Friday, February 27, 2009

More adversity...

I know every team goes through this, so there's no use complaining. But add another injury to the long list of annoying setbacks for the Cavaliers roster. Now Ben Wallace is out for at least a month (but likely much longer) with a broken right fibula. It happened in just about the ugliest game I've ever witnessed - a 93-74 pasting of the Cavs, courtesy of the Rockets. Something about playing in Houston seems to bring out the worst in the Cavaliers. I was hopeful that this year would be different, but it wasn't. LeBron was whistled for early fouls, turned his ankle late in the game, and didn't record an assist. The team shot just 33.8% from the field and totaled just 50 points through three quarters. It was that type of night for the wine and gold.

So what next? The good news is that we don't have to sit and stew over this one for long. There's no time for that as the teams heads to San Antonio to take on the Spurs tonight at 9:30. The bad news? There they will face one of the Western Conference's elite teams without a starter (again). So what's the short term solution for the Cavs? With the Wallace injury they desperately need another big body. No matter what happens with any possible roster shuffling, it will mean more minutes for rookie J.J. Hickson. He has shown flashes of ability this year, but honestly the prospects of him logging heavy minutes in the playoffs does not excite me in the least...

Could the injury to Ben Wallace reunite LBJ and Joe?

There are some possibilities out there for the Cavs in terms of available big men. And the timing of the Wallace injury wasn't ideal, but it could have been worse. At least it happened before the March 1 roster deadline. That affords the Cavs the opportunity to pick up anyone who is bought out from their current team in time to sign them before the March 1 and still be eligible for the playoffs. To me that leaves two intriguing possibilities. Number one on my list would be Joe Smith. He hasn't played for Oklahoma City since February 10th, logging 5 straight DNP-CD's. If he is bought out I would think he would love to return here... Another possibility is Drew Gooden. I know, I know, he's not the perfect solution. But again, he's a guy that knows the Cavaliers' system and he was involved in the trade to Sacramento purely as an expiring contract. I would think he would be open to a buyout to play for a contender in the stretch run. Other possibilities include the aging but battle-tested Robert Horry and Alonzo Mourning. It will be interesting to see how this plays out over the weekend, but I'm hoping something does get done. Anderson Varejao is much better suited coming off the bench and not forced into the starting role (again). Go Cavs.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

It begins tonight...

On the heels of their latest win, an easy 94-79 throttling (highlights) of the Grizzlies, our beloved Cavaliers begin their toughest stretch of the season:

FebruaryOpponentTimeLocal TVNat TVRadio
Thu 26 @ Houston 8:00pm
WTAM 1100
Fri 27 @ San Antonio 9:30pm FSOhio HD WTAM 1100
MarchOpponentTimeLocal TVNat TVRadio
Sun 01 @ Atlanta 8:00pm FSOhio HD WTAM 1100
Mon 02 @ Miami 7:30pm FSOhio HD
WTAM 1100
Wed 04 vs Milwaukee 7:00pm FSOhio HD
WTAM 1100
Fri 06 @ Boston 8:00pm FSOhio HD WTAM 1100
Sat 07 vs Miami 7:30pm FSOhio HD
WTAM 1100
Tue 10 @ LA Clippers 10:30pm FSOhio HD
WTAM 1100
Thu 12 @ Phoenix 10:30pm
WTAM 1100
Fri 13 @ Sacramento 10:00pm FSOhio HD
WTAM 1100

That's 4 road games in the next 5 nights, 8 out of the next 10 on the road, and 8 of those games look to be against playoff teams. Good thing the starters have been able to sit for almost the entire 4th quarters of the last two wins. And hopefully the team isn't looking at the big picture like I am. They need to stay focused (as they always seem to be) and just look at the next game on the schedule. This 10-game stretch could make or break our chances at the #1 seed in the East and it will be important to stay healthy and win (that's not asking too much, right?). The Celtics did the Cavs a huge favor by stumbling against the hapless Clippers late last night.

Hopefully the Cavs can begin to take advantage by starting off with a win tonight in Houston, a place where they have not played well in recent memory. But this isn't the same Cavaliers team that we've seen in the first five seasons of the LeBron era. This one is 18-10 on the road this year, just four road wins shy of tying the franchise record of 22, and they are arguably the most talented Cavaliers group ever assembled. If we can continue to ease Delonte back into the lineup, keep up the outstanding defense (still #1 in the league allowing only 90.5 ppg), stay healthy, and have LeBron just be LeBron, we should be all set. The most important stretch of the regular season begins tonight and it should be fun to just sit back and watch.

Tribe Update: I can't believe it's already upon us but here's the first Tribe spring training update of the year. I "worked" from home yesterday and with our new laptop I am now afforded the ability to "work" in front of our bigscreen in the family room. So yesterday afternoon while I was "working" I was delighted to stumble upon the Tribe's Cactus League opener in beautiful crystal-clear high definition on STO-HD. I guess it shows how much I've been following things with the Tribe since I didn't even know the game would be televised (too much attention to the Cavaliers, but can you blame me?). Anyway, the game was sort of ugly, but it did feature a big three-run blast from new Tribe 3B Mark DeRosa. That was nice to see. It's still way too early for me to put a lot of energy into the Tribe, but it's nice to have them back on the radar again.

A sidenote: I was able to recently snag a bunch of tickets for the home opener on April 10 vs. the Blue Jays. If anyone out there in Internet-land is still looking for a way to attend the game, Razzles sports bar in Olmsted Township puts together a great Opening Day package every year (I attended last year and had a blast). $50 is well worth it to take advantage of this offer, assuming of course there isn't a blizzard in Cleveland on April 10th...

Monday, February 23, 2009

Changing of the guard

Not only did last night feature the triumphant return of Delonte West to the starting lineup (more on that in a second), but it also featured a changing of the guard in the NBA's Central Division. After the Cavaliers' resounding 99-78 beatdown (highlights) of the Pistons at the Q, there is a new king in the Central Divison - one that is likely to be on top of the mountain for a long time. Of course the Cavaliers have bigger goals than just winning their division, but this is a milestone for the franchise since they have exactly one division title in their 39-year history. The Pistons have ruled the Central for years now and Sunday night was the final proof that their reign is over. With a 16-game lead it should be a matter of days now before the inevitable becomes official.

And even more importantly, last night's win did prominently feature West, who led the Cavs in scoring with 25 points (including a perfect 5-for-5 from three-point range). Seeing Delonte back in the starting lineup was definitely a welcome sight. Even though the team did manage to scratch its way to a 12-4 record without him, there's just something comforting about the way the offense looks when Brother Red is involved. And his scrappy defense on the perimeter certainly bothered Rodney Stuckey and Allen Iverson last night. It's a shame that he wasn't there for either of the losses to the Lakers this year, but maybe we'll get to see that in the Finals come June.

Delonte's back and that could mean big trouble for the rest of the NBA

The Cavs are now 43-11 on the season and will soon be entering their toughest stretch of games in quite some time when they start a four-games-in-five-nights set (all on the road) starting this Thursday. I'd hate to be the Grizzlies, sitting as the sacrificial lamb for the Cavaliers tomorrow night before the road swing begins. And I'd be nuts not to mention how much fun Friday night's win over the Bucks in Milwaukee was. If you didn't see the game and LeBron's insane run in the third quarter, I honestly feel bad for you. His 55-point explosion was one of those games where you just watch in disbelief and thank the sports gods that those ping-pong balls went our way in 2003. I honestly cannot remember a regular season game that was so entertaining.

***One final sidenote about last night's game: Can this PLEASE finally be the end of the ridiculous Taco Bell chalupa promotion? This was a mini-controversy earlier this season and it reared its ugly head again last night. The Cavs were comfortably ahead going into the fourth quarter last night, having amassed 88 points before the final period started. They held a 30+ point lead most of the night and were afforded the luxury of sitting their starters for most of the fourth quarter. The bench players didn't exactly have a stellar fourth quarter, only totaling 11 points going into the final minute of the game. Which meant idiotic urging from some fans to hoist up meaningless shots to get to 100 points so those same fans could go (but likely wouldn't) to Taco Bell and claim a free chalupa. Of course the Cavs didn't get to 100 points, so even though they beat a hated division rival by 21, one of their key starters returned and had a huge night, and they went to 32 games over .500 for the first time in franchise history, some stupid fans still booed when the final horn sounded. Is this really what team management had in mind when they introduced this promotion years ago? Please, I'm begging - get rid of it already. Switch it to a free chalupa if the Cavs hold their opponents under 93 points or something. This drives me absolutely nuts. ***

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Deadline day!

The Cavaliers returned from the break last night and played well, especially on defense in a fairly ho-hum 93-76 drubbing (highlights) of the Raptors in Toronto. The win again puts the team 30 games above .500 and 17-10 on the road.

Is this the last we'll see of the masked Cavalier? The deadline is looming...

But the real news today is the trading deadline, now a little over 3 hours away. Will the team make another big splash? Can they resist the urge to unload Wally's expiring contract for another piece of the championship puzzle? How desperate will teams looking to unload salary get as the deadline approaches? We will know the answers to these questions soon. My gut tells me that the Cavs will make a major move today. Just a feeling I have. I'll update here later today if anything does go down.

I do have to say that I feel for Wally and JJ (whose name has also been mentioned repeatedly in rumors). I don't think JJ will ultimately be dealt, but who (besides Danny Ferry) really knows? I do know that Wally has been a true professional this year and has done anything and everything the team has asked him to do. If he is moved I hope he can work out a buyout with that team and re-join his teammates after the 30-day wait. An NBA title just won't be the same without his emphatic high-fives and ass-slaps along the way...

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Mo-mentum

While it wasn't exactly pretty, the Cavaliers' 109-92 win (highlights) over the Suns last night at the Q was just what the team needed heading into the All-Star break. The victory erased the team's first losing streak of the season and left them feeling positive about their outstanding 40-11 start to the season. That marks record for the earliest a Cavs team has ever gotten to 40 wins - by comparison they didn't reach their 40th win last year until March 21st. Now it's time for some rest and relaxation while everyone (besides LeBron and Mo) can heal up and get back to 100% again. Ben, Z, and Wally in particular look like they can definitely use the break. And we should be seeing Delonte West return to action next week, which will be a sight for this Cavs fan's sore eyes.

Mo Williams led the way last night, taking advantage of the Suns "defense" (if you can call it that) and torching them for a career-high 44 points on 18-of-26 shooting, including 7-of-9 from three-point range. LeBron chipped in 26 points of his own, as the tandem of Mo and LBJ became the first NBA teammates with back-to-back 40+ point games in almost 8 years. I particularly enjoyed the pair's post-game interview with Jeff Phelps on FSN Ohio. They looked like they will be enjoying each other's company this weekend in Phoenix. And we'll be seeing more of Mo than we expected, as he will also be participating in the All-Star skills competition on Saturday night.

Mo piled up a career-high 44 on Wednesday night

It should be a fun and well-deserved weekend for all the Cavaliers involved in the weekend festivities, especially Mike Brown and his staff. This is a nice chance for them to get some recognition for this team's success. And I fully expect Mike to force Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to play maximum minutes in Sunday's game in an effort to wear them down for the second half of the season. Soon it will be back to the grind as the Cavs return to the court next Tuesday night to face the Raptors in Toronto. That will be the first road game in a stretch of 10 of 14 away from the Q for the Cavs. You gotta love the NBA. I particularly am looking forward the stretch of four road games in five nights from 2/26-3/2 (@Houston, @San Antonio, day off, @Atlanta, @Miami). Ugh. The good news is that after that 14 game stretch we do finish with 12 of 17 in the friendly confines of the Q. So rest up guys, you've earned it. Time to get ready for the stretch run...

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Finally, a losing streak

You knew it would happen eventually, and the Cavaliers almost made it to the All-Star break without a losing streak. But it finally caught up with them last night in a heartbreaking 96-95 loss (highlights) in Indiana to the Pacers. After TJ Ford gave the Pacers a two-point lead with .8 seconds left it appeared hopeless. But the Cavs drew up a great inbounds play with a lob pass to LeBron from the sideline and he was fouled by Danny Granger with just .4 seconds left. LeBron hit two huge pressure free throws and it appeared the game was headed for overtime. But amazingly, the Pacers ran a similar inbounds play with a lob to Granger, and referee Joey Crawford had the audacity to whistle LeBron for the foul with .1 second left on the clock in one of the all-time worst make-up calls that I've ever witnessed. And of course Granger made one free throw to end the game.

The infamous make-up call with 0.1 left on the clock

I won't waste my time complaining about that call, as awful as it was. I'll leave that to Mike Brown. The main problem was how everyone besides LeBron played last night. No one showed up at all to help him out. The interior defense was again pathetic most of the night. No one could hit an open shot. I shudder to think how ugly it would have been without LBJ's heroics (47 points on 15-of-21 shooting, including 13-for-14 from the line). Particularly bad performances were put up by Boobie (2-for-7 shooting and 5 fouls in 26 minutes) and Z (5-for-17 shooting and 5 fouls in 36 minutes).

But I won't panic after this loss. The team is clearly limping to the upcoming All-Star break with all the injured bodies. They are still 39-11 and 23-1 at home. But tonight's game at the Q vs. the Suns becomes imperative for them to win in order to head into the break on a high note. Let's hope LeBron gets some help from the rest of his able-bodied teammates. 40-11 would sound a hell of a lot better than 39-12, right?

Monday, February 9, 2009

23-1

Yesterday really sucked if you're a Cavs fan. A 10-point lead at halftime against the team with the best record in the league. A perfect 23-0 record at home about to be extended against arguably the NBA's most talented team. And a chance for the Cavs to really solidify themselves as the league's #1 team. Then the second half happened. Lamar Odom managed to grab about 7 billion offensive rebounds. LeBron just didn't look himself. And the Cavs finally fell at the Q, a 101-91 loss to the Lakers.

I'm not going to spend too much time dwelling on this one. I hate thinking about losses. And I'm not going to panic and say that the team definitely needs to make a move now to win a title. The Lakers are playing very well right now, as evidenced by their win in Boston on Thursday. The Cavs are still banged up, without starter Delonte West, and missing Sasha Pavlovic for most of yesterday's game. Those aren't meant to be excuses - the Cavs did piss a good chance away yesterday. But I still want to see what this team can do when they are back at full strength again. Hopefully that will happen sometime soon after this weekend's All-Star break.

For now just keep in mind that this team is still 39-10. They still own the best record in the East. And they have a quick turnaround to forget about yesterday's loss - they will be in Indiana to face the Pacers tomorrow night at 7:00. The Cavs have avenged every one of their nine previous losses with a victory - let's hope that trend continues tomorrow night.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

A triple-double for the ages

All you need to know about the Cavaliers' 107-102 win (highlights) in New York last night was the LeBron Line:

52 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds

No player in the NBA had posted a 50-point triple-double since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did it way back in 1975 - that is until LeBron did it last night. In fact, since 1986 there have only been three instances of a player amassing 50+ points, 9+ assists, and 8+ rebounds. The player in all three instances? You guessed it - LeBron James.

This LeBron guy is pretty good

I won't waste your time talking about how great LBJ was last night, or has been all season for that matter. You're all here presumably because you're Cleveland fans, so you know how special he is. It was just on display again last night on a big stage for the entire world to see. The fact that the game was closer than all of us probably had hoped is not surprising, especially given that this is the NBA and a road game on the second night of a back-to-back is always tough. The important thing in the end is that the Cavs got the win, improving to 16-9 on the road and 30 games over .500 for the first time in franchise history.

Taking a glance at the Cavs' current 39-9 record got me to thinking about the big picture again. Before the season started I predicted 58 wins with the current squad. They are now set to blow that prediction out of the water. Here's a revised look at what it would take to reach certain milestones with 34 games left in the regular season:
  • 19-15 (.558) to set a franchise record of 58 wins... a mere formality at this point
  • 21-13 (.617) to get to 60 wins... almost a lock
  • 26-8 (.764) to get to 65 wins... definitely possible
  • 31-3 (.911) to get to 70 wins... we can dream can't we?
This has certainly been a special season for us as Cavs fans and nights like last night highlight that fact for us. It should get even better when the team returns to the court on Sunday afternoon at 3:30 with their perfect 23-0 home record on the line vs. the Los Angeles Lakers. Let the ridiculous LeBron vs. Kobe debate rage on until then...

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

23-0

The Cavaliers were able to set their franchise record for consecutive home wins as they improved to a perfect 23-0 at the Q with a 101-83 win (highlights) over the Raptors last night. LeBron James set yet another NBA record as he became the youngest player ever to reach 12,000 career points. But it wasn't his offense that was most impressive last night, even if he did not 33 points and was a perfect 13-for-13 from the foul line. His defense last night was really the difference-maker. Mike Brown decided to stick LeBron on Jermaine O'Neal after he was torching the Cavs down low for 20 points early in the 4th quarter. O'Neal finished the game stuck on 20 points as LeBron completely shut him down and threw in an amazing block of a Chris Bosh dunk attempt for good measure.

LBJ was all over Jermaine O'Neal in the 4th quarter last night

The King also had some nice help from his friends, most notably All-Star snub Mo Williams. He continued his stellar play of late by adding 16 points and 9 assists. If he doesn't get the nod for the All-Star game now after Jameer Nelson's shoulder injury, then something is definitely wrong. Although I do think another snub could really put a huge chip on his shoulder and ultimately help this team more in the long run. We'll probably find out in the next day or two what happens there... Wally Szczerbiak and Boobie Gibson also had solid nights, combining for 33 points on 10-for-21 shooting, including 7-for-12 from outside the arc. Szczerbs got the rare start in place of a flu-ridden Sasha Pavlovic and logged a staggering 44 minutes of action. I hope his legs respond OK because he will be called upon again tonight in New York when the Cavs face the Knicks at 7:30. I can't wait for all the LeBron-to-New York questions again (rolling my eyes). Go Cavs.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Thankful

Let me start today by saying that I'm incredibly thankful and lucky to be here. I had a pretty serious auto accident on Wednesday on my way home from work in which I managed to launch my car off an overpass on I-480 and land upside down on the ground below next to Brookpark Rd. Here's what my once great Jeep looks like now. I truly think that someone was looking out for me on Wednesday and there's a reason that I made it out alive - to be here to experience Cleveland's first sports championship! (I'm kidding about that of course, but humor is my way of dealing with things right now.)

So I just want to thank all the well-wishers, and all of my personal heroes from Wednesday. The complete strangers that witnessed the accident, the EMS workers and police officers that were first on the scene, and an incredibly warm and caring hospital staff at Fairview Hospital all showed me what an amazing network of support that we take for granted every day. It was a truly humbling experience to be taken care of like that and I hope that I'm able to return the favor in small ways throughout the rest of my life. Things can change in an instant and I hope all of you out there take the time to enjoy life. I know I will. I'm already enjoying the extra time I've been able to spend with my beautiful wife these last couple days...

Even though I'm a little banged up, I'm still here to report on our beloved Cavaliers. I was able to catch the game in Orlando on Thursday night right after I was released from the hospital. Since it was another shorthanded loss on the road to an elite team I won't dwell on that one too much. But in true Cavalier fashion, they were able to follow up that loss with a 112-95 win (highlights) over the Clippers on Friday night. That extends the team's record at the Q to 22-0 and featured the return of Z to the starting line-up. He was able to chip in 20 points and 11 rebounds in his first game back. And I love the way our spacing looks on offense again, thanks to the big fella being back out there.

LBJ led the way with 33 Sunday in Detroit

So yesterday was another nice test for the Cavs as they were back on the road hoping to avenge an earlier loss to the Pistons at the Palace. The Cavs hadn't beaten a quality opponent from the East on the road yet, and a day game on Super Bowl Sunday was sort of a worrisome test for me. But the Cavs passed with flying colors with a 90-80 win (highlights) in which they outscored the Pistons 32-14 in the decisive fourth quarter. They were really able to do it with a 15-2 run to start the quarter in which LeBron was on the bench and Mo and Boobie did all the damage. The most telling stat I saw after yesterday's win - the Cavs are now +95 in point differential with Mo Williams on the court in the 4th quarter this year. And this guy's not an All-Star??? At least Mike Brown made it, although the league was "forced" to take him, as LeBron pointed out. The Cavs resume play again tomorrow night at the Q against the Raptors, where they look for their 23rd consecutive home win.