The Cavs have no option’s left
As we all know the Cavs are running a ghost scheme on hart.
Game 1, it worked and we needed to sub in Shammy.
But coach Brown(unlike a reactionary fan like myself) understood that simply benching Hart wasn’t the answer. Long term, and even for matchups like OKC(Chet/Ihart)…we needed just to bust the coverage. He does so many intangibles that losing him to double big lineups would not bode well for an entire series, and limit our potential/ceiling.
So game 2 comes along, and he gives Josh a loooong leash. At first, it’s not looking good. But towards the end of the second quarter Hart starts to show signs of life. And in the third, he blows the scheme wide open. It ends up being a career night for him.
The Cavs might be tempted to simply say he got lucky, but that would be their undoing.
In game 1 of the ECF the pressure is at an all time high. It’s where the Knicks faltered last year. The tone of the series is riding on that game.
Josh misses some early shots and gets into his head. He never recovers during that game. But somehow the Knicks manage to win in an epic comeback.
Game 2 comes along…the pressure is still high, but not like G1. There’s a little more breathing room. We’re up 1-0. He misses early, but Mike keeps him in. The team is holding up better defensively. They support Hart, and eventually with enough volume he breaks the coverage.
And now we arrive at game 3. Knicks are up 2-0, entering Ohio. The pressure is at the lowest it has been for this series. I know these guys are professionals, and it’s not supposed to matter. But it matters.
Josh hart will not be afraid to slang it tonight. The misses will not sting the way they do when 0-0 or 1-0 in MSG. If they leave him open on any real volume, he will absolutely punish them.
It’s the likely outcome, and there is a seasons worth of shooting data + the last game to prove it.
And the kicker? If they don’t run ghost…then get ready to see point Kat + the cutter boys back in action. The paint will be unclogged. JB will be unlocked like in the comeback.
The Cavs DON’T have answers. It’s a pick your poison situation.
So kudos to MB. He understood that by letting Josh beat the scheme, he has taken away all options from the Cavs. He wasn’t coaching to just win one game, he was coaching to checkmate the series.
LFG KNICKS.