Cavs need to show more Boobie

The Cleveland Cavaliers are trailing the San Antonio Spurs 2-0 in the NBA Finals, and while they’ve been in this situation before, the opponents they’re facing is a different beast. No, the Spurs are nothing like the Detroit Pistons, and this isn’t a good thing for the young Cavs.

This ain’t the Eastern Conference anymore.

The Cavs reason that they were down 0-2 against the Detroit Pistons during the conference finals and still won the series in six games. One thing the Cavs failed to notice was their first two games against the Pistons were decided by a total of six points. In contrast, Cleveland lost by a total of 20 points in the first two games against San Antonio, but was blown out in Game 2 by almost 30 points. The final score hardly reflected how badly Cleveland was dominated.

The Cavs outrebounded a Pistons team that was loaded with a beefy frontcourt that consisted of Rasheed Wallace, Chris Webber, Jason Maxiell, and Antonio McDyess. The Pistons clamped down on LeBron and the Cavs by throwing double teams, triple teams, and wide variety of defenses. The Cavs star gladly dished the ball to Boobie Gibson, who delivered timely treys that broke Detroit’s heart.

The Pistons imploded, and Cleveland earned its’ first-ever trip to the NBA Finals.

It’s the Cavs who are now getting outrebounded when facing a more mature Spurs team. The Spurs are defending LeBron like the Pistons did, but have taken it up several notches by throwing James a variety of players aside from Bruce Bowen. When James tries to take it strong, at least three Spurs players collapse on him. If LeBron tries to isolate, the Spurs send a second defender to sag. If LeBron asks for a pick, the Spurs trap. LeBron tries to pass to his teammates on the perimeter, but the Spurs switch and always end up with somebody guarding the 3-point line.

Forget the fact that the Cavs had a strong run at the end of Game 2; this wasn’t because they’ve figured out the Spurs. If you remember Game 1, Cleveland also had a late 4th quarter run that made the score closer than it seemed. This can be attributed to the Spurs slacking off instead of the Cavs figuring them out.

How then can the Cavs win? Here’s my $0.02:

• The first thing Cleveland has to remember is play more aggressive. Yes, it sounds so clichéd, but this is what LeBron’s team lacks whenever they started a game in the Finals. Cleveland digs itself in a hole at the beginning of the game by being lethargic on both ends of the floor. The Cavs need to maintain this level of aggressiveness for 48 minutes if they want to remain within striking distance, and then execute their brand of play in the 4th quarter.

• Next, LeBron is going to need more picks if he wants to score. Since James is the primary ball handler, he will need many picks to get around the stifling Spurs defense. How many picks, you ask? As many as it takes to get rid of a triple team.

• The Cavs need to show more Boobie. Gibson was the X-factor that helped LeBron beat the Pistons. When defenders swarm LeBron, he passes off to Gibson for an open three. Gibson also showed that he was capable of creating his own shot, making him even more valuable. Unfortunately, Boobie Gibson played for only 27 minutes on Game 1 and 31 minutes on Game 2. They hardly ran any plays for Gibson in the first two losses. If Cleveland hopes to win at home, they’re going to have to put up more decoys for the Spurs, and giving Boobie more minutes and more shots is just the thing.

• Cleveland should also put LeBron on Tony Parker. This matchup showed promise because whenever James gets in Parker’s way, the Spurs guard resorts to his jumpshot to score. While Parker may have a spectacular perimeter game, this would be much better than having him attack the paint. After all, those outside jumpers won’t always fall. Never ever put Larry Hughes on Parker. As we all know, Hughes is injured and has become a defensive liability. Cleveland may opt to put Gibson on Parker on some stretches to let James rest on defense, but they shouldn’t use this alternative too often because Boobie might pick up quick fouls in the process.

• The Cavs were at their deadliest on offense when they put in all their shooters on the floor. This would be a combo of Damon Jones, Gibson, James, and Donyell Marshall. San Antonio would have some difficulty covering the perimeter because LeBron would have many options when forced to give up the ball. More importantly, the shooters would open up the floor for Ilgauskas, who hasn’t been effective so far. Marshall may be in a shooting funk, but giving him some good looks might change that.

• Mike Brown, the Cavaliers’ coach, should also figure out a way to slow down Manu Ginobili, who is part of the Spurs’ big three. I don’t really know how, since the guy’s so smart in drawing fouls. Perhaps the best way to do this is to use a different defensive scheme. This brings me to my last point…

• I think Cleveland should mix up their defense every so often to throw the Spurs off balance. A zone would make life a bit harder for Tim Duncan, and this might force the Spurs to resort to a perimeter game. This could lead to fewer points in the paint and more rebounds for the Cavs.

Is this series a futile attempt for Cleveland? Not at all. In basketball science, there’s always a way to beat an opponent, unless the skill levels are a huge disparity (i.e. high school players versus NBA players, or something similar). We don’t know what lies in store for Game 3. Who knows? Whatever happens then might change the tide of the series. Remember Dallas and Miami last year?

Then again, the Mavs are chokers.