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Tag Archives: Kyrie Irving
CAVS – NEWS, NOTES AND NUMBERS
Cavs are now 10-2 this postseason.
Cavs are now 6-1 on the road this postseason.
Cavs are 4-1 at home this postseason.
Cavs are now 44-11 in their last 55 games counting the regular season and postseason. That’s a winning percentage of (.800).
Cavs are now 20-9 in their last 29 road games counting the regular season and the postseason. That’s a winning percentage of (.690).
Cavs through 12 playoff games this season are holding opponents to just 91.4 points per game and 41 percent shooting from the field. They are the top defensive team in the NBA Playoffs.
Cavs have surrendered just 73, 89 and 82 points in their last 3 playoff games this season, all 3 on the road, and all 3 wins.
Cavs held the Hawks to 31 percent shooting and 38 points in the second half of Game #1 and 34 percent shooting and just 33 points in the second half of Game #2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Cavs have held the Hawks to 20 percent shooting (9-49) from 3-point country in the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Cavs All-NBA First Team small forward LeBron James is averaging 27.2ppg-9.9rpg-8apg over the first 12 playoff games and 30.5ppg-8.5rpg-8.5apg vs Atlanta in the ECF.
Cavs leading scorer LeBron James is 14-0 in NBA Playoff series’ when leading that series 2 games to none. (Courtesy of ESPN Stats)
Cavs have 6 players averaging in double figures versus Atlanta in the ECF – LBJ-30.5ppg, J.R. Smith-18.5ppg, Tristan Thompson 10.5ppg and 13rpg, Timofey Mozgov 10ppg, Iman Shumpert 10ppg and Kyrie Irving 10ppg.
Cavs next game in the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals is Sunday night at 8:30p at Quicken Loans Arena.
Cavs “Magic Number” to win the NBA Championship is 6.
PODCAST ON CAVS 94-82 WIN OVER HAWKS IN GAME #2 OF THE EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
LeBron James near triple/double of 30pts-11ast-9reb led the Cavaliers to a 2-0 series lead on Friday night in Atlanta. But while “The King” was indeed dominate, he got some help from a number of his teammates. Here’s my breakdown of the Game #2 win on head coach David Blatt’s 56th birthday…..
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CAVS KEYS AND CONCERNS HEADING INTO GAME #2 vs THE HAWKS IN THE EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
KYRIE’S LEFT KNEE – Will he be able to play, and if so, how effective can he be? Is what he gave you in Game #1 vs Atlanta (10pts-6ast on 4-10fg) what we should expect from this version of Kyrie Irving? Or can the ALL-NBA 3rd team point guard adjust his game to where it’s not an attack the rim game, but more of a pull-up and catch and shoot game? We’ll see.
HOW’S SHUMP JUMP? – Iman Shumpert seemed to re-aggravate his groin injury in the second half of Game #1 which hampered his jumping and lateral movement. His defense was outstanding, but his offense suffered as he scored just 4 points on 1-7 shooting. Just like Irving, because of the injury, does he have to adjust his game, and if so how effective will he be at both ends of the floor?
BENCH BUNCH BE BETTER – J.R. Smith was phenomenal in Game #1 with 28 points, but the rest of the Cavs bench scored as many points as I did….ZERO! There has to be more consistency than that. Yes James Jones has had one good game in these playoffs with 17 points and Matthew Dellavedova dropped 19 on the Bulls in Game #6 last series, but both of those players have been inconsistent on offense. That has to change, especially with the injury to Kyrie Irving and the fact that both players could be playing more minutes than originally expected.
SHARPER EDGE – Whether LeBron wanted to admit it publically or not, the Cavaliers were the underdog heading into Game #1 in Atlanta. Vegas had the Hawks as 1 point favorites. Whenever you’re the dog going into a game, you tend to play with a little more edge and with a chip on your shoulder to prove people wrong and the Cavs did just that in the first contest of the Eastern Conference Finals. But how does David Blatt’s squad keep that edge in Game #2? It’s human nature to come into the next game less focused because of a 1-0 series lead, you stole home court advantage and the Hawks best defender in DeMarre Carroll may or may not play in Game #2. What does “King James” do to make sure that he and his teammates play with the same intensity and focusness (Jim Thome term) that they did in Game #1 and not just be satisfied with splitting in Atlanta? Are the Cavs mentally tough enough where complacency won’t set in? Again, like with Kyrie and Iman’s injuries, we’ll see.
DEATH TO THE STANKY LEG OFFENSE – As great as LeBron James was when he was attacking the basket in the second quarter of Game #1, scoring 14 points on 7 of 9 shooting, he was that horrible in the fourth quarter playing iso-ball or as I like to call it running the “Stanky Leg” offense. He got cocky when DeMarre Carroll went out with an injury and Paul Milsap had to try and guard him. Instead of playing through the game plan that helped build an 18 point fourth quarter lead, LBJ started playing the scoreboard and the offense came to a screeching halt that almost cost them the game. James admitted that it indeed was his fault after the game, that it was on him, and that it can’t happen again. That’s great that he recognized that and admitted it, but will it actually change? He’s been doing this for years. It’s one of his few bad habits that he seems to fall back into. The “Stanky Leg” has to disappear if the Cavs want to not only win this series against Atlanta, but also have a chance to win the NBA Championship!
LEBRON JAMES, KYRIE IRVING NAMED TO ALL-NBA TEAMS
JAMES SELECTED TO HIS NINTH ALL-NBA FIRST TEAM
IRVING MAKES HIS FIRST ALL-NBA TEAM APPEARANCE
CLEVELAND, OH – The NBA announced today that Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James has been named to the 2014-15 All-NBA First Team and Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving has been named to the 2014-15 All-NBA Third Team. James was tied for the NBA-lead with 645 points, receiving all 129 possible First Team votes. The honor marks his ninth overall First Team selection (tied with Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson for third-most all-time) and eighth straight. Irving is selected to his first All-NBA team. The All-NBA Teams were chosen by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. The media voted for All-NBA First, Second and Third Teams by position with points awarded on a 5-3-1 basis.
James, a four-time MVP and 11-time NBA All-Star, appeared in 69 games (all starts) for the Cavaliers with averages of 25.3 points (3rd in NBA) on .488 shooting, 6.0 rebounds, 7.4 assists (7th in NBA) and 1.6 steals (18th in NBA) in 36.1 minutes. It was James 11th consecutive season averaging at least 25.0 points per game, which is tied with Karl Malone (1987-88 to 1997-98) and Jerry West (1961-62 to 1971-72) for the most consecutive seasons with at least 25.0 points in NBA history (min. 30 games). James earned the Kia NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month twice in 2014-15 (February and March), as well as the Player of the Week award three times (week ending Nov. 16, Nov. 30 & Jan. 25). Despite missing 13 games this past season, James was one of only three players in the NBA to tally 1,700 points, 500 assists, 400 rebounds and 100 steals (James Harden, Russell Westbrook) and ranked ninth in the league in plus/minus at +541. The 6-8 forward scored in double figures in all 69 games, increasing his consecutive double-digit scoring streak to 641 (third-longest streak in NBA history). In addition to scoring in double figures every game he appeared in, James had 52 games of at least 20 points, 18 games of at least 30 points and three 40-point outings. He also registered 22 double-doubles and two triple-doubles.
Irving, a three-time NBA All-Star, played in 75 games (all starts) and averaged 21.7 points (9th in NBA) on .468 shooting, 3.2 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.5 steals in 36.4 minutes per game. It was his fourth straight season with averages at least 18.0 points, 5.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game, becoming the fifth player in league history to accomplish that feat (LeBron James, Oscar Robertson, Grant Hill, Steve Francis). Irving was one of only two players in the NBA to average at least 20.0 points, 5.0 assists and 2.5 or few turnovers per game in 2014-15 (Blake Griffin), as he also shot a career-high .415 from three-point range (8th in NBA) and .863 from the free throw line (18th). The four-year guard made a career-high 157 three-pointers last season, the fourth-most by a Cavs player in a single season. He was a two-time Player of the Week award winner (week ending Feb. 2 and March 15) and scored at least 10 points in 68 games, at least 20 points on 45 occasions, 10 30-point outings and two 50-point outings. Irving had the two highest scoring games by any NBA player in 2014-15 (57 points at San Antonio on 3/12 and 55 points vs. Portland on 1/28), becoming the first player in team history with multiple 55-point games in a season and the first NBA player to do so since Kobe Bryant for the 2006-07 Lakers.
KENNY’S KEYS TO A CAVS WIN IN GAME #5
LEBRON 30 FOR 30 – With how hampered this team is with injuries, and even though LeBron James is playing with a sore left ankle, “The King” needs to find a way to get the Cavaliers about 30 points per game even if it means taking 30 shots per game over the next two or three games in order for the Cavs to win this series against the Bulls and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
DON’T FALL BLATT ON YOUR FACE – Tyronn Lue and LeBron James bailed out the Cavaliers first year head coach in Game #4. Lue with a better tackle than most Browns players made last year on Blatt so he wouldn’t get a technical for calling a time out he didn’t have, and James for telling Blatt to stick his original out of bounds play call where the sun don’t shine and demanding the ball and then delivering the game winning shot. In my opinion, Blatt has failed miserably in Games #1 and #4 in this series and the Cavs are lucky to be tied 2-2 with the Bulls. He has to do a better job of managing the game with time outs, player substitutions, play calls and having a feel for the game. He has to flat out coach better and not have a relapse of what happened in Games #1 and #4.
FIND A SECOND SCORING OPTION – With Kevin Love out for the playoffs and while Kyrie Irving is playing, he’s suffering from two big time injuries that have limited him, so the Cavs need someone to step up and be that #2 scorer. For three games it was Iman Shumpert who filled the void, averaging over 18 points per game, but he ended up suffering an injury in this series and is also playing hurt and it has affected his ability to score. So now it’s time for either J.R. Smith or Timofey Mozgov to rise to the occasion and become the second offensive weapon the Cavaliers need in the remaining two or three games is series.
GET TO THE FREE THROW LINE – Cleveland is struggling on offense right now, so the Cavs have to be the aggressor, attack the rim, and force the officials, as horrible as they’ve been, to have to make a call. This way you get a chance at two uncontested shots to put points on the board. Also the more aggressive you are, the better chance you have of getting into the bonus early and that could be a major plus, since as a team the Cavaliers are shooting 86% from the charity stripe in this series so far.
BOARD DOMINATION – This one is real simple. Led by LeBron, Tristan Thompson, Timofey Mozgov and whoever else, the Cavaliers must dominate the boards and win the offensive and defensive rebounding battle the rest of this series. They must limit the Bulls second chance opportunities and create as many second chance opportunities for themselves to score easy buckets.
VALUE THE BALL – While the entire team must focus on this stat, it is imperative that LeBron James take it to heart and cut his turnovers per game in this series in half. LBJ is averaging nearly 6 turnovers per contest against the Bulls. That number has to come down to 3 or maybe 4 at the most. James needs to protect the ball better when Jimmy Butler is up on him defensively and not make so many lazy passes.
DEFENSE – Another simple one, but it is “Mucho Importante”! With how bad the Cavs offense has been, the reason they are tied 2-2 in this series with the Bulls is because of their defense. The Bulls are not a good shooting team and the more pressure you apply on the defensive end, the worse they become at trying to put the ball in the basket. So ratchet up your defense in Games # 5,# 6 and if necessary Game #7, and you’re your chances of winning that game, and the series increase dramatically.
SHOT SELECTION – The Cavs are shooting far too many 3’s in this series. I know all season they have been a team that feasts on the 3-pointer, but against a good defensive team like the Bulls who are trying to take away that shot, or at least challenge every one of them, you might want to try and dial it back a bit. The Cavs are shooting 28 treys a game, but only making 34% of them and LeBron’s percentage is at a season low 10% from 3-point country. Attack the basket more and get fouled, and to my earlier point, take advantage of scoring points at the free throw line where you are shooting 86% as a team and LeBron is hitting 85% of his freebies.
LEBRON JAMES and KYRIE IRVING POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE – GAME #2 vs BULLS
Cleveland’s “Batman and Robin”, Lebron James and Kyrie Irving combined for 54 points in the Cavs 106-91 Game #2 win over the Bulls to even their best of 7 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals series at one game apiece. Listen to what LeBron had to say about the return of his headband, Kyrie on Kevin Love being back with the team and more.
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KENNY’S KEYS TO A CAVS GAME #2 WIN
ATTACK MODE FOR LEBRON JAMES – The King must not settle for jump shots, he must attack the basket and get to the free-throw line. He’s only shooting 17% from three point country this postseason, but he’s shooting 53% from inside the arc. Don’t settle, attack and shoot a minimum of 8 free throws every game the rest of the playoffs.
IT’S NOT MILLER TIME – Start James Jones, Tristan Thompson or even Shawn Marion and bring Mike Miller off the bench against the Bulls backups. Also give Kendrick Perkins some minutes as the backup center in this contest and let him throw his weight around against Joakim Noah.
HACK A NOAH – Speaking of Noah. Other teams use this strategy to their advantage so why not the Cavs? Joakim Noah is 1 for 12 from the free-throw line this postseason. Why not use that to your advantage, foul him and make him go to the free-throw line and try and score two points on two separate shots. Odds say he won’t do that.
5 GUYS ON A STRING – Communicate and figure out how to play the Bulls Pick n Roll and the Pick n Pop as a team vs Derrick Rose and Pau Gasol. The defense has to challenge those two, as well as every shot taken by Chicago’s perimeter shooters. The Cavs defense was horrific in Game #1 allowing the Bulls to shoot 50% from the field and 55% from the 3-point line, while only creating 10 turnovers against a team who came in to the series averaging over 17 turnovers a game in the postseason.
OFFENSIVE IMAN – Iman Shumpert, like he did against Boston with 15 points and in Game #1 against Chicago with 22 points, Shump must continue to score and be that third wheel to provide some offense along with LeBron and Kyrie.
BLATT BETTER COACH BETTER – Cavs had coach David Blatt needs to make better in game decisions and adjustments. He needs to call timeouts quicker and match up better with Chicago’s personnel. He was one of the main reasons the Cavaliers lost Game #1.
PICK UP THE PACE – The Cavs only scored two fast-break points in Game #1. The Cavaliers must pick up the tempo and push the ball to get easy baskets so Chicago can’t set up its half-court defense. Remember Chicago is 29-1 when they hold opponents to 92 points or less. Pick up the pace; score more than 92 points and you increase your chance of winning greatly.
PROTECT AND REBOUND – LeBron James must take better care of the basketball and the team must continue to value the basketball. Also the Cavaliers don’t necessarily need to dominate the boards but at least be even with Chicago in the rebounding category going against their BIGS with Kevin Love gone for the rest of the playoffs.