CAVS.SPACE

"The Cavaliers are one of three major sports teams in Cleveland. They continue to strive for their first NBA championship, joining the Indians and Browns in a championship-hungry city." To come from behind in the 2010 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals, the team and its fans need to have positive mindsets. Cleveland must truly be 'Believeland'. The Cavaliers were viewed as the favorites entering this series for a reason, and they can still turn this series around by winning two games in a row. Here are some examples of clutch Cleveland play in my lifetime: 1. 1992 NBA Playoffs, Eastern Conference Semifinals : The Cavaliers trailed the Boston Celtics 2-1 going into Game 4. The original Big 3 of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish, along with rising star forward Reggie Lewis, led a Celtics team balanced with veterans and young players. In the pivotal Game 4, the Cavaliers won the game in overtime, 114-112. Forward Larry Nance led the way with 32 points. The Cavs ...

The Boston Celtics took a 97-87 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 4 on Mother's Day Sunday. With the series evened 2-2, each team will need to step up its play in order to take the series. Here are some questions each team needs to answer in their bids to return to the Eastern Conference Finals. Cleveland Cavaliers > Who are our clutch players?: More than anything, Mike Brown and the coaching staff need to better understand who the clutch players are on this team. As of now, the only player guaranteed end-of-game minutes is LeBron James. Aside from James, no one has won the coaching staff over with his consistently good clutch play. Anderson Varejao and Delonte West seem to be getting the most minutes aside from LeBron, but neither has taken over the end of a game this postseason. Jamario Moon seems to have climbed up the list of defensive clutch players, but he was nowhere to be seen on the court in the fourth quarter of Game 4. If past experience is any indicator, S...

*Originally published on Suite101.com in 2010; minor revisions made pertaining to Search Engine Optimization (SEO).  Despite a lack of publicity, President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars quietly put together the Detroit Pistons’ 2004 NBA Championship team.   In 1999, Joe Dumars announced his retirement from a highly successful NBA career.  As a guard for the Detroit Pistons, Dumars won 2 NBA Championships, 1 Finals MVP Award, and the inaugural NBA Sportsmanship Award (which has since been renamed the Joe Dumars Trophy).  Immediately, he entered the Pistons’ front office.  However, he had his work cut out for him.  With the team’s game attendance dropping to new lows, the Pistons were about to lose superstar forward Grant Hill.  While analysts and fans wondered if the Pistons could remain competitive, Dumars had the NBA Championship in mind.       Pistons Trades and Free Agent Signings In the summer of 2000, free agent Grant...

The Cleveland Cavaliers head into Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals with a 2-1 lead over the Boston Celtics. They look to maintain the momentum for the rest of the series and build on their 29-point Game 3 victory. Here are some notes heading into the game. Cleveland Cavaliers > Parker on Rondo: Look for Coach Mike Brown to keep Anthony Parker on Rajon Rondo . This has worked in part because the players were involved with this decision. The keys for Parker's defensive success have been clogging the passing lanes and conceding longer-range jump shots to Rondo. > Garnett, Pierce, and Allen: It is imperative that the Cavaliers refuse to let Paul Pierce get warmed up in this series. They should also limit Ray Allen's opportunities for open spot-up jump shots. Analysts have been split on this, but if the Cavaliers are going to concede to one of the Big 3 having a good offensive game, it should be Kevin Garnett. The more Garnett scores, the less his teammates get invo...

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics enter tonight's game tied 1-1 in the 2010 Eastern Conference Semifinals Round. Interestingly enough, the teams found themselves in a similar situation when they matched up in the 1992 Eastern Conference Playoffs . While the Celtics took Game 3 in that series, the Cavs took Game 4 and won in 7 games. Apparently, this series is loaded with injuries, from LeBron James's elbow to Kevin Garnett's ankle. Despite the medical conditions, it appears that none of the injured players will miss the game tonight. While Boston will look to maintain what worked in Game 2, Cleveland will need to make some adjustments. Boston Celtics > The Rondo and Wallace show: Look for Coach Doc Rivers to continue riding the stellar play of Rajon Rondo. Likewise, Rivers will hope that Rasheed Wallace can duplicate his Game 2 offensive performance. > Pierce and Allen: At least one these two players will need to be on tonight for the Celtics to win. If histo...

Vinny Del Negro has received his share of criticisms and endorsements as Head Coach of the Chicago Bulls. During the press conference following the Bulls' Game 5 first round elimination at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Del Negro received a strong endorsement from one of the most important people in the Bulls organization: point guard Derrick Rose. Rose expressed his gratitude for learning from Coach Del Negro, including Del Negro's patience in allowing Rose to both do well and make mistakes. Unfortunately, the track record of two .500 seasons, two first round playoff exits--and a clash with Vice President of Basketball Relations John Paxson--has led Paxson and the Bulls to terminate Del Negro's contract. Despite an endorsement from the best player on the team, who is an up-and-coming star with star free agent recruitment potential, Vinny is gone. While the Bulls were an inconsistent team the past couple of years, the situation worsened in part due to VP Paxson's...

The Cleveland Cavaliers came from behind to defeat the Boston Celtics 101-93 on Saturday night. Despite an elbow strain that was aggravated during the first-round series with the Chicago Bulls, LeBron James led all scorers with 35 points in Game 1 . Meanwhile, point guard Rajon Rondo led the Celtics with 27 points. Here is some input about what to watch out for in Game 2 tonight. Boston Celtics > Forward Paul Pierce was held to 13 points in Game 1 on 5-17 shooting. This included a 1-6 mark on 3-Point Field Goals. Look for Pierce to get better spot-up shooting opportunities in Game 2. Expect Pierce to move around much more to force LeBron James to have to cover more ground and play more physically. > Rajon Rondo carried the team as the point guard in Game 1. Not only did he score 27 points, but he also had 6 rebounds, 12 assists, and shot 12-14 from the free throw line. However, he did not have any steals despite being the league leader during the regular season. In Game 2, he wil...

*Originally published on Suite101.com in 2010; minor revisions made pertaining to Search Engine Optimization (SEO).  An injury has taken guard Tony Parker out of the starting lineup for the San Antonio Spurs.  However, he almost became the team’s sixth man seven years ago. Three years ago, San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker was living the dream life of a star NBA basketball player.  He got engaged to famous actress Eva Longoria, who was starring in the popular television show “Desperate Housewives”.  Then, Parker was named 2007 NBA Finals MVP as his Spurs swept the Cleveland Cavaliers in 4 games.  This was Parker’s third team championship in five years.  About a month later, Parker and Longoria had their wedding in France. 2003 NBA Finals Despite this Hollywood fairy tale, the road to winning an NBA championship was not always smooth for the international star basketball player.  When Parker and the Spurs played for the NBA championship...

As I continue to post articles on this "Hard Workin' Team" blog, I will now also be contributing freelance articles to the website Suite101.com. My first article there is about San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker , who is now coming off the bench for the team. Some may remember how Spurs management had considered making such a move early in his career.

Tonight, the Cleveland Cavaliers kick off the second round of the NBA Playoffs as they resume their heated rivalry with the Boston Celtics. Unlike 2 years ago, the Cavaliers enter the Eastern Conference Semifinals as the #1 seed and the Celtics come in as the #4 seed. While the Cavs took 5 games to finish off the Chicago Bulls, the Celtics also took 5 games to eliminate the Miami Heat. Here are some notes regarding both teams. Cleveland Cavaliers > Improvements to be made from first round : The Cavaliers looked to be a step or two behind where they were in the playoffs last year. Their offense was stagnant and their defense looked lethargic at times. This was possibly in part to the Bulls not giving up on the series the way the declining Detroit Pistons did last year amidst a 4-game sweep. Regardless, Mike Brown and the coaching staff will need to be more creative in calling the offense this round. Likewise, they cannot tolerate as many defensive mistakes as they did in the first ro...