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Spurs will not intimidate Cleveland

June 5, 2007 @ 10:01 am by Eddie Johnson · Filed under Cleveland Cavaliers, Finals, San Antonio Spurs

LeBron James The San Antonio Spurs are the overwhelming favorites against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Spurs have a ton of experience and the best low-post player in the league in Tim Duncan. This series on paper should be over quickly, which is not something the league would like to see happen for a number of reasons. The Spurs will try and take advantage of the Cavaliers early with physical play and a defense that will force LeBron James to encounter Duncan and a maze of Spur defenders waiting to either draw a charge or force a bad shot or errant pass. The Spurs are the best team in the league at taking away the three-point shot and Daniel Gibson will not see daylight.

Remember I am making this statement even though the Cavaliers beat the Spurs twice this season and statistically had a sincere advantage as well. So now should I start to waver a little? Should I dig deeper and see if the two Cavalier victories are a sign of consistency and not luck?

Hmmm, let me see. Hold up for a second, let me make sure I say the right things and get my facts right. I am not a favorite in Spur Land and the diehards have taken offense to my article on Robert “Body Block” Horry during the Suns series. So I will take my time and make sure I don’t ruffle any feathers down in Texas.

…

OK, I am back from my two-mile run and I did a lot of thinking back and forth. I had a lot of time to think because unlike when I was in pristine shape, I only worry about finishing the two miles and not the time it took me to run it.

Here it goes.

The Cavaliers have a sincere chance to win this series. The two games in which they beat San Antonio were done on the defensive end. They held the Spurs to 40 percent field goal shooting and beat them by a plus 9 on the boards. They also got to the free-throw line 10 more times as well. These are the things the Spurs excel in, but still the Cavaliers were the dominant team in these categories.

Factor in the improved play of Daniel Gibson and his ability to get to the free-throw line. Those numbers on paper look better. So why should we think the Spurs will waltz through the Finals? We look at the inexperience of the Cavaliers and say, “Well, that’s enough.” But isn’t that what we heard in the Pistons series? What did the Cavaliers do to that experience? They basically outplayed the Pistons in every game. I am not convinced the Cavaliers will win, but I am not convinced the Spurs can’t be beaten either.

Defensively, if I am Cavalier head coach Mike Brown I would be studying tape of the Detroit series and devising a way to treat Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili like Detroit treated LeBron. The Cavaliers have no one on their roster that can guard Parker and Ginobili head-up and negate their forays to the basket. So you trap both and make them give it up. Yes, they will escape at times. But they will run into some extremely physical defenders that can take charges and change shots.

The Cavaliers need to take a page from the Suns and guard Duncan without doubling down. Anderson Varejao and Drew Gooden with Zydrunas Ilgauskas on the weak side for rebounding will have to accept the challenge. The Cavaliers will use Scot Pollard for fouls as well.

This will force Michael Finley, Brent Barry, Bruce Bowen and Robert Horry to beat them with perimeter shooting. Can it backfire? Of course. Just go ask Detroit. But this will be their only chance to win this series.

Gregg Popovich is not excited about playing someone that knows his players’ weaknesses and vulnerabilities and that is why it will be harder for San Antonio to prepare for Cavaliers more so than the other way around.

Offensively, the Cavaliers will have to run LeBron off down screens, back screens and two-man games to free him up for quick scoring attempts before the Spurs can set their defense to load up against him. The Cavaliers will struggle if Brown allows LeBron to consistently start with the ball behind the three-point line. The Spurs might be the best ever at loading up on an offensive player when all five defenders have two eyes on him. Also, Ilgauskas will have to be a factor against Francisco Elson and Fabricio Oberto. He has to score 15 to 20 points for the Cavaliers to have a chance.

Drew Gooden, Daniel Gibson, Larry Hughes, Damon Jones… Two of those players will have to score in double figures.

Cleveland beat Detroit with a stifling physical defense so the Spurs will not intimidate the Cavaliers because Detroit arguably had a better offensive arsenal than what they will face with the Spurs.

With all that said and done, I think the Spurs will win in six. But Cleveland will not go away quietly. Get ready for a very good series.

Permalink

151 Comments

jg2gbaby Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 10:36 am

good , good, good I agree but LeBron will need to have another explosion again
Rashidi Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 10:48 am

I don’t expect Bowen to have much impact on LeBron. He is much smaller and slower, and LeBron isn’t a jump shooting softie like Dirk.

The key to this series is Tony Parker. The Cavs have no answer for him, and Cleveland’s shot blocking isn’t enough to combat his forays to the basket. Ginobili can be neutralized by Hughes, and the advantage LeBron will have over Bowen is likely greater than the Duncan/Gooden advantage - Cleveland is a good offensive boarding team and will need to outrebound San Antonio, this is easier considering Duncan is really the only rebound threat on the team.

If the Cavs can stop Parker, they’ll win. If he’s going off for 30, they have no chance no matter how many points LeBron scores.
autoprt Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 10:48 am

as you say on paper SA should win, but on paper Detroit was supposed to win.
That’s why they play the game in reality not on paper.

The main thing is I am much more excited about watching this series than if Detroit were playing.
SKY Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 10:48 am

I root for the Cavs to win against the Spurs.

Eddie you can never really count out a team with a superstar like LeBron. Remember last year when everyone thought Dallas had it?

I know this is a different situation, but who knows?
Anthony Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 10:50 am

Cavs will give those Dirty Bastards a hard time, but I believe goonery will come back one more time from those Spurs for another Finals victory. If Bowen slips a foot on Lebron in the Q & L Arena, I will GUARANTEE a delay in game because things are thrown in the arena.
D Murr Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 10:57 am

For god’s sake, stop crying about Robert Horry! Don’t you remember the cheap shot Raja Bell put on Kobe? Why don’t you complain constantly about that? Bill Russell’s blog is a lot more objective and insightful than Eddie Johnson’s. The Spurs are a great team that plays the right way and any true basketball fan should admire them instead of complaining that they don’t have the “razz-ma-tazz” of Amare or And 1 basketball. If you want theatrics, watch professional wrestling or go to the circus. A true fan (like Bill Russell) respects a perfectly executed pick and roll or defensive box out. A wannabe fan, like a child, wants to be “entertained.”
sindza Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 11:18 am

Eddie can what do you think about Pavlovic… can he play quality defense against SA and still score some points. I like him but it seems like he is too inconsistent.
Eddie Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 11:24 am

D Murr

What is your problem man? take the Spur face paint off and calm down. Did you read the Article? Can somebody give this guy a hug. enjoy your finals experience. I will go check out Russells blog. thanks for the advertisement. I bet he glorified the Spurs huh! I love fast breaks and basketball games where the players move the ball and have fun. Why are you hating on Amare? what did a first team all NBA player do to you? D-Murr one question i must ask you. Why are you continually coming back to me when you love Bill Russells . Umm can’t help your self huh. Hey Michael Bennett give him some advice. lol I wonder if Boston was playing the Spurs would you like Bill Russells blog then?
Zane from London Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 11:26 am

Cavs are a long-shot to win it, but they have nothing to lose and in Lebron a player who could pull it out of the bag. Go Cavs!
Eddie Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 11:30 am

Sindza

i agree. He is a little up and down, but he can be a problem for the Spurs. if he scored more consistently it would help.
Ian Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 11:33 am

the advertising campaigns are all coming true…can i get a lay up to that?

(lay up!)

Eddie, do you really think Damon Jones is capable of scoring in double figures in the Finals? I know he did it in Miami but he had the Diesel causing discord in the middle there, plus he’s probably going to have the lightning quick Mr. Longoria defending him. I have to believe that Gooden will struggle to hit double figures too because his fouls will pile up quickly trying to guard Duncan.

Nonetheless I’m rooting for the Cavs all the way…I’m also calling a continuation of these advertising prophecies coming true. LeBron, in full Wise LeBron makeup, will get a quadruple double in game 3.
howard Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 11:34 am

Nice analysis Eddie. I agree that Cleveland’s defense will be the key if the Cavs pull the upset.

The key for S.A. is Duncan. Everything goes through him when he’s on the court. The big question is will the Cavs have to double him? If they can get by without having to double him most of the time than they have a good chance to win the series. All the attention Duncan gets frees up the other Spurs to do their thing.

I’m betting Ginobili, Horry, Finley, and Bowen will make a fair percentage of their outside shots. I’m not counting on Barry. He’s thrown up enough bricks this playoffs to build a wall from San Antonio to Lake Erie. If he finally does come through it will be a bonus.

Bowen won’t be able to stop LeBron, but he can slow him down some. San Antonio will make somebody other than LeBron or Gibson beat them. This means somebody like Pavlovic or Hughes will have to step up big.
Sean Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 11:40 am

Eddie,

I respect your analysis of the series, but can you really use two games from before the all-star break? Especially when the Spurs did not even look like contenders until after the all-star game? I don’t think you can put much merit on two regular season games. Compare each team in the playoffs so far. The Spurs beat a red-hot Nuggets team 4-1(10 straight wins coming into the playoffs?), a Phoenix team you believed would be holding the title 4-2, and a pretty complete Utah team 4-1. The Cavs beat the Wizards sans Arenas, Butler, the Nets with Mikki Moore as their premiere big man, and a Pistons team with more issues than A-Rod. While you can compare match-ups from the games, please don’t use the games as a crutch for your analysis.
Cameron Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 11:59 am

Cleveland is going to have a much more difficult time upsetting the Spurs than they did the Pistons. Not just because they’re better, but because they possess much more consistency than teams like Detriot and Dallas do.

The Spurs have already beaten three teams this postseason better than the Cavs. Chances are, things will be little different this series.
Eddie Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 12:12 pm

The one thing you guys will find out on my blogs is that i am honest. Always have been. Yes i can act like i don’t have a favorite and stay in the middle but what fun is that. i do have favorites and there are some players i like and some i don’t. I am a true sports fan, but i do love the Suns, Cubs, Bears, Blackhawks, Tiger Woods, Mike Tyson, Venus and Serena Williams, Alex Rodriquez, Barry Bonds and Manny Ramirez. I favor those just like everyone has their favorites. i am a true sports fan first not a writer. I don’t care about feelings never have never will. Just go ask some of teammates. I have always told it like it is. I don’t expect you to like it ,so fire away at me i can take it. Honesty has always been the best policy to an extent. I know how to balance the positive with the negative without showing my hand. thats why i frustrate guys like D-Murr and thats why some of you guys want to smack michael bennett upside the head. LoL
shone Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 12:20 pm

iám a piston fan, but clv will upset the spurs
Eddie Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 12:29 pm

Sean

What should i use then? please tell me. if you are asking me if those two victories meant something to the Cavs then yea they were important. Because if the Spurs had blown out Cleveland both games and shut down Lebron. I guarantee you would have used it in your argument for the Spurs. Give me a break. You Spur fans are the first to call me a homer, but yet every argument against your team brings venom. Its so comical. That’s why the entire country will be rooting for the Cavaliers and i could really care less, but its a fact.
EJ Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 12:55 pm

Sorry Eddie…I love the Suns but you have the be the worlds biggest Homer in reading your comments lately.
Paul Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 12:57 pm

uhhhh yeah i’d have to second that…but its his blog so what do you expect? Go Suns!
Quincy Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 1:04 pm

First of all, the Spurs weakness on defense is their rebounding. Against a team that crashes the glass, the Spurs can struggle. These rebounds give the opponent extra possessions, negating the Spurs tough defense. The games in which they struggled with the Jazz were ones in which Utah had the rebounding edge and, seeing the way the Cavs clobbered Detroit on the glass in that last game, I expect the Spurs will make rebounding a big focus.

As far as double teaming anyone, Mike Brown is not stupid enough to single Duncan exclusively. The Suns were not particularly successful at this, but they do score a lot of points, unlike the Cavs, and weren’t all that concerned with limiting Duncan’s points. The Cavs have no one, and I mean no one, who can hamper Duncan’s offense, and they can’t afford to let him score 30 points a game. They would be much smarter to try the technique that bothered Duncan in the Jazz series, and that is to back him with a big and then dig down on him with a small when Duncan begins his offensive moves. By using a small defender to attack the ball when Duncan dribbles or brings the ball low, Duncan can be forced into poor decisions and turnovers.

Brown’s defense is solid–I don’t think he will make any drastic changes. If the Cavs outrebound the Spurs by at least ten rebounds a game, they can win. But I think the Spurs series against the Jazz have prepared them to rebound well. The only chance, barring some catastrophic injury, that the Cavs have in this series is if Lebron has a game like Magic Johnson did without Kareem in his first finals. And then does it again four more times. If the Cavs can keep the score low, then anything can happen with the ball in Lebron’s hands in the fourth quarter.

The Spurs can certainly be beaten. The problem is, they know they can be beaten, and they will prepare accordingly. Unlike the Pistons, the Spurs will respect the Cavs, prepare down to the last detail, make adjustments as the series progresses, and will not give up on each other. The Spurs will not beat themselves, and it’s one reason this will be a much tougher mountain to climb for the Cavs.
space Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 1:21 pm

it will be an interesting series. some things i anticipate:
1. lebron will have a bad game or two
2. underrated elson, horry and oberto will be a factor
3. a new not yet noticed cavalier will step up, donyell maybe?
4. big Z may get exposed as slow and older
5. the cavs will get blown out in one of the games
6. being in texas will actually help gibson [home state] and gooden
7. hughes being a true role player from injury both helps and hurts the cavs

ultimately the referees will impact on who wins this series. at least now i will watch this finals. the chess game will be interesting. the biggest keys in my opinion is:
1. varejao will eventually get under duncan’s skin and affect his play depending on how the refs call this one
2. finley, if given the playing time, will continue his torrid pace and be one of the unmentioned deciding factors in this series. in any event, Go Michael Finley and Cavaliers!
Eddie Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 2:09 pm

Quincy

whats more dangerous Duncan scoring 30 or role olayers like Finley, Horry and Barry getting double figures? Because if you double Duncan it opens the flood gates for Parker and Ginobili. I say double Parker and Ginobili Duncan can not win by himself and there is a great chance he will be in foul trouble for most of this series if the Cavs keep attacking the basket.
mikey Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 2:09 pm

lebron james is by far the most promising player in the nba. his game 5 performance against the pistons was something that will be looked at in future years to come. Lebron has taken a sub par team and made them into championship contenders. What more can you ask of this guy? They do have a good chance to win the finals, enuff said.
NiWdLe Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 2:10 pm

the spurs has killer instincts. i doubt they’ll breakdown like what the pistons did… billups talks big than his game. ha can’t accept defeat at that what ultimately made them lose the series. what im sure about this series is lebron will make this series interesting and make a good challenge for the spurs because of the spurs-like coaching staff of the cavs since mike brown and his assistant’s are former coaching staff of the spurs… spurs has better shooting percentages as compared to the cavs and will play a lot more organized than the pistons…
NiWdLe Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 2:18 pm

i felt that the spurs were robbed last year because of the bad scheduling of the league against them. I time and time again this big bad spurs team kills my favorite teams… like some says if you can’t beat them… join them… i felt that most suns fans here think that the suns were robbed but then again your players are also physical and react to much when calls doesn’t go their way… fans wants a fancy type team to advance to the finals… watch the spurs players play the disciplined way and maybe you’ll get to appreciate what it looks like to play for a team who do their roles as long as it translates to wins… this team has great passing game without the unnecessary fancy passes…
Eddie Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 2:23 pm

Someone stole my name. Hey EJ said, thats the difference between me and you i don’t hide behind my homerism. LOL— Will someone tell these people the Suns Series is over. i have not mentioned Suns in a while. That Robert Horry Article must have really gotten some people mad. Why don’t you get mad and tell the local government to clean that dirty water in the river walk. I love coming to San Antonio but that river walk is disgusting. Maybe a few of you Spurs fans could show the me and the wife around.
Sean Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 2:33 pm

Eddie,
All I can say is the playoffs are different from the regular season. As a former player I would think you would be able to acknoweledge this. As for your “if the Spurs had blown out the Cavs and shut down Lebron you would have used it in your argument” comment, I disagree. The Cavs could have beat the Spurs by 30 points in the regular season with Lebron averaging a triple-double and it wouldn’t matter. Why? Because a)both games took place 5 or more months ago b)it was in the regular season c)i have watched the Spurs play for the last 4 months and slowly round into championship form. This is nothing new. The Spurs have been playing in the same system for 10 years. Yeah, different pieces have been plugged in throughout the years, but the one constant is Tim Duncan. I won’t deny it, Lebron is the future. But the Spurs are the present.
Sean Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 2:36 pm

Wow, you dropped to Mark Cuban’s level of class. The funny thing is, the only reason the water is dirty is because of all of the tourists and the waste they produce. Don’t blame the locals!
Eddie Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 2:59 pm

Sean

why are you so serious man. I was kidding, but even you think its dirty.

If the Spurs had beaten the Cavs by 30 you would be saying this is no contest. The regular season does mean something go ask Dallas why they tried to advoid playing Golden State. Do you think the Cavaliers were in playoff form when they played Spurs? You Spur fans accuse me of being one sided but yet you lean further than i do.

The Spurs are Favored but they are not invincible. they beat a decent team in Denver, and they Beat the Suns Minus two players in a pivotal game 5 to win the series and then beat The Utah Jazz who had one of the youngest teams. What playoff form? This will be a very good series and the Cavaliers do have hope because of what they did during the regular season. I should know , but then again 17 years and four trips to the Western Conference Finals gives me no credibility. (-:
Eddie Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 3:01 pm

Did you guys chase Michael Bennett away? LOL
eddie jones - the perennial underachiever Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 3:47 pm

hey eddie, U MAD? yeah, U MAAAD.
Michael Bennett Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 4:28 pm

No way, Eddie - I’m back, baby (and loving every minute of it)!!! I was just waiting for the message board to clean up a little… But, I don’t know whether to take your last few comments about me as good or bad???

Well, I disagree with your Spurs winning in 6 prediction. I posted before, very early, that the Cavs would win in 6. But, I do agree that it’s going to be a tough series (duh) and you CAN use the two games from the regular season. And, I agree that they can’t double team Duncan if they want to be successful.

Who are the key components for the Cavs to win the series?

- LeBron (sorry for beng so obvious) James. He has to not continue to play like he has been in the Playoffs so far, which is superb on O and D, but he has to play a different role. He MUST take smart shots/shots that he gets off because that’s the plan, and not always because/when the shot clock is winding down. More set plays. I like when they started to post him up against Tayshaun Prince. He wasn’t used to that, but it threw off Detroit’s defense. If they double on that post, he WILL find the open man. It’s the toughest LeBron cover I’ve seen in 4 years - the post. And, I’m sick of hearing that one of his deficencies is “finishing left”. He’s got a great left and, a lot of the times, he gets an AND 1, finishing with his left. People that say that are repeating someone else. And, it looks like his defense is finally really solid. He won’t leave Bruce Bowen open for those baseline threes that he loves to make. Cut out those and you cut out timely points from an otherwise non-scorer.

- Drew Gooden (another obvious one). He needs to follow Anderson Varejao around and do everything he does. I don’t care if Drew scores 0 points, as long as he pulls on Tim Duncan’s jersey the whole game, fouls him hard, kocks him down, ALWAYS has a hand in his face… you see my point. Duncan WILL get his, but if the Cavs want to win, Duncan needs to shoot under 50% and have absolutely nothing easy.

- Varejao. Repeat above steps.

- Gibson. I think people are asking too much of him. He doesn’t NEED to score 30 or 20 or even 15. What he needs to do is outmatch Jacque Vaughn when he’s in. And, knock down the one or two (out of 4) open threes that he’ll get each game. Anything else is just a bonus from this guy. Remember, when he scored 31 against Detroit, that was to seal the deal. He made huge shots at the right time, but the Cavs won by 16. It was a Playoff blowout (like I called). Young rook, all we need from you is to keep your head up and play tough. Numbers will come. As will wins.

- Larry Hughes. He NEEDS to play mistake free. If he doesn’t, then not only will the Spurs capitalize, but then players like Daniel Gibson will NEED to go for 30 a game. That can’t happen. Larry, make open shots. Play tough D. Take TParker out of the equation, like you did with Chauncey. Well done, by the way. But, no turnovers, please. Just suck it up and play solid ball.

- Zydrunas Ilgauskus. The Cavs need to limit his minutes. He slows this team down, and Elson and Oberto are just too athletic and scrappy for him. Oberto was hugely successful against Utah/Okur because he got easy tip-ins, he was always active, while Okur sat at the 3 point line and missed open threes. In that first stupid play to you, just make it, then sit the rest of the game and stay out of the way of the surging rest of your team.

- Donyell Marshall/Damon Jones. If they get any PT, they need to hit at least one shot a piece. Everyone knows they are a liability on defense, so they need to be soemwhat productive on offense. So, do something.

- Eric Snow. It could come down to him (again) at the end of close games. And, his cover might be Parker or Ginobili. Hopefully, it’s Parker (Ginobili is too quick for him). If he gets Parker with under three minutes in the 4th, look for Snow to use his body and tricks to shut him down - NO 18 FOOTERS FOR PARKER.

So, it looks like you missed me, Eddie. But, I’m back… for now.
steven thomas Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 4:32 pm

every one on thes blog

The spurs won fair vs. the suns!!! Amarie broke the rules and he was punished for it he knew he broke it. why would he walk onto the court in the first place?…… give Robert Horry a hug? Lebron will be a non factor. he had never played in a game with the atmospere like the Finals thats one of the reasons kids go to collage to play in the atmospere Tim duncan will finnaly step up and be MVP i bet my word on it. the only way for the Cavs to win is of Daniel Gibson plays perfect basketball allong woth the rest of his roll players *cough cough DONYELL COUGH COUGH*
Michael Bennett Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 4:46 pm

“Tim Duncan will finally step up and be MVP i bet my word on it” - Steven Thomas, he already has 3 rings and 3 Finals MVPs. What does “finally” mean? And, how much is your “word” that you want to bet? What’s that equivalent to? $5 or $10? If so, I’ll take it…
steven thomas Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 4:53 pm

by finnally i was meaning this years playoffs he hasnt playyed “tim duncan like”
Micha Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 5:14 pm

‘Those two Cleveland victories mean nothing, cause, well, they happened so long ago and the Spurs are much better now and it was the regular season and and and and and….’

Did you forget about Cleveland?! Comments like these make it seem like Lebron and friends decided hey we beat the Spurs lets stop our growth as a team entirely. ‘That was the regular season…’ So the Cavs don’t turn it up a notch in the playoffs? How about Lebron? How about the defense? How about the teams composure and refusal to complain (much) after the no-call?

That said, Spurs in 7
Matt Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 5:14 pm

Steven Thomas, “Lebron will be a non factor”, are you serious? That is by far the worst prediction I have ever heard on hoopshype. Did you watch the Detroit series? Yeah the finals are going to be more intense, but to say Bron will be a non-factor is absolutely ridiculous.

Can you explain that one to me in a little more depth please?
Eric T. Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 5:22 pm

Anyone who is into believing that Cleveland has a legitimate chance at the title is delusional. For the Cavaliers to win this Finals, all the pieces must fall into place including LeBron’s jumper. If he is forced to shoot long fadeaways like he did against the Pistons, I’m sure the Spurs will gladly give him those kind of shots. You can be certain that the San Antonio bigs will be a factor in James attacking the rim seemingly at will like he did in Detroit.
Jamie Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 5:33 pm

Hey Eddie,

I enjoyed your time in Phoenix and the way you shone after the trades that brought in KJ, Mark West and Tyrone Corbin. You, Hornacek and then Chambers soon after were great to watch. I am a huge Barkley fan but I had more of an emotional connection to the team prior to that trade and your moving on.

Offensively, apart from the otherworldliness of Duncan, the Parker and Ginobli in San Antonio remind me a bit of Kevin Johnson and Majerle (back when he was dunking on Manu, not when he became the three point and defensive specialist.) Obviously, Majerle later took on a Bowen-like persona (albeit with a midrange game).

Sadly, Finley is not what you were then…at least anymore.

And they have no one like that gym-rat Hornacek (Barry is a broken down version.)

Anyways, cogs in the team remind me of you guys. Miss your playing.

Thanks for your work.
Ron Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 5:40 pm

Ah, Eddie, did you ever actually madk it to the Finals? Including this year the Spurs will have been in the Finals as many times as you failed in the WCF. And that 3-0 experience, with (largely) the same coaching staff and the three-time Finals MVP (Duncan) are going to make a huge difference in the series against the Cavaliers.

Your Suns lost three other games to SA when they were at full strength and got a gift from the refs in one of the two games they did win. And funny thing, the Spurs did NOT win the series when they throttled the setting Suns in Game 5, they simply took a 3-2 lead. So if they were everything you seem to think they are, shouldn’t they have won Game 6 when SA was down a man? Instead they lost, in part because your coach doesn’t seem to think it’s a good idea to let more than six or seven guys play all year long.

Regular Season? Jazz won two against SA in Utah. What happened in the playoffs? Oops, the Spurs got one there. How did that happen? If you want to think that what the Spurs did against Cleveland early in the season, with people like Matt Bonner getting 20+ minutes in a game and Beno Udruh playing 12-13 minutes, is representative of what’s going to happen in the Finals, that’s certainly your prerogative.

Your Suns homerism (thank you for admitting it) keeps you from giving the Spurs any credit. That’s OK - we’ll see who comes out ahead when all is said and done. I don’t make the mistake many SA fans do and think it will be easy, but I think the Spurs are smart enough, athletic enough, and experienced enough to handle Cleveland in six. Lebron will get his share of championships but it’s not going to be this year.
Michael Bennett Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 5:40 pm

Eric T. - Yeah. You’re right. There’s no such thing as an upset in professional sports. You should definitely call LeBron and tell him not to even play… or, better yet, call him and his teammates “delusional”, since, you know, they probably think they are going to win the series.

Eddie - These are fun posts but you don’t draw the sharpest people here. Where’s that Bill Russell blog when you need it? LOL
cam Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 6:39 pm

comments are commensurate with the quality of the blog. Have you ever listened to Eddie and Tom broadcast the suns games?? They don’t. Half the plays are not called; they are too busy jawing about how great the suns are.
space Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 7:42 pm

I’m giving the cavaliers a legit shot to take this year’s finals. i realistically call this series a 50/50. hey, call me crazy. game 1 is key. if the cavs can get over the spurs’ finals experience, and can stay competetive, they may be able to steal one. duncan realy needs to play with star power to keep the cavs from challenging. the cavs actually do have a shot. its all about matchups as always. the cavs pieces can make this go either way.
Jamie Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 8:35 pm

I am a huge Spurs fan but please remember that Lakers-Chicago series that, along with HIV-positive status, ended the Magic era in Los Angeles. I realize Riley was gone but that team was loaded with experience.
Franz Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 9:28 pm

I think this will be an awesome series. But let’s face it. other than game five, Lebron had a ‘fairly quiet’ series against the Pistons. The Spurs are a slightly better team than Detroit and although LBJ will give the Spurs headaches, he will have to keep his game at such a high standard consistently to be a chance of beating the Spurs. Can he do that throughout seven games? Possibly.

Handling the Spurs Big Three, and more recently Big 4 (1/2 being Finley, and 1/2 being Oberto) is a challenge, not to mention the credentials of robert Horry in big time situations make it extremely difficult for the Cavs to cover this San Antonio outfit.

I think the Cavs will be as competitve as they can be but ultimately the Spurs experience and talent in key positions will be too much for the Cavs to handle. Lebron does not make a team and too much of Cleveland’s success will depend on his stellar play over the course of seven games.

My prediction, Spurs in six
steven thomas Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 9:34 pm

in the detroit series they didnt have a defender other than prince who could guard lebron but san antonio has multiple playyers who can guard him ie. BOWEN, ginobili, maybe even finnly
Jamie Y. Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 9:54 pm

Eddie

How are we to know if the Eddie that is replying to our comments, the actual Eddie Johnson that wrote the article? Couldn’t someone easily just type in Eddie as their name and leave a comment, pretending to be you?

I’m sure you’ve thought of this before, or maybe its already been brought up. But I would hate to read a comment that I thought was by you, but turns out to be a comment left by some bum trying to act like you.

Just offering my 2 cents
Michael Bennett Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 10:06 pm

Finley and/or Ginobili can NOT guard LeBron… Bowen can’t even guard him. Let’s get that straight before we go on, Steven Thomas. Seriously.

Tayshaun Prince has a championship under his belt. He shut down TMac in the 1st round, and had HUGE blocks/games against Reggie Miller and the Lakers to get there. Let’s not throw aside the Pistons just yet.

That brings me to the point… THE DETROIT PISTONS WERE/ARE A VERY GOOD TEAM. The Cavs beating them says nothing about the Pistons - it speaks volumes about LeBron and the Cavs. Detroit was predicted to be the representative of the East, and for very good reason. That team is tough to beat. And, LeBron beat the shit out of them. Give some credit to the young guy, and give him a chance to perform in the Finals.
steven thomas Said,

June 5, 2007 @ 10:29 pm

if the cavs win i will call Lebron my god nd create a new religion for Lebron worshipers
Eric T. Said,

June 6, 2007 @ 12:44 am

Michael Bennett. Players can believe that they can win, it’s their right. My comments were in reference to the casual basketball fan. Upsets can happen. That’s how Cleveland got to the Finals. I just can’t see a team having two upsets in the same playoffs.

As for defending LeBron James, Bowen will get the bulk of the assignment obviously and not double too much. When Pop gives Bowen a rest, Finley, Barry, & Ginobili will most likely end up playing a team oriented defense as the Spurs have done throughout the decade. Should James try to drive to the bucket, he will have Duncan right there to challenge him. Rasheed Wallace is a good inside defender, but Tim Duncan is a lot better.
Gerald Said,

June 6, 2007 @ 2:49 am

To say that the Detroit Cavs series was an upset…aka that the Cavs lucked the win out I think doesn’t look at the serious fact that the Cavs out played the Pistons in six straight games, and if it wasn’t for a few tweaked moments, that series could have ended in four games.

Now I think that Cleveland will have to have alot of things roll their way to beat SA, but two things…Bowen won’t be able to guard Lebron, one on one. You are talking about potentially the greatest basketball talent in the league, who is just starting to realize just how good he really is. The Kid will be on a mission. It’s going to be tremendous…

Two, underdogs have a way of playing like they are in a game four situation right from the get go. That type of energy and the rust of the Spurs with the week off could make for a game one ‘UPSET’.

That said, I think that the rest of Cleveland will be pretty easily shut down by SA. I think that Daniel Gibson will recede to the place of beeing a rookie again. I think that Gooden and Ilgauskis will get swamped as they scramble between double teams and get out of position for the cutting Parker and Ginobli. I think that Cleveland will really have to be on the ball when it comes to perimeter defence…and don’t get me started on their unstoppable force in the post, Mr Duncan.

Offensive rebounding will be the most telling stat. If there is a balance that is greatly in the Cavs favor, we have a series. If the numbers are equal or greater for the Spurs, then, barring consecutive Lebron as MJ performances, this is over before it begins.
Alec Mirowski Said,

June 6, 2007 @ 5:17 am

Spurs win in six.

Pavlovich could guard Parker, but he’s too inconsistent.

Ginobli could pull off another of his antics he did to Fisher.

Bowen could play dirty (playing clean or dirty doesn’t change the spelling of a victory) guarding James.

Duncan and Gooden? Pretty much self-explanatory.

Oberto is just more athletic than Z.

You do the math.
Sure-U-Do Said,

June 6, 2007 @ 6:18 am

Predicting this series is a choice between your heart and your brain. The brain says the Cavs will win 2 games tops. The brain says SA is the better, more experienced, better coached, deeper, more disciplined team. The brain says the Cavs cant stop TD, Manu or Tony. The brain says Horry and or Finley will be factors in at least one game.

The heart says one thing: Lebron James. When the brain examines the heart it sees a Cavs team that wont back down, wont go away even if you put them in a hole (like down 2-0). It sees a young superstar who, at 22, can play 40+ minutes every game and still have something left. It sees a young superstar that cant be stopped or slowed by Bowen (although he will bump, claw, pull, shove and cheat until his 5th foul to do so). It sees a young superstar who realizes that what Wade did (drive to the basket) he can do too…and better.

But I’m a rational being so I follow my brain and it says SA in 7.

My heart says scratch that, Cavs in 6
Onur Tuncaboylu Said,

June 6, 2007 @ 6:34 am

You are a Spurs hater and you were in the opposite side since the start of play-offs. You are now in the Cleveland boat Eddie and Spurs will sink both of you.
Alec Mirowski Said,

June 6, 2007 @ 6:46 am

Cavs beat the spurs 2-0 in the regular season because the spurs were just preparing their bench for the play offs and their starters weren’t pretty much active because of that.

This is finals we’re talking now.
eddiesucks@yahoo.com Said,

June 6, 2007 @ 7:17 am

whoa eddie, is that you man? glad to see an analysis w/o the bias.

aside from mike brown’s familaiarity with the spurs, one more advantage they have is their long, physical D. i’m thinking it could be a factor in the series but then i look back at the utah-sa series. 4-1. so it’s gonna depend more on rotations and familiarity for the cleveland D. and defense will be what dictates this series.
Spurrie Said,

June 6, 2007 @ 7:55 am

“the advantage LeBron will have over Bowen is likely greater than the Duncan/Gooden advantage “I wouldn’t say so. Just rewind to Duncan’s earlier Finals performances. He once had nearly a quadrupedouble ovar WALLACES (Ben and Sheed). No matter who’s GUARDIN Tim, it’s Spurs advantage.
ariel Said,

June 6, 2007 @ 8:44 am

No matter what, Spurs will win the series. Being great and athletic can not win NBA championship anymore. If the Big 3 of San Antonio can not produce together Spurs have Bruce “DIRTY” Bowen and Robert “CHEAP SHOT” Horry which are part of their alternative game plan. Maybe this time Horry and Bowen has to do it together to throw away Lebron out of the arena ( far more stronger than Steve Nash) and wait for the Cavs bench to react against stupid NBA rules and have some major rotation players get suspended. The NBA should also be part of the NHL farm team.
Jamie Y. Said,

June 6, 2007 @ 9:10 am

I agree with Alec. When the Cavs did beat the Spurs it was when Finley wasn’t logging much minutes and he has been a big force for the Spurs in the playoffs and will more than likely keep playing well in the Finals. This Spurs team in the Finals is more focused than the Spurs team that met the Cavs twice in the first half of the season. Now, I’m not saying the Cavs are out of it, I’m just saying the regular season match-ups can’t be used as a measuring stick to tell who will be beating who in the Finals.
carlton papillion Said,

June 6, 2007 @ 9:31 am

well i’m a pistons fan but plip is stupid a coach i hope they don’t fall apart OFFSEASON but lebron james a good player but the spurs are gonING bully the cavs the spur DONT play they starting five the whole game AND LEAVE PEOPLE OPEN FOR THREES but if the cavs win basketball is coming to in end and will eventually crASH AND BURN
Eddie Said,

June 6, 2007 @ 10:11 am

First of all this is the real Eddie Johnson so don’t worry about a fake one and to Onur if i were a Spur Hater why am i picking them in six. I am starting to think some of you guys are not reading or love the Spurs so much that any negative mentioned you go nuts. I’ll say it again the Cavs will not be easy.
B Said,

June 6, 2007 @ 11:02 am

Eddie,
Chill out man and do what you do. I like your comments and love it when someone does not sugarcoat their opinions.

That being said, I don’t think this series will be any different from a typical Spurs series against the likes of Denver, the Wolves(of a few years ago) or the Suns over the years: It won’t be a sweep, but the Spurs will take care of business (you agree to this so I don’t know my fellow Spurs fans are tripping). The teams I mentioned all had fight and presented San Antonio with different matchup problems, but just could not overcome the Spurs for an entire series. Amare’s outburst a couple of years ago might be the best example that one man will not beat this team IN SEVEN GAMES.

So yeah, I’m a big spurs fan, but I’m also realistic…. the spurs just don’t sweep people. Cleveland is going to win 1 or 2 games. The thing you have to give the spurs is that they win EVERY series they are supposed to. Take into account a lucky Fisher shot and a couple of postseasons with Duncan injured all you are left with is 3 championship runs and one postseason where a healthy tim couldn’t get the spurs by LA.

This year will be no different. Better luck next time Lebron.
TheStarq Said,

June 6, 2007 @ 11:39 am

If Lebron is destined to be as good as Jordan or kobe, guyz who can dominate the game on their own and guyz who have won championships, he will surely beat the spurs….The only thing Lebron lacks is a side-kick….Jordan had pippen, Kobe had shaq….Lebron has Hughes…A NOBODY….The Cavs here really have a chance to build a dynasty that can resemble Jordan’s Bulls….Leborn=Jordan, Kerr=Donyell/Gibson/Jones, Longley=Ilgauskas, Rodamn=Gooden/Verjaro, Pippen = Hughes/?….
space Said,

June 6, 2007 @ 12:01 pm

ALEC & JAMIE

hate to disappoint but get a load of this, in the november cavs victory the minutes for the spurs ran like so: bowen 38 minutes, duncan 39, oberto 19, ginobilli 31, parker 35.
to compare, how about the spur’s tight game 4 loss to phoenix at home?: bowen 33, duncan 33, oberto 21, ginobilli 35, parker 42. finley was in for a full 19 [non-factor].
the cleveland rematch minutes were about the same. the main guns were out there, and they WERE playing. no effort excuses, because no popovich player or team is allowed to stay on the floor when they aren’t trying hard. if the cavs slide by in game 1 then this whole thing gets weird. the hype IS overdone, but many spurs diehards are concerned about leebron. so regular season doesn’t mean anything huh? tell that to the mavericks who couldn’t beat the warriors if rolando blackman and pre-injury jamal mashburn came out of retirement. i rooted for GState to make the playoffs because i knew they would smoke the mavs.
now i am predicting lebron and company to produce another [haha] upset in 6.

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-25-10/Tale-of-the-Tape–LeBron-James-vs–the-Spurs.html
space Said,

June 6, 2007 @ 12:44 pm

interesting comparison Thestarq. pretty accurate. eventhough hughes hasnt worked well in clevland, he did find himself before he left the wiz with a few strong seasons. the spurs team balance may be too much to overcome [i still think cavs in 6] but it gives the east some hope in the future. a 4 way of power in the bulls, pistons, cavs and heat if they can hold on. the nets, wiz, magic and raptors trying to get to that level. the east does have hope.
Eric Ginsberg Said,

June 6, 2007 @ 12:52 pm

San Antonio in 5. Spurs have finals experience.Cleveland has never been this far into the playoffs. LeBron will win a title, but not this year.
LBJ Said,

June 6, 2007 @ 1:37 pm

I hope the rest of the cast supports LeBron. I’m sure it will be pretty physical. There will be bodies hitting the hardwood. Some of which will be results of flops……LOL
Michael Bennett Said,

June 6, 2007 @ 1:53 pm

MATCHUPS!!!

Spurs vs. Cavs

PG - Tony Parker vs. Larry Hughes (EDGE - PARKER)

Parker is one of the league’s most consistent and best PGs, but Larry Hughes just came from a series in which he player tremendous defense on one of the league’s top PGs. Tony Parker has the edge here, but not by much. This is almost a wash, if Hughes steps up even more on the defensive end.

SG - Michael Finley vs. Sasha Pavlovic (EDGE - FINLEY)

Finley has played well in the Playoffs… not great, but very good from behind the arc. But, Pavlovic just got done chasing Richard Hamilton for 6 games. Finley will be an easier cover, but Finley will still get one or two threes a game.

SF - Bruce Bowen vs. LeBron James (EDGE - LEBRON)

Bowen will be a little troublesome, but he will not come close to covering LeBron with any success. LeBron will expose Bowen as a guy who’s a year older, and LeBron has never played better than he has in the last four games, in which he’s averaged 30+ ppg, 8+ rpg, 9+ apg, 2+ spg. He’ll roll that into the Finals. Why? He’s got the taste on his lips. He NEEDS to quench that thirst.

PF - Tim Duncan vs. Drew Gooden (EDGE - GOODEN… just kidding. DUNCAN)

Do I really have to say anything about the greatest PF to ever play? I will say this. He will lose his first Finals series.

C - Fabricio Oberto vs. Zydrunas Ilgauskus (EDGE - ILGAUSKUS if…)

Z can make a high percentage of his shots, and play low/effecient minutes. Oberto has been very athletic and successfully scrappy of late, but he hasn’t really faced a back to the basket center like Z. Z has to pull him out of the lane and not let him get any offensive rebounds, something Oberto’s been doing very well in the Spurs Ws.

BENCH - Ginobili, Vaughn, Barry, Elson, Horry vs. Gibson, Varejao, Marshall, Jones, Snow (EDGE - SPURS by a hair)

The bench has come up huge for Cleveland lately. Ginobili has been strategically placed on the bench to start the game for a surge of scoring at the end of the 1st quarter, and to have automatic energy. If the Cavs keep Ginobili off the free throw line in his 20-30 minutes of PT, then the Cavs will be successful. And, the Cavs need a little production from everyone. They don’t need Gibson to go for 30, although that would be nice. They need him to hit a three, get to the line a couple times… they need Varejao to take a timely charge… they need Marshall and Jones to hit a three… and they need Snow to shut down Parker or Ginobili at the end of the game.

COACH - Gregg Popovich vs. Mike Brown (EDGE - Popovich)

But, this will only be a problem for Brown if he burns early timeouts (like he did in G1 and G2 of the Detroit series) and if he lets LeBron do the 20 seconds of behind the arc dribbling (which isn’t always bad - note: the two monster dunks at the end of G5 in Detroit).

FANS - San Antonio vs. Cleveland (EDGE - CLEVELAND)

Their fans want it more. Have you heard about the floor tickets at the Q going for FIVE FIGURES?!? That’s insane. They have waited over 40 years for a championship. And…

This year they will get it.

CAVS in 6
Jacob Said,

June 6, 2007 @ 2:16 pm

The regular season means nothing. Just ask the Miami Heat. They had a bad record against +.500 teams during the reg. season last year, and they took over in the playoffs and won the championship. Lebron will have to play like D-Wade did in the finals for the Cavs to have a shot. People are jumping on the LeBron bandwagon after one excellent game. Do you guys still trust him in the clutch? The finals is a whole other animal. Spurs in 6. 5 if Finley, Manu, and Bowen hit 3’s with consistency.
Lars Said,

June 6, 2007 @ 2:40 pm

Eddie,

Once again your assessment leaves me baffled. This is the Cavs you are referring to. The personnel that you referenced, Boobie, Z, Verajao, and the rest, are marginal at best. Don’t expect any of their spot up shooters to get off. Phoenix’s didn’t and neither will Cleveland. Besides ‘IF’ these games are close, Cleveland has not demonstrated any poise. Not that they can’t, the Detroit series just didn’t give them any opportunity.(Detroit uncharacteristically turned the ball over way too many times down the stretch.)

Furthermore, Mike Brown really will have no answer for this team, I don’t care how much he knows them. It did not give Avery Johnson that much of a upperhand in last year’s semis. This is just a well constructed team that has a rare ability to adjust when the scenario heightens. If there is an X factor that is it. Will Cleveland have the umph to withstand SA’s prowess, don’t bet on it. Spurs in 5, I have a sneaky suspicion this may be a sweep.

Lars from the A
Lars Said,

June 6, 2007 @ 2:52 pm

Michael Bennett not sure which NBA you have been watching.

Looks like you cut and paste this from a major website’s article but you made an error in your prediction.

Lars from the A
c waters Said,

June 6, 2007 @ 3:07 pm

Don’t be surprised to see LeBron defending Parker in critical situations like against Billups in the previous series. Between Hughes early and LeBron late, they can slow down Parker.
Michael Bennett Said,

June 6, 2007 @ 3:08 pm

Thanks for the compliment, Lars (on thinking that my post in cut and pasted). Just because YOU don’t believe Cavs will win, doesn’t mean they won’t.

LeBron is the best player in the series. The Cavs defense is really good and FORCED those turnovers against Detroit… just like they will against San Antonio.

And, I know this because I watched every minute of every Playoffs Cavs and Spurs games this year - two of which I saw IN Cleveland. We’ll see…
Onur Tuncaboylu Said,

June 6, 2007 @ 3:18 pm

Eddie, you wrote Suns, Bowen and Horry during the Suns-Spurs series.
You carried on to write Bowen, Horry and uns while talking about Spurs-Jazz series.
And now we’re in the finals. And you are still still writing about Horry, Bowen and Suns…
When will you finish dude? Please tell me, i really want to know this.
Onur Tuncaboylu Said,

June 6, 2007 @ 3:23 pm

And an answer to Space:
November victory of Cavs against Spurs shows nothing. Because it was a b2b game for Spurs and they played in Dallas the game before it. That’s why, you can’t live in June with November victory.
space Said,

June 6, 2007 @ 4:06 pm

appreciate the answer Onur:
november game
it was really back to back HOME games for the spurs. they travelled as far as DALLAS for that first game, had the next night off and played their home opener to a team that featured david wesley in their rotation.
*[not that this matters, but i as well as dozens of players i know perform better on the second day of a short schedule]. they played dallas for crying out loud. their only true physical player is jerry stackhouse. the spurs cruised, NOT limped back to the alamo dome after they beat the western conference champs. they go their revenge and felt like kings going into their home opener with the cavs. even from a coaches aspect you would think the spurs would have the advantage of an early season tuneup. the spurs early season schedule was crucial, full of finals and conference finals possiblity teams. they knew what they had to prove early on. they were down almost a dozen and never had a grasp on the game.

january game
2 1/2 months later. spurs almost had it but, cavs victory at home. san antonio ran pretty much the same roster as the current playoffs.

is pavlovic a good player? yes, a regular starter and rotation guy. is gibson a good player? yes, ask former finals mvp chauncy billups.
the funniest stat is that pavlovic played 1 minute in the first game & 9 minutes combined in those games and was an afterthought from the bench even then. gibson played NO MINUTES in the first game and 5 minutes in the january contest. less actually, i watched the game and he really didn’t get any involvement. NOW they both contribute consistently to a team that already beat the spurs twice. i don’t know what you are thinking. they are younger, hungry, are built to stretch a series and adapt to situations. again, go ask detroit. who said pistons in 6. but who really picked the bulls over the lakers?
or the pistons over the kobe’s lakers?
well i’m going cavs over spurs.
space Said,

June 6, 2007 @ 4:13 pm

you are saying that a contributor/difference maker in gibson is going to go back HOME to TEXAS and have a BAD finals showing? he still has alot to prove to texas. get concerned spurs fans. checking rip hamilton was a good experience for pavlovic before getting manu as well.
Eddie Said,

June 6, 2007 @ 4:15 pm

Lars

you are right my bad. Those role guys can’t play, all they did was play good enough to beat a good New Jersey team and then beat a team that would have beaten the Spurs this year.

Dag i forgot that the Spurs beat the Mavericks last year right. You can’t even formulate an argument.
SpursInFive Said,

June 6, 2007 @ 7:22 pm

LeBron will run all over the Spurs but in the end San Antonio still wins, because San Antonio doesn’t forsake team defense just to try to stop 1 guy, which is what Detroit did.

Detroit’s defense is glass, it looks great until someone breaks it in one part, then it falls all apart. The not-surprising fact that Prince couldn’t guard LeBron was a catalyst for terrible defense all around, especially on GIbson.

Spurs won’t all panic when LeBron plows through Bowen, in fact their entire defense basically expects it.

It’s close enough where 1 injury or a series of bad foul calls will swing it in the Cavs favor, but barring deus ex machina breaking Duncan’s ankle, Spurs just have to keep doing what they’ve always done to win. Cavs must play above & beyond to win.
Michael Bennett Said,

June 6, 2007 @ 8:21 pm

Cavs OVER Spurs in 6. LeBron is toooooooooooooooooooo good for San Antonio to stop. He’s too physically gifted, and he wants it more than anyone.

Did anyone see/receive the Sports Illustrated this week? LeBron on the cover… pretty amazing that a 22 year old is THE best player in basketball.

And, there’s a great OJ Mayo piece.

God, I love the NBA. There’s nothing better…
Mike Del Fino Said,

June 6, 2007 @ 8:51 pm

All right, first things first: All Spurs fans quit acting high and mighty, I have been one since I was born, and ever since they won the titles, a majority of you guys act like pompous jerks. Your giving us a terrible image,and we in the minority of civilized Spurs fans are tossed in the same boat.
Second, I believe this will be a tight series with the Spurs pulling through in game 6. With the current 2-3-2, format it gives the edge to the Cavs in terms of court play due to the fact they get a heavy stretch of being at home. (I personally wish it was a alternating schedule with one game here then there, then if it comes to it game 7 at a neutral site, but I understand the cost, among other factors, why they don’t).
Lebron will have a good series despite what others say, Bowen does not have the strength to battle LeBron. He will bother him but not stop him. Larry will have his hands full with someone who’s faster, and willing to take it to the rim(Tony Parker). (Let’s face it when Chauncey is up against bigger opponents, he suffers, example: J-Kidd). Ginobli will give Pavlovic trouble. His ability to draw a fouls(you guys know why:), create with the ball, and shoot threes will make Pavlovic work. Oops, I forgot he comes off the bench fresh, while he mangles with Finley first. Duncan has faced tougher big men in the west than Gooden, so I won’t give a explanation. Give Ilgauskas credit, this guy is a former All-star with range he will put pressure on the Spurs to guard him, and I would still have this “plodder” on my team than Oberto. I expect to see the Spurs very physical with all their big men to knock him out; welcome to the playoffs Melvin Ely!!!!
The Spurs will definitely need to shoot well to win since they will be definitely be out-rebounded, they need to maintain the low turnovers, and move the ball well. They mustn’t be rattled, and at least take one away from the Quickens arena to stay in this series. The Spurs are better passers, better at guarding the three, have better shooters, and a deeper bench. The only way I see the Spurs losing if Lebron continues playing with the same passion he’s had in the Detroit series. Here’s hoping he doesn’t. Sorry for the long novel. Lebron’s will have to stay the prince for one more year, Spurs in 6.
Mike Del Fino Said,

June 6, 2007 @ 9:00 pm

They won’t stop LeBron but they will stop his crew. LeBron will taste the sweet nectar of winning the title some other time. I bet had they actually signed Michael Redd, they would be repeating already.
Jardo Said,

June 6, 2007 @ 9:13 pm

“Detroit arguably had a better offensive arsenal than what they will face with the Spurs” Detroit had a better ofensive arsenal???…. whitout one low post scorer or a single slasher???
howard Said,

June 6, 2007 @ 9:28 pm

Predictions:

Cleveland will put Snow on Parker at the end of the games and to a large extent, Snow will be able to slow Parker down. Cleveland’s D will keep them close in most of the games.

Eva Longoria will appear on the screen about 2000 times during the series. There will be about that many cameras on LeBron during the series.

Somebody will sneak and collect the chalk that LeBron throws up in the air at the start of the game and sell it on ebay along with the jersey that Rasheed Wallace slung against the wall after Detroit’s game 5 loss.

LeBron will be frustrated at times by Bowen, but will play well.

Cleveland will try to play man to man defense but when they do, Duncan will take over the game the Cavs will be forced to double team him.

The Spurs will get a lot of wide open shots from beyond the 3 point line. Everybody but Barry will have some success hitting their 3s.

Fin will play with renewed passion and be a significant factor in the series.

Ginobili will seemingly disappear at times but will have at least two monster fourth quarters in the series.

Sasha will come out of his funk and make a few big 3s while playing good defense.

Gibson will not be able to repeat the success of game 7 vs. Detroit in any of the games.

There will be at least one controversial play in the series that will have all the sportscasters buzzing and Eddie will comment it on this forum. The people in this forum will take sides on it.

Cleveland will be on the verge of making it a very close series, but the Spurs will pull out a win and take the series in 6 games. Duncan will be named series MVP and he will hoist both the trophies in the air.
Zaitzd Said,

June 6, 2007 @ 9:49 pm

How can anyone realistically give the cavs a chance. The backcourt of parker and ginobili is soo much more agressive than clevelands. Sorry eddie, but i dont think doubling both manu and parker is going to do the cavs and good. The Spurs whip the ball around the perimeter better than any other team in the last decade and thats not going to change. I do agree that Lebron is a HUGE problem for the spurs….but there is also no doubt that bowen will give him more trouble than hes dealt with since the last time these two teams played. I do think Duncan is good enough to throw down 40 on the cavs. He did it last year against dallas in game 7 and they have a little more depth to handle duncan.

This is hard for me to say because i love Hughes, but with his injury i dont think he can even outplay finley, let alone manu, who is a cold-blooded killer to your dismay.

The only way the cavs are gonna steal games is if the spurs shoot themselves out of it…..so i say they double duncan and just pray the shots don’t fall….But do you really think players like manu, finley, and even bowen (all proven clutch shooters) are gonna allow themselves to just let it come down to shooting? If its close, i still give the spurs the advantage….

SOO, spurs in 5. Duncan gets MVP #4 and secures his place as the best PF of all time.
Michael Bennett Said,

June 6, 2007 @ 10:20 pm

howard - I hate to call you out, but Daniel Gibson never played a game 7 versus Detroit… Cavs beat the Pistons in 6. You said “Gibson will not be able to repeat the success of game 7 vs. Detroit in any of the games.”

Cavs in 6.
Revmac Said,

June 6, 2007 @ 10:43 pm

Hey Eddie,

I am a die hard Cavs, Lakers fan (in that order). This series and all the predictions of the Spurs steam rolling my Cavs reminds me of something. Remember when the Bulls won their 1st title? I remember thinking “there’s no way the Bulls are going to beat the 4 time championship, playoff tried and tested Lakers”. We all know the outcome of that one! Could history possibly repeat itself via the elite superstar (Lebron/Jordan) factor?
howard Said,

June 6, 2007 @ 10:43 pm

Hey Michael, good call. Oh well that ensures at least one of my predictions will come true.
Eddie Said,

June 7, 2007 @ 12:00 am

Revmac

it would be nice if that happens!
Dr.Hibbert Said,

June 7, 2007 @ 2:11 am

You really remember thinking that? Well, ok…but the situation is quite different… .

Those Bulls were more “playoff tried and tested” then these Cavs…quite a lot…they had lost 2 conference finals against the eventual champs Pistons (4-2, 4-3), a 2nd round against the eventual runner-up Pistons, 3 consecutive 1st rounds…Mike had 65 playoff games under his belt when he started game 1 against L.A. (Lebron: 29 and a 2nd round).

The Bulls started the series at home, after winning 61 games to the Lakers 58 (this year: Spurs 58, Cavs 50)…the Lakers were 2 years removed from their last championship (to 1 for the Spurs) and in those 2 years they changed an old (but quite “tested”) Kareem with a “sophmore” Vlade Divac.
In game 5 they had to give meaningful minutes to: Terry Teagle and rookie Elden Campbell.
The Lakers had a coach in his first experience on an NBA bench (ok, Phil was just in his 2nd year…)!

Than you can look at the rosters…but that would take too long (the Cavs don’t have a 2nd banana as good as Grant, that was the 3rd best Bulls player…).

All this rant doesn’t really say anything about the Cavs chances (I think they will make every game close, but they will lose with no game 7)…I just wanted to say that the situation between Cavs 2007 and Bulls 1991 is “slightly” different.
Onur Tuncaboylu Said,

June 7, 2007 @ 2:14 am

Eddie i said you Spurs hater(sorry for that), beacuse you are still talking about Suns series. Spurs beat Suns 3 times while Suns have full-strength. The only questionable loss of Suns was 5th game, and not shows anything about the whole series.
Onur Tuncaboylu Said,

June 7, 2007 @ 2:19 am

Answer to Space.
Dude, in January game Bonner played 23, Udrih played 13 minutes. What about Finley? He played only 8 minutes.
What about Oberto? He played only 10 minutes
Rotation of Spurs is changed too much since that game. Finley is hot in play-offs and playing at least 25 minutes every night. Oberto adjusted to offensive system of Spurs very well in Utah series and he will carry on. Your front-court is very similar to Utah’s(Gooden-Ilga ~ Boozer-Memo)
Plus Horry will be different in the finals sries. What was his nick? “Mr June”? What is the month at the monent?
That’s why play-offs will not be same like regular season
Eddie Said,

June 7, 2007 @ 2:40 am

Michael Bennett

you just made my wall of fame for the month. http://www.jumpshotclub.com

this award goes to the blogger that actually sounds as dificult as i. you guys must admit. he has you worked you up at times. I look forward to adding more.
Zane from London Said,

June 7, 2007 @ 4:05 am

Experience is obviously going to be the biggest factor in the series. For most of the Cavs it’s their first time in the Finals. The Spurs have been together for years, and been there, done that.
With Lebron on the team, you can’t count them out - they have a few nice X-factor players like Gooden, Z, Verajeo and Larry Hughes. In the Detroit series they showed a lot of poise, and every game was hard-fought. They have stepped it up from last year, and I expect the Cavs to fight till the end.
Go Cavs!
Emre NEBIOGLU Said,

June 7, 2007 @ 5:55 am

Cleveland is a great team, simply because they have LeBron… But it’s lesson time for him, just like it was for the best player to ever have played the game, against Isaiah. Count on TD to mold this young fella into to best player of the NBA for following 10 years. I say SA in 6!

For the match-ups,

PG;
Well, Danny boy’s gonna have to run after Parker, which will tire him down. I don’t expect the same 3 pt. efficiency from him, at all. You could say CB is the best post-up PG in the league and he did not tire him down in his game-of-life. However, I don’t recall seeing C-Bill that bad for a long time. Don’t be surprised if Snow’s (only Cav with finals experience, barring my mistake) minutes go up in the finals.
SG;
Larry or Sasha, against Mike and Manu. One thing’s for sure, LH cannot get those steals that earned him his present contract. Huge edge for SA here.
SF;
LeBron will struggle against BBo in first half of Game 1, but I expect him to erupt in at least 4 games. No more words needed, it’s #23.
PF;
TD against no-D, only rebound Drew. I’m rooting for a couple of triple doubles from TD. He’s the one who’ll win the championship.
C;
Z against Oberto and Elson. Z often tends to get softer, so Oby and Elson gotta help him do that by being physical. Can they? I believe they can. I don’t expect much from Z.
Other bench;
Big shot Bob’s going to make the difference here. If it comes down to 3-balls, he is gonna dump DJ. Don’t forget Brent, either. Main difference between two teams will be here.

To sum up, congrats TD for the new ring. You deserve it! And LeBron, I hope you start getting yours asap.

Good day!
Pepe Said,

June 7, 2007 @ 6:47 am

Let’s face it, the Cavs come from the weak Eastern Conference and they’re nowhere near the Spurs - I say 4-1, 4-2 at the most (coz tickets got to be sold right?)
Alec Mirowski Said,

June 7, 2007 @ 8:19 am

Allow the Cavs’ fans the pleasure of supporting the underdogs.

Let’s just see what happens.
ryan Said,

June 7, 2007 @ 8:24 am

hey!!

the spurs are one of the strongest, if not the strongest team in this league. they play great defense and they have scorers; you have tim duncan at the post,tony parker or manu ginobili driving and guys who can shoot treys.

larry hughes is a great defender and he can score but he is injured.. too bad for cleveland…

Ilgauskas is a veteran but what does he have against duncan?

with all these, we may say that san antonio has the advantage, BUT WE CAN NEVER TELL. I too, was surprised that the cavs defeated the pistons after being behind by 2 games. i think that seeing this, the spurs will not underestimate the cavs.

cleveland’s edge in this matchup is their HUNGER and EAGERNESS to win a title. They are a young team and they are fresh. they have the HEART to win a championship.

-ryan, from manila philippines
Michael Bennett Said,

June 7, 2007 @ 10:09 am

Thanks, Eddie!!!

This might be my greatest online achievment… I did “slap the Donald” once when I was bored, but that pales in comparison to this prestigious honor.

I guarantee that I’ll be on here ringing some bells for a while. And, I’ll start with:

Pepe - Do you really believe that “coz tickets got to be sold right?” comment? Do you really think that who, David Stern, has a meeting with Popovich and the Spurs team and tells them to lose and THEY ACTUALLY DO IT?!? Is it the network sponsors? So, ABC (Disney owned) feels pressured because Nike wants to run an ad in Game 6 and not a minute earlier so they tell the Spurs to lose?!? Really? You believe something of the sort?

The NBA is about as clean of an organization as you get. There’s no super conspiracies. The better team wins the seven game series.

AND, I think Spurs fans like to say things like “Cavs com from a weak conference” because they feel like the Spurs had some other difficult road to go down. Either way, there’s no sense to it (especially when the weak Conferenced Cavs beat the Spurs - Where’s the excuses then?).

And, tonight… tonight, we dine in San Antonio (hell)!!!
david Said,

June 7, 2007 @ 10:47 am

Michael.
As a Spurs fan I like your passion. Sorry but throw the regular season out the window. The SPurs had a very tough emotional win on the road against the Mavs to open the season and lost to the Cavs the next night (I was at that game — LeBron vas VERY impressive). But I think that the Cavs, who had a great win over the Spurs, lost the next night to Charlotte.
Don’t get me wrong — the Cav are a VERY tough team and anyone here with a brain will give them the respect they deserve. They are the East champions just as the Spurs are the West champions, whatever road got them there.
The (best) advantage the Spurs have is mental. Is that enough against LeBron? I can’t wait to find out !
space Said,

June 7, 2007 @ 12:24 pm

appreciate the real analysis David. its good to see a commentary with substance. charlotte is one of those teams that just happen to have the cavs number. felton loves blasting the cavs. the cavs biggest pluses are youth and having gone through detroit [a champion] twice. this could go 7 games easily. i’m watching the whole series regardless.

to ONUR’s dismay, the cavs were the team with the road loss as expected when facing charlotte. +oberto’s minutes are about the same now [13-19] as they were before. if you saw the november game you would realize that bonner put in work. and do your homework, finley still gets the same time time on the floor.
space Said,

June 7, 2007 @ 1:04 pm

a friend forwarded this from DIME magazine. i’m not linving by it, but…
LeBron vs. Bowen in those two games combined:
LeBron – 82 minutes, 21-43 from the field, 54 points
Bowen – 71 minutes, 1-11 from the field, 2 points.
Shaxp Said,

June 7, 2007 @ 1:23 pm

I think it’s easy to overlook Duncan’s accomplisments because he’s such a mild-mannered guy. Let’s be honest– people don’t perceive him as having street cred and don’t rush out to buy his jersey the way they do Iverson’s or Melo’s, but he has a greater resume than anyone in the league with the possible exception of Shaq. he has been great nonstop for a decade. He’s quiet, but he has the heart of a warrior. When the Spurs won their last ring against Detroit, Duncan pulled down more boards over the course of the series than Ben and Rasheed Wallace combined, and he did it on two gimpy ankles. That’s no small accomplisment.
Lebron’s a class act, like Nash, Marion, Boozer, etc. I’m sure lebron will be wearing championship jewelry before long, but i just don’t think it’ll be this year. You’re right Eddie– he won’t be intimidated… he’ll give us some memorable performances, but my prediction is a 4th title for the Spurs and a 4th mvp for Duncan.
Dervin Said,

June 7, 2007 @ 2:18 pm

This is a great time to be a basketball fan (except for the late starts- hey if LeBron is going to blow off the birth of his child for the finals - I guess I can stay up a bit later).

We have the Spurs, a team that is just totally unlikeable the labels switched from Soft -> Dull -> Dirty in the course of 3 years. The sad fact of the matter is the Spurs are just unlikeable - not hate just dislike. There was no way to explain this They play great ball, they can run, they can execute in the half court. Thankfully, this year it’s reached a critical mass, Bowen & Horry’s cheap shot thug ball, Duncan’s comical objections to every foul, the flopping reached a crescendo where we can say “THIS IS WHY YOU DISLIKE THEM!” The added advantage is we can go move from dislike to outright hate. This will do wonders for ratings, you ignore the things you dislike, but you go out of you way to watch somebody you hate.

LeBron following his 48 point dominance in game 5, followed that up with a Jordanesque performance in game 6* and we’re all waiting for what he is going to do in the finals against one of the best teams of the decade. Last Second Heroics, a 60 point game, ripping Bruce Bowen’s still beating heart out and showing it before he collapses.

(You know, when Jordan’s jump shot wouldn’t fall so he drove to the hoop and went to the foul line 25-30 times in a game. He winds up shooting 5-22 but finishes with 30 points).
Revmac Said,

June 7, 2007 @ 3:31 pm

Dr. Hibbert,

Thanks for the info. I didn’t realize how different the circumstances were. Alas, I must still “RISE UP AND WITNESS” for my home team, GO CAVS!!!
RiseUp Said,

June 7, 2007 @ 3:34 pm

I think the Spurs should win, but the CAVS get no credit. Everyone thinks the West is so great and they are - at the top. The big 3 out West are better than anyone. Still Cleveland (and Detroit, Chicago and Miami) is right there with Houston, Denver, and Utah. Actually I think they are better than all three. Denver is a match up problem for the CAVS. They are head and shoulders above Utah. I think NJ is comperable to Utah.

Some sports writers are saying the Lakers and Golden State are better - ridiculous. The Cavs were 19-11 vs the West. The Cavs have gone 29-12 over the last three months. That comes out to 58 wins in a normal schedule. This was roughly the time the Offense got a fascimile of a PG by starting Hughes instead of Snow. Check the team splits and their points and shooting take a very significant jump.
Rashidi Said,

June 7, 2007 @ 9:16 pm

The Spurs walked all over the Denver Nuggets, who were also pretty good defensively.

If Melo, Iverson, Camby, Nene, and Blake couldn’t beat the Spurs, why would LeBron, Hughes, Ilgauskas, Gooden, and Gibson? The teams are similar and San Antonio dispatched one with little effort. If anything, the Cavs are easier to defend as everything has to run through LeBron, while Denver has two scorers, a PG who can run the offense, and are among the leaders in fastbreak points.
Lars Said,

June 7, 2007 @ 10:57 pm

Eddie and Bennett,

I will continue to watch this series like you all and specifically these role players you all talk about.

Eddie - whether I can formulate an argument or not, bottom line Mike Brown ws out coached tonight. Gimpy Larry Hughes on Parker and then leBron on him. What gives? Bring out the broom…..

Lars from the A
Revmac Said,

June 7, 2007 @ 11:03 pm

Eddie,

I see your point about LBJ needing that midrange jumpshot. I’ve always thought his form was awkard but you kinda forget when he has an offensive explosion. Even with that, the fundamentals hold true.
Lupe Huerta Said,

June 7, 2007 @ 11:19 pm

Wow, reading this forum, everyone forgets what a force Tim Duncan can be. Whenever LeBron got loose of Bowen, Duncan was there to contest his shot. I do believe LeBron will shake off this performance, that’s what Superstars do. However, this game shows how the lack of experience worked against the Cavs. LeBron defintley needs help. Larry Hughes sadly, due to injury, can’t stay in front of Parker, and Ilgauskas looked winded.
Sasha had his hands full with Ginobli who is one of the best ball-handlers amongst shooting guards. Minus Carter, this is probably his toughest challenge in these playoffs.
Seeing Larry play, I think they should bring him off the bench, he is obviously affected by his injury. He never could shoot, and sadly that lack of a shooting touch is not off-setting the injury. I would start Gibson in his place.
Well it seems like the Spurs are off to a good start, I feel like giving it to them in 3 more after this game. Reality is I know Lebron will show-up, but they will still lose the series 4-2. Go Spurs!!!!!

p.s. Drew Goodens do looks like the missing piece off of my carpet.
Alec Mirowski Said,

June 7, 2007 @ 11:24 pm

1-0.

I cannot wait to see what happens next.
Brysen Said,

June 8, 2007 @ 1:21 am

As much as I love watching the cavs, and especially Lebron play, and as good as a feel good story it’s been for them, it’s over in 5 if it isn’t a sweep. I’m a cavs fan and would love for them to pull it off, but I don’t think the role players will get off like they did against Detroit, Jersey, and Washington. The spurs are the best defensive team in the league, boring to watch on offense, but damn they get the job done. I’m sure Lebron won’t have another bad game like this one, but it’s not him I’m concerned about. Larry Hughes is hobbled and even though he’s a trooper who’s showing alot of heart, he’s hurting the team. He’s a liability on defense which is usually his strength and he can’t get enough lift on his J to even be a threat for one of Lebrons kickouts, hope to see more minutes from Boobie Gibson, hell even Eric Snow, just don’t put Damon out there nomore lol.

Eddie your totally right about Big “Z”, he better not continue to play like the eastern conference version of Mehmet Okur, like he did today lol.

Cavs I got my fingers crossed for you guys!
lols@CAVS Said,

June 8, 2007 @ 4:50 am

hahaha lebron is to much for the spurs in game 1 and ohhhh gibson he’s killing the spurs!where bennet and the other guys there who goes for the cavs i hope you pray everyday that your so called king scores 50 points so his team has a chance to win
Michael Bennett Said,

June 8, 2007 @ 8:04 am

I didn’t realize they changed the rules this year for the Finals… It’s now just a one game series, huh? Oh…

I’ll admit that LeBron looked like crap. His shot wasn’t falling, and the Cavs offense was so clustered that he couldn’t get to the rim. But, it’s not a horrible place to be in. First game, away, AT Spurs… only lose by 9. Not bad for a young team against a tried and tested Spurs. I expected this from the Cavs. They DID go down 2-0 against the Pistons… short… term… memory.

But, I love how everyone comes on after the Cavs lose and say how wrong everyone was. Eddie didn’t pick the Cavs to win the series. I did. And, if you read my matchups, I pretty much wrote EXACTLY what happened in this first game… Ilgauskus couldn’t hit a shot, Gibson played solid, and Hughes was a ghost. When LeBron hits his shots in the rest of the series, the games will all come down to the wire.
space Said,

June 8, 2007 @ 9:04 am

its funny BENNETT.
but i was expecting the hate mailers after game 1 as well. mike brown may kill my prediction if he doesn’t use those pieces better. so they defended homecourt. we expect that. still, i don’t know, lebron only had a pair of field goals at the end of the half and they are down 5 in their 1st trip to the finals. that sits OK by me. that’s why they call it a ‘SERIES’.
we shall see. on to game 2.
Miles Said,

June 8, 2007 @ 9:51 am

You’re right Michael they did lose the first two, but in the Pistons series it was a lot closer to the end. Boobie went off scoring with points when it really didn’t matter, it wasn’t as close as the score would suggest.
As for expecting everyone to show-up post-game, quit being paranoid/hypocritical. The only negative post I see is lols@cavs(and mine now), and you and Space showed up as well post-game. What do you expect this is a forum, people talk. As for me, my Cavs will be back, Lebron will explode after a less than stellar performanceto win game 2. Go Cavs!!!!!
howard Said,

June 8, 2007 @ 10:40 am

OK Spurs’ fans, it’s best not to start celebrating so soon. The Spurs have done nothing but hold serve. They have to do it one more time to go in to James town with a big advantage. If Cleveland wins game 2 than they have the advantage.

Obviously, if Cleveland has a chance to win the series, LeBron has go to get going. S.A. frustrated him, but I think you can hold someone that talented down only so long. I look for him to come up big in the series. The question is will it be enough. If the Spurs’ big 3 all play well, then forget about it.

I like the way Gooden and Sasha played last night. If they continue to play this agressively, it could cause San Antonio some real headaches. Gibson is playing steady too, knocking down the 3s. I’m surprised Cleveland didn’t put Snow on Parker.

True fans of the game appreciate Duncan, one of the best ten players of all-time. Forget about Duncan as the best power forwards of all-time. I think he may be the best FORWARD of all-time! I can’t think of a forward who is so good at all phases of the game. He can dominate both sides of the court.
Michael Bennett Said,

June 8, 2007 @ 10:52 am

howard - I know I don’t agree too often to people on here, but you do have a great point about Tim Duncan being possibly the best forward of all-time. So, I’m half agreeing.

What separates MJ from the all-time greats was his ability to play defense at a higher level than any other player at his position, and better than most in the league. Same with Bill Russell. MJ was the best scorer/offensive player ever, by far, but his defense is what makes him head and shoulders above players like Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. And, you have a very valid point about Tim Duncan and his defense. His offense is very solid and effecient… not great numbers, but very, very good. But, he’s so good on defense.

I think LeBron figured that out this postseason… He’s played great defense also, and it’s helped his overall game. He tends to slack on D in the regular season, which isn’t very admirable, but forgivable. Hopefully, LeBron shows up 3 hours early again on Sunday to work on his jumper. If he does, and continues to keep up his good D on Parker, then this will be a series… on for the ages.
Shaxp Said,

June 8, 2007 @ 11:10 am

Michael Bennett– no credit for Bowen whatsoever? Lebron was held under his season averages in points, assists, rebounds, and field goal percentage. In addition, he had 7 turnovers, more than double his average. He didn’t just show up and play poorly. He ran into a great defender and great defensive team help.
I feel bad for L Hughes– the guy’s obviously in pain, and playing on one leg. Unfortunately, the unwritten laws of the NBA are similar to those of Nature. If you’re a lion perched on a hill and you see four healthy antelopes running alonside one with an obvious limp….well, you pretty much figure that that’s the one you’ll be eating for dinner.
It’s still hard to believe that Tony Parker was snatched by the Spurs with the 28th pick in that draft! And Ginobili, with the 57th! Man! If my Knicks could draft like that, we’d be here in the finals instead of drinking gin out of a brown paper bag while sulking on the upper deck of Staten island Ferry…. staring up at the eyes of Lady Liberty and asking, “why? why?….” Whoops, sorry… I got off topic there for a moment…. sorry.
That kid Gibson is definitely a keeper.
space Said,

June 8, 2007 @ 11:41 am

thumbs down for cavs coach brown for making no adjustment in the second half as the big man always came out hard on lebron every single time they set a soft screen and rolls for him on the perimeter. they HAVE to counter that.

parker was real question marks due to his age, being foreign, poor jump shot, and decision making. he had lots of natural talent and was developed well in san antonio, same as manu. development: a skill that 90% of NBA teams do not have. credit popovich and staff. duncan as one of the best ever? every 10 years people seem to forget about the ones before him. literally a decade ago, karl malone [who duncan couldn't ever really handle] was supposed to be considered the best, now he [along with like 8 other guys are forgotten]. malone never won a ring so does that take him out of NOT BEST consideration. come on. duncan is very good, but i have to reserve my best ever status on almost everyone save maybe 6 or 7 players. its always a debatable topic… that’s why we have these freakin message boards.
space Said,

June 8, 2007 @ 11:42 am

.
Lars Said,

June 8, 2007 @ 11:59 am

Game within the game, we are not celebrating . The score has nothing to do with the eventual outcome of this series. SA’s ability to consistently defend will lead them to yet another championship. It will also be a long series (I am usually the term loosely) for Cleveland if they cannot stop Parker, Duncan and Manu. The writing is on the wall guys.

Eddie - when this over, don’t take a week to release another blog item. SA’s foot must have been in your mouth after the Phoenix series.

Howard - nice post.

Bring out the Broom kids.

Lars from the A
Michael Bennett Said,

June 8, 2007 @ 12:07 pm

space - WINNING is almost everything when it comes to rating players as the best. You have to combine that with stats, era, etc., but winning championships is so tough that if you do, you must be rewarded.

Tim Duncan has 3 rings… That’s 3 more than most great PFs in the last 25 years(Barkley, Malone, Garnett, Nowitzki). THAT’s what sets him apart, and rightfully so. Here’s ESPN’s take on it:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2074360

…which is pretty good, I think. But, I NEVER forget about the players of yesteryear. I think the best center of all-time is no doubt Bill Russell. Why? Because he won 11 rings as the leader/captain of those Celtics teams. Although it sounds crazy, I watch as much ESPN Classic as possible. I love those old games because the players are no-nonsense, great shooters, fundamentally sound, good defenders who play full force 100% of the time. It’s hard to compare different eras, but I think you just have to find what the golden standard is to judge players. Mine is rings, stats, competition, and defense.
Shaxp Said,

June 8, 2007 @ 12:14 pm

Yeah, the all-time-great label is a hard one, especially when comparing different eras. If Duncan, Garnett, and Dirk played in 1970, they’d probably be centers, not forwards. In 1970, a seven footer was still somewhat rare– today, every team has one. For me, Shaq, Hakeem, and Duncan have to be in the conversation. Russell is a given, as is Jordan… Gotta talk about Wilt… Mikan was the man in his day, but it seems unlikely that his skill set would thrive in modern day hoops. I’d call him an all-time innovator for sure, but probably not all-time great. Magic over Bird in a close call… The big O over Cousy …
Thinking about this too much will make a true hoops junkie lose his mind… might be best to avoid this topic!
space Said,

June 8, 2007 @ 12:42 pm

right now i have to give duncan props for tops—
but winning isn’t everything is it? mchale had a far superior perimeter game to duncan’s and he won. so does that make him best ever? barkley was a better scorer/rebounder and 6 inches shorter. [more with less] is he the greatest? hell, i could win a title with david robinson on my team, or playing against the offensively challenged nets with referees giving you tons of calls.
is it best winner or best talent? talent wise kemp is far and away close to the top. winner wise, who was the power forward on the celtic great teams and why does he not get consideration? russell is clearly the king, but russell wasn’t the only guy down low over there.
is it the system and player combos? would they have won a ring with iverson at the point? i doubt it. but i can see the spurs winning one of those rings with abdur-rahim [in his prime] in duncan’s spot. some guys look great on one team and suck once they go to another team and system. if duncan was a sonic he might’ve been exposed right now. he is great but if garnett goes to NY and wins a ring dominating duncan in a finals does that then make garnett the best? its supposed to boil down to championships, but in every sport you can always say: ‘i can’t believe that guy won a ring’. example jason williams of miami. [williams is on my favorite list however].
maybe i am looking at this wrong.
to anyone out there:
who are the top power forwards in history?
LBJ Said,

June 8, 2007 @ 1:08 pm

That’s a good question Space.

Not in any particular oder and I’m only going to name guys I’ve seen play. Not guys from decades before I was even born. Even though I’ve heard many of there names.

Karl Malone
Charels Barkley
Dennis Rodman
Kevin Garnett
Tim Duncan (he’s just as much a center to me)
Elton Brand
Chris Webber
Shawn Kemp

Can’t belive he won a ring guy…..How about Steve Kerr…..LOL I think he got 5(SA,CHI). Great jump shot and he was also good at……well great jump shot.
Michael Bennett Said,

June 8, 2007 @ 1:18 pm

TOP 5 ALL-TIME PFs (with CAREER AVERAGES)

1) Tim Duncan (3 championships, 3 Finals MVPs, 2 MVPs, 8X NBA 1st Team, 8X All-Star, 6X All-Defense 1st Team)
21.8 ppg, 11.9 rpg, 3.2 apg, 0.8 spg, 2.4 bpg

2) Charles Barkley (HOF, 1 MVP, 5X NBA 1st Team, 11X All-Star)
22.1 ppg, 11.7 rpg, 3.9 apg, 1.6 spg, 0.8 bpg

3) Karl Malone (2 MVPs, 11X NBA 1st Team, 14X All-Star)
25.0 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.3 spg, 0.8 bpg

4) Elvin Hayes (HOF, 1 championship, 3X NBA 1st Team, 12X All-Star)
21.0 ppg, 12.5 rpg, 1.7 apg

5) Dennis Rodman (5 championships, 2X DPOY, 7X All-Defense 1st Team, 2X All-Star)
7.3 ppg, 13.1 rpg, 1.8 apg, .67 spg, .58 bpg

That’s my list. Some might disagree. MOST might disagree. But, there you have it.
Shaxp Said,

June 8, 2007 @ 1:21 pm

Hey Space– I agree with you on Kemp. At his peak he was amazing, but at some point he lost his focus, drank 100 kegs of beer and gobbled down a 1000 bags of potato chips and took himself out of the equation. Abdur-rahim was very good, but I don’t think he’s close to Duncan. i think you can only use winning as a measurement for guys who are the major component of their teams. Horry, Steve Kerr, and Derek Fisher are all smart, passionate players with rings, but they aren’t better than Ewing, Sir Charles, T-Mac, and Garnett. Garnett is an interesting case– would he be willing to play for less money? As much as I love his game, I have to put part of the blame on him for the problems of the Timberwolves– his contract was sooo huge and took up such a large percentage of the cap that it made it difficult to bring in others….I hopes he opts out.
LBJ Said,

June 8, 2007 @ 1:33 pm

Shaxp I agree. Some great players won’t win a ring. T-Mac, Pierce, Garnett etc may never get one.
I think if Larry Johnson hadn’t hurt his back he would’ve done great things too. He was a beast at one time!!

Different sport but… Barry Sanders was great and he never even got to the big show.
Michael Bennett Said,

June 8, 2007 @ 1:45 pm

Football and baseball are different than basketball for that exact fact - Playres like Barry Sanders, Barry Bonds, LaDanian Tomlinson… they all never or might never win, but it doesn’t take away from their greatness. There’s too many other factors. 9 guys on the field in baseball, 11 in football (and ANOTHER 11 on defense). Whereas in basketball, there’s 5 guys, and one guy makes more of a difference.

I think players like TMac (who’s one of my favs to watch), Paul Pierce and Garnett are very good, but not great by any means. They have too many defeciences to qualify as great. I love all of those players, actually, but great… no way.
LBJ Said,

June 8, 2007 @ 1:52 pm

I don’t think a guys greatness should be measured by rings in any sport because it’s not one guy that will get you there or win it. It takes a good team. You may have a star and play differently than the previous champ but every championship team is a good team.

I personally think Garnett is great. He really doesn’t have any weaknesses. He can do it all. I can’t really think of any big man with more ability than he has. And he plays hard.
LBJ Said,

June 8, 2007 @ 1:53 pm

Rephrase: I don’t think a guys greatness should be measured solely on rings in any team sport
Michael Bennett Said,

June 8, 2007 @ 1:59 pm

You have a point… in baseball and football, but, in basketball, it’s all about the stars.

One guy’s greatness can lead to championships ei Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, Tim Duncan, etc. Duncan won with two different teams - Spurs in 99 look nothing like they did in 03 or 05, or now. He’s the main element. The only same piece to the two 3-peats of Michael Jordan was Scottie Pippen. Virtually every other player was different… especially in the starting lineup. Same with Russell. Cousy and Havlicek were on only half of those years.

Saying that you “don’t think a guys greatness should be measured by rings” in basketball is borderline crazy. THAT’s what separates the very good from the great.
Michael Bennett Said,

June 8, 2007 @ 2:00 pm

Well… I posted while you were rephrasing… I don’t think so, either. That’s why I said in an earlier post it should be based on stats, defense, era, competition, etc.
space Said,

June 8, 2007 @ 2:12 pm

true. qualifying a great is tough. and i completely forgot about larry johnson [another fav]. forgive me grandmama! and i do so miss kemp, the only reason the sonics won twice in the finals and the only player on the roster who brought it. duncan is loking good, at the same time, when duncan misses freethrows and turns the ball over from double teams he seems far from the greatest.
tim is in centerstage and looks fabulous for the moment. 26-13 and 5 blocks is quality stuff— until they lose a few at least. mmmmm….
Cody Said,

June 8, 2007 @ 2:20 pm

Looks like the Spurs posterized most of you posting here. Thats what I call defense. “Bowen is too small”; “He can’t handle LeBron”; You guys crack me up. Face the music, Basketball is a team sport not a one man show. The key word is TEAM for all you band wagon media blow with the wind wantabees. Like a glove. Next up Michael Finley. Respect the Spurs, best winning percentage in ALL SPORTS in the last decade.
LBJ Said,

June 8, 2007 @ 3:09 pm

It’s true that in basketball one guy can have a bigger inpact because you only have 5 on the floor per team. But you still have to have the right mix around you.

MJ couldn’t have won without help from Pippen, Grant or Rodman in his Bulls days. Magic couldn’t have won without Worthy, Kareem, or Scott. Duncan can’t do it without Tony or Manu.

I don’t think there is any question that Malone, Barkley, Ewing, Garnett, Brand, Nash etc are or were great players but if you don’t have help an individual in a team sport can only carry you so far. There will always be great players that won’t win it all. And some players not as talented or guys at the end of there careers that do. Even guys that don’t get off of the padded chairs get rings…..LOL
Cody Said,

June 8, 2007 @ 4:05 pm

It makes me sick that everybody is looking for a superman when one of the best teams in 10 years is proving it right in front of your own eyes. These guys should have won it last year and would have won it if it wasn’t for one bad call against the wantabee Mavs. Bruce gets no credit what so ever. That guy is amazing. How many times has he been runner up for defensive player of the year? Maybe he should start acting like a punk to get the award like Artest or Camby. It’s really funny because I live here in San Antonio and I see all the great things Bruce Bowen does. Anytime there is some type of charity event or function involving children he is in the front. I consider him as one of the best defenders of all time even though you won’t. Thats ok because we don’t need any of yall cause we will be the champs and the stats speak for themselves.
Shaxp Said,

June 8, 2007 @ 4:07 pm

Here’s another thing to consider regarding Duncan: he has played his entire career with a team and coach that slows things down and keeps the score relatively low. If he’d played on a different team, his stats would most likely be inflated. If he played in the 70s when scoring in the 100s was commonplace for every team, his numbers would be up 10% easily. But forget about his individual stats for a second and consider this: his team has the best winning percentage of any team over the past decade– that includes the Yankees, Lakers, Patiots, Red Wings, etc., and he did it in a small market city with an owner who isn’t known for spending tons of money. He did it with
a starting backcourt of Avery Johnson and Vinnie Del Negro, he did when Rasho Nesterovic replaced David Robinson…
david Said,

June 8, 2007 @ 4:12 pm

Way to go Cody. I just saw Bruce on NBA TV sponsoring a Children’s Learning Center (I’m in SA, too). What you might not know is that when Bruce played in France, he did not have a stellar reputation. He has made a complete turn around and is one of the nicest guys in the league.
Eddie Said,

June 8, 2007 @ 6:25 pm

Its so funny how when i used excuses why the Suns would have beaten the Spurs with all their players. I keep hearing these same what ifs from you Spur fans about the Dallas Series last year.

New article out tonight or tomorrow.

go to my web site and check out your michael on my blog wall of fame for the month. Who will bew next?

http://www.jumpshotclub.com
Michael Bennett Said,

June 8, 2007 @ 7:39 pm

Cody - You live in San Antonio? No… I couldn’t tell.

And, I love how that’s 3 people who brought up the San Antonio having the best winning percentage in all of sports from the last ten years. I wonder where they get that from…. Hmm… Like we all didn’t watch Game 1, too. Come on, people.
Michael Bennett Said,

June 8, 2007 @ 7:43 pm

And, Eddie - THANK YOU for the 1) slot on the WALL OF FAME. Since I’m on it, you might want to think about renaming it the WALL OF SHAME… my guess is the rest of the bloggers on this site would agree.

But, thanks, my NBA amigo. I will cherish my place in the echelons of your Wall Of Fame.

Maybe I should pull a Costanza and leave on a high note… Nah… this is too much fun.
Cody Said,

June 8, 2007 @ 11:29 pm

I just wanna know why there is no love for the Spurs. What did they do besides whoop-up on your favorite teams. Give us a break it is all we have here (Spurs). I just think people need to except defeat instead of whinning all the time. I use to like the Suns until the tear factory was built and Stoudewhinner started mouthing all the time. The Mavs will never win with Jason Terry(championship) and should have never traded Nash. I just feel that the Spurs are a quality team that doesn’t get the respect they deserve.

Michael - I’m sorry it hurts you to hear the facts four times.

Here is a link for more Spurs facts.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Antonio_Spurs
Michael Bennett Said,

June 8, 2007 @ 11:35 pm

Cody - My point is that you are unoriginal. You just repeated what the ABC broadcast said fifteen times last night, which is that San Antonio has the best blah, blah, blah… We all know it. How many times do we have to hear it?

I like the Spurs. I just didn’t know their fans were this annoying.
Shaxp Said,

June 9, 2007 @ 2:05 am

Michael Bennett– when people say Jordan won six rings, do you respond by saying, oh yeah, blah, blah, that’s unoriginal, everybody says that… In one of your earlier posts, you emphasize how Duncan has three rings– is that your idea of an original thought? You are quite the contrarian.
cyberpygmy Said,

June 9, 2007 @ 9:14 am

HA! HA! HA! THE KING IS NAKED!!!
Michael Bennett Said,

June 9, 2007 @ 9:55 am

Shaxp - When someone supports an argument with facts, it’s different from people coming on here a day after the telecast in which they spoke about the Spurs winning percentage nonstop (when BEFORE, people didn’t say a word about it), AND TALK ABOUT THE SPURS WINNING PERCENTAGE!!!

It’s about timing… kinda like the rest of the posts from the people without knowledge - they just see and say. No thought into it.

- The Contrarian
Shaxp Said,

June 9, 2007 @ 10:31 am

You’re right mike– everyone here is stupid and you’re smart! I’ve heard the winning percentage stat many times before actually. The reason it’s being repeated is because it’s extremely relevant, like mention of Jordan’s six rings.
mtaigne1588 Said,

June 9, 2007 @ 12:27 pm

It’s funny that people are so down on Duncan for being great but boring. They forgive someone releasing a sexist homophobic rap CD, they forgive guys for getting in fights at strip clubs, for hitting their wives, for not endorsing a senatorial candidate running against a known racist (excuse– “republicans buy sneakers too”), for endorsing the thug life, the “life ain’t nothin but bitches and money” philosophy, all of this stuff… but Duncan being a quiet guy is somehow a cardinal sin!
All of his team-mates and Pop say he’s got a great dry wit and is actually a bit of a prankster. Maybe he just wants to avoid the tacky tabloid media machine that each day gives us annoying updates on Paris Hilton, Rush Limbaugh, and Al Sharpton. Seems like a good move to me.
The reason Bill Russell is one of my heroes is because you can take away all of his basketball accomplishments and what you’ve still got is a great man with great values, a man that stood up in a dangerous time and voiced his opinion for civil rights and never ever let the concept of popularity interfere with his dignity. He once said, “I am a man and I will not be reduced to an entertainer.” That’s a pretty profound statement.
Basketball’s the greatest game on earth in my opinion– but, please, let’s keep our priorities straight.
Aaron Said,

June 13, 2008 @ 11:35 pm

Aaron…

R. The Internet is a collection of interconnected documents and other resources, linked by hyperlinks and URLs. The Internet and…

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