Where has Timofey Mozgov’s playing time gone? Just over a year after being traded from Denver to Cleveland for two first-round picks, the 7-1 Russian has played at least 20 minutes in just 14 of his 37 games this season. Averaging just 17.8 minutes, Mozgov has reached double figures in points just seven times and has yet to record a double-double. He is playing strong defense when given the opportunity, but it just doesn’t seem like there’s enough court time for him. It’s all the more
The Cavaliers’ postseason press conference was a good one last week. GM David Griffin spent time explaining why David Blatt is a good coach. And Blatt spent time explaining that he and LeBron James have a good relationship. It would seem that if someone is a good coach and two people have a good relationship, explanations are not needed. But such is the dynamic in Cleveland. There seems to be little doubt that the leading characters in Cleveland are misplaced. Blatt, as
Now that the NBA Finals are in the books and the Golden State Warriors are champions, it is time for some reflection on what happened … and what might happen down the road. Specifically, is David Blatt safe in Cleveland moving forward?
CLEVELAND — The smell always gets you. It is usually champagne, and it is usually quite strong. In this case, it went beyond pungent. Cinder block walls could not contain the smell of Mumm Napa Brut Reserve emanating from the locker room of the NBA champion Golden State Warriors. You could smell it outside the locker room 15 minutes after the trophy presentation had concluded, and a half-hour later you could smell it down the hallway outside the Cleveland Cavaliers’ locker room,
So who is the Finals MVP now? After three games, it appeared to be LeBron James, who singlehandedly has kept the Cleveland Cavaliers in this series with historic performances. After four games, it appeared to be Andre Iguodala, who has been the primary defender on James and finally slowed him in Game 4, tacking on 22 points and eight boards as the Golden State Warriors evened the series. And after five games, it appears to be Stephen Curry, who in Game 5 finally
During a wonderfully entertaining NBA Finals, it is a bit of a challenge to exercise restraint, which, of course, doesn’t exist in TwitterWorld, anyway. After Game 3, it was obvious that no matter what happened the rest of the series, LeBron James would be the MVP. Even if the Cavs lost three straight and the series. James had been sufficiently brilliant – to borrow from the esteemed pundit Moses Malone, LeBron had taken four guys from Australia, Russia, Canada and the
For the second time in these NBA Finals, there is an extra day off between games. The first time was between Games 1 and 2. LeBron James has noted that each of the extra days has come while the series is out west, where the Warriors sleep in their own beds while the Cavaliers are subjected to the squalor of the Four Seasons Hotel in San Francisco. But the Cavs won Game 2 to grab homecourt advantage. After looking spent in a
CLEVELAND – This baby was all but in the books as LeBron James, scoreless in the fourth quarter, dribbled upcourt halfheartedly with 4:10 remaining and his team trailing by 14 points. There was only the slightest of chances that the Cavaliers could pull off a comeback to match the one the Warriors had engineered in Game 2, but James’ heart and head were not in it – and Iggy pounced. With a somewhat casual swipe, Andre Iguodala knocked the ball away