Mike Brown, I'm looking at you. Great coaches don't let "bad matchups" determine a series. He has to think of something to contain the 3. I've been amazed every single game at how many wide open 3s the Magic have had. Brown's trap might have led to the 66 wins and the consecutive sweeps to start the playoffs...but when Orlando has four players on the floor at all times who are willing and able to stand behind the line and launch 3s, you need a new strategy.
Unfortunately I don't have any idea what actually has to happen, but it starts with Brown's coaching. First and foremost shouldn't be guarding Dwight, because no one on the Cavs can guard Dwight. They need to focus on defending the 3. Varejao guarding Lewis while being the main guy to double Dwight is absolutely pathetic. Keep a guy in Lewis's hip pocket at all times. Don't go behind the high screens.
And it would help if he could actually run an offense. LeBron can carry the team to outscoring whoever the opponent may be, but it would certainly make things easier if he could get a real offense buzzing around him.
And I figure I have to say something about the Orlando fans. Nothing irritates me more than bad fans. When they bitch and moan and fling their arms up every possession no foul is called on Cleveland. When they bitch and moan and fling their arms up every possession there is a foul called on Orlando. If there is actually a bad call, by all means, boo. But you really have to make up your mind. Do you want ticky tack fouls or don't you? If it was one-sided officiating, that's also understandable. But if anything, it actually seems to be favoring Orlando. Stop bitching.
As a Cleveland fan I've grown pretty fond of old, fat gentlemen wearing dog noses, woofing it up, and flinging beer, bones and batteries when they get pissed off. When you see the Orlando businessmen with pretty dapper looking haircuts doing the "T em up" gesture whenever a Cavalier disagrees with a call, it's pathetic to me. All the old ladies with temporary tattoos and cowbells and "Go Team Go" signs don't make the fans look too fanatic, either.
Finally, watching Mike and Mike today I heard Jon Barry talking about hearing the Magic fans chanting "Beat L.A." after game 4. Combined with their near-riot outside the stadium, this just really set me off. For a few painfully obvious reasons. One, the series...is not over....you idiots. It's 3 games to 1, and it's far from unprecedented for a team to come back from that deficit, especially when they're the superior team. Two, the L.A. series isn't over! When they were chanting that, the Nuggets were coming off a dominating win to tie the series at 2. It stands at 3-2 Lakers right now, but Denver has looked like the better team most of this series, and the fact that it was tied as they chanted makes me laugh, in an angry way. Three, that's a Boston chant. You don't get to say it. Especially when it's your first trip to the Finals since Shaq decided to move far, far away. Establish yourself, and then you can make your own chant. Stealing Boston's, however vague it may be, is simply pathetic.
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Detroit closed out the Blackhawks yesterday, and it seems like I may have been wrong (right?) about Huet once again. 44 saves in a 2-1 overtime defeat. He definitely has the talent, just needs to keep it going consistently. I think he'll go back to being Chicago's number 1 next year, or even get traded to a team looking for a number 1. He'll get plenty of support from that offense, and with guys like Seabrook still improving, that blue line could be truly dominant with proper coaching.
I already kind of gave a quick run-down on my Detroit-Pittsburgh prediction, but now that it's official I might as well give my official pick. That is Red Wings in 6, with the Penguins struggling for secondary scoring and Fleury not being able to contain Detroit's. Yep, really going out on a limb, eh?
Unfortunately I don't have any idea what actually has to happen, but it starts with Brown's coaching. First and foremost shouldn't be guarding Dwight, because no one on the Cavs can guard Dwight. They need to focus on defending the 3. Varejao guarding Lewis while being the main guy to double Dwight is absolutely pathetic. Keep a guy in Lewis's hip pocket at all times. Don't go behind the high screens.
And it would help if he could actually run an offense. LeBron can carry the team to outscoring whoever the opponent may be, but it would certainly make things easier if he could get a real offense buzzing around him.
And I figure I have to say something about the Orlando fans. Nothing irritates me more than bad fans. When they bitch and moan and fling their arms up every possession no foul is called on Cleveland. When they bitch and moan and fling their arms up every possession there is a foul called on Orlando. If there is actually a bad call, by all means, boo. But you really have to make up your mind. Do you want ticky tack fouls or don't you? If it was one-sided officiating, that's also understandable. But if anything, it actually seems to be favoring Orlando. Stop bitching.
As a Cleveland fan I've grown pretty fond of old, fat gentlemen wearing dog noses, woofing it up, and flinging beer, bones and batteries when they get pissed off. When you see the Orlando businessmen with pretty dapper looking haircuts doing the "T em up" gesture whenever a Cavalier disagrees with a call, it's pathetic to me. All the old ladies with temporary tattoos and cowbells and "Go Team Go" signs don't make the fans look too fanatic, either.
Finally, watching Mike and Mike today I heard Jon Barry talking about hearing the Magic fans chanting "Beat L.A." after game 4. Combined with their near-riot outside the stadium, this just really set me off. For a few painfully obvious reasons. One, the series...is not over....you idiots. It's 3 games to 1, and it's far from unprecedented for a team to come back from that deficit, especially when they're the superior team. Two, the L.A. series isn't over! When they were chanting that, the Nuggets were coming off a dominating win to tie the series at 2. It stands at 3-2 Lakers right now, but Denver has looked like the better team most of this series, and the fact that it was tied as they chanted makes me laugh, in an angry way. Three, that's a Boston chant. You don't get to say it. Especially when it's your first trip to the Finals since Shaq decided to move far, far away. Establish yourself, and then you can make your own chant. Stealing Boston's, however vague it may be, is simply pathetic.
*******************************
Detroit closed out the Blackhawks yesterday, and it seems like I may have been wrong (right?) about Huet once again. 44 saves in a 2-1 overtime defeat. He definitely has the talent, just needs to keep it going consistently. I think he'll go back to being Chicago's number 1 next year, or even get traded to a team looking for a number 1. He'll get plenty of support from that offense, and with guys like Seabrook still improving, that blue line could be truly dominant with proper coaching.
I already kind of gave a quick run-down on my Detroit-Pittsburgh prediction, but now that it's official I might as well give my official pick. That is Red Wings in 6, with the Penguins struggling for secondary scoring and Fleury not being able to contain Detroit's. Yep, really going out on a limb, eh?
get some new banners!
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