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 ChicagoSo 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.
