The Cleveland Cavaliers evened up their Eastern Conference Finals series with the Detroit Pistons with a 91-87 victory at Quicken Loans Arena. Here are my thoughts on the win:
- My first point is I thought the crowd had a huge impact and I think it got the Cavs to play better when they struggled in the third quarter and it made it tougher for Detroit to run their sets in the 4th quarter.
- I also want to give big props to Drew Gooden for playing a great game after I ripped him for playing soft in Game 3. I was even ok with his technical foul tonight because it let Rasheed know he wasn't going to push this team around anymore.
- Also, Daniel Gibson showed his talent at both ends of the floor. He also showed that he plays like a 10 year veteran out their. Also give credit to Mike Brown for finally taking the training wheels off him.
- I think Larry Hughes deserves to be lauded for sucking it up for the team and you cant question his heart.
- For two years in a row Mike Brown is out coaching Flip Saunders.
- It is just great watching the TNT halftime crew eat crow after the Cavs win another one.
- Seeing Rasheed throw a tantrum and also seeing Chauncy Billups have more turnovers than assists it is evident we have their attention and we are getting in their head.
- Sorry for not mentioning sooner Lebron showed that he is a closer and a money player in the 4th quarter again. Hey Skip Bayliss were you watching tonight?
- The two biggest reasons we won tonight were we got to the foul line 33 times and shot at a 82 percent clip from the line. The other reason is we held them to 38% from the field and 1 for 12 from three point land.
The series will continue on Thursday night at 8pm when the Cavs will travel back to Detroit.
2 comments:
Tidbits: Analysis, Attitude And A Look Ahead
May 29, 2007
The mini-camp has me even more excited about this football team. It isn't fair to go to extremes when there is no tackling and no pads, but this much I know about the Eagles: There is a lot of young talent here, the wall-to-wall speed is good to see and there are going to be a bunch of great battles for roster spots in training camp.
So it is on a day when Kirk Gibson visited practice, and Kevin Kolb had another telling period on the field and Tom Heckert visited our Eagles Live! and said a thing or two worth thinking about ...
QB Kevin Kolb has been impressive
First, Kolb. We tend to nit-pick every time he drops back to pass, so it is safe to say that every eye has been on Kolb since he stepped foot into the NovaCare Complex. Truthfully, it is hard to find much fault in the young man to this point. Kolb handles his situation with grace and with poise and with conviction.
He also has some fire on the field. I saw him throw into the end zone on Tuesday toward a receiver who was in single coverage, good coverage. The receiver, who shall remain nameless, stopped his route short and Kolb shouted out his displeasure.
I like what I have seen from Kolb -- his arm strength, his footwork, the way he seems to know what he is seeing and where he is going with the ball.
That, plus the way Kolb has stayed so patient and giving to the media is truly impressive. There are going to be some hardships and some hurdles along the way. Kolb is very much in the infancy of his NFL career. But so far, it has been so good for the Eagles' first draft pick.
"This has been monumental for him in his learning process," said Heckert of Kolb's involvement in these May camps.
As for other tidbits ...
Tony Hunt is a lot different than I expected. The way all the fans talked after Hunt was drafted, I expected a big load of a running back in Hunt. He is much more than that. Hunt is an inch or two taller than I thought. He is more more lean and nimble, too. Hunt catches the ball very, very well. If it all works out, Hunt is going to be a complete running back, not just a third-and-1 ballcarrier.
As reported by Adam Schefter on NFL.com, the Darwin Walker trade is not yet complete. Walker has not yet reported to the Bills, and has made it clear he will not do so until he receives a new contract. Should Walker not report to Buffalo, he would again become property of the Eagles, who would send a sixth-round draft pick, in addition to the seventh-round draft pick in 2008 to complete the deal that netted the Eagles linebacker Takeo Spikes and quarterback Kelly Holcomb.
"We knew that was a possibility and we talked to Buffalo about it (at the time of the trade in March). We were up front about it," said Heckert. "They knew that was a possibility as well. There are things in the trade agreement that if Darwin doesn't show up and reverts back to us, then he is back to our property and we would see what happens there."
More interesting comments from Heckert, who is so optimistic about this football team. On Donovan McNabb's recovery, Heckert said: "He's been doing great. We're not going to push the issue with him. He has been throwing with our receivers and he has been working out really well. Donovan is right on track and he is looking great."
On defensive tackle Montae Reagor, who missed the post-draft camp with a knee injury, Heckert said: "It is a wait-and-see thing. Hopefully, he will be ready next week (when a full-team OTA begins) and if not, he'll be ready for the next week. It is nothing we are concerned about."
On strong safety Sean Considine, whom some Eagles fans have questioned in this off-season, Heckert said: "Sean Considine is going to be a really good football player. He played very well for us last year. It was his first year of playing for us ... he is a super-intelligent guy. He had chances to make plays on the ball and he didn't (last year), but that is going to come. I thought he played extremely well. He has had a great off-season. He is 215 pounds. He looks great out there."
The Eagles are not interested in adding a veteran safety. They like their threesome of Brian Dawkins, Considine and Quintin Mikell, and C.J. Gaddis and Marcus Paschal and Chris Smith are going to battle for the fourth spot.
Omar Gaither is up to 235 pounds after playing last season at about 228 pounds.
Takeo Spikes? From what the coaches and scouts have said to me, he is moving like he did before his Achilles tendon injury. If he doesn't have any setbacks, he could have an absolutely enormous impact on this defense and this locker room.
Got this one from Heckert about wide receiver Jason Avant, about whom I have raved for a year now: "I think Jason is going to be a heck of a football player. He was a guy we had high expectations for last year and obviously he got hurt early in camp (knee) and didn't have a chance to get on the field much, but I think that is going to change a little bit this year."
Who is the next young Eagle to gain a long-term contract? Your guess is as good as mine. The Eagles have a modest amount of money available this year, and then they have a healthy amount next year. There are some significant veterans on one-year deals, so maybe that will be more of the focus in the months ahead. I truly don't know.
The more I see Tank Daniels, the more I think he can play here at SAM or in the middle. He is a player, and at the very least I think he will have an impact on special teams this season.
Tommy, I got an invite from Bear about going to the VFW breakfast bufffet saturday morning. Its in Adamstown, which by your geography is right next to Reading. I might end up going, the whole bit. You're never as good as you think you are when you win, never as bad as you think when you lose.
Post a Comment