Is Cleveland more flawed this year?

[tstorey_97]

I very much want the Celtics to beat the Cavs this spring.

James, Love, Irving et al are a tough match up for us. I don't think it is about "one year older" this year. They have been coasting this last month and maybe it will bite them in the a$$ come playoffs.

That Irving is a tremendous player he was on top of it in the finals last year.

[chambers]

No, if healthy, they are a better team. They're also experienced.
People don't give JR Smith enough credit.
Bringing back JR and Love makes them a legit threat to the Warriors and my god i hope they destroy the Warriors.

[MJohnnyboy]

I'm going to repeat what kozlodoev said earlier. This is the 2010 Celtics all over again but to an even lesser extent. The Celtics tanked so badly in the second half of that season that I was convinced they were finished. It turned out that they had really just saved their best for the playoffs, and, had it not been for the Kendrick Perkins' injury, it would have worked. Cleveland's doing the same thing but they haven't fallen as hard as the C's did 7 years ago. They don't really care where they end up because they know that even if they got the 8th seed, they can beat any team in the east in a 7 game series. I love the Celtics as they are now and believe their best days are ahead of them, but the Cavs are still the best team in the east by a decent margin.

Lebron learned a lot from the Big 3 Celtics. Because of them, he learned that he couldn't do everything himself and he learned that the regular season doesn't have much importance compared to the playoffs. He knows that much like the Celtics were at that time, his days as the best are limited so he must save his best stuff for when it matters the most.

Pending on any injury to Lebron between now and June, the Cavs should make their third straight finals trip. The better question is, how much longer can they keep this up?

The comparison between this years team and the Celtics doesn't totally add up. Lebron has led the league in minutes most of the season at 37.5mpg and is going to end playing 74 or so games.

KG averaged less than 30 mpg in 69 games
Pierce was at 34 in 70
Allen was at 35 in 80

The Celtics were also coming off a shortened season from not being in the finals the year before. The Celtics really did take it easy that season in their mpg where Lebron has not. I would like to know what Lebron going for it entails if this is coasting....

It's not bit by bit the exact same scenario, but in my opinion I think it'll be the exact same result. We'll just have to see what happens from here. Plus, it seems every season the Cavs have had an internal struggle at some point during the regular season before they turn it all around.

What's also hurt them a lot this season has been the injuries to their guys, which was something the 2010 Celtics didn't have to deal with during the regular season (Unless you count Marquis Daniels' thumb injury, which really just paved the way for Tony Allen's resurgence).

[Rosco917]

Injuries have played havoc with the Cavs. IMO earlier in the season they were looking better than last year.

[Moranis]

I'm going to repeat what kozlodoev said earlier. This is the 2010 Celtics all over again but to an even lesser extent. The Celtics tanked so badly in the second half of that season that I was convinced they were finished. It turned out that they had really just saved their best for the playoffs, and, had it not been for the Kendrick Perkins' injury, it would have worked. Cleveland's doing the same thing but they haven't fallen as hard as the C's did 7 years ago. They don't really care where they end up because they know that even if they got the 8th seed, they can beat any team in the east in a 7 game series. I love the Celtics as they are now and believe their best days are ahead of them, but the Cavs are still the best team in the east by a decent margin.

Lebron learned a lot from the Big 3 Celtics. Because of them, he learned that he couldn't do everything himself and he learned that the regular season doesn't have much importance compared to the playoffs. He knows that much like the Celtics were at that time, his days as the best are limited so he must save his best stuff for when it matters the most.

Pending on any injury to Lebron between now and June, the Cavs should make their third straight finals trip. The better question is, how much longer can they keep this up?

The comparison between this years team and the Celtics doesn't totally add up. Lebron has led the league in minutes most of the season at 37.5mpg and is going to end playing 74 or so games.

KG averaged less than 30 mpg in 69 games
Pierce was at 34 in 70
Allen was at 35 in 80

The Celtics were also coming off a shortened season from not being in the finals the year before. The Celtics really did take it easy that season in their mpg where Lebron has not. I would like to know what Lebron going for it entails if this is coasting....

Lebron will play well over 40 mpg in a close series just as he has done in the past, including the Finals last year.  And Lebron doesn't coast per se but he also don't insist on taking the tough defensive assignments until the games matter.  He thrives on defense when it matters.  Him vs. Durant or Leonard in the finals would be incredible to watch.

[mctyson]

So Kyrie is not good defensively?  Why don't I hear/read more about this?

[Ilikesports17]

So Kyrie is not good defensively?  Why don't I hear/read more about this?

regular season Kyrie is pretty awful at defense, but he has been very good in the playoffs, the last few years.

[gouki88]

As others have said, I think it's just a combination of them taking the regular season less seriously, as well as the other teams in the East improving. I definitely don't think they'll have an easy path to the Finals (hopefully losing to us at some stage).

However I still think come playoff time LeBron can amp it up and play 40mpg if need be.

[Ilikesports17]

As others have said, I think it's just a combination of them taking the regular season less seriously, as well as the other teams in the East improving. I definitely don't think they'll have an easy path to the Finals (hopefully losing to us at some stage).

However I still think come playoff time LeBron can amp it up and play 40mpg if need be.

The biggest concern in Cleveland has to be that the supporting cast has failed to do enough during the regular season, putting enough of the onus on the King, that he wont have the juice to kick it up a notch in the playoffs.

When Lebron isnt a God, I dont care about the other players, they are beatable. When he elevates his game like he has recently in the playoffs, the East is a foregone conclusion.

[SHAQATTACK]

LeBron is just more reluctant or conservative with his putting th eteam on his shoulder early in a game .  He tries to coast though the first quarters as a average guy.   Surge his play and secure the win.  He gets some triple doubles , but he is not humping hard as he used to.   They are are so top heavy .

When the playoffs start he goes balls to the wall every minute or every game .   He says he can still carry the Cavs if he has to.

Unreal for a guy his age to play that hard night after night . 

He is not real flesh

[prov1ml34]

LeBron is without a doubt the luckiest player in league history. I can't remember a player of his stature not suffering at least one injury that would have kept him out more than a week or two over the course of a 13 year career. Especially when you factor in the minutes he's played in that time frame

Add that with the fact that some 'role player' has won 2 of his 3 rings for him on some insane shot at the end of a game. Ray Allen and Kyrie.

Yes, I know Kyrie is not a role player but it helps my argument if I word it that way! 

[Moranis]

LeBron is without a doubt the luckiest player in league history. I can't remember a player of his stature not suffering at least one injury that would have kept him out more than a week or two over the course of a 13 year career. Especially when you factor in the minutes he's played in that time frame

Add that with the fact that some 'role player' has won 2 of his 3 rings for him on some insane shot at the end of a game. Ray Allen and Kyrie.

Yes, I know Kyrie is not a role player but it helps my argument if I word it that way! 

Karl Malone never missed more than 2 games in a season until his 19th and final season.  Tim Duncan didn't start regularly missing games until he was 35, 15 years into his career.  Dirk didn't start regularly missing games until he was 34.  Gary Payton didn't miss more than 5 games in a season until his final season (and he still played 68 in that one).  Kevin Garnett didn't miss very many games in Minnesota (the first 12 seasons of his career), it was only in Boston age caught up with him.

I'm sure there are plenty of other examples of great players not missing very many games until their mid-30's. 

[Ed Hollison]

Lost to the Bulls in Chicago last night, putting us .5 games ahead. Let at 9 at halftime, but crumbled down the stretch.

The interesting thing is that Lebron James is still performing at a high level and making ridiculous athletic plays... at age 32, leading the league in minutes played. He always finds the fountain of youth mid-way through the season, and this year is no exception. He had a chasedown block and a breakaway dunk in this game where he nearly jumped out of the gym.

But yeah, this team is flawed. Their defense is in bad shape. Basically their offense has to be lights out to win at this point.

[Moranis]

Mike and Mike posed this question this morning and I thought it was a good one.  Obviously, the answer on this board is pretty easy, but nationally I think less so.

You have to put up a sum of money that means something to you on one of two options, which do you take.  1.  Cleveland wins the NBA Finals or 2. Cleveland doesn't make the NBA Finals.  This board is obviously going heavily on #2, but the last time I checked the Mike and Mike results it was about even nationally. 

[CelticsElite]

Teams, even bad ones, aren't scared of lebron anymore. Kyrie getting outplayed by point guard like rondo and Thomas