Not a Cavs fan, just a Bleacher Report writer looking for some extra exposure.

Over the course of his career, Vince Carter has made a habit out of coasting through big games, wilting down the stretch, and playing like a milquetoast wimp.

Nothing has changed this season, where Carter’s frequent disappearing acts have put a damper on the Orlando Magic’s hope for a fairy tale ending.

Carter’s timidity was on full bore as he drifted through a listless 1-5, three point performance over the first 42 minutes against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He refused to attack the rim, was absent on many help assignments, and mustered no competitive fire whatsoever.

It appeared as if the Magic would lose their third straight game to the Cavs this year, and would look less and less like viable contenders to Cleveland’s potential Eastern Conference stranglehold.

Then, out of absolutely nowhere, Mount Carter erupted and willed the Magic to victory.

• After a 1-2 high screen with Jameer Nelson, Delonte West picked Carter up on a switch. Carter promptly backed him down and earned a foul, making two free throws.
• Another 1-2 screen and switch allowed Carter to spin to the baseline and drive to the basket where he emphatically delivered a powerful dunk which roused his competitive juices.
• Another Carter post up on Anthony Parker led to a difficult fade away jumper which VC swished.
• The same 1-2 screen gave Carter a lane to the basket where he finished with strength and self-control over Antawn Jamison who moved over looking to take a charge.
• After Shaq switched onto Carter after an elbow screen, he knew Dwight Howard was guarded by smaller defenders, took his time for Howard to open up, and threw an accurate lob which resulted in a catch, foul, and one free throw made.
• A drive and kick out to the corner led to Rashard Lewis’ game-clinching three.

The criticism with Carter isn’t that he can’t do what he did against the Cavs, but that he doesn’t do that enough. Instead of using his wondrous talents to dominate in the paint, Carter often drifts through games, is scared to finish at the rim, and is far-too-often often a non-factor for somebody with his prodigious talents.

While his help defense is still horrendous, when Carter attacks on offense the way he did in the fourth quarter, he allows the Magic to compete with and beat any team in basketball.

The emphasis for Orlando is for Carter to continue to play with the same kind of fire he displayed against the Cavs. Unfortunately for Magic fans, often times, those rare glimpses of greatness Carter delivers disappear as quickly as they come.

Carter wasn’t Orlando’s only hero. Here are the other reasons why Cleveland won:

Why Orlando Won

• Jameer Nelson proved how clutch he is by making huge shot after huge shot—three jumpers in the final six minutes, including two threes.
• Rashard Lewis is another member of Orlando’s clutch corps, and his three with 20 seconds to go was the nail in Cleveland’s coffin.
• Dwight Howard struggled in his post defense on Shaquille O’Neal, but his help defense was extraordinary—four blocks, and countless more altered. Most impressive was Howard’s rotations on LeBron James. Whereas LeBron is used to running through brick walls (and obliterating smaller defenders), he bounced straight off Howard’s steel frame and found himself begging for calls on drives to the rim.
• Deterred because of Howard, only three of LeBron’s shot attempts came inside the paint in the second half. LeBron frequently overhandled (as did many of his teammates) and forced jumpers despite misfiring on nine of his 12 shots from outside the paint.
• Aside from his solid help defense, and stellar board work—16 rebounds—Howard displayed an assortment of post moves. He decimated Anderson Varejao on left hooks from the right box, and on the left box showed a nice shimmy into a right-hook, several quick face-and-go’s driving left, a 12-foot made jumper, to go with his power moves near the rim. For the game he finished with 7-15 FG, 8-13 FT, 22 points, two assists, and zero turnovers.
• Also, James’ six assists are neutralized by his five turnovers.
• It should be noted that many of Cleveland’s early attempts to double team Howard were weak and ineffective, with Jamison as the main culprit.
• Mickael Pietrus came to play, with a buzzer-beating putback to end the third quarter, and a pair of threes among his 5-6 shooting, 13-point performance.
• Cleveland couldn’t buy a basket from downtown—3-16 3FG—despite many open looks.
• Cleveland’s guards simply didn’t show up. Mo Williams shot 1-9, and Delonte West shot 2-9.
• Mo Williams was as awful on defense as he was on offense. His worst transgression? Going under a Jameer Nelson screen, affording Nelson one of his endgame triples.
• Cleveland had trouble spacing the floor for their post players. With Shaq in the post, and J.J. Hickson on the floor, Orlando would drop Rashard Lewis into the passing lane to effectively double team Shaq before he caught the ball. Hickson was left wide open, but missed the resulting jump shot. The same tactic was employed with Varejao on the floor, but Varejao only went 1-2 on wide open 20-footers.
• After a flurry of points from Jamison when posting Lewis, Orlando fronted Jamison. Because Shaq or Varejao aren’t floor spacers, Orlando dropped Dwight Howard behind Jamison to discourage the Cavs from feeding him the ball.
• Orlando proved that sometimes when you score is more important than how much you score.

Why Cleveland Almost Won

• Orlando’s transition defense was atrocious. Orlando’s guards were too scared to get in front of LeBron James and stop him from going coast to coast for several full court layups.
• Jameer Nelson frequently made bad decisions with the ball. Forcing entry passes into wedged teammates, forcing shots, not taking driving lanes to the basket, and losing his handle several times for unforced turnovers. Combined with Jason Williams, who also lost his handle for an unforced turnover, seven of Orlando’s 13 turnovers came from their primary ball handlers and decision makers.
• Rashard Lewis—5-12 FG, 2-6 3FG, 3-4 FT, 15 PTS—disappeared for long stretches and is only sometimes involved in the offense. As a result, he forced several threes feeling that it was his time to shoot.
• Antawn Jamison destroyed Lewis in the post, and made four straight baskets to start the third quarter. Jamison also made a three on a screen/fade, and showed a level of versatility that will be tough to contend with as the Cavs move forward.
• A botched call on a block/charge gave Jamison his fifth foul early in the fourth, forcing him to an extended stay on the bench.
• Aside from Dwight Howard, the Magic were soft in every facet.
• Cleveland outrebounded the Magic 43-34.

Should Vince Carter’s fourth quarter be the norm and not the exception, Orlando has the interior defense, the firepower, and the moxie to win the season’s final game. Unfortunately, since Carter only offers brief teases of his talents, it’ll be a lot to ask of the rest of the Magic to come out of the East.

Meanwhile, Cleveland took a trip back to last year’s Conference Finals, where LeBron’s failed jumpers, Mo Williams’ dismal play, and Cleveland’s inability to contest Orlando’s late-game threes doomed them. If the pattern repeats itself in the postseason, not even Antawn Jamison will be able to save the Cavs.

  The cavs just came off what seemed liked a 6 month homestand and furthermore when you look back at the schedule,it always seems like when they play one of the better teams, that particular team was coming in to Cleveland playing the second of back to back games. For example prior to today, both times Cleveland played Orlando, Orlando was playing the second of back to back games and 4 games in 5 nights and back to back games and 3 games in 4 nights the other time while the cavs were rested on both occasions. 

When the cavs played one of the elite teams this year that were not playing back to back games they have lost a lot of those games, Orlando today, Denver the other day, and Dallas earlier this year.

Did the NBA do everyting possible this year to make sure the Cavs and the Lakers were going to have the best records in the NBA and perhaps an easier path to the finals ?

Is the Cavs record a product of a really weak eastern conferance to go along with friendly schedule making or are they really the best team ?

Sure people will point out that the Cavs have a winning record against the western conferance but what if for example Denver, LA, or Dallas played in the east and played the cavs schedule and the cavs played in the west playing one of their schedules ? Would Denver, LA, Dallas have a similar record to what the cavs record is now ? Would the cavs record be just as good if they were playing more games against the west day in and day out versus constantly playing against sub .500 eastern teams ?

Should be an interesting rest of the season and playoffs this year.

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Dear Cavs fans,

         Initially, I didn't want to become an Internet hater who vomits selfish views and opinions on a blog/page website in a cowardice manner.  In the concern, that the Internet is full of people with their own hidden agendas and bias viewpoints.  What distinguishes myself with the rest of the haters is that I acknowledge that fact that I am an Anthony Parker hater!!  Not because of personal reasons but because I have loved the Cavaliers my entire life and as a team, we have one of the best chances to win the title other then any other team in the league.  Not too many teams can defeat us, however we very much can defeat ourselves.  Why does Mike Brown and the coaching staff continue to start and showcase a sub-level player?! I am amazed how many minutes he plays over other suitable players who are able to play defense and knock down big shots.  Did everyone forget that “Boobie” Gibson has and can knock down the three pointer (48.2 % Best in the League) and Delonte West plays excellent playoff worthy defense?

I am a followers of the rule “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it”!!  I do not like to dwell on the past but last season we won 66 games with the defensive minded starting line up of:.

1.Mo Williams

2.Delonte West

3. Lebron james

4. Anderson Varejao

5. Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Anthony Parker is in “NO WAY OR MANNER A GOOD FIT” for our beloved Cleveland Cavaliers.  I’m I the only one who see’s that he is a whining, heartless, defensive liability!!  Anthony parker brings absolutely NOTHING to the table.  Why doesn’t Mike Brown and the coaching staff see this?!?! 

Anthony parkers shooting average (7.3 ppg) is the second worse on our team among top ten players yet he continues to play major minutes in the heat of battle. Along with extremely poor decision making, missed catches, poor shooting percentage (field goals 43.7 %) timed wasted crying to the referees.  Wouldn’t it make since to sit Anthony Parker and place Antawn Jamison in place to feel comfortable in the system and not have a defensive liability on the court? It makes since to me that the starting lineup and majority or minutes should be:

1.   Mo Williams

2.   Lebron james

3.   Antawn Jamison

4.   Anderson Varejao

5.   Shaguille O’Neal

We treat Boobie and D.West like they are bums while giving Anthony Parker major minutes while the role should be reversed.  Why isn’t any one else talking about this, this will help the team tremendously? Give me your views and opinions,  tell me what you think?

As much as I don't want to admit it, it's becoming glaringly obvious: The All-Star Break was exactly what the Cleveland Cavaliers did NOT need. The Celtics needed it, as they've won 3 straight games after falling to the 4th seed. But not us. The spirit and momentum of our 13-game win streak was erased, and we experienced an intense shake-up in our lineup with a huge trade. We lost a historic cornerstone of our franchise and took on an veteran being paid a LOT of money. Now, we are staring at our first 3-game losing streak, and plenty of questions about our team as they head home to play the Hornets. More than ever, we need a win.

The only thing positive that we can take from this game is that we got a great game from Antwan Jamison in the second half. Unfortunately, he was already battling foul trouble by then. The same goes for Shaquille O'Neal. Speaking of which, that's one real problem we've been having since the break: teams have taken almost every Cavalier out of the game. Other than LeBron, Shaq, and Antwan, no other Cavalier was in double figures. That could be a real problem. Against a team like Orlando, LeBron's teammates need to play excellent, because the Magic have a lot of go-to guys that seem to score whenever they feel like it. A game like this shows how important home court advantage is, because unlike the game in Cleveland, it was the Cavs that wilted down the stretch, allowing a 9-0 run at one point. Even more embarrassing was Vince Carter catching fire and making huge shots in the fourth.

LeBron James: 12-25, 1-6 3PM-A, 33 points, 5 turnovers, -9 +/-. This is the third game in a row that his 3-point shooting has completely vanished, and it's the third game in which he starts shooting bad, quick 3s in the fourth quarter. He was reduced to a spectator in the last 12 minutes, scoring just 3 points. That isn't supposed to happen. Something is wrong with LeBron.

Mo Williams: 1-9, 0-4 3PM-A, 4 points, -7 +/-, 33 minutes. I also don't think Mo Williams has fully recovered yet. It hasn't been 6 weeks since he was injured, after all. He shouldn't have played so many minutes, especially with Daniel Gibson on the roster, who saw only 13 minutes, took 1 shot, and still finished +5.

Anthony Parker: 1-4, 5 PFs, 26 minutes, -1 +/-. The only shots Parker took were 3 pointers. He finished with more fouls than points. Even worse was that several of his fouls weren't aggressive enough, so they ended up as and-1s.  

I saw this post on mavsmoneyball and I am going around sbnation to see who sbnation thinks is better.

http://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2010/2/20/1319763/who-you-got

"We have all heard this question before LeBron or Kobe. Obviously both are great and I think the general public is split on who is better, similar to Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. But we are not the general public, since we know more about the NBA. I want to see which side the hard core fans are on. Which hall of fame player do you want on your team, King James or The Black Mamba?"

Cast your vote.

It was a cold, sunny morning in January. My mother and I left our house as early as we could, ready to make a 2 hour road trip to the city of Portland. Our driver was a lifelong friend who was currently living in the city, and who had been kind enough to buy our tickets well in advance. We were coming to watch a Blazers game...against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

We arrived around noon, giving us plenty of time to have lunch and explore the town. The downtown area had a distinct charm to it. The shopping centers were modest, the parks looked friendly, and the neighborhoods looked hospitable. It made a lot of sense why my friend wanted to live here.

About two hours before tipoff, we walked to a train that would take us all the way to the Rose Quarter. Upon entering one of the cars and sitting down, I already found myself surrounded by three Blazers fans, sweatshirts, foam fingers, hats and everything. I was not wearing a Cavs jersey...only a hat with the Cavs logo gleaming on it. Both my mom and my friend were a little worried about my hat, thinking we were going to be subjected to massive heckling, but I was not worried. One of the Blazers fans took one look at me, smiled, and said,

"Nobody's perfect."

I was certainly not going to take this jab lying down, so I smiled and said, "Cavs all the way, baby. That's where it's at."

This elicited groans and guffaws from several other passengers. My friend said, "Yes, he lives on the West Coast, but he's a Cavs fan. I don't know how it happened either. I live in Portland."

Another Blazers fan said, "You better watch it, or you're in for a rough night." That also got everyone laughing. The first Blazers fan said, "Naw man, it's all good. You're cool to come here tonight. But I just gotta warn you, you're alone." Then she grinned.

I responded, "I know I'm in Portland, but, you know...it's bad business. Do you really think you guys can make a deep playoff run? I mean, you've lost Greg Oden again. Anyone think he's a bust?"

The second Blazers fan said, "Why of course! It's because he came from friggin' Ohio State! That's why he's so washed up!"

That got me peeved. I wanted to respond with, "Ohio State? You mean the team that just beat Oregon in the Rose Bowl?" But I didn't. I just eased back, picturing the prospect of enjoying the game, watching the Cavs win, and seeing all these fans leave the Garden. I licked my chops just thinking about it. When you're rooting for the road team, it's the most satisfying part of being a road fan: witnessing the home crowd shuffle out silence after listening to them roaring and cheering their team on. I was sure I would get the last laugh, I just had to wait.

As we got closer to the Rose Quarter, more passengers filled up the train. I saw one man get on board with his son, who looked like he was 10 years old. He happened to be wearing a Cavaliers sweatshirt. I delighted in this, but Blazers fans laughed, saying, "What happened to this kid? Where did our village go wrong?"

Once we arrived, I saw huge crowds of people and lines backed up way outside the entrance. In the distance was a gigantic circular complex with the words ROSE GARDEN on it. I began to get nervous with anticipation; I could hardly contain my excitement. As we made our way towards the entrance, I saw one guy wearing a throwback yellow LeBron jersey. As we looked through the lines of people, I began to see more people wearing LeBron jerseys scattered among the masses. This got me pumped with pride. I was not alone at all.

At the entrance, we passed through a metal detector, and I set foot for the very first time inside an NBA sports complex. The place was buzzing with activity. The concession stands were hard at work, people were waiting to get to the elevators, and the TV monitors showed the final minutes of the Cardinals-Packers playoff game. Other TV screens were showing the Blazers and Cavs logos next to each other. It felt so surreal. Here I was, in Portland, just a few hours from home, and tonight, this one special night during the whole year, my team, the Cavaliers, were coming all the way from Cleveland to play an NBA game in this very building! And I was going to see it all!

To be continued...

First of all.  I just have to say how much the jamison trade was just brilliant.  we gave up almost nothing for him.  we did give up Z but there is still a decent shot Z signs back with us.

I have decided to go over the trades over the last couple years and seriously look at how this team has changed.  First though we have to look at the roster that made it to the finals.  This roster had such names as Damon Jones, Scott Pollard, Donyell Marshall, Ira Newble, and Larry Hughes.  Many of these guys were guys Ferry got but did not work out.  We got to the Finals but got destroyed.  I think that loss in a way was key.  It seemed to have changed Ferry.  He took a much more active role in forming the team.  Instead of just going after a few free agents, he tried to get players that fit Mike Browns system and would complement Lebron.  He learned from his mistakes like Donyell and Hughes and tried to truly build a championship team.

Lets Zoom to late February 2008.  The team is struggling and many guys Ferry had acquired in Free agency such as Damon Jones (but I still love to call him Amon Ones) and Donyell Marshall, were struggling.  Ferry felt like he needed to do something, so he pulled off a trade.  This is what he traded:

-We give up Donyell, Ira Newble, Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden, Shannon Brown, Cedric Simmons, and in return we get Wally Z, Ben Wallace, Delonte West, Joe Smith, and a 2009 Draft pick which we used on Danny Green.

Continue reading this post »

If T-Mac stays with the Kings and ends up with a buyout, he hopes to join a playoff contender. A source close to him says he would like to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers or Cleveland Cavaliers.

While there’s no evidence the Lakers have interest, Cavs GM Danny Ferry had done a little research on T-Mac during his exile from the Rockets. Still, the Cavaliers traded for Antawn Jamison on Wednesday and it’s extremely unclear whether they would want to risk disrupting their chemistry to bring on another former All-Star – one who has spent the season recovering from microfracture knee surgery.

Wojnarowski mentioned this quiet detail.

Apparently if he gets bought out we could sign him for the rest of the season. The way i see it is it's a low risk gamble. We get him for the minimum and see where he's at. If it works out he becomes a productive SG for us and makes us better. If it doesn't work out it's no big loss, we got him cheaply and we can just as easily bench him for the rest of the season. It's not a trade so we don't lose anything.

What do you guys think?

Washington Post says the Cavs have traded for Antawn Jamison in 3 team deal that involves sending Drew Gooden to a Western Conference team.

UPDATE: Rumor is now that it is Big Z and a first rounder for Jamison. 

Without involving JJ, this is a good deal for the Cavs.  They get their stretch 4, a good defender and someone that will allow them to keep most of their depth.

I like this deal alot.

A link: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/35447900/ns/sports-player_news/

If we deal with Washington we get:

Starters                                                                                               

Mo Williams

Anthony Parker

Lebron James

Antwawn Jamison

Shaquille O’neal

Reserves

Daniel Gibson

Delonte West

Jawad Williams

J.J. Hickson

Anderson Varejao

Back-Up

Mike James

Leon Powe

Daniel Green

Darnell Jackson

Cedric Jackson

And did I mention that we get to keep J.J. With this deal we gain what was much needed, a scoring four. The same type of scoring caliber of that of Amare plus a player who is willing to blend into a system. J.J. can now come off the bench which beefs up our bench. What more can you ask for. Make the deal!

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