See what happens when Cavs play competition

[star18]

If Orlando wins Game 2 its a sweep.  4-0.  I keep telling people Cavs are not that great, they are a good team, but the real numbers and statistics don't back them up.  They have been playing some of the worst competition ever.  They lost at home, with Mo hitting that ridiculous 3 and Lebron scoring almost 50 points.   LETS GO MAGIC!!!!

[Roy Hobbs]

In terms of competition, Cleveland won 66 games playing the same schedule everyone else did.  They're an excellent team.  I'm glad to see them drop a game on their home floor, but they've still got to be the clear favorites to win the title.

I'd love to think this was a trend, but Cleveland lost by 1 point, despite only two players on its team (Lebron and Varejao) showing up on the offensive end.

[Drucci]

Great win for the Magic, I was cheering for them like never at the end of the game... I didn't think I would be doing so!

Great game, clutch plays down the stretch, Lewis hit big shots (Ray Allen taught him that in his Seattle days) and the Cavs fell short. I had predicted that Orlando would steal game 1 or 2, now all the pressure is on Cleveland. Plus, as expected, their players disappeared down the stretch, except for that Delonte West three, LeBron was all alone.

[Rondo_is_better]

Great win for the Magic, I was cheering for them like never at the end of the game... I didn't think I would be doing so!

Haha me too, Drucci. When Lewis hit that three I was like, "YEAHHHHHHHHH" and I pointed at my tv--very similar to the way I reacted when Glen Davis hit his buzzer beater.

[star18]

Roy I completely disagree. They didn't play the same competition as everyone else.  If you look closely at the games in the box scores you notice that whoever the Cavs played always seemed to have an extra 1 or 2 important guys out, more than any other team in the NBA. Check the box scores and you will see.  Cavs are not an excellent team they are good, that's it.  When Lebron stands there for 15 seconds and nobody moves and nobody gets touches its terrible basketball.  Cavs cannot play any better than how they played tonight, they don't score alot of points, so if you go over 100 on them you will most likely win. Also, besides Lebron, the rest of the team only hits wide open jump shots, they cannot create their own shot and they cannot hit jumpers with people in their face.  I don't think they are anything close to the favorites to win the NBA title after tonight. The media can disagree but I don't agree with the media.  Orlando will crush them in Orlando.

[star18]

LeBron and Varrejeo were the only two to show up offensively and that is what will happen every game for this team.  Nobody ever shows up besides Lebron and maybe one more guy because Lebron holds the ball way too long.  Cavs should be getting 4 to 5 passes and then get it back to Lebron if they want to play good. Not Lebron holding the ball for 20 seconds literally standing still.  If they lose here at home, they will get demolished on the road, and if they lose Game 2, its a sweep.

[indeedproceed]

lol....I turned this game off at halftime.

[indeedproceed]

If Orlando wins Game 2 its a sweep.  4-0.  I keep telling people Cavs are not that great, they are a good team, but the real numbers and statistics don't back them up.  They have been playing some of the worst competition ever.  They lost at home, with Mo hitting that ridiculous 3 and Lebron scoring almost 50 points.   LETS GO MAGIC!!!!

I'll bet you 20 tommy pts that CLE wins the series 4-2.

[Steve Weinman]

If Orlando wins Game 2 its a sweep.  4-0.  I keep telling people Cavs are not that great, they are a good team, but the real numbers and statistics don't back them up.  They have been playing some of the worst competition ever.  They lost at home, with Mo hitting that ridiculous 3 and Lebron scoring almost 50 points.   LETS GO MAGIC!!!!

Interesting, you've made this claim several times now (including on the front page) but have yet to provide any of those "real numbers and statistics" besides your repeated mantra that the Cavs were down 41 at one point in an early April game in Orlando.  Care to provide those statistics?

Excellent comeback win for the Magic tonight.  Count me surprised.  But I'll go ahead and take the field on "Magic in four or the field" for this series.

-sw

[kheeko]

Everyone hated Magic few days ago howard etc now were all fans?

*closes browser*

[star18]

I'll bet you a million tommy points Magic win the series unless Cavs win in 7. Cavs in 6 at this point is a very very low chance, Cavs arent beating Orlando 2 out of 3 in ORL and winning their next 2 home games. Cavs bread and butter is the Q, if they lose like this at home they are in trouble because they are not as good on the road.  I've given many statistics to back up my claim.  Look at Lebron's 1 foul per game in his last 30, almost never happened before in NBA history. especially with the aggressiveness Lebron plays with. Then look at how their opponents have had many players out, twice the rate as usual if you check the box scores.   Then check Cavs last 14 games against .600 or better competition.   Wins:@POR by 6 no Blake,@SA by 11 no Duncan or Ginobli, home ORL by 4 no Jameer, home POR by 5 no Aldridge, home DAL by 28 no J Howard, home SA by 20 hobbled Duncan Ginobli out next day, home BOS no KG by 31 C's already clinched playoff spot.   Losses:@LA by 17, @ORL by 11, home LA by 10, @HOU by 19, @BOS by 11, @ORL by 29, home ORL by 2. That's a 7-7 record, 6 losses by double digits, 0 wins against a healthy starting 5.  I don't listen to Tony Kornheiser I watch basketball.

[Edgar]

even if i dont share the bron hate
ohh well yes i do
how many of
lebron was called this year
and how that compares to other superstarst ofensive fouls?
just curious

[Steve Weinman]

I'll bet you a million tommy points Magic win the series unless Cavs win in 7. Cavs in 6 at this point is a very very low chance, Cavs arent beating Orlando 2 out of 3 in ORL and winning their next 2 home games. Cavs bread and butter is the Q, if they lose like this at home they are in trouble because they are not as good on the road.  I've given many statistics to back up my claim.  Look at Lebron's 1 foul per game in his last 30, almost never happened before in NBA history. especially with the aggressiveness Lebron plays with. Then look at how their opponents have had many players out, twice the rate as usual if you check the box scores.   Then check Cavs last 14 games against .600 or better competition.   Wins:@POR by 6 no Blake,@SA by 11 no Duncan or Ginobli, home ORL by 4 no Jameer, home POR by 5 no Aldridge, home DAL by 28 no J Howard, home SA by 20 hobbled Duncan Ginobli out next day, home BOS no KG by 31 C's already clinched playoff spot.   Losses:@LA by 17, @ORL by 11, home LA by 10, @HOU by 19, @BOS by 11, @ORL by 29, home ORL by 2. That's a 7-7 record, 6 losses by double digits, 0 wins against a healthy starting 5.  I don't listen to Tony Kornheiser I watch basketball.

Rather than cherry-picking games Cleveland played against teams that were banged up, do you have any statistic that substantiates your claim that the Cavs play opponents with players out at "twice the rate as usual"?  I haven't checked the box scores; I wouldn't know.  But I haven't heard that anywhere else, and all you've done is picked a few games when the opponents were shorthanded.  To that end, the Celtics also played Portland this year without Brandon Roy, played the Lakers without Bynum, played Orlando nine times without Nelson, played the Bulls at least seven times without Deng, played the Heat once without Wade.

And that last sentence of mine?  Doesn't prove anything.  The point is that we can all cherry-pick games on the schedule that indicate that injuries happen in basketball - and demonstrate little else.

For someone who "watches basketball" and "[doesn't] listen to Tony Kornheiser," you've told me very little in either anecdotal or statistical evidence to support the idea that the Cavs aren't that great.  And frankly, I have no idea how listening to Kornheiser would be such a detriment to anyone's basketball knowledge, though I confess to not having watched too much PTI of late.

-sw

[star18]

Again this is the same thing someone said to me last time.  These are not cherry picked games.  Those are the Cavs last 14 games against teams who have a .600 or better winning percentage.  There is nothing cherry picked about that.  It is a good measure of how they play against quality teams.  And if you check their entire schedule, especailly the 2nd half you will see their opponents were missing key starters at twice the rate as usual.  I did this by checking other teams schedules and their opponents and the Cavs opponents, if you look at the box scores you will see the same thing. Also the end of Game 1 here did not look good for the Cavs.  Turkoglu was smiling all game, even when they were down 2 before Rashard hit the 3, he had a big smile on his face, and Lebron was cramped up had a sour pus face on late in the game and looked very tired at the end of the game.  Something about this Magic team realized in the 2nd half tonight they have a very good chance to win the series.

[star18]

Just look at those last 14 games played by Cavs against .600 or better teams.  There is nothing there that says Cavs will sweep Magic, yet how many people said that would happen. Those 14 games show enough of what teams are left in the playoffs, only quality .600+ teams are left in the playoffs.  If those statistics don't show something then I don't know what does.