Sports / Basketball |
Cavaliers return home searching for answers(Reuters)Updated: 2007-06-12 09:47 The Cleveland Cavaliers returned home from their Texas nightmare on Monday desperately searching for ways to crawl back into the NBA finals. Cleveland were outshot, outhustled and thoroughly outplayed while dropping the first two games of the best-of-seven series on the road to the San Antonio Spurs. "We just have to figure out that we've got to play harder than what we're playing right now because the effort that we're bringing to the table, the aggression we're bringing to the table and the lack of poise we're having right now just isn't good enough," Cavaliers coach Mike Brown told reporters. San Antonio's top guns, Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, are shredding the Cavaliers' once-proud defense with a combination of power, speed and stylish drives to the hoop. The trio collectively scored 67 points in the Spurs' 86-75 victory in the series opener and totaled 78 in a 103-92 triumph in Sunday night's game two. Brown is convinced his crew will regroup for Tuesday's night's game three at the Quicken Loans Arena and give the city of Cleveland a shot at its first pro championship since 1964. "We've just got to dig within," he said. "I don't have anything magical. I'm not that smart. I wish I was. I wish I had something to give them. "The one thing I kept preaching to our guys is it's one day, one game at a time, and we've got to continue to play the right way. If we do for as close to 48 minutes as possible, we're going to give ourselves a chance, and that's the bottom line." If the Cavaliers are going to get back into contention, they will have to find a way to slow Parker down. The diminutive guard is averaging 28 points. "He's very good, probably the second best point guard we've played in this postseason," said Cleveland's LeBron James. "Jason Kidd ( New Jersey Nets) is one, I think Tony Parker is two. No matter what you do he's going to find a way to get into the paint. "He can finish over big guys, finish over small guys. They have a great one in Tony Parker for sure." Parker is convinced the Spurs will not become complacent with a 2-0 lead. "We have to give them respect," he said. "I'm going to go further than that. Two years ago we won against Detroit by 20 in game two, and in game three we got smashed, we lost by 20, and in game four we lost by 30. "We need to remember that and learn from our mistakes. I think that's enough to make us get ready." |
|