Cramer: Cavs Venting

You probably saw it. The Cavs got absolutely DEMOLISHED on their home court. Don't look at the final score as an indication of how this game went. Boston dominated from the opening tip, and they didn't give in until they had the game well in hand.

So what's the problem? Is it LeBron's elbow? Is it Mike Brown's terrible coaching? Is it Mo Williams' inability to perform in the playoffs? All of these are reasons that Cavs fans will likely give for this loss, but if you look closer, there's a bigger reason.

During the regular season, the series was tied 2-2 between these two Eastern powers. In the first game, Boston went down early, but came back to beat Cleveland in CLE. Granted, that was the first game of the season, but Boston looked better.

So Cleveland counters with a trade for Antawn Jamison. Game 2 between these two teams happened in Boston. Boston went up big, but Cleveland had a huge second half run, and won by 20 points. Most of the run took place in the final quarter and a half (much like game 1). Take a closer look at that game, and you'll see that Paul Pierce didn't even play. So Cleveland was able to beat a depleted Boston team, yes. However, they easily could have lost that game had Boston played a 48 minute game.

Game 3: This is the only game between these two teams that indicated that the Cavs were a better team. They won it like a playoff team should. They scrapped, played good defense, and eventually pulled out an 11 point victory. LeBron got his 31 8 and 7, 'Tawn got his 15 and 8, and it was smooth sailing, until...

Game 4: Boston dominated Cleveland in this one. Up 15 at half, and 17 at the end of the 3rd, Boston stopped playing in the fourth, and allowed LeBron to bring the Cavs within striking distance. In the end, though the Cavs came all the way back, Boston STILL won.

So what's the conclusion here? Boston is a better team than the Cavs! They dominated most of game 1, and crushed them in game 2. Boston will win this series, and LeBron will leave Cleveland. The curse of Cleveland won't be the reason, however... it will be because the Cavs just aren't good enough. If it's because Mike Brown's an awful coach, so be it. But the fact remains. Celtics in 6.