Change in philosophy: Cavs hope to solve woes

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It's championship or bust for the Dallas Mavericks.

WIRE SERVICES

CLEVELAND — Seven months removed from training camp and 10 days shy of the start of the playoffs, it's not realistic to make philosophical shifts in the NBA.

But it seems the Cleveland Cavaliers have come to the realization that they need to shake up they way they operate on offense late in games. The team has been struggling to execute in pressure situations, especially the familiar look of LeBron James isolated at the top of the key. Although his multidimensional playmaking skills have won the Cavs plenty of games over the years, even he sees the need to alter some of the play designs.

"When you're not successful at one play, then you do have to make a change and see if you can do it another way," James said after practice Tuesday at Quicken Loans Arena. "For me, I feel comfortable wherever I am at on the court."

Late-game struggles have been magnified in the past 12 games, in which the Cavs have gone just 6-6. But the idea of having James try to create when he's 20 to 25 feet from the basket has had mixed success in pressure situations for most of the season. For example, he is 0-of-11 on 3-point shots to tie or win games.

Although James' ability to run a high pick-and-roll or to drive for a basket or a kick-out to an open teammate had worked in the past, teams have been taking it away from him with various double-team looks and tempting him to shoot low-percentage jumpers.

In the playoffs, when many games are reduced to half-court slugfests, establishing both working options and confidence in those situations is vital.

Cavs coach Mike Brown defends the overall strategy, but he also agrees the team needs to make adjustments, and he thinks the rest of the players on the floor need to get more involved.

"LeBron's more dangerous with the basketball, but I've got to make sure that I put him on the back side of things more than I've been doing," Brown said. "If he's got the ball on the front side of the play, it makes it easier for the other teams to load up on him. When we do react, we get great looks. When we don't and try to make up our own thing, it makes it tougher on us and him."

James said he still wants the ball in his hands at the end of tight games. But he also thinks that he might have to start relying more on his teammates, who often have become bystanders as the clock ticks away.

"I'm going to adjust to what defenses are coming at me, and some guys are definitely going to have to step up," James said. "No matter where I am, I want to make the best basketball play."

Mavericks

DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks can call themselves the best team in the NBA in 2006-07.

"That and a dollar," team owner Mark Cuban said, "leaves you with a dollar."

Dallas has won 64 games with five left. Winning them all would tie the team for the second-best record in league history. Even if the Mavs lose them all, they're still guaranteed the most wins in the league this season and the most in team history.

They've also secured the top seed in the playoffs, another franchise first, and they've won only the second division title in their 27 seasons.

While everyone is proud of they've accomplished, nobody is making a big deal out of it. Not after being halfway to the championship last year, then blowing it with four straight losses.

Wednesday, April 11, 2007