DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Cavs/NBA

I think that'll cut both ways a bit. Taking three different teams to a title and being the FMVP in each....nobody has done that before kind of greatness, but then you're also a disloyal ring-chasing vulture.

Bringing the Knicks a title might be the mountain to climb, if he wanted that challenge and special feather in his cap. What other team would carry a special storyline?

Win one for the Twolves, Lakers or Pacers? The Knicks would be the "story". Well, unless he stayed and won 1-2 more with Cleveland.

I kind of think he'll stay, but I could see why he'd leave too.

Love in the paint is a good thing. He is elite on the boards, and has a good inside game. Not to mention his outlet pass is the best in the game. He grabs the Bound and looks to pass to someone breaking to the basket.


We are finally playing him to his strength. Just sitting out on the wing to spread the court isn't the way to win with that guy. He's going to drain some shots out there, but when you have a great rebounder and passer, you keep him near the paint. Love doesn't get outworked, and working for inside position is what is all about.

I did understand that despite his success and playing hard, he is getting beaten up a bunch.

He is tearing iy up bit he is outsized and working up hill much of the time. Loving these Cavs playing harder, and I hope to get some more injured back soon. ASAP!

Good point. I hadn't heard that, but he isn't a 280 lb player, probably more like 250, so it could be.


At 6'10 and 250, he may look slight, but Kevin isn't a small man, and he doesn't have a whole lot of fat on him.


He's pretty lean and strong.

I don't really care what he does. After coming back home and delivering on his promise, I think he has set his legacy in Cleveland. The only thing left for him to do is chase Jordan for championships.

I think he truly forgave Dan Gilbert for the letter, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't rather be having someone else sign his checks. On the other hand, I think he probably smiles knowing Dan has to kiss his rear end ever day. I don't know if it still runs that deep. I'd like to think they were both men about it, and buried the hatchet, but I don't know either guy, and obviously what they say in the media can mean one thing.

I hope Cleveland fans aren't dumb enough to boo him if he leaves. I'll root for him wherever he goes. I will always be a Cavs fan first. It was really sad to see Kyrie go, but aside from the Cavs dealing that pick in some package for Paul George, we already have a nice piece for a potential 2018 rebuild. Normally you have to wait a year after you lose your best player, the Cavs could start right away.

I don't think anything is decided though. The Cavs are still the team to beat in the east. If that does not change, why go and have to deal with at least 2 teams that are capable of knocking you off before the finals?

What if the Cavs don't deal the pick, continue to play well, and end up with the top pick in the draft?

I got over Lebron leaving the first time pretty quick. I was actually over it by the time he won in his second year with Miami. I was happy for him. It's hard to blame a guy who just wanted to win badly, and the situation with the Cavs seemed like it couldn't get any better status quo. For the record, it's not the same with Kevin Durant. Lebron went and formed something with Wade and Bosh. Miami was a middle of the road team. Kevin Durant went to a team that finished the previous year with 73 wins and were champions the year before that. Not to mention I really felt like that OKC team was right there with the way they were formed. They had the team that could have beaten GSW.

I don't think he is leaving. I think it is the media wanting to create a story.

I could be wrong, but that is what I think.

I also think we should just enjoy him and the team while he is here. Let's face it, we sucked w/out him. Might as well enjoy the good times.

Man, Embied and Simmons are special talents for Philly.

I enjoy the Cavs every chance I get. We are all lucky enough to be around in an era where we had one of the all time greats playing for our team. I grew up watching some really good Cavs teams that always got beat by the team that may not have been better as a whole, but had the guy, and that's all that matters.

I was also around for some really bad Cavs basketball, both immediately before and after Lebron was in his first Cleveland stint. The NBA has suc a difficult championship to win. It's the sport that probably has the fewest amount of teams that can realistically win. When was the last time you had an unlikely NBA champion? Even the 2004 Pistons finished second in the east that year, and first in the east the the year prior.

The NHL has had 8th seeds win the whole thing. MLB can be a total crapshoot. The NFL has it's usual teams, but also has seen wild card teams win the super bowl.

It' really easy to get upset when the Cavs don't get back on defense, or lose a game against a lottery team, but it's also pretty easy to think about the mediocre teams in the league that no damn well they have zero chance at a title this year, and probably the next few.

Agreed. Very good post.

We have one guy here who monopolizes the thread. Trash this, trash that. If we are losing, he posts more. If we are winning, he doesn't post much but instead talks about LeBron's shoes or TT's first game back from injury, which effectively limits the discussion of the Cavs win.

I don't know....I am all about being real and criticizing a team if they suck. Heck, I rip the Browns all the time. But man, the Cavs are pretty darn good. Not sure why some folks wanna bring them down????

Oh my goodness! Did anyone else just see that dunk be Russel in triple OT?

There’s just too many games to complain about one loss here or there. You could probably go back to the 2016 season and see some laughable posts about the cavs not being any good. I can only imagine what was said the night of the warriors beating the cavs so badly they fired the coach the next day.

If it’s a yong team much like Philly (btw what a game tonight) I can see really breaking down each win and loss because they are such a young squad, but we know damn well the cavs don’t care for the regular season or seeding. They literally punted late in the season last year when given the chance to overtake the Celtics for the top seed.

this Rockets team.....

they might finally be legit. CP3 and Harden's chemistry with each other is crazy. it's like they've been playing together their entire careers.

I love CP3. Dude is the ultimate hoopster.

Mr. 4th Korver.

Lebron with another triple double.

Moves past Larry bird for 6th all time.

I watched parts of the second half. My son texted me that it was on 753 on Direct TV. I am assuming PASS is running a promotion?

Anyway:

--Korver was red hot. Dude is a pro.

--LeBron looks even stronger this year than last. I am imagining it?

--Is Osman the dude we got from Boston in the Kyrie trade? I kinda like this dude. He looks quick, active, and loves to run. Give the dude the ball. He made a lot of nice UCLA cuts, but we were missing him. LeBron did hit him for a 3. Kid is intriguing. I am not talking about his shot, but his off the ball movement reminds me of Reggie Miller.

--This team is fun to watch. I'm not getting all the negativity that I've been reading on here.

Melo’s first game back at MSG:

5/18 from the field, 2-4 from 3, 12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 TOs

Knicks win 111-96.

Knicks record: 16-13
Thunder record: 14-15

So glad we didn't trade for him.

I think you're thinking of Ante Zizic. He's a Center from Croatia I think. Osman is one of those "Euro-stash" guys we drafted a couple years ago. He played in the Turkish league for a couple of years until we decided he was ready enough to sign to a NBA contract this year. He's got some pretty good athleticism.

He’s got millions, a NCAA title and a few gold medals but Melo’s professional resume is a bit cringeworthy. I think he got to one conference title series but after that, it’s been a disaster. Heck, his decision to sign the longer deal that Wade and Lebron avoided doomed his future.

He’s still winning in life, but you’d have to think he has major NBA regrets.

nice win ... Utah isn't that bad. LBJ is just phenomenal this year

and he is still only 22 years old.

Thanks. You're right. I remember watching the videos of Osman's overseas games.

He is very quick. Moves constantly. Plays the passing lanes well. Loves to run.

I liked what I saw even if he didn't put up stats. Dude is athletic and has a ton of energy.

Has he played much this year or did we just recently activate him?

He has been playing more do to all of the injuries to other players Vers. He has been on the roster all year. 6"8 and can play small forward or shooting guard.

Thanks bro.

Lebron is getting shut down tonight, someone else going to have to rise up

Cavs dialing it up late

Held them to 16 4th quarter points. Nice.

this was a quality win.

One of better ones this year

Wonder if Beal thinks we’re still dodging them

lol that comment is still funny.

they would've got swept off the floor against us in the playoffs.

and oh yea, another triple double by the king.

On a back to back where the team had to travel.

The next stretch of games will show a lot.

Man, I'm not sure if like Lue or not, but the way he has stuck with Osman and the return on that investment is really impressive. 10 games ago Osman looked like he was nervous just moving without the ball. Understandable as a rookie. But he's been actually contributing. And getting better every game.

Cavs have a nice formula right now. Everyone plays complimentary ball. And the defensive intensity is night and day from earlier in the season. I think this team being old could work since they are so deep. Green, Wade, heck even Love, don't have to play so many minutes every night. LeBron does but he's a freak.

Really excited about the Christmas day game against the Warriors.

If Thomas can fit in with this team, I'm excited about the Cavs chances to win it all this year. Very excited. We had more star power with Irving, but holy crap is the team deep. They've never taken a team this deep into the Finals.

I know this is a 180 from my views of the team earlier in the season, but the play and effort of the Cavs is also a 180 since then. I stand by my opinion earlier in the season. But they've earned the benefit of the doubt at this point.

Nice post............just don't freak out over one loss. This team is a work in progress that should peak during the playoffs.

I don't think we should pretend things were hunky dory earlier in the year. It got to the point that LeBron and Wade were starting to say things in the media to motivate the team. They looked completely uninterested. And there was literally no defensive intensity. There was no defense. No effort at all.

To their credit they've turned it around. But they've also had the easiest schedule in the league to date. This next stretch of games will be telling, IMO. I expect the Cavs to play well.

The team is clicking and they have LeBron. Always a good recipe for success.

Oh, and Calderon. No Calderon = No Finals. LOL.

Integrating Thomas is going to be interesting, though. Hopefully, it's a smooth transition. One thing I see with this team is each guy maximizes their minutes and everyone seems to be sacrificing for the ultimate goal. I think the team will do whatever it has to do to integrate Thomas. I'm excited to see him play with the team. Calderon will no longer play at all and something tells me, he's going to be fine with that. Thomas, Smith, Crowder, Love, LeBron. Nice starting 5. Wade, Thompson, Green, Korver, Osman coming off the bench. Still have Shumpert, Frye, and Rose. Holy crap is this team deep. And if you need a point guard to step in due to injury, Calderon is waiting and has proven he can be a productive part of the team.

Very nice.

Did I say we should overlook anything? I don't remember saying that.

I thought I said if we lose to GS on Christmas day, the season isn't over.

Hmmmm.........maybe I didnt' say that, but that is what I meant to imply.

Yep this is my thought as well, we can’t pretend early in the year was ok. Because it was some of the worst basketball I’ve ever seen, at the same time they deserve the benefit of the doubt the rest of the way. They look like a totally different team. I think when IT comes back rose is the odd man out. Jose has proven himself. I can see using rose for matchups but it’s hard to ignore how steady Jose has been. My biggest gripe is how meh crowder has been, and Jr goes through these stretches, really taxes the rest of the starters. IT coming back helps that I think. Then we won’t need those guys to do much. I’m curious what happens with that pick now

When IT comes back Lue needs to tell JR his role is to do two things and two things only...play his butt off on D and shoot wide open 3s. No driving to the basket. No behind the back dribbles. If the assist is there, make it, but otherwise D and 3 please.

I don't think there'll be any minutes for Calderon unless Wade is taking a game off. It's Thomas, Wade, and LeBron. I'll tell you this though, I'd give Calderon minutes before Shumpert. I keep saying this but Calderon isn't going to do anything stupid. Shumpert is constantly doing stupid stuff on offense that is completely disruptive to the game.

Crowder has been disappointing but seems to be maximizing his opportunities on offense lately. Really disappointed in his D. He really doesn't seem to play many minutes though.

I don’t think shumpert is here much longer to be honest