Bad Times

I can't believe I'm writing this, but this is what I'm seeing.

Mo Williams and Delonte West have been described as the best back court LeBron has played with his whole career. While true, this statement really shows some of the incredible foundations this team is based on. Delonte West was at the end of the bench in Seattle two years ago and Mo Williams was a over-shooting point guard on the lowly Bucks. They are good pieces, but on this team, they are the second and third options. As we can see, that is not OK.

Neither can really get to the basket and both are streak outside shooters as well as being horribly undersized. This hurts on defense and in the getting-your-own-shot arena. What I'm trying to say is that this team can't score if LeBron isn't superhuman. He is often, but even when he is, sometimes it's STILL not enough. We're still in the exact same situation we have been in every year before this. If LeBron can't do it, it won't be done. After a lucky Game 2 victory, the "supporting" cast came out in game three and turned it over an endless amount of times. Some forced, most not. All of them seemed to be out of nerves. That is just not OK for a 66 win team. We have one guy on the court who isn't nervous in a big game? That's it? How can that be?? Mo Williams, where are you? Even the shots you make look nervous.

Notice I don't even have to mention the front court, who can only score if spoon-fed.

From all over the court, from all over their bench, Orlando looks like they can't help but score, whereas even Cleveland's starters can't shoot or drive or do anything that looks rhythmic. They score in transition off steals and they score off of LeBron and that's it. Against bad teams, or mediocre teams, the bench and role players can run a smooth offense because the Cavs concentrate and try harder than probably every other team. I believe that no other team wants this year's title more. There is really no other possible explanation for 66 wins or two straight sweeps. Now that they are losing, it's not because of lack of concentration like the Lakers or lack of intelligence like the Nuggets, it's because of lack of overall talent. Anytime people start off a sentence describing the Magic/Cavaliers series with, "Well, Cleveland is the better team," I'm not sure what they mean by that. They have more wins, they play well together, they play the right way, but they are not more talented than any of the teams left in the playoffs. Not even CLOSE.

In the end, LeBron will have to learn how to shoot threes at a consistently great level as well as develop a great post game because only then will he be able to literally everything for his team. I know this has been written before, about Cleveland's dominance given it's insane lack of talent, but I didn't believe it would kill them until I'm watching this series.

What does it all mean? It means the most depressing thing you're ever going to watch as a fan. LeBron James is and will continue to will this team to as far as they can go, but maybe it's just not that far. The Magic played poorly in this game and we still lost sort of easily. When a great jump-shooting team shoots under 45% at home, you cannot shoot 38% and turn the ball over without reason (It doesn't help that Hedo Turkoglu missed essentially all of his field goals and yet scored double-digit points because the refs decided to call touch fouls on pick and roll shows when the Cavs were in the bonus. Good calls, guys). I'm really not sure I can picture a scenario in which the Cavs can win this series.