Other than an NBA championship a couple of years ago, the city of Cleveland has had to go through very tough times since the 60s for its sports. This week, it has been a crumbling path of destruction. With the Browns of the NFL, they fired coach Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley. In the first season without LeBron James again, the Cavaliers fired coach Tyronn Lue very early in the NBA season, going 0-6 to start the season before last night's win with their new coach.
My take on the Browns is that it is still a very dysfunctional organization. They give up way too easily on coaches and players, but you can't make excuses for Jackson, who only won three games in his two plus years. Since 1999, they have gone through almost, if not, about 30 quarterbacks. No one has a started a full 16-game season other than Tim Couch in 2001. Whatever they try to fix one year, another gets broken. I don't know if its poor management or making the wrong choices, but even with Baker Mayfield it's not making them better. You look at Detroit, who went winless in 2008, and see the amount of progress they have made since, I don't know why the Browns don't look at how they handled that situation. Either way, it's more disappointment that will keep plaguing them.
It's not unusual now in the NBA for a coach to get fired early on. Houston did that with Kevin McHale a few years ago after a poor performance eight games into a season. It makes me wonder what the Cavs were expecting after James left for Los Angeles. It wasn't like they were going to dominate the Eastern Conference. It's surprising that they gave up on Lue very early when he was the reason along with his players that they won the Finals in 2016. Everybody knew things were going to be different, but to fire? I think it's panic and maybe one or two other things, but giving up very quickly makes them look really bad.
Other than the Indians, there isn't much to get excited in Cleveland with their sports teams.
Showing posts with label cavaliers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cavaliers. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Monday, June 11, 2018
Ultimate Warriors
For the NBA, the script was already in the hands of the Golden State Warriors. It was clear what was going to happen, and it did. They won the Finals in convincing fashion against the Cleveland Cavaliers. This is their third in four years and they were able to do this on the road as well, something other teams struggled to do.
The shake up in the winter said a lot about the Cavs. Getting rid of a number of their players was the tip of the iceberg. How they were able to advance to the Finals is beyond me. They also squandered their opportunity to at least win a game. However, JR Smith's blunder at the end of regulation in Game 1 will be looked at as one of the biggest goofs of all time. It also gave the Warriors the edge which culminated into a win to begin the series.
With the champions, it's through the use of all their developed stars. Stephen Curry was back to being in true form after battling injuries. Kevin Durant was always the X factor for them this year, delivering strong moments and claiming another MVP award. Klay Thompson is the guy you don't think of, but he's the underrated player that pops up whenever the team needs a boost of confidence. Of course, Draymond Green is that physical type of player that isn't afraid to go for the ball. Whether that leads to fouls/technicals is another story. Add in a decent bench, and this adds more to Steve Kerr's early legacy so far.
So what happens? Some things might happen behind the scenes for the Warriors. I see someone getting ousted. In Cleveland, there is speculation LeBron James could go somewhere else. If he does, the Eastern Conference will be a lot different no matter what team he picks. Next year could be Boston or Toronto's shot to make the Finals. The Cavs would have to really start developing players if they don't want a repeat of 2010 through 14.
These Warriors are mighty and strong. Their dynasty has gotten much stronger and will be remembered for years to come.
The shake up in the winter said a lot about the Cavs. Getting rid of a number of their players was the tip of the iceberg. How they were able to advance to the Finals is beyond me. They also squandered their opportunity to at least win a game. However, JR Smith's blunder at the end of regulation in Game 1 will be looked at as one of the biggest goofs of all time. It also gave the Warriors the edge which culminated into a win to begin the series.
With the champions, it's through the use of all their developed stars. Stephen Curry was back to being in true form after battling injuries. Kevin Durant was always the X factor for them this year, delivering strong moments and claiming another MVP award. Klay Thompson is the guy you don't think of, but he's the underrated player that pops up whenever the team needs a boost of confidence. Of course, Draymond Green is that physical type of player that isn't afraid to go for the ball. Whether that leads to fouls/technicals is another story. Add in a decent bench, and this adds more to Steve Kerr's early legacy so far.
So what happens? Some things might happen behind the scenes for the Warriors. I see someone getting ousted. In Cleveland, there is speculation LeBron James could go somewhere else. If he does, the Eastern Conference will be a lot different no matter what team he picks. Next year could be Boston or Toronto's shot to make the Finals. The Cavs would have to really start developing players if they don't want a repeat of 2010 through 14.
These Warriors are mighty and strong. Their dynasty has gotten much stronger and will be remembered for years to come.
Monday, April 3, 2017
NCAA Hates the East Coast?
The NCAA has an interesting championship game for tonight when Gonzaga faces off against North Carolina. One could say it should favor the Tar Heels, but with the way the Bulldogs have played, they might have a chance. This begs the question, however. Why does the NCAA hate the East Coast? As usual, the game begins at 9:20 PM for anyone that lives in that part of the United States.
I get that it's tradition and all, but this really needs to stop. If it were a Saturday night game, there wouldn't be too many issues. Monday night is pretty bad for anyone that has to go work that starts anywhere from six to nine in the morning, give or take. Not to mention any children that have to get to school the next day. They can't even watch the entire first half. I understand getting ratings, but wouldn't it make more sense to start the game at 8:15 PM or maybe 7:30 PM for that matter?
Major League Baseball received a lot of criticism for their World Series coverage in the 2000s. The big complaint was games starting after 8:30 at night. They have tried to address it, but problems still arise. Some from MLB, and other times, the teams who turn a three hour game into a three and a half, maybe four hour game. I do not see a daytime World Series working. At the very least, starting at 7:00 PM would certainly get people to at least watch most of a game. They should be lucky that last year's Series between the Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs actually got more than 40 million viewers for Game 7. That's lightning in a bottle that probably won't be replicated again.
I'd say the Super Bowl is the only championship game in all sports that starts at a decent time. The NFL knows exactly when to start and knows that the audience will be there, no matter what, until the last play of the game. For NCAA Football, it's not the best with their time choice, but not as bad as basketball. It should go for at least a 7:30 PM game. I'm not even sure that the NHL is worth criticizing since it isn't a ratings juggernaut. However, 8:00 PM is not a horrible timeslot to begin a game. Depending on penalties, shootouts, and other calls like off sides, it shouldn't take that long.
Much like the MLB, the NBA has endured a lot of criticism for its still current approach to scheduling Finals games. With exceptions of Sunday games, their games begin at 9:00 PM. That is the sweet spot if you were a TV show like Cheers or the original CSI. Much like last year's World Series, it has been lightning in a bottle the last few years for the Finals. Seeing the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors duke it out for six, seven games has seen big numbers since the Michael Jordan years. NBC struggled after Jordan retired for a second time, and ABC had a hard time early on attracting audiences since getting the rights for the NBA for the 2002-03 season.
For them to get the rights in 2002, ABC struggled. Their first five years saw some pretty bad numbers in 2003 and 2007 for the Finals. Sandwiched in between were series that had notable teams and players, but saw some declines that were noticeable until the last few games of a Finals that went more than five games. It was still not as good as NBC ratings for the NBA. Starting with the 2008 Lakers and Celtics Finals, it has seen a steady growth in ratings due to the growth in a lot of big name players and teams that hadn't won or had the makings of a championship team.
Anyway you slice it, sports like the NBA can justify starting late at night because of the growth. The NCAA had its best ratings for the Final Four in over a decade and could rise following. It hurts anyone that lives on the eastern or even central time. But if it is a close game towards the end, the networks and leagues know everyone is going to watch. Those last few innings in the World Series last year was very intense and had the ultimate drama.
Is it really hating the East Coast? I don't know. I feel like it is, especially when lots of people have to get up to go to work or school. Until the numbers see a huge decrease (which seems very unlikely), networks and leagues can keep justifying starting late. Greed can sometimes not be a happy thing.
I get that it's tradition and all, but this really needs to stop. If it were a Saturday night game, there wouldn't be too many issues. Monday night is pretty bad for anyone that has to go work that starts anywhere from six to nine in the morning, give or take. Not to mention any children that have to get to school the next day. They can't even watch the entire first half. I understand getting ratings, but wouldn't it make more sense to start the game at 8:15 PM or maybe 7:30 PM for that matter?
Major League Baseball received a lot of criticism for their World Series coverage in the 2000s. The big complaint was games starting after 8:30 at night. They have tried to address it, but problems still arise. Some from MLB, and other times, the teams who turn a three hour game into a three and a half, maybe four hour game. I do not see a daytime World Series working. At the very least, starting at 7:00 PM would certainly get people to at least watch most of a game. They should be lucky that last year's Series between the Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs actually got more than 40 million viewers for Game 7. That's lightning in a bottle that probably won't be replicated again.
I'd say the Super Bowl is the only championship game in all sports that starts at a decent time. The NFL knows exactly when to start and knows that the audience will be there, no matter what, until the last play of the game. For NCAA Football, it's not the best with their time choice, but not as bad as basketball. It should go for at least a 7:30 PM game. I'm not even sure that the NHL is worth criticizing since it isn't a ratings juggernaut. However, 8:00 PM is not a horrible timeslot to begin a game. Depending on penalties, shootouts, and other calls like off sides, it shouldn't take that long.
Much like the MLB, the NBA has endured a lot of criticism for its still current approach to scheduling Finals games. With exceptions of Sunday games, their games begin at 9:00 PM. That is the sweet spot if you were a TV show like Cheers or the original CSI. Much like last year's World Series, it has been lightning in a bottle the last few years for the Finals. Seeing the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors duke it out for six, seven games has seen big numbers since the Michael Jordan years. NBC struggled after Jordan retired for a second time, and ABC had a hard time early on attracting audiences since getting the rights for the NBA for the 2002-03 season.
For them to get the rights in 2002, ABC struggled. Their first five years saw some pretty bad numbers in 2003 and 2007 for the Finals. Sandwiched in between were series that had notable teams and players, but saw some declines that were noticeable until the last few games of a Finals that went more than five games. It was still not as good as NBC ratings for the NBA. Starting with the 2008 Lakers and Celtics Finals, it has seen a steady growth in ratings due to the growth in a lot of big name players and teams that hadn't won or had the makings of a championship team.
Anyway you slice it, sports like the NBA can justify starting late at night because of the growth. The NCAA had its best ratings for the Final Four in over a decade and could rise following. It hurts anyone that lives on the eastern or even central time. But if it is a close game towards the end, the networks and leagues know everyone is going to watch. Those last few innings in the World Series last year was very intense and had the ultimate drama.
Is it really hating the East Coast? I don't know. I feel like it is, especially when lots of people have to get up to go to work or school. Until the numbers see a huge decrease (which seems very unlikely), networks and leagues can keep justifying starting late. Greed can sometimes not be a happy thing.
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