Post by gk on Dec 15, 2009 12:01:41 GMT -6
Tryhus and I drove down to see Cavs at OKC, Lebron at Durant.
The game was nearly tied through three then Cleveland started hitting threes, outrebounding the Thunder like crazy, and Durant went ice cold in the 4th.
That said, OKC definitely has a ton of raw talent. In fact, I'm not sure that Jeff Green doesn't have more raw talent than Durant. That said, Green looked hesitant and uncomfortable ... and still scored 20+ points.
The "twin tower" lineup (sorry to poach a phrase from THE GREATEST FRONTCOURT OF ALL TIME) of Varajao and Z made it nearly impossible for OKC to grab a rebound near the basket. And if you can't get defensive stops and fast breaks against that lineup, you're toast.
Mo Williams his a ridiculous half court prayer shot and it hit nothing but net.
Lebron James is good. Real good.
Shaq was a zero in this game as he got into foul trouble early.
The reason Durant was shut down in the 4th? Jamario Moon. Durant was torching Anthony Parker for the first three Q's. Then the Cavs put Moon on Durant and that was that. Defensively, Moon is extremely versatile. He's tall enough, and has huge ups, long arms, and enough range to spread the floor when they need it. As strange as it sounds, he might be the key to the season by stopping the Rashard Lewises and Lamar Odoms of the world. If Moon can guard those "stretch forwards" and allow Lebron to guard more "important" players then the Cavs will be able to clamp down in the 4th quarter of games like they did in this one.
The Thunder scoreboard misspelled Leon Powe's name on the injury report ("Poe").
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Can someone please explain to me why the Cavs are being so easily written off? The Cavs have almost the exact same record as the Magic and Celtics and (like in the preseason) NO ONE is predicting them to win the East.
The game was nearly tied through three then Cleveland started hitting threes, outrebounding the Thunder like crazy, and Durant went ice cold in the 4th.
That said, OKC definitely has a ton of raw talent. In fact, I'm not sure that Jeff Green doesn't have more raw talent than Durant. That said, Green looked hesitant and uncomfortable ... and still scored 20+ points.
The "twin tower" lineup (sorry to poach a phrase from THE GREATEST FRONTCOURT OF ALL TIME) of Varajao and Z made it nearly impossible for OKC to grab a rebound near the basket. And if you can't get defensive stops and fast breaks against that lineup, you're toast.
Mo Williams his a ridiculous half court prayer shot and it hit nothing but net.
Lebron James is good. Real good.
Shaq was a zero in this game as he got into foul trouble early.
The reason Durant was shut down in the 4th? Jamario Moon. Durant was torching Anthony Parker for the first three Q's. Then the Cavs put Moon on Durant and that was that. Defensively, Moon is extremely versatile. He's tall enough, and has huge ups, long arms, and enough range to spread the floor when they need it. As strange as it sounds, he might be the key to the season by stopping the Rashard Lewises and Lamar Odoms of the world. If Moon can guard those "stretch forwards" and allow Lebron to guard more "important" players then the Cavs will be able to clamp down in the 4th quarter of games like they did in this one.
The Thunder scoreboard misspelled Leon Powe's name on the injury report ("Poe").
-----------------------------
Can someone please explain to me why the Cavs are being so easily written off? The Cavs have almost the exact same record as the Magic and Celtics and (like in the preseason) NO ONE is predicting them to win the East.
