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...