Hey everyone! It's A.C. checking in. What's happening?

Well, I won't go over what happened against the Magic in the East Finals. That's over and done with, and now we have to start focusing on next year.

We won 66 games, but we really didn't perform that well this season against the elite teams - so that tells me that there are issues that need to be addressed. There aren't huge issues, but there are areas that need to be addressed.

And I think we need to look at three areas. The Cavaliers need some help in the backcourt. I would say a bigger two-guard - either coming off the bench or starting - because we need more size. The bench needs to be improved. We need to get more athletic off the bench. And we need to become more athletic in our frontcourt.

The days of the "specialist" in the NBA are going by the wayside, especially when you face the elite teams in the postseason. You can get away with specialists during the regular season, but when you get down to the top four teams in the league, you have to have guys who are multidimensional, who can do almost everything well. You have to have that.

The Cavaliers might be active on the trade and free agent market, but they also have some guys in-house who I believe will step up their contributions next year. Specifically Tarence Kinsey and the two rookies - Darnell Jackson and J.J. Hickson.

I like T.K., because he's long and he's aggressive. He could become that two-guard off the bench - the swingman that we need. He has that potential. And I like his attitude. He's an aggressive player by nature and he's a competitor.

I think Darnell Jackson needs to get a good look next year. He's a physical guy. He wants to be physical and he wants to get better. And I like that about him. And J.J. can be as good as he wants to be. It all depends on how hard he's willing to work.

J.J. is athletic; he can get up and down the floor. He definitely needs to improve on his 15-foot jumper. He has no confidence in that shot. If he can hit that shot consistently, he can become an All-Star, because he can do everything else. But, again, it all depends on how hard he wants to work.

You see what Darnell's doing. The season's barely over and he's already at Cleveland Clinic Courts doing work. When J.J.'s healthy enough, he should be there too. He should be down there working on that jump shot. I think the coaching staff knows where he needs to improve and they will focus on that area in the offseason.

I remember how bad it hurt when the season wrapped up - getting eliminated or not reaching the playoffs.

You work so hard for all those months, and it hurts when it's over. But then, after about a month of licking your wounds, you get back into it. And the drive comes back. And you just have more resolve for that next season. And nine times out of ten, your teammates are right with you.

I remember when we missed the playoffs in that first year - (the year before the Miracle year) - by a last-second shot late in the season. It hurt like hell, but after about three weeks, we were all running the track, lifting weights, getting into it. And we went on to the playoffs in the Miracle year the next spring.

I'm not too worried about the Cavaliers' mindset going into this season. Still, when you have the best record in the league this year and you don't make it to the Finals, you have a tendency to say, 'Well what do I have to do to make this work?' And the answer is: You have to have the best record in the league the next year and make it work. And, really, that's what it boils down to.

It's a never-ending quest for perfection. That's what this whole thing is. And I think as long as you keep that attitude - that perfection is what you're trying to achieve - you won't have any problems getting motivated to get there.

The guys will be ready to get back after it in a few weeks. Right now, I think, in their minds there are question marks. What happened? Why didn't we perform like we had in the first two rounds? If it wasn't for LeBron's jumper in Game 2, we would have gotten swept. And I know that's a question mark in their minds. The players, the coaching staff. What happened?

So, it'll take everyone three weeks or a month to analyze and process everything, go over it, and set the game plan for next season.

There are holes that need to be filled to make a run next year. Personally, I think we knew where the holes were. We were just hoping to hold on.

But we know that we have to get younger and more athletic in the frontcourt and get a little bigger in the backcourt. And we need to bolster the bench. These are the areas that have to be addressed and I think management and the coaching staff knew that, but were just hoping to get by this season - and we almost got there. But now you realize that once you get closer to the top, your deficiencies become illustrated. Now we know they've been exposed and we're going to have to deal with them. It's as simple as that.

Teams around the Cavaliers are going to keep improving. Philadelphia's going to be a tussle, Chicago's going to be better. So the Cavaliers - even though they won 66 games - are going to have to continue to improve. And if they do, they'll be one of the elite teams again in 2009-10 and they can make another run at the title.

So, moving forward, I feel good. I have confidence that Danny and his group and the coaching staff will come up with the talent that we need and make the necessary improvements to make to make another run next year.

Hey everyone! It's A.C., checking in. What's happening?

I know we're just a few hours from Friday's tip, but I wanted to check in real quickly.

I'm looking for a different effort from the Wine and Gold tonight. On Wednesday, we didn't stick with what got us the lead in the first half. We were moving the ball well - we had 14 assists. But we only had eight in the second half. And I think we got a little intoxicated with greatness. We got caught up watching a great player and he was on his game.

They fell into that trap - watching LeBron operate - and they couldn't get out of it. And it got to the point where, when the other guys were called on to finish the game, they were out of rhythm - it's as simple as that. We got away from moving the ball from one side of the floor to the other. I think, had we continued to move the ball well, we would have won that game by 20.

And I think, defensively, we made some changes that hurt us. But mostly, we need to figure out what to do with Dwight Howard.

As good as Howard played in the first half, we still had a 15-point lead. Like I've been saying: He is not going to score enough points to beat you. It's when you start allowing a second man to get hot that Orlando is truly dangerous.

Once you start "hedging" off your man to help with Howard, that's when you get in trouble. It gives that shooter just enough space to can the shot. Lewis' shots were contested, but we hedged off Howard to give him just enough space.

The last three-pointer Lewis made, you know a three-pointer is the only shot that can beat you. So you have to run him off that spot. You can't let him have that spot. You have to be cognizant of that. I would have let him drive towards the basket, and if your defense lets you down behind you, the worst you have is overtime. But you can't let him shoot a shot that can beat you.

In terms of Howard - you have to attack him. You have to get physical with him. You cannot let him have his way around the basket. If you watch how the Celtics guarded him - they kept a body on him at all times. They forced him to shoot over people. You can't let him get one bump, one step and get right to the basket. Somebody's got to put a body on that young men.

Well, this is the first time this year the Cavaliers have faced a "must-win" situation.  And let's see how they react to it. It's been smooth sailing this year, and now they have their backs against the wall. You have to win this game tonight - everyone knows that. It's been a struggle to win down in Florida, so you don't want to go down there needing two.

Tonight, I would like to see two halves of basketball like Wednesday's first half. I'd like see 25 or more assists on Friday night. The Cavaliers don't lose games when that's the case.

You need this win tonight and if we can go down there and split, we'll come back here with the homecourt advantage intact. And we will win the series.

Cavalier fans, it's A.C. - checking in. What's happening?

Well, I know that everybody wanted Boston, because we have history with them. But once you get to this place in time - in the Eastern Conference Finals, one step away from the Finals - I don't care if it's the best team in the world or the St. Francis' Sisters of the Poor. Bring 'em on.

I'm not going to mince words: Orlando is a tough matchup for us.

In the middle, with Dwight, you have to use Z, Anderson and Ben. By the same token, the key to Orlando's success is their forwards - Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu. One of those two guys have to be stopped for us to win.

I would say LeBron will check Lewis, which would take Anderson away from the basket to guard Hedo.  And you have to go with Z on Dwight. That's the way you have to do it. How else can you do it? That's why they're a tough matchup: because both their forwards play away from the basket.

You want to involve Dwight Howard in as many pick-and-roll situations as possible - just like Boston did. That's going to get Z a lot of open shots. And it'll force them to make a decision. Right now, we're the ones who have to make decisions on how to adjust to them. But to me, it's simple: Stop one of their two forwards and you beat them.

It'll be interesting the way we set up our defensive scheme.

The key is to not double-team Howard and don't give the other guys good looks. Howard's not going to score enough points to beat you. (And don't be afraid to foul him.) If you look at how Boston was guarding him - they never allowed him too close to the baseline. What he wants is one or two dribbles and a dunk. You can't allow that.

The Cavaliers need to cut off his angle on the baseline, and when he turns into the lane, roll him out. Never let him turn freely into the lane. Z's got the length to make him do that - he just has to get more physical with him, I think.

You can't play tiddlywinks with this guy. Dwight Howard is not a guy who's going to show an array of shots to shoot over you. He's going to try to overpower you. So you have to fight fire with fire. Get position between him and the basket - and make him shoot over the top. If you're going to double-team him, make sure the open pass is to his blind side. You don't want him to see the double-team coming and make the pass. If the double-team comes, you want him to turn in order to make a pass.

I'm not concerned with our record against Orlando this year, or even over the past three years. But I am concerned about a team that shoots the ball as well as they do.

I'm not concerned that we'll lose the series, because I think we're the better team and because we're back to playing like we did at the beginning of the season. The team is totally focused. So the record doesn't bother me. It's just that it's a tough matchup for us.

But like I've been saying: The key is to win the first two games. No team can beat us four out of five.

Aside from the X's and O's against Howard, we can beat them if we force them to stress. They've already played 13 games - most of them under great pressure. We have to force them into stressful situations for that to take effect. If you allow them to cruise, it won't bother them.  But if you force them into stressful situations, where they're down 10 or 15, and are stressed to get back, that's where those 13 games will catch up with them.

We have to go right at them - aggressively on both ends of the floor. Close out strong. Understand their tendencies and take those away from them. They're a smart team, but they're a little jittery.

I'm not worried about rust. They should know from the last series, what to expect as far as remaining sharp.

They should be aware of that and they should be able to overcome that. At this point in the season, rest is a good thing. The other teams are stressing every series, not us. The Cavaliers haven't had that yet, and they have to understand, when they do stress, don't overreact to it.

Keep the pressure on the Magic, because eventually those 13 games will catch up with them. But the key is to keep the pressure up.

I think if the Cavaliers win the first two games - we win it in five. If we split the first two, we win it in seven. But either way, I see the Wine and Gold getting to the Promised Land. 

Hey, Cavalier fans! It's AC, checking in. What's happening?

I felt good about the Cavaliers heading into the playoffs, but I'm not sure I could have seen them sweeping through the first two rounds like they did. They were dominant.

Pretty simply, both the Detroit and Atlanta series proved that we were the superior team. And what I was looking for was the team that started the season to come back - and it's back now. And you can just tell: the focus is totally there. Even the matchups that were not in our favor went our way. You look at the way our guards handled their guards.

A lot of people are talking about inferior opponents, but I don't see it that way. The Hawks played well enough to beat Miami. The Cavaliers just made them look inferior because of the way that they manhandled them.

LeBron was his usual amazing self in the Atlanta series. That was on full display. But I thought Delonte was really sensational. He was lights-out. He was definitely the backbone of the team during that series. Defensively, he pretty much shut Joe Johnson down. And offensively, he was LeBron's alter-ego.

Each player did their own thing against the Hawks. Big Z stepped up when he had to. Anderson was all over the place. (That last sequence in the last game in Atlanta, when Anderson got all those offensive rebounds - that was unbelievable. Those offensive rebounds are back-breakers. You could just see the Hawks wilt.) And Mo has such a flair for the dramatic. He might miss 18 shots in a row, but when they count, he's going to hit them. It's almost like he saves up for that big moment.

The Cavs' goal was to keep Atlanta out of transition and that's exactly what they did. They didn't give them any rebounding opportunities, because Cleveland rebounded the ball so well. They pretty much killed Atlanta on the boards. And the turnovers - they weren't turnovers that led to fast breaks - which was key.

It was scary how precisely the Cavaliers followed the game plan in both series - for eight straight games. That's the kind of focus that wins championships. Coach Woodson even said that - that the Cavaliers are playing championship-caliber basketball. And you can just see it. They're focused. It's almost like they're saying, 'We're not going to let all that hard work we put into the season go to waste now.'

I wrote about this in my last blog, and it's something LeBron talked about before the playoffs started, but the Cavaliers really haven't faced much adversity all season. And they definitely haven't in the postseason.

But I look at it this way: They've been on track all year. They've lost two games in a row only twice all year. So they know how to bounce back after a loss. So I'm not anticipating any problems with adversity. And besides, what's wrong with not having adversity? If you're that good and you're playing that well ... why not, like Moses Malone said, go "Fo, Fo, Fo"?

In the Conference Finals and in the finals, you're going to have some adversity. And they'll deal with it. They understand that. But to sit there and wait for the ax to drop, I don't like that feeling. I don't like that anticipation. If the ax doesn't drop, the ax doesn't drop.

They key is, if it does - when it does - to be able to bounce back. This is the playoffs. And that's where the philosophy of "one quarter, one practice, one game at a time" comes into play. Because that's what it's going to have to be.

Like you, I'll be watching the rest of the Orlando-Boston series to see who it's going to be. I feel like we match up well with either team.

The way Orlando is built - if they stick to their guns and use Dwight Howard properly, they can make it tough on you, because they have the huge inside-outside game. But that's a big IF for that team. They don't have the mental focus that it takes, at all. That's why I'm expecting Boston to come out of that series.

As for the Celtics, it'd be like when a dog sees its prey and its ears pop up. That's how we'll be with the Celtics. That's the team we want. That's the team we owe. And if you're going to go through the playoffs to the Finals, you go through the Champion. You can tell that's what our guys want.

And Boston knows it too. Boston knows that we're not sitting back here waiting for anyone else but them.

And I wouldn't be surprised if Kevin Garnett tries to come back for that. It wouldn't behoove him to come back, because he's been out for so long. It'd take him three games just to catch up to the speed of the game, with the intensity of the playoffs. And I don't know if he would risk the rest of his career going out and trying something like that.

If it is Orlando, the key with Orlando is not to double-team Dwight Howard every time; pick your spots. At certain positions on the floor, you attack him and double team. In certain situations, you don't. That means our big people - Z, Ben, Joe Smith - will have to be physical with him, and don't be afraid to foul. Don't finesse him. Don't let him dunk on you. You have to hammer him and make him shoot free throws. That slows him down.

You want to try to put the Magic in adversity. They don't function well under adversity. You want to jump them quickly and make them chase you. Then they might implode.

The Celtics are much different - they have the experience and they are not going to implode. They're going to keep fighting back. You have to flat-out beat the Celtics, because they're not going to beat themselves. And that's what you're looking for.

That's why our team has performed as well as they have through the first two series. Because they know, when they play the Celtics, they have to play flawless ball to beat them, because they're not going to beat themselves.

The players are going to tell you that they don't have a preference of who they play. They're supposed to say that. You shouldn't be worried about anybody you're going to play. You deal with anyone, because you feel you deserve it and you're ready for the challenge.

But I want the Celtics. I think the team wants the Celtics. And that's how we're geared mentally - to take on the Celtics.

That's the series I'm looking for. I want them. They've beaten us too many times. I want to beat them so bad. And we've come too far - so let's go for it. Let's go for the jugular.

Hey, Cavs fans! It's A.C. , back in business on cavs.com. What's happening?

Before we get to the Cavaliers series with Atlanta, I wanted to congratulate LeBron on his MVP award and, recently, for being named to the All-Defensive First Team.

It's unbelievable to see how he has matured as a man and as a ballplayer. I did a lot of LeBron's state championship games. I even did the unfortunate game to Roger Bacon - the only one he lost. And I've watched him mature and watched him learn what it takes to win on the professional level.

He understood what it meant to win in high school, and it came very easy for him. Now, LeBron is starting to play like he did in high school on the professional level. He understands what it takes to dominate and win. And you can just see his maturation.

Each year, he's improved on something. Michael Jordan would do that - every year, he'd pick one part of his game and work on it.  And this year, LeBron has worked on his defense and it's really paid off for him - second in Defensive Player of the Year voting, First Team All-Defense.

When you start putting up those type of performances - where you're totally proficient on offense and defense - now, he has a clear vision of what it takes to win a championship. And he's driven. That's one of the things I love about LeBron: as talented as he is, he could just rest on his laurels and collect money. His focus is on winning the Championship.

And I understand exactly where he's coming from, because when I was raised in the game of basketball, every coach I had was all about winning. It was never about individual performances. If I happened to play well individually, it was because I was trying to win. I wanted to win the game and win the championship. And you can see that LeBron is completely locked in on both ends of the floor.

And LeBron's not about to let anybody else lose focus. All his teammates are locked in with him. How can you not be when the main man is locked in? I love seeing what I'm seeing.

I have to admit, I was really surprised that Delonte West didn't receive a single vote for the All-Defensive Team. But see - all that comes with winning. If we win this season, then all that will come - because people will recognize.

To win a championship, everybody knows it's going to take more than one guy. And so then the media starts to watch: 'Let's see what these other guys do to make this happen.' Because that's just how writers are. They get focused on one area and they don't comprehend the group accomplishment. And that's the biggest weapon the Cavaliers have.

The sum total of their parts is what makes the Cavs the best team in the league. Not just LeBron James or Mo Williams - the All-Stars. It's the whole collective unit - everybody playing their part and not trying to do more than they can do. That's what it's all about.

After a slow start, I was really pleased with the Cavaliers performance in Game 1 on Tuesday. We weren't as sluggish as I thought we'd be - shooting-wise. The sluggishness came in our movement.

In that first quarter, we didn't move well at all. And LeBron figured that out right away. And he sort of held us in there until the other starters caught up. When the second unit got in there, we started to play Cavaliers Basketball - moving bodies, moving the ball, hitting open shots and playing tough defense. And then from there on, the starters came back and got into a groove - and everybody was ready to roll.

People talk about the Cavaliers being off for nine days and how it would affect them. But I thought Atlanta was still in Miami - their minds were still in the first round. Mentally, they did not want to deal with another team and did not want to climb another mountain.

I'm expecting a different team tonight. They understand they're in it with the Cavaliers now. And they'll be ready to play.

I really like what the defense did against Josh Smith in the second half. He's going to have to make his own adjustments. The Cavaliers have already adjusted to him. What they did the second half was just keep him in front of them and make him shoot over the top, because that's something he doesn't do well. The more you make him do something he doesn't want to do, the more frustrated he becomes. And he loses a little bit of focus.

Aside from the Cavaliers-Hawks series, I love that things are heating up around the league.

In the Boston-Orlando series, first of all, Skip To My Lou is going to be suspended for slapping Eddie House. Luckily for Orlando, Courtney Lee is coming back. But Boston is displaying the heart of a champion right now. Even without Paul Pierce producing, they beat the Magic handily. Boston plays very well on their home floor and Orlando kind of drifted into a perimeter game and went through the motions.

Now, the series out West between the Lakers and Rockets - on the other hand - is about to get out of hand. If Kobe doesn't get suspended - (which he won't be) - if I was Dwight Howard, I would petition the league office. The rule book says if you throw and elbow above the shoulders, it's an automatic ejection and one-game suspension.

The inequities on things like this are starting to become a problem, I think, in this league. You've already had the referee scandal and now you're having the inequality of punishment from one player to another. It's got to be black and white.

Regardless, that's going to be a battle out West now. It's on. By getting Artest emotionally involved - oh baby! It's going to be fun! L.A.'s finding out how tough Houston is and that the playoffs are all about defense, defense, defense. Houston's rugged and tough-minded. That goes a long way in the postseason.

The Cavaliers will need some of that tough-mindedness when they return to Atlanta this weekend. I'm expecting a whole different team.

The Hawks are a little bit of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde. At home, they'll play differently. Guys will start hitting shots they're not hitting here. They'll get on the boards after we killed them in terms of offensive rebounds in the first game. In Atlanta, they're a different team.

And the Cavaliers will just have to fight the adversity. That's something that LeBron has talked about. They haven't had any adversity - even in the offseason.

So, the key is: how do they handle things with their backs against the wall, knowing that it's going to be a hard-fought game?

I have confidence that the MVP will find a way to figure it out.