# Game #3: Cavs @ Grizzlies (11/5/2005)



## remy23 (Aug 15, 2002)

*VS* 

*Cleveland Cavaliers* *(1-1) @* *Memphis Grizzlies* *(1-1)*

_*STARTERS*_


*BENCH*


*TIME:* 5:00 pm PT, 8:00 pm ET
*TV:* *NBALP*, *WUAB*
*Radio:* *WTAM 1100*
*Location:* *FedExForum*, Memphis, Tennessee

Two games into the season, Cleveland has blown a team out and proceeded to get blown out themselves. There’s no time to feel down on themselves after the loss against the Spurs, as Cleveland has another tough game on the road. The Cavs played the Grizzlies well last season but like Cleveland, Memphis has made changes of their own. Pau Gasol tends to play well against Cleveland, look for him to do damage. Larry Hughes and Eddie Jones should be a good match up. Larry is going to need to stay home more with this assignment. LeBron and Zydrunas need to attack their match ups. Each has the ability to command a double team. Unlike last game, LeBron is going to need his teammates to show up from the jump and not take long to assimilate themselves into the game.


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## Benedict_Boozer (Jul 16, 2004)

I think this is a must win game. We need to bounce back and build some confidence on the road. 

Larry was finding his shot against the Spurs but was having some difficulty on D which took him out of his game. Eddie Jones should be a much better matchup for him and i'd like to see him as the facilitator of the offense like he was against NO. 

We need to push the tempo a little bit more too, LBJ and LH are open court players and we need them to play off each other rather than so much isolation play.


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## Cap (Nov 5, 2003)

This should be a W, unless the SA game really affected their confidence. But it's on the road, so...


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## MemphisX (Sep 11, 2002)

EHL said:


> This should be a W, unless the SA game really affected their confidence. But it's on the road, so...



Hmmm..._should be_ a W? Me thinks the Cavs been reading their press clippings :clown:


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## Larry Hughes for Retirement (Jul 5, 2004)

If we stop Gasol that game should be ours. They are just a very deep team with good talent no other superstar other than Gasol. I wound if big Z will guard him as he did Tim Duncan, and in the first half of the SA game i would say Zydrunas did a great job on him.


DJ has to start or get in the game earlier, if Snow wasnt stopping Parker then there was no point for him to be on the floor.


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## futuristxen (Jun 26, 2003)

Is Battier out for this game?

Anyways, this should be a W for the Cavs. Memphis is the kind of team they should be able to beat. It'll be close, but the Cavs have the weapons to make it happen. They just need to bounce back from the Spurs game.


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## Pioneer10 (Sep 30, 2004)

I'm not sure I agree that this SHOULD be a win for the Cavs

It's a second end of a back to back with both games being on the road. Also Gasol has a field day against the Cavs almost every game I've seen against Memphis. Plus, Memphis is a good team: I think we have a good shot here to win but I'm not placing any bets on the Cavs - it will be a tough close game.


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## remy23 (Aug 15, 2002)

I agree with Pioneer10 in that I really don't like casually calling games like "we got this one" because you just never know with our squad (we can win games we shouldn't and then lose those we never had business losing).


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## KingoftheCourt23 (Jul 20, 2005)

This is a show me game. I want this team to show me that they can bounce back after losing big in a big game. If they come out flat then they are still thinking about last night's game. I think that they will come out mad and want to show that they are a better team then how they played last night.


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## spongyfungy (Oct 22, 2003)

Gasol is going to be a handful. It's going to be an evenly matched game but I think the Cavs can pull it out.


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## remy23 (Aug 15, 2002)

I want to see Hughes attack tonight. The Spurs recovered well even after the first guy got beat but Cleveland should test Memphis and their rotation speed. Will they recover as quickly as the Spurs? If not, Hughes and James might make it all the way to the rim tonight, compared to the other night when they were met by another defender.


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## Pioneer10 (Sep 30, 2004)

remy23 said:


> I want to see Hughes attack tonight. The Spurs recovered well even after the first guy got beat but Cleveland should test Memphis and their rotation speed. Will they recover as quickly as the Spurs? If not, Hughes and James might make it all the way to the rim tonight, compared to the other night when they were met by another defender.


 I rewatched the first half of yesterday's game and I was pleasaanlty surprised when Lebron and Hughes passed to each other till either saw an opening and then attacked. This worked very well when added with Z's touches. Somehow we got away from this in the second half

Z needs to get a ton of touches and then both the above guys need to attack


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## Benedict_Boozer (Jul 16, 2004)

Great, Marshall out with a Calf injury.

Look forward to plenty of zone tonight..


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## remy23 (Aug 15, 2002)

Cleveland calls time-out, Grizzlies up 16-9. Sadly, James has all the team's points. If this game takes early tones from last game where it's LeBron dueling againt another team, this might get ugly.


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## remy23 (Aug 15, 2002)

Nice to see Hughes knock a shot down. Memphis has made some turnovers and Cleveland needs to make them pay for it. 

Big Z playing volleyball down low.


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## remy23 (Aug 15, 2002)

James with the crush.


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## Pioneer10 (Sep 30, 2004)

18-15 after a Lebron jam


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## Pioneer10 (Sep 30, 2004)

Lebron with 11 already: need some balance.

22-19 after Hughes hit


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## Pioneer10 (Sep 30, 2004)

Our interior D isn't very good tonight as Wright slams it home and is fouled


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## remy23 (Aug 15, 2002)

Hughes is getting going. 3 baskets for him. Good to see.


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## remy23 (Aug 15, 2002)

OT: The FedExForum is really beautiful and awesome. The shots you see when the camera pans out are beautiful.


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## remy23 (Aug 15, 2002)

Pau's shooting form has always been odd to me (not insulting it but it is unorthodox).


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## remy23 (Aug 15, 2002)

Even thought LBJ hit that shot, he was fading sideways going out-of-bounds. Odd shot.


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## Pioneer10 (Sep 30, 2004)

Nice retake the lead and Jones with a 3


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## remy23 (Aug 15, 2002)

This time Cleveland fouls but they HAD a foul to give. Luke Jackson entered the game.

31-27 at the end of one.


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## remy23 (Aug 15, 2002)

Damon Jones, Luke Jackson, Zydrunas, Snow and Henderson out there for Cleveland.


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## remy23 (Aug 15, 2002)

Luke Jackson passes to D. Jones for the 3-ball.


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## remy23 (Aug 15, 2002)

Luke passes to Zydrunas and Z draws the foul.

Z is doing a good job out there imposing his size. This latest call was a close one. Guys are trying to draw the charging foul on Z by having a second defender rotate has Z catches the ball over the top on the front.


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## remy23 (Aug 15, 2002)

Cleveland has built a lead with King James on the bench. Good to see the bench playing well.


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## remy23 (Aug 15, 2002)

Cleveland is giving up a lot of points in the paint. The Grizzlies are coming alive. They're only 1 down after going on a 9-1 run.


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## Pioneer10 (Sep 30, 2004)

Our interior D and rebounding have been poor.


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## remy23 (Aug 15, 2002)

^ True. I'm just glad Cleveland is only down by 1 at the half. Coach Brown needs to tell guys to box out and really grab the ball. There were a few times the ball was simply ripped away from Cav players (like what happened to Z on that one play).


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## remy23 (Aug 15, 2002)

Snow hits a shot (his first points of the season)!


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## remy23 (Aug 15, 2002)

Snow going to the foul line (chance to score some more).


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## remy23 (Aug 15, 2002)

Z hit a funky hook. LOL


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## Pioneer10 (Sep 30, 2004)

Someone just needs to foul Eddie Jones hard here (nothing dirty of course). I love Eddie but the dude is soft and he is just killing us right now


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## remy23 (Aug 15, 2002)

Eddie has 4 fouls now. Mike Miller is in the game now.

James nailed a nice shot (22).


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## remy23 (Aug 15, 2002)

Drew nails his classic hook shot.


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## Pioneer10 (Sep 30, 2004)

Man just not able to pull away: both teams playing well


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## remy23 (Aug 15, 2002)

Gooden nails a jumper (8 points).


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## remy23 (Aug 15, 2002)

Luke Jackson passes to James for a monster jam.

Drew Gooden blocking shots out there.


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## remy23 (Aug 15, 2002)

LeBron nails a 3-ball and the Grizzlies call time out (20 seconds).


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## Pioneer10 (Sep 30, 2004)

Lebron is awesome.

Gooden playing real well this quarter


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## remy23 (Aug 15, 2002)

8 straight points for Gasol. Cavs call time out.

And on a side note, Wright is looking like Wilt Chamberlain out there.


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## Pioneer10 (Sep 30, 2004)

Still can't pull away: Grizzlies take the lead. Wish Hughes wasn't in foul trouble


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## remy23 (Aug 15, 2002)

Grizzlies close on an 11-3 run. Grizzlies lead by 1 at the end of 3 (82-81).


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## Pioneer10 (Sep 30, 2004)

Crap: they're pushing the lead with 3's


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## Pioneer10 (Sep 30, 2004)

More 3's ouch. Bobby Jackson the latest PG to burn us


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## MemphisX (Sep 11, 2002)

Gasol is unguardable right now.


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## Benedict_Boozer (Jul 16, 2004)

The defense needs ALOT of work. We're just giving up too many pts in the paint, open 3's, penetration, etc. 

I was under the impression our defense would be ahead of our offense since that's all Mike Brown emphasized in the preseason, but that certainly doesn't seem like the case.


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## Benedict_Boozer (Jul 16, 2004)

^Yes and Gasol, as he usually does, is eating us alive. 

That 3pt barrage is what really cost us this one though. Guys have to rotate and challenge shots. SA was a perfect example of this last night, our guys are just too lax on the perimeter


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## remy23 (Aug 15, 2002)

*Box Score: Memphis 113, Cleveland 106*


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## Benedict_Boozer (Jul 16, 2004)

In the last 2 games, we've given up *107.5ppg, 56.5%fg shooting, and 59.5% 3pt shooting*. :upset:


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## Ballscientist (Nov 11, 2002)

Benedict_Boozer said:


> In the last 2 games, we've given up *107.5ppg, 56.5%fg shooting, and 59.5% 3pt shooting*. :upset:


Cavs really need to trade all of the offensive players.


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## KingoftheCourt23 (Jul 20, 2005)

It was the threes that killed us. They need to play much better D because even though they can score they aint gonna put up 120 points every game. If the D can hold teams to 90 points we should be fine. Some of those threes u cant defend any better though.


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## Pioneer10 (Sep 30, 2004)

Went like I expected it. We didn't play with the two guys who will be our primary backups at PF and C (Marshall and AV). Second end of ROAD BACK to back.

The team played well but the defense will get better when Marshall and AV return.

I will reiteriate that Eric Snow is becoming this year's Newble: overrated D and little to literally NO offensive production


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## remy23 (Aug 15, 2002)

When it comes to passing, I'm sure some people will just look at assists but when I watch the games, outside of LeBron and Larry, the only other really decent passer on the team is Luke. Sometimes Snow seems to just "get rid of the ball" and that's really not to be confused with making a solid pass.


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## Benedict_Boozer (Jul 16, 2004)

Luke is a very good passer, I was impressed with him in the game today. He has nice instincts of where to put the ball, I think he found Lebron on that one nasty slam he had on the wing. He also plays hard on the defensive end. 

If he was a little bit quicker, we could almost get away with playing him at PG.


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## Benedict_Boozer (Jul 16, 2004)

On that note, just to close with at least a few other positives we can take from this game:

-James jumpshot is without question improved from last season. Not only in terms of range, but his pullup J is improving as well. You can see his improved stroke on the FT line now too, he might be the best FT shooter on the team. He could average 30+ easily this season. 

-While LBJ's assist #'s are down, he's still spoon feeding people open shots that should go down as guys get more comfortable in their roles. It's an interesing balance with him because he is by far our best scorer, and by far our best passer/playmaker at the same time. 

-Hughes seems to be finding his role within the offense and playing better each game. He had some nice stops defensively, and his all around game should continually pick up as well. He was definitely a good signing. 

-DJ for all his flaws, has been outproducing Snow in fewer minutes game after game. Hopefully his minutes increase, he plays much better with Lebron anyways.

-Drew continues his solid play, crashing the boards and even came up with a few blocks. Needs to keep working at his post D and eliminating the mental lapses, but I think we all have to be pleased with his progress.


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## John (Jun 9, 2002)

Benedict_Boozer said:


> On that note, just to close with at least a few other positives we can take from this game:
> 
> -James jumpshot is without question improved from last season. Not only in terms of range, but his pullup J is improving as well. You can see his improved stroke on the FT line now too, he might be the best FT shooter on the team. He could average 30+ easily this season.
> 
> ...


What ashame, at such a young age, James already using the oull uo jumper. Sigh, dont think GOAT, think how far off he is behind Jordan first.


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## remy23 (Aug 15, 2002)

John said:


> What ashame, at such a young age, James already using the oull uo jumper. Sigh, dont think GOAT, think how far off he is behind Jordan first.


I think it's the perfect time for James to use the pull up jumper. People know in the open court that James is dangerous once he gets going and some defenders have tried drawing charges (real charges and acting jobs). With a stop and pop, people won't be able to assume LeBron is always going to go all the way to the rack. Once you get people playing into your guessing game, you can occasionally mix up tactics and sneak all the way to the rim (due to the confusion).


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## remy23 (Aug 15, 2002)

*Beacon Journal | 11/06/2005 | Defense stumbles in loss to Grizzlies*











> *Defense stumbles in loss to Grizzlies*
> 
> *James scores 36 points, but offense isn’t enough*
> 
> ...


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## Cap (Nov 5, 2003)

John said:


> What ashame, at such a young age, James already using the oull uo jumper. Sigh, dont think GOAT, think how far off he is behind Jordan first.


Except the difference is that LeBron is scoring 29 ppg on 20 shots per game, and 49%+ from the floor. Until his efficiency drops, he may be able to get away with a lot of jumpers.


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## Larry Hughes for Retirement (Jul 5, 2004)

We looked like last years team last night. Late in the game looking for Lebron to do everything. And Lebron took some shots late in the fourth quarter that were really awful i might say. I think he forgot Ferry spent 100+ milliion on scoring help. He coulda kicked it to DJ and Hughes late in the game but he took some stupid shots.


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## remy23 (Aug 15, 2002)

I'm just worried about how little movement both on and off the ball happens for our squad. Unless Cleveland wants to play a quarterback style and start forcing passes, we won't have many beautiful moments. Despite all the bad things that happened last night, at least we didn't turn the ball over like dummies. If I were scouting against the Cavs, I'd just sit in the lane and wait for LeBron. If LeBron shoots jumpers, he may hit or he may miss. But if James drives into the lane like a bull in a china shop, he'll either hit a very tough shot or turn the ball over. Why? Because the other guys aren't really cutting and when guys stand still, you don't even really have to guard and honor them. Defending guys who stand still is the easiest thing in the world.


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