Well today the Cavs got a fantastic win today and it wasn't just because of the egg they laid the other night in Chicago. As a team, they played fantastic, tenacious defense, along with some class A scoring and really took it to the Bulls at the United Center.
Consider the stats -
First the obvious, the score was Cle 121 Chi 98. Anytime you score over 100 points on the road, and hold the opponent to under 100, it means you're playing some darn good defense. It was the third quarter where the Cavs really turned it out with 37 points and held the Bulls to 24. That's the way you want to come out in the 3rd quarter - beat the opponent down so that in the fourth quarter you can just cruise to victory.
Second, let me tell you a little bit about the shooting. The Cavs held the Bulls to a stifling 37.4% shooting in today's game. 37.4%! That's incredible, especially when you factor in that the Cavs shot 53.2% from the field tonight with 48.0% (12/25) on 3-pointers. Free throws were a different issue, with the Cavs shooting a lackluster 73.5% (25/34) while the Bulls shot 81.2% (26/32). ABC's commentators mentioned during the game that the Cavs have done more work on free throws in practice during the playoffs than they did during the regular season - that's starting with free throws and practicing them in the middle and end of practice as well, as opposed to just the end. They were the worst free throw shooting team in the league during the regular season, and I just don't think that's going to cut it in the playoffs. Making free throws in the playoffs can often be the difference between an win and a loss. Hopefully they'll get it right.
Third, the supporting cast really stepped it up today! Why did we trade for Antawn Jamison? If you guessed so he could score 24 points with 7 rebounds, you are correct! 9/16 from the field, 1/3 on three pointers, and 5/7 on his free throws, excellent numbers. Throw MoGotti Williams in there, who hit three after three after three. I can only say three three's because that's all he actually hit (3/6), but it seemed like a lot more during the game. He was 6/10 from the field, and 4/6 from the line, good for 19 points. JJ Hickson too, I guess when Lebron calls you out and wants you to get more playing time you produce. He had 10 points, 2 rebounds, shooting 3/4 from the field and 4/4 on his free throws (100%, that's how you win ballgames).
Fourth, how can you possibly describe Lebron James? This guy was simply UNREAL today, just unreal. 37 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists good for the 5th triple double of his playoff career. He was 9/10 on his free throw attempts, 6/9 on his three's (that's half of the team's three's) and overall 11/17 from the field. He was making shots like nobody's business, including a buzzer beater at the half, and then another buzzer beater from just under half court to finish the 3rd quarter. At one point in the fourth quarter, ABC commentator Mike Tirico exclaimed "Stop it! Just stop it!" after Lebron hit one of his 6 three's.
This was an extremely encouraging day for the Cavaliers, and I'm looking forward to seeing them in person on Tuesday when I expect they'll take the series in 5 games.
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