Game 3: Cavs @ Bullets

Game 3 is do or die. It’s a statement game and Caron Butler knows it. And that, I presume, is why he shaved “Tough Juice” into the back of his head.

Well, no screwing around now. Washington is down 2-0 and if they lose another, we all know they don’t have enough Red Sox in ‘em to come back and win the series. Tonight is do or die. Either Washington wins and fights on or they lose and meekly exit from a playoff series they began with much boasting and promise.

As much as almost anyone, Caron Butler has disappointed in this series. Guarded by one of the worst defensive players in the NBA — Wally Szczerbiak — Butler has been unable to score at anywhere close to his normal rate. How injured is he? Well, some, probably, but also probably not enough to justify this awful performance. He must do better.

Same goes for Antawn Jamison, who is shooting terribly, and Gilbert Arenas, who needs to attack the basket and shoot better than 2-10 from the field. Will Antonio Daniels ever show up? Will Deshawn play a lick of real defense on Lebron? Will Haywood stay out of foul trouble? The answers to those questions will likely determine the outcome of the game. The role players didn’t show up in Cleveland. They must show up at home.

Personally, I think it is time to end the “Hack-a-Bron” strategy that hasn’t worked. James is shooting 6 of 17 from the outside and not making a particularly high percentage of free throws either. He’s getting his points from driving and the Bullets haven’t been able to stop it, even with their alleged “no-layups” policy.

I propose to junk that strategy and just go back to playing defense. Have Stevenson back off Lebron and dare him to shoot those outside jumpers he hasn’t been hitting. Give James those shots, give him a lot of space. Don’t hack Lebron every time he gets into the paint. Instead, try to keep him out of the paint by playing off him.  Lebron is going to get his points. He’s a great player, probably the best in the world. If he gets 35 points, he gets 35 points. Just don’t let him also get 10 or 12 assists. Make Lebron a scorer only and dare him to hit outside shots. I don’t think he can hit enough of them to win a game and I don’t think his teammates can make enough contested shots to win the game either. This requires a complete change in defensive strategy, but that’s the point of coaching, isn’t it? The plan so far has failed completely. Time for a new plan. Make Lebron shoot. Make him score. Make him carry the entire load on offense. Make him strictly a shooter, not a passer. It can be done. Play off him, let him have the outside shots, keep him out of the lane as much as possible. If he hits those outside shots, good for him. He and the Cavs deserve to win in that case. But I don’t think he can make enough of those shots to win more than 1 more game in this series.

And don’t forget: KEEP BRENDAN HAYWOOD OUT OF FOUL TROUBLE! The Cavs go on a run every time Haywood is out of the game. Not only is Haywood the team’s best defensive player, he’s also been the team’s most productive offensive player in this series — but only when he’s on the court. Haywood must stop being the team’s enforcer and just go back to playing defense the way he normally plays it. He’s the only one who can defend Big Z and he’s the only starter who can help erase his teammates’ mistakes. Brendan must stop hacking Lebron and just play his normal defensive game. The Cavs don’t like it when Haywood does that and they cannot stop him on offense. So keep Haywood out of foul trouble and on the court.

To summarize:

1. Give Lebron a lot of space for his outside shot;
2. Keep Lebron out of the paint as much as possible;
3. Make Lebron a scorer, not a passer, and shut down his miserable teammates;
4. Ditch the Hack-a-Bron strategy;
5. Keep Haywood on the court and involved offensively.

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GO, BULLETS!

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