Full Court Press 5.9.16: Another Cavs Sweep #Cavs

Eight Down, Eight To Go
By Randy Groce, @ImissWiggins

For the second straight series, the Cleveland Cavaliers have swept their opponent, this time the Atlanta Hawks 4-0. This series featured the best three point shooting that the Cavaliers have ever done in the history of the franchise, and the NBA, as they hit 77 threes in a series. The easiest way to describe this series would be to give out statistics, but the problem with that is, there's too many. The Cavs won this series mainly because of the consistent outside shooting. They hate being called a "three point shooting team", but that's exactly what they have been all season long. In this series however, they have made more three point field goals than two point field goals. In game 3, they broke a regular and post season record by hitting 25 three pointers in one game. 

LeBron James is still the best player on the planet, averaging 25 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists. Great numbers, but he didn't even crack the 30-point mark one time. This series was about everyone on the Cavs roster that received an opportunity to play. From JR to Channing Frye, everyone played well. Great ball movement led to open three point opportunities. It's rare when an entire roster is hot or consistent for four straight games, but that was the case in this situation. Matthew Dellavedova was the only Cavalier who had an off series. Each game featured a different guy as the "go to guy". Game one it was LeBron, game 2 belonged to JR, game 3 was Frye's turn, and game 4 belonged to Kevin Love.

The Hawks gave a pretty good effort, but overall they were simply outmatched. They are a team that is "usually" well coached, play good defense, and move the ball. This series they found themselves trying to match the Cavs in three point shooting which at times took them away from their game plan. I used the usually when I mentioned coaching, because Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer insisted on trapping once the Cavs crossed half court.

The problem with that was the Cavs repeatedly made the right pass to the open man which almost always led to a three pointer in all four games. The biggest adjustment made in the series was in game 3, where Tristan was having a bad night and was pulled in favor of Channing Frye. Unprepared for the pick and roll, Frye ended the night with 27 points, while making 7 three pointers. Almost every single move made by Coach Tyronn Lue worked, even calling timeouts at the right time to stop a Hawks run or start a Cavs run. 

Losing to the best team in your conference 11 times in a row and getting knocked out of the playoffs by them in back to back seasons will probably end up causing Atlanta to either shake up their roster or fire their coach. So far this year, getting rid of the coach has been the popular move, but I don't feel it's necessary in this case. Atlanta needs a number one scoring option and they will be fine. They also need to figure out why Jeff Teague can't stay consistent enough to be on the floor in crunch time.

The Cavaliers on the other hand will have another 7-9 days of rest before either Toronto or Miami come to town for a chance to advance to the NBA Finals. The major thing that the Cavs need to figure out is how to maintain some type of defensive intensity. The Hawks were left open a lot on the perimeter, consistently beat the Cavs to the basket, and muscled them in the paint. Hitting three's to combat that won't always work. At some point they'll need to start turning defensive pressure into turnovers which will eventually lead to points. Kyrie and LeBron played a terrific series, but the ball still got stuck in their hands far too often. Also, LeBron is getting his layup blocked a little too much. Be a big boy LeBron, dunk the ball. 

Eight down, eight to go.

It's still early, but I'm thinking back to a famous phrase used by Moses Malone that gets brought up around this time of the year. Back when he played their were only three rounds compared to the four that we have now. Before the playoffs started in 1983, Malone was asked what his prediction was on how his team would fare and he answered "fo' fo' fo", meaning his team, the Sixers, would sweep all three series.

I wouldn't bet a paycheck on this, but the Cavs are getting mighty close to a "fo' fo' fo' fo" journey this postseason.

Leadoff with Lee 10.10.15 #SeppBlatter #ChrisBurns #Sefolosha #LindyInfante

By @cleeverizon

- FIFA has announced it has suspended Sepp Blatter and two other officials for 90 days,citing ongoing investigations into the leagues corruption allegations. Blatter was alleged to have taken bribes in the 1990s regarding the awarding of World Cup TV  rights. UEFA President Michel Platini, who heads up the body which runs European football and the world's leading club competition -- the Champions League -- and FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke, were also banned for 90 days.

- Chris Burns, assistant coach at Bryant University, has come out as gay which makes him the first openly gay coach in Division I men's basketball history. Burns, played for then-Division II Bryant squad that advanced to four straight NCAA tournaments from 2003 to 2007. Burns said he felt his turning point came after attending the 2014 Nike LGBT Sports Summit in Portland, Oregon. The outpour of support he received was "incredibly powerful and inspiring", Burns stated.

- Air Force joins Navy and Army as service academies that will fulfill Big Ten's requirement to play at least one non-conference Power 5 team each year, according to Big Ten associate commissioner Mark Rudner. Connecticut, BYU and Cincinnati also included as qualifiers.

- After deliberating for over a hour on Friday, a jury found Atlanta Hawks guard Thabo Sefolosha not guilty of obstruction of official business, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. He suffered a fractured right leg in an April 8 struggle with police, and was accused of repeatedly disobeying the orders of officers telling him to leave the area around the club where another NBA player, Chris Copeland, had been stabbed.

Now that the situation is over, can Sefolosha seek compensation from the city for emotional distress? Will he sue the NYPD? He won one battle with the city, can he win another? He has the money and he has the lawyers.

- Former Browns offensive coordinator Lindy Infante passed away Thursday at the age of 75. He was coach of the Jacksonville Bulls of the now defunct USFL in 1984 and 1985 before taking a job with the Cleveland Browns as offensive coordinator in 1986. He is credited with teaching a young Bernie Kosar on how to read a pre-snap defense. His first NFL head coaching job came in Green Bay from 1988-1991. After leading the Packers to a 10-6 record in 1989 he was named NFL coach of the year. He finished with a overall coaching record of 36-60.

Leadoff with Lee 4.23.15 #GregHardy #ScottBrooks #Hawks #Rondo

By @cleeverizon

- NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has suspended Cowboys DE Greg Hardy without pay for violation of the Personal Conduct Policy. The Investigation concluded that Hardy violated the code by using physical force against his then girlfriend Nicole Holder in at least 4 instances.

According to the NFL reports, he used force which caused her to land in a bathtub, threw her on a futon covered with rifles and put his hands on her throat, leaving a visible mark and threw her against a wall. Hardy has three days to appeal. He has reached a civil settlement and NFL says Holder did not participate in the investigation. Hardy has $2M coming from base salary and workout bonus. He gets $578K for each game he is active, and sack bonuses that start at 8 sacks. Greg Hardy and the NFLPA will appeal the suspension. His suspension begins September 5th and he can participate in the Cowboys offseason program, OTAs, mini and training camp, as well as preseason games.

Here is the statement released by Roger Goodell and the NFL. 

- Judge Anita Brody has approved the settlement against the NFL and players who have suffered damages from concussions during their playing years. The $765M will be used for players who need financial assistance to help deal with the head injuries and medical costs from concussions that came during their playing years. But as always when a lawsuit happens like this the NFL is set to appeal.

- Wide receiver Greg Jennings will be trading places with Mike Wallace as Jennings signs a 2 year $8M contract with the Miami Dolphins. He is a great fit for a team who was in search of a veteran wide receiver after Brian Hartline signed with Cleveland, and Mike Wallace was traded to the Vikings.

- The Oklahoma City Thunder fired coach Scott Brooks Wednesday after 7 seasons with the team. During that time, Brooks had a 338-207 (.620) regular season and 39-34 (.534) playoff record as coach. He reached the NBA Finals in 2012 and was the 2009-2010 Coach Of the Year. Upon his firing, he instantly became the top candidate in Orlando and in Chicago if/when Tom Thibodeau gets fired. University of Connecticut head coach Kevin Ollie and University of Florida's Billy Donovan are the front runners to replace Brooks.

- Looks like the Atlanta Hawks are on the verge of being sold for nearly $900 to a ownership group that includes Jesse Itzler, co-founder of Marquis Jet whose wife, Sara Blakely, is the founder of Spanx. Former NBA star Grant Hill will also be an investor in the group. Current team owner Bruce Levenson is being forced to sell the team after a racially sensitive memo surfaced last year. The NBA Board of Governors will need to approve the new ownership group before the sale can be final.

- The Mavericks have ruled Rajon Rondo out indefinitely Wednesday due to a back injury. Ever since being traded to Dallas, Rondo and coach Rick Carlisle haven't been the best of friends. Reports early yesterday indicated the Mavs had to choose between bringing back Rondo or Carlisle next year. And if this is true, it looks like the team will choose the coach over the disgruntled player.

Leadoff with Lee 4.25.14

-Former Ohio State Buckeyes cornerback Bradley Roby was arrested early Sunday morning and charged with OVI. Roby was reportedly found passed out in a parking lot behind the wheel in Columbus. It was has not been disclosed if the keys were in the ignition. When approached and questioned by Columbus police, Roby was cooperative and submitted to a field sobriety test. His BAC was recorded at .008 which is considered to be intoxicated in the state of Ohio. After being booked by Columbus Police, Roby was released on a personal bond. He is due in court today and most likely will plead not guilty, until his lawyer can get additional facts concerning his arrest. Bradley Roby is expected to be a first round draft pick in this years NFL draft. So the bigger question should be will his stock go down after this latest incident? Please note Roby was arrested and charged with misdemeanor assult in Indiana last July. Urban Meyer suspended Roby for one game last season. Those assault charges were later reduced in a plea bargain to disorderly conduct.

-Call him "Complete" Corey Kluber! Kluber improves his record to 2-2 and led the Indians to a 5-1 win over the Kansas City Royals yesterday afternoon. Kluber had a complete game while recording 11 strikeouts, 0 walks, while only throwing 101 pitches. Carlos Santana got his bat going in the 5th inning, hitting a double. Michael Brantley followed up with with a single, scoring Santana. Royals pitcher Bruce Chen walked Ryan Raburn, then Yan Gomes singled to load the bases. David Murphy comes up and hit a single of his own scoring Brantley and Raburn. Asdrubal Cabrera smacked a double to left. The Tribe won the series against Kansas City winning 3 out of 4. And return to .500 evening their record to 11-11. They will travel to San Francisco to open against the Giants. The series starts today with game time being 10:05pm.

-The Atlanta Hawks defeated the Indiana Pacers 98-85. Jeff Teague led all scorers with 22 points. Kyle Korver added 21 points for the Hawks. Lance Stephenson led Indiana in scoring with 21 points. Atlanta holds off the top seeded Pacers to seize a 2-1 advantage in the series. Game 4 will be Saturday at 2 PM in Atlanta.

-The Oklahoma City Thunder fell to the Memphis Grizzlies, to take a 2-1 series lead. Despite Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook's efforts (both had 30 point games), it just wasn't enough. Game 4 will be Saturday at 9:30 PM in Memphis.

-The LA Clippers held on to win against the Golden State Warriors 98-96, after a controversial no foul call in the final possession for the Warriors. Blake Griffin had 32 points, while his teammate DeAndre Jordan had 14 points and 22 rebounds. High scorer for the Warriors was Klay Thompson with 26, while Steph Curry poured in 16 points and 15 assists.