DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum NBA Finals Discussion

My "doom and gloom" worked for the Bulls series so just going for that again.

It's over guys, we have no chance.

As the Bud Light commercial once said...."it's only weird if it doesn't work."

I knew he was done last night. Really down.....We cant win 4 games against this team without a Robin to our Batman. They will let Lebron get his and stop everyone else. If Shumphert and Smith have an "on fire" game we may win one but this is going to be an ugly series from here on out. Please prove me wrong Lebron.

I just hope Gilbert (and I think he will) opens his wallet and keeps this team together. Sign shumphert smith Thompson and I hope Love sees what he is missing and takes his option. Get Andy back and win it next year.

This thing is done fellas

I love people talking about winning it next year. It's always next year for Cleveland. I'm really starting to believe that this city is NEVER getting another championship.

We'll probably make the finals again by default of the East being trash. Chicago is our only realistic threat. Will be interesting to see how much their defense takes a step back.


The only true potential roadblock to an NBA Finals appearance next year is injuries. Unfortunately Kyrie has earned the label of injury prone and can't be trusted going forward. Kevin Loves injury was the result of a bush league move, Kyrie gets hurt stepping out of the shower.

Kyrie will probably go the path of Wade, TMac and Penny. But his body isn't breaking down yet like those guys'. It's insane to think he's 23 and has so much more room to grow.

All said in done, next season we have to be the favorite to win it all. Once we're all healthy we'll be completely fine.

He's just trying to get a rise out of people. Admittedly, he's not a Cavs fan. He's enjoying pulling everyone's strings. I think he's a Browns fan, and if so, you think he would use a little tact and back off a bit especially considering the incredible bad luck the team has had when they were so very close to being able to break the drought and how sensitive fans are that the team hasn't won a championship in so long.

Take comfort in knowing that he talks about the NBA as if he just started watching it a few years ago. He's just playing the odds here now that both Love and Irving are hurt. But statements like the Cavs probably would have lost if everyone had stayed healthy are just meant to poke at people.

Btw, how come no one is talking about what went down in the locker room after the game with Irving, his dad, and his agent? Windhorst (who seems to enjoy the Cavs losing as much as cfrs) started it. It dominated the sport talk shows I listened to yesterday and LeCharles has even joined in. It looks like dad and agent felt like Kyrie shouldn't have been playing and now there is "no trust" between Irving and the team. Always something. Always. The curse may indeed be real.

j/c:

I would like to see us go more w/a line-up of

Shumpert on Curry
Smith on Klay
James on Barnes
TT on Green
Mozgov on Bogat

LBJ could be the primary ball handler on offense w/Shumpert and Smith spotting up along the 3 point line. Mozgov could make those UCLA cuts that were so effective in game one. TT would be the garbage man and run the occasional flash cut for the lob.

I am not saying to go w/this exclusively, but it would be my primary line-up.

I haven't heard too much about that. I haven't been watching TV and only saw a couple of headlines about the agent and dad thing.

I don't know..........it's the Finals. Guys play hurt all the time. If Kyrie and his supporters are going to hold that against the Cavs, than I would do what I could to get him out of here and bring in more stability at the PG position.

Hopefully, things will calm down and Kyrie and his crew will realize he being in Cleveland is the best opportunity he will have to win it all.

I still think that we need to address the PG position next off-season. Kyrie is hurt a lot and we need more quickness on the defensive end even if Kyrie is playing. I would even be okay w/one of those smaller, quicker type of guys that can't be full time starters due to their lack of height, but can come in for short stretches, run the offense, penetrate, pass, and play tight perimeter defense.

4 more wins to go. This old man is not giving up yet

That's a lineup that I liked even before the Kyrie injury.

A guy that I would like to see more of is Joe Harris. He can hit the outside jumper, plays tough defense and has fresh legs which might get us few extra loose balls. Worse comes to worst, he plays as well as James Jones.

Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!

Just to dismiss the Grizz like that, even without Con, is pretty absurd. You're still talking about a top 5 defensive team that would have made it to the ECF without breaking a sweat (If Cavs are absent). I take it you haven't seen many GSW games because they live on the West Coast, but the entire regular season they dominated and the entire playoffs they've dominated.

Let's just call it how it is for the Griz. They're a treadmill team. They're basically no different from Hawks teams in the past. They excite the old school talking heads because of their defense, but they never really do anything. The best they've ever done is get swept in the WCF. They get talked up every year just like the Bulls and every year they do nothing because they don't value offense. The hype for them and Chicago needs to die.

How is pointing out that they were banged up dismissing them?

And what does an amount of times watching Golden State have to do with that?

All I'm saying is that Golden State has had unbelievably good fortune. They've been as lucky, if not more than the Cavs have been hit with bad luck.

And yes, even though it's aside from the point I was making, Golden State was the best team in the regular season. We all know as Cavs fans that the President's trophy equivalent doesn't mean dog poo in the league.

I just think people get over emotional because I talk realistically about their team. I literally have no biases. I watch the NBA purely for entertainment purposes and have no rooting interest.

I realize I should probably back off a little bit because of the history of Cleveland sports teams. I apologize if I offended anyone when pointing out things about the Cavs. I will try only to praise them in the future.

if you're not with us, you're against us.

No the problem is that you're pretentious, I don't interpret anything your saying as trolling.

My god.

90% of your posts are pointing out people being wrong.

You get off on this kind of stuff.

Pretty weak, man.

I think you're wrong on this.

I apologize if that's the case. It has not been my intention. I will try to change my tone.

Farewell Irving...

Not sure how we are going to make it this series now. Unless James Jones, Delly and maybe/probably Miller step up BIG TIME, then wow...

We even need Marion to get some reps and be productive. Total team effort now as LBJ cannot do it all.

This isn't our year. Tough pill to swallow, but when you lose your #2 and #3 options, in addition to a big (Andy), it's probably not in the cards.

A part of me wants to buy into the idea that we deserve the karma, but this looks to me like the Magic '09 series. Golden State just shoots too well.

I guess we can hope this is the 1st year Finals trip this team needs to come back focused, pissed, and know what the roster needs to have to beat the West. Just like Lebron losing his first year in Miami.

Like others have said, the Cavs should be back in the finals pretty much every year (barring any unforeseen events).

NRTU

I'm not the most savvy hoops guy, but I hope the Cavs don't have the attitude that most of the fans here seem to have now that Irving is out. Don't forget, you still have the best player on the planet. Smith and Shumpert aren't the offensive threat that Irving is, but come on, they're pretty good offensively, and better than Irving defensively. Yeah, the starters will need to play big minutes, but its only for 4-6 well spaced out games. Its crazy to concede already. You gotta play the games, and remember what former MLB pitcher, Joaquin Andujar, said when asked to describe Baseball (or sports) in one word. He answered that his word would be ... "youneverknow".

They won't. They will play their asses off. Lebron yesterday sounded like a guy who didn't care to hear about excuses, injuries, or next year. When he has that attitude, others will follow suit. I'm sure Lebron knows inside, that the odds are pretty horrible, but I have a feeling he's going into bleep-you mode.

It's just really hard as a fan to see it unfold like this. I'm damn proud to be a fan of this team though. They've fought hard.

I do think the team is going to play very well at home. So if Lebron can find a way to steal one tomorrow, or if they can protect the home court, and get back for game 5 and steal one there, all bets are off. You can take your next year talk and bury it for now.

Considering Golden State was lucky to get out of game one with a win, I think Lebron should keep attacking. Work the two man game with Mozgov (who should be really good the rest of this series) and when/if GS starts doubling, that's where these guys need to make shots. You need JR and James Jones to get good looks and shoot well. If Matthew Dellavedova can defend, we will be in good shape. He's really going to have to fight through it though.

What was "lucky" about Golden State winning?

The Cavs lead for a huge part of that game, they had two looks at a game winner, it went to overtime, and the Cavs were hit with a devastating injury.

OMGZ UR WRONG

If you think ridiculing me is going to stop me from refuting your [weak] points, then you are wrong.

Both looks at the game winner were very difficult shots. One could argue that the Cavs would have been lucky if either shot went in.

The injury definitely contributed to the Cavs losing, but so did not making a shot for most of the overtime.

Just because you don't like it, doesn't make it wrong.

Once again, you're getting off on going after people's opinions.

It's pretty incredible.

You don't like being ridiculed? Don't act like a snob around here. Sorry bud.

LeBron James is a career 34% three point shooter. He has been much worse in the 2015 playoffs. He shot a heavily guarded three point shot. The odds are not in his favor in making that shot.

Iman Shumpert is a career 43% two point shooter (and is probably much worse if you remove dunks and layups). He had to make a fadeaway shot with time winding down. The odds are not in his favor in making that shot.

Neither of these things are opinions. They are facts.

The Cavs scored two points in overtime. That is a fact.

What is actually pretty incredible is the sensitivity of some posters when their team is criticized. I don't hate the Cavs, I don't like the Warriors. Just pointing out things I observe.

Sperg, it wasn't that much of a lead. Both teams consistently threw haymakers at each other left and right. We failed to stop their fast offense; this led to our downfall.

Irving was playing gimped, anyway.

We were up by as much if not more than 14 points at one time.

Absolutely right.

Man, we have been hit with 2 devastating injuries in Love and Irving, but we have played through them, and won games. (including 2 in the ECF)

Plus, you never know what can happen. What happens to Golden State if Klay Thompson or Steph Curry come up limping at some point in game 2?

It is going to take a complete team effort to beat Golden State on their home court, missing 2/3 of our Big 3 ..... but I think we can do it.

I also respect the heck out of the job that Blatt and the coaching staff have done in not only getting the role players ready to play significant minutes, but also in not letting the team get down when hit with an injury. These guys still expect to win, and that is absolutely the right mindset.

Can't wait for Game 2 to begin!

I'm still a bit pissed lebron didn't try to drive to the lane. dude was murdering whoever was guarding him all game, especially in the paint. dunno why he decided to jack up a 3.

Yeah, he should have drove it. Put the onus on the refs. He is the best player in the game. What do you think the refs would call?

I have seen guys like Magic, Bird, Jordan, Kobe, etc get phantom calls late in games over and over and over. Drive the ball, use your broad shoulders to initiate contact, hoist up a shot in the paint, and put it on the refs just in case you miss.

Falling out of bounds on a long 3-point attempt was not the correct choice.

I think LeBron was just gassed.

word.

regardless, we need the other guys stepping up. the production from everyone not named TT or Mosgov was a joke.

And now we need Delly to score.

it's gonna be rough.

Bingo.

Shane Battier was on Zach Lowe's podcast saying exactly the same thing. He thinks that the game winning jump shot has been glorified since MJ's game winner. He said that players would rather make the legendary play over the smart play (paraphrasing).

If LeBron would have drove to the basket the entire Warriors defense would have collapsed on him and he would have had wide open jump shots available to pass to or he would have gotten to the rim.

It's hard to fault LeBron though, he was the reason they were in that position in the first place.