ATENEARS Posted April 10, 2010 Report Share Posted April 10, 2010 Jamario Moon may be earning playoff minutes By Brian Windhorst, The Plain Dealer April 09, 2010, 11:55PM CLEVELAND -- Thoughts following the Cavs' 116-113 loss to the Indiana Pacers: * After having him out of the rotation for much of the second half of the season, Mike Brown has been going to Jamario Moon more over the last five games. When the Cavs aren't sitting the entire front line, Moon is just getting spot minutes. In the loss to the Pacers he played 28. But pay closer attention to the spot minutes because that is what he may get in the postseason. All season Mike Brown has struggled with who to play, Moon or Jawad Williams. He decided at some point he couldn't play both and has been yo-yoing them in and out for some time. When the Cavs are at full force there is a chance that neither will play because Antawn Jamison will get minutes at small forward. However, Moon seems to be proving that he perhaps deserves the time when the playoffs come ahead of Williams. While Williams is more talented offensively, especially at creating his own shot, Moon has shown he is more consistent defensively. Also he will rebound, which Williams doesn't do well. All-in-all, Williams is better if you give him the ball and need two points. Moon is better scoring off the weak side, not unlike JJ Hickson. In the playoffs the later is probably going to be more valuable and especially when combined with Moon's defensive ability. * Forget about who is on the floor, the late-game offensive play calls over the last two nights have not been good. Both times the Cavs ran plays in Chicago in the last 15 seconds they failed. Then tonight they got a 3-pointer from Anthony Parker when the ball bounced just right and at the end Parker got off a terrible shot off poor spacing and execution. Sure it helps to have more talent on the floor but the plays that came out of those huddles were not impressive. Neither was how they were run. * Sebastian Telfair is intriguing indeed. He had an excellent game tonight with 21 points. I'm already getting e-mail from fans who love his ability to get to the rim and to use his speed to turn the corner. That speed is why Telfair is in the league. As Mike Brown said after the game, he's a "change of pace" guard. Not unlike a third down running back in football who is quicker and smaller than the larger featured back. But like a changeup in baseball, it doesn't work all the time and needs to be setup before it can work. Telfair is a legit NBA point guard and the Cavs have not had too many of those over the years. He's valuable to have on a team though not at his salary ($2.7 million next year). It is good that he's gotten some playing time and will get some more so the Cavs know what they have if injuries bite them at guard in the playoffs. But do not expect him to be a piece in the future. Recap: Final: Pacers 116, Cavs 113 The Pacers' Danny Granger finishes with 36 points as the Cavaliers lose another close one with LeBron James on the bench. Cavs guard Sebastian Telfair plays well in just his second game this season, scoring 21 points. Cavs forward J.J. Hickson also has 21 points and also has 10 rebounds. Brian will update with more details later. Third Quarter: Cavs 84, Pacers 83 * Delonte West was having one of the best games at point guard of his career, already tying his career high wtih 12 assists midway through the third quarter. Then in a span of about five minutes of real time he was hit with two technicals. It seemed he was arguing the same call but whatever he was doing he was being loud because official Marc Davis threw him out from 20 feet away during a possession that he stopped to make the call. In fact, two possessions were stopped to make the tech calls, which means Delonte must have been yapping intensely. Before the game West seemed fine in the locker room. Missing two point guards, it was not a good idea for West to get tossed. * JJ Hickson made three of the best passes I've ever seen him make in the third quarter including a couple on the move on the interior. The Cavs have actually been running some offense through him in this game and he's getting a lot of touches. He's looking comfortable and has 21 points and nine rebounds. * Cavs are now 17-of-18 at the foul line. Halftime: Cavs 57, Pacers 55 * Sebastian Telfair is certainly getting the rust off. He's really looking for his shot and having some success. He made 5-of-7 shots and scored 12 points. He had no assists but he is giving this unit some spark. Telfair is not an unknown, he has been in the league for six seasons. He is quick and will have good games but his shot has always held him back. * The Cavs defense is a joke. This is the second time I'm mentioning it and I might not again. They are giving up 55 percent shooting and a stunning 30 points in the paint, which haven't even been very hard to the Pacers to get. Alos they have given up 16 fastbreak points. It is amazing they are ahead with that actually. * Don't look now but the Cavs are 11-of-12 at the foul line. In a related story, Antawn Jamison isn't playing. First Quarter: Pacers 26, Cavs 25 * The Cavs early-game defense left quite a bit to be desired. The Pacers made six of their first nine shots. When Zydrunas Ilgauskas got into the game he helped plug the middle a bit and they stopped allowing easy shots inside. If the Cavs are going to have any hope of winning this game they are going to have to make it harder for the Pacers to score. Not just because playing good defense is a good idea but simply because with this lineup the Cavs probably can't win a game with both teams in triple digits. * Unlike last night in Chicago when JJ Hickson wasn't part of the offense, it seems the Cavs are looking for him more. They ran a couple of plays for him and he got some easy baskets. Obviously he is at his best when LeBron and Mo Williams are setting him up. But he has a talent for finding gaps in the defense and finishing strong. * Danny Green isn't afraid to shoot. * Zydrunas Ilgauskas had an airball hook shot but he made another nice mid-range jumper off a screen roll in the first quarter. After a rusty start in his return, Z's mid-range game has come back around in the last five games or so. Starting lineups Pacers: Earl Watson, Brandon Rush, Danny Granger, Troy Murphy, Roy Hibbert Cavs: Delonte West, Anthony Parker, Jamario Moon, Leon Powe, JJ Hickson Officials Marc Davis, Matt Boland, Kane Fitzgerald * LeBron James, Mo Williams and Antawn Jamison are all being shut down for rest. Jamison's foot is fine, he is reporting no pain and said he could play if needed. Daniel Gibson is also out with a mid-foot injury. TJ Ford, Jeff Foster and Tyler Hansbrough are out for the Pacers. * What Mike Brown is doing is controversial and so is this: he may shut down LeBron for the rest of the regular season. There is some sympathy for fans who have taken measures to make these games. It is especially hard on a weekend when fans often travel distances to come. But this is the risk of buying any ticket to any sporting event, there may be circumstances that prevent everyone from playing. Players are just scheduled to appear. If Tiger Woods missed the cut at the Masters, Augusta National was not offering refunds. Nature of the business even if it is upsetting to the fans. The Cavs believe this is the best way to prepare for the playoffs. * Hard to handicap this game. The Pacers can score and the Cavs won't have their top four scorers including Shaquille O'Neal. No idea how they are going to be able to put up enough points to win. It will probably take some good shooting from someone (Daniel Gibson will be missed) and some periods of good defense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoorta Posted April 19, 2010 Report Share Posted April 19, 2010 Jamario Moon should be put on the floor the second Parker hits his three brick limit- thet was the only negative I took away form the Cavs playoff opener against the Bulls. A shooting guard that can't shoot? Defensively IMHO they're a wash. BTW, really like the way Shaq played. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris. Posted April 20, 2010 Report Share Posted April 20, 2010 Well, he's earning minutes tonight. Great game for him on both ends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browns Posted April 20, 2010 Report Share Posted April 20, 2010 THE MOON IS RISING!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrownIndian Posted April 20, 2010 Report Share Posted April 20, 2010 [quote name=suns' date='Apr 19 2010, 10:38 PM' post='168999] THE MOON IS RISING!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manbearpig Posted April 21, 2010 Report Share Posted April 21, 2010 I hope he's earned his minutes! Let's see more of that! This next game in Chicago should be real intense! I hope Lebron makes that assclown eat his words again. Light em up Cavs! Smoke em in Shytown!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoorta Posted April 21, 2010 Report Share Posted April 21, 2010 Well, he's earning minutes tonight. Great game for him on both ends. LOL, Mike Brown got my psychic message, PLAY MOON, PLAY MOON. Seriously, no reason to play Parker, or for that matter Mo if they're clanking shots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browns Posted April 23, 2010 Report Share Posted April 23, 2010 The cavs need to work on their D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.