Some of us are of the opinion that the Cavaliers were the worst team perhaps in history to reach the NBA Finals. Actually, when you look at the results last year, the Cavs were close in the last two games, losing by a total of only four points to the Spurs, although both games were in Cleveland.
LeBron James admits that he wasn't happy in the offseason when the Cavs did not make moves to improve the team, especially in light of the trades that brought Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to Boston.
James said tonight, however, that once the season starts and the rosters are set, you have your teammates and you're loyal to them. "I know these guys will play hard for me," James said after the Cavs 88-81 victory over the Mavericks.
And he was right. The Cavs dominated the boards by a count of 56-45 and it would have been worse had Dirk Nowitzki not grabbed 20 for Dallas.
After the game, James was asked about other Eastern teams and his confidence of getting back to the Finals, and he spoke like a defending champion.
"They have to come meet our standards," he said. "The regular season numbers don't mean anything. You look at teams that won in the regular season, it doesn't matter if you don't win in the postseason. We’ve won big game and know how to compete in the postseason, so they’re a very good team in Boston, but the real season doesn't start until the postseason."
-- Jan Hubbard
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