It takes me awhile sometimes. Takes me some time not to come out here right after a loss and write things I know I shouldn't. To over-react to one game among 82. Had you asked me last night, or should I say, in the wee hours of the morning, I would have told you the sky is falling and that the Cavs had no shot the rest o the season. That, of course, would be a horrible over-reaction, and frankly not based on reality.
That doesn't make the final 24 minutes of basketball many of us stayed up to watch that much better. The Cavs, a team that has become accustomed to having its way in the front-courth were so thoroughly dominated up front that it is truly hard to imagine the outcome being any different even if Big Z were in the game. We'll get our chance to find oout, when the Lakers make a return trip to Cleveland later this year, but for now the Cavs are left to wonder if they will be able to overcome the injuries in time not to lose sight of Orlando, or Boston.
Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum go whatever they wanted near the basket, and had it not been for Bynum's awful free-throw shooting in the first half things could have gotten worse earlier than they did.
What killed the Cavaliers last night will likely continue to kill the team more often than not. Without Z or D-West the Cavs are likely to become a purely perimter team. That's fin when those shots are falling. But when LeBron is 9-25 andMo Williams 6-16, the Cavs are in trouble. There were weeks earlier this season that James failed to attempt a 3-pointer. Last night, LeBron took 5, often early in the shot clock, and 80% of the time he missed.
I promised not to go overboard, and I won't. One loss, one game among 82. Up next for Cleveland is Portland, another team with a large front-court. ASk Milwaukee about Greg Oden -- 25-15 last night. If the Cavaliers can't figure a way to keep the front of the basket clear it could be another long night.