[remy23]

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Marshall law: Have jumper, then be one

Friday, November 11, 2005

Bud Shaw
Plain Dealer Columnist

The father tells his sons to forget the dunk. Develop an outside shot. Work on other aspects of their games.

In a city where LeBron James scrapes the sky near Quicken Loans Arena in a pose that suggests rafters coming down and firmaments to follow, that kind of advice sounds old school.

Context is everything. Donyell Marshall is the one talking.

Monday night, he brought home the perfect visual aid to make his point. His old team, the Toronto Raptors, gave him the game ball from that March night last season when he tied the NBA record with 12 3s.

"I tell them the dunk counts the same as a jump shot," Marshall said, allowing there are certain times when the slam ignites an arena and a home team. "Like what Vince [Carter] did to Alonzo [Mourning] the other night. But in general, it's overrated."

Or what the 6-9 Marshall assisted in Wednesday when he lobbed an alley-oop that James palmed and jammed while shaking hands with some fans in the 200 level. The weary and troubled Sonics were done by then, so the dunk did not deflate. It was pure spectacle.

"I'd always tell my best friend growing up that to be a good player you had to work on everything else except dunking," Marshall said. "Did he listen? No."

Marshall grew up in Reading, outside Philadelphia. Julius Erving was a spectacle all by himself. So was Sixers shooting guard Andrew Toney, whose legend included getting dressed in Boston Garden for the first time and asking the Philadelphia coaching staff, "Where's the gym in this place?" That's when they knew the parquet floor wouldn't intimidate him.

"The Boston Strangler," Marshall said of Toney's reputation as a Celtics slayer. "I always tell people how great he would have been if he didn't mess his ankles up."
Marshall had more Toney in him than Erving. He didn't grow much until the 10th grade. So he found his place on the perimeter. The blessing is he didn't feel compelled to try to rattle the rim. His shot developed first.

A thing of absolute beauty now, his outside game made its debut as a knuckleball. No rotation whatsoever. An eyesore. Lesson No. 2 for the kids: Extra points are not awarded for artistic expression, but a shooting coach never hurts.

"As long as it went in, I didn't care what it looked like," said Marshall, who kept adding pieces to his game at UConn, including a shot that became a basketball clinic showcase.

The last truly big man with his kind of range in Cleveland is the GM who brought him here.

"He's a far better player than I was," Ferry said Thursday as the Cavaliers practiced in advance of tonight's visit by Memphis. "Just look at his double doubles."

He had 13 last season, second on the Raptors. In 2003-04, Marshall was the only NBA player to rank in the top 25 in rebounds, blocked shots and 3-point percentage. He leads the Cavaliers in rebounding - something he did 20 times for Toronto a year ago while coming off the bench.

What attracted coach Mike Brown and Ferry to Marshall this past summer was the dirty work he did to go along with his perfectly rotated outside shot. He was a terrific signing.

"People don't talk about it," Brown said Thursday. "His rebounds per minute just blows you away."

Not sure it would blow away people whose heads are in the sky. It should carry some weight around the dinner table, at least Marshall's.

 

[KingoftheCourt23]

I have very quickly become a fan of Donyell. Last year he single handedly beat us in that one game with all his offensive rebounds. I love a big man who can first off rebound on both ends of the floor and can shoot from the outside. I think he and Drew Gooden will be a great team at the power forward spot. Hopefully Donyell will continue his good play all year.

 

[remy23]

Marshall may be famous, but great uncle is Moore

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CAVS INSIDER
Marshall may be famous, but great uncle is Moore

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Branson Wright
Plain Dealer Reporter

Donyell Marshall is the second-most-famous person in his family. Marshall's great uncle is Pro Football Hall of Famer Lenny Moore.

"I've always watched his highlights and interviews," Marshall said. "I talk to him a lot, and he always tells me about his playing days. I've been to some of his charity events, and I've met some of his former teammates and opponents."

Moore was the earliest of the game's multi-purpose players. Moore began his career as a flanker. He moved to running back in 1961. Moore amassed 5,174 yards rushing and 363 receptions for 6,039 yards. He scored touchdowns in 18 straight games, and he was key to the Baltimore Colts' overtime victory over the New York Giants in the 1958 championship game. It's considered the greatest game ever played.

"But my grandmother [Moore's sister] hates that game," said a smiling Marshall. "My uncle took the ball all the way down to the 1-yard line, and someone else [Alan Ameche] scored the winning touchdown in overtime. In her mind, her brother did all of the work, and some other guy scored the winning touchdown."

Record-setter:

Former Cavs forward Phil Hubbard still holds the franchise record for 15 consecutive made baskets in a game. Hubbard scored 37 points, but the Cavs still lost to the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 4, 1984.

"I knew I was making a lot of shots, but I didn't realize how many in a row," said Hubbard, an assistant coach with the Washington Wizards. "I just knew everything was going in. The one thing I hate is that I didn't get 40 points because I could have, but I passed some open shots up to get my teammates involved."

Hubbard was nearly unstoppable. Neither James Worthy nor Michael Cooper had an answer in defending him. Hubbard even outscored the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who finished with 31.

"I knew I was capable of putting some points up, but I never imagined I'd do it like that," said Hubbard, who averaged 10.6 points in his eight-year career with the Cavs. "Plus, I never imagined I'd do it against the Lakers. They had one of the premier teams in the '80s."

For sake of reference, here is another great thread dedicated to Donyell Marshall:

The Official Donyell Marshall for 6th Man of the Year Thread

 

[remy23]

Donyell Marshall Player Mailbox

November 18, 2005
Donyell Marshall Player Mailbox

The season is just beginning and Donyell Marshall has already made his presence felt in a big way. Marshall has proven to Cavalier fans that he can do it all. Marshall calmly drained a huge game-tying three-pointer against Orlando and showed the ice in his veins.

Fans had a chance to ask Donyell a few questions and the power forward took some time to answer them, from topics ranging from his iPod, his greatest thrill in sports and who on the club makes him laugh ....

____________________

First Name: Charles
City: San Jose
State: CA
Comments: Do you have a favorite destination/ Country you like to visit in the off-season?

Marshall: I think, maybe about five years ago, me and my wife started taking trips as far as, for her birthday, her and her girls would go somewhere. They leave the country, they go to Puerto Rico or the Bahamas or places like that. I’m not a big fan of leaving the country.

We started it where, for her birthday, she goes somewhere with her girls and for my birthday, I go somewhere with my boys. We always would go to Miami every year, for a couple days. And last year we went to Amsterdam, and that was pretty cool. We made a commitment that every other year we’ll leave the country. We can always go to Miami. After that we’ll leave the country every other year. So, to answer your question, I like Miami.

____________________

First Name: Joe
City: Parma
State: Oh
Comments: How do you contain your emotions so well on the court? An example being your all business demeanor after you drained the game tying three-pointer like it was nothin' at Orlando Sunday night...

Marshall: I think I’ve always been that way and it’s funny because I think being that way has hurt me sometimes. I think because I didn’t show emotion early in my career I think a lot of people thought I was out of shape or I wasn’t into the game and things like that. But I’ve always been that way. Don’t get me wrong, I get excited when certain things happen, but I think – to me – once I got into the NBA, it became more businesslike instead of fun. In high school and college it was fun. When I came into the NBA, I still had fun, and maybe it was what I went through when I was a second- and third-year player, not playing and seeing what went on behind closed doors, but it became more of business and once that happened, I wanted to approach it very businesslike.

Believe me, I was excited after I hit that shot. But I also knew there were 18 seconds left and they had a chance to come back.

I’ve just always been that way.

____________________

First Name: Stolworthy
City: Louisville
State: Kentucky
Comments: Who is your funniest teammate?

Marshall: Obviously, you have to go with Damon Jones. He’s probably the funniest. He opens it up for everybody as far as in practice and everything. You can come in here ticked off and he just helps you loosen up.

____________________

First Name: Jordan
City: Millersburg
State: Ohio
Comments: Whats the greatest sports thrill you ever had?

Marshall: For me, I’d say it was getting drafted. Coming into the NBA and knowing the mentality I had as far as never thinking that I was necessarily good enough to play. My first week in college, I walked into Coach Calhoun’s office and told him I don’t think I belong in Division I and he chewed me out. I was 6-8, 185 pounds and the league that my high school was in, I dominated. Guys were like 6-3, 6-3, 6-4, at the most. I just dominated. I went to camps and stuff and played well, but I took it for what it was worth. I didn’t think I played great because I played against great competition, I thought I played great because it was weak competition. And I knew when I got to Division I that the competition would be so much better. And Coach Calhoun said, ‘If we didn’t think you were able to compete, we wouldn’t have brought you here.’

I used to talk to Coach Leitao – who’s now the coach at Virginia – and I would ask him about being drafted and he’d say, ‘First of all, where did you come out in high school? Number five, right?’ and I said, yeah. And he said, ‘If everyone just stays even through college, you should be the number five pick in the Draft.’

I thought that was one way to look at it. Turned out, I was the number 4 overall pick a year early. So everything worked out pretty well.

____________________

First Name: Michael
City: Bozeman
State: Montana
Comments: Donyell I am a former Clevelander and I still follow the Cavs every game. I am glad to see you with our team and have always been a fan of your style of play with Utah,Toronto and Golden State. I wanted to ask you at what point did you decide to change your game to include the 3 point shooting that you do. Was it a certain factor that made you start stepping out and taking that shot or was it something that just developed out of neccessity being in the league so long? Thanks and good luck this year.

Marshall: Well I think people don’t realize this, but the first eight years of my career, I was a small forward. So, I was putting the ball on the floor more. Putting the ball on the floor, posting up. In Utah, I didn’t shoot that many threes because that wasn’t part of our scheme. It wasn’t really until I got to Toronto and Coach O’Neill, he started me at the five spot, but he knew that was a way for us to run offense. We had Vince (Carter) and Jalen (Rose) posting up most of the time, so they’d spread me out to the perimeter. And, you know that first year, I hit like 120 threes and last year that’s where coach put me and I think I hit 150.

I’ve always shot threes. But I really didn’t start shooting a lot and making a lot until the last two years. Bigs are not going to come out there and play you.

____________________

First Name: Brandon
City: North Caldwell
State: New Jersey
Comments: Hey Donyell, I was just wondering what's in your I-POD right now and what you listen to before a game to get pumped up if anything. You're going GREAT this season keep up the good work.

Marshall: Well, I actually just got the new iPod. I got the new one that you can download shows and videos. So I’ve been watching videos and stuff before games. You can download stuff like “Lost” and “Desperate Housewives.” And when I listen, it’s stuff like Young Jeezy, and Jay-Z and DMX.

____________________

First Name: Jay
City: North Canton
State: Ohio
Comments: Who was your biggest mentor when progressing through your basketball career? Also what is your favorite hobby other than basketball?

Marshall: I watch a lot of football and I spend a lot of time with my kids. As much as possible. But I do watch a lot of football. My mentor growing up was definitely my mom. Just the things she’s done throughout her life to make sure me and my brother had the things we wanted. And once I got into the NBA, my kids were my mentors. Just because they got me to slow down a little and be a man and a father and a mature person. And knowing that I didn’t want to do certain things in life and have them hear about it. And I think having them, they made me think about what was right and what was wrong.

____________________

First Name: Roman
City: Kladno
State: Czech Republic
Comments: Have you any favourite player when you was child?

Marshall: Growing up, it was Dr. J, since I grew up right outside Philadelphia. And then, later on, I’d have to say Scottie Pippen.

 

[remy23]

Beacon Journal | 11/29/2005 | How to end slump? Just keep shooting

How to end slump? Just keep shooting

Marshall unfazed, but pressure on halfcourt offense

By Brian Windhorst
Beacon Journal sportswriter

CLEVELAND - Donyell Marshall has missed 4,584 shots during his 12-year NBA career, so he's not letting the nine that he missed last Saturday bother him.

After a smashing start, Marshall is one of a number of Cavaliers who has run into a rough patch shooting the ball of late. It has been a major factor in their two-game losing skid as they've shot 33 percent in the losses.

Marshall was 0-for-9 in the loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves and, for the first time this season, didn't make at least one 3-pointer in a game. After averaging 11.9 points in the first eight games, the forward has averaged just 4.8 points in his past five, going just 6-of-27 from 3-point range.

He has been through it before and will likely go through it again, so he intends to follow the long-standing shooter's mantra of maintaining a short memory.

We've all been playing since we were 8 or 9 years old, and you're going to have times like these, Marshall said after practice Monday. I took great shots. I didn't force any, and I had three shots go in and out, as a player you count those as makes.

Marshall, Larry Hughes, Damon Jones and Zydrunas Ilgauskas shot a combined 5-of-41 in the loss to the Timberwolves, the reason why forward LeBron James' season-high 38 points weren't able to deliver victory.

This is but a little blip within the 82-game schedule, and perhaps due, after the Cavs averaged 105 points in the first 11 games, the most in the league.

We're playing unselfishly, moving the ball, getting guys open shots and guys just aren't making them, said Hughes, who is just 6-for-24 in the past two games as he's fought off a cold As a professional, you want to make it one or two-game slumps, you don't want to go a whole week playing bad.

The last two opponents, the Indiana Pacers and Timberwolves, both made conscious efforts to keep the Cavs from running and force them to execute in the half court. This is a trend the Cavs can expect to see much more often, and one in which they will have to adapt. As for their shooting woes, it isn't something they're worrying about.

“You're going to keep the routine that got you here,” Marshall said. “You're not going to get out of the slump not taking a shot.”

Dribbles

Forward Drew Gooden sat out much of practice Monday to rest various ailments, including an injured finger. He is expected to play against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.... Point guard Eric Snow beat the Wolves' Troy Hudson on a crucial jump ball in the fourth quarter Saturday, showing an impressive vertical leap. “Sometimes people think just because I don't jump much that I can't grab the rim or something,” Snow said, jokingly.... Hughes was in bed for days to fight off a cold and lost a few pounds but hopes to be back to 100 percent by Wednesday.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure if Snow could get the rim anymore because he was asked this question by the media earlier in the season and he just had a sly look on his face, not even answering the question.

 

[remy23]

Marshall adds driving to 3-point resume

CAVALIERS
Marshall adds driving to 3-point resume

Saturday, December 17, 2005

Burt Graeff
Plain Dealer Reporter

Donyell Marshall is a rare breed of NBA power forward -- a 6-9, 230-pounder who can hit the 3-pointer, along with putting the ball on the floor and taking it to the basket.

But it's easy to hang out on the perimeter and fire up 3-pointers, which Marshall had been doing for three weeks before Thursday night's 94-85 victory over Denver at The Q.

In six of 10 previous games, in which he played 144 minutes, Marshall failed to get to the free-throw line, but had 31 shots from 3-point range.

Not a good ratio. Eliminating the threat of taking the ball to the basket makes it easier for A defender to get into a 3-point shooter's face.

"We talked about this," said Cavaliers coach Mike Brown. "I told him that when I was an assistant at Indiana, the thing I thought that made him so tough to defend is he not only was capable of shooting the 3-pointer, but he was also capable of putting the ball on the floor.

"He's really a small forward with size who can put the ball on the floor and go by defenders. He doesn't have to catch and shoot all the time."

Mixing it up turned out to be a formula for success.
Playing 30 active minutes against the Nuggets, Marshall was a key to the Cavaliers snapping a three-game losing streak.

Looking like a spry 32-year-old, Marshall had 16 points, a season-high 12 rebounds, matched a season high with three steals and had no turnovers in 30 minutes. Midway in the third quarter, he pump-faked, took the ball to the basket and scored a layup that pushed the Cavaliers lead to 56-50.

Moments later, he took it to the hoop again, was fouled, and hit 1-of-2 free throws.

MORE IN URL

 

[remy23]

Marshall quickie

Click Me!

Marshall warming

After scoring a season-high 25 points and grabbing 13 rebounds Saturday, Donyell Marshall has double-doubles in three of his past five games. He has benefited from driving to the basket more, especially when defenders run at him on the perimeter.

"When I stand out by the 3-point line, guys just sat on me, and when I did get shots, they were contested,'' Marshall said. "Now, guys don't know what to do.''

The drive is looking better with each passing game. Keep mixing it up, Donyell.

 

[remy23]

Pine time puzzling for Marshall

”You’ve got to ask the coach [Mike Brown] about that,” Donyell Marshall said, when asked to comment on playing less than one minute of the second half against the Sixers on Saturday.

Pine time puzzling for Marshall
In defeat, vet sat seething in nearly all of second half

Monday, February 06, 2006

Burt Graeff
Plain Dealer Reporter

The good ship Cavaliers is experiencing some turbulent waters.

No one was more upset in the aftermath of Saturday night's 100-95 giveaway loss to the Philadelphia 76ers than forward Donyell Marshall.

Marshall, who is arguably the Cavaliers' most productive reserve - averaging 10 points and 6.8 rebounds in 27 minutes a game - was benched for all but 54 seconds of the second half against the Sixers.

Marshall is one of the most affable and analytical players on the team, but was in no mood for chit-chat or analysis afterward. He was clearly miffed. "You've got to ask the coach [Mike Brown] about that," said Marshall, when asked to comment on playing less than one minute of the second half.

"I don't want to talk about it."

Marshall played a season-low 11:28, scoring two points and getting four rebounds. They were the fewest minutes he's played since late last season, when a back injury limited him to four minutes for the Toronto Raptors in a game against Atlanta.

Benching Marshall for virtually all of the second half was a puzzling move by Brown. His explanation: "I went with Andy [Anderson Varejao] , Drew [Gooden] and Z [Zydrunas Ilgauskas] to bring energy to the game," he said.

Gooden and Ilgauskas put up some respectable second-half numbers, combining for 14 points and 13 rebounds in 34 minutes, but shot 5-of-17 from the field. Varejao's second-half numbers: no points on 0-of-3 shooting from the field and four rebounds in 13 minutes.

With 51 seconds left in the fourth quarter and the Cavaliers trailing, 94-89, Gooden fouled out. Instead of turning to 3-point threat Marshall in the final seconds, Brown went with Varejao. In 67 NBA games, Varejao is 0-of-2 from 3-point range.

The Cavaliers (27-19), who face the Milwaukee Bucs (24-22) tonight at The Q, hold down the fourth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. It's the final homecourt spot and games like tonight's against a team in the playoff mix affect the jockeying.

At 17-6, the Cavaliers own the NBA's fourth best homecourt record - trailing Detroit's 21-2 mark in the East. Winning 17 of 23 is terrific, but somewhat head-scratching.

The Cavaliers are 12-1 at The Q against teams with a winning records, but just 5-5 against teams with non-winning marks. Losing to the Sixers at home was the latest of the head-scratchers. The others home headaches:

- In early December, the Nets came to Cleveland with a modest 8-9 record and won, 109-100.

- In mid-December, the Atlanta Hawks were 3-16, yet defeated the Cavaliers, 100-94.

- In early January, the Cavaliers lost, 90-81, to 11-18 Houston.

- In mid-January, the Knicks rode into town with a 10-21 record, and rode out with a 92-84 victory.

Saturday night's loss was the result of too many 3-pointers taken (23) parlayed with too many missed (17), too many turnovers (19) and poor transition defense - the Sixers outscored the Cavaliers, 23-11, off turnovers.

Starting point guard Eric Snow was scoreless in 32 minutes (he did have five assists against one turnover) and the bench - Marshall, Damon Jones, Varejao and Luke Jackson - were a combined 3-of-15 from the field, scoring eight points in 66 minutes.

The quick start notwithstanding - the Cavaliers led, 41-27, midway in the second quarter - LeBron James questioned whether the team's heads were into the game. "There may have been one or two guys mentally focused for this game," he said, "but if everyone is not on the same chain, then it's not going to work."

It certainly did not on Saturday night.

 

[KingoftheCourt23]

When you arent producing you shouldnt play. He is a pretty good three point shooter but he has to do more than that. We need him to pump fake and drive more because when he has done that usually good things have happened. Also I wonder why he never seems to be in the post with at least an opportunity at an offensive rebound. I hope he can use that bench time as motivation to pick up his game.

 

[remy23]

Beacon Journal | 03/28/2006 | Lost expectations

Lost expectations
Marshall forgets pleasing fans, just plays his game

By Tom Reed
Beacon Journal sportswriter

HOUSTON - Donyell Marshall found himself in a baseline scrum battling for a loose ball that he helped create two minutes into Sunday's overtime period against the Houston Rockets.

The Cavaliers presumably signed Marshall to add a perimeter presence offensively, not engage in such dirty work on the defensive end.

Freeing himself from the shackles of expectation, however, has been liberating in recent games. The veteran forward concedes he and fellow free-agent signee Damon Jones got caught up in trying to be the 3-point shooters Cavs fans thought they were getting in the offseason.

"We were trying to make an impression, trying to wow people,'' Marshall said following the Cavs' 104-102 overtime win against the Rockets.

"We wanted people to think, `Yeah, they made a great signing,' instead of just playing our game. We were trying to live up to (the expectation).''

Each has had a subpar season. Each is playing better of late as the Cavs have won five consecutive games.

Marshall collected 12 points and a season-high three steals against the Rockets. The reserve forward had 14 points Friday in a win over the Boston Celtics.

Marshall's fourth-quarter 3-point shot against the Celtics caused the outgoing Jones to leap into the arms of the 6-foot-9 forward who rarely shows emotion. He and Jones have backed each other through their struggles.

"It was a good moment for both of us,'' said Marshall, who signed a four-year, $22 million deal last August. "We have taken the brunt of (the criticism). We are sticking together and creating an `us versus everyone else' (mentality).''

Marshall, an 11-year veteran, is on pace to finish with the worst field-goal percentage since his rookie season. He is shooting 38.7 percent, which is tied with Jones for the lowest percentage among the Cavs' top 10 players. Marshall has said he let the protracted slump affect him.

He has managed to contribute in other ways, though, particularly on the boards, where his 6.2 rebounds per game rank among the NBA's top 40 players.

The coaching staff has encouraged Marshall to become more aggressive offensively and not limit himself to 3-point shots, something he admits to doing the past two seasons. He missed four 3-point attempts in the fourth quarter Sunday before going to the basket, grabbing an rebound and dunking.

Marshall did convert a 21-foot jumper in OT to help the Cavs maintain a lead they didn't surrender.

His production in the past two games has been key as starting power forward Drew Gooden has scored a combined four points.

Cavs coach Mike Brown sees Marshall and Jones as integral in securing home-court advantage and playing well in the playoffs.

"Down the stretch, Damon and Donyell will be huge for us,'' Brown said. "They will give us a different look against opponents not only offensively, but defensively.''

LeBron honored

LeBron James was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for a second consecutive week. He averaged 36.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 8.0 assists as the Cavs went 3-0 last week. James and Kobe Bryant are the only players to earn four player of the week honors this season.

Dribbles

The Cavs improved to 5-0 in overtime games this season... James won for the first time in nine tries in Texas -- excluding last month's All-Star Game in Houston, where he earned MVP honors.

 

[remy23]

Donyell Marshall's Playoff Blog

Aprill 22, 2006
Donyell Marshall’s Playoff Blog

Hey Cavalier fans. I am Donyell Marshall and this is my Playoff Blog. Hopefully, the team will keep winning and this Blog will continue for the next few weeks.

If you include this year, it’s been four years since I’ve been in the playoffs.

Sometimes younger players approach the playoffs like a regular season game. You want to keep your same routine, but you have to get more focused. Karl Malone used to tell me – even at home with your family – try to get to get some room by yourself. Get your space. If you’re married and you have a family, your wife is going to really have to be there for you, especially the night before a game. You have to get your room and get focused. You can’t get focused the day of the game; you have to start the night before.

In the regular season, you pretty much wake up, go to shootaround in the morning, and get focused after that. In the playoffs, you have to get focused the night before. Especially by the third or fourth game. The other team knows your in’s and out’s. So you have to come with something that maybe you’ve never done before and make sure you counter what they’re doing. The playoffs are all about the teams who make the most adjustments at the right time – from Game One to Game Five to Game Seven.

The officiating changes in the playoffs, too. A lot of people weren’t happy about that foul that the Pistons – namely Rasheed Wallace – laid on Z (Zydrunas Ilgauskas). That’s a playoff foul. If you don’t see no blood, you aren’t going to get a foul. (In that case there was blood.) After the game in the postseason, you might have scratches across your arms and maybe you thought you got fouled all night, but the referees aren’t going to call it.

More than anything, the referees want the outcome of the game to be decided by the players.

For me, this is the most exciting time of the year. I told my wife, it was funny that they were talking on ESPN that the 2006 season was over and I thought, “Oh man, I have practice tomorrow!”

In my 12 years, this is only my third time doing this, so I’ll probably listen to my headphones before the game and try to get some hype music to really get me into it. I used to listen to DMX a lot – I like his music – and I’ll go back to the songs that got me excited. Sometimes I’ll think about songs that I listened to before I had a good game and I’ll go back and listen to them again to get hyped.

Getting to the playoffs was important to the fans and important to the organization. It’s big for the fans because the city of Cleveland hasn’t had a winner in a long time. And I’m not even talk about championships; I’m talking about the playoffs. And one thing I see is that the fans here are hard and can be hard to please at times.

The one thing I’d like to see from the fans is to really back us up. Some fans don’t like that the music is too loud, but that just gets everyone pumped up.

In Utah, it was loud during the regular season, but it went to a new level in the playoffs. In Arco Arena, they had to pass out earplugs. And that’s what we need our fans to do on Saturday and throughout the playoffs.

Whether we’re up, down, tied, playing well, playing poorly – we need our fans behind us. Fans have to understand that we worked hard to get 50 wins and have a great season and we might need that back in the playoffs.

I’ll check back next week after Game One, which will hopefully be a big win. Thanks for supporting us all season long and keep it up in the playoffs!

 

[remy23]

Donyell Marshall’s Playoff Blog - April 28, 2006

Donyell Marshall’s Playoff Blog - April 28, 2006

Hello everyone. This is Donyell, checking in again with my Playoff Blog. We’re headed to Washington to try to bounce back from Game 2 and get this series back in our favor.

We have to go into the Verizon Center and do what the Wizards did – they came in here and made adjustments. Now we have to go there and make adjustments. When you look back at it, if you lose a close game, you can go back and look at two or three areas and break it down why you lost. When you get blown out, you have to watch a lot of tape.

But we felt – even though they made those adjustments – that we did a lot to take ourselves out of the game. A lot of us were upset over the loss, but after we watched the film, we felt a little more positive. We saw where we messed up; it’s not like we couldn’t put our finger on it. We saw where we made mistakes and we’re going to make the fixes and go in there feeling positive.

As far as how the Wizards adjusted to me, I think when I was in the game, they didn’t necessarily double LeBron as much. Because they obviously knew that when they double him, there are shooters out there he’ll find. When we didn’t have some of our better perimeter shooters out there is when they double-teamed him a lot. When are shooters are out there, they wanted to make him play one-on-one, and they did a good job with that.

If you look at the first game, we had a lot more assists than we did in the second. We really just need to keep moving the ball and break their defense down. No team really wants to go out there and play defense for 24 seconds. You have to go out there and be patient and continue to play – and see how they’re playing you – and go from there.

They came out a little more physical in game two, but we need to keep our heads together and play how we know how to play. But obviously, we need to be more physical and let them feel our bodies, as well.

The way they did LeBron when he went to the hole, we might have to do that to Gilbert (Arenas) or Antawn (Jamison) or Caron (Butler). They’re going to continue to try and take LeBron out of his game and they think that he can’t take contact. But he can.

Before Jordan became great, they had the “Jordan Rules” and now there will be the “LeBron Rules” and he’ll have to overcome that we’ll have to help him overcome that.

Now we’re going into hostile territory and it’ll be interesting. I’ll have to keep myself focused – listen to my iPod a little more and try to concentrate by myself. It’s always tough to go on the road, and that gets amplified in the playoffs. Just like it was loud here, it’s going to be loud there. They’ll have their fire and fireworks. But we have to be able to withstand their first punch.

We know that they’re going to try to go 10 or 11 early like we did in the second game. They withstood our first punch and we have to do the same thing.

We can’t go out there and try to play their style, we have to go out there and play Cavs basketball. We were ahead by double-figures in Game 1, but it was never over. And we have to realize the same thing. If they get up on us, it’s not over early. We just have to weather their first run.

I’ll have a good group heading to D.C. My wife is going on the road, but I’m having her and the kids stay at a different hotel. When I was in Utah, it was easy because my family is from Pennsylvania, so my family didn’t really make it to playoff games. But I grew up two-and-a-half hours from Washington and that’s an easy drive, so I had to get an extra 20 tickets. My uncle – Lenny Moore, who played for the Baltimore Colts – is going to be up there, so everyone’s coming out for me.

It will be a little distraction, but everyone’s staying at different hotels so at night I’ll be able to go back and get sufficient sleep.

At least I know we’ll have fans there on my side. It’ll be a good thing.

That’s it for now, Cavalier fans. I’ll check back when I get back to Cleveland, and in the meantime we’ll try to bring home a winner (or two) from Washington.

 

[remy23]

Donyell Marshall's Playoff Blog - May 8, 2006

May 8, 2006
Donyell Marshall’s Playoff Blog

Hey, Cavs fans. It's Donyell Marshall. It's been a crazy weekend, taking home the Round Win over the Wizards, but coming here to Detroit and getting beat up. They came out and did what they were supposed to do. We didn’t stop their hot-shooting, but it’s going to be a long series and we’ll all get our chance to step up at some point in time.
Friday night’s win in Game 6 over Washington was great and kind of different for me. Sometimes I get going by shooting the three-pointer first and then going inside, but in that game, I was running the floor, getting a couple layups and I think I was going back to my Utah days when Coach Sloan used to tell us to shoot a couple layups before you shoot the three, and that way if you miss a couple threes, your shooting percentage still looks good. You still keep that confidence.

And that’s what happened to me.

I hit a couple layups and shot my first three in the corner, I let it go and it was good. After that I had the confidence and didn’t look back and keep shooting. I think the one when the ball just rolled to me in the corner and I hit that one, it was like “Alright, now it’s rolling.” It was like the ball found me. And when I talked to people after the game, that’s the play that everyone talked about.

I guess, statistic-wise, that was the best playoff game I’ve ever played. But I would have to say that wasn’t even the best game I played in the series. I’m not a statistic guy. I try to look at the small things that don’t show up in the boxscore and I think that Game 3 that we won at the buzzer in Washington was one of my best games. Even though I only had four points and four rebounds, I played the last 18 minutes of the game when Z got in foul trouble and I think I played good defense, I hustled, I dove on the floor, got a key block and hit key free throws. So I think that was as good a game, even though it doesn’t seem like it, statistically.

A couple guys in the media dogged me for eating McDonald's before the game. I didn’t eat before the game at the hotel. I just got something. It’s funny, because I really try to stay away from food like that, but if you’re hungry and you’re at the arena, you only have so much to choose from. That’s what they had, so that’s what I ate.

We were so exhausted from that game – following two overtime games and the travel. I think what took a lot out of us – from the arena to the airport is a 40-minute ride, so I think we did all our celebrating on the bus from the hotel to the airport. Everyone was really drained. We knew we weren’t getting home until 2:30 in the morning, and I know, myself, I got home – my wife was flying home from Vegas at the time – I got home around 2:45, unpacked and re-packed and then our game was on ESPN2, so I re-watched that and that was on until 5:30. I didn’t get back to sleep until almost 6 o'clock. But once you’re all packed up and get ready for some sleep, that’s when your mind focuses on the next game.

We had walk-through – not a full practice – and film on Saturday morning and flew up to Detroit following that. By the time we got settled, it was late and we had team breakfast on Sunday at 10 a.m. So it’s definitely not an excuse, but we were a little bit tired on Sunday afternoon.

But the Pistons just shot the hell out of the ball and sometimes when a team is on fire like that, there’s not a lot you can do. We shot 50 percent in the first half, led them in rebounds and only turned the ball over six times. Normally, if you have a half like that – even against Detroit – you should be tied or ahead. Not down by 21.

In this series, my role – or at least one of my roles – is obviously going to be to try to keep Ben Wallace off the boards, and try to stop Rasheed from going crazy and I’ll have to stop Antonio McDyess from coming in and igniting the crowd. So my role is going to be different from game to game.

I'll check back when we get back to Cleveland, hopefully with the series even at one game apiece. In the meantime, Go Cavs!

 

[Pioneer10]

Re: Donyell Marshall's Playoff Blog - May 8, 2006

--I saw Donyell Marshall today at the Wesley press conference and he looks like he's in great shape. It appears he's lost at least 10 pounds, perhaps more. Danny Ferry told me Marshall has been working out hard all summer. Last season as 'Yell's 3-point shooting dropped significantly after a hot start, some scouts suggested to me that it appeared as if he legs were going. I have no idea if that's true, but it appears he felt he needed to get in better shape.

http://blogs.ohio.com/cavaliers_blog/2006/09/insomnia_is_und.html

 

[remy23]

^ If he can look like the Donyell in Toronto who never seemed to miss when playing against us, I'm pretty excited. He did look a little soft, so it's good Donyell is toning that up.

 

[remy23]

Marshall's career nears milestone

NBA INSIDER
Marshall's career nears milestone

Sunday, October 29, 2006

Branson Wright
Plain Dealer Reporter

Sometime during the Cavaliers' homestand, on Nov. 7 (against Atlanta), Nov. 9 (against Chicago) or Nov. 11 (against Boston), action will stop, an announcement will be made and Donyell Marshall will receive the game ball after scoring the 10,000th point of his career.

Marshall, a forward for the Cavaliers, is 42 points away from the feat. It's a milestone that appeared a shoo-in when Marshall was the fourth overall pick in the 1994 NBA Draft.

His career, however, got off to a slow start. He was traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Golden State Warriors during his rookie year, and he spent the next two years playing sparingly with the Warriors - not the usual role for a lottery pick.

"When I got drafted, I dreamed that I would be in this position [to score 10,000 points], but after so many DNP's [Did Not Play games] and not playing at all, I started to have my doubts," Marshall said. "I was called a bust because of my start. Now that I'm about to get 10,000 points and 6,000 rebounds [Marshall is 63 away], it shows I've had a solid career."

Marshall is proud about the individual honors within his grasp, but he is also excited about the upcoming season. He has not been this excited since he was traded from Golden State to Utah for the 2000-01 season.

"With everyone coming back, especially our core group of guys, that puts us ahead of last year," Marshall said. "I'm excited because for the first time in my career, I'm on a team with a chance to win a title, and at this stage of my career, that feels good."