Lil Red Machine

This was their chance.   No KG in the starting lineup for Boston, and with potential homecourt advantage in the playoffs up for grabs, the Cavaliers laid a big egg.  The Cavs yet again lose a game to an elite team.  There’s a big shocker.

This team isn’t going anywhere until it can figure out how to guard in the post.  Good teams with excellent post play beats us everytime.  On the offensive side of the ball, Mike Brown and the Cavs completely abandon the offense when faced with any sort of crisis situation.  The “give the ball to LeBron and have everybody else get out of the way” strategy will never lead to a championship.

Their new aquisition, Joe Smith, was a non-factor.  Zydrunas Ilgauskas put up some shots, but was abused defensively.  Anderson Varejao played well, posting up 15 points, but all in all, the Cavs still have major weaknesses in the interior, and good teams will continue to take advantage of that.

There’s a very good chance that the road to the finals will go through Boston now.  Despite the Cavs adding new players and trying to tinker with what they have, it’s clear that Boston just has their number in that building.  The old parquet floor from the old Boston Garden is long gone.  The rat infested visiting locker rooms has long ago been demolished.  However, there still seems to be a bit of Garden mystique working against Cleveland.  That, and just the problems that occur when facing a great team that has shown no championship hangover.