With Game 4 just a couple hours away, it is time to get in a more optimistic mood than has been maintained during the first 3 games of the Finals. Believe it or not, the somewhat unbelievable season is almost over. It has been an exciting ride that we cannot let end in such disappointment, nor should we forget the good things that happened on the way to the Finals. In the meantime, here are some positives from Game 3:
- Defensive Panic button turned off. While the Cavaliers made defensive errors here and there on Tuesday night, they managed to keep their composure much more in Game 3 than in Games 1 and 2. A huge error that the Cavs made repeatedly in San Antonio was panicking when the Spurs were passing the ball around. More specifically, any time ball movement found a Spurs player on the perimeter, a Cavs player came running straight at him. By doing so, the Cavs placed themselves out-of-position when the Spurs were not even in the act of shooting jump shots on those possessions. Especially with Tony Parker, he had a couple field days when guys like Drew Gooden got out of his way by running straight at him. Ultimately, the Cavaliers had put more pressure on their defense than on the opposing offense. Hopefully, they will again play with more defensive confidence tonight.
- Bowen not perfect on D. In Game 3, LeBron finally got opportunities to reveal room for improvement in Bruce Bowen's defense. In the past, Bowen has shown the ability to guard bigger players in the post. What those big men lacked that LeBron has is the ability to handle the ball like a guard while also having the strength of a post player. Bowen typically utilizes his quick hands to keep big men from getting settled in the post. Even Dirk Nowitzki, who can create his own shots as a big man, does not have enough handles to hold onto the ball comfortably with Bowen on him. What the Cavs need in Game 4 is for LeBron to do two more things here. First, he must consistently utilize his body control and ability to absorb hits when going up inside (like he did to the Wizards in last year's playoffs). Second, he needs to be willing to take some pull-up jumpers and 7 to 10 footers instead of having to rely on layups and dunks (this could have helped him when he beat Bowen off the dribble, only to have to go up and under a swatting Duncan on one play in the 4th quarter) and his patented fadeaway from 19 feet and out.
- Hughes resting his foot. When healthy and playing up to his potential, Larry Hughes is a very, very good player. Right now, though, "Huge" is hurting badly. Hopefully, the team's staff can convince him to continue to rest. It would be terrible to see him put his career in jeopardy when his team is down 0-3. If Game 7 somehow rolls around, then maybe he should suit up.
- Damon . . . Jones! Yes, Damon Jones does have the ability to drive and pass in transition. He managed to do so on a few occasions Tuesday night. Add that to the defense he played on Vince Carter in the closing quarter of the second round and you have a more accurate representation of the player the Cavs signed as a free agent in 2005. Just two years ago, Jones was a key component in the Heat's run to the Eastern Conference Finals. Besides three-point shooting, Jones was rather quick on both ends of the floor. The only reason the Heat let him go was because they landed Jason Williams and Gary Payton, with Antoine Walker having some point-forward skills. It was just too bad, though, that Jones feared injury in the offseason before signing with Cleveland. At that time, he let his quickness slip away from him.
- Controlling the tempo early. The Cavs dictated the pace of the game for the first 18 minutes. This allowed them to have their first extended lead in the series. Ultimately, the Cavs kept close all game. With better shot selection in the 2nd half (not just Varejao's miss with 10 seconds left), the Cavs win.