Brown Couldn't Make Adjustments

The Cavs finally pulled the trigger on Mike Brown's head coaching career. Cleveland canned 2009's coach of the year after another disappointing playoff series. It wasn't a matter of if, but when. The day after Boston eliminated Cleveland reports surfaced that Brown would be fired.

The Cavs and its fans expected a championship this year. They've expected one since 2007 when LeBron and Brown first made the NBA Finals. After three years of earlier-than-expected exits, they had to fire Brown.

Brown is catching the bulk of the heat after this year's loss. Mainly because no one wants to criticize LeBron James, who was MIA in Game 5 and turned the ball over 9 times in Game 6. James deserves blame, but he can't win or lose a playoff series by himself. He didn't play well most of the series and neither did the "supporting cast." But how much of that was not being put in a good position to win? Mike Brown and his staff continued a trend of not making the proper adjustments throughout tough playoff series.

Brown and the Cavs are able to cruise to 66 and 61 regular season wins because the style they play is set up to play one game. The Playoffs are a different situation and that approach doesn't work. Teams get a couple games in a row against the Cavs and they prepare for them differently. In a playoff series, a good team with a good coach can scheme on the Cavs and out adjust them. Happened last year with Orlando, and this year with Boston.

In the playoffs, play is more physical. A team like Boston knows how to use that better than anybody. Boston is playing at a very high level defensively. Doc Rivers and his staff were able to make adjustments to stop LeBron from having big nights and limiting the other players. Boston frustrated Cleveland into not playing like they had all year.

When Cleveland won Game 3 124-95 in Boston and LeBron had 38-8-7, the Celtics were embarrassed. Rivers went to the drawing board and adjusted the game plan. Mike Brown just tried to do the exact same thing. He couldn't counter Boston's adjustments. He couldn't devise a plan to get LeBron going and spark the offense. That's why he's taking blame and why he was fired.

In a half-court game like Boston and Cleveland play in the playoffs, you must be able to execute. Boston's defense out executed Cleveland's O. Boston made the adjustments and Cleveland did nothing. Brown tried force-feeding Shaq, which slowed the pace to a crawl and got no one else involved. Brown went to Ilgauskas for the first time in weeks, which slowed things down even more. LeBron needs tempo and pace. Throwing it in to Shaq for the entire 24 seconds stifled the Cavs' offense and had prolonged effects.

Brown isn't a bad coach. He had a certain degree of success, but he underachieved. Brown could never make the proper adjustments and it cost him his job. Not returning to the Finals in the last three years is the ax that swung down on Brown. It branded him as a coach who can't get over the hump with capable teams. The East has been up for grabs the last two years and it was the Cavs for the taking.

Cleveland wants to prove to LeBron that it's all about winning a championship right now. Mike Brown has proven he's not ready yet. And this did not help his case at all: worst press conference moment of the year.

The NBA Coach of the Year trend continues. Next up, Scott Brooks. (If you win that award you're out of a job within two years.)

Super Clown, Not Superman

Foolishly, I leaned the wrong way prior to tip-off of Game 1 in the Eastern Conference Finals. I tweeted "I'll take Orlando." Not sure what I was thinking. Clearly not rational thoughts because Orlando is being owned by the Celtics.

Dwight Howard, or "Superman," is being stopped by Perkins in one-on-one coverage. If you go by "Superman", you dominate single coverage. That's why Shaq is accurate when he says he's "the real Superman." A 24-year-old Shaq would have posterized Perkins numerous times already, forced double-and triple-teams, which would open up shooters, and owned the glass. Gortat is rebounding better than Howard in this series. The 30-point Game 2 was not impressive. It was an ineffective 30. It still didn't allow any teammates to get involved, and he had to work way too hard to get those points.

Howard's act is so tiresome and played out. I've never laughed at his comedy routine. He's not funny. He's a clown, and not in a good way. Until he gets serious about his game and winning a title, he's not going to get my respect. He needs to stop impersonating his coach, Stan Van. Show a little respect. Quit warming up in your tank top, showing off your muscles. Your beach muscles aren't helping you get position on Perkins, so just wear the warm-up top, Dwight.

Acting as if he's never committed a foul is also getting old. Jeff Van Gundy commented how Howard has to have no credibility when it comes to arguing with the refs. The refs watch the film, too. They see him pleading and begging for fouls that just aren't there. The refs just ignore him, as well they should. Twice he's just stopped his move to the basket, both times resulting in a travel, to try to sell a phantom call.

Man up and play the game. If Howard wants to be a dominate center, start dominating. He'll never be Shaq. Not in the paint, not getting the laughs, and not acting.

Shame on you if you pay money see that movie Howard's in. Common as an NBA star? Definite pass.

Playoff Update

Cavs v Celtics

The Celtics have been in control of this whole series. Fortunately the Cavs were able to pull out Game 1 after a miraculous dunk by Mo Williams got them going in the second half. The Cavs have no answer for Rondo. He is able to get into the lane and get open looks for teammates.

The media is having a field day with LeBron's elbow. I haven't bought into this hype at all. Does it cause him some discomfort from time to time? I'm sure. But it can't be serious enough to prevent him from beating the Celtics. If the Cavs lose, it will not because of his elbow.

But the Cavs won't lose this series. They'll win tonight (game 3) to regain home court and then wear down the Celtics the rest of the way. The repercussions from a Cavs loss in this round would be catastrophic. A series loss to Boston means: goodbye LeBron, good riddance Mike Brown, thanks-for-nothing Shaq and don't-let-the-door-hit-you Danny Ferry. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. All that's coming in two weeks after they lose to the Magic again.....

Spurs v Suns

Pop is digging deep into his bag of tricks this round. Lulling everyone to sleep by playing like crap for the first two games. This series is far from over. I base that on past series, personnel, and coaching.

The Spurs can't stop the Suns right now. Suns have scored 111 and 110. I guarantee that doesn't happen in San Antonio. I also guarantee the Spurs win Game 3. Manu needs to get back to playing at the GINOBILI!!! level. The Spurs are officially over if they can't get back in this series.

I'll have to see Los Suns in the conference finals before I believe it.

Lakers v Jazz

The Jazz will fight to the end. They will never give in. Jerry Sloan is the best at getting teams to play that way. But they are just overmatched by the Lakers. The Jazz won't get swept because of the fight they have, but this one is probably over in 5.

Magic v Hawks

Go away, Hawks. They lost by 43 points in Game 1. You shouldn't be allowed to play again in the playoffs if you lose that badly.

They have no leadership on the court or on the bench. Mike Woodson lets the inmates run the asylum. He appears to have no control. Josh Smith gets an unintentional smack to the face and can't run back on defense. Joe Johnson should be leading, but I've never seen him speak during a game.

I just hope the Magic sweep and put the Hawks out of their misery. Congrats on getting steamrolled in the playoffs again, Hawks. I'll be expecting the same thing next year.

Even though the Hawks are awful, Orlando and StanVan deserve a lot of credit. They look great in these first rounds, but the competition has been questionable. But you can only beat who you play. I'm looking forward to seeing them in the conference finals again.

One Guy Who Doesn't Love the Draft

Too much from the NFL Draft this year. Way too much.

I get it. The NFL is king. I know, I say it. I love the NFL, but I don't love the draft. Too many question marks, too many mock drafts, too much use of the word "value."

I don't need to see it in prime-time, either. I was interested in about four picks. The top three and Tebow. That's all I needed to see and I could have gotten that on the Bottomline with all the other picks.

The Tebow selection was clearly the big story. I figured someone would take a shot on him sooner than later. You know he's going to work and do whatever it takes to improve. He played at an extremely high level in college. He deserves as much of a shot as anybody to play QB.

Am I sold that he will be a great NFL quarterback? Hell no, but I'm not sold on Sam Bradford, either. It's about one thing in the NFL - production. "Put it on film" as they say. Let me see you do it on Sunday. Until then, everyone is in the same category.

Jimmy Clausen sure didn't impress anybody, did he? Except for Mel Kiper, that is. But it doesn't matter where you're drafted. If you can play, you'll get a shot somewhere, at some time. Use it as motivation or whatever you need to do. Dez Bryant should have been taken higher than 24th to Dallas.

I'm more interested in the free-agents and trades teams make in the off-season and during the draft. You know what you're getting with those guys. The Boldin and Marshall deals. Holmes to the Jets, and Leon Washington and LenDale to Seattle. McNabb to DC. Those deals have more of an impact on this year than the draft. And with the NFL, the only thing that matters is this year.

Twitter Overkill: Don't even get me started on Twitter during the draft. I had to unfollow numerous people I respect this weekend due to overload. I avoided Twitter for the most part since Thursday night because of it. I don't need 35 tweets a minute about all the possible scenarios and everybody's opinion on a fourth-round pick for Cincinnati. I'm looking at you, @Adam_Schefter and @ProFootballTalk. Too much. I'll check back with you guys closer to the season.

Jazz Working Over Dantley, Nuggets

If you don't think coaching matters in the NBA, you've haven't noticed the Denver/Utah series. (And you have a bad take on the value of an NBA coach.) Both teams have identical records. Denver lost its coach, Utah lost two starters. Utah is dominating this series.

With George Karl undergoing treatment for neck and throat cancer, Denver has been in disarray for the last couple of months. Adrian Dantley has looked overwhelmed since stepping into the interim head coaching position. The Nuggets are 11-10 (including playoffs) since he has taken the helm with an incredibly talented team. Jerry Sloan, and his 196 playoff games coached, has worked over Dantley and the Nuggets in the last three games.

I thought Denver could win a close, intense series in 7 without Karl. I didn't think Utah would have the manpower to advance without home-court advantage. Kirilenko was out for the series and then Okur went down in Game 1. Denver should have smelled blood in the water and taken advantage of the situation.

Instead, Utah's motivation increased, and Denver's leadership set sail. Dantley is not ready for this stage, and certainly not with this group of players. The personalities in the Denver locker room must be managed. Dantley just doesn't have the experience.

Utah deserves a lot of credit for this series, it's not just because Dantley doesn't know what he's doing. Deron Williams is the best point guard in the league. I'll take him over a healthy Chris Paul anytime. The Jazz are going to fight you as hard as any team in the league, credit goes to Sloan and the players he picks up. The next-man-up philosophy is in full effect in Utah.

The series is not over, but it really looks like it right now. If Denver looks good in Game 5 and gets a win, they set themselves up to get one in Utah, which sets up an anything-goes Game 7. But that's a long way off. A long way. I doubt Denver can even see it under the amount of crap it's buried under right now.

Bad Play by ESPN: Why the hell did ESPN need to send Rick Reilly over to Karl's house and grill him about how many pills he has to take and film him getting shots in the stomach? Karl's been dealing with chemo for months and ESPN busts in to shove a camera in his face, while he watches his team lose. Just leave him alone, Reilly. And get off the air. Stick to writing, please.

First Round Predictions

NBA Playoffs are here. My favorite time of year. This is better than the NFL Playoffs because this is an every night grind. The first two weeks consist of multiple games each night. All the NBA action you can possibly handle.

Some quick predictions for the highly-anticipated first round. I don't see any upsets this round:

West

Lakers vs. Thunder: Lakers 4-1. Experience is the big factor here. Durant will be hard to stop. I love where this OKC team is going. It's just not in the cards this year drawing the Lakers in the first round. Bynum needs to get back out there and start contributing.

Mavericks vs. Spurs: Mavs 4-2. I want to go Mavs in five but will give the Spurs the benefit of the doubt. This is a repeat of last year's first round, except last year's was a 3-6 match-up, with the Spurs having the 3-seed. The Mavs have upgraded much better this year than the Spurs. The Mavs handled them last year in five, and they will handle them again.

Suns vs. Blazers: Suns 4-3. I would have taken the Blazers if Roy hadn't been injured. I'm still not real confident in the Suns. Never have been. Don't trust Gentry, but really like Nash and Amare. Should be a competitive series, but the one I'll probably watch the least of in the Western Conference.

Nuggets vs. Jazz: Nuggets 4-3. George Karl missing this series is going to play a factor. I'd like to take the Jazz, but all of the sudden they caught the injury bug. Kirilenko is out for two weeks and Boozer is a game-time decision for Game 1. The Nuggets have Kenyon Martin back. This should be a good battle, but Denver gets out alive.

East

Cavs vs. Bulls: Cavs 4-0. It's a wrap. Things I'm interested in for this series: How Shaq is used and if Vinny Del Negro tries to fight anymore front office executives.

Magic vs. Bobcats: Magic 4-2. Skip Bayless will have you believe the Bobcats have a legitimate shot. I think they'll put up a fight, but Orlando has its eye on the Finals again. They won't slip up against the Bobcats.

Hawks vs. Bucks: Hawks 4-1. Atlanta will make quick work of the Bucks, who are happy to be here, but are now missing a major piece (Bogut.)

Celtics vs. Heat: Boston 4-3. The Celtics will be able to squeak by somehow. I'm not sure how, but they have so many vets and so much experience that will fight there way into the second round, where they will get killed by the Cavs. Boston is 3-0 against Miami during the regular season.

There you have it. Out on a limb with all the favorites. The best chances for "upsets" are the Heat, Blazers and Jazz. However, in a 7-game series, and this is another reason I love the NBA, the best team almost always wins.

That's why this year's playoffs are so compelling. There are so many great match-ups, it's hard to tell if it would be an upset or not. A 7-game series will tell us who is the better team.

Change of Scenery For Holmes, Marshall

First it was Santonio Holmes, now it's Brandon Marshall.

Two premiere, yet often troubled, receivers in the prime of their careers are moving on. Holmes to the Jets, Marshall to the Dolphins. If I'm either of those teams, I'm thinking "Jackpot!"

Sure, both have had their problems in the past. Holmes is in trouble right now, about to face a four-game suspension due to his refusal to give up blowing tree. But that looming suspension is what caused his price to go lower than expired beans at Save-A-Lot.

Picking up a 26-year-old Super Bowl MVP for a 5th-round pick is Christmas morning in Jets camp. Will he fail another drug test and face a year suspension? Possible but not probable. Did he need a change of scenery out of Pittsburgh? Most definitely.

Now the Steelers will have you believe that they were "sending a message." That they were taking a stand against this type of behavior, which included another alleged assault to his record. To a certain extent, maybe.

If they weren't already dealing with Big Ben's second alleged sexual assault they would have just dealt with Holmes' situation. They know they're a worse team without Holmes. But they can't get rid of Big Ben. Quarterbacks are more valuable than a receiver, that's just the way it is. Two incidents at the same time were too much for the Rooney's. They had to choose and they went with the receiver who was set to become a free agent at the end of the year.

Maybe Holmes was a cancer in the locker room, I don't know. If that's the case, a new locker room may be just what the doctor ordered.

I wonder about how many teams were interested in Holmes. If it was only the Jets, shame on the other 30 teams. I have a hard time believing nobody was willing to give up something better than 5th-round pick. I'd eat the four-game suspension and have him ready to go Week 5.

MARSHALL TO MIAMI

It must be give-away week in the NFL. Miami coming away with Brandon Marshall for two second-round picks confirms Tony Sparano is running things like Tony Soprano.

Not only do they get Marshall out of Denver, something he's wanted for years now, they hook him up with the fattest contract a receiver has ever received.

Marshall's had his share of run-ins with the law and team management in the past. The domestic abuse charges are always worrisome and cause for concern. One would hope those issues are a thing of the past, but after three different incidents, you wonder.

 The riffs with management always seemed to be about money. Well, that's no longer an issue. The next question there becomes, "Is he still motivated?" Only time will tell.

Parcells has pulled out the checkbook this off-season to get the Dolphins in the playoffs. Karlos Dansby and Marshall are big, high-priced pieces in place.  Sparano will have to keep everything and everyone in line.

The AFC East is going to be featured more than ever. (Minus the Bills.)