Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Happy LeBron Day!

Well, it's December 30th and as sports fans it's time for us to celebrate a mega-star's birthday. No not Tiger Woods silly, it's our own LeBron James. Today is the King's 24th birthday and he will celebrate it down in sunny Miami, hopefully with a win against the Heat and not too much daydreaming about the post-game festivities.

Enjoy your 24th in Miami LBJ

This should be another good test for the Cavs since it is a national TV game on the road against a solid opponent. LeBron likes this kind of spotlight so I'm sure he'll be ready to play. The Cavs have hit a little bit of adversity in their last four wins, so they are getting more accustomed to perfoming under a little more pressure late in tight games. As fans we of course prefer them blowing their opponents out of the water, but they need to play some close ones too. I expect this to be another tight, defensive game.

And since today is LeBron's birthday it got me thinking to about a blog I've neglected to visit for a while. They've had some entertaining LeBron Day entries in the past (2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007) so I'm looking forward to this year's entry.

Monday, December 29, 2008

Still perfect

Still perfect, and no I'm not talking about Romeo Crennel's sparkling 0-8 record vs. the Steelers (more on that later). The Cavaliers remain a perfect 16-0 at the Q after their 93-86 win (highlights) over the Heat last night. Casual sports fans of Cleveland, I'm now begging you... please start paying attention to these Cavaliers. Somehow after their 26-4 start, I still don't think this city has fully embraced this team. But now that another Browns season is officially in the can, hopefully that will change. If you're not following them consistently, you're really missing out on something special.

Last night was just another example of how many different ways the Cavs can win now. They again looked sluggish through the first 3+ quarters of this one, much like the Wizards game on Christmas Day. But again, they turned it on when they had to, turning a nine-point deficit after three quarters into a 7-point win while outscoring the Heat 35-19 in the final quarter. They did it with their defense, timely shots, and some good free-throw shooting down the stretch. And I'd like to point out that even though Dywane Wade ended up with 29 points, Delonte West's defense was relentless. Plays like this highlight how valuable a player West can be. I also thought that LeBron and Ben Wallace were especially active on defense in that final quarter, as was Anderson Varejao (no different than how Andy always is). And Mo Williams proved how capable a sidekick to the King he can be by notching his third straight 20+ scoring night.

Smiles and hugs all around again on Sunday night

All in all, it wasn't a particularly pretty victory for the Cavs but they can't blow out teams every night. The league has taken notice of just how good this Cavs team is and they are really getting the best of most opponents on a nightly basis now. And I also think being home for the holidays might play a little into their sluggish starts the past two games. We'll see if that changes when they face the Heat again tomorrow night in Miami on LBJ's 24th birthday. To calm your Cavalier craving you can watch NBA TV all day today with their '24 Hours of LeBron' programming

Browns Update: On the uglier side of Cleveland sports, the Browns' 2008 season finally came to a merciful end. The embarrassing 31-0 loss marked the franchise's first back-to-back shutouts ever. I believe they have also gone an astonishing 24 consecutive quarters without an offensive touchdown. I'm not sure if that's an NFL record (probably because I stopped really paying attention a long time ago) but I would this level of ineptitude has to rank them up there with the all-time greats.

After a 4-12 season that began with lofty expectations (remember the 'Super Bowl' chants in training camp?) heads were sure to roll. And the team wasted no time last night, with Phil Savage the first man to the chopping block. Romeo Crennel is sure to follow today. Then Rebuild #4 can finally be underway. I heard a bunch of the coach/GM rumors last night and it was enough to make my head spin. My favorite was Bill Parcells & Scott Pioli. Why in the world would either one of them want to come here??? I'm sure Tony Grossi's head is about to explode today. I can't wait to listen to the cleveland.com podcast. Just another day in Berea for our Browns...

***Update*** Apparently as I was writing today's entry, Romeo Crennel was indeed fired. No surprises there, but just wanted to make sure everyone knew it was official.

Friday, December 26, 2008

And ugly win, but still a win

Last night's 93-89 victory (highlights) by the Cavs over the Wizards at the Q had all the makings of an enormous Christmas Day letdown. Trailing by 7 points with 1:40 left in the 4th, I even said the game was over. The Cavs looked lethargic all night long against one of the worst teams in the NBA. But they still had some fight left, finished the game with an 11-0 run and stole one of the uglier wins I can remember in a long time. The did it with defense down the stretch and some good free throw shooting (8-for-9 in that final 1:40).

The Christmas Day pre-game chalk toss was a sight to behold

We've come to expect so much of these Cavaliers that at first glance such a win can appear troubling. But when you factor in the fact that this was Christmas Day against a bad team that dislikes the Cavs and played hard, you can forgive the Cavs for throwing out a clunker. What's important is that they woke up just in the nick of time, kept the home streak alive (now 15-0 in the friendly confines of the Q), and most importantly they were able to gain a game on Boston after their loss in LA. So now the Cavs sit at 25-4, just 1-1/2 games behind the Celtics. Of course it's still way to early to be scoreboard watching like this, but how can you resist? The Cavs look to keep things rolling on Sunday night at the Q when they start a home-and-home series against the Heat. I expect them to be much sharper in this one.

And I wanted to note how fun the "LeBron chalk" pre-game ceremony ended up last night. At first it seemed like it would be just another silly Nike promotion. But I have to say that the view from inside the Q was very cool and the crowd was really into it. And I actually think the crowd collectively helped will the Cavs to that victory last night. The Q has become a very intimidating place for road teams to play and it is a great thing to behold. I also enjoyed seeing Brian Windhorst's comments on the subject this morning:
LeBron seemed genuinely emotional about the pregame mass chalk toss. Some great pictures came out of it. He said it was something he'll remember the rest of his life. There is no doubt he has a special relationship with the fans here. The only guys not happy were the janitors.
- Brian Windhorst

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

A great test

Last night's game vs. the Rockets at the Q gave us another chance to see just how good these Cavaliers are. They answered the call with a decisive 99-90 victory (highlights) to push their home record to 14-0 and their latest winning streak to four games. Again, the formula was solid defense and timely offense in a tough, physical matchup.

At one point in the fourth quarter the Cavs pushed their lead to 14 points, but some hot outside shooting and non-stop calls in Houston's favor (Yao Ming had 12 free throws in the 4th quarter alone) got the Rockets right back into the game. That point was the first time in a while that the Cavs have really been tested at home, clinging to a two-point lead with 5:34 remaining. But Boobie Gibson stepped up with two huge threes, Anderson Varejao hit a running hook shot, and Mo Williams buried two dagger shots down the stretch. And LeBron capped things off with a highlight-reel rejection of Yao to whip the home crowd into a frenzy.

LBJ and Mo again led the way for the Cavs

Houston is a much better team than I thought going into this one. Their defense forced the Cavs off balance at times, but the coaching staff made some nice adjustments in the second half. Make no mistake about it - this was a quality win over a quality opponent. The going should get easier over the next couple weeks for the Cavs, starting tomorrow night against the Wizards and old friend DeShawn Stevenson. I'm looking forward to spending Christmas night in the Q watching him get schooled by the King yet again...

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Holiday update

OK, I'm back from the city that never sleeps, a.k.a. NYC. You know, the place where LeBron won't be playing his home games in 2010, despite the endless rumors to the contrary over the last few years? It was a fun diversion from all the holiday madness but I'm happy to be back home now. And I'm eternally grateful I was able to avoid witnessing anything that happened at the Stadium on Sunday between two god-awful Ohio football teams. I was disappointed I didn't get to see the Cavs' 102-91 win (highlights) on Sunday night in Oklahoma City. But at least I did get to watch their impressive 105-88 smackdown (highlights) of a good Nuggets team in Denver on Friday night. Our flight into LaGuardia was delayed a long time in Cleveland so we arrived late into New York on Friday night. I snuck in the game on ESPN (ugh) while my wife took in a nap in our hotel room...

So anyway, I'm excited about the possibilities brewing with our Cavaliers and their upcoming three-game homestand. Tonight will be another good test against a solid Rockets team. And that will be followed up by very winnable games against the Wizards and Heat. The Cavs really have a chance to string together a lot more wins over their next 8 games, leading up to the January 9th showdown at the Q against the Celtics. As is the case when your favorite team is 23-4, it will be fun to watch how it unfolds.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

That's more like it

On the heels of their close loss in Atlanta on Saturday, last night's matchup in Minnesota had the makings of a a perfect "trap" game, especially considering the Cavaliers have another tough battle looming ahead on Friday night in Denver. It would have been easy to overlook the Timberwolves, losers of 10 straight and sporting just a 4-20 record. Last year's version of the Cavaliers probably would have overlooked them. But you get the sense that this year's team is much different and much more focused. Instead of looking past Minnesota, the Cavs took care of business in much the same fashion they have all year with a 93-70 rout (highlights) in the Target Center.

LeBron James had another brilliant performance on his way to 32 points on a ridiculous 10-for-14 shooting. His dazzling array of passing and tough fallaway shots led to the Cavs outscoring Minnesota 30-14 in the fourth quarter and culminated in the rare road standing ovation. Definitely a classy move by the Minnesota crowd. And Delonte West also shook of a recent shooting slump by chipping in a personal Cavalier-high 21 points on 9-of-16 from the floor.

The King acknowledges the classy Minnesota crowd on Wednesday night

The 70 points scored by Minnesota marks the lowest by any Cavs' opponent so far this season. It also drops the Cavalier defensive average to 89.2 ppg, the best in the NBA and the only team allowing under 90 a night. At the 25 game point last season the Cavs were just 11-14. They are 21-4 now. And this was already their 17th double-digit victory on the season, compared to just 10 of them all last year. Again, barring some catastrophic injuries this team is on pace to do something very special.

Speaking of injuries, Bob Finnan gives an injury update. I had a feeling the toe problem might linger for Boobie. And I'm OK with him resting up and getting himself 100% healthy. Sasha Pavlovic has done an admirable job stepping into the rotation and buying into Mike Brown's 'defense-first' mentality. And he appears to have learned to stop the out-of-control drives to the basket where a turnover seemed to be the only possible outcome. I'm not saying that Sasha is anything spectacular - and I've certainly learned over the years to not fall for his flashes of talent amid maddening inconsistency - but his controlled play of late has been a pleasant surprise. Now if Z really can give it a go on Friday night I will feel much better about our offensive flow in Denver. I'm just glad he survived this back in '95...

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Back in action

I apologize for my extended absence this week. Work has dragged me away from the more pressing need of talking Cleveland sports. But work does pay the bills, so unfortunately it is required to be my #1 priority. Thankfully the Cavs are back in action tonight in just three short hours when they are in Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves. Even without Z and Boobie in the line-up this should be a surefire, no excuses win. I just hope they don't look past tonight's game in anticipation of a tough matchup in Denver vs. the Nuggets Friday night. The good news is that Z and maybe even Boobie will be available for that one... more tomorrow morning, hopefully to recap another win for the 'Wine & Golders' (as Fred McLeod fondly refers to them).

Monday, December 15, 2008

It couldn't last forever

A great man once said, "no good thing ever dies." After the Cavs' 88-72 win (highlights) over the 76ers on Friday night they reached a franchise milestone by tying a club record for 11 consecutive wins. But before it could become another team record, the streak died on Saturday night with a 97-92 setback in Atlanta. Of course the Cavs can't win every game they play but this one was rather frustrating, especially given the torrid pace that the Celtics are setting in the East.

It was one of Those Games. You know the ones where your team is playing on the road, shorthanded, with the refs making a lot of terrible calls in favor of the home team, and every loose ball seeming to bounce the home team's way? Yep, that's how it went on Saturday. The free throw disparity doesn't even begin to tell the story, with the Hawks getting to the line 39 times compared to just 23 for the Cavs. And don't be fooled by LeBron's 12 free throw attempts in the box score. He was hacked on numerous other drives to the rim that resulted in non-calls. So given the lopsided officiating, coupled with the fact that we were playing without two of our top six rotation guys (Z and Boobie) I'm actually quite pleased that we almost pulled it out in the end.

One of the few times LBJ wasn't fouled on his way to the rim

Thankfully for the Cavs they get to rest up for a bit before returning to the court to take on a bad Timberwolves team in Minnesota on Wednesday night. With a little luck Z can take the next few days to rest that ankle up and maybe he can even be ready to go on Friday night when the Cavs have another tough road test in Denver. It's obvious that we're missing the big guy in many of our offensive sets. Speaking of that, here's a great in-depth look at the Cavalier offense. Interesting stuff if you really want to see the different sets that can run from something that seems so simple, yet so hard to defend...

Unfortunately until the Cavs play again we are relegated to watching the Browns tonight in Philadelphia to take on the Eagles on Monday night football. Ugh. $20 for the first person that can give me one solid reason to watch this game tonight.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Streak stretches to 10

With last night's 101-93 win (highlights) over the 76ers in Philadelphia, the Cavaliers ran their winning streak to 10 games. But in the process they may have lost another huge part of their line-up for a few games. Following Boobie Gibson's toe injury on Tuesday, Zydrunas Ilgauskas had a nasty looking roll of his ankle last night. X-rays after the game proved to be negative, but it looks like Z may be put on the shelf for a little stretch to make sure he returns to health.

Mo continues to impress with his ability to creat off the dribble

But aside from the Z injury it was another good night for the Cavaliers. They didn't play their best ball, looked sloppy on both offense and defense at times, but they still got a much-needed win on the road. They basically won the game with their play in the third quarter when they outscored the 76ers 36-19. As I've said before, it seems like this Cavs team can turn up the defensive pressure whenever they feel like it. They did so in the third and at one point the lead swelled to 21 points. They proceeded to let Philly back in the game with a clunker of a 4th quarter (likely affected by the Z injury - after which they were outscored 23-15), but made enough plays down the stretch to win the game.

Mo Williams, LeBron, and Ben Wallace shined in particular for me last night. Mo continues to impress with his ball-handling through traffic and ability to create shots for himself when nothing else seems to be working. LeBron was his usual self, showing off a combination of strong drives to the rim, ball-hawking blocked shots from behind in transition, and a nice, long buzzer-beating three to end a sluggish first quarter for the Cavs. And Ben Wallace was all over the court again, collection 10 rebounds, 2 blocks (seemed like more though), and 6 points (even swishing a wide open baseline jumper).

It will be interesting to see how the team responds to a little adversity now with Z and Boobie out of the rotation. Four of their next five games will be on the road and it will be a good opportunity for the team to use that "bunker mentality" that Mike Brown is always talking about. I expect LeBron and Mo to shoulder more of the load now offensively, something they are both very capable of. And now that Mo is part of this group it won't be such a scary thought to insert Anderson Varejao into the starting line-up and have him play long stretches on the court with Ben Wallace. And aside from Mo's arrival, Andy has proven himself a capable part of the offense so far this season. We will need contributions from all the guys to weather these injuries that seem to always crop up at the worst time...

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Broken records

I hate to sound like a broken record, but the Cavs were firing on all cylinders again last night as they cruised to another easy 114-94 victory (highlights) over the Raptors. It was a night of broken records as LeBron got his record-breaking steal out of the way early, Z got his record-breaking rebound (perhaps the most non-descript rebound of his career) out of the way in the 2nd quarter, and the Cavs became the first team in NBA history to win nine straight games by at least 12 points. The latest win brings them to 18-3 on the year and coupled with another ugly Pistons' loss puts the Cavaliers now 6-1/2 games in first place in the Central Division.

Records fell at the Q on Tuesday night

It was more of the same inside the Q as the Cavs seemed to turn up the defensive intensity whenever they wanted to. They held Chris Bosh to just 9 points, tying a season low the 24.9 ppg scorer, and only one Raptor starter (PG Jose Calderon) even reached double figures. For the season the Cavs have only surrendered 100 points 3 times in 21 games and are holding their opponents to a league-low 90.4 average.

Offensively the Cavs also seemed to get whatever they wanted. LeBron had an amazing 7 dunks on the night by my own unofficial count. And Mo Williams is just incredible to watch, especially in person. He takes so much pressure off of LeBron. The Cavs again shot well overall from the floor (49.4%) and from long-distance (8-for-22). And they continued their stellar play at the Q, raising their home record to a perfect 12-0, now the only undefeated team at home in the league. The only downer was Boobie Gibson's toe injury. Let's hope that doesn't linger for too long.

The Cavaliers are again in action tonight in Philadelphia to face the Sixers at 8:00pm. This will be a good road test, especially if we are shorthanded without Boobie in the rotation. Do yourselves a favor when watching this one if you can - turn down the volume on the ESPN broadcast and flip on Joe Tait for the call. If you're watching the best team in the NBA, you might as well listen to the best play-by-play man in the NBA, right?

Tribe Update: The Indians are reportedly close to signing Cubs closer Kerry Wood to a two-year deal. This is the type of low-risk/high-reward type of signing by GM Mark Shapiro that we have grown accustomed to over the years with the current set up of Major League Baseball (don't get me started on Sabathia and the Yankees). But I actually think this one will pay off well for the Tribe if it goes down. If healthy, Wood can be the dominant type of closer that we've been craving here in Cleveland since the good old days of Jose Mesa (pre-World Series Game 7 meltdown) and Mike Jackson. But I hope the Tribe isn't done with just this signing. The second base/shortstop situation needs to be addressed. I don't think I'll be able to handle another spring with hopeful Cleveland newspaper articles about Josh Barfield's re-emergence...

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

More milestones?

This has already been a season of milestones for the Cavaliers with their best start in franchise history at home (11-0), best overall start in franchise history (17-3), not to mention their +13.3 ppg differential and already two 8-game winning streaks. But tonight marks a chance to give them three more milestones and they are all significant.

First, with another big victory tonight (very possible against a team like the Raptors who have just fired their coach and are riding a 4-game losing streak) the Cavs can become the first team in NBA history to win 9 consecutive games by at least 12 points. But that stat doesn't tell the whole story of just how dominant the Cavs have been this season. In these 8 wins the Cavs are outscoring their opponents by an average of 21.7 points. That is complete domination.

Second, with one more steal LeBron James will become the franchise's all-time leader in that category. This would surpass the current record of 734 set by Mark Price over his stellar 9-year career with the Cavs. Keep in mind that LeBron is only a quarter of the way through his sixth season with the wine and gold. Before it's all said and done he will hold possibly all of these records. There aren't enough superlatives to describe just how good he really is.

And finally and most importantly, with four more rebounds Zydrunas Ilgauskas will set the all-time Cavalier record for rebounds in a career. Barring anything bizarre this will definitely happen tonight and I'm glad I will be there at the Q to see it. I know Z doesn't like any fanfare and would rather not get the public recognition, but I really hope they stop the game and give us fans a chance to show how much we appreciate Z's hard work. He has gone through so much with the foot injuries and the terrible teams. He deserves a moment in the sun like this.

Enjoy your moment tonight big fella, you've earned it

Tonight begins another important stretch of four games in five nights for the Cavaliers. This will be a bigger test than the one at the end of November against better competition. But if their recent play is any indication, we should excited about the opportunity that lies ahead. This is a chance to really open up a big lead on the Pistons and enjoy the milestones along the way.

Monday, December 8, 2008

Polar opposites

At this exact moment can you think of two sports franchises that are more opposite than the Cavs and Browns? While the Browns continue to flounder through another lost season the Cavaliers are only getting stronger. They extended their impressive run with two more easy wins over the weekend, running their current winning streak to 8 and their overall record to 17-3. On Friday night the Indiana Pacers were the victims of a 97-73 drubbing (highlights) at the Q. Then the Cavs followed it up on Saturday night in Charlotte with a 94-74 thumping (highlights) of the Bobcats. Their routine blowouts of the opposition are reaching historic proportions - the Charlotte victory was the team's 8th straight win by at least 12 points. That ties an NBA record with one team you may recall... the 95-96 Chicago Bulls that finished the year 72-10.

LBJ and the Cavs are soaring to new heights this year

That's not to say the Cavs are going to win 72 this year. I just don't see any reason to push the pedal that hard all year long, especially given their already swelling 5-game lead in the Central division over the Pistons. But with the Celtics at 20-2 and showing no signs of slowing down, the Cavs will likely be pushed all year. Both teams will be gunning for the all-important #1 seed in the East, and home court advantage that goes along with it. So it will be interesting to see just how high the win total can get this year. And to put this season into perspective, when the Cavs finally reached 17 wins last season (not until January 6th) they also already had 17 losses. Buckle your seatbelts Cleveland, we're only a quarter of the way through the regular season and this is going to be a long, enjoyable ride.

Browns Update: As I said, at the opposite end of the sports spectrum you have our Cleveland Browns. Pathetic in every way, now 4-9 after their 28-9 loss in Tennessee. I know that Ken Dorsey is our starting QB now and of course I didn't expect a win over the far superior Titans yesterday. But is it too much to ask for the coaching staff to mix things up a bit? Try something new offensively (before the 4th quarter when the game is out of reach) and make it at least bearable to watch?

Some of my favorite highlights from yesterday's game:
  • Jamal Lewis' 7 total rushing yards on 7 carries.
  • The Browns' total offense of 178 yards.
  • Romeo Crennel's flat-out refusal (or disinterest?) in challenging a close call in which Josh Cribbs actually threw a great pass that Braylon Edwards appeared to catch on the sideline for a long gain in the fourth quarter.
  • Crennel's insistence in calling a timeout in the last minute of the game when the Browns were still near midfield and Tennessee just wanted to celebrate winning the AFC South title.
  • The Browns then following that timeout up by not even getting a Hail Mary pass off as the final seconds ticked off the clock.
The mess of this organization is now visible in virtually every aspect of the game for this team. From the front office, to the coaching staff, to the undisciplined and quitting players (save for a handful of them) this franchise is everything the Cavaliers are not. Let's hope some of this speculation is accurate and we can get some professionalism and control back on this team.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Cruising along

The Cavaliers continued their dominant ways again last night with a 118-82 pasting (highlights) of the New York Knicks. The win is the sixth straight for the Cavs, their 14th in their last 15 (first time the franchise has ever done that), and 10th straight at the Q (first time they have ever opened a season 10-0 at home). It was another laugher, with all the Cavaliers starters able to comfortably rest on the bench for much of the second half. And the reserves got lots of playing time with everyone able to get into the scorebook.

Not that smashing this pathetic Knicks team twice in 8 days is some great achievement, but it is deeply satisfying. Even if their roster is currently depleted due to injuries, the way the team is being run is really an insult to the league. Openly tanking two seasons before July 2010, playing absolutely no defense, routinely jacking up 30+ threes a game, having a player that refuses to enter games then gets suspended (Stephon Marbury), having another player that is too fat to actually be allowed to enter a game (Jerome James), etc., etc. I'll just say it once - I can't imagine why on earth LeBron would want to be a part of that mess when he becomes a free agent. The team and franchise are truly a joke.

10-0 at home, 14 out of 15, 15-3 overall... and just scratching the surface

So the Cavs now sit at 15-3. And even though I shouldn't even be looking at this or considering it valid, I can't help myself. ESPN's John Hollinger has a complicated formula to determine the NBA's best team and playoff odds. The Cavs firmly sit at #1 in the current daily rankings, ahead of the Lakers and Celtics. They also now have a 46% chance of winning it all this year according to the current playoff odds. After reading that I'm sitting here waiting for the sky to fall or for me just to have a massive heart attack. The sports gods won't actually let Cleveland enjoy this will they? Stay tuned... the Cavaliers will be back on the court Friday night to take on the surprisingly dangerous Pacers who have already taken down the Celtics and Lakers this season. But I don't think focus will be a problem for these Cavaliers, especially in the friendly confines of the Q.

Bobblehead Update: Last night also marked my sixth annual pilgrimmage to the Q to collect the LeBron bobblehead. I have to say this year's version is possibly the best yet, definitely bearing the most resemblence to the actual King than any of them so far. It will look nice behind the yet-to-be-constructed bar in my yet-to-be-finished basement (hopefully work will commence this summer). I think it will fit with the others nicely:

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Newsflash: LeBron is really good

As if we needed further validation to prove what we already know, LeBron James won the 8th Eastern Conference Player of the Month award of his career. The King's numbers for the month? 28.6 points on 49.7% shooting, 7.1 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 2.1 steals per game. And the Cavaliers finished the month at 13-2 en route to their franchise best 14-3 start to the season. For some strange reason I have a feeling this won't be the last of these awards for LBJ this season...

Hey, this guy is pretty good

And you know the Cavs are playing well when they just finished a four-games-in-five-nights set and I'm already dying to see them on the court again. When was the last time they won four games in five nights? I can't remember and right now I'm too lazy to try to look it up, but I'm willing to bet it was quite a while ago.

So how good can these Cavaliers be this year? I probably shouldn't go down this road but... barring any major injuries I think they can easily set the franchise record for wins in a season of 58. My own modest pre-season prediction of 56 wins seems too low right now. But with the Celtics not showing any signs of letting up this year (they currently sit at 17-2) the Cavs will probably have to get to at least 60 wins to have any reasonable shot at home court advantage through the Eastern Conference Finals. I know I'm getting way ahead of myself here, but these are the things you think about during three off days when your favorite team is playing .823 basketball.

Key dates for the Cavaliers' quest for #1 in the East:
  • Fri Jan 9 vs. Boston
  • Thu Jan 29 @ Orlando
  • Sun Feb 1 @ Detroit
  • Sun Feb 22 vs. Detroit
  • Fri Mar 6 @ Boston
  • Tue Mar 17 vs. Orlando
  • Tue Mar 31 vs. Detroit
  • Fri Apr 3 @ Orlando
  • Sun Apr 12 vs. Boston
I can't wait to see how it all unfolds...

Monday, December 1, 2008

Sinking to new lows

We've known the Browns' season has basically been over for weeks now. But they may have hit a new low, even for their own crappy standards yesterday. Their defense somehow managed to hold the powerful Colts to just 10 points, yet the Browns still found a way to lose the game 10-6. And in the process they also lost beleaguered QB Derek Anderson probably for the remainder of the season to a knee injury. Let the Ken Dorsey era begin in Cleveland!

DA's knee injury will pave the way for a possible 4-12 finish

We might as well go out and sign Tim Couch and Ty Detmer at this point because we have come full circle, all the way back to the expansion mess of 1999. I now have visions of Doug Pederson running the Browns offense in 2000, followed by the Dennis Northcutt experiment under center in that game against the Eagles. Maybe we can do the same with Josh Cribbs when the Bengals visit the Stadium on December 21st. At least that would give us some reason to actually tune into that mess of a game.

This was the first Browns home game that I personally did not attend this season, so I can't verify the magnitude of this - but it was troubling to me to hear that the fans in attendance actually cheered Derek Anderson's knee injury. Even if you're not a fan of this guy, that is just wrong. It seems that our own ineptitude and resulting inferiority complex has driven us against our own players again. But again, I wasn't there so I don't know how much this has been blown out of proportion by the papers. Either way, it's just another mess involving the Browns. And as I touched on last week, the fans' apathy is growing, as evidenced by the 20,000 or so empty orange seats.

I hope Randy Lerner hears/sees that message loud and clear. This is a team that was 7-1 at home last year and gave us reason for hope and optimism. They are now 1-6 at home, with the real prospect of going 1-7 with Ken Dorsey taking snaps against Cincinnati in the home finale. The only year they did worse at home was their 0-8 season of 1999 when they could at least lean on the crutch of being an expansion team. Ladies and gentlemen, your 2008 Cleveland Browns! Pathetic.

Cavs Update: On to brighter news, as always seems to be the case when transitioning away from Browns talk... the Cavs are now 14-3. They extended their current winning streak to five with impressive wins over the Warriors (highlights) and Bucks (highlights) over the holiday weekend. This has to feel good for newcomer Mo Williams, whose longest winning streak last year in Milwaukee was two. He already has streaks of eight and five wins under his belts with the Cavs.

Mo has to be happy he's out of Milwaukee and now winning with the Cavs

And just looking at the schedule and the Cavaliers' next seven opponents (all .500 or worse) this streak could balloon even more. So do yourself a favor my fellow Cleveland fans. Go out and support this team. Start with LeBron bobblehead night Wednesday vs. the Knicks. Go have fun and watch a dominant team whose last 8 wins have come by at least 11 points. This is going to be a special season and you really shouldn't miss out on it.