Brown and Fans Don't See Eye To Eye

It's a losing battle, I know. I've been "defending" Cavs coach Mike Brown for three years and I have come to the conclusion that Cavs fans will simply never embrace nor appreciate him.
Fans get emotional, and they want to see an extension of their emotion on the floor. When the team is playing poorly or lacks effort, they want to see a coach make drastic changes, they want to see a coach throw clipboards, get technicals, and berate players.

They do not want to see their coach "accept" or loss. But Mike Brown knows his team. More importantly, he knows his star.

Lebron James is basketball brilliance. However, there is one area where Lebron is distinctly different from Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant: Lebron isn't always in "attack" mode. Even at half-speed, Lebron is better than 3/4 of the league, but there are nights where he simply decides to let the game come to him. Sometimes, he can get away with it. Sometimes, he can't.
The only thing that really matters is that Lebron always shows up when it counts. Yes, he might make things easier on himself (and Cavs fans) if he put things away a bit more quickly, but it doesn't seem to be part of his make-up.

The Wizards were embarrassed in the first two games in Cleveland. The Cavs, on the other hand, played extremely well in all facets of the game. The series shifted back to Washington with the Cavs able to relax and the Wizards tucking their tails. The Cavs had to realize that Washington was going to be a house on fire Thursday night. They had to realize that this series simply didn't have "sweep" written all over it. The Cavs aren't that kind of team.
Lebron knows this. Mike Brown knows this.

And when things got off to a rocky start Thursday night, both Lebron and Brown seemed to know it was coming. Neither panicked. Neither went off on a tirade. Both seemed to accept the defeat and move on.

Fans do not like to see their players, coaches, and leaders "accept" defeat at any level. Fans do not want these men to be realists. Fans do not like to see 36 point losses. But in the end, in sports, desperation usually wins out. All three teams that came into Thursday night down two games to none won. Not only did all three win the game, but each covered the point spread with ease.

Yes, the Orlando Magic and Utah Jazz both played better than Cleveland, but this morning, they all find themselves in the exact same spot: Up two games to one and in pretty good shape.
It's hard to sweep a quality a NBA team. The fans would of course like to see a bit more fight, but honestly, would things be better this morning had Cleveland lost 95-93? Perhaps that would be even worse. The Cavs, and most notbaly Lebron, expended very little energy last night (physically and emotionally). According to one fan sitting near the Cavs bench, Mike Brown was overhead telling his team that this was expected and that they get another shot on Sunday.

Fans don't like to hear that.

But I appreciate Brown's understanding of his team and the situation. The Cavs have performed VERY well in their two previous playoff runs under Brown. Twice down two games to the Pistons, the Cavs kept their cool and rallied. Last year, after blowing game 5 to the Nets, the Cavs went back to New Jersey and kept the series from going the distance. Mike Brown always seems to take the longview. And that seems to sit well with Lebron. Even if it doesn't sit well with the fans.

The Cavs' roster has limitations. This isn't the kind of team that is going to rattle off win after win. What Brown understands is that if he pulls the right strings at the right times, the Cavs CAN win 4 out of 7 games. Last night was an instance where he knew it would be wise to not pull too tightly on those strings.

The Wizards were GOING to come to play. They are an explosive offensive team, they were due, they had their backs against the wall, and they were at home. It was clear from the beginning that the Cavs supporting cast was not clicking on all cylinders, and rather than force the issue and perhaps do further harm, the Cavs simply took their lumps.

It was a loss. A very big loss. But not a particularly painful or damaging one.

In order for Washington to win this series, they must win a game in Cleveland. Somewhere in the back of their minds, both Brown and Lebron know that. And the Wizards know that as well.
Game 4 will be a different story. Things should be a bit closer. The Cavs will play with a bit more urgency, and if the score stays close, the pressure will build on the Wizards. The outcome could be very different.

It's pretty simple: If the Cavs win one of the next two, they will be up 3 games to 2 and in the same position they found themselves in two years ago against Washington. And when the series shortens, Lebron gets better. Mike Brown knows this. I doubt he's worried. Even if the fans are sweating.