Shut Down Three Pointers

by Jeff Clark on May 7, 2008 7:55 AM EDT in Articles Comment 17 comments

The biggest question from last night remains this: Was it the Celtics superior defense that frustrated James or was it just an off night for the King?

On one hand, we have to remember what we were all saying leading up to the series. The old mantra of "you can't stop him, you can only hope to contain him" still rings true. You can't "stop him." He missed a lot of shots that he normally makes. Open looks from 3 point land. Layups. Layups! He usually comes up clutch in the 4th quarter, but he was nothing but a dud. If you are expecting him to repeat that performance for the rest of the series, or ever again in his life, you are expecting too much.
On the other hand, you cannot discount the effect of the defense on him. The Celtics remain the best defensive team in the league and they were facing a team that is very one dimensional and fairly predictable. All they do is run the offense through LeBron and make the open shots that he creates for his teammates. There's no mystery there. Most teams just have no ability to stop it. The Celtics knew what was coming, gameplanned for it, and basically just stopped it.
Now that game one is in the books, we have to turn to both coaching staffs and see how they react. What will Coach Brown do to free up LeBron more? Sounds like they want to run some more pick and roll. Will Doc counter with perhaps the best pick and roll defender ever (Kevin Garnett)? What will Doc do to get Pierce and Allen involved? Will we see more of Sam Cassell late in games or will Rajon Rondo's role return to normal? The chess match gets interesting now.

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ugly game. won because C’s played good defense (Lebron had 10 turnovers!) & Lebron had a horrible game. But important to point out that Ray & Paul also had horrible games, so expect all three to come out shooting in game 2.

by Pashm on May 7, 2008 9:37 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

my last comment on game 1— the refs were great- you didn’t notice them on the floor- really no controversial calls and no team or player bias. they let them play with a minimum of ticky tacky calls. ed rush etal. congrats.

by nazzbo on May 7, 2008 9:54 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

What is the opinion on the James drive and missed layup with 8 seconds left? Posey clearly grabbed him in an effort to foul but the foul was not called. I know Lebron missed the layup which is good for the Celtics fans, but what if he makes that layup and the Cavs go on to win the game? Are you then upset that the foul wasn’t called?

Don’t get me wrong, I am not trying to pin this loss (I am a Cavs fan) on the refs, I think they did a good job overall, just curious what the take is on that play

by MMacOH on May 7, 2008 10:07 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Posey was trying to foul before the shot, they had a foul to give. It was the right play to make, the refs just missed it. And that early in his drive it wouldn’t have been a continuation play, so no 3 point play would have been possible.

That said, you could make the case that there was plenty of contact by Perk on that play, but LeBron initated it, so I thought that was a good no-call too.

by Jeff Clark on May 7, 2008 10:11 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

based on last night…. these CAVS are no as atheltic(which gave the C’s mach up problems) as the Hawks…as close as the game was I felt good about our chances….
It’s nice to get the win.
both teams played great D. But lebron, PP & RAY all had off nights.
Also good move by DOC to insert TONY early on….His defense & fouls will be needed against the king.

by tommyfan on May 7, 2008 10:21 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Wake me up when it’s over……

Playoffs, no one said it was suppose to be pretty!! Right!! Maybe some of us have forgotten how different the playoffs are versus the regular season.

Bad plays, Bad officating, Bad Coaching, Even Bad Analysis!!!!

Celtics still in 6

by Ancient Red on May 7, 2008 10:25 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I would be shocked if the Celtics could close out this series on the road in a game 6.

by MMacOH on May 7, 2008 10:35 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Does James get credit for a double-double with 12 points and 10 turnovers?

by Fox40Kid on May 7, 2008 10:36 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

A win is a win, remember the eighties we had some ugly wins then too, no one one seemed to care how we won then, why should we now?

by Bird4 three on May 7, 2008 11:23 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

The best part about that game is that fans of both teams still believe their team is in good shape. In other words, we really didn’t learn much from that one.

by RockKing on May 7, 2008 11:28 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

MMac, you could also say James traveled on that play and it wasn’t called.

by The Real Large James on May 7, 2008 12:15 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Did James travel before or after he was grabbed? Here’s the thing, my point is not that a foul should have been called because it affected Lebron on his drive, my point is that Posey was trying to foul Lebron and they should have called it. Does that make sense? Like I said, what if Lebron makes that layup and the Cavs go on to win……Boston fans sure would be wishing the ref blew his whistle.

I am not blaming the Cavs loss on the refs, far from it, the Celtics won the game with their play on the court

by MMacOH on May 7, 2008 1:10 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I think Posey tried to foul him, but it didn’t look like he really got a good piece of him. So the refs didn’t call it.

by Last Train on May 7, 2008 1:13 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Well, I’ll admit the leftover Cinco de Mayo beverages were flowing pretty heavily at that point so my memory’s a little vague.

by The Real Large James on May 7, 2008 1:20 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Do you think the refs knew Boston had a foul to give? Reason being, if the refs knew Boston had a foul to give, which would mean Boston is most likely looking to foul then I think they should blow the whistle on puny fouls like the one Posey comitted on Lebron. Players will be forced to foul much harder (which can lead to flagrants, techs, etc.) if the refs won’t blow the whistle on a ticky tack foul when a team is purposely trying to foul

by MMacOH on May 7, 2008 2:08 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Adjustments. Strategy is what makes the playoffs so much more interesting. If I could only see what the adjustments are when they occur, I would be even more inthralled. I love defensive battles. The fact that the team is not as worn down as others are right now is so crucial for the Celtics’ ability to take the punches as they come.

by johnnymost on May 7, 2008 4:28 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs