Cleveland Coronation
Jitters. Calls. LeBron. Size. Homecourt.
That's how Game 2 of the Wiz and Cavs were decided.
The entire Washington team has jitters from the offset. It's the only way I can explain how a team who ranks in the Top Ten in free throw shooting did so poorly from the line tonight.
And as if on cue, the missed free throws, combined with the early shaky shooting, appeared to give the refs enough of an excuse to not give the Wizards the benefit of the doubt on a number of questionable calls. The game was essentially determined when Haywood received a Flagrant Two for his hard foul on James. The message? "Knock LeBron down and we'll kicking you out." And if you don't think James did his part to influence the refs, than you don't know basketball.
LeBron James is the only player the Wizards can't guard straight-up. Double-teaming him leaves his shaky cast open, but the team has enough shooter to still make teams pay. And now, the refs have basically taking away the hard foul from the Wizards' list of options. In other words: unless the refs lighten up in when the series moves to the Verizon Center, James has become untouchable.
There was a sequence between the end of the 2nd Quarter and the middle of the 3rd Quarter where Cleveland just went big. The Wizards just simply couldn't match-up (James and Delonte West were the Cavs backcourt versus Arenas and Daniels for the Wiz) and honestly didn't look prepared to deal with it.
It's no secret that bench players play better at home. At the fact that this is a playoff series, and you get a 7th or 8th Man who becomes Scottie Pippen. But as the Wizards are learning, a true test of your bench is how they preform on the road.
Sure there were other factors (bad rotations, missed boards) but those five things stuck out to me.
That's how Game 2 of the Wiz and Cavs were decided.
The entire Washington team has jitters from the offset. It's the only way I can explain how a team who ranks in the Top Ten in free throw shooting did so poorly from the line tonight.
And as if on cue, the missed free throws, combined with the early shaky shooting, appeared to give the refs enough of an excuse to not give the Wizards the benefit of the doubt on a number of questionable calls. The game was essentially determined when Haywood received a Flagrant Two for his hard foul on James. The message? "Knock LeBron down and we'll kicking you out." And if you don't think James did his part to influence the refs, than you don't know basketball.
LeBron James is the only player the Wizards can't guard straight-up. Double-teaming him leaves his shaky cast open, but the team has enough shooter to still make teams pay. And now, the refs have basically taking away the hard foul from the Wizards' list of options. In other words: unless the refs lighten up in when the series moves to the Verizon Center, James has become untouchable.
There was a sequence between the end of the 2nd Quarter and the middle of the 3rd Quarter where Cleveland just went big. The Wizards just simply couldn't match-up (James and Delonte West were the Cavs backcourt versus Arenas and Daniels for the Wiz) and honestly didn't look prepared to deal with it.
It's no secret that bench players play better at home. At the fact that this is a playoff series, and you get a 7th or 8th Man who becomes Scottie Pippen. But as the Wizards are learning, a true test of your bench is how they preform on the road.
Sure there were other factors (bad rotations, missed boards) but those five things stuck out to me.
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