That's more like it

The Cavaliers went into Dallas last night, built a 16-point lead in the first half, let Dallas come all the way back to tie it, and still ended up walking away with a dominating 100-81 win (highlights here) over the Mavericks. If this was just our fist taste of the new-look Cavaliers then I'm already hungry for more. LeBron James led the way with 29 points (13-15 from the line!!!), Mo Williams added 14 (including some daggers during a fourth quarter run, highlighted by this long range bomb), and the Cavs outrebounded Dallas by 17. In all five Cavaliers were in double figures in a very balanced offensive attack.

I wish I had photographic or video evidence of a huge baseline dunk by Wally Szczerbiak but I cannot find it anywhere. But trust me, with 3:58 left in the third quarter and the Cavs only up by one Wally went baseline and threw one down right in Erick Dampier's face. It's like the people in control of NBA highlights were so shocked that it happened, they just decided to omit it altogether. It might be the first time I've ever even seen Wally throw one down in a Cavalier uniform and I won't soon forget it. It was the kind of night for the guys in wine and gold.

The King led the cheers from the bench in the 4th quarter

Another thing that was great about this win was the way the bench reacted throughout. They were up and cheering and really supporting the five guys on the floor all night. It may seem like a trivial thing but I can't remember the last time I saw the Cavs bench so actively involved in a game. I think it illustrates how tightly knit this group of players is and how excited they are about the opportunities ahead of them. LeBron was really leading the cheers from the bench in the fourth quarter. And how nice is that to say? Again, he only had to log 34 minutes on the court in this game and is averaging 34.5 mpg through the season's first four games. You know that makes Mike Brown grin uncontrolably. A healthy, rested LeBron means trouble for the rest of the league come playoff time...

Other Cavs Notes: Brian Windhorst's take on the big win in Dallas... The Cavaliers have some opinions on yesterday's big trade... I just noticed Bob Finnan started a new Cavalier blog to go along with his view of yesterday's win... The Cavaliers will return home to the Q tomorrow night to take on the Bulls at 8:00 pm.

Browns Update: I was literally shocked when I got three texts from friends around the same time as I was driving home from work yesterday - Brady Quinn will be the starter vs. the Broncos on Thursday night. Of course I wanted this and lobbied for it yesterday, but I can't believe the Browns actually pulled the trigger... Coach Crennel says it was his decision... Tony Grossi says the Browns just couldn't wait any longer on Quinn... Joe Jurevicius is eager to recover and return to the field in '09. We're pulling for you Joe.

"Some things had to do with it. Our record, offensive ranking, offensive production, so I made the decision to make the change." - Romeo Crennel