Cavs lose 6 of their last 8 games

[slamtheking]

If IT isn't good to go when he returns they are cooked. Pretty crazy to think they're entire season hinges on someone coming off a hip injury.

IT4 gonna get cooked on the defensive end. Expose this fraud and you're all set.

I absolutely love Isaiah, but Kyrie will take him to school one on one, when be doesn't have Avery, Marcus,  and Al to cover for him.

Crowder, Smith, and Thompson just isn't q
quite the same.

Yeah, I'm pretty excited for the mismatch opportunities that Brad can exploit. If you think Washington took advantage of IT's size, just wait until Brad gets a chance to exploit that matchup with even bigger guards like Brown and Smart or more offensively dynamic guards like Kyrie and Rozier.

Yeah. Who the heck is IT going to guard on this Celtic starting lineup?

I'm looking forward to seeing that as well.  Kyrie and Brown will just go right over him.  Smart will bulldoze him.  Rozier will fly by and over him.   
IT's best hope is to guard Marcus and hope Smart tries to bomb away from outside.

[Tr1boy]

Lebron is sending the cavs to the ground

Just focus on playing ball Lebaby not trying to run the team

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/21202063/cleveland-cavaliers-not-concerned-several-recent-losses

i like it, i love it i want some more of it! KEEP LOSING CAVS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BudweiserCeltic]

Seems like every year we get concerned that the Cavs are losing... then the playoffs come.

[colincb]

Oldest team in the league by far, the Cavs have the worst defensive rating in the NBA vs a weak schedule so far.

[Moranis]

If IT isn't good to go when he returns they are cooked. Pretty crazy to think they're entire season hinges on someone coming off a hip injury.

IT4 gonna get cooked on the defensive end. Expose this fraud and you're all set.

I absolutely love Isaiah, but Kyrie will take him to school one on one, when be doesn't have Avery, Marcus,  and Al to cover for him.

Crowder, Smith, and Thompson just isn't q
quite the same.

Yeah, I'm pretty excited for the mismatch opportunities that Brad can exploit. If you think Washington took advantage of IT's size, just wait until Brad gets a chance to exploit that matchup with even bigger guards like Brown and Smart or more offensively dynamic guards like Kyrie and Rozier.

Yeah. Who the heck is IT going to guard on this Celtic starting lineup?

I'm looking forward to seeing that as well.  Kyrie and Brown will just go right over him.  Smart will bulldoze him.  Rozier will fly by and over him.   
IT's best hope is to guard Marcus and hope Smart tries to bomb away from outside.

the thing is, Boston has no one that can guard IT either, especially since you can't double team him like teams could do last year. 

[Green-18]

Seems like every year we get concerned that the Cavs are losing... then the playoffs come.

The Warriors are the reason why things are different this year.  Not only are the Cavs old but their best/longest tenured players know that they can't win a title.  They gave it a shot last season and weren't even close.  An old team like the Cavs is nothing without true faith in their ability to win at the highest level.  I don't believe that they can remain motivated to get better everyday.  As I mentioned earlier, they could still make the Finals if IT is 100%.  His return should give them an added boost and something to rally around against equal/inferior competition. 

LeBron isn't the type of leader to demand the best out of his teammates.  He will just shrug his shoulders and put forth his best individual effort if they make it to the Finals.  However, once things start to sour he will give up on the defensive end.  His finals stats will probably be 30/10/8 on 55% shooting.  Then he will give the same old speech about his numbers like he did when Miami lost to the Spurs.

[Erik]

If IT isn't good to go when he returns they are cooked. Pretty crazy to think they're entire season hinges on someone coming off a hip injury.

IT4 gonna get cooked on the defensive end. Expose this fraud and you're all set.

I absolutely love Isaiah, but Kyrie will take him to school one on one, when be doesn't have Avery, Marcus,  and Al to cover for him.

Crowder, Smith, and Thompson just isn't q
quite the same.

Yeah, I'm pretty excited for the mismatch opportunities that Brad can exploit. If you think Washington took advantage of IT's size, just wait until Brad gets a chance to exploit that matchup with even bigger guards like Brown and Smart or more offensively dynamic guards like Kyrie and Rozier.

Yeah. Who the heck is IT going to guard on this Celtic starting lineup?

I'm looking forward to seeing that as well.  Kyrie and Brown will just go right over him.  Smart will bulldoze him.  Rozier will fly by and over him.   
IT's best hope is to guard Marcus and hope Smart tries to bomb away from outside.

the thing is, Boston has no one that can guard IT either, especially since you can't double team him like teams could do last year.

We have a lot of skilled defenders at all positions: smart, brown, ojeleye, horford, god even Kyrie, so no matter who sets the pick, we can switch, trap, etc.

[Moranis]

If IT isn't good to go when he returns they are cooked. Pretty crazy to think they're entire season hinges on someone coming off a hip injury.

IT4 gonna get cooked on the defensive end. Expose this fraud and you're all set.

I absolutely love Isaiah, but Kyrie will take him to school one on one, when be doesn't have Avery, Marcus,  and Al to cover for him.

Crowder, Smith, and Thompson just isn't q
quite the same.

Yeah, I'm pretty excited for the mismatch opportunities that Brad can exploit. If you think Washington took advantage of IT's size, just wait until Brad gets a chance to exploit that matchup with even bigger guards like Brown and Smart or more offensively dynamic guards like Kyrie and Rozier.

Yeah. Who the heck is IT going to guard on this Celtic starting lineup?

I'm looking forward to seeing that as well.  Kyrie and Brown will just go right over him.  Smart will bulldoze him.  Rozier will fly by and over him.   
IT's best hope is to guard Marcus and hope Smart tries to bomb away from outside.

the thing is, Boston has no one that can guard IT either, especially since you can't double team him like teams could do last year.

We have a lot of skilled defenders at all positions: smart, brown, ojeleye, horford, god even Kyrie, so no matter who sets the pick, we can switch, trap, etc.

none of those players can guard Thomas, not even Smart.  You can't just focus on one end of the floor and not look at the other end.  Sure Thomas can't guard Irving, but Irving can't guard Thomas either.

[jpotter33]

If IT isn't good to go when he returns they are cooked. Pretty crazy to think they're entire season hinges on someone coming off a hip injury.

IT4 gonna get cooked on the defensive end. Expose this fraud and you're all set.

I absolutely love Isaiah, but Kyrie will take him to school one on one, when be doesn't have Avery, Marcus,  and Al to cover for him.

Crowder, Smith, and Thompson just isn't q
quite the same.

Yeah, I'm pretty excited for the mismatch opportunities that Brad can exploit. If you think Washington took advantage of IT's size, just wait until Brad gets a chance to exploit that matchup with even bigger guards like Brown and Smart or more offensively dynamic guards like Kyrie and Rozier.

Yeah. Who the heck is IT going to guard on this Celtic starting lineup?

I'm looking forward to seeing that as well.  Kyrie and Brown will just go right over him.  Smart will bulldoze him.  Rozier will fly by and over him.   
IT's best hope is to guard Marcus and hope Smart tries to bomb away from outside.

the thing is, Boston has no one that can guard IT either, especially since you can't double team him like teams could do last year.

A) Smart and Brown will certainly be able to hold their own against IT. You don't have to stop him, just make it more difficult for him, which both of those guys can do with their size and length;
B) IT will not be anywhere close to 100% or fully acclimated into this team this year (and I expect him to leave this summer anyways);
C) The difference with IT is that he's both a bad defender AND a huge mismatch due to his diminutive size. We literally don't have anyone that can be picked on like IT was last year, which is the point of this whole conversation.

[jpotter33]

If IT isn't good to go when he returns they are cooked. Pretty crazy to think they're entire season hinges on someone coming off a hip injury.

IT4 gonna get cooked on the defensive end. Expose this fraud and you're all set.

I absolutely love Isaiah, but Kyrie will take him to school one on one, when be doesn't have Avery, Marcus,  and Al to cover for him.

Crowder, Smith, and Thompson just isn't q
quite the same.

Yeah, I'm pretty excited for the mismatch opportunities that Brad can exploit. If you think Washington took advantage of IT's size, just wait until Brad gets a chance to exploit that matchup with even bigger guards like Brown and Smart or more offensively dynamic guards like Kyrie and Rozier.

Yeah. Who the heck is IT going to guard on this Celtic starting lineup?

I'm looking forward to seeing that as well.  Kyrie and Brown will just go right over him.  Smart will bulldoze him.  Rozier will fly by and over him.   
IT's best hope is to guard Marcus and hope Smart tries to bomb away from outside.

the thing is, Boston has no one that can guard IT either, especially since you can't double team him like teams could do last year.

We have a lot of skilled defenders at all positions: smart, brown, ojeleye, horford, god even Kyrie, so no matter who sets the pick, we can switch, trap, etc.

none of those players can guard Thomas, not even Smart.  You can't just focus on one end of the floor and not look at the other end.  Sure Thomas can't guard Irving, but Irving can't guard Thomas either.

Smart absolutely can guard IT, and Brown will give him fits, too. Remember how much IT has struggled in the past with lengthy defenders like Shumpert and Livingston on him?

Besides, you're missing the entire point with this discussion. It's not about bad defenders; it's about IT's size creating significant mismatches that there's just nothing that they can do about. That's not something we have to worry about anymore.

[slamtheking]

If IT isn't good to go when he returns they are cooked. Pretty crazy to think they're entire season hinges on someone coming off a hip injury.

IT4 gonna get cooked on the defensive end. Expose this fraud and you're all set.

I absolutely love Isaiah, but Kyrie will take him to school one on one, when be doesn't have Avery, Marcus,  and Al to cover for him.

Crowder, Smith, and Thompson just isn't q
quite the same.

Yeah, I'm pretty excited for the mismatch opportunities that Brad can exploit. If you think Washington took advantage of IT's size, just wait until Brad gets a chance to exploit that matchup with even bigger guards like Brown and Smart or more offensively dynamic guards like Kyrie and Rozier.

Yeah. Who the heck is IT going to guard on this Celtic starting lineup?

I'm looking forward to seeing that as well.  Kyrie and Brown will just go right over him.  Smart will bulldoze him.  Rozier will fly by and over him.   
IT's best hope is to guard Marcus and hope Smart tries to bomb away from outside.

the thing is, Boston has no one that can guard IT either, especially since you can't double team him like teams could do last year.

We have a lot of skilled defenders at all positions: smart, brown, ojeleye, horford, god even Kyrie, so no matter who sets the pick, we can switch, trap, etc.

none of those players can guard Thomas, not even Smart.  You can't just focus on one end of the floor and not look at the other end.  Sure Thomas can't guard Irving, but Irving can't guard Thomas either.

Smart absolutely can guard IT, and Brown will give him fits, too. Remember how much IT has struggled in the past with lengthy defenders like Shumpert and Livingston on him?

Besides, you're missing the entire point with this discussion. It's not about bad defenders; it's about IT's size creating significant mismatches that there's just nothing that they can do about. That's not something we have to worry about anymore.

exactly.  watching IT in the playoffs has exposed how the better teams can close him down on offense.    we have lengthy, athletic guards that can bother his shot.  not to mention we've got solid defenders at all positions so the C's should be able to impact IT's offensive capabilities. 

this won't just impact his shooting but his passing as well.  how many times did IT have to jump or contort himself to make a pass over or by his defender the past couple of years?  more than a normal-sized PG would have to.  Just watching Kyrie this year has been a joy having a PG not have to go through that physical limitation to score or pass.

[SHAQATTACK]

I wonder if Lebron and the " Over the Hill Gang ". .....think they can beat John Wall and the Wizards at Washington 's home court.  Beal and Wall are chomping at the bit to slay that team.
without Thompson too....he seemed pretty crippled up.   

IT save us ! 
This should be a fun game to watch . 

[Moranis]

If IT isn't good to go when he returns they are cooked. Pretty crazy to think they're entire season hinges on someone coming off a hip injury.

IT4 gonna get cooked on the defensive end. Expose this fraud and you're all set.

I absolutely love Isaiah, but Kyrie will take him to school one on one, when be doesn't have Avery, Marcus,  and Al to cover for him.

Crowder, Smith, and Thompson just isn't q
quite the same.

Yeah, I'm pretty excited for the mismatch opportunities that Brad can exploit. If you think Washington took advantage of IT's size, just wait until Brad gets a chance to exploit that matchup with even bigger guards like Brown and Smart or more offensively dynamic guards like Kyrie and Rozier.

Yeah. Who the heck is IT going to guard on this Celtic starting lineup?

I'm looking forward to seeing that as well.  Kyrie and Brown will just go right over him.  Smart will bulldoze him.  Rozier will fly by and over him.   
IT's best hope is to guard Marcus and hope Smart tries to bomb away from outside.

the thing is, Boston has no one that can guard IT either, especially since you can't double team him like teams could do last year.

We have a lot of skilled defenders at all positions: smart, brown, ojeleye, horford, god even Kyrie, so no matter who sets the pick, we can switch, trap, etc.

none of those players can guard Thomas, not even Smart.  You can't just focus on one end of the floor and not look at the other end.  Sure Thomas can't guard Irving, but Irving can't guard Thomas either.

Smart absolutely can guard IT, and Brown will give him fits, too. Remember how much IT has struggled in the past with lengthy defenders like Shumpert and Livingston on him?

Besides, you're missing the entire point with this discussion. It's not about bad defenders; it's about IT's size creating significant mismatches that there's just nothing that they can do about. That's not something we have to worry about anymore.

exactly.  watching IT in the playoffs has exposed how the better teams can close him down on offense.    we have lengthy, athletic guards that can bother his shot.  not to mention we've got solid defenders at all positions so the C's should be able to impact IT's offensive capabilities. 

this won't just impact his shooting but his passing as well.  how many times did IT have to jump or contort himself to make a pass over or by his defender the past couple of years?  more than a normal-sized PG would have to.  Just watching Kyrie this year has been a joy having a PG not have to go through that physical limitation to score or pass.

watching him in the playoffs where Al Horford and Avery Bradley are the 2nd and 3rd offensive options, is no where near the same thing as watching him in the playoffs where he isn't even the 1st option and the 3rd option is far better than Horford or Bradley. 

[droopdog7]

Seems like every year we get concerned that the Cavs are losing... then the playoffs come.

The Warriors are the reason why things are different this year.  Not only are the Cavs old but their best/longest tenured players know that they can't win a title.  They gave it a shot last season and weren't even close.  An old team like the Cavs is nothing without true faith in their ability to win at the highest level.  I don't believe that they can remain motivated to get better everyday.  As I mentioned earlier, they could still make the Finals if IT is 100%.  His return should give them an added boost and something to rally around against equal/inferior competition. 

LeBron isn't the type of leader to demand the best out of his teammates. He will just shrug his shoulders and put forth his best individual effort if they make it to the Finals.  However, once things start to sour he will give up on the defensive end.  His finals stats will probably be 30/10/8 on 55% shooting.  Then he will give the same old speech about his numbers like he did when Miami lost to the Spurs.

Come on man.  Dude's led his team to the finals like, seven years in a row.  Let's not invent things.