Wednesday, January 28, 2009

21 and MO!

So the Cavaliers beat the Kings at the Q last night to extend their home record to a perfect 21-0 and their NBA-best record to 35-8. That much was expected. What wasn't expected was the shootout-style final score, 117-110 (highlights), or Mo Williams' huge near triple-double performance of 43 points, 11 assists, and 8 rebounds. Words can't express just how great Mo was last night. To put things in perspective, only seven NBA players since the 1986-87 season have put up at least 43 points, 11 assists, and 8 rebounds in a game. Bravo Mo. I hope it didn't come too late for the coach's All-Star voting. In the last four games (all wins) Mo has averaged 28.8 points, 6.0 assists, and 4.0 rebounds on 51.3 % shooting (including 51.4% from three). Talk about consistency.

It was the 'Mo Show' at the Q on Wednesday night

And it took a huge night like that from Mo to top the exploits of his more famous teammate. LeBron notched his 20th career triple-double with a sparkling 23/11/15 effort. If Mo would have been able to grab those last two rebounds they would have been only the third pair of teammates since 1989 to notch a triple-double in the same game. Wow.

I won't go into details about how poorly the Cavs looked on defense throughout the night. I'd rather just chalk it up as a lax effort on their part, perhaps with the team already looking ahead to the big showdown tomorrow night in Orlando. And judging by Mike Brown's post-game comments, you know he won't let the guys lose focus on that end of the court for very long. See you tomorrow with some thoughts on the Cavs vs. Magic...

Monday, January 26, 2009

What a weekend!

I have to admit - I wasn't too thrilled with the Cavaliers' prospects as they embarked on their four-game West Coast road trip. Down two starters and heading on the road (with just an 11-7 record away from the Q at the time) against much tougher competition than they had faced earlier in the year looked like a recipe for a few losses. After the opening loss to the Lakers I was already looking at the schedule and counting how many more games we'd be without Delonte. But after the win in Portland on Wednesday night my confidence was restored. And after the weekend they just had, it may be at an all-time high with this team.

The Cavaliers somehow found a way to finish the trip 3-1 with an amazing 106-105 win (highlights) in Golden State and then a grueling 102-97 win (highlights) in Utah. Words can't describe how incredibly LeBron played in these last two wins. If he hasn't cemented his case already for MVP of the first half of this season, I don't know what else he can do. On Friday night he put together a 32/9/8 night that included his first true career walk-off buzzer-beater, sinking the Warriors with an impossible shot as time expired. Then he followed that up on Saturday night with a 33/14/9 performance that featured enough dunks to make your head spin.

LBJ's game-winner on Friday night

The good news is that LeBron also had plenty of help from the rest of the guys as well. Most notable was how Mo Williams came through in the clutch in both wins. He opened each game with a sub-par first half and still finished with a combined 39 points and numerous huge plays down the stretch, particularly in the win in Utah. Andy, JJ, Sasha, Wally, Boobie, and even seldom-used Tarence Kinsey also stepped up at various times with big plays to help out. And Big Ben was his old reliable self on defense and even hit a huge jumper as the shot clock expired late in Golden State. Overall it was an incredible team effort that helped guide the Cavs to their most successful Western trip that I can remember in my lifetime. At 34-8 the team now gets some much-needed rest before taking the court tomorrow night to defend their perfect 20-o home record against the Kings. And they just might be getting a big weapon back in their arsenal soon...

Browns Update: The Browns finally officially hired their new GM George Kokinis, one week before their "rival" Steelers win their 6th Super Bowl. Can we just get a new picture of this guy? I'm really tired of looking at this one. Thanks.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Halfway home...

Geographically the Cavaliers are still far away from home, but road trip-wise they are halfway done with their four-game swing out West. And Test #2 was a success last night as the Cavs beat the Blazers 104-98 (highlights) in a highly entertaining game in the Rose Garden. And yes, the game was in the Rose Garden as Austin Carr reminded us about 50 times - after each three-point dagger drilled by Mo Williams or LeBron James. You gotta love AC.

The much-needed win wouldn't have been possible without the great outside touch displayed by both LeBron and Mo, who combined for 67 points on 26-of-49 shooting, including 9/15 from outside the arc. LeBron also finished the night with 14 assists after the Blazers' defense collapsed on him all night and cut him off from driving into the lane. He was basically forced into settling for his outside shot when he had a couple of drives blocked early in the game, followed by a couple of no-calls on obvious fouls (I'm trying hard not to be a homer here, but some of these fouls in the last two games have been blatant, yet are still going uncalled).

Mo Williams was outstanding on his way to his Cavalier-high 33 points. I loved the way he stepped up when the team needed him most last night. Let's hope this continues throughout the rest of the trip because an aggressive Mo on offense can really make up for a lot of the offense missing with the absence of Delonte and Z.

Mo torched the Blazers on Wednesday night

Other surprises from last night:
  • Wally Szczerbiak collected a team-high 10 rebounds to go along 8 points in 26 productive minutes off the bench.
  • The Cavs outrebounded the NBA's top rebounding team by 4 without Z.
  • Anderson Varejao seemed to be back to his normal self with 12 points and 8 rebounds.
  • The Cavs only attempted 15 free throws to the Blazers' 33, yet still came away with the win in a hostile environment against a very talented team.
  • With last night's win the Cavaliers have successfully navigated through half of their 82 game schedule without racking up consecutive losses. Quite an accomplishment if you ask me. They are now 8-0 following a loss.
So the road trip continues tomorrow night in Golden State when the Cavs take on the Warriors at 10:00pm. You never know what to expect from that team and their hectic style of play, but it should be a good opportunity for the shorthanded Cavs to come home from the Western trip at least 2-2. All things considered, that would be an accomplishment by itself.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Cavs in Portland tonight

First things first - allow me to apologize for not posting yesterday. I try to get a recap up for every Cavs game in a timely manner. But this time the neglect was not out of spite (well not totally) for the way the Cavs got handled in the second half by the Lakers, but rather because other things got in the way of my day. If I don't meet my own self-imposed deadline of noon, then a post is probably just not gonna happen that day.

Anyway, Monday night's performance is sure to have some Cavs fans urging Danny Ferry to trade Wally's expiring contract immediately. But relax, take a step back and look at the big picture and you'll see that the 105-88 loss (highlights) is not reason for panic - yet. Winning on the road in the NBA is difficult no matter the circumstances, let alone when you factor in missing 40% of your starting lineup. The Cavs made it a game for almost three quarters, but just ran out of gas at the end and got clobbered by the Lakers' big men. Missing Z in the paint and having a not-yet-fully-healthy Big Ben will do that to you. And being forced to play Lorenzen Wright and JJ Hickson in the fourth quarter isn't a recipe that will allow for a lot of success against elite teams on the road.

Things didn't go LBJ's way on Monday, but a rematch on 2/8 in the Q is looming...

The bad news? The Cavs will still be shorthanded for the rest of the road trip, which resumes tonight at 10:00pm in Portland. But the rest of the league won't be throwing the Cavs a pity party and they'll just have to fight through it. The good news? By some accounts, Big Z may be ready to return to the court on the 27th (barring any setbacks) when the Cavs return home to face the Kings. And Delonte should return right after the All-Star break, which would mean only 12 more games without him. It could be a lot worse. And Danny Ferry still has a lot of options before the February 19th trade deadline. We know he will be patient and not make any snap decisions before then. Oh, and we still have the best player in the world on the roster, capable of himself willing this team to improbable wins (as he has shown in the past with a much weaker roster).

Remember, this team is still 31-8 and, in my own humble opinion, far from peaking. Good things are ahead for us and a couple of wins on the remainder of this trip would make things look even better. Just hope for the big tease that is Sasha Pavlovic to keep up his solid play that has emerged the last two games. And hope for Wally to make his jumpers while he's still in a wine and gold uniform. This is the toughest stretch these Cavs will likely face all season and this current adversity could go a long way towards shaping the team's future.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Go West young Cavs...

The Cavaliers embark on their first really tough road stretch of the season tonight in Los Angeles where they face the Lakers at 10:30pm. And they do so on an up-note after beating the Hornets 92-78 (highlights) on Friday night at home. That win improved them to a perfect 20-0 at the Q and was really much-needed after the ugly loss Thursday night in Chicago.

Can we really count on this guy as we head out West?

So how did the short-handed Cavs step up and earn a relatively easy win on Friday night against a very solid Hornets team? They junked things up on defense, they slowed the pace on offense, they made their open shots, they outworked New Orleans, and of course having LeBron on your team always helps too. LBJ finished the night with 29 points, 14 rebounds, and 7 assists while playing all over the court (including logging some minutes at center). And guys like Wally Szczerbiak (14 points, 4-of-5 from three-point range) and Sasha Pavlovic (19 points and 6 rebounds in 42 minutes) really stepped up. And Mo Williams was his normal solid self, chipping in 17 points, even on an off-shooting night. And it sure was good to see Big Ben back on the court. I think his presence lifted the team emotionally, even if he only logged 14 minutes as he works to get back to 100%.

So what should we expect from this four-game swing out West? Your guess is as good as mine. Will Sasha and Wally be able to stay consistent offensively? I've seen enough Cavs basketball over the last couple years to know we can't fully depend on either one of them. Hopefully they can surprise us. There will no doubt be an increased scoring load on LeBron and Mo. But others will need to chip in if this is to be a successfull trip. And I would qualify coming home with a 2-2 record or better as a definite success. I really hate to be without two of our key guys at this important time in the season. But really, it is much better to have these injuries crop up now than in April. Go Cavs!

Browns Update: As the Steelers move on to another likely Super Bowl victory (ugh), the Browns seem to finally have found their new GM (yawn). Please just let this work out. I don't want to see another rebuilding phase for a long, long time.

Friday, January 16, 2009

A bad loss...

I sort of had a bad feeling going into last night's game vs. the Bulls. We had already beaten them three times this year but we were shorthanded without Z and Big Ben and the Bulls have finally gotten themselves healthy. And most importantly, they have taken Larry Hughes out of their rotation so we couldn't count on his 18-foot pull-up bricks on Bulls' fast breaks.

So the 102-93 OT loss wasn't that surprising, all things considered. The worst news of the night is that we obviously would have won the game had Delonte West not fractured his right wrist in the first half (ugh) or had LeBron played up to his normal high standards (8-28 shooting with a nasty head cold). Even with all that stacked against us the game still came down to a missed jumper by LeBron at the end of regulation that would have been the game-winner.

Not what any Cavs fan wanted to see last night in Chicago

So now the Cavs will have to figure out how to navigate a tough upcoming stretch of games without Delonte or Z. All preliminary indications are that West's wrist fracture is not serious and the early timetable for his return is 3-4 weeks. It could have been a lot worse considering how hard he fell. Obviously there is now some adversity to overcome which probably isn't a bad thing for this team. Other guys will need to step up and Danny Ferry still has some ammunition to use in a trade or two if he doesn't like how things are going. So don't panic Cavalier fans - I'd rather face this adversity now than later. Injuries happen, it's just unfortunately part of the game. But we want to peak in May and June, not January or February. We'll see how the guys respond tonight at home against a talented New Orleans Hornets squad with our undefeated record at the Q on the line. Go Cavs.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

LBJ shines in Memphis

Even missing two starters (Big Ben and Z) the Cavaliers continued their winning ways last night with a relatively easy 102-87 win in Memphis (highlights). Lorenzen Wright started in place of Wallace and Andy got his customary start in place of Z. We know how things will go with Andy playing more minutes - he has been outstanding so far this year and last night was more of the same consistency. Wright on the other hand... well, there's a reason he usually doesn't shed his warmups. Thankfully LeBron was able to ratchet his play up even another notch on his way to his second triple-double of the year. In 40 minutes the King had an eye-popping stat line of 30 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals and a block, including a vast array of dunks and a ridiculous circus shot while being fouled in the 4th quarter.

LeBron just being LeBron on Tuesday night

LeBron also had some nice help from his backcourt with Delonte, Mo, and Boobie all having nice scoring nights. That trio combined to shoot 16-for-24 from the field, including 9-of-12 from "deep in the Fedex Forum" as Austin Carr reminded us about 70 times. That was good for 46 points between the three of them of 67% shooting. When the Cavs are making open shots like that I'm not sure there is any team in the league that can beat them.

I also wanted to point out that the Cavs held the Grizzlies' rookie phenom O.J. Mayo to just 6 points on the night, his lowest output of the year. And LeBron kept Rudy Gay in check with just 10 points on 5-for-18 shooting. This is becoming quite a common theme for LBJ on the defensive side this year and is just another reason why it would be an absolute crime if he doesn't win the league MVP award this season. The only downer on the night was that Darius Miles was able to get 13 points (his first points in three years in a regular season game), but even that had a silver lining as he is just one game appearance away from really hurting the Trail Blazers' available cap space over the next two summers.

So the Cavs travel to Chicago to take on the Bulls tomorrow night at 8:00, somehow the fourth and final time the two division foes will play this year and we're not even close to the All-Star break. At times I wonder if the NBA schedule makers are on crack when they assemble these things prior to the season...

Monday, January 12, 2009

Damn it feels good

As I said last week, Friday night's game vs. the Celtics was about as big a midseason game as you can have in the NBA. We all were anxious to see how the Cavs would measure up against the defending champs and they did not disappoint. Their relatively easy 98-83 victory (highlights) was especially satisfying when you take into consideration that the Cavs only scored 65 in the final three quarters and were outrebounded by 12 for the game. The Cavs didn't play nearly a perfect game and still won going away, thanks to LeBron's greatness and some lockdown defense by everyone in the blue uniforms.

The King and the Cavs are the new beasts of the East

In particular, I thought that LeBron, Delonte, Big Ben, and Andy were excellent on defense. And Mo had his hands full with Rajon Rondo but still forced him into somewhat of a non-factor on offense - aside from his 13 assists Rondo only had 5 points on 1-of-8 shooting. LeBron made a serious MVP statement by limiting Paul Pierce to just 11 points, while doing everything in his power offensively on the way to a game-high 38.

I also really enjoyed when Boston had to resort to the Hack-a-Ben strategy in the fourth quarter. Wallace responded by hitting 4-of-8 from the line in that quarter to not allow that dumb strategy to have any effect on the game. And on one of those fouls off the ball LeBron smartly lobbed a halfcourt shot in off the glass that somehow didn't count. I would have counted that basket just on the sheer brilliance of attempting that shot... the Cavs return to the court tomorrow night in Memphis to take on the Grizzlies at 8PM.

Oh, and if LeBron hasn't created enough buzz already with his greatness, take a look at this picture for an upcoming commercial said to be aired this Sunday. Should we be proud as Clevelanders that he's sporting that uniform, or deathly afraid that he'll contract a staph infection?

Friday, January 9, 2009

Big one tonight...

Believe what you want about what the Cavaliers have to say about tonight's game. They are trying to downplay things a bit publicly but you know there will be extra motivation to try to extend the home winning streak to 19 games. This is the latest edition in a budding rivalry between the Cavs and the Celtics. But make no mistake about it, both teams are looking for a victory tonight for opposing reasons.

Can LBJ duplicate 'The Dunk' again tonight?

For the Cavs, their goals are simple. Beat the defending champs at home to pay them back for the season opening loss in Boston. Establish the best record in the East by 1.5 games with a win. And keep making the Celtics second-guess themselves by sending them to their 7th loss in their last 9 games. And for good measure, knock Kevin Garnett around a few times. His act has grown very tiresome and I'm sure he will be in pure a-hole mode tonight with a rowdy crowd in the Q egging him on.

On the other hand, they Celtics have a lot to gain themselves by avoiding another loss. They have been in a bit of a tailspin lately, losing as many in their last 8 games as the Cavs have all season. A win for them tonight would go a long way towards quieting the doubts that have to be creeping up inside that team right now. But a loss would be another blow to the aura of invincibility (real or media-driven?) that has surrounded this team since the beginning of last season.

Honestly, this is as big a game that you can get at the not-even-halfway-point of this NBA season. We've been pointing to this one for a while now as a measuring stick for our beloved Cavaliers. 28-6 is great and we can't ask for a better start than what we've already been given... but 29-6 would sound a hell of a lot better and I can't wait to be inside the Q tonight to see how it all goes down. Special thanks to my buddy Nicko for offering me a loge ticket tonight. It will be a great view of the first of possibly six matchups in 2009 against Boston inside the Q...

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Lots of updates...

First order of business - the Cavaliers got themselves back on track with another blowout win at home, this time a 111-81 drubbing of the Bobcats (highlights). They found their shooting touch again, finishing at a tidy 60% from the floor and 50% from three point range (7-14). When the Cavs shoot like that I don't think there's a team on the planet that can beat them. I found myself at times last night wishing we could bottle that performance up and save it for Friday night. And I have to admit, the Cav Fanatic blue jerseys that they broke out for the game first puzzled me at first glance earlier this week, but then grew on me as the game wore on last night.

Boobie regained his shooting touch on his bobblehead night on Wednesday

So with the easy win the Cavs have now run their home record to a perfect 18-0. That sets things up for Friday night's huge home matchup with the Celtics. Boston has managed to lose 6 of their last 8 games, and with last night's win the Cavs are now the #1 seed in the East, a half-game ahead of Boston, and tied with the Lakers for the best record in the entire NBA. I don't want to get too worked up just 34 games into the season and with still two more matchups with the Celtics left prior to the playoffs... but you can't help but think that Friday night will have a special playoff-type feel to it. And it could go a long way toward deciding the all-important home court advantage this spring... unless you listen to ESPN's John Hollinger's latest predictions where he surmises that, "I don't think seeding will even matter -- because I doubt they'll play a seventh game while storming to the title." If that doesn't give you a couple goosebumps then you're not really a Cleveland fan. More on the big game vs. Boston tomorrow.

Browns Update: Since this is fairly significant news, I'm going to breach my own self-imposed ban of Browns talk to say that Eric Mangini has been hired as head coach of our Browns. All I can think is that I hope I'm not sitting here three years from now describing how Mangini was fired in yet again, another rebuilding phase for this franchise. For the collective sake of all of us, let's hope Rebuild #4 works out. Still no GM, but that's only a minor detail, right?

Tribe Update: As if not wanting to be left out of the sports buzz in Cleveland, the Tribe has also made some noise in the past week. They traded for their third baseman, Mark DeRosa from the Cubs. They also signed free agent pitcher Carl Pavano to a contract. Pavano has a scary injury history and was extremely disappointing in New York so I don't know what to think of him. And DeRosa is by all reports a great clubhouse guy and a solid player. And we didn't have to give Casey Blake a 3-year $11M contract like the Dodgers did. Casey's a great guy and all, but yikes. There are so many financial problems in the MLB today, it's just plain scary.

And if you were wondering, Mark Shapiro is happy his brother-in-law is in town.

Monday, January 5, 2009

Happy New Year

Happy 2009 Cleveland! Is this the year that we finally win a title so I can end this torturous blog? Only time will tell, but we sure do deserve it after all the heartache we've been through...

The Cavs started the new year off in style on Friday night with a 117-92 thrashing (highlights) of the Bulls at the Q to run their perfect home record to 17-0. And it sure was fun to watch old friend Larry Hughes up to his same old tricks with a 1-for-9 shooting performance for the Bulls. It had to be fun for Ben Wallace to counter that effort with 13 points and 9 rebounds against his former team. And LeBron notched his first triple-double of the year with a 16/10/11 masterpiece. So it looked like the Cavs had regained their focus in the wake of Z's newfound ankle injury that will sideline him for up to a month, right?

Not so fast. The Cavs followed that up with an ugly 80-77 loss to the Wizards in Washington yesterday afternoon. I won't bore you with box scores or highlights from this one. Yes, the officiating was pretty bad and the Cavs seemed to be on the wrong end of a lot of those calls. But LeBron's travel at the end of the game was not one of those bad calls. I don't even know how that is up for debate. Bottom line is that the Cavs mailed this one in as an easy victory and then woke up when it was too late to be able to pull it out. How else can you explain a 14-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter? Or being outrebounded 52-35? Or combining to miss 9 free throws and shoot 39.4% from the floor? Just a complete lack of focus all the way around in this one. Hopefully they are more prepared at home Wednesday night vs. the Bobcats and aren't looking ahead to Friday night vs. the Celtics. At least the Celtics did us a favor yesterday by also losing by 12 to the Knicks. That makes four losses in six games for the mighty Celtics...