Give Mike Brown a lot of credit for last night's win. His rotations were flawless last night, and it was the first time this season that the Cavs imposed their collective will on other team, and the results speak for themselves.
Regarding the rotations, the Cavs have a thunder and lightening thing going on that I think can be devasting for other teams. It seems like MB is starting with establishing Shaq and Z (the thunder) and then rolling out a rotation of LeBron, Delonte, Mo, AV and AP or Boobie (the lightening). The Cavs employed the lightening rotation at the 4:00 minute mark with the score at 46-36 in the 2nd quarter. That group played until the end of the half, and got the score to a manageable 54-50 (+6, 2 steals, 1 block, 1 shot clock violation and also got two fouls called on Wizard players). While Shaq did have an impact on last night's game (+9, 7/10 FTs), his ability to control the paint and draw fouls really set up this group to create a swarming blanket on defense that absolutely shut the Wizards down.
Just some other quick thoughts:
- The offense has looked crisp with great passing. Also, there were some nice new wrinkles in the offense where Shaq and Z were setting picks near the block to free up players. This allowed the Cavs open looks to the hoop and better lanes for passing. Also, it helps to put LeBron in better positions on offense when he runs off these low picks.
- Boobie was a monster last night. His defense was solid, but I think it helps when he shares the court with Delonte and to a lesser extent Mo, both of whom really hide his deficiencies.
- Jamario actually made a shot in the rhythm of the offense last night! Even Fred alluded to this fact. Again, the way Mike Brown employed Moon last night was great, allowing Moon to do what he does best (energy) when the Cavs needed it most.
- JJ even looked impressive in his limited minutes. He pulled down some nice rebounds and overall his positioning looked better. I still get nervous when he is on defense though, it seems like he gets isolated too much away from the hoop.