HoopsHype.com NBA Blogs - Dee Brown

The Cleveland Cavaliers lost the first two games of their series against the Detroit Pistons with same final score (79-76). And other than the score, those games had many things in common. Both times, LeBron James had the ball in his hands in the final seconds with the Cavs trailing by a point. Both times, James went to the rim. Both times, nothing good happened for the inexperienced Cavs. The Cavs had the lead with less than two minutes and they went 0-5 down the stretch in both games. Both times, they committed several turnovers and couldn’t stop Rasheed Wallace.

In Game 1, LeBron dribbled at the top of the key. He drove to the basket. He seemed to get by Pistons defender Tayshaun Prince for a layup. Then James kicked it out to Donyell Marshall for a wide-open three-pointer. Marshall missed the shot and James took most of the blame. They said a superstar wouldn’t have passed the ball in a game-tying or winning situation. I think James made the correct decision because Marshall is capable of hitting big shots and James had made that pass several times to teammates during his NBA career.

So what did James tried to do in Game 2? He dribbled at the top of the key. He made his move with the smaller Richard Hamilton guarding or hanging all, took some contact during the play and missed the shot. Game Over! Cavs lose 79-76.

Now the debate starts over again. Did he make the correct play in Game 2? He took a tough shot against a defense that knew he was going to shoot it in this situation and not defer to a teammate. Again he made the best play for the team. The Cavs lost and are in a 0-2 hole.

OK, let’s step away from the obvious and talk about the two players that will dictate how the rest of this series is played out and determined – Larry Hughes and Tayshaun Prince.

Let’s start with Prince. He is arguably Detroit’s best on-ball defender and that’s why he has been given the task to guard LeBron James, similar to what Dennis Rodman did in the late 80s and early 90s versus Michael Jordan. He’s making James work hard for every shot, but it’s taking a big toll on his offensive game. Prince was 1-11 in Game 1 and 0-8 in Game 2. The Pistons need Prince to score the basketball and make James also work on the defensive end. This is the main reason why the Pistons are struggling to score. He needs to find his stroke in Game 3 or it could get ugly in Cleveland.

As for Larry Hughes, he also has been given the assignment of slowing down the opponent’s most important player (Chauncey Billups). He has frustrated Billups during the series so far. Billups uncharacteristically had a total of 9 turnovers in two games and had trouble throughout the series in getting his shot off. He can’t bully Hughes in the low post. Granted, Billups has hit big shots in the fourth quarter in Game 1 and 2, but he’s not as dominant during the series as you would expect.

The problem for Cleveland is that all that work on defense is also taking a toll on Hughes’ offensive game. Remember he had a chance to tie the game after James’ missed shot in Game 2, but missed badly on an easy shot. He had played well during the playoffs and had become that second scorer the Cavs needed while taking over some of the ballhandling duties from James so he didn’t have to make every play for the team. But now Hughes is 6-22 from the field against Detroit. He hasn’t hit a three-pointer and has made some crucial turnovers in the fourth quarter. Not the sidekick LeBron wants in the Conference finals.

This series could be easily 1-1 or even 2-0 for the Cavs with one or even just two made shots in crunch time. Everybody wants to focus on James because he is the marquee name in this series, but the determining factor for both teams will be which player will step up to the challenge and make a huge difference on the offensive end. (Because if I see 79-76 again in Game 3, I’m tempted to lace them up again cause I know I can hit a wide-open jump shot. OK, I’m serious about the jumpshot. Not about lacing them up).

If you’ve missed the NBA playoffs so far, you are missing one of the most exciting playoffs in years. You are also missing the emergence of the next great point guard in the NBA: Deron Williams.

I remember in 2005 when Deron Williams got drafted with the No. 3 pick in the draft ahead of Chris Paul, I was in shock. Not because Williams wasn’t a phenomenal player, but because Paul was still available. I really liked Williams in college. He hit some huge shots during the NCAA tourney that year and he was the teammate to my namesake Dee Brown, which made me root for the fighting Illini during that run to the championship game versus North Carolina. The knock on Williams coming out of college was that he wasn’t quick enough to be a full-time point and he would struggle running a pro team.

Last year, Chris Paul won the Rookie of the Year and was anointed the next great young point guard in this league. Williams also had a solid season under Jerry Sloan’s tutelage and you saw the makings of a point guard controversy brewing over the next 15 years… Who would be the best floor general?

Now it’s 2007. Williams was second in assists during the regular season behind two-time MVP Steve Nash, led the Jazz to a Midwest division title and is on the verge of getting the Jazz to the Western Conference finals.

So how good is Deron Williams? He’s not just good. He’s the next great point guard in this league! I’m not taking anything away from Paul, because his supporting cast is not as talented as Williams and CP3 makes all those players better – just ask David West and Desmond Mason – but Paul hasn’t reached the playoffs yet and Williams is two wins away from the Conference finals.

What makes him the next one?

First, he is a lot quicker and faster than people thought (including me) coming out of college. He has that Jason Kidd change-of-direction speed. Everyone compared him to Kidd because of his size and court vision but not his speed. Second, he is a physical point. Do you see what he is doing to Baron Davis in this series? Davis just bullied the Mavs guards. He can’t do that with Williams. He is just as physical and tough as Davis and that’s a plus when it comes to big point guards in the league. A combination of speed and physical play – that’s a hard blend to stop for anyone. And lastly, he can shoot with range. He can shoot off the break, pick-and-roll situations (Williams to Boozer). Doesn’t that remind you of a tandem that used to play in Salt lake City? And he is not afraid to take the big shot. He hit that shot in Game 2 to send the it to overtime and took the life out of the Warriors there. He has that killer instinct that you want from your floor leader.

Right now, he is the best player from the 2005 draft. I still give much respect to CP3, but Deron Williams is Jason Kidd with a sweet stroke.

Remember, the true sign of a player’s worth in this league is winning games. Deron Williams is still playing games in May. If he keeps getting better every game as he has shown during the 2007 season and playoffs, he could be playing in June, which means he might have a chance to do something that John Stockton never did – win a championship.

Let’s talk about the Western Conference today…