Cramer: Cavs "Down"date (as opposed to "Up", get it?)

Maybe LeBron's elbow is really badly hurt. Maybe something is wrong with his family. Maybe he has decided to leave Cleveland and the locker room knows it. Whatever the reason is for LeBron's less than stellar performance for all but one quarter during this series, I'm listening.

As a fan of the Cavs, and LeBron, I'd be willing to accept an apology from LeBron. If he came out and stated what the issue has been during this series, I'd give him a pardon. Sure, critics of LeBron would say that it shouldn't have affected him as much as it has, but as a fan, I'm open to anything at this point. But what I can't accept is his inability to step up for the first time in his life in what might very well be the most important 2-3 game stretch for any franchise in the history of sports.

LeBron owes it to his city, his teammates, his fans, and himself to show up for every playoff game... but he hasn't. Boston's defense is fantastic, but LeBron has seen it SO many times, and he has shredded it SO many times. I'm speechless. Even at the end of game 5, with his team trailing by 25 points, LeBron could be found in the corners watching the offense failing over and over again. I mean, at least try to shoot yourself out of the "funk" you're in so that you can be more effective for game 6. But, no. LeBron is playing this series like it is over, which it may be, but it is terribly disheartening.

I don't want to blame this all on LeBron. He has done so much for Cleveland, he has inspired me and many others in so many ways, but he deserves at least 90% of the blame if the Cavs do in fact lose this series. Let's look at who else needs to take a look in the mirror in the next two days:

Mo: Mo, please just run the offense. No heat checks. No trying to be Steve Nash. Just run the sets. Get LeBron the ball. Get 'Tawn the ball. Get in the corner. Make open threes. I've seen you do it ALL year, so what's the issue now? You're no longer the focal point like you were last year... the pressure's gone... just deliver me 3 3's next game. AND FOR THE LOVE OF GOD PLEASE AT LEAST TRY TO STAY IN FRONT OF RONDO.

Antawn: Antawn, stop shooting jumpers. Your jump shot percentage is not high enough for this level of playoff basketball. No wonder you've never had playoff success. Let LeBron put you in positions to succeed, but other than that, just concentrate on challenging Kevin Garnett for position in the low post. He's KILLING you there, and that's where the Cavs defense is starting to breakdown in the first and second quarters. Make him miss ONE FREAKIN' SHOT, and the game could go completely differently. Seriously.

Andy: Andy... I don't know if your back is hurting, but I don't care. Get me 4 offensive rebounds next game. Period. I'll support you until you retire, so please just do this for me.

AP: Anthony, you should never turn the ball over. You literally have one role: hit WIDE open threes. Stop dribbling, stop trying to make good passes. If you're not open, just give it up. Other than that, keep up the good defense.

Delonte: Give me the same performance you had in game 3. I've seen you do it so many times... do it 2 more times for me.

Mike Brown: look, you're an awful coach. I mean it, you're terrible. You clearly can't motivate this team anymore, and you oughta be fired even if the Cavs somehow win it all this year. For now though, do me a favor, make ONE in game adjustment per game. If we have one more game to watch this year, I'd like to see you change the game in a positive way ONCE during the game. That's all. Good luck elsewhere.

Lastly,

LeBron: LeBron... sack up. Seriously. Kobe does it. Michael did it. All the greats have done it. Play through whatever is going on, and get this team through this round. If you lose to Orlando, that's fine, they're good... but you're better than this Boston team and you know it. You knew it when you almost came back and beat them earlier this season, and you know it now. Stop shaking your head on the bench, stop looking at your watch during press conferences, and go out and win me a game. If you want to leave after this season, that's fine... as long as you deliver on what you promised you would: Deliver the Cavs a championship. I spend so much time following you and your team, and exert so much effort making sure I know everything about this team, please don't let me down. I feel like a ten year old on Christmas day not getting the present I want. You were a boy once, you know what that feels like. Go get me my present, or I promise I will nag you about it until next Christmas...

Alright, that's all I can stomach for now. I'm heartbroken. I know it's not over, but it is. LeBron's disinterested, as is everyone else on that roster. I may not watch Thursday, but I hope you all enjoy watching LeBron's last game in a Cavs uniform.

Peace.

Cramer: Cavs Update

Okay, once again, you all saw it. The Cavs absolutely DEMOLISHED the Celtics on their home court. Ha. When I'm wrong, I'm wrong. That being said, I would still feel the same way I did in my previous post if LeBron's elbow were as hurt as he made it seem in games 1 and 2.

This game was over from the second LeBron hit his first jump shot. I think the Celtics for some reason started to believe 'Bron wasn't going to be himself in this series, and as a result got complacent allowing him to beat them. Bad choice. LeBron went off in Detroit game 5 fashion, except he did it from the opening tip. Tough to beat the Cavs when the King has this kind of performance; add in the supporting cast, and you're in for a long night.

However, Cavs fans need to not get too far ahead of themselves. Look at the box score. The Cavs are a good team, heck, a great team... but 60% from the field is something that isn't going to hold up over a 7-game series against any team, let alone one of the better defensive teams in the league. Now look at the free-throws: 31-34?! We all know that can't and won't happen again for a team that shoots a measly 72% from the line. So take away 6 or 7 points on free throws, and another 10 on FGs, and you're looking at a completely different game.

I know this is hypothetical, and yes, I'm looking for reasons why the Cavs can't possibly do this in games 4 and 5 and close the Celtics out in the same amount of time as they did the Bulls, but this is not going to happen again. The Celtics are a veteran team, with a decent enough coach, and a defensive mindset. They didn't double hard on LeBron today, they let Mo Williams get into the paint, they shot 4-17 from three... the list goes on and on. The C's just were not ready to play game 3. They bought into the hype they got after dominating most of games 1 and 2, and they came out flatter than [enter joke here]. As I said before, the second LeBron started hitting jumpshots, the Celtics defensive gameplan was shot. They'll have a new one for game 4, and we should be in for a great game come Sunday.

Back to predictions. I've been wrong in a lot of my predictions so far this post-season. Please don't even look at what I said would happen in the Spurs-Suns series (I forgot Goran Dragic was on the Suns or I obviously would have taken the Suns in 4). If LeBron plays like this, it's over. In 5.

As a final point: Please understand that I am pessimistic about sports results among other things. My reaction following game 2 was a stereotypical Cleveland sports fan reaction, so I supposed I've been sucked into their vortex. Having said that, you may see more reactions like that in the coming weeks (especially against Orlando if the Cavs get there), but keep in mind that I truly believe this Cavs team is the best team in the league. They should win it all, but it remains to be seen whether or not they can put it all together on a nightly basis.

As a P.P.S... how about Goran Dragic?! Does anyone else think that performance may have been better than LeBron's game 5 at the palace?

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.

Cramer: 2nd Round Predictions

The first round of the NBA Playoffs is complete, and though we had some interesting games, all in all it was rather disappointing from a fan standpoint. Not much drama, and any time it looked like we might see something out of the ordinary, the better team buckled down and took the series (see: Lakers and Hawks).

Now we're into the second round. The cream is beginning to raise to the top, and we have some very exciting series to look forward to. Here's how I think each of them will play out:

#1 Cavs vs. #4 Celtics
I was at game 1 on Saturday night, and it was easily the best atmosphere I've ever been a part of at a sporting event. Anyone who says Cleveland sucks really ought to attend a Cavs playoff game sometime before LeBron James either retires or bolts. I guarantee you will view the city, and the people in the city differently. The only word I can use to describe it is "electric". That being said, the Cavs didn't look like the best team in the league, and the Celtics didn't look like the oldest team in the league (until the fourth quarter, perhaps). Cleveland came out flat, and Boston was exploiting Mo Williams' defense time and time again. If Mike Brown can continue to make the proper adjustments to shut down Rondo, then the Cavs will have no problem getting by Boston. However, having watched Mike Brown over the last few years, it's not a sure thing that he will do this. No one knows what's going on inside of that man's head, but oftentimes it takes him until the second half to make the correct defensive alterations. Boston looked good on offense and defense in the first half. Garnett looked like his oldself, absolutely abusing Antawn Jamison on both ends of the court. If he continues to play at the top of his game for 48 minutes, and if Rondo can control the game like he did early in game 1, then Boston will win. What's going to happen? LeBron James. He will get his team through this round if it kills him (or his elbow). He has the best supporting cast he is going to have in Cleveland, and this is his year. Mike Brown will eventually make the right moves, even if it means this series goes 6 or 7 games.
Prediction: Cavs in 6

#2 Magic vs. #3 Hawks
If the regular season match-up between these teams is any indication of what will happen in this series, then Orlando is going to move on rather easily. Atlanta is an athletic, talented team. However, their fourth quarter offense just isn't good enough to get passed this championship caliber team. I've seen a lot of Atlanta this year, and it's the same story over and over again. They play tough for 3 quarters, but then they get stagnant in the fourth, and score somewhere between 10-17 points (and lose). Not to mention, Atlanta is an absolutely awful road team for how good they are. Orlando has too much on both sides of the ball for Atlanta to win the series. Dwight Howard will dominate for the minutes he is in there, and Jameer Nelson will do the rest.
Prediction: Magic in 5


#1 Lakers vs. #4 Jazz
Is anyone else as upset as I am that we won't get to see Denver play the Lakers this year? This is an awful match-up for the Jazz, and it will show on the court. Utah has historically had trouble beating L.A., and the fact that the Lakers have such a length advantage, and Kobe Bryant, will make it hard for that trend to change. Utah played great in the first round, but they were up against a team without their coach, and with some banged up players. With AK47 and Okur, Utah would still lose; so the fact that they're out makes this one even more inevitable. Bynum and Gasol will dominate the inside, and Kobe and Fisher will make all the big shots necessary to win this one easily. Utah will win one on their homecourt, but that's all.
Prediction: Lakers in 5

#3 Suns vs. #7 Spurs
I don't like the Suns. I haven't liked them all year. They're not built for the playoffs, and they got lucky catching the injury depleted Blazers in the first round. A lot of experts have the Suns possibly making the finals, but I don't see it. San Antonio has everyone healthy (for the most part), and they were my pre-season pick to make the finals. I'm going to stick by that pick. Popovich will be able to slow down the tempo enough to turn this into a grind it out series, which the Spurs excel at. Tim Duncan and Ginobili are determined to prove that they're not too old to win. They'll get their chance to prove that in the next round against Los Angeles. This series should be a piece of cake.
Prediction: Spurs in 6 (not exactly a piece of cake... but I'm confident in my pick)

Cramer: NBA Playoffs... Where Amazing Happens

Cramer: West 1st Round Predictions

I know I'm a little late on this one, but I promise I made these picks prior to the first round beginning. Take a look at what I believe will transpire in the first round out West.

#1 Lakers vs. #8 Thunder
The Lakers have been struggling down the stretch, but there's really no cause for concern, especially not in the first round. OKC is a young team that is happy to be here, and LA is a veteran team that is looking to repeat. Durant and co. may steal a game or two, but they won't ever make this a series. Ron Artest will be able to frustrate Durant enough to get him off his game, and Westbrook won't be able to make up for the points Durant isn't going to score on a nightly basis. Also, the Lakers will dominate this one inside with Bynum back. No contest here.
Prediction: Lakers in 5

#2 Mavs vs. #7 Spurs
I have to be honest here. I was considering taking San Antonio in this one, but because they're down 1-0, I'm not going to. The Spurs have had some big wins in the last 25% of the season, but the Mavericks have way too much talent (and younger talent than the Spurs). Dirk is determined, and Tim Duncan may be a little bit too old to help this team advance in the playoffs. This will be a great series, but Dallas will win it in the end.
Prediction: Mavs in 7

#3 Suns vs. #6 Blazers
I could go with Portland here after their game 1 upset of Phoenix, but I'm not going to. The Suns have played great basketball for most of the season, and Portland had to play a near perfect game in game 1 just to beat them. I don't see Andre Miller scoring 31 every game (although he certainly will be able to exploit Nash's "defense"). Too much Stoudemire (playing in a contract season) and too much Nash will be the story here. Unless Brandon Roy makes it back in time for game 5 or 6, this one will be over.
Prediction: Suns in 6

#4 Nuggets vs. #5 Jazz
This series features the 2nd and 3rd best teams in the Western Conference. Each have had their troubles this season (whether it be illness or injury), but they are both looking to make a deep playoff run. However, with the loss of Okur, and Kirilenko's injury, Utah is too depleted to keep up the pace of the game played in the first 2. It's tied 1-1 now, but Denver should be able to pull this one out. No one on Utah (besides Kirilenko) can guard Carmelo for a 7-game series. For that reason. Denver will come out victorious.
Prediction: Nuggets in 6

Cramer: 1st Round Predictions

The regular season is finally over and it's time to start the playoffs. Some people complain about how long the first round takes, but this year there won't be much to complain about. With the vast depth of talent in the West, and the top heavy East, we're looking at a 1st round that could be one of the best of all times. Let's take a look at how I believe it is going to shape up:

1st Round: East

#1 Cavs vs. #8 Bulls
The Bulls snuck in the playoffs, but there's no reason to believe that this team isn't talented. When healthy, they were the 5th best team in the East. Now that they've gotten all of their players back from injury, they're looking to "shock the World" (in the words of Noah) in the first round. I don't see it happening, but that's not to say that it won't happen. The Cavs haven't played their rotation players all together in what feels like forever, and that could take a toll on them. If they lose game 1 (which they might while trying to reincorporate Shaq), then we may have a series. If not... don't change your plans to watch any of these games.
Prediction: Cavs in 5

#2 Magic vs. #7 Bobcats
This isn't the best match-up the 'Cats could have gotten in the first round, and I think it will show in this series. The Magic have been HOT since the all-star break, and don't show any signs of letting up. The Bobcats have the talent to hang around in some of these games, but I don't know that they can actually win any of them. If they can pull one out in Orlando, they may be able to pull off a massive upset, but they won't. They might get lucky and win one in front of Michael Jordan in Charlotte, but they won't.
Prediction: Magic in 4

#3 Hawks vs. #6 Bucks
With Bogut in the line-up, this may have been the series to watch in the East. The Hawks are a good young team, but they haven't exactly proven themselves in the playoffs yet (see: last year's whooping at the hands of the Cavs in the second round). However, the Bucks just don't have the team to match-up with Atlanta for 7 games. Jennings will come on ready to put on a show, as will John Salmons, but they'll be easily countered by Johnson, Smith, and Crawford. We may see a good series, but nothing surprising will come out of it.
Prediction: Hawks in 6

#4 Celtics vs. #5 Heat
The Celtics have had the Dwyane Wade's number this year, and it's unlikely that that will change here. However, I'm going to go against the odds. Dwyane Wade is out to prove he's as good as LeBron, and to do that he's got to win a play-off series on his own team (if not 3, see: LeBron takes Cavs to finals with Sasha Pavlovic and Eric Snow starting). The Celtics just aren't the same team they were 2 years ago. Wade will outduel whichever of the Celtics "stars" shows up on any given night, and for that reason they will pull off the upset here.
Prediction: Heat in 6


Check back later for the good part of the playoffs: The 1st round in the West. We have some amazing match-ups out there. Come see what I have to say about them.

Cramer: Apology

Sorry for the lack of posts. My computer has been shut down due to maintenance. Expect Zeus back shortly for the beginning of the NBA Playoffs and MLB Season!

Cramer: Final Four Preview (Part 2 of 2)

Yesterday we looked at Michigan State, and determined that it's boring to see a team in the final four that wasn't even the best team in their own conference (and by "we", I obviously mean "I told you"). Let's look at a similar situation, but this time let's look at the team from the Big East. Not only is the Big East much weaker than usual this year, but its success in the tournament this year is described solely by two words: "West Virginia". Every other team in the Big East underperformed in the eyes of many (though now those "many" might argue that they over- performed by even being allowed in the tournament).

West Virginia: The Mountaineers are the hardest team to talk about in a negative light. They've had very impressive tournament run, preceded by a Big East tournament crown in the bright lights of MSG. That being said, this team has some of the same qualities as Michigan State. They didn't have the best record in their own conference (Syracuse did, and SU beat West Virginia in Morgantown 72-81). WVU tied for second in their conference with two NCAA tourney underachievers: Villanova and Pittsburgh.

Additionally, the Mountaineers are going to get their starting PG back (unlike Sparty), but is there anyone who believes that Darryl Bryant can recover from a "broken foot" in under 2 weeks? Granted, Joe Mazzulla did a terrific job filling in for him against Kentucky. However, I wouldn't expect the defense of Duke to overlook him given their experienced players and coach.

Another important point against WVU is that everyone wanted to see Kentucky in the final four. John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Patrick Patterson, Drew (Eric) Bledsoe... these are future NBA lottery picks. Everyone likes to see future NBA stars play on the biggest stage in college basketball (isn't that part of the reason a lot of us are in favor of the one year in college rule?) If Kentucky and WVU played again, Kentucky would not go 4-32 from three, and West Virgina would likely not go 10-23 from three.

I know I'm being nit picky here, and a little bit biased because I wanted to see UK play KU in the finals (didn't everyone?), but I don't think WVU is nearly as good a team as Kentucky was (or could have been).

Conclusion: West Virgina is as deserving a final four team as there is, but they're not the team a lot of people wanted to see play here. A Duke vs. Kentucky match-up would have gotten terrific ratings, and probably would have been a pretty damn good game too. However, WVU will likely produce just as good a game with Duke, but the excitement heading into it won't be nearly as high. Finally, Syracuse was the best team in the Big East, and it's hard to root for a team to win it all if they can't win their regular season crown (but WVU did win the Big East tourney so they're not quite as unimpressive as the Michigan State squad).

Conclusion 2: Duke will play Butler for the national title, and Duke will win 67-62.

Cramer: Final Four Preview (Part 1 of 2)

As we draw closer and closer to the start of the NBA Playoffs and opening day in the MLB, there's still one major sporting event that needs to take place. Yeah, the Final Four. If any of you are like me... your bracket has officially been busted and you've lost all monetary interest in March Madness. Not only that, but if you have similar feelings to mine, you're not really all that interested in any of the teams in the final four.

Take a look at our four teams: Michigan State, Butler, West Virginia, and Duke. For the next two days I'm going to give you a preview for the two teams I believe will lose, and tell you why we shouldn't care about them:

Michigan State: this is the easiest one in the bunch. Michigan State finished tied atop the Big Ten standings at 14-4. However, they lost to Ohio State in East Lansing, 74-67. That being said, it's pretty safe to assume that Sparty wasn't even the best team in their own conference. Couple that with the fact that they're missing their best player, Kalin Lucas, and this Tom Izzo team becomes even less compelling. Finally, their road to the final four wasn't much to be proud of either:

1st round- Beat 12 seeded New Mexico State 70-67. This 12-5 match-up is usually one to keep an eye on, but given that Michigan State returned a good amount of talent from their runner-up team last year, they shouldn't have had such a close game in the first round.

2nd round- Beat 4 seeded Maryland 85-83. I didn't get to see a lot of this game because it wasn't aired in my area, but I did get to see the end. They lost Kalin Lucas, but got a huge shot from Korie Lucious to win at the buzzer. This was a good win, but once again: it shouldn't have been as close as it was.

3rd round- Beat 9 seeded Northern Iowa 59-52. Who cares? Northern Iowa got a round or two further than they should have by beating number one overall seed Kansas. If UNI and Kansas played 10 times, Kansas would have won 9 of those match-ups. It's hard to look at this win as a great one for the Spartans. MSU got some big shots again, but all evidence would
suggest that they would have lost to Kansas if the Jayhawks hadn't faltered a round earlier.

4th round- Beat 6 seeded Tennessee 70-69. Once again Michigan State got lucky and faced a lower seed than they should have. Georgetown and Ohio State are both better teams than Tennessee, but GTown lost to Ohio (similar situation to Kansas and Northern Iowa), and Ohio State didn't quite have their A game against the Men Vols (why do they call the Women's team the Lady Vols? Everyone knows they're probably better than the Men anyway). This game also could have gone either way.

Conclusion for MSU: Izzo's Crew didn't really play the toughest competition they could have on their road to the final four. That, and the fact that they're missing their best player, makes this 5 seeded team rather uninteresting.