 VS 
Cleveland Cavs vs Boston Celtics LeBron James swished a few uncontested 20-foot jump shots. He made layups, finger rolls, 3-pointers and free throws - a few left-handed. He even worked on a few trick shots in a friendly game of "P-I-G" On Friday, James hardly missed. It's so easy when the Boston Celtics aren't around. Cleveland's superstar looked relaxed and upbeat on Friday as he and the Cavaliers, down 0-2 in the Eastern Conference semifinals, studied film and shot around while trying to figure out how to solve Boston's boa-constricting defense.Over the first two games, James shot 19 percent (8-of-42) from the field. The All-Star forward committed twice as many turnovers (17) as he had field goals (8). He's 0-for-10 on 3-pointers, and his 16.5 points per game average is 13.5 lower than his league-leading mark during the regular season.
"He has looked confused, frustrated and overwhelmed."I don't think he's ever had two games like this," teammate Wally Szczerbiak. "But the poor guy's got so much on his shoulders. He's got to carry the weight of the team, the weight of the offense, and he's got everyone pointing fingers at him and trying to stop him." The Cavaliers may be without starting forward Ben Wallace for Saturday night's Game 3. He's listed as doubtful because of allergies and a left inner ear infection, which made him dizzy and limited him to just four minutes in Game 2. Anderson Varejao will start if Wallace can't play. According to Elias Sports Bureau, James' two-game shooting percentage is also the lowest in the shot-clock era in the NBA playoffs among players who attempted at least 40 shots over any two consecutive games in one postseason. But despite the statistical ugliness, the Cavaliers remain confident that James, who got off to a similarly slow start in last year's conference finals against Detroit, will regain his shooting touch at home. James is missing shots that he normally makes, and the Cavs feel it's only a matter of time that the rim widens for the 23-year-old. "I've seen him hit some of those shots time and time again," Cleveland coach Mike Brown said. "We went through and watched the tape (of Game 2) twice. He had a handful of looks that were not open, but wide open. He's going to have to keep shooting that thing. I believe in him. The team believes in him and when that shot goes in, it's going to loosen everything else up for him the rest of the way." Brown wants James to be remain aggressive. Like San Antonio did in last year's NBA finals, Boston is making it tough for James to breathe let alone get to the basket. The league's best defensive team during the regular season has confounded James with an assortment of defensive looks. James was not available for interviews following the Cavs' workout. He came in early for some extra shooting practice, and after watching film, he shot for fun with Amanda Mercado, the team's communications director, in a game of "P-I-G." She had him tied at "P." Analysis Now it's a king's time to answer to critics. It's not the first time really. I remember a lot of situations when he was criticized after poor games in Detroit but he always was good in Cleveland and I expect him and his team to show character. They were downed by public in Boston but this game will be played in Cleveland. I hardly see poor offensive game from Cleveland. They had a lot of open looks, easy layups and other kind of shots they missed in Boston. At home it should be another story. Looking at the results of first 2 games first mind I've catched in my head is that this is very low tempo game with 20-24 seconds per possession but IT'S NOT. 195-205 possessions per game it is an average number. Cleveland still trying to run early offense for Lebron but he was missing his shots. That's all. Cavs missed toooo much shots they usualy make. I think that today we can be shocked with total because it is really no so low-score series like first games showed. Boston away from home can play in another style and today they will play in more offensive style because today Cavs would not shoot with 35-36% from the field. Boston will be forced to score points to stay in the game but I am not sure if this will enough for them. At home Lebron is unstoppable and I expect him to lead his team to their first win in these series. Prediction: Cleveland Cavs 93 - 89 Boston Celtics Pick: Over 175 @ 1.79 (2*) PinnacleSports
Pick: Cleveland to win @ 1.78 (1*) PinnacleSports
Pick: Lebron over 28.5 pts @ 1.95 (1*) Bwin
New articles on this topic:
Older articles on this topic: |
Free Picks 
