TrueHoop ran through every possession Lebron had versus the Spurs this year, and you might be surprised. Check out the whole article here, it's worth the read. Summarized a bit below:
The main point is that when LeBron James got the ball against San Antonio's defense, the Cavaliers managed to get a good shot an alarming percentage of theInteresting stuff. Not that it necessarily means that much, but you can read the play-by-play for the games here and here.time. There were a smattering of offensive fouls, certainly. And a couple of times James forced a pass that was picked off.
I watched 50 possessions, between the two games. Eight times (nine if you count a pretty amazing Tim Duncan block of Anderson Varejao) the Spurs forced the Cavaliers into a turnover, an offensive foul, or a truly difficult shot.
Trusting my observations, that means the Cavaliers had good looks 84% of the time. Seems like a high number against any team, but especially San Antonio.
Those 42 times San Antonio was not successful? The Cavaliers either:
- Scored.
- Got fouled.
- Scored and got fouled.
- Missed easy shots (which they do sometimes).
I have a feeling what happens with those easy shots will decide the 2006-2007 NBA champion.
NBA.com's John Schuhmann, in detail, breaks down the defensive efforts of the Cavaliers.
YaySports! decries the claims that Detroit was ever a dynasty.
Speculation on what the Pistons will do to re-contend in future years.
From what I can find, most places don't think the Cavs can pull it off. Sportsline, ESPN, AOL, etc. In fact, AOL has a thing where you can rank the MVP candidates. #1-#4. The Cavaliers' representation: Lebron James, vs. Ginobli, Duncan, and Parker. Guess they're not giving Drew Gooden much of a chance.
And a blogger recounts his encounter with Lebron's entourage years ago.