Cavaliers Breakdown: Grading On A Curve

Championship rematches are always fun, and Thursday’s Cavs-Spurs game was no exception.

After getting swept by San Antonio in last year’s Finals, Cleveland played admirable defense, was staunch on the boards, and showed a little bit more creativity on offense on their way to a thrilling 90-88 victory on the defending champion’s home court.

Any road win in the NBA is a savory one, let alone a road win against the defending champs. Because of that, Cleveland’s overall grade for the game is a resounding A+. But let’s look specifically at each player’s performance and grade them individually.

Sorting out the students on honor roll from those on probation will give Danny Ferry an idea of exactly how he should tweak his roster if he wants the Cavs to be in the top class in the NBA school.

Anderson Varejao

Varejao was pure energy on the court. His command of the backboards (6 offensive rebounds, 8 defensive rebounds), his screens, and his timely rotations were the missing ingredients between Cleveland’s mediocre start to the season and their impressive win in San Antonio. Varejao also showed an increased ability to knock down baseline jumpers, and was effective in putting in a couple of reverse layups.

His defense on Duncan was only so-so, as he doesn’t have the strength to bump Duncan on his explosive drives and step-throughs.

Varejao also was lifted by a Manu Ginobli pump fake 22 feet from the basket, and at times, he tried to do too much on offense, turning it over whenever he tried to create his own shot.

Still, the activity Varejao provided on the glass wasn’t matched by San Antonio, and his consistent scoring (6-9 FG, 12 points) helped keep Cleveland’s offense moving.

Obviously he’s not the best player on Cleveland, but Varejao may be the most important one. B+

Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Ilgauskas (7-11 FG, 3-5 FT,  6 REB, 1 AST, 2 STL, 2 BLO, 2 TO, 17 PTS) had a tremendous first half when he was asked to be Cleveland’s go to scorer with LeBron on the bench.

Mid-range jumpers, baseline fadeaways from the right box, reverse-pivot fadeaways from the left box, right hooks, offensive put backs, you name it, Ilgauskas had it working. While he only tallied one assist, Big Z was patient enough to draw double teams then kick the ball back to the perimeter where ball movement found an open shooter.

Plus, Ilgauskas’ strength and bulk gave Tim Duncan problems all game long, especially when Ilgauskas defended Duncan on the left box. Ilgauskas’ size forced Tim Duncan to travel a step farther on his sweeping hooks, and Ilgauskas was strong enough to bump Duncan on his path as he tried to create shooting windows while traversing the low post.

Ilgauskas wasn’t as active on the boards as he normally is, getting beat by Duncan and Robert Horry a couple of times, and his offense virtually disappeared in the second half as San Antonio’s double teams became more precise.

The Cavs will need Ilgauskas to provide defense, rebounding, and some modicum of interior point producing if the Cavs have any hope of returning to the Finals. B+

LeBron James

LeBron had an inconsistent game (9-24 FG, 1-5 3FG, 8-12 FT, 9 REB, 7 AST, 2 BLO, 3 TO, 27 PTS), flashing bursts of amazing talent between bouts with painful mortality.

His much criticized jump shot has improved, but only marginally. He finished 6-17 for the game on his jumper, but missed his last six attempts allowing the Spurs to come back from a double digit deficit. Two of LeBron’s jumpers came over Ime Udoka, a decidedly worse defender than Bruce Bowen.

LeBron had several explosive drives. He was able to isolate Bruce Bowen and explode left along the baseline to draw a foul. He  caught San Antonio napping in early offense by executing a strong right handed dribble to the hoop for one layup, and from the top of the key, blew past Bowen with his left hand for yet another layup.

LeBron is as comfortable going left as he is going right and doesn’t need to make any twists or spins at the basket to create his own looks. He has such a rocket of a first step and such great elevation that by the time he gets to the basket, defenders have to react to his position on the floor instead of the other way around.

LeBron was unselfish and made a number of sharp passes, including one to Ilgauskas when LeBron was driving left at the free throw line and passed it right where Ilgauskas was waiting under the right box for a freebie layup.

A couple of LeBron’s assists came off simple screen/rolls, where LeBron would accept the screen, draw the defending big, then slip the ball to Ilgauskas or Varejao for baseline jumpers.

LeBron also made a pair of nice passes while driving along the right baseline; one on a kick out to Daniel Gibson on the top of the key who knocked down a triple, a second to Ilgauskas who missed the subsequent layup but had an easy opportunity to tip in his miss.

This isn’t to say that LeBron’s passing was immaculate. Twice, LeBron jumped up in the air to pass and got himself in trouble, with Manu Ginobli intercepting one of the passes.

Another time, LeBron force fed a pass to Anderson Varejao which was dissected and stolen by the Spurs. LeBron also shuffled his feet on a drive for his third turnover.

In fact, the best pass LeBron made was one that didn’t register as an assist. With 1:13 in the fourth and the Cavs down one, LeBron drove left, found Larry Hughes on the wing, who subsequently swung the ball to Gibson in the corner for a critical three pointer.

James’ defense was a step slow all game long, but he was able to recover enough to block a Tony Parker drive from behind, and again on a fast break. LeBron is no longer a defensive liability, but is still a tad slow with his lateral quickness to be any more than an average defender right now.

LeBron mostly caught the ball at a standstill and massaged the ball before beginning his moves. That’s one reason why the Cavs offense looked the most crisp when LeBron was taking a breather on the bench to start the second quarter.

LeBron still isn’t as comfortable finishing an offensive play as he is starting it. That’s another reason why the Cavalier offense tends to stagnate with James on the court.

In fact, of all the players on the Cavs who played against the Spurs, LeBron’s +/- was the lowest on the team at -11. Combine that with James missing jumpers left and right in the fourth quarter, and James certainly didn’t dominate the Spurs like he needed to. It almost cost Cleveland a win.

Considering his potential and what the Cavs need from James to win, LeBron’s performance probably merit’s a C+. But two mitigating factor overrules that grade.

The first is that LeBron played the majority of the second half with a sprained ankle after landing on Tony Parker’s foot after a jumper.

The second is  with under 3:00 to go in a tie game, LeBron was fouled, went to the line, and calmly hit two free throws. When Parker was asked to do the same with under 30 ticks, he botched his two freebie attempts.

Consider it getting even.

LeBron’s adjusted grade is a B, but the tests will be harder once the postseason begins. James will need to study harder to ace the increasingly difficult exams.

Daniel Gibson

Gibson (4-9 FG, 2-5 3FG, 2 AST, 1 TO, 11 PTS) is definitely not a point guard, is a soft defender in space, and can’t create his own shot unless a screen is presented him.

He wasn’t quick enough to stop Tony Parker and was much too small to even bother Manu Ginobli. But he did hit a couple of good looking pull up jumpers when defenders chased him off the three point line, and he has a big time stroke from long range, especially when the pressure’s on. B-

Devin Brown

Brown made several excellent passes, played tough defense, and even made a beautiful behind the back pass on the run to a running Damon Jones for a layup. Brown definitely looks like a keeper as a backup small forward. B-

Larry Hughes

Hughes played smart screen/roll defense, used his quick hands to register a pair of steals, was able to bring the ball up without any problems, and was effective as a ball reverser on offense.

Hughes’ offense, though, is dreadfully non-existent, forcing LeBron to carry way too much of the scoring load. C

Drew Gooden

Gooden didn’t box out on the defensive glass, had a tough time finding his shot (2-7, 4 PTS), and was frequently late rotating. It’s time for Cleveland to look for a more consistent starting power forward. D

Damon Jones

Jones bought pump fakes by Ginobli out near the three point line and allowed Tony Parker to beat him down the court not once, but twice for layups after made shots. He also played horrific defense all game long. With all the “F’s” Jones records, it’s a wonder why Cleveland doesn’t expel him from their rotation. F

Sasha Pavlovic

Pavlovic looked completely disinterested from the get go and was torched repeatedly by Ginobli and Michael Finley. On one screen/roll possession, he bumped right into Larry Hughes, allowing Michael Finley to have ten feet of space for him to knock down a mid range jumper.

Pavlovic doesn’t have the talent or the wherewithal to compete on a championship level. F

The grades are far more liberal at this point in the season than they are in May, but Cleveland passed this preliminary exam with flying colors. However, if Cleveland wants to be the top class in the NBA school, their roster will need to be tweaked.

A creative wing who can create his own shot, a true point guard, an upgrade over Drew Gooden, banishment to Damon Jones, and a better way to get LeBron James the ball as a finisher rather than a facilitator are all necessary for the Cavs.

Cleveland has from now until the end of February to review that study guide and upgrade their roster. Failure to do so will mean that Cleveland will only succeed if LeBron is consistently spectacular, and the role players all perform perfectly.

Not exactly impossible, but still akin to showing up for a final exam without studying a single second.