At least Gladys Knight had the Pips.
Who are these supporting players who call themselves LeBron James’ teammates?
Not even Pips here, and definitely no Pippens.
Here we are, entering today’s Game 7 of the Cleveland-Boston series, and the second-highest scorer on the Cavaliers averages 13.5 points per postseason game.
Is it possible that the “Other Cavs,” who were a punching bag for criticism last year, are even worse this year?
Consider this: In the six games against Boston, only 14 times has an “Other Cav” scored in double figures. And in the Game 4 win, (win, for goodness sakes) the highest any other Cav scored was 14 points. On Friday, in the imperative Game 6 win, the highest Cleveland scorer not named LeBron Raymond had just 10.
And consider this: Because they filmed multiple players for the NBA’s split-screen ads, Cleveland had to dust off Larry Nance (only kidding).
But perhaps it’s possible the Cavaliers’ brass knew what it was doing, perfectly placing these guys into the lineup to complement James? Or is this supporting cast just adding to the legend of LeBron, because we’re deep in the heart of the playoffs, and James and The Other Cavs are actually still playing?
Now, it is hard to knock any team that has the team with the league’s best record on the ropes. Credit’s due, and here’s some credit.
These guys have found a way to win three games against mighty Boston, which won three consecutive road games at San Antonio, Houston and Dallas but curiously couldn’t win once in the postseason at Atlanta or Cleveland.
But the Cavaliers are still in this thing with an offensive offense. In the Game 6 win, they shot 32.9 percent from the field and tallied just 10 assists. (Chris Paul gets 10 assists during the national anthem.)
The fact Cleveland is still playing goes back to the greatness of James. What’s more amazing is, the guy isn’t even playing that great of late.
In the Boston series, James has shot just 32.5 percent from the field, compared to his 48.4 percent in the regular season. But he has found ways to contribute, like great ones do. In Game 6, he got to the line 15 times, missing just twice. And in the three victories against the Celtics, James averaged nine assists.
But we must look forward to today’s game, when Cleveland must win in Boston. The Celtics haven’t lost a playoff game this year at home, and they won their home playoff games by an average of 18.3 points. In fact, the Celtics haven’t lost a home game since March 24. It’s easy enough for the Celtics to take the Other Cavs out of the game in Cleveland. What about in Game 7 in hostile Boston? Unless James puts on his cape and plays like he did in that historic game at Detroit last postseason, one of the Other Cavs will have to ascend today.
Otherwise, to quote our crooning friends:
Gladys: “He kept dreaming.”
Pips: “Dreaming.”
Gladys: “Ooh, that some day he’d be a star.”
Pips: “A superstar, but he didn’t get far.”
Accounta-Billy.
This column’s new favorite athlete? Billy Wagner. Last week, the New York Mets reliever lashed out to the media — about his teammates ducking out on the media. (Sound familiar, Nuggets fans?)
After a Mets loss, in a game Wagner didn’t even pitch, reporters interviewed the veteran because he was one of the few players available in the locker room.
“You should be talking to the guys over there,” Wagner said to reporters, and then gestured toward the lockers of Carlos Beltran, Luis Castillo and Carlos Delgado. “Oh, they’re not there. Big shock.”
Then, in an ESPN Radio interview Friday, Wagner talked about accountability, saying: “You need to stand there during the bad times other than just stand there during the good times.”
There’s something respectable about an athlete who is stand-up enough to speak to the media (and thus, the fans), regardless if his or her team won or lost. During the Nuggets’ short-lived playoff tenure, notably when the media awaited players on the off-days, let’s just say there weren’t a lot of Billy Wagners in powder blue.
