 assists. rondo, 1 point, 14 assists, 9 rebounds, 2 steals.

game 7- gino was dacing at halftime. nash shot 13-13 for 31 points and had 12 assists, but the suns only scored 69 points which was less than the celtics scored in the first half. boston took down title # 18 131-69 and no starter seeing play in the 4th quarter...

dood, seriously, u missed all thaat?? wow

Dang Matty,
...and double dang...At least I still have a picture of Cheryl Tiegs to look at.