Lackluster Ends in L
By Cody Norman
Two words: Absolutely ridiculous.
I’m tired of writing these games up. They are less fun to write than they are to read. I guarantee that. And, to be honest, if the Cavaliers aren’t going to go out every night and give 110% then why the heck should I?
And I got criticized (by my own brother!) last time for being a hater and being a little harsh with the way I worded the Game 4 beat down that Cleveland was handed. So let’s do it this way – if you missed the game and want my take on how poor Cleveland played, see the write-up(s) below. Otherwise, let’s talk about the good things I saw on Tuesday night.
(Warning: This is going to be real short)
After a few games of average basketball, Shaquille O’Neal came out on Tuesday night and completely dominated Boston’s frontline. He was 7-of-11 from the floor – granted, most of them were easy dunks – and more impressively, he was 7-of-10 from the charity stripe. Shaq stepped his game up on the defensive end of the floor and swatted four shots in the second half to try to give the Cavs that extra push. It just didn’t work.
Anthony Parker played a heck of a basketball game as well. He knocked down 5-of-9 field goals for 14 points while continuing to play solid defense. He knocked down a couple three point attempts and attacked the rim when Boston took away his jump shot. Aside from Shaquille O’Neal, AP was Cleveland’s best player on the floor on Tuesday night – and that includes LeBron James.
And that’s all she wrote. Other than those two guys, I can’t say a whole lot about of the Cavaliers. 17 turnovers. Lost the rebounding game by a margin of 41-31. And 55% shooting the basketball by the Boston Celtics – and it’s not because they hit tough shots. Nothing more to say.
Got to have Game 6 on Thursday night – plain and simple. Let’s see what we’re made of.