Just finished watching the game. After the slow start, my Cleveland mindset was already at "we're screwed". Without our 2nd best player and J.Moon!
Anyway, random thoughts:
- Both teams played hard (except the Lakers)
- Delonte was fantastic on both ends
- I know LeHero LeChucked some end of quarter J's (as well as 3's) but overall I thought his mix of short-range down the stretch and "taking it to the fucking hole" was excellent. Also, he didn't stop looking for guys even when he was driving. Don't get me wrong, lots to work on in terms of 4th quarter shot selection and defense but a great output nonetheless.
- I'm half drunk from the crazy game but it seemed like we didn't have Diesel and Trade Bait (Z) on at the same time since The Big Cranberry got Andrew "Glass Knees" Bynum into foul trouble early. It's good to know we can still score on them with the twin towers or not. This game gives us an extra edge in terms of figuring out how to score on them.
- My #1 thought throughout most of the game: "Goddamn the Lakers are hard to defend." If you just pause your screen and see that JJ freaking Hickson is on Pau Gasol, it's a huge disparity between talent. But it also shows that hustle, execution, and heart matters most.
- We did not overpay Andy. This mofo does this whether it's a nationally-televised game or against the Wolves on League Pass. Dude keeps on hustlin'. Also, nice freethrows homie!
- Gotta give some credit to JJ/StoneHands for being mentally strong. This will serve you well in Washington...
- I uhhhhhhh....gotta give some credit to Mike Brown for taking out Z and putting Andy in the free throw situations at the end of the game. I know it may seem like minor or routine, but MB is starting to figure out where to put players at the right times. Also, having 2 plays drawn up when they Lakers had a foul to give (when Bron went to inbond the first) was nice to see. Again, fairly routine when you're an elite coach but quite impressive for our potato head anyway. So as much as you're a yes-man push-over, you earned 1/349th of your Coach of the Year trophy from last year. Don't screw it up, now.
This was the biggest game of the season for me (after the Christmas Day Massacre), seeing how we can handle true adversity. I know we got a score to settle with the Celtics and Magic, but this win gives us 23 liters of swag juice.