“But it starts with baby steps first and we understand that”. “We have a chance to win it all”.
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Miami Heat’s Tyler Johnson (right) shoots the ball over Cleveland Cavaliers Iman Shumpert during the National Basketball Association match in Miami April 10, 2017.
“We just thought these two guys were what we needed going into the playoffs to potentially help us”, Lue said. “I’m not giving it to you”, during a post-practice interview, via Cleveland.com.
“There were a lot of people saying he would never get back to what he was before and doing the things that he was before”, LeBron James, who is 3-0 in the playoffs against George, said. Don’t even say JR Smith missing 40 games is the reason why this team has struggled so much.
Norman Powell led all scorers with 25 points, and the Raptors pounded the Cavs 98-83 in the final game of the regular season.
But there’s genuine concern about these Cavaliers, who staggered down the stretch. A year after winning the NBA East, the Cavaliers finished the regular season as the second seed. The Cavs host the No. 7-seed Indiana Pacers at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
The highlight of the night for Detroit fans was a halftime ceremony that honoured the top players from the three championship teams, with Isiah Thomas and Dennis Rodman posing for pictures with Ben Wallace and Chauncey Billups.
In an interview after before the Celtics’ win over the Bucks to officially clinch the number one spot in the East, Stevens pointed out that they are not the favorites despite their home court advantage through the Eastern Conference Finals.
“Really!? You think the Cavaliers are anxious about the Washington Wizards?” co-host Kenny Smith asked.
The Heat are clinging to a slim hope of making the playoffs. “When you look at these teams, the only team, in my opinion – this is just me, I don’t have any inside information – I think they’d rather not play the Wizards in the second round”.
“I’m saying this”, Barkley said. The Blue & Gold accomplished that goal by matching Cleveland almost shot for shot in a back-and-forth first quarter that featured seven ties and six lead changes.
While outside voices have questioned the team in a variety of areas, especially defense and a perceived lack of effort, Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue does not seem overly concerned heading into the Playoffs – at least in public conversations with media. George passed to C.J. Miles on the right wing, who drove past Richard Jefferson and got a clean look from 18 feet, but the jumper did not fall. When asked why he is so confident, he just said, “I’ve got the answer”, and chose to keep it a secret.
The Pacers however are red hot, Paul George in particular.
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That double overtime thriller on April 2 was the last game IN lost. “Me preparing this group, me getting this group locked in and understanding what our opportunity is. When I get my opportunity, I’m going to try to make an impression and make it last”. We’ve got to have our mind sharp, our bodies as fresh as possible going into Game 1.
