The internet tough guy is you. If they're jokes, make those jokes to that person's face. That dude ain't going to do shit.
@@@Official Cavs thread 2014-2015@@@
- Thread starter gene cisco
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The internet tough guy is you. If they're jokes, make those jokes to that person's face. That dude ain't going to do shit.
The internet tough guy is you. If they're jokes, make those jokes to that person's face. That dude ain't going to do shit.
Nigga this is America, guns are everywhere.
At you thinking people are going to meet a random stranger from a porn board. Ol sensitive ass nigga. Mad about a thread that you say ain't even you. You are both a Lame and a Goofy.Nigga this is America, guns are everywhere.
A gun.
That dude ain't going to do shit. You're about to get put on ignore,Let me know when you find my real pictures.
Cavs 114, Hawks 111 OT; Jason Lloyd's 37 thoughts on rings, Delly and LeBron's magnificent night
Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James fends off Atlanta Hawks'Mike Muscala while going for a offensive rebound during the 3rd quarter of Game 3 in the Eastern Conference Finals in Cleveland on Sunday. The Cavs won the game 114-111. (Phil Masturzo/Akron Beacon Journal)
CLEVELAND: Thirty-seven thoughts for 37 points from LeBron James in a thrilling 114-111 overtime win against the Atlanta Hawks in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals…
1. Before these playoffs began, before Kevin Love had his arm yanked out, Kyrie Irving’s knee gave out and Matthew Dellavedova became known as #DirtyDelly, LeBron James showed up to the Cavs’ first playoff practice with his two championship rings.
2. James doesn’t talk about the rings much and he never really wears him. He told his teammates he keeps them locked away in a safe. But he brought them out last month to show the postseason rookies what they’re about to embark on and why they’re doing this. Now they’re closing in on the chance to play for a ring of their own.
3. The Cavs have won 11 of their 13 playoff games since James showed off his rings. They’re within one victory of their second sweep of the playoffs, and more importantly, their second NBA Finals trip in franchise history. To the surprise of no one, James is a big reason why.
4. His line of 37 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists is incredible and yet still doesn’t tell the whole story. James missed his first 10 shots, including plenty from close range in the first quarter, and he still erupted for one of the greatest postseason performances in the game’s history. No player has produced that type of stat line in nearly 50 years. The last one to do it was Wilt Chamberlain, who went 52/32/14 in a 158-128 win over Los Angeles on March 18, 1968.
5. (OK, timeout. Reread that last sentence again and study Chamberlain’s numbers. That game had to look like this…)
6. Of all the terrific things James did tonight, his most impressive might have been the defense he played protecting Matthew Dellavedova following his scrum with Al Horford late in the second quarter.
7. First a note on Horford: He’s one of the NBA’s good guys. He’s a two-time winner of the league’s Community Assist Award, he donated $23,000 to the people of Japan following a tsunami and earthquake in 2011, he has hosted holiday parties for underprivileged kids and he supports Hispanic youth groups in the Atlanta area. Those are just a few of his works of service. He also won the Jason Collier Memorial Trophy in 2009 for his work in the community.
8. There’s a reason he snapped on Dellavedova and a lot of it has to do with what happened between Dellavedova and Kyle Korver in Game 3. This tweet sent Cavs fans running hysterically to my Twitter mentions with lit torches and pitchforks.
9. Dellavedova has made it to the NBA because he works harder and plays harder than everyone else. One NBA talent evaluator told me last year Delly squeezes every ounce of talent he can out of his limited frame. He’s not a dirty player, but his style can aggravate guys.
10. The most egregious Delly play of the postseason, to me, was clamping Taj Gibson’s leg with his own legs. The Korver dive was simply hustling for the ball and he fell into Horford tonight because Horford had a hold of his arm and he stumbled over DeMarre Carroll.
11. But look at it from Horford’s perspective: One minute Dellavedova is falling to the ground and the next he feels him rolling into his knee. In the heat of the moment, without the benefit of replay, he may not have seen Delly fall over Carroll. All he knew was Dellavedova was coming into his knees and he responded inappropriately. Horford admitted as much himself. Whether it’s fair or not, Dellavedova’s style is upsetting other players.
12. “He went after my legs,” Horford said. “If it was on purpose, we don’t know. Maybe it wasn’t on purpose. But with his track record, I just felt like it was … He can be careless at times. He’s a hard-nosed player. But like I told the guys, I’m sure he’ll learn from this because this is not the first time he’s been involved in something like this.”
13. Both Kent Bazemore and Shelvin Mack cited Delly’s “track record” just as Horford did. DeMarre Carroll said there’s a difference between diving for a ball and diving at a player’s feet. “There’s gotta be a fine line between competing and being crazy,” Carroll said. LeBron scoffed at all of that.
14. “There’s no difference between what Delly did to Kyle Korver last game and 18 guys diving on the floor late in the game tonight,” James said. “It was like six or seven guys diving on the floor for that loose ball. … Just no one got hurt.”
15. James was just warming up, turning next to Pero Antic’s flagrant foul on him in the last game: “In Game 2 when Antic shoves me out of the air, the fact I’m still playing, we don’t talk about it. But he two-hand shoves me in the air. So what are we really talking about? Are we going to talk about us trying to win basketball games or about those guys trying to figure out a way that Matthew Dellavedova is this ‘type’ of guy. He works his tail off every single day. He beats the odds, and he comes to play as hard as he can every single night. If they’re focused on Delly then they’re focused on the wrong thing.”
16. I tend to agree with LeBron, but look at this from Horford’s perspective: There is going to be residual anger just because one of the Hawks’ All-Stars is out for the rest of the postseason because of Dellavedova. And here he was again crashing into the leg of another one of their All-Stars. Now compare it to what would’ve happened had there been a Game 5 in the Boston series and Kelly Olynyk was tied up with James or Kyrie Irving after the Kevin Love incident. How would that Cavs player (and Cavs fans) have responded?
17. Now before the pitchforks come out, I realize everyone in Cleveland (and Love) believes Olynyk’s play was much dirtier than anything Dellavedova has done in this series. But I talked to people at the NBA combine who laughed at Love calling Olynyk’s play dirty.
18. “Kevin has been rebounding like that his whole career,” one head coach said. “He pins a guy with one arm and grabs the ball with the other.”
19. Again, I’m not trying to compare Olynyk’s arm bar with Dellavedova’s roll up. I think there was more intent with Olynyk than Dellavdova. But the result was the same: A role player took out an All-Star for the remainder of the playoffs. From the Hawks’ perspective, in the heat of battle, I understand why a typically good-natured Horford reacted the way that he did – even though that reaction crossed a line.
20. “I saw the ball, I dived on the floor,” Dellavedova said in explaining the play that injured Korver. “If I stay on my belly, it’s going to be a jump ball. So I protect the ball and kick it out to a teammate. On the (Horford play), I’m boxing him out. He’s pulling my left arm down. I’m trying to stay up, and he’s just pulling me down. I mean, the tape’s there.”
21. Delly’s not dirty, but unfortunately he may have that reputation now for a while. I doubt it’s going to impact how he pursues loose balls, however.
22. I doubt Horford will be suspended over this, but the league will review it as they do all flagrant-2 fouls. A suspension would be devastating to the Hawks’ survival, which is already on life support.
23. Part of the problem, too, isn’t a problem at all. Guys are just mad at how hard Dellavedova plays.
24. “He plays hard and some people in this league don’t appreciate that,” J.R. Smith said. “Some people think it is going to be a cakewalk, and that is not the way it is with him. He works hard everyday. He comes in early and is one of the last guys to leave the gym everyday. He is a guy that will stick (in the NBA).”
25. One of the unnoticed turning points was Tristan Thompson played the final 8:18 with five fouls. As I’ve written many times, David Blatt loves playing Thompson late for his ability to switch defensively on pick and rolls. He did it plenty of times Sunday against Jeff Teague.
26. Blatt pulled Thompson after he picked up his fifth foul with 6:09 left then reinserted him for the final 3:18. Then he played the entire overtime without picking up that sixth foul. As a result, he was in the game for the huge block on Mike Scott late in regulation and for the huge offensive rebound following James’ miss in the final minute of overtime. Thompson kicked it back to James, who made the corner 3 to give the Cavs the lead for good.
27. The shot James made was reminiscent of his corner 3 at the buzzer to beat the Bulls in Game 4 at United Center in the biggest turning point of that entire series. James is shooting just 16 percent from 3 in the playoffs, but those were two big ones.
28. When a reporter reminded James the corner has been good to him in this postseason, James interrupted.
29. “I need to shoot more from the corner,” he joked. “No other 3 has been good to me, basically, is what you’re saying.”
30. James was sensational Sunday and was even able to fight through some late-game cramping. Even he said it was reminiscent to Game 1 of last year’s Finals when the AT&T Center overheated and James couldn’t finish the game because of cramps. It’s fair to wonder how much longer he could’ve played if either of Shelvin Mack’s 3-pointers in the final seconds of overtime would’ve forced these teams to keep going.
31. “I play to exhaustion,” James said. “Sometimes the body just kind of shuts down at times and that’s what happened tonight at one point.”
32. James asked for a sub at one point, then changed his mind and played through it. “I wouldn’t have felt right about the situation win, lose or draw if I’d have went to the bench and not been out there for my teammates,” he said. “So it was mind over matter at that point.”
33. James apparently wasn’t the only one cramping. Iman Shumpert said he was among those fighting cramps, too.
34. “I was definitely included among those guys. A cold tub is our best friend now,” Shumpert said. “He is one of those guys that is going to will his way to win. He preaches that on the court and preaches that in practice. I think we have a team of resilient guys. Guys won’t break. Bend a little bit, but we won’t break. I think we showed toughness.”
35. Added Blatt: “He just wouldn’t let us lose. Just would not let us lose. Amazing.”
36. For all the theater James causes – the fit in/fit out tweets with Love, the million little paper cuts with which he sliced Blatt this season – it’s these type of performances that make it all worth it. The way he played in Game 2 in Atlanta and again in Game 3, despite the 0 for 10 start Sunday, was absolutely masterful.
37. Now the question is what to do with Irving? He went through a pregame workout that lasted nearly an hour before he was again held out. Now with a commanding 3-0 lead, it might be wise to just let the Cavs try and close out this series Tuesday. That would give him two weeks of rest between his last game and Game 1 of the Finals on June 4. But watching James battle on his bad ankle, watching James and Shumpert and whoever else play through cramps, watching Carroll limp at times on his sprained knee and then watching Irving miss games with something other guys often play through… It's not a good look. Talk to you Tuesday from the Q with a potential closeout game and trip to the Finals at stake. P
Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James fends off Atlanta Hawks'Mike Muscala while going for a offensive rebound during the 3rd quarter of Game 3 in the Eastern Conference Finals in Cleveland on Sunday. The Cavs won the game 114-111. (Phil Masturzo/Akron Beacon Journal)
CLEVELAND: Thirty-seven thoughts for 37 points from LeBron James in a thrilling 114-111 overtime win against the Atlanta Hawks in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals…
1. Before these playoffs began, before Kevin Love had his arm yanked out, Kyrie Irving’s knee gave out and Matthew Dellavedova became known as #DirtyDelly, LeBron James showed up to the Cavs’ first playoff practice with his two championship rings.
2. James doesn’t talk about the rings much and he never really wears him. He told his teammates he keeps them locked away in a safe. But he brought them out last month to show the postseason rookies what they’re about to embark on and why they’re doing this. Now they’re closing in on the chance to play for a ring of their own.
3. The Cavs have won 11 of their 13 playoff games since James showed off his rings. They’re within one victory of their second sweep of the playoffs, and more importantly, their second NBA Finals trip in franchise history. To the surprise of no one, James is a big reason why.
4. His line of 37 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists is incredible and yet still doesn’t tell the whole story. James missed his first 10 shots, including plenty from close range in the first quarter, and he still erupted for one of the greatest postseason performances in the game’s history. No player has produced that type of stat line in nearly 50 years. The last one to do it was Wilt Chamberlain, who went 52/32/14 in a 158-128 win over Los Angeles on March 18, 1968.
5. (OK, timeout. Reread that last sentence again and study Chamberlain’s numbers. That game had to look like this…)
6. Of all the terrific things James did tonight, his most impressive might have been the defense he played protecting Matthew Dellavedova following his scrum with Al Horford late in the second quarter.
7. First a note on Horford: He’s one of the NBA’s good guys. He’s a two-time winner of the league’s Community Assist Award, he donated $23,000 to the people of Japan following a tsunami and earthquake in 2011, he has hosted holiday parties for underprivileged kids and he supports Hispanic youth groups in the Atlanta area. Those are just a few of his works of service. He also won the Jason Collier Memorial Trophy in 2009 for his work in the community.
8. There’s a reason he snapped on Dellavedova and a lot of it has to do with what happened between Dellavedova and Kyle Korver in Game 3. This tweet sent Cavs fans running hysterically to my Twitter mentions with lit torches and pitchforks.
9. Dellavedova has made it to the NBA because he works harder and plays harder than everyone else. One NBA talent evaluator told me last year Delly squeezes every ounce of talent he can out of his limited frame. He’s not a dirty player, but his style can aggravate guys.
10. The most egregious Delly play of the postseason, to me, was clamping Taj Gibson’s leg with his own legs. The Korver dive was simply hustling for the ball and he fell into Horford tonight because Horford had a hold of his arm and he stumbled over DeMarre Carroll.
11. But look at it from Horford’s perspective: One minute Dellavedova is falling to the ground and the next he feels him rolling into his knee. In the heat of the moment, without the benefit of replay, he may not have seen Delly fall over Carroll. All he knew was Dellavedova was coming into his knees and he responded inappropriately. Horford admitted as much himself. Whether it’s fair or not, Dellavedova’s style is upsetting other players.
12. “He went after my legs,” Horford said. “If it was on purpose, we don’t know. Maybe it wasn’t on purpose. But with his track record, I just felt like it was … He can be careless at times. He’s a hard-nosed player. But like I told the guys, I’m sure he’ll learn from this because this is not the first time he’s been involved in something like this.”
13. Both Kent Bazemore and Shelvin Mack cited Delly’s “track record” just as Horford did. DeMarre Carroll said there’s a difference between diving for a ball and diving at a player’s feet. “There’s gotta be a fine line between competing and being crazy,” Carroll said. LeBron scoffed at all of that.
14. “There’s no difference between what Delly did to Kyle Korver last game and 18 guys diving on the floor late in the game tonight,” James said. “It was like six or seven guys diving on the floor for that loose ball. … Just no one got hurt.”
15. James was just warming up, turning next to Pero Antic’s flagrant foul on him in the last game: “In Game 2 when Antic shoves me out of the air, the fact I’m still playing, we don’t talk about it. But he two-hand shoves me in the air. So what are we really talking about? Are we going to talk about us trying to win basketball games or about those guys trying to figure out a way that Matthew Dellavedova is this ‘type’ of guy. He works his tail off every single day. He beats the odds, and he comes to play as hard as he can every single night. If they’re focused on Delly then they’re focused on the wrong thing.”
16. I tend to agree with LeBron, but look at this from Horford’s perspective: There is going to be residual anger just because one of the Hawks’ All-Stars is out for the rest of the postseason because of Dellavedova. And here he was again crashing into the leg of another one of their All-Stars. Now compare it to what would’ve happened had there been a Game 5 in the Boston series and Kelly Olynyk was tied up with James or Kyrie Irving after the Kevin Love incident. How would that Cavs player (and Cavs fans) have responded?
17. Now before the pitchforks come out, I realize everyone in Cleveland (and Love) believes Olynyk’s play was much dirtier than anything Dellavedova has done in this series. But I talked to people at the NBA combine who laughed at Love calling Olynyk’s play dirty.
18. “Kevin has been rebounding like that his whole career,” one head coach said. “He pins a guy with one arm and grabs the ball with the other.”
19. Again, I’m not trying to compare Olynyk’s arm bar with Dellavedova’s roll up. I think there was more intent with Olynyk than Dellavdova. But the result was the same: A role player took out an All-Star for the remainder of the playoffs. From the Hawks’ perspective, in the heat of battle, I understand why a typically good-natured Horford reacted the way that he did – even though that reaction crossed a line.
20. “I saw the ball, I dived on the floor,” Dellavedova said in explaining the play that injured Korver. “If I stay on my belly, it’s going to be a jump ball. So I protect the ball and kick it out to a teammate. On the (Horford play), I’m boxing him out. He’s pulling my left arm down. I’m trying to stay up, and he’s just pulling me down. I mean, the tape’s there.”
21. Delly’s not dirty, but unfortunately he may have that reputation now for a while. I doubt it’s going to impact how he pursues loose balls, however.
22. I doubt Horford will be suspended over this, but the league will review it as they do all flagrant-2 fouls. A suspension would be devastating to the Hawks’ survival, which is already on life support.
23. Part of the problem, too, isn’t a problem at all. Guys are just mad at how hard Dellavedova plays.
24. “He plays hard and some people in this league don’t appreciate that,” J.R. Smith said. “Some people think it is going to be a cakewalk, and that is not the way it is with him. He works hard everyday. He comes in early and is one of the last guys to leave the gym everyday. He is a guy that will stick (in the NBA).”
25. One of the unnoticed turning points was Tristan Thompson played the final 8:18 with five fouls. As I’ve written many times, David Blatt loves playing Thompson late for his ability to switch defensively on pick and rolls. He did it plenty of times Sunday against Jeff Teague.
26. Blatt pulled Thompson after he picked up his fifth foul with 6:09 left then reinserted him for the final 3:18. Then he played the entire overtime without picking up that sixth foul. As a result, he was in the game for the huge block on Mike Scott late in regulation and for the huge offensive rebound following James’ miss in the final minute of overtime. Thompson kicked it back to James, who made the corner 3 to give the Cavs the lead for good.
27. The shot James made was reminiscent of his corner 3 at the buzzer to beat the Bulls in Game 4 at United Center in the biggest turning point of that entire series. James is shooting just 16 percent from 3 in the playoffs, but those were two big ones.
28. When a reporter reminded James the corner has been good to him in this postseason, James interrupted.
29. “I need to shoot more from the corner,” he joked. “No other 3 has been good to me, basically, is what you’re saying.”
30. James was sensational Sunday and was even able to fight through some late-game cramping. Even he said it was reminiscent to Game 1 of last year’s Finals when the AT&T Center overheated and James couldn’t finish the game because of cramps. It’s fair to wonder how much longer he could’ve played if either of Shelvin Mack’s 3-pointers in the final seconds of overtime would’ve forced these teams to keep going.
31. “I play to exhaustion,” James said. “Sometimes the body just kind of shuts down at times and that’s what happened tonight at one point.”
32. James asked for a sub at one point, then changed his mind and played through it. “I wouldn’t have felt right about the situation win, lose or draw if I’d have went to the bench and not been out there for my teammates,” he said. “So it was mind over matter at that point.”
33. James apparently wasn’t the only one cramping. Iman Shumpert said he was among those fighting cramps, too.
34. “I was definitely included among those guys. A cold tub is our best friend now,” Shumpert said. “He is one of those guys that is going to will his way to win. He preaches that on the court and preaches that in practice. I think we have a team of resilient guys. Guys won’t break. Bend a little bit, but we won’t break. I think we showed toughness.”
35. Added Blatt: “He just wouldn’t let us lose. Just would not let us lose. Amazing.”
36. For all the theater James causes – the fit in/fit out tweets with Love, the million little paper cuts with which he sliced Blatt this season – it’s these type of performances that make it all worth it. The way he played in Game 2 in Atlanta and again in Game 3, despite the 0 for 10 start Sunday, was absolutely masterful.
37. Now the question is what to do with Irving? He went through a pregame workout that lasted nearly an hour before he was again held out. Now with a commanding 3-0 lead, it might be wise to just let the Cavs try and close out this series Tuesday. That would give him two weeks of rest between his last game and Game 1 of the Finals on June 4. But watching James battle on his bad ankle, watching James and Shumpert and whoever else play through cramps, watching Carroll limp at times on his sprained knee and then watching Irving miss games with something other guys often play through… It's not a good look. Talk to you Tuesday from the Q with a potential closeout game and trip to the Finals at stake. P
What you don't know about Tristan Thompson
We published a feature on Tristan Thompson during the second round of the playoffs that hopefully gives a good feel for the Cleveland Cavaliers' young forward.
Going into working on the profile, there were a couple areas in particular that intrigued me about Tristan: the fact that he shares an agent, Rich Paul, with LeBron James on a team in which James clearly wields a lot of power; and also his character and how his sunny demeanor really seemed to contribute to his success. I covered Lamar Odom when he was with the Los Angeles Lakers, and Tristan sort of reminded me of Odom in that regard.
After a couple of months of reporting (when I could find the time between the day-to-day rigors of the Cavs beat) and with immense help of Henry Abbott and Justin Verrier, who worked wonders shaping the material I was able to collect, we came up with a profile that uses a few episodes to give a glimpse into Thompson's life.
With Thompson in the news Monday because of James' starting a public campaign for the Cavs to re-sign the big man this summer, I figured it was a good time to revisit the feature and share some of what didn't make it into the piece.
• He is a picky eater. "I hate leftovers," Thompson said. "Even in my childhood, I never liked reheating up food. I've been getting better lately, but I just hate warming up food because I think when I open it up, it doesn't look fresh no more. It looks kind of, like, shriveled up. You know when you come out of the shower and you're pruney and stuff? I'm like ugh. I want it fresh. If it isn't fresh, make me another dish. And I hate cold food. I hate cold cuts."
He also doesn't like seafood, which he gets from his mom, Andrea Brooks. "I don't like fish," Brooks said. "Because the fish eat their poos. I don't eat that stuff. Fish eat their own poo. So, I'm not eating fish."
• He is unaware of the Victoria, British Columbia, native pop singer who shares his same name. "Is he any good? Does he have a lot of views? Like millions? Is he good-looking? Do girls like him?" Thompson asked. "He probably gets Twitter mentions about me. He hasn't blown up yet."
• His mom is a fan of James. "I'm so glad he's playing with LeBron," Brooks said. "He only can learn. He can learn to be better because he's playing with the best. He can take that blessing and turn it to be good in his life."
• He wears No. 13 because he was born on March 13. Even though Thompson considers it his lucky number, he scored 13 points in his final game at St. Benedict's in New Jersey before being kicked off the team. He had to wear a couple of other numbers for the Canadian national team before he got his favorite No. 13. "The national team is a little bit different because of the FIBA rules," Thompson said. "Sometimes it goes by position, but now that I got a little bit more staying power, I got a little bit more juice in Canada basketball, I get No. 13."
• His temper is entertaining. Matthew Dellavedova says the team cracks up at the way Thompson restrains himself when he gets ticked off during a game. "He's a really great guy, but when he gets mad?" Dellevedova said. "Like, say he gets mad at the refs or something, he'll go to say something, but he's too nice of a guy, so he stops himself before he does it."
• He's no Sam Dalembert. Longtime Toronto-based journalist Michael Grange, who currently works for Rogers Sportsnet, described how Thompson immediately fit in with the Canadian national team without wanting star treatment.
"There's always been a little bit of a concern [pro players] are used to playing roles but want to branch out from their NBA team," Grange said. "Like Sam Dalembert, he wanted to come back and play for the national team and all of a sudden he wanted to be Shaq [Shaquille O'Neal]. He wanted to get 30 touches and they're like, 'No, Sam, just f-----g get some rebounds and block shots.'
"And Tristan, I don't know if there was anxiety about that, but I was a little curious of if he was going to come to the national team and all of a sudden want to play stretch 4. But the amazing part about him was he just f-----g played his ass off. The same Tristan you see in the summer is the one you see with the Cavs. He just sprints the floor, he f-----g kills himself for every offensive rebound, every defensive rebound. So, he just gives that team a really high-quality, energy, hard-work, blue-collar, get-it-done guy. So, right away, that makes him incredibly valuable. Everyone else might be finding a role or expand their role, he proved or showed that he was just willing to come and bust his ass."
• He's isn't modest when it comes to his national team. Thompson was confident about Team Canada's chances at this summer's FIBA Americas tournament in Mexico and, subsequently, the 2016 Olympics. He was also brutally honest about the competition: "USA gets the summer to relax and kind of just chill," said Thompson. "But for us, it's a big summer for our country. In 2016, we should have a good enough team to really medal, because Spain is getting old -- by 2016 they'll be very, very old, and their young group, I don't know what their young group is like, but their head honchos are old. Russia is older. Argentina, those guys are going to be soon retired and stop playing. Brazil is always strong because they just have good players for international ball, but for us, we're the next cream of the crop."
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• He understands the spotlight better. During a preseason game this year, Thompson kissed Fox Sports Ohio sideline reporter Allie Clifton on the side of the head while she was recording a live segment. The video went viral immediately with blogs titling posts about it with headlines such as, "Thompson under fire for kissing blonde Fox reporter" and "Tristan Thompson kisses sideline reporter, makes things awkward," even though Clifton herself took to Twitter to dismiss it as an "inside joke" and "not a big deal," while adding the two have a "good working relationship."
For Thompson, it was a preview of the attention his team was going to receive this season.
"That's what happens when people don't watch you last year, you don't win enough games. So, it's nothing big," Thompson said. "It just shows that this team is going to be under a magnifying glass, so anything you do will be definitely enhanced 10 times more than usual."
• He barely missed out playing against Kyrie Irving in college. In the 2011 NCAA tournament, his No. 4-seeded Texas squad was upset 70-69 by the No. 5-seeded Arizona Wildcats, led by Derrick Williams. Had the Longhorns have won, they would have gone on to play Irving and Duke in the Sweet 16. "We were supposed to play them," Irving said. "They were up by four with 50-something seconds left and they ended up giving the game away."
• He has three younger brothers. Thompson is the eldest of four boys and remains close with his three siblings -- 19-year-old Dishawn, 9-year-old Daniel and 8-year-old Amari.
Daniel is a budding basketball player, just like Tristan and Dishawn. Amari can't play, however, as he suffers from epilepsy. "As a kid, when he first started getting seizures, I was so scared," Thompson said. "I was nervous because I didn't know what to do exactly."
Thompson teamed with Epilepsy Toronto and established a fund in Amari's name to help others with a family member with the neurological disorder. Thompson said one in 100 families are affected by epilepsy.
"It's definitely changed our family, but at the same time, I think it's just a blessing to be able to understand what he's going through," Thompson said.
"Other families are going through it, too, and it's a way for us to meet other people that are going through it and hear their stories and kind of just learn and grow a bigger family outside of our household."
If there were any one explanation for Thompson's motor on the court and motivation to keep going, it would be Amari.
"It's made Tristan stronger," said Brooks. "It changed a lot of stuff in his life because now he, as he says all the time, 'Because of what Amari is going through, whenever I step on the court it makes me want to be a better person.' Because he wants to make sure the other kids are taken care of. For him to enter in that basketball court, he's doing it not just for Amari, but for the other kids are going through all these problems with parents that are trying to help them. So that's one of his big goals."
But he never neglects the little responsibilities that come with being a big brother.
"When he comes home, he will embrace them with lots of love, lots of laughs, make sure they're OK," Brooks said.
There's another ritual he shares with his brothers whenever he goes home. Thompson has an endorsement deal with Tim Horton's, and he becomes like Cosmo Kramer on "Seinfield," cashing in on his free caffe lattes when he's back north of the border.
"When he comes home, it will be like a little treat for them," Brooks said. "He will grab them up and lift them up. He will grab Amari in one hand and grab Daniel in one hand and kiss them up, kiss them up, kiss them up and say, you know, 'What do you think, man? Should we go to Tim Horton's and grab some donuts? We don't get this stuff too much in Cleveland.' You know, so it's like a little treat. That's a little embracement that they love."
We published a feature on Tristan Thompson during the second round of the playoffs that hopefully gives a good feel for the Cleveland Cavaliers' young forward.
Going into working on the profile, there were a couple areas in particular that intrigued me about Tristan: the fact that he shares an agent, Rich Paul, with LeBron James on a team in which James clearly wields a lot of power; and also his character and how his sunny demeanor really seemed to contribute to his success. I covered Lamar Odom when he was with the Los Angeles Lakers, and Tristan sort of reminded me of Odom in that regard.
After a couple of months of reporting (when I could find the time between the day-to-day rigors of the Cavs beat) and with immense help of Henry Abbott and Justin Verrier, who worked wonders shaping the material I was able to collect, we came up with a profile that uses a few episodes to give a glimpse into Thompson's life.
With Thompson in the news Monday because of James' starting a public campaign for the Cavs to re-sign the big man this summer, I figured it was a good time to revisit the feature and share some of what didn't make it into the piece.
• He is a picky eater. "I hate leftovers," Thompson said. "Even in my childhood, I never liked reheating up food. I've been getting better lately, but I just hate warming up food because I think when I open it up, it doesn't look fresh no more. It looks kind of, like, shriveled up. You know when you come out of the shower and you're pruney and stuff? I'm like ugh. I want it fresh. If it isn't fresh, make me another dish. And I hate cold food. I hate cold cuts."
He also doesn't like seafood, which he gets from his mom, Andrea Brooks. "I don't like fish," Brooks said. "Because the fish eat their poos. I don't eat that stuff. Fish eat their own poo. So, I'm not eating fish."
• He is unaware of the Victoria, British Columbia, native pop singer who shares his same name. "Is he any good? Does he have a lot of views? Like millions? Is he good-looking? Do girls like him?" Thompson asked. "He probably gets Twitter mentions about me. He hasn't blown up yet."
• His mom is a fan of James. "I'm so glad he's playing with LeBron," Brooks said. "He only can learn. He can learn to be better because he's playing with the best. He can take that blessing and turn it to be good in his life."
• He wears No. 13 because he was born on March 13. Even though Thompson considers it his lucky number, he scored 13 points in his final game at St. Benedict's in New Jersey before being kicked off the team. He had to wear a couple of other numbers for the Canadian national team before he got his favorite No. 13. "The national team is a little bit different because of the FIBA rules," Thompson said. "Sometimes it goes by position, but now that I got a little bit more staying power, I got a little bit more juice in Canada basketball, I get No. 13."
• His temper is entertaining. Matthew Dellavedova says the team cracks up at the way Thompson restrains himself when he gets ticked off during a game. "He's a really great guy, but when he gets mad?" Dellevedova said. "Like, say he gets mad at the refs or something, he'll go to say something, but he's too nice of a guy, so he stops himself before he does it."
• He's no Sam Dalembert. Longtime Toronto-based journalist Michael Grange, who currently works for Rogers Sportsnet, described how Thompson immediately fit in with the Canadian national team without wanting star treatment.
"There's always been a little bit of a concern [pro players] are used to playing roles but want to branch out from their NBA team," Grange said. "Like Sam Dalembert, he wanted to come back and play for the national team and all of a sudden he wanted to be Shaq [Shaquille O'Neal]. He wanted to get 30 touches and they're like, 'No, Sam, just f-----g get some rebounds and block shots.'
"And Tristan, I don't know if there was anxiety about that, but I was a little curious of if he was going to come to the national team and all of a sudden want to play stretch 4. But the amazing part about him was he just f-----g played his ass off. The same Tristan you see in the summer is the one you see with the Cavs. He just sprints the floor, he f-----g kills himself for every offensive rebound, every defensive rebound. So, he just gives that team a really high-quality, energy, hard-work, blue-collar, get-it-done guy. So, right away, that makes him incredibly valuable. Everyone else might be finding a role or expand their role, he proved or showed that he was just willing to come and bust his ass."
• He's isn't modest when it comes to his national team. Thompson was confident about Team Canada's chances at this summer's FIBA Americas tournament in Mexico and, subsequently, the 2016 Olympics. He was also brutally honest about the competition: "USA gets the summer to relax and kind of just chill," said Thompson. "But for us, it's a big summer for our country. In 2016, we should have a good enough team to really medal, because Spain is getting old -- by 2016 they'll be very, very old, and their young group, I don't know what their young group is like, but their head honchos are old. Russia is older. Argentina, those guys are going to be soon retired and stop playing. Brazil is always strong because they just have good players for international ball, but for us, we're the next cream of the crop."
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• He understands the spotlight better. During a preseason game this year, Thompson kissed Fox Sports Ohio sideline reporter Allie Clifton on the side of the head while she was recording a live segment. The video went viral immediately with blogs titling posts about it with headlines such as, "Thompson under fire for kissing blonde Fox reporter" and "Tristan Thompson kisses sideline reporter, makes things awkward," even though Clifton herself took to Twitter to dismiss it as an "inside joke" and "not a big deal," while adding the two have a "good working relationship."
For Thompson, it was a preview of the attention his team was going to receive this season.
"That's what happens when people don't watch you last year, you don't win enough games. So, it's nothing big," Thompson said. "It just shows that this team is going to be under a magnifying glass, so anything you do will be definitely enhanced 10 times more than usual."
• He barely missed out playing against Kyrie Irving in college. In the 2011 NCAA tournament, his No. 4-seeded Texas squad was upset 70-69 by the No. 5-seeded Arizona Wildcats, led by Derrick Williams. Had the Longhorns have won, they would have gone on to play Irving and Duke in the Sweet 16. "We were supposed to play them," Irving said. "They were up by four with 50-something seconds left and they ended up giving the game away."
• He has three younger brothers. Thompson is the eldest of four boys and remains close with his three siblings -- 19-year-old Dishawn, 9-year-old Daniel and 8-year-old Amari.
Daniel is a budding basketball player, just like Tristan and Dishawn. Amari can't play, however, as he suffers from epilepsy. "As a kid, when he first started getting seizures, I was so scared," Thompson said. "I was nervous because I didn't know what to do exactly."
Thompson teamed with Epilepsy Toronto and established a fund in Amari's name to help others with a family member with the neurological disorder. Thompson said one in 100 families are affected by epilepsy.
"It's definitely changed our family, but at the same time, I think it's just a blessing to be able to understand what he's going through," Thompson said.
"Other families are going through it, too, and it's a way for us to meet other people that are going through it and hear their stories and kind of just learn and grow a bigger family outside of our household."
If there were any one explanation for Thompson's motor on the court and motivation to keep going, it would be Amari.
"It's made Tristan stronger," said Brooks. "It changed a lot of stuff in his life because now he, as he says all the time, 'Because of what Amari is going through, whenever I step on the court it makes me want to be a better person.' Because he wants to make sure the other kids are taken care of. For him to enter in that basketball court, he's doing it not just for Amari, but for the other kids are going through all these problems with parents that are trying to help them. So that's one of his big goals."
But he never neglects the little responsibilities that come with being a big brother.
"When he comes home, he will embrace them with lots of love, lots of laughs, make sure they're OK," Brooks said.
There's another ritual he shares with his brothers whenever he goes home. Thompson has an endorsement deal with Tim Horton's, and he becomes like Cosmo Kramer on "Seinfield," cashing in on his free caffe lattes when he's back north of the border.
"When he comes home, it will be like a little treat for them," Brooks said. "He will grab them up and lift them up. He will grab Amari in one hand and grab Daniel in one hand and kiss them up, kiss them up, kiss them up and say, you know, 'What do you think, man? Should we go to Tim Horton's and grab some donuts? We don't get this stuff too much in Cleveland.' You know, so it's like a little treat. That's a little embracement that they love."
"No, I've looked very hard, but I can't seem to find the fucks to give about soft bitches who aren't Cavs fans hating me!!!"
Go Cavs!!!!
Big up to all the real Cavs fans, who waited through all the years of suffering, yall guys deserve it more than any other fans.... 
Gene what you think about my read on Thompson at the beginning of the season now?
He is the heart and soul of this team and his growth this season has been remarkable..
Gene what you think about my read on Thompson at the beginning of the season now?
He is the heart and soul of this team and his growth this season has been remarkable..
Big up to all the real Cavs fans, who waited through all the years of suffering, yall guys deserve it more than any other fans....
Gene what you think about my read on Thompson at the beginning of the season now?
He is the heart and soul of this team and his growth this season has been remarkable..
Shit, I'm man enough to admit I was wrong about my take on Thompson. You called that shit from the start. I thought you were batshit to be so high on Thompson. Damn, if Love were still healthy this team would be unreal right now.
And cats need to admit you were right about the Hawks. You been called the shit on them. Broke that shit down several times.
That said, now folks see why I was so high on the Aussie. He came up huge too with Kyrie hurting. And the cat ain't dirty, he been on the floor when the Cavs were not even in playoff contention.
Shit, I'm man enough to admit I was wrong about my take on Thompson. You called that shit from the start. I thought you were batshit to be so high on Thompson. Damn, if Love were still healthy this team would be unreal right now.
And cats need to admit you were right about the Hawks. You been called the shit on them. Broke that shit down several times.
That said, now folks see why I was so high on the Aussie. He came up huge too with Kyrie hurting. And the cat ain't dirty, he been on the floor when the Cavs were not even in playoff contention.
It has been an amazing season so far, and isn't funny how you and I immediately recognized the big change right after the trade even after they lost that first game...
But once they clicked it was no looking back..
I still remember that. We both made the same observations. It's been a great season.
Lebron can cement his legacy with this chip. The comeback story would have already been great, but with Irving not 100 percent and no Love ....... sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeit.
Man I been said the Hawks wasn't about to do shit as well and anyone who knows anything about the NBA should've seen that
No big time players
Not 1
And congrats to all the true Cavs fans
Y'all have a great chance to bring it home
Finals should be exciting
No big time players
Not 1
And congrats to all the true Cavs fans
Y'all have a great chance to bring it home
Finals should be exciting
A statistical breakdown of the Cavaliers sweep against the Hawks in the Eastern Conference finals
CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland Cavaliers are heading to the NBA finals for the first time since 2007 after defeating the Atlanta Hawks, 118-88, in Game 4 to complete the sweep.
The Cavaliers dominated this series from start to finish, winning the four games by an average of 13.3 points.
Game 1: Cavaliers 97, Hawks 89
http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2015/05/cleveland_cavaliers_atlanta_ha_6.html
Game 2: Cavaliers 94, Hawks 82
http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2015/05/cleveland_cavaliers_atlanta_ha_9.html
Game 3: Cavaliers 114, Hawks 111
http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2015/05/lebron_james_cleveland_cavalie_43.html
Game 4: Cavaliers 118, Hawks 88
http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2015/05/lebron_james_cleveland_cavalie_44.html
Here are some statistics that helped the Cavaliers win the Eastern Conference finals against the Atlanta Hawks.
8: players that scored at least 10 points in a game
To win in the NBA playoffs, a team must have a balanced offensive scoring attack, and the Cavaliers had that.
The team was led by LeBron James and J.R. Smith, but got a lot of help from players like Iman Shumpert, Matthew Dellavedova and Tristan Thompson.
Defenses are going to put a majority of their focus on James, and guys have to knock down the open shot when they get it.
23: LeBron James
This is an easy one, but James was nothing short of spectacular in this series. He averaged 30.3 points, 14.7 rebounds and 9.3 assists against the Hawks, including his unforgettable performance in Game 3.
His on court presence was the most impressive thing about him, and he realized what he needed to do throughout the game. If he needed to go get a basket, he did it. If a teammate was open for a shot, he hit them. The numbers he put up are one thing, but just the presence on the court was something that stood out.
A big reason for the Cavaliers 3-point shooting was because of James finding the open guy for the easy jumper.
ESPN stats & info
26: 3-pointers by the Hawks
We will get to the Cavaliers 3-point shooting later, but the Hawks just weren't able to hit from the outside. The were able to only connect on 23.4 % of their attempts, and that percentage is shrunk to only 18.5% if you take out the Game 3 performance.
Obviously the injury to Kyle Korver definitely hurt the outside shooting, but the Hawks really struggled to get the looks they had during the regular season.
A big reason for that was the defensive pressure of Matthew Dellavedova and Iman Shumpert, who did a great job of applying pressure to the Hawks point guards.
44: rebounds by Tristan Thompson
There is no denying that LeBron James was the best player this entire series, but the play of Thompson in this series was equally as impressive .
Countless time in this series, Thompson got an offensive rebound or tipped the ball out to a teammate, giving the Cavaliers a second chance to score.
Thompson also made big plays on both ends of the court, averaging 11.8 points and 1.8 blocks.
A lot of people questioned what Tristan Thompson did this past off-season by turning down a big contract, but what Thompson did in this series and the entire playoffs is a huge reason why the Cavaliers are heading to the finals .
49: 3-pointers hit in the series by the Cavaliers
At the start of the conference finals, the four remaining teams were all in the top 5 in 3-pointer hit in the season.
However, it was the Cavaliers that showed the great 3-point shooting as they averaged 12.3 makes from deep. Even more impressive, the Cavaliers hit at least 10 in each of the four games.
It was a team effort from the 3-point line, as J.R. Smith , LeBron James , Iman Shumpert, James Jones and Matthew Dellavedova all hit at least five 3-pointers. J.R. Smith led the way with 16, with half of them coming in his Game 1 explosion.
The Cavaliers will be off until June 4, when they travel to either Golden State or Houston in Game 1 of the NBA finals.
CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland Cavaliers are heading to the NBA finals for the first time since 2007 after defeating the Atlanta Hawks, 118-88, in Game 4 to complete the sweep.
The Cavaliers dominated this series from start to finish, winning the four games by an average of 13.3 points.
Game 1: Cavaliers 97, Hawks 89
http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2015/05/cleveland_cavaliers_atlanta_ha_6.html
Game 2: Cavaliers 94, Hawks 82
http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2015/05/cleveland_cavaliers_atlanta_ha_9.html
Game 3: Cavaliers 114, Hawks 111
http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2015/05/lebron_james_cleveland_cavalie_43.html
Game 4: Cavaliers 118, Hawks 88
http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2015/05/lebron_james_cleveland_cavalie_44.html
Here are some statistics that helped the Cavaliers win the Eastern Conference finals against the Atlanta Hawks.
8: players that scored at least 10 points in a game
To win in the NBA playoffs, a team must have a balanced offensive scoring attack, and the Cavaliers had that.
The team was led by LeBron James and J.R. Smith, but got a lot of help from players like Iman Shumpert, Matthew Dellavedova and Tristan Thompson.
Defenses are going to put a majority of their focus on James, and guys have to knock down the open shot when they get it.
23: LeBron James
This is an easy one, but James was nothing short of spectacular in this series. He averaged 30.3 points, 14.7 rebounds and 9.3 assists against the Hawks, including his unforgettable performance in Game 3.
His on court presence was the most impressive thing about him, and he realized what he needed to do throughout the game. If he needed to go get a basket, he did it. If a teammate was open for a shot, he hit them. The numbers he put up are one thing, but just the presence on the court was something that stood out.
A big reason for the Cavaliers 3-point shooting was because of James finding the open guy for the easy jumper.
ESPN stats & info
26: 3-pointers by the Hawks
We will get to the Cavaliers 3-point shooting later, but the Hawks just weren't able to hit from the outside. The were able to only connect on 23.4 % of their attempts, and that percentage is shrunk to only 18.5% if you take out the Game 3 performance.
Obviously the injury to Kyle Korver definitely hurt the outside shooting, but the Hawks really struggled to get the looks they had during the regular season.
A big reason for that was the defensive pressure of Matthew Dellavedova and Iman Shumpert, who did a great job of applying pressure to the Hawks point guards.
44: rebounds by Tristan Thompson
There is no denying that LeBron James was the best player this entire series, but the play of Thompson in this series was equally as impressive .
Countless time in this series, Thompson got an offensive rebound or tipped the ball out to a teammate, giving the Cavaliers a second chance to score.
Thompson also made big plays on both ends of the court, averaging 11.8 points and 1.8 blocks.
A lot of people questioned what Tristan Thompson did this past off-season by turning down a big contract, but what Thompson did in this series and the entire playoffs is a huge reason why the Cavaliers are heading to the finals .
49: 3-pointers hit in the series by the Cavaliers
At the start of the conference finals, the four remaining teams were all in the top 5 in 3-pointer hit in the season.
However, it was the Cavaliers that showed the great 3-point shooting as they averaged 12.3 makes from deep. Even more impressive, the Cavaliers hit at least 10 in each of the four games.
It was a team effort from the 3-point line, as J.R. Smith , LeBron James , Iman Shumpert, James Jones and Matthew Dellavedova all hit at least five 3-pointers. J.R. Smith led the way with 16, with half of them coming in his Game 1 explosion.
The Cavaliers will be off until June 4, when they travel to either Golden State or Houston in Game 1 of the NBA finals.
Fuck that shirt with a aids dick
Charles Barkley: 'Cleveland Cavaliers are going to win the world championship this year'
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Cavaliers have advanced to the NBA Finals for the second time in franchise history. While their opponent remains a mystery, TNT NBA Analyst Charles Barkley isn't waiting for the Western Conference finals result before sharing his prediction.
"The Cleveland Cavaliers are going to win the world championship this year," Barkley said after the Cavs' 118-88 win against Atlanta on Tuesday night.
It's a big change considering Sir Charles said earlier this postseason the Cavs couldn't beat the Bulls without injured All-Star Kevin Love. But the team's recent play led to a change of heart.
LeBron James, in the Finals for the fifth straight year, is coming off a series against Atlanta where he averaged 30.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 9.3 assists and 1.5 steals. Picking up the slack for a missing Love and a hobbled Kyrie Irving, James delivered when his team needed it the most.
"This is his best accomplishment in all of his runs," analyst Kenny Smith said.
But the Cavaliers are not a one-man show. Throughout the postseason, James has gotten help from teammates, something that hasn't always been the case.
"(Tristan) Thompson has solidified the power forward spot to go with (Timofey) Mozgov," Barkley said. "They have a big team now. With the addition of J.R. Smith and (Iman) Shumpert, they have athletic ability on the perimeter now. Mozgov saved their season because they were just too small. But now you put him and Thompson together -- LeBron's playing at an unbelievable level -- but I think the addition of Shumpert and J.R. Smith made them a legit NBA team."
Shaquille O'Neal, another member of the Inside the NBA crew on TNT, once played alongside James. O'Neal arrived via trade in 2009 and was expected to be the piece to help James and the Cavaliers end the city's title drought.
"My motto is very simple: Win a Ring for the King," he proclaimed during his introductory press conference. James was still in search of his first NBA title at that time, but once again fell short. And like many of James' previous teammates, O'Neal failed to deliver in the postseason.
Back in Cleveland as a broadcaster, while the confetti fell from atop Quicken Loans Arena, O'Neal reflected on what the moment meant for his former teammate and city.
"We all grew up on great sports stories," he said. "If this kid wins for this town, it will have to be a top 10 sports story. Guy grew up here, left, was criticized, won in Miami and came back. It's just their time. I'm really excited for the city of Cleveland and LeBron."
Of course, Barkley, O'Neal and others still have questions about Kyrie Irving. How healthy is he? What can he deliver while playing through a balky left knee? Will he be able to use the days off to return to his previous form and once again become James' talented running mate?
"He's got to be healthy," Barkley admitted before making his prediction. "I think the Cleveland Cavaliers are going to win."
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Cavaliers have advanced to the NBA Finals for the second time in franchise history. While their opponent remains a mystery, TNT NBA Analyst Charles Barkley isn't waiting for the Western Conference finals result before sharing his prediction.
"The Cleveland Cavaliers are going to win the world championship this year," Barkley said after the Cavs' 118-88 win against Atlanta on Tuesday night.
It's a big change considering Sir Charles said earlier this postseason the Cavs couldn't beat the Bulls without injured All-Star Kevin Love. But the team's recent play led to a change of heart.
LeBron James, in the Finals for the fifth straight year, is coming off a series against Atlanta where he averaged 30.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 9.3 assists and 1.5 steals. Picking up the slack for a missing Love and a hobbled Kyrie Irving, James delivered when his team needed it the most.
"This is his best accomplishment in all of his runs," analyst Kenny Smith said.
But the Cavaliers are not a one-man show. Throughout the postseason, James has gotten help from teammates, something that hasn't always been the case.
"(Tristan) Thompson has solidified the power forward spot to go with (Timofey) Mozgov," Barkley said. "They have a big team now. With the addition of J.R. Smith and (Iman) Shumpert, they have athletic ability on the perimeter now. Mozgov saved their season because they were just too small. But now you put him and Thompson together -- LeBron's playing at an unbelievable level -- but I think the addition of Shumpert and J.R. Smith made them a legit NBA team."
Shaquille O'Neal, another member of the Inside the NBA crew on TNT, once played alongside James. O'Neal arrived via trade in 2009 and was expected to be the piece to help James and the Cavaliers end the city's title drought.
"My motto is very simple: Win a Ring for the King," he proclaimed during his introductory press conference. James was still in search of his first NBA title at that time, but once again fell short. And like many of James' previous teammates, O'Neal failed to deliver in the postseason.
Back in Cleveland as a broadcaster, while the confetti fell from atop Quicken Loans Arena, O'Neal reflected on what the moment meant for his former teammate and city.
"We all grew up on great sports stories," he said. "If this kid wins for this town, it will have to be a top 10 sports story. Guy grew up here, left, was criticized, won in Miami and came back. It's just their time. I'm really excited for the city of Cleveland and LeBron."
Of course, Barkley, O'Neal and others still have questions about Kyrie Irving. How healthy is he? What can he deliver while playing through a balky left knee? Will he be able to use the days off to return to his previous form and once again become James' talented running mate?
"He's got to be healthy," Barkley admitted before making his prediction. "I think the Cleveland Cavaliers are going to win."
Chris Fedor @ChrisFedor
#Cavs LeBron James on his halftime message: "I told the guys our motivation now is to get Joe Harris into the game"
"Chris Fedor @ChrisFedor
#Cavs LeBron James: "I'm a guy who believes in unfinished business. To be up here it's emotional. Could I see this at the beginning? No"
#Cavs LeBron James is joined by Tristan Thompson and J.R. Smith tonight for the podium
#Cavs LeBron James on his halftime message: "I told the guys our motivation now is to get Joe Harris into the game"
"Chris Fedor @ChrisFedor
#Cavs LeBron James: "I'm a guy who believes in unfinished business. To be up here it's emotional. Could I see this at the beginning? No"
#Cavs LeBron James is joined by Tristan Thompson and J.R. Smith tonight for the podium
I wonder if Shaq has ever said something similar about any of his other teammates
Too much shit in here....
Prediction man....
Ignorance handled by the post below before the playoff run....
And that's that. If they play like that against GS, it's over in 6.....
Prediction man....Ignorance handled by the post below before the playoff run....
There you have it... and anyone that says that J.R. is not a different player than he was in NY and that he's not been an asset to what the Cavs have been doing since he's been there is talking out of their asses straight up...
And that's that. If they play like that against GS, it's over in 6.....
Gene u fag remember this thread you made back in July 7,2010? A whole lot of plea coppin you was doing.. Funny daman2000 called it and I made a post in there.. You haven't made a thread about the cavs in 4 years B
http://www.bgol.us/board/showthread.php?t=507024
http://www.bgol.us/board/showthread.php?t=507024
yeah... these teams didn't look like this before the cavs got to them... but they for damn sure did after the Cavs kicked their asses..
It's about to be June... and them motherfuckers are STILL resting while y'all STILL playing!!
Foot in mouth ass Nigga!
There was Cavs discussion going on. BGOL just wasn't in the threads. Only a few cats were talking about the Cavs -- and I was one of them.
But you sure blew this thread the fuck up, didn't you?
There was Cavs discussion going on. BGOL just wasn't in the threads. Only a few cats were talking about the Cavs -- and I was one of them.
But you sure blew this thread the fuck up, didn't you?
Cause u was in here talkin extra greasy
Chris Fedor @ChrisFedor
For all the people that think I criticize David Blatt too much -- this is what I wrote in February after GS win
Early growing pains in the past, Cleveland Cavaliers head coach David Blatt has found his place
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Before the Cleveland Cavaliers came calling this summer, David Blatt received an inquiry from another team.
That team was the Golden State Warriors and Steve Kerr, a first-time NBA head coach, who was rounding out his staff. Kerr admitted Thursday he didn't know Blatt on a personal level, but the two were connected through former NFL GM-turned-agent, Mike Tannenbaum.
"Just his experience and the great reputation," Kerr said of the things he was drawn to. "I had a chance to speak with him when I was hiring my staff and I was really impressed. We met in L.A. for a few hours. He got a better opportunity."
That opportunity came from Cavs General Manager David Griffin, a close friend of Kerr's from their time together with the Phoenix Suns. Other NBA teams had reached out to Blatt in the past, and like Kerr, many were looking for an offensive-minded assistant. Some around the league believed that was Blatt's best option rather than jumping into the deep waters immediately. But he rebuffed, betting on himself, holding out for an opportunity to be a head coach, and now he couldn't be happier.
"It seems like a long time ago," Blatt said of his off-season choice. "Once I had the opportunity to come to the Cavaliers I really didn't feel any regret. It's really through the good graces of Steve Kerr and the Golden State staff that I had the opportunity to interview for the job and they were willing to let me follow this path. I still hold a really good feeling of appreciation for the way they handled that situation. It's turned out pretty good for both sides."
Blatt's not the only member of the Cavaliers who nearly ended up in the Bay Area. When the Minnesota Timberwolves finally made three-time All-Star Kevin Love available, a few teams explored a deal, including the Cavaliers and Warriors. But the price was steep.
The Timberwolves asked for promising shooting guard Klay Thompson, one half of the league's best backcourt nicknamed the "Splash Brothers." When the Warriors were unwilling to part with Thompson, Love was sent to Cleveland in a package built around 2014 first-overall pick Andrew Wiggins.
"That was a crazy summer for me," Love said Thursday morning. "But as soon as LeBron got in touch with me, that was kind of all put to an end. We're both two very good teams. Looking back, sure there's things you can look at and say, 'What could've been.' But I also would've been thinking about this situation had it been the other way around. I'm happy to be here and just want to continue to win."
The Warriors, despite a 110-99 loss against the rising Cavaliers on Thursday night, hold the best record in the NBA. The Cavaliers are third in the Eastern Conference, leaving behind a slow start, early growing pains and plenty of questions.
"It's just that everyone wanted to write a certain story based on the results and based on whatever," Kerr said. "He had to go through a little growth process, learning the NBA. I'm sure just like me, in my first year, I feel a lot more comfortable now than I did in training camp. You get a feel for things, but he knew what he was doing when he came here. Now he's got pieces that make sense. It's all rolling. I'm happy to see him going on smoother waters here because he didn't deserve what he had to go through earlier."
For all of Blatt's overseas accomplishments and Euroleague hardware, he was new to the NBA, a stranger in his own locker room.
In late December/early January, a stretch where the Cavs, a team with title aspirations, had lost 10 of 12 and stumbled below .500, Blatt was the league's most beleaguered coach. Rumors of him being fired picked up steam.
Despite a vociferous defense from Griffin, some still wondered whether the Cavs would've been better off with a different coach, one with experience walking along the NBA sidelines. Some wondered if another coach would've been better able to reach LeBron James.
Blatt heard the criticism, and even with his star player referring to him as a "rookie coach" repeatedly, he stayed the course, and never felt the need to validate his coaching credentials.
"I've been a head coach for 22 years," he said Thursday. "People overlook that too easily and I think unfairly. I know I'm the new kid on the block in the NBA and I recognize the greatness of this league and the difficulty of this league and the fact that I've had to make, and am still going through the adjustment to coach in this league, but I am not now, nor have I been for quite some time, a rookie coach."
Now his team is battling back. Looking like an NBA title contender, the Cavs are 18-2 in the last 20 games, owners of the league's best record since mid-January when they returned from a Western Conference road trip closer and with a renewed confidence.
Blatt has found a reliable rotation. He has found the proper way to communicate with his players. He has adapted to the recent roster changes, piecing things together quickly. At one time it looked like Blatt's NBA stay would be brief, but not anymore.
When the Cavs hired him they were taking a risk. It took four months of patience, two trades, James returning to his MVP form and some dark times. But the light is finally shining and the rest of league is starting to see what Kerr and Griffin saw this summer: No matter what country or what league, Blatt has the necessary tools to be successful.
"He's a great coach and he's going to be around here for a long time," Kerr said.
For all the people that think I criticize David Blatt too much -- this is what I wrote in February after GS win
Early growing pains in the past, Cleveland Cavaliers head coach David Blatt has found his place
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Before the Cleveland Cavaliers came calling this summer, David Blatt received an inquiry from another team.
That team was the Golden State Warriors and Steve Kerr, a first-time NBA head coach, who was rounding out his staff. Kerr admitted Thursday he didn't know Blatt on a personal level, but the two were connected through former NFL GM-turned-agent, Mike Tannenbaum.
"Just his experience and the great reputation," Kerr said of the things he was drawn to. "I had a chance to speak with him when I was hiring my staff and I was really impressed. We met in L.A. for a few hours. He got a better opportunity."
That opportunity came from Cavs General Manager David Griffin, a close friend of Kerr's from their time together with the Phoenix Suns. Other NBA teams had reached out to Blatt in the past, and like Kerr, many were looking for an offensive-minded assistant. Some around the league believed that was Blatt's best option rather than jumping into the deep waters immediately. But he rebuffed, betting on himself, holding out for an opportunity to be a head coach, and now he couldn't be happier.
"It seems like a long time ago," Blatt said of his off-season choice. "Once I had the opportunity to come to the Cavaliers I really didn't feel any regret. It's really through the good graces of Steve Kerr and the Golden State staff that I had the opportunity to interview for the job and they were willing to let me follow this path. I still hold a really good feeling of appreciation for the way they handled that situation. It's turned out pretty good for both sides."
Blatt's not the only member of the Cavaliers who nearly ended up in the Bay Area. When the Minnesota Timberwolves finally made three-time All-Star Kevin Love available, a few teams explored a deal, including the Cavaliers and Warriors. But the price was steep.
The Timberwolves asked for promising shooting guard Klay Thompson, one half of the league's best backcourt nicknamed the "Splash Brothers." When the Warriors were unwilling to part with Thompson, Love was sent to Cleveland in a package built around 2014 first-overall pick Andrew Wiggins.
"That was a crazy summer for me," Love said Thursday morning. "But as soon as LeBron got in touch with me, that was kind of all put to an end. We're both two very good teams. Looking back, sure there's things you can look at and say, 'What could've been.' But I also would've been thinking about this situation had it been the other way around. I'm happy to be here and just want to continue to win."
The Warriors, despite a 110-99 loss against the rising Cavaliers on Thursday night, hold the best record in the NBA. The Cavaliers are third in the Eastern Conference, leaving behind a slow start, early growing pains and plenty of questions.
"It's just that everyone wanted to write a certain story based on the results and based on whatever," Kerr said. "He had to go through a little growth process, learning the NBA. I'm sure just like me, in my first year, I feel a lot more comfortable now than I did in training camp. You get a feel for things, but he knew what he was doing when he came here. Now he's got pieces that make sense. It's all rolling. I'm happy to see him going on smoother waters here because he didn't deserve what he had to go through earlier."
For all of Blatt's overseas accomplishments and Euroleague hardware, he was new to the NBA, a stranger in his own locker room.
In late December/early January, a stretch where the Cavs, a team with title aspirations, had lost 10 of 12 and stumbled below .500, Blatt was the league's most beleaguered coach. Rumors of him being fired picked up steam.
Despite a vociferous defense from Griffin, some still wondered whether the Cavs would've been better off with a different coach, one with experience walking along the NBA sidelines. Some wondered if another coach would've been better able to reach LeBron James.
Blatt heard the criticism, and even with his star player referring to him as a "rookie coach" repeatedly, he stayed the course, and never felt the need to validate his coaching credentials.
"I've been a head coach for 22 years," he said Thursday. "People overlook that too easily and I think unfairly. I know I'm the new kid on the block in the NBA and I recognize the greatness of this league and the difficulty of this league and the fact that I've had to make, and am still going through the adjustment to coach in this league, but I am not now, nor have I been for quite some time, a rookie coach."
Now his team is battling back. Looking like an NBA title contender, the Cavs are 18-2 in the last 20 games, owners of the league's best record since mid-January when they returned from a Western Conference road trip closer and with a renewed confidence.
Blatt has found a reliable rotation. He has found the proper way to communicate with his players. He has adapted to the recent roster changes, piecing things together quickly. At one time it looked like Blatt's NBA stay would be brief, but not anymore.
When the Cavs hired him they were taking a risk. It took four months of patience, two trades, James returning to his MVP form and some dark times. But the light is finally shining and the rest of league is starting to see what Kerr and Griffin saw this summer: No matter what country or what league, Blatt has the necessary tools to be successful.
"He's a great coach and he's going to be around here for a long time," Kerr said.
Blatt has made some nice adjustments for the team. This cat is the anti-Brown.
I often wondered if he purposely sat Mozgov to get this team used to not playing with him under certain scenarios. As if he were using the regular season as a test case.
I know people clowned him for that game winner with Lebron, but those same people forget the timeouts they had to burn when they had trouble getting the ball in and Lebron being cold as ice.
Steve Kerr isn't a slouch. I know he will make adjustments that will keep the Cavs on their toes.
Blatt wasn't getting the respect early on -- and it was obvious -- but I think the addition of Mozgov changed that.
"Listen to da man. He know da basketball!"
I often wondered if he purposely sat Mozgov to get this team used to not playing with him under certain scenarios. As if he were using the regular season as a test case.
I know people clowned him for that game winner with Lebron, but those same people forget the timeouts they had to burn when they had trouble getting the ball in and Lebron being cold as ice.
Steve Kerr isn't a slouch. I know he will make adjustments that will keep the Cavs on their toes.
Blatt wasn't getting the respect early on -- and it was obvious -- but I think the addition of Mozgov changed that.
"Listen to da man. He know da basketball!"
Lebron is on Kyrie in the clutch. Shump will make life miserable for Klay. Life won't be easy for them with the defense they will see late in the 4th with the game close...
Nigga shut up Shump nor JR couldn't lock him up last time they played
Didn't JR have 4pts? Shump ain't even score so you mean Klay locked them niggas up, and first game they played that GS won Klay had 24
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAAGFBMVEUiIiI9PT0eHh4gIB4hIBkcHBwcHBwcHBydr+JQAAAACHRSTlMABA4YHyQsM5jtaMwAAADfSURBVDjL7ZVBEgMhCAQBAf//42xcNbpAqakcM0ftUmFAAIBE81IqBJdS3lS6zs3bIpB9WED3YYXFPmHRfT8sgyrCP1x8uEUxLMzNWElFOYCV6mHWWwMzdPEKHlhLw7NWJqkHc4uIZphavDzA2JPzUDsBZziNae2S6owH8xPmX8G7zzgKEOPUoYHvGz1TBCxMkd3kwNVbU0gKHkx+iZILf77IofhrY1nYFnB/lQPb79drWOyJVa/DAvg9B/rLB4cC+Nqgdz/TvBbBnr6GBReqn/nRmDgaQEej7WhonozjF+Y2I/fZou/qAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://instagram.com/p/3K7yOUNfBg/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_top">What more can I say!! ##JustSaying @k1irving @imanshumpertthe1st @perk_409</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A video posted by JR Smith (@teamswish) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2015-05-27T03:48:30+00:00">May 26, 2015 at 8:48pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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