Not To Say I Told You So…..
by MooheadJanuary 31, 2007 8:37 am
The torch has been passed to Daniel Gibson in Cleveland. Eric Snow is sitting. But last night’s game was the second time in a week the Cavs won without LeBron James. Would I want to continue without him? No. But only a fool misses the moral to this story.
5 men working together defeat 5 men working apart.
The Cavs played 10 men deep last night, and none of them was a superstar. They passed, defended, and shot like it really mattered. Because none of them were superstars, no one was double teamed. They ran their plays and scored 124 points. Granted, Golden State hardly showed up, but this group of Cavaliers played like a TEAM.
No pounding the ball out front for 12 seconds. No off balance 3’s. No standing around watching LeBron. In fact, the offensive plan that Larry Hughes is so fond of complaining about seemed to work fine when everyone actually was moving. Larry wants fast breaks? Well, the defense sparked 25 fast break points against a running team. The defense that Hughes claims is not the team’s identity, forced the Warriors into tons of bad perimeter shots.
The challenge for this Cavs team is to figure out a way to mesh LeBron with 4 guys who move without the ball. To get LeBron to stop holding the ball for so long, and to initiate plays sooner in the possession. To attack if you have a quick entry available. To penetrate and get to the line early in periods.
The maligned system works. it doesn’t when the players don’t. If Larry Hughes refuses to buy into the plan, he has trade value. Everyone must play together to be a championship team.
February 1st, 2007 at 9:48 pm
Larry Hughes is overrated. Right now without LeBron, the Cavs are a lottery team. LeBron needs help if the Cavs are going to make it to the next level.