Playoff Live Thread, ECF Game 2: Cavs @ Celtics
2018-05-15
Game two isn’t a must win; it’s a “man they really ought to win” if they want to come out ahead in this series. So the Cavs look to bounce back from possibly their worst game of the season (especially given the stakes). Fortunately, the Cavs aren’t playing on Sunday afternoon, where they tend to snooze like they’re watching the third straight hour golf tournament.
The Cavs plan to start Tristan Thompson at the five, and move Korver to the Bench. We’ll see if the Celtics counter with Baynes, but the Cavs should match Horford with Thompson all night. Hopefully, we’ll see some rotation minutes for Cedi instead of the painfully obtuse Jordan Clarkson.
Hopefully the Cavs hit the boards tonight, after getting outrebounded 48-40. Also key, getting to the shooters. Cleveland just left too many guys wide open in Game 1 (I’m looking at you, LeBron).
Also on deck, the draft lottery, where Nick Gilbert (bowtie made out of the Cavs’ championship floor pictured above) tries to play Leprauchan again, and get the Cavs into the top three. Prediction? Second pick, and a 109-105 Cavalier victory.
Well, the Celtics know who to leave open.
LBJ vs the Celtics just won work all night. Someone needs to help.
Won’t*
THAT WAS A WALK ON SMART!!! NO CALL!
Bron falling in love with the jumper.
Wow. That was an awful no call on the jump ball/travel
Not much sustainable about this lead. Need a STRONG Q2 start
LNJ IS IN GOOD CHOICE LUE!
Smart looked an awful lot like he took an extra step.
Should have been jump ball
After replay, should’ve been at least jump ball…. or a walk.
Nance!
It will take great energy to beat this young Celtics team. Can’t continue to leave their hot hand (Brown) wide open.
If Lue had any chops he’d put Cedi in for a few minutes just to get in Browns grill. Pick him up full court and mess his rhythm up. JR is doing nothing anyway.
lebron going supernova and we’re only up by 5
LBJ being all world but not much else going well. Hope someone else can step up.
Cavs should be up by way more than five, but the d has been abysmal.
JR not good on both sides of the floor. KLove just has to make those bunnies. Still bad guarding threes, but LeBron just in fire.
Cedi in for JR please.
No reason to double anyone on Celtics and force wide open shots…play man to man
I’m afraid LeBron is going to shoot 20 threes tonight.
A joke to let someone like Brown have literally all day to aim that three…no one within 15 fet of him, and all day…
Not seeing any improvement on D…
Nope :(
TT controlling Horford
JR jyst checked out
Just that is
RIGHT IN SMART’S EYE!!!
HOW THE BLEEP DO YOU LEAVE THE HOTTEST GUY IN THE BUILDING WIDE OPEN!?
Oh, it’s LeBron’s guy and it’s the first quarter.
LBJ WITH THE FADEAWAY 3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Something that has been true for 15 years. When LeBron James is heading from three the game is over
Hitting
LeBron fouled on that last three try.
He’s on fire!!!!!
TAKE THAT
Who got lost on that PR? JR again?
Yup and LBJ told him so.
Jaylen Brown is smoking hot shooting right now…. KLOVE WITH THE DUNK THO!
Lebron will foul Morris out doing that…
There you, LeBron.
Love still on his dunk hunt!
This is worse than a Mike Brown offense
?
Someone gotta hold brown
HAHA. LeBounce!
Holy **** what happened to William Shatner.
Cavs not running much…I suppose running plays is too much to ask…
This series will be tight. Makes not showing up for game 1 even worse. You can’t give away games in the playoffs
Better start.
Boston Big Al is sure much better than Atlanta Big Al. James hits two from deep and misses two free throws. At least a better start
ROIDS
LOL!
He’s in the form of his life fo sho
Both teams trying to make home runs plays
Everything regresses to the mean. Enough said
LBJ FT carely makes the rim SMH.
barely
Awful pass by KLOVE but it didn’t matter. Hill with a nice drive!
Someone good will be there for the Cavs. My only wish? No Bamba, no Young.
Bridges?
Interesting to see what Atlanta does. Ayton not necessarily a great fit next to Collins.
Man, I miss DraftExpress.
Too bad ESPN basically bought Giviny out.
I don’t really like the LeBron feel out game 1 strategy. It’s not like Stevens isn’t going to continue to try new things in game and game to game
He will definitely be more aggressive tonight but I agree with you that it wasn’t just LeBron trying to get a feel for how they are going to defend him it was a combination of LBJ been too passive and the Celtics did a good job on him.
FWIW, the Kings finished with 27 wins. As did the Bulls. If we hadn’t lost to the Nets, they would have had…….27 wins.
That COULD have been our ping pong ball.
5% chance versus 2.8% or something like that. I wouldn’t lose sleep over it
I feel like we should leave our ideal lineup and see if things will be diff when everyone actually comes in to play ball for real, I have a feeling that’s what will happen tonight and wel win even with tt in lineup but more despite him rather than with his help
https://twitter.com/JasonLloydNBA/status/996547543344480256?s=20
Are these team representatives told to look as awkward as possible during the lottery?
It’s so ridiculous…it’s like, why are these people here?
Cavs will select 8th in the draft
Watch the Suns take take Ayton and him sucking. Tough I bet they take Doncic with Kokoskov as head coach.
I’m not sold on Ayton…I would take Jaren Jackson or Doncic if I had the pick…watch Doncic go first and the Kings grab Ayton…that would be hilarious…
Suns will take Doncic, guaranteed.
Dang. 8 it is. But Sacramento’s luck is bad for Boston next year, I think.
Well at least we didn’t get worse than 8th
And Boston didn’t move up!
Hope the Suns get the third pick. There were plenty of egregious tankers, but they were the worst.
Well, 8th. That sucks. That Nets loss hurt.
Porter, Bamba, Young, Carter, Bridges. Sexton.
I think that is our range. PG. Wing. Forward. Big.
8th. – as expected. Not bad
8th better than 9th. But dang. Wanted some magic.
Maybe the Magic will take Trae Young before the Cavs can…
God, I hope so.
this is boring
Yeah, it absolutely is. It’s ridiculous. Only reason I’m watching is to see where the Nets pick landed. I usually don’t watch a second of it.
Sacramento gets to ruin another NBA career!
Oh well, expected. Cavs shouldn’t have lost that game to the Nets.
Damn. 8th pick OK. We can work with that.
So Celtics probably end up with a top 5 pick next year?
Vivek will probably trade this year’s pick for the Clippers 12 and 13 and DeAndre Jordan and then draft 2 more crappy centers and sign Rodney Hood to the max, so the answer is yes.
Chalk is good so far, 14 through 10.
GO NETS PICK!!!
Here we go!
Oh boy. Significant day in many ways for the future of the franchise. Let’s GOOOO!!!
Ah well.