Last time we played these guys Nazr Mohammed nearly broke Bron-Brons widdle finger...

http://blogs.clevescene.com/cnotes/varajeo.jpg
http://img370.imageshack.us/img370/9382/varejao0516ui0.jpg
http://assets.espn.go.com/photo/2007/0606/pg2_g_odom_275.jpg
http://havanta.files.wordpress.com/2006/11/side-show-bob.jpg

It'll be nice to get inside the Cavs' heads and let them know who owns.

105-87.

When you put the option of "Magic win big" in the Magic-Pistons OGT poll The Magic won big.

Right now it's hard not to pick the Cavs to win big.

win #50 would be sweet in Cleveland.

We could also have the division clinched by the weekend. That would be nice too.

Am I the only one who thinks there's too many options on this poll?

A great poll has three options, The Pistons or their opponents winnng, and the third being something about MoTown.

I change my mind.

Pistons will score about 7 points more than their season average and hold the Cavs to about 12 points under theirs.

Am I the only one who thinks there's too many options on this poll?

A great poll has three options, The Pistons or their opponents winnng, and the third being something about MoTown.


I wasn't going for style points.

I'm pumped.

4l9iB98U5pU

I just spun my chair around from my desk over to the Roland and busted that out for you guys.

It must have been shitty, because its no longer available.

That is the second time this week this has happened to me.

I can still watch it, why can't you?

THAT'S NOT GLENN!

That song has always sucked anyway.

http://www.realcavsfans.com/customavatars/avatar184_24.gif

I change my mind.

Pistons will score about 7 points more than their season average and hold the Cavs to about 12 points under theirs.

Nobody's taking a crack at this. Pussies.

Pistons: averaging 98 or so PPG
Cavs: averaging 97 or so

I saw it and appreciated it.

I would like to put in a request for a post by gusman where he tells us how happy he is to have Theo and Lindsey back wearing Pistons teal again. He also needs to throw a few insults at Tom Wilson.

Thanks in advance.

http://willdo.philadelphiaweekly.com/archives/022307delontewest.jpg


^^Look at that giant raspberry on Delonte's lip/chin. I mean good gravy, he got herpes giving a dude oral.

I've always wondered what that was.

Also, I could use a good sucking of my dick.

I've always wondered what that was.


I bet when he was little, his parents tried to convince him it was an Angel Kiss or something "special" like that.

Also, I could use a good sucking of my dick.

We are getting closer to Nat'l "Steak and BJ" day, if memory serves.

We might need a countdown thread, Mo?

Also, I could use a good sucking of my dick.

http://i.a.cnn.net/si/2006/writers/luke_winn/06/08/tyrus.thomas/t1_tyrus.jpg


Tyrus Thomas likes the sound of that...

I meant by a female.

And are you alleging that Delonte was molested as a kid?

I meant by a female.

And are you alleging that Delonte was molested as a kid?


No. That's not what I'm alleging.

Now Tyrus Thomas, maybe.

We are getting closer to Nat'l "Steak and BJ" day, if memory serves.

We might need a countdown thread, Mo?

I could get a BJ before and after National Steak and BJ day if I wanted.

I skip out on the steak part though.

I bet when he was little, his parents tried to convince him it was an Angel Kiss or something "special" like that.

I don't know. I think that's what you're alleging.

I think he was just saying his parents would try to make an excuse up so as not to have to explain it's just some kind of oddity/deformity.

But you would think that way, pervert.

I wonder why we don't have more basketball posters? lol

Visitor comes by WTF and reads this game thread...


WHAT KIND OF BASKETBALL MESSAGE BOARD IS THIS?

I just had the closed captioning on because my wife was on the phone, but did they really just say on ESPN that "Chauncey says that Rasheed doesn't compete every night?"

Yeah, something along those lines.

But you would think that way, pervert.

What else am I supposed to think?

Bron over Tay for the score. 34 more to become the highest scorer in Cavs history.

god damn fucking buddy ball.

JB doing the color, SAS and Jalen in the studio, that's pretty solid.

I'm not a Stu Scott fan, but I have empathy for the cancer and the eye.

Pavthebitch for two.

Chowncey for triple!

Dyess steals and flushes

Y'all are fuckin' boring.

Nobody's taking a crack at this. Pussies.

Pistons: averaging 98 or so PPG
Cavs: averaging 97 or so

I'm calling fumble on this one. Douche.

Cynthia, I tried my best to tell them 105-87.

Theo...Theo Ratliff?

No, Theo Huxtable.

YES, Theo Ratliff!

That was an ugly end to the half.

13 2nd quarter points. Bench got outscored and outrebounded.

Starters looked like they didn't give a shit either way. Missed about 5 layups/dunks.

speeding things up a bit has helped us.

I smell another implosion coming.

Pistons will lose.

i dont think rodney stuckey is going to jumpshoot us back into the game.

The Pistons are DONE.

How's that as food for thought...

Time for a tech on Sheed.

we mailed this game in. This had nothing to do with the cavs, who played like garbage the whole game but are winning on effort alone.

Run a 3rd grade offense, take a terrible shot, wind up with points anyway because we don't care either way. Repeat.

This game isn't over right now, even though it's 13 points. The Pistons are going to come back, take the lead, lose the lead, get t'ed up, and then they'll lose. You'll see.

stuckey = golden god.

And right now we're getting a golden shower.

this piston team gets its ass on a platter in the ecf, not much doubt about that one.

KAYSTAT, YOUR RESPONSE?

JB talks about putting them on the line if they give it to Ben, they give it to Ben, and THEY JUST STAND THERE WHILE WATCHING HIM GIVE IT TO LEBRON FOR A LAYUP.

Defeat has been conceded.

Whatever, tonignt was a league game, we weren't supposed to win.

Congrats to Cleveland for getting 9 games above .500...

We are still 75 games ahead of them in the Central

Wil, you need to stop putting -opponent- wins big (lol) on your polls. They usually end up winning by double digits when you do.

Wil, you need to stop putting -opponent- wins big (lol) on your polls. They usually end up winning by double digits when you do.


Well, next time I won't do that then. Thanks for bringing that to my attention.

Perhaps you should stop voting for the opposition to win as well.

boston, cleveland, and detroit all have very good defenses. more or less the same.

i would take either of boston or thebron's offenses over detroits.

I blame it on the hideous girl in Wil's sig.

This as basically the NY game all over again. We had no intention of winning.

The only thing that kept it close was the fact the Cavs suck.

Perhaps you should stop voting for the opposition to win as well.

Only a homer doesn't pick the opposition from time to time.

boston, cleveland, and detroit all have very good defenses. more or less the same.

i would take either of boston or thebron's offenses over detroits.

Orlando?

boston, cleveland, and detroit all have very good defenses. more or less the same.


Cleveland has allowed like 30+ teams to score 100+ on them already. They are not a good defensive team at all, compared to last year. We just made them look like one tonight.

what about them?

Cleveland has allowed like 30+ teams to score 100+ on them already. They are not a good defensive team at all, compared to last year. We just made them look like one tonight.

if you say so...

if you say so...


The numbers bear it out. Their defense has been pretty damn bad all season.

The game meant more to them than us. They've been a .500 team since the ben wallace trade, and needed a feel-good game. We're playing for nothing at all.

It was pretty clear in the 2nd quarter when the cavs were kicking the ball all over the floor and throwing up awful shots, and we were only up 4. The effort was not there from this team.

yeah, I agree that that it meant more to them and they probably needed it more.

Is there anyone here (Kstat excluded) who still thinks the Pistons will win the Championship this year?

Note that I said "will" and not "can".

im not worried about what cleveland looked like in december. just spring ball. theyre defense is good, and brown is a good defensive coach. we've seen cleveland do it to us in 11 streight playoff games. it'll happen again if they get past boston. our only chance is those 2 teams destroying each other, and i think that card is always over played.

It's games like this that made me feel like not writing Evil Mailbags. I just can't get amped up enough to do it anymore.

Is there anyone here (Kstat excluded) who still thinks the Pistons will win the Championship this year?

Note that I said "will" and not "can".

Wil.

The numbers bear it out. Their defense has been pretty damn bad all season.


How many since the trade?

who the hell thinks any team in the NBA "will" win the title? There isn't a team out there worth betting on vs the field.

How many since the trade?

Considering their very nearly lost to the bobcats at home and got lit up by the nets?

They've been a .500 team since the trade, and they had a generous schedule.

Stop challenging Kstat. He remembers 1965 Celtics games and he wasn't even born yet!

pistons are a team that knows its heyday is past, and now were just content to be one of the best teams in the nba. a nice, complacent coach like flip is perfect for his team. have another donut everybody!

talent wise, it would be hard to differntiate us much from any of the other best teams in the league. so it comes down to things like 'who wants it more' and ofcourse, coaching. anyone who thinks we want it more than boston or cleveland is nutso.

I find it becoming harder and harder to root for these apathetic douche bags.

PS. I might never be able to watch another Pistons vs. Cavs game due to the fact that every time I see Verajo I have some seriously evil and violent thoughts go through my head.

P.P.S. Bron Bron has been having a grand old time shitting on the Pistons and wiping his ass on the faces of their mothers.

I guessing we lost.

amazing we didn't lose by 30.

amazing we didn't lose by 30.

If the Cavs were a better team, we would have.

We turned in this exact same performance vs the knicks and lost by 24.

Tahoe, how was your day man?

I think we will win the NBA Title.

I'll go on record for that.

Look at you guys, we lose one fucking game, and you act like we've just lost game 7 of a playoff series.

We won't have to play these douche bags in the playoffs anyway.

How many games are we going to score in the teens for 3 straight quarters??? I would bet not many...

I'm not concerned. We just got done playing an up-tempo shoot out w/ the Nuggets, and while I would've liked to have won today, I'm not surprised this is what we got...

In the playoffs you get like 2 days between each game, so it's really not a big deal.

If the Cavs were a better team, we would have.

Dude, I know the Cavs suck. They're probably the worst team to ever make it to an NBA Finals. The Cavs are the singular representation of the new National Basketball Superstars Association.

What you don't seem to get is that they keep beating the Pistons. So what does that say about the Pistons?

in the playoffs, this is what our offense typically looks like by round 2.

in the playoffs, this is what our offense typically looks like by round 2.
:cogent:

What you don't seem to get is that they keep beating the Pistons. So what does that say about the Pistons?


It says we should throw a max contract at Antawn Jamison this offseason.

What you don't seem to get is that they keep beating the Pistons. So what does that say about the Pistons?


If they actually do it again in the playoffs. i'll get back to you on that.

They beat us in one regular season game this year. Holy shit. They could beat us 3 times for all I care. It's the regular freaking season, and we're more or less locked into the #2 seed.

in the playoffs, this is what our offense typically looks like by round 2.

Especially after 2-0 (and 3-0 last year) leads.

in the playoffs, this is what our offense typically looks like by round 2.


Yeah b/c our starters were playing 39 minutes apiece during the regular season...

Cleveland's not getting out of Round 2. Does anybody agree with me on that?

I mean really. Do you seriously think Cleveland, who is 39-30, will knock off Boston 53-13 in the playoffs?

Yes or No.

cleveland can beat boston. the one thing we have going for us is the seedings.

I'm not even sure they can beat toronto.

we make them look a whole lot better than they really are.

cleveland can beat boston. the one thing we have going for us is the seedings.

yeah just like Cleveland had last year, they got a depleted washington and a depleted new jersey team the first 2 rounds...

I've been stressing the advantages of the 2 seed for months now...we're going to benefit from walking into a perfect storm...

we will obliterate Orlando

You guys are fuckin weird. I don't think anybody on the planet thinks the Cavs are a better team than the Pistons. I don't get spending this many posts on explaining that.

The problem most of us have is: What the fuck have the Pistons done differently THIS season from the previous 2 seasons where they were the "overlooked best team in the NBA"? Cleveland sucks ass and we lost a fuckin playoff series to them. Seriously, does that register?

I think last year, Boobie is what killed us in the ECF, if you take Boobie out of those games, we win the series, regardless of Bron's numbers.

Nobody is going to stop #23, he's going to get his no matter who he's playing against.

Hopefully this year nobody will sneak up on us like that.

It registers that there's about a %5 chance we'll see them in the playoffs, so it isn't worth worrying about.

I'm not even sure they can beat toronto.

we make them look a whole lot better than they really are.

So a team that makes a piece of shit excuse for an NBA team like the Cavs "look better than they really are" is a Championship team? I thought it was teams who are hungry to win and make other teams look a whole lot worse than they really are, who win the Championships.

It registers that there's about a %5 chance we'll see them in the playoffs, so it isn't worth worrying about.


I agree.

Not to mention, we DO match up better w/ Boston rather than Cleveland (for whatever reasons).

Boston doesn't have anybody that can truly take a game over. KG doesn't quite fit that mold. And Paul Pierce has never been that type of player *Editors Note: Unless he's playing the Knicks, Nets, or 76ers*.

I thought it was teams who are hungry to win and make other teams look a whole lot worse than they really are, who win the Championships.
You mean like Boston?

You mean like Boston?

I mean like not the Pistons.

we're putting an awful lot of stock into one regular season game. It's kinda funny.

If we'd won tonight by 15, would people say this is a sign of an impending championship?

It's ONE FUCKING GAME. Get over it. We're 49-19 for the love of christ. Cleveland is 39-30 and all of a sudden THEY'RE the team that's been playing the whole season hungry for a title?

Get real.

You mean like Boston?

Boston hasn't done that to us yet...

we're putting an awful lot of stock into one regular season game. It's kinda funny.

If we'd won tonight by 15, would people say this is a sign of an impending championship?

It's ONE FUCKING GAME. Get over it,.

Earth to epic fucktard: Who the fuck is talking about one game?
Cause I personally am talking about a playoff series they had no business losing, a bunch of soft and complacent aging players, total lack of consistent Pistons defense, the total loss of our clutch factor and ability to "turn it on" when we need to, and 3 seasons ending earlier and earlier against "inferior" teams.

"One game"?

Next time quote me, bitch.

Earth to epic fucktard: Who the fuck is talking about one game?
Cause I personally am talking about a playoff series they had no business losing, a bunch of soft and complacent aging players, total lack of consistent Pistons defense, the total loss of our clutch factor and ability to "turn it on" when we need to, and 3 seasons ending earlier and earlier against "inferior" teams.

"One game"?

Next time quote me, bitch.


...you realize there's still a thread from last year's ECF if you want to bitch about that. Feel free.

Otherwise, don't treat this game like we just lost a playoff series when we both know you wouldn't be anywhere near that positive if we had won.

Guess what: This is a thread for ONE GAME. So if you were thinking otherwise, maybe you should have read the thread title before entering.

Tahoe, how was your day man?

Good

right, who talks about 'one game' anymore?

at some point, the pistons stopped trying to 'earn it' and just 'expected it'.

it may have been inevitable. it may have been joe's fault for not bringing in new blood. but its been there for years, and i dont see why it would change this year.

einstein said insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. i think we're living it right now.

We are still talking about a 49-19 team, right?

I'm just checking.

my favorite is the quotes from announcers about how no one talks about the pistons anymore. no one talks about reruns from seinfeld, either. theres a reason for it.

...you realize there's still a thread from last year's ECF if you want to bitch about that. Feel free.

Otherwise, don't treat this game like we just lost a playoff series when we both know you wouldn't be anywhere near that positive if we had won.

Guess what: This is a thread for ONE GAME. So if you were thinking otherwise, maybe you should have read the thread title before entering.

Does the thought ever occur to you that you're a moron? I'm totally serious. Do you ever stop and think, "wow, I have absolutely no sense of logic whatsoever! My comprehension skills, although adequate enough to keep me from riding the short bus, are well below that of most humans." ?

Probably not. That might require not being a moron.

Yeah, we should have gutted the whole team. Clearly, this 60-win pace we're on just smacks of a team that has no desire at all to win games.

Does the thought ever occur to you that you're a moron? I'm totally serious. Do you ever stop and think, "wow, I have absolutely no sense of logic whatsoever! My comprehension skills, although adequate enough to keep me from riding the short bus, are well below that of most humans." ?

Probably not. That might require not being a moron.

Heck of a compelling argument there.

The above quoted post is what typically happens when someone has nothing left of substance to say, and instead resorts to talking shit to deflect the fact he has completely run out of good ideas.

I would seriously travel back in time to kick your mother in the stomach while she was pregnant with you.

TERRORDOME!

TERRORDOME!

A bat versus a pinata doesn't count as a fight.

I would seriously travel back in time to kick your mother in the stomach while she was pregnant with you.

It isn't worth my time to deal with a child that isn't even mine. Go talk shit to your dog or someone else that doesn't realize you have nothing left to do but talk shit.

A bat versus a pinata doesn't count as a fight.

Still, you could move pretty much every OGT that is made nowadays over there.

It isn't worth my time to deal with a child that isn't even mine. Go talk shit to your dog or someone else that doesn't realize you have nothing left to do but talk shit.

I did, and my dog says you're a moron too.

The problem most of us have is: What the fuck have the Pistons done differently THIS season from the previous 2 seasons where they were the "overlooked best team in the NBA"? Cleveland sucks ass and we lost a fuckin playoff series to them. Seriously, does that register?

Werd. I'll reserve judgment until we lose round 2 or the ECF, but then it seriously has to be time to make some changes.

I'm not saying that because of one game I'm going all chicken little. It's just my opinion, but I see it as truth--the past few weeks we have looked more and more like the Pistons of the past 2 years.

It isn't worth my time to deal with a child that isn't even mine. Go talk shit to your dog or someone else that doesn't realize you have nothing left to do but talk shit.

I guess, over the years, you've become quite the expert at DNA tests.

Kstat... the K stands for Kemp.

http://www.supersonicsoul.com/uploaded_images/shawn_kemp_sonics-732453.jpg

I wonder how the reaction would be if we allowed more points than we scored on the season...

oh wait, that's the cavs.

Yeah, we should have gutted the whole team. Clearly, this 60-win pace we're on just smacks of a team that has no desire at all to win games.

We've been winning 50+ and close to 60 for years now. We have one title to show for it and have been declining in effort ever since.

After we lose in the playoffs, Kstat is going to be saying it's just one series and we'll have another shot next year.

maybe thebron is just smart enough to realize that the regular season means exactly shit.

Which brings me to my question for Kstat (Ledezma too, since he's the only one who has agreed with him): what if the Pistons fail to even reach the Finals again and are eliminated in the ECF? If they have a great regular season next year are you going to keep using the same old rhetoric when they lose games and people are complaining?

I'm not even asking because we lost (I don't give a shit about tonight's game).

maybe thebron is just smart enough to realize that the regular season means exactly shit.


...and yet here we are, giving tonight's game all the importance of the NBA finals...

Which brings me to my question for Kstat (Ledezma too, since he's the only one who has agreed with him): what if the Pistons fail to even reach the Finals again and are eliminated in the ECF? If they have a great regular season next year are you going to keep using the same old rhetoric when they lose games and people are complaining?


What if a meteor crashes to the earth and blows up the entire city of cleveland?

I'll deal with that shit if it actually happens.

In the meantime, I'm not going to bitch about something that hasn't happened yet.

For the people that can't stop living in the past, we have 2007 playoff threads for you. Have at it.

That'd be awesome (the meteor).

Originally Posted by Sir Douche Baggins
Tahoe, how was your day man?

I said good but forgot to say that I cut my finger pretty bad.

...and yet here we are, giving tonight's game all the importance of the NBA finals...

Somebody get to work on that time machine...

I think I'll live though.

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/3999/clevelandeadgr6.jpg

I said good but forgot to say that I cut my finger pretty bad.



How'd you do that?

Strangest thing in the world. I was undercutting a door jamb. I had to check it was a smooth cut and sliced that son of a bitch open. Hurts like a bitch.

Thanks for asking. Howz your blood tests doing?

Hopefully all is well when I receive the results.

You you know what could help your finger? pkshh...amirite?


Art

Since 3pm pst.

My buddy always talked about how great his new gf is. Today he said they are prolly done. So we were bustin his balls all day. keeping his mind off all that bullshit. Then i cut my finger and we started drinking beerz.

I get a yearly performance bonus tomorrow of a little over 2 grand. Not quite sure how to use that shit, since it isn't money I was planning for.

I guess that's one of those "good problems." I'll likely put most of it in my mutual fund, but it seems a bit of a waste to not spend ANY of it...

You can give it to me so I can spend it on dru, um...whaddya say?

Trying out my new sig

Since 3pm pst.

My buddy always talked about how great his new gf is. Today he said they are prolly done. So we were bustin his balls all day. keeping his mind off all that bullshit. Then i cut my finger and we started drinking beerz.

:tahoeowns:

Maybe a lil massaging needed, but not a bad start on that sig

What, was "master of the universe" was a little too far reaching?

Kstat, what do you do?

What, was "master of the universe" was a little too far reaching?

Thats me

Kstat, what do you do?


I'm a tobacco wholesaler. Kinda ironic, because I'm not a smoker.

Then again, I do business with non-smokers, so it's all good.

I'm a tobacco wholesaler. Kinda ironic, because I'm not a smoker.

Can you get me any of the good stuff?

Some Michoacan would work.

Can you get me any of the good stuff?

Closest think I get to exotic is zig-zags.

I'm not a smoker either.

Tahoe, you smoke AND drink? :tahoeowns:

Closest think I get to exotic is zig-zags.

Kstat made me laugh...on purpose.

I'm not a smoker either.

Tahoe, you smoke AND drink? :tahoeowns:

I have a boy, so it makes it tough, but I have been known to partake. I prolly will again, at some point in the future, I don't know when that is but at some point, i will again do that.

Here's what I think of the Cleveland Cavaliers

http://www.moviewavs.com/0058536645/WAVS/Movies/Fast_Times_At_Ridgemont_High/fags.wav


edit: I took out the "media" tags because it was playing aloud automatically -Glenn

Never had a liking for tobacco. Dunno why.

Anyway, I'm moving to Delaware of all place after the finals, so I may as well put it aside for that.

Thought you were moving to Baltimore?

Thought you were moving to Baltimore?

We put it off for 2 years. Dover is a better place because it allows for cheaper living.

Ultimately, that's where we want to end up when we have a bit more cash.

Dover isn't a bad place, really. Within 90 minutes of Baltimore, as well as DC and Philly.

%0 sales tax also doesn't hurt.

Rip -15
CB -14
Sheed -20
Tay -12
Dice -7

Nobody on the team was +

Ben led the Cavs at +19

You gotta love the fact that we took 17 threes despite not having our "jumper legs".

The last two games are classic examples of what happens when jumpers fall for this team (they play with energy and ball movement) and when they don't (they mope, chuck and don't give a shit).

Save the SCHEDULING LOSS shit, mmk?

:mccosky:

Pre-game update


Cleveland, pre-game
No Lindsey Hunter tonight. Joe Dumars isn't going to take any chances with him. He said there was no need for him to play until maybe -- maybe -- the last 10 games of the year.

Flip Saunders had a great line before the game. He was asked for his take on Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor's comment that Kevin Garnett "tanked" games in his last year in Minnesota.

"Anyone who has played with or coached Kevin knows that the farthest thing from the truth," he said. "Everyone who has ever gotten out of there, there's always something said about them (by Taylor). So I guess they should be happy with where they are at. All their problems are gone."

The T-wolves are a lusty 16-50.

Also talked to Ben Wallace before the game (check detnews.com later). He is a very happy cat right now. But one homer Cleveland radio guy asked him if the key to the game tonight was dealing with Rasheed Wallace's "BS." Ben looked at the guy and said, "You mean Big Shots?" Priceless.

http://assets.espn.go.com/photo/2008/0319/nba_ben_sheed_580.jpg
Rasheed Wallace and Ben Wallace did battle in a game that showed a Cleveland team on the rise.


Cavs, LeBron Emboldened By Latest Win Over Pistons

By Brian Windhorst
Special to ESPN.com

CLEVELAND -- The Celtics have the most star power, the Pistons have the most experience, the Magic have the largest chip on their shoulder. But when it comes to the battle for the Eastern Conference, there may not be a more scary team than the Cavs.

They are flawed, they are inconsistent, they've been riddled with injuries, and they've been just lukewarm since their massive trade. Yet the Cavs still can come together and play great defense every now and then and they do possess one of the best players on the planet.

If the Pistons forgot this -- and you know they didn't -- they were reminded on Wednesday when the new-look Cavs used the exact same game plan they employed a year ago to win the East to take down Detroit again, 89-73.

This was merely a regular-season game and hardly a statement from the Cavs, who are way more worried about getting themselves in order than becoming a bully. If they continue to play like this, though, there's no telling what may happen in the postseason.

Which was the real message sent and received in this one.

"We just want to continue to get better and tonight we did," Cavs forward LeBron James said. "We took more than one step forward tonight. We took five steps."

The Cavs locked down the Pistons with their defense, especially with an impressive arrangement with their deep frontline, and then let James continue his assault on the offensive end. In a perfect world, the Cavs may love to play a different way, but they are at their best when they fight to keep games close and then let James be the difference-maker at the end.

This season, just as last postseason, there has been no better fourth-quarter difference-maker than James.

Despite being nine games over .500, the Cavs have allowed more points, shot worse from the field and foul line, committed more fouls and more turnovers than their opponents this season. So it's not just the standings that make the resume pale to the likes of Boston and Detroit.

It's been no joyride; their starters have missed a combined 56 games due to injury and that doesn't include the bad ankle sprains that sidelined Anderson Varejao and Daniel Gibson for more than a month each.

But James is having the best season of his career.

He took another step towards winning the scoring title with 30 points on 11-of-19 shooting and he's now just five points shy of passing Brad Daugherty for the Cavs' all-time scoring lead … in 170 fewer games. He had 11 points and two assists in the fourth quarter on Wednesday, when the Pistons' formerly rock-solid method of backing up Tayshaun Prince with two defenders in a quasi-James zone failed again as it did in the conference finals.

"It's not even about the Pistons," James said. "It's about the groove I'm in right now and the confidence level I have."

Or the Celtics. Boston may be the best defensive team in the NBA, but James averaged 32.3 points and got two wins against the C's in three game this season, too. And if the Cavs can somehow maintain the defensive effort they put forth against Detroit, they may prove to once again be more than just a tough out in the playoffs. At least that's the plan.

The Cavs held the Pistons to just 40 percent shooting, just 20 points in the paint and seven free throws. Ben Wallace and Varejao combined to frustrate Rasheed Wallace, who scored 16 points but went just 2-of-8 on 3-pointers after failing to get going inside. Not having to play help defense down low, the Cavs stayed attached to Detroit's outside shooters and held Chauncey Billups to 4-of-12, Prince to 5-of-14 and Richard Hamilton to two points in the second half.

Now the Cavs hope to use the final four weeks of the season to get everyone healthy -- only Gibson remains on the sidelines -- and rediscover the team-wide rhythm they had at midseason before injuries started to take hold. They were the best team in the East from the end of December to early February and Wednesday they looked like they have a chance to get there again.

"I really like the team we have, we have a chance to do something special if we can get everything together," Cavs coach Mike Brown said. "I truly believe we can."


Brian Windhorst covers the NBA for the Akron Beacon Journal

Cavs are 7-7 w/ the new crew on their team, and everybody goes ga-ga over them...

please, they are only 9 games above .500 for a reason, pretty disrespectful to Boston, Det, and Orlando if you ask me...

I guessing we lost.
We got up-fucked, or something like that.

I missed most of the game and started watching after the half just when it turned to total shit for us.

Last years cavs team was garbage too(dare i say much worse than the current team). But much like the cavs teams of our first championship years, they would still be odds on favorite to have our number in the playoffs. We play horrible schemes in slowing Lebron, the refs allow them to be extra physical with us(Verajo didnt play much defense, but his flailing arm slapping push shove arm lock flop technique was still in effect), and dont find the open guy fast enough when they do their hard double teams.

So anybody talking as if this cavs team in a bunch of bums we shouldnt worry about has lost their memory on last years even trashier cavs team.

espn headline.


LeBron shines again as Cavs paste Pistons

The key to us beating Cleveland has nothing to do with LeBron. Nobody in the league is going to slow him down. The key is not letting any one of those other below-average NBA players get hot. Last night Varejao had way too many offensive boards and garbage put backs. We can't allow that to happen...

Boobie Gibson, Varejao, Sasha Pavlovic, Delonte West- these are the guys that will be key to Cleveland advancing past Boston...

Ilgauskas is decent, but he should't be scoring 20...

i would say the key is chauncy not sucking vs them. not sure how thats accomplished...

Last years cavs team was garbage too(dare i say much worse than the current team).

They were a whole 3 games behind us last year and allowed 93ppg.

This year theyre 10 games behind us and allow 98.

Are we going to start the next OGT in the Terrordome?

I may be done with OGT's until the playoffs are over for us, then I can say I told you (or, him, rather) so.

I don't know what to think. Normally I give kstat the benefit of the doubt, but whenever I get talked into drinking the Kool-aid I end up disappointed. A lot of people might have a lot of different hopes for the Pistons this year, and mine are that they perform in the playoffs this year at least as well as they did last year. I simply cannot see how that will happen now. Pistons' offense has always been gimmicky (meaning that any player or coach who pays enough attention could pick it apart), and now the defense is considerably weaker this year.

I don't know if it's just feeling let down or what, but right now I just don't see it. Stats are one thing, but there's also the part where we know Detroit has huge problems with certain not-very-good teams, and this is in addition to the challenges presented by good teams like Boston.

I just am not liking what I see here. Say what you like.

Actually,I agree with Kstat. He's the only not thats not reading too mucn into the loss.

We just destroyed New Orleans and Denver. And you guys are bitching about a loss to Cleveland...

We have 19 losses!!!!!! Heaven forbid we had 20+ right now like we did last year at this time.

We're all a bunch of pessimists.

Could care less when we do things right (which has been about 85% of the season), yet quick to point out the minor things that go wrong...

I think the team is showing a lack of drive, they have been all season. My thoughts aren't a one game thing, they're a season long thing. They have the talent to beat the crap out of most of the teams in the league, but they don't have the drive to play to the level they're capable of. How far they go in the playoffs will be based on their level of desire.

Only an OGT for a game with Cleveland could get this many heated replies.

Zekyl, how the fuck have they not had a drive?? They have the 2nd best record in the fucking league!!! By your definition, only Boston then would be the only team playing with a "drive"...

Actually,I agree with Kstat.
Good luck with that. Agree with him or not, i'm not a fan of his agenda.



We're all a bunch of pessimists.

Could care less when we do things right (which has been about 85% of the season), yet quick to point out the minor things that go wrong...
Try speaking for yourself Wil. No offense intended but not everyone's a pessimist who saw issues in last nights lost and its correlation to last years playoff beating we took. Saying the cavs are a bunch of bums doesnt make them any less a threat to us. Sports throughout history is about matchups, not whose a bum ass team and who isnt. The Giants arent the best team in the NFL, but they matched up well with New England scheme wise and personnel wise. You wanna say the cavs arent a threat to Boston or Orlando, cool i'll go as far to possibly agree. But saying they aint to us is naive imo.

They were a whole 3 games behind us last year and allowed 93ppg.

This year theyre 10 games behind us and allow 98.
Records or not their current roster is better than last year. If you want to ignore the fact that they havent been healthy or had all their guys until recently, be my guest. Dont try to bs me into that ignorant shit though.

:mccosky:


Players win, coaches lose

The Pistons lost a game, and as per usual, my email box is jammed with Fire Flip rants. My Lord, it's so tiresome.

OK, let me get this straight. Flip Saunders has coached like garbage 19 times this year. Thank goodness his players bailed him out on those 49 other games that the Pistons managed to win. That's just so wrong-minded. It's hard to believe Flip would coach his guys to miss nine layups like that. I am sure he got them in the huddle and said, "Look, they aren't guarding Antonio McDyess, so I don't want you guys looking for him. We don't want to get him too many open shots." I am sure he coached them to keep the ball on one side of the floor and shoot contested jumpers all night. Right. And all the hustle plays the Pistons didn't make -- is that on Flip, too? You know, Larry Brown The Infallible used to always say, coaches don't coach effort. Effort comes from within each player.

Of course, about half the letters pointed out the same tired refrain. "If Flip would have played the bench more, they would have had a chance to win." Were you watching the game? The bench outscored the Cavs 7-5 to start the second quarter, then LeBron James came back in. A couple of minutes later, the game was tied. The bench was 6 for 17, one assist, four turnovers. The bench was just as bad as the first unit.

Listen, the Pistons played a bad game and the Cavaliers played a very good game. They were at home, they were rested and they are fighting to find their identity with four new players. The Pistons, conversely, were playing their third game in four nights and just didn't have it. There doesn't have to be anything more to it than that at this time of the season.

Why does every loss have to be an indictment of Flip Saunders? Listen, I am more than willing to give most of the credit to the players for the team's success (so is Flip, by the way). But I feel equally compelled to hold them at least partially responsible for the losses, as well. Some of you ought to try that, you might find it refreshing to have something different to complain about.

Are we going to start the next OGT in the Terrordome?
If its a loss. Because its apparently become a crime by Kstat law to point out deficiencies after a loss or win in some cases. Its also pessimism to not consider the cavs a bunch of bums we'll accidentally walk over by Wil Ledzma law. Free thinkers please leave now. :P

Seriously though this damage control "stop whining pussies, we're great" thing is actually getting old going on in its 3rd year. Are we spoiled? Yea, we expect alot out of our team most fans wouldnt be so quick to expect and dont consider any of our playoff losses since 2004 to be the other teams fault. But thats because we know what was built each year and honestly alot of us believe in how good this team is. Its ridiculous to call those expectations pessimism. Even with a Flip Saunders as our coach we expect a title? I say we think this team is very damn good to expect that. [smilie=heatsmiley2:

Zekyl, how the fuck have they not had a drive?? They have the 2nd best record in the fucking league!!! By your definition, only Boston then would be the only team playing with a "drive"...
They have the second best record in the league because they have the talent. Having a drive means playing hard every night, and we can all admit this team doesn't do that. Hell, even the players admit they don't do that. They lack the intensity that they used to have. It comes and goes with this team, and hopefully they get ahold of it again right around playoff time.

And I'm pretty sure I said the team had the talent to win and not the drive, which would mean I wasn't referring to their record at all. Some teams, say Orlando or Toronto for example, play hard every night and just don't have the same talent level we do. We are the better team with the better record but they have more of a drive to win. Do you understand what I'm getting at here, or should I spell it out for you like a 3 year old?

If its a loss. Because its apparently become a crime by Kstat law to point out deficiencies after a loss or win in some cases. Its also pessimism to not consider the cavs a bunch of bums we'll accidentally walk over by Wil Ledzma law. Free thinkers please leave now. :P

Seriously though this damage control "stop whining pussies, we're great" thing is actually getting old going on in its 3rd year. Are we spoiled? Yea, we expect alot out of our team most fans wouldnt be so quick to expect and dont consider any of our playoff losses since 2004 to be the other teams fault. But thats because we know what was built each year and honestly alot of us believe in how good this team is. Its ridiculous to call those expectations pessimism. Even with a Flip Saunders as our coach we expect a title? I say we think this team is very damn good to expect that. [smilie=heatsmiley2:


I'm not saying CLE isn't a threat, hell I made the "3 seed Watch Thread" to show how much I don't want to play them, however, it doesn't take away from the fact that basically I think some ppl here are making way too much out of last nights loss as if its a major red flag of things to come...

Codename, do you really think we're going to see CLE in the playoffs?? B/c honestly I dont...

Having a drive means playing hard every night, and we can all admit this team doesn't do that.


With the exception of maybe Boston, no team in the league plays with your definition of drive every one of the 82 games...

All is well, when the jumpers fall.

When they don't, it's not.

All is well, when the jumpers fall.

When they don't, it's not.

Pride Comes Before The Jumpers Fall.

Pride Comes Before The Jumpers Fall.

Exactly.

Stuckey will save us with his ability to create off the dribble.

Right?

McCoskey>WTF Detroit.

With the exception of maybe Boston, no team in the league plays with your definition of drive every one of the 82 games...

Point Wil.

I'm not all that concerned.

If we go on a hot streak at the right time and the jumpers are pure, we definitely could win a title.

They just can't go cold for more than 3 games out of 7, since there is no margin for error due to the one dimensional offense that Flip runs.

How about taking advantage of a mismatch every once in while?

Good luck convincing Sheed to play in the post, but that would certainly help, too.

Sheed actually posted up a bit (not really sure how many times, more than usual though) last night, but wasn't able to hit anything.

Ok, change the word "every" to "most". I'm not trying to make a big argument here, though that's what its turning into. I'm just saying that we take a lot of games of and win just based on raw talent alone. That doesn't get it done in the playoffs.

Sheed actually posted up a bit (not really sure how many times, more than usual though) last night, but wasn't able to hit anything.
I was surprised. He was really going after Ben down there, like he had something to prove. Unfortunately, that led to 1-7 in the first half. I love the intensity but they just weren't falling for him.

Sheed had an off night...seemed like Ben gave him fits at times, and you can tell he wants to punch Varejao in the face...

Theo was useless last night, but a positive of having Theo on the floor over Max is he has a better chance to grab offensive boards (w/o going over the back), and unlike Max, Theo can make his FT's...

If we had a series w/ Cleveland, Maxy may lose some minutes, before the trade he could hang w/ a slow, non-physical guy like Drew Gooden, but a more finesse guy like Joe Smith or even Ben could toy w/ Maxiell a bit more...

Ok, change the word "every" to "most". I'm not trying to make a big argument here, though that's what its turning into. I'm just saying that we take a lot of games of and win just based on raw talent alone. That doesn't get it done in the playoffs.

Seems like both parts of that are wrong. The pistons don't have the dominant superstar to win on raw talent. At the same time, if you have the raw talent it can get it done in the playoffs like it did for LeBron last year and Wade the year before.

LOL @ ZEKYL GETTING PWNT.

Collective raw talent as a team.......you know what, nevermind, its not even worth trying to argue my point anymore because I can't seem to say what I'm trying to clearly.

Yes, its my fault.

Codename, do you really think we're going to see CLE in the playoffs?? B/c honestly I dont...
Yea i think its very possible, they play scrappy and get very big benefits of calls. Unlike boston and Orlando, their best slasher is also their best scorer and face of the franchise. Alot of what they get away with (calls on slashes and allowed to hack quite a bit) can be more useful in a 7 game series than regular season..

so...I got my performance bonus today. Expected a little over 2 grand and I wound up with $1,100.

They taxed the shit out of me, since apparently bonus checks go in a much higher tax bracket.

The federal tax on a $2,100 bonus check is $540, social security wanted their piece, that's $260. The state of michgian gave me a reach-around for $150.

Fuck, fuck. fuck.

Fuck uncle sam and his greedy ass. I worked my ass off for that bonus for a whole year, not him. He got paid almost as much as I did out of this shit.

At least someone else will be able to stimulate the economy with that in May.

Yea i think its very possible, they play scrappy and get very big benefits of calls. Unlike boston and Orlando, their best slasher is also their best scorer and face of the franchise. Alot of what they get away with (calls on slashes and allowed to hack quite a bit) can be more useful in a 7 game series than regular season..


Well, every team has their strengths, wouldn't you think that Boston would be able to handle Cleveland??

Let's not forget, as "dangerous" as Cleveland may be, perhaps we are giving them a little too much credit. They are, after all, only 39-30. And as much as we blame our beloved Pistons for acting like they can "flip the switch" when they want to, couldn't we also say the same thing about Cleveland?

Something to ponder.

And although I wouldn't be shocked if the series went 7, I still think Boston has enough talent to take care of business in Rd. 2


Pistons...Celtics...ECF...lock it up

The cavs are vulnerable to any team with a solid transition offense, because they run and pass like shit. They run even worse now without hughes and gooden.

Toronto is going to give them a ton of trouble, providing bosh is healthy.

T.Dot is also one of the worst teams in the league at defending superstar scorers unfortunately(Kobe shouldnt even be allowed to be in the game against them for unfairness). In the end that'll probably do them in when they are forced to worry about him way too much. .

They were a lottery team when kobe lit them up for 81. The raptors have grown up a lot.

The Raptors actually were a better team than the Cavs this year until Bosh got hurt.

I think Toronto can give them fits as well...they've played them tough in each of the 3 meetings this year...

Ultimately, I think Cleveland would win that series, but I think that one could go 6 or 7...

I just hope Philly doesn't pass up Toronto...

I think we could end up playing the Wizards in the 1st round, which would be fine by me, I think they are terrible, regardless of Gilbert is playing or not...they still can't really defend anybody...

Tay would be at work on Butler, Jamison would have a few different defensive looks thrown his way, that pretty much takes care of their big names.

As for Toronto, I think they could take Cleveland to 6 but no further than that. Who on that team is slowing LeBron down?

I think Boston will take Cleveland but it would be a 6 or 7 game series guaranteed. They just have more weapons. Ben struggled with KG in his prime, he's not shutting him down now one on one. We've all seen what happens when you have to double up on KG. Guys like Perkins and Glenn Davis end up lighting you up.

The Raptors actually were a better team than the Cavs this year until Bosh got hurt.
Matchup wise I dont think they are better bosh or no bosh. Again though i'm looking towards the playoffs on the matchup itself. Toronto doesnt get to the basket much at all. Therefore they dont get to the line. They also are one of the worst rebounding teams with Cleveland being possibly the best with the addition of Ben wallace to an already 3rd ranked rebounding team.

In order to run they'll need to stop lebron and get rebounds. Two things i doubt they do. And no i dont think even with Bosh they are a better team than Cleveland.

cleveland would take toronto in 4, maybe 5 games.

Toronto doesn't have that "lights out" shooter than can put them over the top.

Bargnani has been a disappointment this year, and Kapono wasn't worth the major contract.

It's a shame Garbajosa got hurt b/c I think he was going to be a really solid player...

However, Jose Calderon is a stud man!

Man, the game the other night...pathetic. It looked like a repeat of games 3-6 vs the Cavs in the playoffs last yr.

Speed the tempo up, it's obviously that Cleveland is trying to play a grind out game and let lebron take over in the 4th. Chauncey is just walking the ball up the court and the entire team looked so uninterested. I so badly wanted to punch my tv but I just bought it so I couldn't. Leave stuckey in there longer to penetrate or put amir and max out there for longer stints. we have to force the issue and push the ball up the court. They are a pretty decent defensive team and Flip Saunders is an absolute moron.

If a team is a good half court defensive team, push the ball up and don't allow them to get set in their half court defensive sets. It's so simple. And if their goal is to get the ball out of chauncey's hands then let rip or tay run the offense for a few more possessions per game to give them a diff. look. If the Pistons just pushed the ball up faster, it puts pressure on their defense and gives us more time on the shot clock to look for a better shot.

You can't run on CLE, they pull their guards back and rely on Z, floppy, Ben, and Lebron to get glass. Then Bron uses his speed to get back regardless. Kinda like Rick used to do here. Nice try though.

Kinda like Rick used to do here. Nice try though.
I forgot we used to play stifling D...

You can still run on them if the opportunity presents itself. You're probably just saying that we can't run on them because we never really try to run on them. Their guards are not going to be back in perfect position on every possession. I'm not saying that if we push the ball that it's going to be layups every time, but it can put pressure on their defense. More ball movement and better movement w/o the basketball can help too.

You can still run on them if the opportunity presents itself. You're probably just saying that we can't run on them because we never really try to run on them. Their guards are not going to be back in perfect position on every possession. I'm not saying that if we push the ball that it's going to be layups every time, but it can put pressure on their defense. More ball movement and better movement w/o the basketball can help too.


Oh yeah, you can pick your spots, but it leads to more TOs, which CLE feeds off. Their half court O is awful if Bron isn't going hard to the hoop. Unfortionately so is ours when, as you mention, the ball slows down. Rip and Tay need to facilitate if Chauncey is gonna get checked up high. And Dyess just needs to hit his jumpers to spread the court. No I A or Bs.

We don't need to run on Cleveland anyway. A big thing with Cleveland is having Sheed play down low on defense. I can't stand when Pavlovic misses a 3 of iron and then that Brazilian fucktard puts it back in...

2nd chance points are deathly...

Cavs beat the high tempo raptors with bosh 90-83...yea the raptors will totally run on them.

you keep on bringing up that final score when the playoffs come around...

you mean when teams typically abandon fast pace basketball and all go to the half court offense?

Holy shit. Let this thread die, people.

you keep on bringing up that final score when the playoffs come around...
No, i dont hold any grudge. So no need to bring this score up especially after the regular season ends. Toronto can't run on cleveland if they cant rebound. They are near last, Cleveland is top 3 in the nba before they added Ben Wallace. Out rebounded the Raptors 51 to 35 in that this game. If that continues, its not even close. And The raptors arent a better team if all they can do is run and shoot jumpers.

Milwaukee lit up the Cavs tonight on nothing much besides "run and shoot jumpers".....

Milwaukee~Not Toronto lit up the Cavs tonight on nothing much besides "run and shoot jumpers".....

Not true, they actually got alot of their shots in the half court on Mo Williams Isio and Michael Redd coming off screens and got to the FT line(especially known cavs killer mo williiams), something toronto doesnt do well.

All this coupled with the second night of a back to back and the BUcks(more so Mo Williams) having the cavs number. Now if only they were a relevant playoff team, then i wouldnt feel like you're pridefully grasping for straws rather than letting go on the fact that toronto raptors arent really better than the cavs in matchups.