Just how bad was LeBron's "supporting cast"

[hammel123]

Don't necessarily agree with LeBron losing trust in his supporting cast.. He's always trusted them in years past (even with Ricky Davis, Darius Miles, Donyell Marshall, Damon Jones, Larry Hughes, etc.), and it would be unusual for that to change, especially in one playoff series and with a much deeper roster. If anything, LeBron lost his aggression and motivation, and became a passive player. In the 4 losses to Boston, LeBron's FG attempts were 15, 18, 14, and 21. The 2 wins against them, he took 24 and 22. His assists per game for the series were just at his average.. And he had 10 dimes in game 6. That argument is definitely flawed.

no one questions regular season, best record in the league, but it doesn't mean playoffs will go the same - things do change in the playoffs - it's not unusual

then you say "If anything, LeBron lost his aggression and motivation, and became a passive player." but that's exactly it, why did this happen? If team unity and trust was there, the team would continue to play hard - they didn't

[Rise Against]

no one questions regular season, best record in the league, but it doesn't mean playoffs will go the same - things do change in the playoffs - it's not unusual

then you say "If anything, LeBron lost his aggression and motivation, and became a passive player." but that's exactly it, why did this happen? If team unity and trust was there, the team would continue to play hard - they didn't

I am very well aware that things change in the playoffs, but it is a flawed argument to say that LeBron lost trust in his teammates in just one playoff series. In game 1, things went well in the 2nd half, the Cavs made a comeback and won.. We see a completely different team in game 2 where we got blown out. In game 3, the Cavs played with intensity, blew them out, and we saw a much more passive team in games 4 and 5. Why do we see such a bipolar change all of a sudden? I've said this earlier in this thread, it has more to do with the coaching and system than it does with the players. We don't know for sure why LeBron became such a passive player and I fail to believe that he lost trust in his supporting cast.. As LeBron lost his aggression, he looked to shoot less (I've provided the stats on my previous post) and he relied more on his teammates to score. Obviously things didn't pan out the way we've wanted for it to. The unity and trust was there, the determination and passion to win was nowhere to be found.

[hammel123]

no one questions regular season, best record in the league, but it doesn't mean playoffs will go the same - things do change in the playoffs - it's not unusual

then you say "If anything, LeBron lost his aggression and motivation, and became a passive player." but that's exactly it, why did this happen? If team unity and trust was there, the team would continue to play hard - they didn't

I am very well aware that things change in the playoffs, but it is a flawed argument to say that LeBron lost trust in his teammates in just one playoff series.
....
The unity and trust was there, the determination and passion to win was nowhere to be found.

Losing "determination and passion" doesn't happen out of the blue, it's the symptom / result of players losing trust , perhaps listening to Fratello and Stockton (very smart basketball guys) commenting after game 5 will give a new perspective

http://www.nba.com/video/channels/playo ... ahead.nba/

"Doc Rivers in the Boston locker room : together, together , together..."

Fratello: "Mike Brown's task going into game 6 in Boston has nothing to do with X's and O's - adjustments have been made and will be made on the fly ... it's about "will you get down in your stance, will you make a commitment, will you support you teammates, will you have your teammates back ... and obviously Lebron James will have to lead this team in game 6"

Implication: He didn't in Game 5

[Rise Against]

^^I think it is justified and well clear that no one on the Cavs played well in game 5.. Maybe Shaq is the exception. Why the sudden change in effort? I am still wondering what in the world happened to this day. I also know very well that it has more to do with the X's and O's and system. It would have been helpful if Mike Brown could actually yell at the players for once, to get them to play with more intensity.. Yes everyone can blame LeBron for losing the series, but there is no way he lost any trust in his teammates. I am sure LeBron did in game 6 when he had 10 assists, and when the team shot 38% from the field...

[cedric76]

varejao should haev got more PT
he always produce

[chuckerz]

I think with the current lineup, a run and guns type of offense is well suited. With three point shooters in Williams, Parker, Jameson, Moon, Gibson and even Lebron, an up tempo offense will suit this team. Not to mention with all the athleticism on this team, it wouldn't make sense if they didn't run and exploit that athleticism.

[SuigintouEV]

Teams dependent on 3pt shooting don't get anywhere. U need a superstar wing and a superstar big. Even though he seems like it at times, Lebron can't be doing everything.

[mcfly1204]

Teams dependent on 3pt shooting don't get anywhere. U need a superstar wing and a superstar big. Even though he seems like it at times, Lebron can't be doing everything.

I would assume the poster above does not mean that Cleveland should run a D'Antoni offense. Cleveland needs to push the pace more often though. Quick buckets in transition or after the opponent makes a basket can help get your offense going. We saw that during the regular season against the Celtics, Cleveland would go small and Boston could not match up well with them.

[Nickson]

It was the system not the players.

Its often said that LeBron makes bad players look good. Well, in Brown's offense he also made great players look good. The system was just horrendously flawed because of the dependency on the ball being in LeBron's hands at the top of the key.

I've said it a bunch, but its relevant so I'll say it again. Jamison has been dropping 20ppg since grade school, he didn't just forget how to score 2/3 of the way through this season. Mo Williams was an electric scorer in Milwaukee, but in our offense we turned him into a stationary jump shooter. Parker, West, Z...same story, underutilized talent.

How much can you really expect guys to help when LeBron is holding the ball until there is 8 seconds left on the shot clock? What exactly do you want them to do?...Brown turned them all into passive jump shooters.

In the playoffs it was magnified because LeBron (for whatever reason) threw them all under the bus. Nearly every play in the offense starts with LeBron drawing attention, making a move, and then deciding to finish or dish to a shooter. When LeBron chooses not to make a move but rather pass the ball around the perimeter the offense stalls and everyone looks bad for 'not producing'. In reality they're all doing exactly what they were supposed to do - wait for LeBron to make his move.
...its almost like what would happen in football if the center randomly decided to direct snap to the RB every play.

Could not have said it any better