The Cavs Are Done!

So we are 3 games into the NBA Finals and San Antonio has cemented their place as the best team in the NBA. They have completely dismantled the Cavs, taking them out of their offensive flow, which was clearly LeBron going one on one. This has been effective for the whole playoffs, but he had yet to play a defender so aggressive and a team so defensively disciplined. Bowen has forced LeBron to catch the ball further out than he is used to, while still being quick enough to move his feet in order to keep LeBron from blowing by him. These two things have allowed the Spurs team to rotate effectively in order to keep the Cavs out of a rhythm. LeBron has never been effective as a jump shooter, nor have his teammates, and the Spurs are forcing them to be.

Outside of Daniel Gibson, nobody on the Cavs team has been able to elevate their game to the level needed to win an NBA championship. I am including LeBron in this grouping as well, because while he does need help from teamates to win a game, he has taken too long each game to be aggressive. He has waited till the fourth quarter of each game to attack the rim. When he attacks, he allows his teammates to gain confidence and not letting Bowen dictate his game. This is the LeBron that the Cavs needed for all 4 quarters of each game. He is the only offensive weapon on his team, and he showed in the Pistons series that he was capable of putting his team on his back for a whole game. He has yet to do that in this series, thus the Cavs are on the verge of elimination. Anybody want to still compare LeBron to MJ?

I am not delusional enough to think LeBron being aggressive for 4 quarters would have been all it takes to beat the Spurs, but I do believe it would have made the games more interesting. The fact remains that the Cavs are not a good team, and the Spurs are a great one. The Spurs have showed season after season, that they are the class of the league. While other teams tinker with lineups, the Spurs give you the same look every night. They are not shy about the sets they run, but they do them so effectively that they don't care if you know. It all starts with Duncan, the best big man of his generation, setting the tempo on offense and defense. He is a very unselfish superstar, often deferring on and off the court to teammates. Boring to some, amazing to others, Duncan is the MVP of this league season after season, but his stats aren't flashy enough for the writers to talk about. He is to basketball what Tom Brady is to football. So the Spurs will win another championship, and the rest of the NBA will admire them, while casual fans will call them old and boring. Well here is to old and boring then, congratulations once again.