The Cavs Had To Play A GREAT Game To Beat Us

[RR7]

What sort of trade is available to anyone in the NBA to get someone to stop Lebron? There is nobody who can single handedly shut down Lebron. It's not going to happen. I agree about making atrade, and getting a better option there, but if you're making deals for the sole hope of shutting down Lebron, you're chaisng a dream. Our best bet on that front is to red-shirt batum the next two years, and have him live in the weight room, put on 45 pounds of muscle.

 

[Ghost Pepper]

Kobe is Kobe and the Lakers with him as the sole star have won no championships. Lebron is the same! The don't have the fire power to beat three great stars like the Celtics or now Kobe and Gasol. Lebron and Kobe will get their points, that's a given.... but allowing their teamates to go off is what kills ya! Hell! Let Lebron score 60, if his teamates get 25 around him we win!

 

[ABM]

What did I take away from this game?.....What I took away is that if we want to beat them in the Finals (where I think we'll eventually meet in the coming years) we'd better have a lot better options on defense than just Batum and Outlaw/Webster/Roy.

Real nice takes, mook.

That said, does anyone know how Gerald Wallace has fared defensively against the mighty LeBron?

 

[hasoos]

You honestly don't think Blake would have been an improvement on the Sergio and Bayless? You think he might have managed more than their combined 5 assists in 48 minutes? Perhaps hit a three ball or two that forces Cleveland to come out on our guards? That's insane to argue.

No, its not. Here is why. Every single one of our point guards has an incomplete game. You trade one for another and you merely trade one strength for another. Sergio in? He is the best passer. Unfortunately he rarely shoots, seems to be a poor finisher and a poor 3 point shooter. Blake in? Better outside shooter, but not a good playermaker. Both Sergio and Blake are horrible on defense. Bayless in? Well he doesn't pass a whole lot right now, he is a scorer. He plays defense. So you lose playmaking.

Do I think that Blake would have got more assist? No I don't. Here is why: Sergio and Bayless made many passes last night where the Blazers did not finish. There were plenty of oppotunities they just flat out blew them by not finishing. So to say Blake would have made a difference? I doubt it. They blew some pretty easy opportunities last night.

 

[Ghost Pepper]

I think Blake would have hit 9 points from three though! That could have been the game!

 

[talman]

Oh, and the "foul" on Oden when Lebron crashed into him while chasing after a loose ball was the worst call of the year.

That or the non-call on Lebron for the offensive on Pryz late in the 4th. IMHO that one took the wind out of our sails. Barret or Rice even said that anyone else in the league gets called for an offensive in that situation. Of course they are a bit biased....

 

[hasoos]

That or the non-call on Lebron for the offensive on Pryz late in the 4th. IMHO that one took the wind out of our sails. Barret or Rice even said that anyone else in the league gets called for an offensive in that situation. Of course they are a bit biased....

And this of course opens up another can of worms. When in the F is Nate going to start standing up to the referee's and take one for the team? The Blazers just take it, and take it and take it, and nobody stands up and says "Enough". Watch Phil Jackson. He probably gets a T every game. Jerry Sloan comes pretty darn close to it as well. D'Antoni has never been afraid to give an official a piece of his mind. Rick Adelman gets T'd up pretty often. All of those guys I feel are top end coaches, and they don't take shit from the refs.

 

[mook]

What sort of trade is available to anyone in the NBA to get someone to stop Lebron? There is nobody who can single handedly shut down Lebron. It's not going to happen. I agree about making atrade, and getting a better option there, but if you're making deals for the sole hope of shutting down Lebron, you're chaisng a dream. Our best bet on that front is to red-shirt batum the next two years, and have him live in the weight room, put on 45 pounds of muscle.

There's nobody we could acquire who could stop LeBron. But there are a lot of guys we could acquire who could do a far better job on him.

We're pinning our hopes on a 19 year old rookie to match up well against the two best players on the planet?

Is there a playoff team more poorly equipped to match up with LeBron and Kobe on both ends than we are?

 

[PapaG]

Is there a playoff team more poorly equipped to match up with LeBron and Kobe on both ends than we are?

I can't immediately think of one, although Roy did a decent job when he finally was able to defend James.

 

[mook]

Yeah, Roy does pretty well against those guys, but most teams don't put their superstar on the opposing team's best player. Even All-Defense guys like Tim Duncan usually wind up guarding a scrub. It's just too much to ask Roy to dominate on offense and try to limit LeBron.

 

[chris_in_pdx]

Yes, because every other team in the league has a defensive specialist that has the ability to shut down LeBron James. Do you people even read what you are typing? Are the Cavs 32-8 just because the Blazers suck? I swear to God, the emo bullshit that spews from this place after a Blazer loss is incredible. It's a wonder any of you made it through the JailBlazers years, and I sure as fuck know you wouldn't have made it through the 80s and mid-90s years of mediocrity. You would have killed yourselves by now, or more likely, just been typical bandwaggon fans and quit rooting for the team because it was "too hard".

 

[rocketeer]

Yes, because every other team in the league has a defensive specialist that has the ability to shut down LeBron James. Do you people even read what you are typing? Are the Cavs 32-8 just because the Blazers suck? I swear to God, the emo bullshit that spews from this place after a Blazer loss is incredible. It's a wonder any of you made it through the JailBlazers years, and I sure as fuck know you wouldn't have made it through the 80s and mid-90s years of mediocrity. You would have killed yourselves by now, or more likely, just been typical bandwaggon fans and quit rooting for the team because it was "too hard".

the blazers should be expected at home to beat a cavs team that is missing two of their starters.

it's not a bad loss by any means, but it's a game that the blazers should have been able to win.

 

[alex42083]

Is there a playoff team more poorly equipped to match up with LeBron and Kobe on both ends than we are?

Well let's see...
San Antonio has got Ime, Bowen, Finley and Manu to throw at them, so they're good
New Orleans has James Posey, so they're fine.
Houston has Battier and Artest, if they're ever healthy -- they're fine.

Denver's got Carmelo who plays no D, and Dahntay Jones and Kleiza, who are medicore on D at best so they're about as equipped as we are.
Utah has Brewer, Harpring and Korver, who don't have the quickness to stay with LeBron
Dallas has Devean George and Josh Howard, who are OK.
Phoenix has Barnes, Hill and J-Rich, which is no NBA All-Defense unit.

I don't think we're world-stoppers, but we're not THAT bad. LeBron and Kobe are just THAT good and it doesn't matter who you got.

 

[mook]

Yes, because every other team in the league has a defensive specialist that has the ability to shut down LeBron James.

you and RR7 need to go get a room so you can invent thousands of posters to argue with about "stopping LeBron." because you two are the only ones using that terminology.

let's repeat it once again, just so it might get through to you: Nobody Stops LeBron.

Ok?

I'll say it again: Nobody Stops LeBron.

Now some more:
Nobody Stops LeBron. Nobody Stops LeBron. Nobody Stops LeBron. Nobody Stops LeBron. Nobody Stops LeBron. Nobody Stops LeBron. Nobody Stops LeBron. Nobody Stops LeBron. Nobody Stops LeBron. Nobody Stops LeBron. Nobody Stops LeBron. Nobody Stops LeBron. Nobody Stops LeBron. Nobody Stops LeBron. Nobody Stops LeBron. Nobody Stops LeBron. Nobody Stops LeBron. Nobody Stops LeBron. Nobody Stops LeBron. Nobody Stops LeBron. Nobody Stops LeBron. Nobody Stops LeBron. Nobody Stops LeBron. Nobody Stops LeBron. Nobody Stops LeBron. Nobody Stops LeBron. Nobody Stops LeBron. Nobody Stops LeBron. Nobody Stops LeBron.


There. That's firmly established.

Now, some teams have players who are talented enough to somewhat LIMIT LeBron. We don't. It's not emo or suicidal to simply acknowledge that.

 

[mook]

Utah has Brewer, Harpring and Korver, who don't have the quickness to stay with LeBron --

...and Kirelenko.


Of the other teams you listed, only Phoenix and Denver seem as badly prepared as we are. (And even with Denver, at least LeBron has to work on the other end to guard Carmello or Smith.)

I'm not exactly encouraged.

LeBron and Kobe are just THAT good and it doesn't matter who you got.

Well, by that reasoning, why don't we just put Channing Frye on him?

 

[The_Lillard_King]

mook, I think you are one of the better posters on the board . . . but nobody can stop Lebron.

 

[mook]

mook, I think you are one of the better posters on the board . . . but nobody can stop Lebron.

*head explodes*

 

[blue32]

Lol

 

[STOMP]

If a stud SF becomes available and the price is reasonable I'd imagine KP will be on it. I'm sure he's fielding offers and is aware of the needs/shortcomings of the club.

They're arguably in better trading position next offseason with their capspace/imbalanced trade possibilities, so it's not like this is his last shot at adding a big time talent to the club. Because of this I won't be that disappointed if no move is made. But if KP does make a move prior to the deadline, here's guessing it will be one that makes us really happy.

STOMP

 

[Natebishop3]

I'm pretty sure it was our shooting 7-22 from downtown that lost the game for us. Live by the three, die by the three.

PS: This man could stop LeBron

 

[Miksaid]

Yes, because every other team in the league has a defensive specialist that has the ability to shut down LeBron James. Do you people even read what you are typing? Are the Cavs 32-8 just because the Blazers suck? I swear to God, the emo bullshit that spews from this place after a Blazer loss is incredible. It's a wonder any of you made it through the JailBlazers years, and I sure as fuck know you wouldn't have made it through the 80s and mid-90s years of mediocrity. You would have killed yourselves by now, or more likely, just been typical bandwaggon fans and quit rooting for the team because it was "too hard".

Good post.