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Chris Parker/Cleveland Scene answers your questions

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Yep, but it's pretty sweet that the dude was covering the game for the Phillipines. The basketball culture there is amazing.
 
To be honest, I don't think Vardon or Fedor are that into basketball. Fedor's love of the Bachelor and Taylor Swift is by now well documented. If you've not found it, I encourage you to seek out the Fedor tweet where he enthuses how he's gotten his girlfriend to like Taylor Swift, and now she actually turns it up or something. I'm not sure that needs a punch line. In the press room he and a couple of his crones are always talking Browns. The less commentary on how sad that is the better.

Vardon has lately seemed to turn up his game. At the practice presser he asked all kinds of questions, a couple of them not mundane. I attribute to the perhaps dawning realization that if he just asks enough questions some of them will be decent. I dub it "the last call" strategy. Simply put tho', that it's readily apparent that he's squandered their respect.

I think he may be working to improve. I noticed in his column on Celts Coach Stevens the other day, he used a quote by Stevens on defending the Pick & roll, after I had asked about stopping the alley oop. The Celtics are VERY undersized and not great leapers so this is a real concern, at least to me. I asked it in March, and indeed it was the only Opp. Coach presser where I asked a question. At the end of his piece he ran Stevens' terrific 3-paragraph answer to my question which I'd hoped to use in a preview article. Oh well. I give him credit tho' -- maybe he can't ask good questions but at least he recognizes a good answer.

If there's something you'd like to know from Blatt in the pregame presser I'm open to suggestions.

Will be working on another column tuesday. Monday was my birthday and I was snockered after the rock hall inductions on Saturday
https://www.billboard.com/articles/...ducts-ringo-starr-green-day-joan-jett-at-star
and then the game on Sunday.

I love your passion, RCF, and it's why I'm here. I love basketball and real fans and just don't have the time or patience for neckbones of any other sort.

I want to shout out Chris Haynes as well, who gave me a pep talk before I asked that question (an admitted softball for Blatt to establish who he is for people, tho' I got the impression Tad wasn't a fan of it, so I asked a more basketball-centric one at the very end). I'd told him now that I got to the big dance, maybe I'd sit back and take the lay of the land, feel the way. and Haynes said, "No, you worked hard to get here. You earned it, don't act otherwise. You've got people out there who want your voice and your take. Don't do them a disservice." Or something like that.

Whatever you might think of the dude, he's a good guy and he loves ball. I don't know how the PD can get away with having two guys that aren't too into basketball report on a team that's this good. It's apparent the difference when you go to the Celtics coach pressers and you witness the difference in the quality of query. They're not all gems, but the number of "how did it feel to see that" and "what were you thinking when you witness him do that" - well you just don't get too many of those from real basketball reporters.
 
Chris Parker said:
To be honest, I don't think Vardon or Fedor are that into basketball. Fedor's love of the Bachelor and Taylor Swift is by now well documented. If you've not found it, I encourage you to seek out the Fedor tweet where he enthuses how he's gotten his girlfriend to like Taylor Swift, and now she actually turns it up or something. I'm not sure that needs a punch line. In the press room he and a couple of his crones are always talking Browns. The less commentary on how sad that is the better.

Vardon has lately seemed to turn up his game. At the practice presser he asked all kinds of questions, a couple of them not mundane. I attribute to the perhaps dawning realization that if he just asks enough questions some of them will be decent. I dub it "the last call" strategy. Simply put tho', that it's readily apparent that he's squandered their respect.

I think he may be working to improve. I noticed in his column on Celts Coach Stevens the other day, he used a quote by Stevens on defending the Pick & roll, after I had asked about stopping the alley oop. The Celtics are VERY undersized and not great leapers so this is a real concern, at least to me. I asked it in March, and indeed it was the only Opp. Coach presser where I asked a question. At the end of his piece he ran Stevens' terrific 3-paragraph answer to my question which I'd hoped to use in a preview article. Oh well. I give him credit tho' -- maybe he can't ask good questions but at least he recognizes a good answer.

If there's something you'd like to know from Blatt in the pregame presser I'm open to suggestions.

Will be working on another column tuesday. Monday was my birthday and I was snockered after the rock hall inductions on Saturday
https://www.billboard.com/articles/...ducts-ringo-starr-green-day-joan-jett-at-star
and then the game on Sunday.

I love your passion, RCF, and it's why I'm here. I love basketball and real fans and just don't have the time or patience for neckbones of any other sort.

I want to shout out Chris Haynes as well, who gave me a pep talk before I asked that question (an admitted softball for Blatt to establish who he is for people, tho' I got the impression Tad wasn't a fan of it, so I asked a more basketball-centric one at the very end). I'd told him now that I got to the big dance, maybe I'd sit back and take the lay of the land, feel the way. and Haynes said, "No, you worked hard to get here. You earned it, don't act otherwise. You've got people out there who want your voice and your take. Don't do them a disservice." Or something like that.

Whatever you might think of the dude, he's a good guy and he loves ball. I don't know how the PD can get away with having two guys that aren't too into basketball report on a team that's this good. It's apparent the difference when you go to the Celtics coach pressers and you witness the difference in the quality of query. They're not all gems, but the number of "how did it feel to see that" and "what were you thinking when you witness him do that" - well you just don't get too many of those from real basketball reporters.
Click to expand...

So, I guess the big question on my mind is what you think of the Bulls/Bucks series. Im shocked at how poorly the Bulls played. I guess their defensive answer to Lebron is Jimmy Butler and to Kyrie is Rose and these are pretty good answers. If Mirotic has any sort of persistent injury, I just dont see the Bulls having much success against the Cavs.
 
@Chris Parker

Question I would have for Blatt:

Between Lebron, TT, Shump and Marion we have a lot of guys who can guard multiple positions which allows for a lot of switching.

What goes into the decision to switch against a certain team, and can that strategy change from game to game during a series?



Should be able to gleen some of how Blatt approaches defensive strategy, makes adjustments and maybe some of how he goes about game planning during a series.
 
@Chris Parker

Another one:

Cavs tend to play a lot of isolation basketball, but have the most efficient offense in the league since January. With players like Lebron and Kyrie, is playing isolation basketball a key ingredient to this particular team playing efficiently and how do you create favorable 1-on-1's?
 
@Chris Parker,

How do we think Coach Blatt would react if you printed out the commentary on his daughters from the Blatt thread and handed it to Fedor to ask Coach how he felt about it?
 
Damien O'Connel said:
@Chris Parker
Cavs tend to play a lot of isolation basketball, but have the most efficient offense in the league since January. With players like Lebron and Kyrie, is playing isolation basketball a key ingredient to this particular team playing efficiently and how do you create favorable 1-on-1's?
Click to expand...

Favorable 1-on-1's? When you have LBJ & Kyrie, any such play is favorable.
How they generate those play? I'd say the High PnR and a lot of dribbling are involved.

On the serious side, I bet it is part of the game-plan. It gets guys into rhythm, Ky & LBJ are good at it and there are plenty of bad rotations and defenders to exploit. Of course that forcing it isn't ideal, but then again, when forcing something is? I think Blatt could talk a lot and say nothing answering this question.

Damien O'Connel said:
@Chris Parker
Question I would have for Blatt:
Between Lebron, TT, Shump and Marion we have a lot of guys who can guard multiple positions which allows for a lot of switching.
What goes into the decision to switch against a certain team, and can that strategy change from game to game during a series?
Should be able to gleen some of how Blatt approaches defensive strategy, makes adjustments and maybe some of how he goes about game planning during a series.
Click to expand...

This, however, I second wholeheartedly.
 
ibLurkin said:
Favorable 1-on-1's? When you have LBJ & Kyrie, any such play is favorable.
How they generate those play? I'd say the High PnR and a lot of dribbling.

On the serious side, I bet it is part of the game-plan. It gets guys into rhythm and when you have the best guys at it, Ky & LBJ are good at it, and there are plenty of bad rotations and defenders to exploit. Of course that forcing it isn't ideal, but then again, what is? I think Blatt could talk a lot and say nothing to this question.



This, however, I second wholeheartedly.
Click to expand...

The isolation thing has been lamented here for a long time, wanted to give blatt a chance to explain its value. And yes, creating isolations with proper spacing can be rather complicated.

But I agree, some risk for a dodge to this question.
 
The Oi said:
@Chris Parker,

How do we think Coach Blatt would react if you printed out the commentary on his daughters from the Blatt thread and handed it to Fedor to ask Coach how he felt about it?
Click to expand...

Aaaaaand in comes Jigo to break the thread into tiny, perverted pieces. :chuckle:
 
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