By Steve Aschburner, for NBA.com Posted Apr 14 2010 3:31PM
On paper, this is the biggest mismatch of the 2010 playoffs: The East's No. 1 seed, sporting the league's best overall record and homecourt advantage throughout (with a week to spare actually) vs. a team that scrambled to qualify on the final night and barely made it to .500. In truth ... well, it likely will be the biggest mismatch of the playoffs there, too.
Cleveland won't be challenge-less in the first round, mind you. That great rest vs. rust debate means the Cavaliers must guard against spotting Chicago a game or two that could haunt them in later rounds. Then there's overconfidence against which to guard. And the tricky process of working Shaq back into the rotation. Let's not neglect the Bulls entirely, since they did play with some urgency down the stretch and are healthier than they have been most of the season. Besides, based on recent news reports, they ought to have a puncher's -- or at least a shover's -- chance in the series. Five quick questions
1. Was it smart of Cleveland to rest LeBron James and others so much in the final week?We'll see. Dropping 1-2 games to Chicago might not alter series, but adding to their postseason workload could hurt.
2. Is Shaq's return on track? They mostly need him for the third round. But Hickson is better as a starter, and a dropoff from him off the bench would be a shame.
3. Could Chicago's off-court turmoil be a distraction? It might foster an us-against-the-world mindset that actually helps in playoffs.
4. Will these coaches be back in October? Odd, isn't it, that both Mike Brown and Vinny Del Negro have so many critics while leading playoff teams? Anyway, here's your answer: One will be.
5. Can Chicago do to Cleveland what it did last spring to Boston? Seven games with a bushel of OTs? Uh oh, better check Noah's minutes limit! When the Cavs have the ball ...
A veteran NBA assistant coach provided some unbiased breakdowns of the two teams. Of Cleveland's offense these days, he said: "It's going to be a pick-and-roll with Mo Williams and Shaq involved, trying to get momentum to the basket. Or they'll run some iso's -- a pick-and-roll on one side and then swing it to LeBron on the weak side, where he can attack or run another pick-and-roll. They do a good job of getting the ball from side to side. They'll try to get Shaq some touches in the paint to get him going. From what I've seen, they'll try to get Jamison some step-ups by running a pick-and-roll with Mo Williams -- Jamison is really good at rolling or pumping off of that."
Chicago, our coach said, at least is better equipped to cope with Cleveland than the Toronto Raptors would have been. "The Bulls have some pieces. Believe it or not, Hinrich is a solid defender," he said. "Rose has gotten better. Miller knows how to play position defense. And Noah does an excellent job of blocking shots, clogging the middle and talking defense. He can match Varajao's energy the way he runs the floor and dives to the basket." When the Bulls have the ball ...
From the sound of it, the Cavaliers might as well be playing Miami. "The Bulls try to get Rose in as many pick-and-rolls as they possibly can and make sure he can catch and attack. They want him in the middle of the floor so he has maximum room to attack the rim. I see them wanting to get Rose with momentum going toward Shaq and Varajao and Ilgauskus. That's a tough matchup for Mo Williams.
The Bulls' lack of reliable outside shooting since Ben Gordon left last summer and John Salmons was traded in February will allow the Cavaliers to pack the middle to thwart Rose's drives. "But what helps Chicago," the assistant coach said, "is playing Rose and Hinrich together. Hinrich is a solid shooter, and when Rose draws and kicks, that gets him open." In the clutch
Don't be fooled by Cleveland's claims of a new, more egalitarian offense in which the resident superstar lifts a lighter load. That's the view of Boston center Kendrick Perkins anyway. "It's just LeBron," Perkins said this week. "At the end of the day, it's LeBron. Another MVP season, 30-8-and-8, that's pretty impressive. That's LeBron."
At the end of tight games, it surely is, with four other Cavaliers getting out of his way. The challenge for the Bulls is that they don't have a natural defender to match up against him since Salmons was moved. Deng gets overpowered and, for all of his grit, Hinrich doesn't have the size either. "One thing Chicago can do," the NBA assistant coach said, "is run Noah at him -- he's energetic andcan trap pretty quickly. They'll just have to send double-teams."
When Chicago faces a late-game situation, it will be Rose, only more so. "You might bring Noah up but, when you do that, now you're bringing another defender to the ball," our expert said. "So they might just flatten it out where he can go 1-4, Rose in attack mode going 1-on-1." At that point, James could be Cleveland's counter. He could get the benefit of doubt from officials -- the "superstar treatment" our coach called it -- and James reads situations, moves his feet and has punishing size. Wild cards
The biggest hurdle for the Cavaliers will be working O'Neal, recovered from his thumb injury, back into the center of its offense and defense. There's not a lot of urgency right now -- let's face it, they acquired him last summer as an antidote for Orlando's Dwight Howard -- but it still is a process that will require minutes for the big man and patience with the results. Mike Brown, for all his critics, has done a swell job of blending the new pieces given him by GM Danny Ferry and seems geared to playoff coaching where he and his staff can lock in on one foe.
Chicago, meanwhile, might be the most relaxed team in these playoffs. Nothing is expected of the Bulls, of course, and they already have gutted out a final week that was as intense as anything they'll face next. Whether dropping games they shouldn't have (Milwaukee minus Bogut, at New Jersey), winning at critical times (Toronto, Boston, Charlotte) or dealing with the Del Negro-Paxson sideshow, the Bulls already have their adrenaline flowing. Del Negro has held it all together while wondering where he'll be working next season. The pick
If people think Cleveland overdid the rest thing over the season's final week, what will they say when the Cavaliers have a bunch of days between their first-round sweep and their opener against the Boston-Miami winner? Chicago barely beat Cleveland last week at United Center with LeBron in street clothes -- that tends to get tougher when the guy suits up. Cleveland in four.
Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA for 25 years.
Chicago is a playoff team?? This is not a contest by any means.
Van Gundy was way more fun to watch as a coach than to listen to as an announcer. Jackson might actually punch him in the face before the playoffs are over.
A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams.
I'm very impressed by Shaq's play. I was expecting him to show more rust but he looks ready to make the run for the championship. Loved the way he sprinted back after using the spin move on Noah.
i like that we started off with parker on rose. i think you can run that exclusively until kirk hinrich realizes he can back down on mo williams. i ride that as long as i can. the good thing is we have delonte who can come in and help if hinrich starts playing physical with mo, because mo absolutely shouldn't be handling rose at all.
otherwise, there isn't much you can say about any problems or anything. rose was pretty much the only reason they got back into it.
love shaq's foul on noah too. sent him back a few feet when he tried going to the basket. that is a great foul. that sent a message right there.
Quote: love shaq's foul on noah too. sent him back a few feet when he tried going to the basket. that is a great foul. that sent a message right there.
on to the next one.
Yeah and I thought it was hilarious on , I think Noahs 5 th foul ,Shaq spun on him and Noah just wrapped his arms around Diesels waist and held on for dear life. It was almost like Noah was throwing his hands up and admitting he had nothing to even think about stopping Shaq.
On another note,what I really liked is the Cavs were all business,none of the over the top celebration crap. This team is focused and has their eyes on the ultimate prize. Take care of business,shake hands,give congrats where they are due,walk off the court and get ready for the next game. No clowning,its time to be serious and we can celebrate after 15 more victorys!!
I think Mike Brown has this team mentally prepared and Bron is leading by example.
KING
You may be in the drivers seat but God is holding the map. #GMSTRONG
And to dig into it deeper, who has a better bench than the Cavs? Their bench is basically the same team that made the finals three years ago plus Moon: Z gives you a big that can stretch the floor and that every playoff team apparently wanted on their roster when he was a Free Agent. Delonte is a starting point guard/shooting guard for the majority of the teams in the league. Gibson is one of the best three point specialists in the league, and Andy is pulling in 6th man/Defensive player of the year votes. And that's still not counting the young guy that pretty much started for half of a 60-win season ... Hickson.
As for the game ... I thought we got a little too complacent in the third and fourth, but we took care of business. I just wish we would put games away like this. Considering that we went, what felt like 2-30 from outside, I'd say we did pretty well. Shaq and Jameson alone tell you why this team is so much better this year. Most of the first half, Lebron barely had to do anything because the Bulls had no answer for those two. Considering the three of them have played about a week of actual ball together ... look out.
you can argue both sides of the cavs having the best bench in the league, there are a few other good teams, but to say they don't have a good enough bench to win a title? nah, that's way off.
i said mo was the one guy i was worried about, and he stepped it up today, i thought he had a solid game. we can deal with him being a bad defender bordering on so-so, but it's his shot that has to stay consistent and it was good today. he was good
Quote: Just asking: a guy I work with says the Cavs likely don't have a good enough bench to win a title. Thoughts?
I think he is a idiot,who has a better bench than the Cavs?
KING
I don't know. Which is why I asked. I think he was comparing their bench to that of some other major contenders, but maybe you're right and he is a idiot. I'll just stick to hockey threads.
plenty to talk about in there. man the first 4 days of the playoffs have been unreal. upsets all over the place. that coyotes/red wings game was crazy last night
caps just came back from down 3-1..
goin to the hawks game tomorrow, can't wait. it should be an exciting game as the hawks are feeling the pressure.
I think the celtics should be sponsored by elmers glue because they look just about done. It's kind of sad that a mediocre team like Miami is giving them so many problems. Miami just can't buy a basket right now.
Quote: Other than LeBron James I love watching Flash play. The man is amazing, especially considering how he carries his team on his shoulders.
Dude. Lebron is the best in the game overall. Melo is the best raw scorer. Kobe is the most polished, crafty scorer, and nobody's game is prettier than D Wade's... I take those calls to the bank, yo!
Politicians are puppets, y'all. Let's get Geppetto!
BOSTON – He pounds his chest and screams before every tip-off. He spikes every shot back at his opponent after the whistle. His cursing makes anyone seated courtside with their children cringe. And, yes, he famously wagged his finger in the face of Jose Calderon(notes).
No one in the NBA does intimidation better than Kevin Garnett(notes). And that might hurt the Boston Celtics in their playoff series against the Miami Heat.
The Celtics beat the Heat 85-76 in the opening game of their Eastern Conference first-round series, but Garnett wasn’t around to see the end of it. He was ejected with 40 seconds left after elbowing Heat forward Quentin Richardson(notes) in the jaw, and an NBA source said the league is investigating to determine whether Garnett should be suspended for Game 2.
The incident happened after Paul Pierce(notes) injured his shoulder and fell in front of the Heat bench. Garnett and Richardson exchanged words, and Celtics forward Glen Davis(notes) engaged in some shoving. After Garnett elbowed Richardson, he was hit with his second technical and an automatic ejection – the first technical came earlier for taunting.
”You make your bed, you have to lay in it,” Garnett said. ”It just is what it is. If I see any of my teammates down, I want to make sure that they are all right. So if I have to deal with it, than that’s what it is.”
Richardson thinks Garnett should be suspended. He also has a name for K.G.: ”actress.”
Richardson said he was standing near Pierce to get the ball to inbound. Garnett, however, is aware of Pierce’s testy relationship with Richardson and barked at Richardson for being too close to his teammate, which triggered the pushing and shoving. Richardson said Garnett’s elbow didn’t leave a mark, but he does think the league should suspend KG.
Garnett ”is an actress and so is Paul,” Richardson said. ”I was going to take the ball out over there. That was what I was trying to do. I told our trainer Jay [Sabol] that [Pierce] is cool and he’s doing what he always do, lay down like it’s a season-ending injury, then he gets up and he’s miraculously fine. He gets a breath, takes his time or whatever and he did the same thing.
”It should be a suspension [for Garnett]. We’ll see. That’s up to the NBA. But I’ve seen things like that in the past and people get suspended. I was cool. I was going to try going at him, but with me being restrained, that’s what it was.”
The way Garnett saw it, Richardson was the instigator. Richardson, however, sparred only with his mouth.
”I just saw ‘Q’ standing over him, talking nonsense,” Garnett said. ”I just asked him to give him some room. Before you knew it, mayhem started. I know these two have competed against each other in the past and they have history of bumping heads a little bit. The only thing I tried to do was tell [Richardson] to give common courtesy for an injured player. That’s all.
”I have no beef with ‘Q.’ I know him personally. I thought what he did was a little disrespectful by standing over a guy that was hurt, just talking nonsense. Before you knew it, it just all broke out. I have to use my head. The only thing I saw was Paul was hurt, and that was the only thing I cared about at the time. I don’t remember air-boarding anybody. I just remember people grabbing me.”
Richardson’s issues with Pierce are no secret, even if their origins have never been truly explained. The two were ejected for trash-talking in front of a referee two years ago when Richardson was playing for the New York Knicks. Richardson then continued to shout at Pierce while walking down the tunnel to the locker room.
Pierce once hosted Richardson as a recruit at the University of Kansas. Neither player has fully explained what the problem is, but this much is clear: Richardson has always seemed to be more irritated about the situation – and, as a result, has done most of the talking.
”All I will say is people act one way in NBA environments where things can be restrained and you’re going to be penalized, fined and da-da-da-da-da-da,” Richardson said. ”Stuff is going to come to a screeching halt as soon as it happens anyway.
”And you know, you put some people in different environments, they want to do the same thing. And those two pretty much know that. They’ve been in different environments and didn’t act the same way. You know, that’s why I call them actresses.”
Garnett was contrite and apologetic after the game. But that might not sway league officials when they decide whether to discipline him.
During the first round of last year’s playoffs, Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard(notes) was suspended one game for elbowing Philadelphia 76ers center Samuel Dalembert(notes). The Magic won without Howard, but the Celtics can ill afford to lose Garnett for what figures to be a long, tough series with the Heat.
The Celtics went 5-6 without Garnett this season. If Garnett is suspended, Celtics coach Doc Rivers will have to turn to either Davis or Rasheed Wallace(notes) to replace him. Garnett had a solid game with 15 points, nine rebounds, three assists and a block while helping hold Heat forward Michael Beasley(notes) to six points.
”Just not the right time to flex your muscles at that point,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said of Garnett’s incident. ”But I haven’t seen it yet. … So I don’t know [if Garnett will be suspended]. You guys have probably seen it more than I have. I haven’t seen it at all. So, the only lesson there for us is we got to get out of there. We got a lead and nothing good can happen for us in that situation.
”And I know they were concerned about Paul, so I do get that. And even if we were right, you’re still wrong. Get out of there. So that’s a lesson for us.”
Garnett spent the final 40 seconds in the locker room. If he’s suspended for Game 2, he won’t be allowed in the arena.
”I am just smarter than that,” Garnett said. ”Composure is everything in these playoffs, that’s all.”
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