Posts tagged Danielgibson at FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

There is nothing more exciting in sports than a Game 7. Expect perhaps finding out that both Mike Brown and Doc Rviers have been kidnapped before this game and that there will actually be some offense. Since that is unlikely to happen -- and certainly not endorsed to happen by anyone here -- we'll have to settle for seeing whether LeBron James can have his best game of this series on the biggest stage.

He has slowly been stepping his game up after abysmal Games one and two, possibly in the pretense of going off during the Eastern Conference Finals and trudging the Cavs back into the Finals. But first things first -- the Celtics are staring at most scrutiny they have faced in years, without a road playoff win and with another Game 7 against a team they should have closed out already, if they were anything like the Boston team of the regular season.

Live Blog begins here at 3:30, or shortly before.

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Celtics-Cavs Eastern Conference Semifinals Game 6 this evening.

Nowhere To Go But Up. Or ... Home: Demolished in Game 4. Daniel Gibson out. Unable to get LeBron hot. Rajon Rondo shaking off doldrums. Kevin Garnett. There's a mountain of stuff lined up against Cleveland tonight. They are at home, but as much as it's been a saving grace for teams so far in the playoffs, that's got to end at some point. I hate using cliches, but they're unavoidable in this situation. The Cavaliers are in a position to bond together, give 110%, rise to meet the challenge, and let the hometown crowd buoy them to a Game 7 in Boston. It's not quite that simple though.

Delonte's Inferno: Okay, Delonte West. You're up. Gibson is down, you've been great at home, and this team needs a shooter like nothing else. If the Cavaliers are going to push this thing back to Boston against all odds, they need West to do three things. Create, contain, and close. He's got to spark the offense. He's done a better job of that than even Gibson has done, and has done well both in transition and in the half court set of finding the open man and making the right decision. He's got to contain Rajon Rondo and send him back to his dreadful pre-Game 5 ways, and he's got close out by knocking down and defending three point shots.

Whatever hopes the Cavaliers had of winning the final two games of the series against the Celtics just took a huge hit, as sharp-shooter Daniel Gibson has been ruled out of Game 6 with a separated shoulder. Gibson left Game 5 early in the fourth quarter with the injury, which will keep him out of action for at least one-two weeks. Which, you know, is bad news for Cleveland, because this series definitely won't last past Sunday, and might not even get that far.

While Gibson's only big game of the series came in Game 4 where he dropped in 14 points, the fact that he's a long range threat tends to open things up for the all-important one, LeBron James. So even though Gibson's firepower won't necessarily be missed, his presence will be, and that might be just enough to get the Celtics over the hump on the road in Game 6.

Brian Windhorst, who is one of the finest NBA reporters in the land, let alone for the Cavs, has a terrific quote this morning from LeBron James that gives us some insight into where his head at, both with his identity and his team's. After the Game 5 loss in Boston, James was quoted as saying,

"A LeBron James team is never desperate."

Now, there are a lot of ways to interpret this. One is that any team with James on it is going to be confident, because he knows what he's capable of. And you can't really fault him for that. I personally hate it when guys are overly modest to the point of it being facetious. The Cavs are LeBron James. And for them to really excel, to beat the Celtics in a seven game series, especially winning a Game 7 in Boston, if it even comes to that, he has to be the guy. That kind of honesty is kind of refreshing in a league where so many players talk about their teammates but don't actually trust them in the game.

More analysis of the King and "his team" after the jump.

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Cavs-Celtics Eastern Conference Semifinals Game 5 this evening.

1. This Is Not Your Momma's House: Let's take a step away from slamming the Celtics' horrific road performances for a moment, as fun as it is. This team is a seven-dagger-tailed demon with light coming out of its eyes at home. And tonight's game just happens to be at the "Garden." While there are certainly a variety of warning signs about this Celtics team and their inability to do that vastly underrated exercise of putting the ball in the little hole with the net hanging from it, this team has still always responded when it needed to at home so far in the playoffs. They have their backs up against the wall, facing a daunting return to the suddenly intimidating Q in Cleveland for an elimination game if they don't hold serve tonight. With so many superstars and Hall of Famers on this squad, you'd have to figure someone or someones will still up tonight.

2. No Regard For Human Life Shooting Slumps: Lost in the dunk that blew doors off hinges was the fact that LeBron James still didn't have a very good game in Game 4. He scored 21 points on 7 of 20 shooting. Not bad, but nothing amazing either. However, he did start to significantly warm up in the fourth quarter of Game 4, topped off by that redonkulous jam in the face of Kevin Garnett. We've been waiting for him to catch the spark necessary to get him going, and if that was it, the Celtics may not be rolling to another home blow out tonight.

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Celtics-Cavaliers Eastern Conference Semifinals Game 4 this afternoon.

1. The Pink Elephant With A Crown In The Room: If LeBron James doesn't have a huge night tonight, and we're talking 25+ points, double digit boards, 5+ assists, the Cavaliers are sunk. There. I said it. The Cavaliers can definitely win this game without James being a dominating factor. They did it in Game 3 and the Celtics look like they have no intentions of winning any games on the road. I seriously question Boston's will to win and chemistry if they're not among the Irish, loud and proud. However, the Cavs cannot win this series without James being his usual magnificent self. Credit Boston's defense for keeping him under wraps, though he seemed to be straining at the ropes in Game 3, threatening to bust loose. The Celtics have done a terrific job on him, forcing him to give the ball up to his questionable teammates. But once this series gets caught into a maelstrom wherein there is a game where both offenses are actually clicking, the Cavs must have James in top form. One huge game from him tonight could set him off. But after three games, the Cavs are only going to get so many chances to spark him. If Coach Mike Brown isn't getting paid to figure out ways to adjust to the defensive pressure on James and get him involved, what is he getting paid for?

I think that we, generally speaking for basketball fans, don't believe that the Cavs can beat the Celtics. Which is weird, because Cleveland has LeBron James. And the Celtics just squeaked by the Hawks. Or maybe we don't think that. But Las Vegas -- who is generally fairly close to the public opinion -- sure does, staking the Celtics a whopping 9.5 points tonight (BoDog).

I find this odd. LeBron went off on the Celtics throughout the regular season, averaging 32.3 points, 9.7 assists and 7.0 rebounds. Of course, you could probably argue that LeBron went off against everyone. You could also argue that when LeBron averages 41% from the floor, not only is he trying to hard but he's not being efficient and that could lead to blowouts by Boston. Then you could go on to point out that I'm running the live blog, so a blow out is already a mortal lock (0-3 on close games if you're scoring at home.)

Still, we're talking about the best player in the Eastern Conference and the future of basketball against three old dudes trying to get some rings in the EC Semis. Besides, the worst case is you just swing by and type "BOOBIE" a bunch of times.

FanHouse's Round Two previews will give you the critical points of every series, so you can talk to your friends like you've been following every team in the Association all season long. Or know what the hell an Ilgauskus is.

Biggest Reason You Should Watch: LeBron James versus Kevin Garnett. No, the two don't guard each other, but the fact is that, for all intents and purposes, LeBron is the Cavs' offense and KG is the Celtics' defense. Oh, and the two teams split their four games this season, with each winning their two at home. We saw how that went for Boston in the first round, and if this thing somehow goes seven, I highly doubt LeBron allows his team to get dropped by 30-something in the deciding game.

Cleveland Can Win If: LeBron can dominate a road game and steal one in Boston. As good as the Celtics were in the regular season, something isn't right with this team yet in the playoffs if they're dropping three games on the road to a 37-regular-season-win Hawks team.

Boston Can Win If: They can hold LeBron to reasonable numbers -- say, less than 30 points per game -- and don't let Cleveland's outside shooters get loose. Delonte West and Daniel Gibson (I'm so over that "Boobie" thing) killed the Wizards in round one, so if the Celtics stay at home on those guys they should be in good shape.

Video Clip to Get You Pumped: All I'm saying is, if LeBron hits from distance like this, Boston has absolutely no chance.

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Wizards and Cavs game.

1. Put The Locksmith On Ice?: DeShawn Stevenson did not have what you would call a "happy day" on Saturday, getting torched by LeBron and being unable to produce any offense, either. That would have been fine had the Wizards held on and won, but without that little piece of the puzzle, and especially because of LeBron's complete takeover down the stretch, you have to wonder if Eddie Jordan is going to sit him down a little bit to rest the King's ire. The problem is that they need Stevenson for offensive firepower, because while the big three (Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison, and Caron Butler) showed up at full strength in Game 1, there's likely to be a few where they don't all come through. Especially with...

2. Agent Zero-Health: Zero has a banged up wrist, and for the Wizards who aren't exactly the type to light up the scoreboard, that's a pretty significant injury. It's possible Arenas can shake it off and have one of his "Hibachi!" nights, but it's going to be rough going either way. Whoever guards Arenas is sure to take advantage of it, and his minutes will be limited. It'll be interesting to see how many minutes coach Eddie Jordan gives the superstar, and whether he rests him for the trip home, or burns him at both ends to try and take one in Cleveland and regain home-court advantage.

The Rotation is a weekly study on the NBA by one of our All-Star voices. In rotation this week is Tom Ziller.

It's easy to pass off All-Star Weekend as a meaningless midseason distraction if all you see is Terrell Owens dunking on Taylor Hicks. But if you're an NBA fan and you don't pay close attention to the weekend, you are not just skipping class. You're missing a cram session that supplies all the info you need about Shaq, Dwyane Wade, and others. Consider:

The ASW offers education from seeing players from teams never on national TV (hello, Rudy Gay!), and the events wrapped into the weekend tell us volumes about guys we think we already know. Nate Robinson's an easy example; before 2006's dunk contest, who knew the kid was not only extraordinarily fierce in competitive battle, but also an insufferable gnat with a Napoleon complex and a little too much mouth for a career back-up? In 2007 we learned Amare Stoudemire could survive without Steve Nash; in another year (or two), that lesson will be important to remember. We've learned Jason Kapono and Jason Richardson are each good for one thing, and one thing only.