Photo: Associated Press

"It's not fair, but it's necessary."

That pretty much explains my thoughts about Mike Brown's termination late last night. Brown, the Cavaliers' all-time winningest coach by percentage in franchise history with 272 regular season wins (third overall in team history) and a 42-29 postseason record (franchise best), was let go before his contract structure guaranteed him more money toward next season. With just ten days to determine his fate after their season ended surprisingly premature, the Cavs didn't really have a choice.

The fans have been calling for Mike Brown's head, and I cannot blame them. After having the best regular-season team for two straight seasons, the team failed to even make it to the NBA Finals in either season. In the first three seasons, Brown's team were gutsy, defensive-heavy, and they overachieved into Game 7 of the second round against the Pistons, the NBA Finals against San Antonio, and took the champion Celtics to Game 7 of the second round respectively.

But, in the last two seasons, when the team's talent was far superior, they underachieved. Some will argue that Brown was outcoached in the fateful series by Stan Van Gundy last season and Doc Rivers this season. I support that notion, but not wholly, because there were matchup disadvantages that Brown could not erase with any amount of time, strategy, and adjustments. Last year, it was Hedo Turkoglu, Dwight Howard, and Rashard Lewis, the formidable frontcourt of the Orlando Magic. This year, one word, RONDO! There's no doubt, however, that small adjustments could have been made to swing in a game the other way last season and this season. For instance, Rashard Lewis hit a game-winning shot with Ben Wallace trying to cover him last season. This year, we can look to the fact that J.J. Hickson and a banged up Anderson Varejao did not get as much time as the Shaq-Jamison frontcourt which never truly bonded together.

"They just didn't bring it."

That's what should read on the 2009-2010 Cleveland Cavaliers' tombstone. In a season where the organization was admittedly "all-in", they were beat on the flop, drawing dead on the turn and the river in what should have been appearances in the conference and NBA Finals.

The real night the wine and gold rolled over and died was in Game 5. Not Game 4 or the true season-ender in Game 6, but in Game 5. In the ultimate swing game, in front of the home crowd, in a game where LeBron was all set to bring a hailstorm of fight, it didn't happen. Game 6 was a microcosm of the issues throughout the series though. You could start with Kevin Garnett, who apparently jumped back in a time machine at some point between the end of the regular season and the start of the series. He set it for 2008, the year he was the leader of the most dominant team in the NBA, where their defense suffocated teams into submission. He also rekindled his somewhat-dormant clinic in the post, single-handedly making Antawn Jamison an innocent and powerless bystander. Garnett hit on 52% of his shots in the series, but it seemed like even more than that. The Cavs even started Shaq on KG in Game 6, a true band-aid as many said, but to be honest, Shaq did a way better job than Jamison did. He extended KG a few feet farther out of the point, but as we already know, KG still made the shots.

LeBron,

In the seven years I've watched you, especially the last two with this blog, you've done some of the most amazing and awe-inspiring things in Cleveland sports history. You've been a shining example of how team basketball is supposed to be played, always putting your teammates, your fans, your organization ahead of all the other nonsense from critics, pundits, and ESPN talking heads. It's never been about filling someone else's shoes that everyone tries to put you in (Michael's, Magic's, Kobe's, Oscar's, Bird's), it's been about creating your own way and winning a championship along that path and doing it the right way.

It's well chronicled that you're hurting, your elbow is probably going to require surgery after the season. It's affecting your jump shot in a profound way, and it's limiting your often-limitless abilities. But, your effort has been drawn into question after two blowout home losses by a combined fifty points. FIFTY POINTS! That's on the same court where you guys had only lost nine times in the last two years before this series. You're holding back, and the rest of the team is following your lead, the same way it always followed your lead when they overachieved to the NBA Finals in 2007 and to the best regular season record last year. This time, there's no excuse. You don't have Larry Hughes, Sasha Pavlovic, and Drew Gooden at your side anymore. Instead, it's Shaquille O'Neal, Antawn Jamison, and Mo Williams. This is the best team you've had in your NBA career, your first true chance to get the Larry O'Brien trophy. But, in the course of the last two games, that chance has been minimized to the point where everyone's saying you've played your last game in Quicken Loans Arena as a member of the Cavs, implying that your last game in a Cavalier uniform is one short hour away.

So, I'm asking you, LeBron, King James, The Chosen One, LBJ, Mr. MVP x2, to do what you've done throughout the last five years in the playoffs, carry us. Take it upon yourself to go out and take this game, not play and see what happens, but TAKE IT! The Celtics cannot stop you; you are the only one that can stop yourself, LeBron. Do whatever it takes, whether it's 40, 45, 50 points, a triple double, a dynamic defensive performances, or maybe all three. You've never been afraid of the moment before, and now isn't the time to start. If nothing else, leave it all out there. Leave it out there like Game 7 two years ago in Boston when your 45 points fell just short, like the Orlando series last year when you nearly averaged 40 points per game in the six-game series, like the Finals when the Spurs were more than we could handle, but you never stopped attacking. If you do that, everyone, and more importantly, us Cleveland fans, will applaud your effort and never question it.

I've been through more sports heartache than I care to admit, and I wasn't even old enough to remember "The Drive", "The Shot", "Red Right 88", and "The Fumble". But, I do remember the Indians coming up short all those years in a row in the nineties, "The Blown Save", "The Collapse in '07", the heart and soul of two different Tribe cores being traded away, the Browns moving, the Browns being irrelevant ever since, not to mention the Ohio State heartaches of two straight football national championship game losses and one in the basketball championship game.

For once, LeBron, give us a happy ending, something the forever-scrutinized city of Cleveland can never have taken from it, a championship. Start with tonight's game and never look back. Show you're the MVP, show we are the best team like we were all season long, and show the haters that the Cavaliers are not going quietly into the night. Save the team from the losing, selling, and relocation that are all but a certainty if you move out of Ohio. Stay with us, and we'll stay with you, win or lose.

Your fan,

Kirk

Photo: Joshua Gunter/The Plain Dealer

In just one night and over the course of one 48 minute game, the Cleveland Cavaliers franchise may very well have been dealt a blow from which they may never recover. Throwing all their eggs into stopping Rajon Rondo, the Celtics' 2008 championship version returned with the Big Three of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen destroying the Cavaliers' defense without even a full amount of effort. Add that in with LeBron James's 4th lowest scoring game in his 70 playoff games, a game where he looked nowhere near an MVP, a mere shell of himself, plus below average performances from both Mo Williams and Antawn Jamison, and the Cavaliers now will be fighting for their playoff lives and so much more on Thursday night in Boston.

Pick your stat: 70 second half points for Boston, 40 in the fourth quarter, 64 points for the Big Three, 8-of-15 from three for Boston, 55% Celtic FG shooting, 41-31 rebounding in the C's favor, or 17 Cavalier turnovers. You can throw that all out the window because the two critical points in this game that show the Celtics are probably going to win the series stuck out like a sore thumb. The first was the 15-0 Celtics run that took place with Rajon Rondo on the bench and the Cavaliers leading 30-21 in the second quarter. That's when the Boston trio really got going, and the Cavaliers turned the ball over again and again and again. The next one was right out of the half, with the Cavaliers somehow down just six, Ray Allen came out and hit two heart-shredding three pointers. This was at a point where the Cavaliers needed to come out playing with their tails on fire. Instead, they went the other way, and Boston never looked back. Twice, in this series, the Celtics have absolutely murder-scened the Cavaliers on their home court... the same court they had lost on just 9 times in the past two years before this series. I never thought I would have to so thoroughly and undoubtedly question this team's heart, focus, and will in a second round playoff series, but that's exactly what I'm doing.

Photo: John Kuntz/The Plain Dealer

The stat line is going to show that Rajon Rondo was the best player on the floor Sunday afternoon, and there will be no argument from this blogger about that. But, to say that it was Rondo who won Boston this game would be an error in judgment in my opinion. Ray Allen woke up from his recent shooting slumber, and Tony Allen had a series of interior buckets in the second half that lifted the Celtics to the Game 4 victory. On the Cavaliers side, it seemed the effort was generally there, but the Celtics still wanted it more, controlling the boards and collecting timely offensive rebounds and buckets when needed most. LeBron James had a quiet afternoon, and the Cavaliers wasted solid double digit scoring from their entire starting lineup because of just 11 bench points. The series shifts back to the Q for Game 5 on Tuesday night.

Jumping out to a 7-0 lead, things looked good for the Cavaliers. On this day, however, the Celtics immediately bounced back and took a seven point lead of their own in the first. Right from the beginning, the Celtics took charge of the boards, generating second chance point on the offensive glass. It's hard to recall a single "50-50 ball" that the Cavaliers got to, and this lack of hustle was reflected in the second chance points at 13-0 in favor of Boston. It's just one of the trends that is troubling from this series. Never would I have thought that I would be questioning the Cavaliers' overall effort and hustle at so many turns throughout this series.

Photo: Joshua Gunter/The Plain Dealer

As the great Mark Twain once said, "The report of my death is an exaggeration." With everyone writing off the Cavaliers entire season after a ghastly non-effort in Game 2, the Cavs appeared to be motivated by all that talk. They played one of their most complete games of the season, thoroughly owning both ends of the floor.

Being as thoroughly beat as the Cavaliers were in Game 2, their season was headed immediately down one of two paths. Either they would start to wobble and see stars after that punch to the mouth, or they would absorb the blow and keep fighting after tasting a bit of their own blood. The Cavs took the latter path tonight as they one-upped Boston by laying on them their greatest playoff defeat at home in franchise history. It was a wire-to-wire demolition that saw six Cavaliers reach double figures and did not have Boston get closer than 20 points at any point in the second half. Taking homecourt back, the Cavaliers now must look to be greedy in Game 4 on Sunday afternoon as they look to extend their 2-1 series lead and put the Celtics on the ropes.

A man on a mission: that is the only way you could describe LeBron James and his all-around dominant, superstar effort tonight. For as timid and unfocused as LBJ and, following him, the team were in Game 2, that's how aggressive and carpe diem-esque the team was tonight. Right from the start by establishing Shaq in the post and LeBron getting hot with jump shots, it was all Cavaliers. Like I've said relentlessly all season, the Celtics DO NOT have anyone that can stop LeBron James. LBJ himself and his elbow are the only two factors that can slow LeBron's output in this series. Drawing two early fouls on Garnett and Perkins really set things in motion, and the wine and gold never looked back, not even for a moment. "Aggression was my mindset," said James, "I think rest helped me, and we were ready to put a complete game together for the first time in the playoffs."

Photo: John Kuntz/The Plain Dealer

I'm not going to go on for pages and pages about how terrible the Cavaliers played tonight (although believe me, I could). Instead, I think it's necessary to call out the weaknesses in this team right now and possible solutions to what ails the team at this time. When a team relies too much on homecourt advantage, star power, and late effort to carry them through a playoff series, it is a recipe for disaster against a tested, proven veteran team like the Boston Celtics. As a result, the Cavaliers have a lot to think about over the next three days before heading to Boston for Game 3 on Friday, a crossroads in their season.

As questionable as the team's offensive execution was, it was the Cavaliers' defensive effort that truly has me scratching my head. To allow the Boston Celtics to score 104 points and shoot 51% on your home floor is startling and unacceptable in a playoff series. Rajon Rondo dominated once again, but he did so in more of a distributing role than a scoring one. The Celtics' point set a franchise record with 19 assists to go with his 13 points. Boston's big three was felt in this one unlike in Game 1. Ray Allen found himself free on several curling jumpers and connected on 8-of-15 for his 22 points, and Anthony Parker helped the cause by playing downright uninspired, lazy, old legged defense. Parker has struggled all season long on Allen, so I feel it might be time to look into giving some more of Parker's minutes to Jamario Moon and/or Jawad Williams. At least their athleticism and quickness will not be questioned as AP's is right now in my eyes.

Photo: John Kuntz/The Plain Dealer

Rajon Rondo was in downright domination mode in tonight's first half, and there seemed to be no stopping him. Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce were flashing double digit halves as well. On the other side, LeBron James was struggling with his shooting, missing several layups and neglecting to take outside shots. The supporting cast wasn't doing much better either. With a lack of effort on defense and creativity on offense, the wine and gold found themselves down double digits at halftime. That's when Mo Williams seemingly subconsciously said, "Two can play at that game!"

Two can play that unstoppable point guard game (not just Rondo), two people have the ability to carry this team (not just LeBron), and that's exactly what number two did in a 14-point third quarter headlined by Mo's first dunk as a Cavalier and the corresponding surge the Cavs went on to close out the game from that point forward. It proved to be one of if not THE most clutch two pointer of the Cavaliers' season to this point. The wine and gold avoided a potentially catastrophic game one loss and the loss of homecourt, and they had a chance to do it for no other reason than #2.

Now, the real fun begins. Two years ago, the Cavaliers and Celtics had a dramatic second round series that ended with a LeBron James-Paul Pierce duel that went to Pierce with the help of some key plays from Celtic role players down the stretch (P.J. Brown offensive rebound, anybody)? But, a lot has changed since then, and it is now the Cavaliers who are the favorite with the Celtics still trying to hold on with an aging core. This series will be an all-out war as most of the matchups between these two in the last three years have been.

Series Review (Teams tied 2-2)

Game 1 (in Cleveland): Celtics 95, Cavaliers 89

On opening night, the Cavaliers were anything but a cohesive unit after a trying preseason where injuries and illness gave little opportunity for Coach Mike Brown to find what lineups were going to work for him. Cleveland started out with a 13-2 spurt, and Shaq scored on Kendrick Perkins three times in the post. But, old habits hit the Cavs, including finishing quarters poorly as they trailed by six at the half. The Cavs started out poorly in the second half with a Boston 10-2 run as well. This was our first look at the Shaq and Z combo on the floor together (including preseason). LeBron was left to do heavy lifting alone with 38 points and 15 of the team's 24 fourth quarter points. The Celts hit nine threes and outscored the Cav bench 26-10.

Photo: The Photoshop Guru, Kyle Swartz

Joakim Noah can finally relax. His fishing trip on the beautiful, majestic Lake Erie can finally begin! While he's fishing for walleye, he can take in sights like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Great Lakes Science Center, shop at Tower City, and maybe even take in a Cavaliers' game. Unfortunately, he won't be playing in the Cavaliers' next game, because the Chicago Bulls fired up their outboard and are Gone Fishin' for the offseason.

It wasn't the convincing type of victory that Game 4 was, but the Cleveland Cavaliers protected their homecourt and sent the Chicago Bulls home for the season, holding on for a two point victory. It was a game that Cleveland trailed for a decent amount of the second half, and one where LeBron James was incredibly passive, presumably because of his nagging elbow. LBJ did enough to help take over late in the game, and the Cavalier supporting cast made timely fourth quarter jumpers to take care of business, but it came at a price. LeBron shot his second of two last possession free throw left-handed and held his right elbow to his side for the defensive possession, and the whole city waits to see how ready to go LeBron is for Game 1 against Boston on Saturday night.