DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Cavs: The Playoffs

Let's hear what you think. Do Cavs win against Detroit? How many games? Do they win the East? Do they win it all?

I honestly can't predict anything. This team has been up and down so much, hot to cold, cold to hot and etc - can't put a finger or guess their identity. I only have real confidence in LBJ because he's truly playing lights out. Him alone, as great as he really is, won't be enough to go then distance. It hinges on whether Love, Kyrie can step up and also needing massive help from the likes of Shumpret, Mozgov, Delly, TT and especially JR.

I think the Cavs sweep Detroit and also believe they make it to the finals but it won't be easy. Unfortunately, i just don't think they can beat the Warriors unless they lose a couple of players to injury.

I'm with you there. This team is so Jekyl and Hyde, you never know what you're going to get.

Are we going to get the extremely efficient, drive to the hoop, involve teammates and look like Godzilla Lebron? Or the pound nails for 23 seconds and hoist up an off balance 22 and a half foot 2-pointer Lebron?

Are we going to get the lethal slasher/3-point threat Kyrie that has the potential to score 55+ and actually plays some defense, or are we going to get the version that dribbles in circles, puts up bad shots and forgets he has teammates?

Are we going to get the Kevin Love that's a threat in the post, can body up and play effective defense and still hit three pointers at an acceptable rate? Or are we going to get the one that can't hit the broadside of a barn, defends like a turn-style and shrinks when we need him most?

Are we going to get 3-point threat/defensive wombat Delly or D-league Delly?

Will we see Shutdown-D Shump, or offensive liability Shump?

Are we going to see the Russian Bear Mozgov or Oven Mitt Mozzy?

Are we going to see flame-fingers JR or Bricklayer Smith?

Will it be Canadian Rodman TT or Overpaid Tristan?

Vintage if-Kobe-can-do-it-so-can-I Richard Jefferson or AARJ?

Mo Williams or some guy that holds the bench to the floor?

i'm going Cavs in 5, but honestly i it could very well be a sweep.

Lebron has owned the Pistons in the playoffs, and it will continue here.

Kyrie's defensive liabilities aside, they have nobody that can effectively stop lebron and kyrie from scoring at will.

Yes, yes I completely agree. The Kyrie question/concern is spot on, as all the others ya said.

You just never know who showed up, who hasn't and what the outcome is going to be. Stability isn't and hasn't been present with our superstars and others.

Cavs in 4-5

I believe they will win the east.

Have a hard time convincing myself they could win 4 out of 7 against golden state based on what we've seen over the last 10 months, but if the team is healthy and Lebron is playing possessed, I think the possibility exists.

I think the one guy we can count on is TT. He is going to rebound, defend, work his butt off, and play selflessly.

I think alot has to do with the struggle of each. If cavs roll through and have a generally easy go getting to finals, maybe some games where lebron can rest a bit and GS gets hammered in 6-7 game series, especially against SA, i think we could do some damage if we jump on them early at their building. The key is going to be not burning our guys out before we need them in the finals.

Cavs in 5 over Detroit.
Cavs in 5 over Boston.
Cavs in 6 over Toronto.
Warriors in 6 over Cavs.

At this point, I would not wager actual money on the Cavs.

Now, depending upon what they do with Detroit, I may change how I feel, but they have been so schizophrenic all year when it comes to these teams that we have to go through that I can't feel comfortable about it.

There's absolutely no way in ice cold Hell would I wager any amount of money on this team. I'd not even put five bucks on the table.

Like ya said though, depending how they play and how consistent it is if they're playing good ball, my opinion could sway here after the Detroit series.

That sounds about right to me too.

The Warriors have a pretty tough path through the West when I really think about it...

Rockets
Clippers
Spurs

I still think they get through but that is no cakewalk.

Fixed it.

The Rockets are the antithesis of tough.

For an 8 seed they are dangerous. They were in the western conference finals last year.

Dangerous in what way? That you might tear your ACL after dunking because they easily let you get to the basket dangerous?

Dangerous in the sense that if they all of a sudden decided to play defense, they may put up a fight.

Dangerous in the sense that they have one of the most talented rosters in the league.

Also dangerous in the sense that EVERYBODY expects them to do nothing and get swept right out of the playoffs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6_IZK-1naY

I think the Cavs and GS each make it to the finals again, and the Cavs take it all. What are the odds of a team going through two full championship runs completely healthy? I think the Warriors just might get bit by the injury or fatigue bugs. If we can stay healthy and if Delly can play Steph's daddy like he did in the first two games last year, we just may have a chance.

Teams stay healthy throughout the playoffs all the time (the Heat for example). They basically just need three guys to stay healthy (you know the three).

Also, Curry and Green only played 34 minutes a game and Thompson played 33. They will also get at least a day off in between games. Fatigue is not an issue.

You're probably right. I'm much more of a hockey fan than basketball, and the toll there of going deep into the playoffs in consecutive seasons really takes a toll.

I'm no basketball analyst, but like people are saying about Delly owning Curry-if he's not relied upon to score points like he was last year he just might be able to do something amazing.

i think the Delly in the finals was fools gold, he's been pretty bad on defense this year and Curry is well Curry. Now Delly can be pesky, but if you're banking on him shutting curry down alone, there will be disappoinment

Also, the Warriors figured things out and it was over. And that was when they had a real coach.

To be fair, Delly passed out from exhaustion after his Game 3 masterpiece and was never the same after that. Iman Shumpert also hurt his shoulder and sort of turned into a non-factor. After that, there was nobody really left to check Curry or Thompson.

Although, I think the thing with last year's playoffs ... we found out were were actually a better team with Kyrie and Love out of the main lineup. The other guys just played much better defense. What hurt us was that we only had 7 guys that could really play minutes and they were all dead tired by the 4th game of the Finals.

Ideally, I think we should actually start Delly, JR, Shump Lebron, and TT. It would be our best defensive team against GS. Kyrie and Love could come in and rack up points against their second unit, but I just don't see either of them taking a back seat like that.

I agree on all accounts. With that said, I think moving one of them to the second unit would be wise. We have mostly discussed moving Kyrie there and that might be the best move. Yet, if we make Love the focal point of the second unit, he would probably excel in both his post up presence and his long range shooting.
Frye would be fine w/the first unit.

And that's not to say that those units are exclusive. You can still mix and match them during parts of the game.

Not saying I am convinced........just conversation.

I think they can beat Detroit and perhaps win the next phase but I do not believe they make the finals.

Who in the East is going to win 4 out of 7 against LeBron?

Yes, I meant LeBron, by himself.. Basically guarantees you a ticket to the Finals in the East..

How do you manage the egos of all involved? That's the major hurdle to tackle.

LeBron also has a [brief] history of sulking and costing his team playoff series. That is the only hope for the other East teams.

Blake Griffin is criminally underrated. I can't believe their are actual people who think LA is better without him.

Yeah, Lequit is playing better than he EVER has.... Oh wait, no he's not. He's still a great player but he's not what he once was.

Dude has been to the finals 5 years in a row. How is he not the same player?

I think the Cavs win the east because they don't have to play perfect to beat anybody else in the east.

In the finals, assuming it's GSW or SAS, I don't see how they can win a 7 game series. They can win a couple games but unless they play consistently at a very high level, they can't win.. and even if they do play a game really well, they could still lose to either of those teams.

Toronto will win the 1st round and lose to Miami

Unless Miami loses to Charlotte

This pacers-raptors game is physical as all hell.

This will sound crazy, but did being inconsistent actually help the Cavs? We never had guys consistently dominate all year. We kind of had to have guys step up on different nights. Raptors live and die with DD and Lowry. It was frustrating, but I feel like it made guys on the team realize, "uh oh, we can't just expect Love, Kyrie and Lebron to be monsters."

Paul George is the T-Rex