Tuesday, May 4th, 2010 at 9:00 am  |  78 responses

Mike Brown Wants Mo Williams to Step Up

by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni

Mo Williams’ dunk over Paul Pierce in the latter stages of Game 1 was credited with being the key play in the Cavs/Celtics series opener. Last night, Williams resumed his all-too-familiar role as Playoff goat, as Boston convincingly tied the series, with Mo and his teammates barely putting up a fight.

Following the 19-point crushing on their own home floor, a fuming Mike Brown tried his best to light a fire under his guys by taking them to task through the media. Taking a page out of Doc Rivers’ book — who strategy with Rasheed Wallace worked wonderfully, by the way — Brown put Mo Williams’ performance on blast.

FanHouse and the Akron Beacon Journal collected the quotes:

This was greatly out of character for Brown, who rarely criticizes players and rarely calls out his team. This night he swore — and challenged Mo Williams, who was a woeful 1 for 9 and was more woeful on defense trying to keep up with Rajon Rondo (19 assists) and Ray Allen (22 points, 8 of 15).

“He’s got to step up,” Brown said. “It’s as simple as that. It’s playoff time. He’s got to step up and make the right plays for us and he’s got to knock down shots. It’s going to be tough for us to win a series if Mo plays the way he did tonight. Whether it’s defensively or offensively, he’s got to bring it … just like the rest of us.”

”It’s going to be tough for us to win a series the way Mo played tonight,” Brown said.

Through the first two games of the series, Rajon Rondo has been the best player on the floor, further putting the pressure on his counter part to perform at a higher level.

Game 3 takes place in Boston on Friday night, and though most eyes will continue to train on LeBron James, Mo Williams will need to answer his coach’s call if the Cavs hope to regain the momentum.

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  • Joey E.

    when they were telling lebron about al roker being angry in the presser, i couldnt help but think the whole team was cracking up when they saw it…

  • Sporting-Lisbon-Blazers

    look IM THE FIRST ONE TO SAY BRON IS A FU(KIN TRAVELLING MACHINE BUT THAT WAS NOT A TRAVEL, I GUARENSHEED YOU THAT..also thought it was at first like Chuck The Ididiot Barkley but after carefull review it was not..HARWOOD PAROXYSM.COM check it if you dont bealive me

  • The D Train

    I also find it pretty funny that we’re having our annual “Who is to blame for Lebron not getting his ring this spring, Mike Brown or Mo Williams?” debate. Kind of like Groundhog’s Day…if you see Mike or Mo’s shadow, it’s a ring-less spring for Cleveland.

  • http://myspace.com/mcnarrative Kieran

    @The D Train. Im a Lebron fan, but there are no excuses for him anymore. He has proved himself to be the best in the league and now has a great supporting cast too. If he doesnt get a ring this year or next (presuming he stays with the Cavs) it will raise serious questions about him

  • don

    mo is my man and all but he needs to step up too, he just got a new shoe deal so he has to step up.

  • T-Money

    I know that Bron will take the blame for this if they don’t beat Boston. You get the glory, you take the blame, I get that. BUT as rational human beings, can he be to blame for Shaq missing bunnies and Mo missing wide open 3s? Like, seriously?

  • http://www.stuffwhitepeoplelike.com Tarzan Cooper

    Lebron is going to miami. Hannibal retired 23 so bron said ill take 6. He is going to miami, this has been planned for a while. Dwade is bettr than mo. Pat is better than grimace. Lebron is going to miami, 5 peat

  • The D Train

    Jesus H…who the hell would you double if Wade and Lebron were on the same team? I don’t care for Lebron, but as a basketball fan that would be insane to watch. Just for pure fireworks I’d like to see that with Amare coming to town, too. It’d be like a damned And-1-Dunkaroo-Fest every time Miami played.

  • Robb

    Lebron should write a book: From crab dribbling to Kangaroo dribbling. That was ridiculous.

  • roman

    How about Mo Williams and the rest of the crew help out. Turning out to be a great regular season team.

  • http://www.youtube.com/ The Promise

    I’m telling you, this happens every year, LeBron’s teammates fade in the playoffs, because they tend to stand and watch him do it by himself. But I will agree with T-Money, he cannot be to blame for his teammates not doin what it takes. Mike Brown has the most talented team in the League, by far and away the best team hes ever coached, but yet, even after Mo had an awesome game in game 1, just because he doesn’t play well in game 2, he gets cussed at and pretty much gets all the blame? Shaq is not doing anything that Cleveland expected of him when they signed him. But I knew it would be that way, I’m afraid his last productive season was in Phoenix. He looks so old out there. I mean Mo is getting all the blame seems like, but Lebron didnt play that great either. 0-4 from 3. If anybody remembers, I said that Boston’s best chance was to force him to be a jumpshooter, and clog those driving lanes. They have did that fairly well, and his teammates are getting good looks, but they are not falling. And I also said that if Ray Allen played well, they could beat them. And now that Cleveland is going on the road, the supporting cast will probably play even poorer. Boston is hard to beat at home. Garnett looks rejuvenated also. If Allen and Rondo keeps playing like this, and they keep LeBron out of the lane, and if Rasheed continues to knock down 3′s, I believe that not only will Boston beat them, but I think they will do it in 6 games. So lets sit back, and see what happens.

  • Ronald

    @Jukai: It wasn’t a travel, at least not under the new NBA rules because the 1-2 rhythm doesn’t start until he collects but in the more confusing old rules the 1-2 rhythm counts at during the last dribble and not when he is collecting his dribble. But even under the old rules its sitll only a borderline travel (when you read the old rules in a strict manner as they had quiet a wide margin of interpretation). And in regards to Cavs depth? I do think they have a very deep team, only after watching their series against the Cavs did I realize that. I mean, they can go 10-deep easily, which is a rarity for teams in the NBa during the playoffs.

  • http://joeloholic.wordpress.com Joel O’s

    At this point in the playoffs, it looks like Jameer Nelson > Mo Williams, by a long shot. Nelson is stepping up every time Dwight doesn’t / can’t.

  • http://www.motherjones.com AndTheJellosJigglin

    Oh yea Ronald the “new NBA rules”, I almost forgot about those. When did the NBA last change any rule that had to do with traveling? Please cite your sources.

  • J

    mo williams is the lamar odom for the cavs.

  • http://dsfjklf.com Jukai

    I blame 50% of this on Lebron and 50% of this on Mike Brown… no one else.
    Mo Williams is SIMPLY NOT GOOD ENOUGH to be an every day second option. It’s impossible to ask him of that. Lebron needs to start driving and dishing earlier, not hope his teammate will take over…
    Mike Brown needs to play JJ and Varejao almost exclusively in this series, he friggin needs to START THEM OVER JAMISON. Jamison cannot guard Garnett. Likewise, Delonte should be getting split minutes with Mo, as he’s a superior defender. If Mo and Jamison ain’t going bucket to bucket with Rondo and Garnett, it is pointless to play them the minutes they are getting. Start Delonte, Parker, Lebron, JJ and Shaq… bring Mo and Jamison (as a three) off the bench. At least do one or the other.
    I say Brown will realize this at around game six.

  • J

    well i think Brown now had realized that JJ deserves big minutes. i have no problem on the starters specially Jamison. in fact he needs to have the ball more next to Bron. starters remain but the distribution of minutes must be changed. everyone must step up. and don’t be afraid to make in-game adjustments mike brown. and to Mo.. you’re not wearing adidas anymore.. just do it.

  • J

    put JJ on KG. play Z. if we have to play our entire roster then do it. what’s all this “were the deepest team in the league” if we don’t put it into good use? what’s all that for if were always coming down to 8 players this playoffs? we have 10 players capable of performing good. 10!

  • J

    sense of urgency.

  • Knicka

    Punks step up to get beat down. Let the celtics play Magic cause cavs suuuuuuuck

  • http://www.nba.com/suns Dacre

    STORY TIME WITH PAPA DACRE:
    I used to coach a skinny southpaw with additude in the under 16s back in 2001. He was so unco-ordinated that this was how he used to do EVERY lay up, you could even replicate this and land on ONE foot, not two (the JUMP STOP as it was known a decade ago…) and still step off for the layup…ugly as sin as far as moves to the basket go. But legit and well within the rules of play. Some players and officials alike just call violations based on the ‘ugliness’ of a play. Bad form.

  • vtrobot

    @ Tarzan: I’ve been thinking that too. Miami ain’t NYC, but it seems like a real nice place to sit back on the beach and conquer the world. Dwayne and Bron would do damage. Riles comes back to coach. Etc. etc.

  • http://www.springbored.net letsmotor

    when I first saw that move, I (like most celtics fans) yelled TRAVEL!!! and of course went on to complain about all the special treatment lebron gets. upon looking closer, however, it is clear that this is NOT a travel. it’s a regular hop step that may look a little suspect just because he jumps so high.

  • J-City

    Put almost any decent PG in the league in Mo’s position and they’ll play just as well. How hard is it to stick open jumpers when Bron and Shaq draw double teams?
    Put Jose Calderon there, Nate Robinson, heck, even Chris Duhon (Yeah I said it) and the production will be the same.
    Mo thinks he’s better than he is. Plain and simple, he’s Damon Jones of 3 years ago.

  • dsleepy

    wow. just wow.

    to all the people who say that lebron does not have good teammates: what team are YOU watching? cleveland’s got one of the deepest teams in the L. Legit all-star pieces with Antawn Jamison and Mo Williams. More-than-serviceable center in Shaq. Delonte West, Jamario Moon, Z-Ilgauskus, even Anthony Parker…what teams wouldn’t want to have these types of solid complimentary players? at what point can we stop making the “lebron doesn’t have good enough teammates to win” argument? that team is so stacked it’s ridiculous. if bron can’t get it done with this team, you cannot blame the teammates. the coach, maybe. but this team is legit. i hate the cavs, but even i have to admit that danny ferry did a helluva job here.

  • dsleepy

    forgot to mention jj hickson who is playing some good ball right now.

  • jdo

    Ok now the problems with the cavs were at point guard and shooting guard. First mo didn’t cover rondo past the free throw stripe. Anthony parker needs to be a lock down guard and not let ray Allen even breathe. They need to put the bigger and better defensive player jj hickson on kg. For the last thing I think that the cavs need to man up and be the aggressors. Here’s a line up that I think might work.

    C shaq
    Pf jj hickson
    Sf antwan jamison
    Sg lebron
    Pg rotate delonte and mo

    I think delonte would be the better candidate right now.

  • Eric

    Mike brown is the problem plain and simple. If Mo Williams is not getting it done, use the depth of the bench. Start 6’8″ Moon on Rhondo and swarm him with taller players, (Mo is like what 6’0″?) every 2 or 3 minutes bring in a fresh guy off the bench with one single job, smother Rhondo with everything you got for 2 to 3 minutes, then after being tired out which is inevitable, bring in someone else off the bench. WHERE IS MIKE BROWN’S GAME PLAN??? It’s not that hard when you have the deepest bench in the NBA. Good coaches GET IT DONE with what they have, look at Doc Rivers gettin it done with a bunch of old guys and one young all-star(Rhondo) STOP yelling Mike Brown and get a freakin game plan for god’s sake!!!

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