I have no idea what to make of Game 1 between the Cavs and Pistons.
LeBron didn’t play how I predicted he would but yet the they only
lost by 3 and very easily could have won. Z hits four shots in a row but
missing a game-tying, potential overtime forcing shot. Donyell goes
back to Game 5 performance against New Jersey instead of Game 6. The
Cavs shoot 37 percent, LeBron takes three fourth-quarter shots, no
Damon “secret weapon” Jones, and they still lost by only three.
Much as been, and much more will be made about LeBron’s decision to
pass to Marshall in the corner for the three instead of force up a tough layup. Like the rest of the game, I don’t know what to make of it. Last year, in the playoffs and regular season, he did the same thing. Find an open teammate when he has a better shot. Nothing wrong with that. The Cavs have won a lot of games doing that. Fine. It was a good look from a “good” three-point shooter. But on the flip side, HE’S FREAKIN’ LEBRON JAMES. He’s the best player on the floor, the best player in left in the playoffs and one of the best players in the NBA. How does he not want to shoot the ball when the game is on the line. Not only did he pass to Marshall, but the possession earlier he
gave up the ball to Z. (Which by the way was a smart move since Z had
been on fire). But he has to want the ball. Has to want to win the game. I know he’s always been a team player and a passer first but come on. Take over. Win it for your team. They expect you to do that.
But fine, he didn’t. He made a great pass to a wide open teammate and if goes, it’s the best pass in the playoffs. When I say, take over, I mean don’t wait until the final 6 seconds to make a game winning play. Everyone is going to talk about the final play. Well what happened in for 47 minutes and 54 seconds before that. Where was LeBron? He almost got a Jason Kidd Game 4 triple double. That is, who cares. It was meaningless, almost went unnoticed and didn’t help your team win. No first quarter points, three fourth quarter shots and no free throws. Really LeBron?! I thought you would play with a fire to show the world you were ready to take the next step. Ready to be a championship player. Ready to be that global icon you want to be so bad. Well, you sure didn’t play like it.
I was listening to the Tony Rizzo Show this morning on 850 WKNR. Rizzo
was so adequate about saying how bad the Pistons looked, how beatable
they looked, how uninspired they played. To quote him, “the Pistons suck.” Really Rizz? They suck, huh? They what does that say about the Cavs. If the Pistons suck and they still beat the Cavs by 3, then Cleveland really sucks. What a dumb thing to say. I think he was just trying his best to keep everyone positive but saying the Pistons suck, isn’t the best way to go about doing it. Game 1 proved it’s going to be a long, tough, defensive series. Yes, the Cavs and play with Detroit and yes they can beat Detroit. But does Detroit suck? No. Because if they suck, and the Cavs can’t beat them, the ouch. Cleveland is in trouble.
I still think Cleveland can win the series. I think we’ll see a different LeBron in Game 2. I hope we see a different LeBron Game 2. It’s so nice of him to want to get his teammates involved but they are at their best when LeBron is scoring and then passing. He needs 30+ points in Game 2 for the Cavs to win. Of course, if he gets 30+, that will probably be well more than half of all the points scored.
