The Cavaliers won an exciting game last night versus the Miami Heat, 92-91. The team struggled early as players seemed uncertain of their roles against the Heat. In particular, while Jermaine O'Neal and Dwyane Wade scored big early, Rafer Alston and Michael Beasley appeared to be giving the Cavs matchup problems.
Rather than giving up early, LeBron James realized that he needed to take over the game for Cleveland. However, while taking primary control over the ball-handling duties, he managed to keep everyone involved. This meant that James did not get too caught up in the showdown moment, as he did in Game 7 versus Paul Pierce and the Celtics in 2008. This also brought back memories of the Cavs team that advanced to the Finals in 2007, as Daniel Gibson shined once he had less pressure on him to run the offense.
A key to the Cavaliers winning this game occurred in the 4th quarter. Coach Mike Brown had the team run the offense through Shaquille O'Neal while James was resting on the bench. There was talk early in the season that Shaq could come off the bench for such a purpose. Regardless of being a starter or bench player, O'Neal provided a glimpse of what life would have been like had he remained with Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles. That is, Shaq can get his time as the focal point of the offense when James (or had he stayed in L.A., Bryant) is out of the game. This is greatly beneficial to the Cavs, as they have been known to struggle to field a consistent offense without LeBron in the game.
The interesting thing is that Anderson Varejao really can co-exist with Shaq. The problems of having Varejao and O'Neal in at the same time come from the need to have James, O'Neal, and Mo Williams dominating the ball in the first team offense. With James and Williams out of the way, Varejao regains the freedom he has to wander all over the court, which makes him much harder to defend against. As Shaq draws double teams, Varejao (as well as Daniel Gibson) is able to move around and cut accordingly. The result is a more active offense rather than the stand around offense to which Cleveland too often reverts.
Overall, Mike Brown is showing more and more confidence in his team, in particular the bench players. While Brown has been able to help the team win when they do not have their best stuff, he is now keeping everyone on the roster ready to play. This will pay dividends in the postseason, as injuries can paralyze a team's rotation if backup players are not ready. The rotation should be bolstered once Leon Powe returns to action. If everything goes well there, Powe just may take the starting Power Forward position. While such a move would take J.J. Hickson out of the regular rotation, Hickson's valuable playing experience this season make him much more prepared to play when called upon down the stretch.
Rather than giving up early, LeBron James realized that he needed to take over the game for Cleveland. However, while taking primary control over the ball-handling duties, he managed to keep everyone involved. This meant that James did not get too caught up in the showdown moment, as he did in Game 7 versus Paul Pierce and the Celtics in 2008. This also brought back memories of the Cavs team that advanced to the Finals in 2007, as Daniel Gibson shined once he had less pressure on him to run the offense.
A key to the Cavaliers winning this game occurred in the 4th quarter. Coach Mike Brown had the team run the offense through Shaquille O'Neal while James was resting on the bench. There was talk early in the season that Shaq could come off the bench for such a purpose. Regardless of being a starter or bench player, O'Neal provided a glimpse of what life would have been like had he remained with Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles. That is, Shaq can get his time as the focal point of the offense when James (or had he stayed in L.A., Bryant) is out of the game. This is greatly beneficial to the Cavs, as they have been known to struggle to field a consistent offense without LeBron in the game.
The interesting thing is that Anderson Varejao really can co-exist with Shaq. The problems of having Varejao and O'Neal in at the same time come from the need to have James, O'Neal, and Mo Williams dominating the ball in the first team offense. With James and Williams out of the way, Varejao regains the freedom he has to wander all over the court, which makes him much harder to defend against. As Shaq draws double teams, Varejao (as well as Daniel Gibson) is able to move around and cut accordingly. The result is a more active offense rather than the stand around offense to which Cleveland too often reverts.
Overall, Mike Brown is showing more and more confidence in his team, in particular the bench players. While Brown has been able to help the team win when they do not have their best stuff, he is now keeping everyone on the roster ready to play. This will pay dividends in the postseason, as injuries can paralyze a team's rotation if backup players are not ready. The rotation should be bolstered once Leon Powe returns to action. If everything goes well there, Powe just may take the starting Power Forward position. While such a move would take J.J. Hickson out of the regular rotation, Hickson's valuable playing experience this season make him much more prepared to play when called upon down the stretch.