Friday, January 29, 2010

State of the East

Wow... Celtics and Magic last night. A game that came down to the wire with the Magic getting an uncontested layup on their final possession as Rashard Lewis blew past a gimpy Kevin Garnett. Then things ended when Rasheed Wallace tossed up a three-point airball at the horn. Cavalier fans should be giddy about this one. The Celtics lost and the Magic looked terrible. Both teams appear to be a shell of their former selves.

We all know that the Magic made a huge mistake by letting Turkoglu and Lee go to employ the services of the one-and-only Vince Carter. Hell, I'd even argue that losing Rafer Alston in favor of Jason Williams and JJ Redick plays right into our hands. But I had no idea the Celtics looked so terrible. For a team that flaunts three All-Stars and a championship back in 2008, they look well past their prime to me. Is it a coincidence that they are just 6-9 in their last 15 games? I think not.

We've heard the excuses from the so-called experts saying things like, "they're still the best team in the East when healthy." So when are they going to be healthy? Is Kevin Garnett's knee going to magically revert back to the shape it was in two years ago? Is Rasheed Wallace gonna hit the weight room or the treadmill to lose that spare tire? Is Ray Allen suddenly going to start aging in reverse? Probably not. They face the Hawks and the Lakers in their next two. I can't wait to hear more excuses. Again, it's a good time to be a Cavalier fan.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Nice to get an easy one

After an average margin of less than 3 points in their previous 7 games, it was nice for the Cavaliers to get an easy one last night against the Timberwolves. They won their 6th straight overall and pushed their record at home to 18-3 with a 14-point win. They have won 16 of their last 17 in the friendly confines of the Q.

It's not often that LeBron James will be your 6th leading scorer, but such was the case last night as the King only attempted 8 shots in just 30 minutes of action. That was still enough time to put together a tidy stat line of 12 points, 11 assists, and 6 rebounds. Player of the game honors went to JJ Hickson for his career-high 23 points and 8 rebounds in 24 minutes. His +17 for the game was a nice turnaround from his atrocious -17 he put together just two nights before in Miami. But that's what you get with JJ - wild inconsistency. Shaq also put together his 6th straight game in double figures and Jamario Moon chipped in 14 off the bench.

In my boredom on a snowy Thursday morning I put together some numbers below to see which category most affects Cavalier wins. Most astounding to me is the fact that we have had less turnovers than our opponents in only 25% of our games, yet still have the league's best record. If they can clean that up and improve the FT shooting, last year's mark of 66 wins might still be attainable. Stay tuned.


Wins Losses Frequency Win Pct % of Total Wins
More Assists 30 1 66.0% 0.968 0.833
More Rebs 26 9 74.5% 0.743 0.722
More Blocks 25 7 68.1% 0.781 0.694
More 3PM 22 7 61.7% 0.759 0.611
More FTA 21 3 51.1% 0.875 0.583
More FTM 20 3 48.9% 0.870 0.556
More Steals 19 1 42.6% 0.950 0.528
Less Fouls 15 4 40.4% 0.789 0.417
Less TO 11 1 25.5% 0.917 0.306

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Thoughts on the Cavs

OK, I'll admit it - it's been way too long since I've posted here. But my late New Year's resolution is to bring this blog back with full force in 2010. I've been spending some time lately focusing on www.numbersdont.com - the official blog of RealCavsFans. I put together a piece yesterday on the Amare Stoudemire rumors popping up again which can be read here: http://numbersdont.com/?p=964

If you are a big Cavs fan like me, be sure and bookmark that site. There is a new piece just about every day and some very talented minds are involved. You will find a unique perspective on things Cavalier-related and we are excited about where that blog is headed. (end of plug)

Some thoughts on the state of the Cavs as they have completed their toughest stretch of games for a while:

  • The Mo injury had me super-bummed at the time it happened. I was prepared for the worst but figured Delonte would hopefully pick up the slack in Mo's absence.
  • Then the Delonte injury - of course a freak occurrence right at the end of the win over the Lakers. Initial whispers had him out a month and had me standing on a ledge (not really, it's just a metaphor for how I was feeling).
  • So the PG duties now fall into the still-SG hands of Boobie Gibson, and to a lesser extent Anthony Parker. Anyone who watched last night's win in Miami has to be terrified every time AP brings the ball up the court while facing any type of pressure. As always, thank the sports gods that LeBron is still able to handle the ball the majority of the time. Even if it sometimes leads to LeIso, it's way better than the alternative.
  • Shaq has really made his presence felt over the last three games without Mo. He's averaging 18 points, shooting 68.7% from the floor (22-for-32), and getting to the free throw line 23 times, which is causing foul trouble for the opposing team's big men. And he is playing intimidating defense in the paint. Even when he is picking up fouls, he's making them count by making the opposition pay for entering his domain.
  • What more can you say about LeBron that hasn't already been said? The way he dominated Kobe in the win over the Lakers... the way he won the game with his defense on Kevin Durant against the Thunder... then the way he went toe-to-toe with Dwyane Wade and won last night's game over the Heat with his defense and clutch FT's. Just give him his 2nd straight MVP trophy right now. It's not even a competition anymore.
  • So the Cavs have finally reached a much-needed soft spot in their schedule. After playing 26 of 46 games on the road (going 18-8 in the process and 35-11 overall) they now have 7-of-8 in the friendly confines of the Q. Four of those games will be against sub-.500 teams. Time to work Jamario back into the rotation and hopefully get Mo and Delonte back healthy soon.
  • Final thought - if you have the means, I highly encourage you to make the road trip to Indianapolis Friday night to watch the Cavs play the Pacers at Conseco Fieldhouse. You really need to watch the Cavs play on the road at some point... it's relatively close... and the arena is beautiful. I promise that you won't be disappointed.