65 Down, 17 to Go

Wow, a lot has happened since my last post. 12+ inches of snow has melted in Cleveland... the Tribe is off to a meaningless 5-0 start in the Cactus League... Derek Anderson was cut, then blasted the fans, then half-heartedly apologized. But my thoughts are still squarely with the Cavaliers. Here's sort of my "state of the Cavaliers" address with 5 weeks left in the regular season (this is cross-posted from my other blogging grounds - www.numbersdont.com):

So here we are in the midst of the Cavs' longest non-All-Star-break break since November. The beautiful weather in Cleveland (for early March) has been a welcome thing. And aside from a ton of dog poop in my yard, the warm weather has also revealed a stroke of genius on the part of the Cavaliers. Their wise decision to sit LeBron against the Bucks and Spurs has allowed the King a rare chance to recharge his batteries before a final regular season push. The selfish Cavs fan in me really wanted LBJ to play on Monday night. But when it was over I walked out of the Q with an even bigger sense of satisfaction after seeing the wine and gold outlast the Spurs in a tough-fought win minus LeBron, Shaq, Z, and Jamison (for nearly the entire 2nd half).

As this current rest period nears an end, the Cavs have 17 games left to get everything ironed out for the playoffs. Their current three-game lead (really 4 with the tiebreaker) on the Lakers for the top overall seed has afforded them this opportunity to rest key players. Over the final 17 games the Cavs only face 8 opponents currently above .500. Just to put things in perspective, if the team completely tanks and goes something like 10-7 over that stretch, the Lakers would need to go 14-3 to surpass the Cavs. Does anyone think that will happen given how the Lakers have performed in their last four games? Or how the Cavs have performed all year? I didn't think so.

Of greater importance is getting all the key players on track so the team will be peaking in May and June. The #1 seed may seem like a mere formality at this point, but there's still plenty of work to be done. The laundry list includes a lot of moving parts:

1) Dealing with Antawn Jamison's creaky knee: This was a known issue when the Cavs dealt for Jamison and something that will just have to be coaxed along with proper rest. He will likely miss tomorrow night's game in Philadelphia but says he'll be ready for Sunday's showdown at the Q against the Celtics. Such will probably be the formula for Jamison over the next few weeks.

2) Getting Mo Williams back into the flow on both ends of the court: Mo arguably hit rock bottom with his 3-for-17 shooting performance in Milwaukee on Saturday night. He looked lost on both ends of the court as Brandon Jennings had his way on offense. It was encouraging to see Mo come back and hit some big shots Monday night against the Spurs and begin to play tougher defense in the 2nd half of that game. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't more than a little concerned with the way he seemed to be flexing his previously-injured shoulder before hitting two late free throws to ice the game. We'll have to keep an eye on that one. But I'd rather see Mo get a chance to play his way out of this funk than having to rest that shoulder yet again.

3) Figuring out how to integrate Z back into the rotation: March 22nd is only 11 days away now and that's the date Z has given to "begin negotiations" again with the Cavs. That's a polite way of saying he won't re-sign until a roster spot opens up. Darnell Jackson is likely the odd man out in this situation. Once the final playoff roster is ironed out, Mike Brown has the unenviable task of sorting out the rotation and figuring out who goes back to the bench. Things will be a little easier for the time being since Shaq is still out of action.

4) Incorporating Shaq back into the flow: This one is important to me because we saw how uncomfortable Shaq and the Cavs looked figuring out his role in the beginning of the season. It should be easier this time around now that both know what to expect of each other. But I'm hoping that the big man gets to test that thumb a bit late in the regular season before the playoff grind starts.

5) Getting back to their defensive roots: It's no secret that the Cavs' defense has been lacking for the better part of a month now. In my view, it began to slip in the game against the Knicks on February 6th, a 113-106 win in which they nearly coughed up a 30+ point lead. Aside from the 108-88 win in Boston on February 25th, the defense hasn't really been up to par since. I would be hammering this point home to the team over the next five weeks if I were in Mike Brown's shoes.

The to-do list for the coaching staff is a big one, but all parts are manageable. The Cavs know what they need to do and they have been in this position before. They were the first to 50 wins this year for a reason and we all know what has transpired over the last two seasons with the team that is first to 50. These final 17 games may afford the Cavs a chance to repeat that trend and give this city its first championship in 46 years. No pressure, right?

Stuck without a center, but the timing is right

Last night came the news that many of us expected/feared... the Shaq thumb injury is indeed a serious one and surgery will be required. The big man will be shelved for the next 6-8 weeks, effectively ending his regular season. On the heels of losing Z in order to obtain Antawn Jamison, the Cavs are now stuck without a true center on their roster. And given the current slim one-game lead over the Lakers for overall homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs, this is probably a good time to panic, right? Maybe not...

As far as the schedule goes, this actually happened at a decent place. Not that I'm thrilled about losing Shaq or the prospect of him being out of action for so long, but the Cavs have reached a point in their schedule where they can afford an injury or two. After the extremely tough stretch of Denver/@Charlotte/@Orlando/New Orleans/@Boston/@Toronto (that's 6 games in 9 days, all against playoff-caliber teams), things lighten up a bit now over the next month. March (can you believe it's already March???) features 15 games, only 6 of which are against teams currently at or above .500.

Now is the time when Danny Ferry's construction of such a deep roster may truly pay off. Anderson Varejao obviously slides into the starting center role for the time being (at least until Z returns on or around March 22). Until then we can expect a big-man rotation of Andy, Jamison, Hickson, and Powe. And depending on matchups, LeBron will surely be playing some minutes at the 4 spot. A week ago I would have been shocked to think that Leon Powe would actually be playing meaningful minutes at this point, but I'm encouraged by what I've seen so far in his limited minutes. And it's nice to see JJ will not be buried on the bench again - his performance in Boston should have all but guaranteed that. Funny that no too long ago I heard some fans complaining about us having too many big men on the roster... I'm not hearing those same complaints now.

Injuries are a part of life in the NBA and we should all be thankful we have a GM that has constructed a team that is built to withstand them. We saw it earlier when Mo and Delonte were down for a while and Boobie stepped up. Now is the time for others to make it tougher on Mike Brown to decide on his playoff rotation. And remember, Shaq was obtained to outmuscle Dwight Howard and the Laker big men deep in the playoffs. The Eastern Conference Finals are still roughly 11 weeks away. Take your time big fella... just stay away from the buffet.

Not a time to panic

So the Cavs have lost three in a row on the heels of their franchise record-tying 13-game winning streak. Now the sky is falling, Mo can't hit a shot, and the annual call for Mike Brown's head has begun. We are certainly spoiled by this team's winning ways. Were the last three losses fun to watch? Of course not. The team has drifted from its defensive principles and just coasted for long stretches. But closer look at each loss might leave us all feeling a little better...

Last Thursday: 118-116 OT loss to Denver. Your classic "giveaway" game by the Cavaliers. They've been skating on thin ice for a while now at the free throw line and this time it finally bit them. 23-for-40 from the stripe just isn't gonna win many games, regardless of the competition. The fact that they still had a chance to win this one until LeBron's shot at the buzzer rimmed out is actually quite baffling. Denver is a solid team, the Cavs were coming off a long All-Star break, Z was just traded, Antawn was still unavailable, and the Nuggets were surely rallying around George Karl's announcement that he's once again battling cancer. Not surprisingly, the 118 points is the most the Cavs have surrendered so far this season. What makes this loss doubly frustrating is the fact that the Cavs also gave one away earlier in the season to the Camelo-less Nuggets in Denver.

Last Friday: 110-93 loss in Charlotte. This was a scheduling nightmare. A long, late national TV game at home the previous night followed by the 7:00pm start against the much-improved Bobcats. The Cavs had a bad shooting night (39%), played bad defense (55% shooting for Chalotte), and really were embarrassed by a hungrier Bobcats team. Now the chatter is that this would be a horrific matchup should these teams meet in the first round of the playoffs. I'm not ready to think that far ahead just yet, but let's try to not blow this loss out of proportion. It was Antawn Jamison's first game in a Cavs uniform and he clearly was nervous, as his 0-for-12 shooting night should illustrate. The Bobcats are truly a perplexing team... they follow this one up with a loss to the Bucks, then a loss to the Clippers. Go figure.

Sunday: 101-95 loss in Orlando. We knew this one would be tough going into it. The Cavs had beaten Orlando twice already this season. The Shaq/Dwight Howard war-of-words was escalating. Orlando would be ready for this national TV matchup. Their hot-shooting 4th quarter is what did the Cavs in as they outscored Cleveland 27-20 in the final 12 minutes. Encouraging things to take away from this one were Antawn's first solid performance as a Cavalier - 19 points and 8 rebounds, before fouling out on some terrible calls - and Shaq's nice offensive performance (20 points on 9-for-10 shooting). Foul trouble ultimately killed the Cavs as Shaq was also strapped with 5 fouls. It still kills me that Howard seems to get away with most everything, yet Shaq is whistled for any sort of contact. This will likely be the matchup again in the Eastern Conference Finals, so it was nice to get a preview of how things now look with the new line-up for the Cavs. We play this guys one more time in April at the Q and I'll be looking forward to that one as things should be more stable by then.

Also, keep in mind the Cavs had not had a practice with a healthy Mo in a month. And Z is gone from the locker room and the rotation (at least for the next 25 days or so, wink, wink). And the Cavs are now trying to shuffle their lineup with Mo and Antawn in the mix and Leon Powe soon to follow. My point is that Mike Brown is juggling a lot of moving parts right now. And the goal is not to be peaking in February, but in April and beyond. The Cavs have 25 games left to get things running smoothly and soon this 3-game skid will be forgotten. Enjoy the rest of this season and try to keep the big picture in mind. The team will look to get things back on track tonight at the Q vs. the Hornets. I don't expect to be writing about a 4th consecutive loss here tomorrow. But even if I have to, remember to take a deep breath and relax fellow Cavs fans. It's a long season, and titles aren't won in February.

Cavs vs. Magic

So the streak has reached 12 after a couple of not-so-pretty wins over the lowly Knicks and Nets on Saturday and Tuesday. I'd like to attribute the sloppy play to boredom (we were up by 24 over NY and 17 over NJ) in the midst of a long winning streak, but the defensive lapses are a cause for concern. The Cavs pride themselves in owning the best defensive field goal percentage in the league and had held the opposition to sub-50% shooting in all but 3 of their 51 games prior to these last two. And oddly enough, all 5 of those +50% shooting nights for the opponent have led to wins for the Cavs. I guess when you're good enough, you can even overcome a hot shooting night from the other guys. And I've said all along that this Cavaliers team can win in a variety of ways.

Which leads us to tonight's game - a showdown against the team that caused all kinds of matchup fits for the Cavs in last year's Eastern Conference Finals. The Magic have played much better of late, winning 10 of their last 12 and surging into the 2nd spot in the East. They are currently six games behind the Cavs for the top spot in the conference and would like nothing more than to come into the Q in the last game before the All-Star break and avenge their November loss to the wine and gold.

Of course the Cavs are still shorthanded without Mo, but will possibly have Delonte back in uniform for tonight's matchup. Personally, I'd rather see Redz just sit out one more game and then enjoy the 7 days off before next Tuesday's game against Denver. But if he does return to the court tonight it will be nice to have his defense out there against Orlando's perimeter guys. I will be at the Q for this one and will be looking forward to scouting the Magic with Vince Carter. I've maintained all-along that going VC instead of Turkoglu was a huge mistake for them and I'm looking forward to watching Carter off the ball... something you just can't do when watching on TV.

Hopefully we can run this streak to 13, slip into the All-Star break and grab some much-needed rest, and most importantly - get healthy. And with the trade deadline now just a week away, we should have some more interesting things to talk about besides water fountains at the Q. Sometimes I shake my head at what actually becomes a newsworthy story. Go Cavs.

We're going streaking!

We're going streaking! sound bite Will Ferrell sound bites

Unofficial rule here on ClevelandChamps... when one of our teams' winning streaks hits double-digits, the Will Ferrell streaking scene must be invoked. The Cavs accomplished that feat with their first 10-game streak of the season last night. They trounced the Heat 102-86 at the Q, in the process grabbing their 21st win in their last 22 games at home. And yes, we are now on the same 40-11 pace to start the season as last year's team.

Another stellar night for LeBron with 36 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds. Mind you, he did this on just 16 shots from the field. And he was 17-for-21 from the line. I'd say "efficient" is an understatement there. And he truly did fill in as point guard-de-facto last night with Boobie Gibson missing the entire first half due to his fiancee's "false labor." It was nice to see Gibson show up and play the second half and notch 12 points for himself after that scare. Shaq also recorded his 10th consecutive double-digit scoring effort (coincidence that the Cavs have won all 10 even without Mo and Delonte?). And I haven't even mentioned JJ Hickson's facial served up on Dwyane Wade, or his subsequent rejection, also at Wade's expense.

The Cavs truly are hitting on all cylinders now. They have won their last five games by an average 18.4 points. And the streak could continue with their next two against the Knicks and Nets before another TNT showdown next Thursday against the Magic. Enjoy these days Cavalier fans... especially if, like me, you took those 90's Indians teams for granted. This team is that special.

50 games in... time for a breather

Unbelievably, the Cavaliers have already hit the 50-game checkpoint in their schedule. It's almost time for the All-Star break and now is as good a time as any to take a look at their body of work thus far. After last night's 105-89 drubbing of the Grizzlies at the Q (ho-hum, just their 9th consecutive win) the Cavs now stand at 39-11 - just one game off their torrid 66 win pace of last season. That means after their sky-is-falling 0-2 start, the team has rallied to play .812 basketball over its last 48 games. Not too shabby. And the general consensus is that there is still room for improvement.

My two main gripes are still free-throw shooting and turnovers. As a team the Cavs shoot just 72.9%, which ranks 27th in the NBA. And they average 14.8 turnovers a game, which puts them just about right in the middle of the pack compared to the rest of the league. But I can live with missed free throws (of course a lot of them come from Shaq) because this team gets to the line a lot (8th in the league at 26.8 attempts per game), which means the fouls are piling up for the opposition. And the turnovers mostly come from a lack of focus. There has been some horrendous passing into the post at certain points this season. It seems to have improved lately, but it's still something to keep an eye on. It also should be easily corrected. Now on to the good numbers:

• The Cavs are 20-3 at home. They have outscored their opponents by an average of 9.4 points in those games. And all 23 home games have been sellouts.
• The Cavs are 19-8 on the road. They have outscored their opponents by an average of 5.3 points in those games.
• They are 19-5 against teams from the West and 20-6 against teams from the East. Consistency.
• They are 22-3 when the game is decided by 10 points or more... just 5-5 when it's 3 points or less. And 20-10 vs. teams currently above .500... 19-1 vs. teams that are not. By contrast, against plus-.500 teams the Celtics are 17-11, the Magic 16-13, and the Lakers 19-11.
• The Cavs own the league's best point differential (+7.3), best opponent FG% (.430), and best rebounding differential (+4.5).
  

In short, the Cavs are beating teams anywhere they play them, whomever they play, and they usually do it with relative ease. There is still a lot of basketball left to be played but we've seen this team battle through a rough start, a tough schedule, and injuries to key players. All the while they have done this while incorporating new guys into the rotation (Shaq, Moon, Parker, Jawad) and putting old guys in unfamiliar places (Z & Delonte off the bench, Boobie with a diminished role then forced to start). And I haven't even mentioned LeBron's nightly brilliance yet.

The King is well on his way to a second consecutive MVP trophy. But more importantly, the team seems to be on a mission. They are winning in all different styles this year against both the elite teams and the bottom-feeders. And there's still plenty left to be seen with the trade deadline approaching and 32 games remaining on the schedule. Stay tuned, this should be a fun ride.

Another easy one

The Cavs must certainly be enjoying the fact that they can rest Mo Williams and Delonte West and get both players back to 100% health. The current soft spot in the schedule affords them that luxury and still allows them to pound on their weaker opponents. Such was the case again in weekend victories over the Pacers and Clippers. First came a 94-73 thrashing of Indiana. And then last night at the Q the Cavs scored 46 points in the first quarter on 11-of-13 shooting from 3-point range. They built a 31-point lead early in the second quarter on their way to a 114-89 pounding of the Clippers.

I've never seen a shooting display quite like what was going on inside the Q in the first quarter. The Clippers were double-teaming Shaq from the opening tip and that freed up our shooters on the perimeter. And it doesn't hurt when LeBron has one of his sizzling stretches from beyond the arc. It was reminiscent of last February's game in Milwaukee when he went off for 55, including a stretch of 17 points in less than three minutes. When the dust settled after the first twelve minutes last night, LBJ was 8-for-9 (including 5-for-6 from 3) for 23 points and the game was all but over. You just knew it was going to be one of those nights when his patented "heat checks" (you know the ones that make you go no, no, no... YES!) are going in.

Things certainly got a little sloppy in the 2nd half as the Clippers actually cut the huge lead down to 11 points early in the 4th quarter. But such can be expected in a game like this, which was never really in doubt. And the Cavs responded nicely down the stretch and finished things off the right way. The team still has 6 more in a row at home... their longest such streak in 16 years. Hopefully we see a few more of these easy blowout wins along the way. The Cavs are currently still a half-game up on the Lakers for best record in the NBA (although they do hold the all-important tiebreaker there). And they are 5.5 up on Orlando, 6.5 up on Atlanta, and a whopping 7 up on Boston. Fun times.

Fun facts: LeBron has tallied at least 11 assists in 6 of the last 10 games. And Shaq continues to pick up the scoring slack in Mo's absence. Last night was his 8th straight game in double-digits. Over those 8 games he is averaging 16.5 points, 6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in just 26 minutes of action. And finally, for the season the Cavs bench is outscoring their opponents by a 29.2 to 25.6 average. That may not sound like much, but that wasn't the case last year. Don't look now but the Cavs are only one win behind their 66-win pace a season ago. I still think they can match or beat it if they remain relatively healthy.

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.

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

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.
  

Indiana is Basketball, and Home to the Fieldhouse

(cross-posted from www.numbersdont.com)

First, let me disclose that 'Hoosiers' is one of my all-time favorite movies, and it easily beats out 'Teen Wolf' as my #1 basketball flick. I love both films for entirely different reasons, but I'm here to talk about 'Hoosiers' and Indiana basketball today. There's something about the innocence of the Midwest in the 1950's, the wide open corn fields and farmland that stretch to the edge of the horizon, and the makeshift basketball hoop that can still be seen on nearly every farmhouse in that area of the country even to this day. The awkward kissing scene between Gene Hackman and Barbara Hershey aside (I like to pretend that scene didn't happen), everything about 'Hoosiers' captures the beauty of the game of basketball in that era.

Now I'm no purist, but every once in a while amid the noise and distraction of today's NBA arena, I get a little sad that I didn't have the opportunity to attend a game back in those days. That's not to say I don't love the energy inside Quicken Loans Arena. But honestly, the next time you attend a game at the Q take a look around during a TV timeout and ask yourself if this is what Dr. Naismith envisioned back when he invented this beautiful game. Sometimes it is just a total sensory overload.

One of my favorite things about 'Hoosiers' is when Hickory makes it to the state title game and travels to Indianapolis and Butler University's Hinkle Fieldhouse. The wide open atmosphere and high curved roof are a signature throwback to those days that provided for a unique basketball experience. I had heard that the Pacers modeled their current venue, Conseco Fieldhouse, after the great Hinkle Fieldhouse. So when scanning the Cavs' road schedule before this season, one game immediately stood out: Cavs @ Pacers, November 20th, 7:00pm. Count me in.

My wife and I decided to make the 4-1/2 hour drive from the southwest suburbs of Cleveland to Indianapolis on Friday morning. Usually we opt to fly on any trip we can't make by car in a couple hours, but this time I'm glad we decided to drive. We lucked out with beautiful sunny weather for almost the entire drive to Indy and back. It may sound corny, but the farmland in southern Ohio and Indiana is strangely calming to see this time of year. And those makeshift hoops were everywhere in Indiana, dotting the landscape all along I-70 once we entered the Hoosier state.

We made it into Indianapolis around 3:00pm on Friday and checked into our hotel, the Omni Severin (secured on Priceline for a mere $60, taxes included). The hotel is right in the heart of the city, sandwiched between Lucas Oil Stadium (home of the Colts) and Conseco Fieldhouse. We were able to get dinner and some pre-game drinks at an Irish pub a short walk from our hotel. Everything was reasonably priced and there were plenty of other bars and restaurants to choose from.

The real jewel of this road trip came when we finally entered Conseco Fieldhouse (we snagged $85 tickets on StubHub in Section 119 for $69 apiece - click for a view). The place was even better than we could have expected. It is a perfect blend of old and new. From the curved, high open roof to the brick architecture in the main concourse and inside the arena. There are throwback touches like hand-hung signs showing the Pacers next opponent and an analog clock on the main scoreboard. There are modern conveniences like a Starbucks and a large open team shop (unlike the cramped one at the Q) where you can purchase an authentic Larry Bird Celtics jersey.

The game itself almost seemed secondary for a while, until the Cavs again blew a nice lead and found themselves in a 10-point hole late in the third quarter. That's when the nutty fan Cleveland in me thought that this particular trip would end up being a waste. Luckily the Cavs remembered to play defense in the 4th and cruised to a 105-95 victory, holding the Pacers to just 13 points on 4-of-14 shooting in the final period. "MVP" chants for LeBron's 40-point performance could be clearly heard as disappointed Pacers fans filed out. We were completely decked out in Cavs gear but I didn't hear a derogatory comment flung in our direction the entire evening. Overall the atmosphere seemed surprisingly family-oriented and much less alcohol-fueled than Cleveland, but perhaps that was just where we were sitting.

To cap our Conseco experience off, the club-level seats we were in happened to be on the same level as the corporate suites. After the game my wife and I and some random drunk dude from Cincinnati (also a Cavs fan) wandered into one of the empty suites and enjoyed some free beers and food courtesy of "Apparatus," which I'm guessing is some local Indy company. Thanks Apparatus! The only downer on the evening was hitting the downtown bars after leaving Conseco and finding that it is still the 1950's there too - you're allowed to smoke inside. That's one throwback aspect of Indiana that I wasn't particularly fond of.

All in all, our first Cavs road trip was a sparkling success. Conseco Fieldhouse is basically a shrine to all things that are Indiana basketball and a trip there makes it easy to see why it is consistently rated as the #1 venue in the NBA. The Cavs return there again on Friday, January 29th... if you're looking for a relatively inexpensive, hassle-free, and enjoyable sports experience, do yourself a favor and make it a road trip too. You won't be disappointed.

Monday thoughts

• Enjoyed my first Cavs game of the year, even if it was a little late (5 home games into the season already?). Boozer was his typical a-hole self (25 points, 12 rebounds) but left the Q a loser again, 0-6 in his career in Cleveland since signing a 6-year deal with Utah.
• I'm pumped for this weekend... my wife and I bought some nice tickets for Friday night's game at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indy. It will be our first road Cavs game ever. Looking forward to it.
• Sounds like Stephen Jackson is (or soon will be) a member of the Charlotte Bobcats. That one kinda came out of left field. I thought the Warriors would wait a bit longer, but obviously they wanted him out of there ASAP. Gotta say I'm a little disappointed, yet a little relieved at the same time. Jackson's talent is undoubtable, but I'm still not ready to give up on Delonte. I thought the recent talk of putting Wally Szczerbiak's corpse into the mix with a sign-and-trade deal could work, but Delonte would have likely been packaged in the deal. Still hoping we see Red back on the court for us again soon with a healthy mind, but I may be dreaming with that one.
• I was glad to see Shaq get some rest on Saturday night with the made-up shoulder strain. The Cavs play their second four-games-in-five-nights stretch (Already? Thanks NBA schedule maker) this week and I expect to see him sit out a game or two in there as well. The big fella needs to be there for us this spring, so any time off will serve us well toward that ultimate goal.
• The Browns play the Ravens on MNF tonight in what is sure to be a game unwatched by large portions of football fans around the country. The 1-7 Browns vs. the 4-4 Ravens! I had to laugh when seeing the promos for the game over the weekend. I predict something like Baltimore 34, Cleveland 6... but I hope for Quinn to give us something to get excited about. Ten years in and we're still just hoping not to get embarrassed on national TV. Ladies and gentlemen, your Cleveland Browns!
  

He's Still BOO-zer to Me

(cross-posted from my new gig on www.numbersdont.com)

All seems to be righting itself nicely in Cavalier land after a trip through Florida that saw the Wine and Gold beat the Magic and Heat in a tough back-to-back set. We found out that Shaq can be effective in neutralizing the dominance of Dwight Howard in the paint. We found out that Delonte West still cannot be counted on to be part of the rotation, but that other guys (Jamario Moon) can step up when needed. We were reminded of how entertaining the LeBron vs. Wade matchups always seem to be. We witnessed how much better the offense looks when Mo is aggressive and hitting shots. And we saw that this JJ Hickson kid can play when Mike Brown's leash is lengthened a bit. The two solid Florida wins have the Cavs now sitting at 6-3 and a strong 4-1 away from the Q.

The team will return home to face the Utah Jazz on Saturday night. And as we ponder things here on this Friday the 13th I'm reminded of a form of evil that will be visiting along the Jazz this weekend. Of course I'm referring to the one and only Carlos Boozer, and for some reason my hate for him is like Jason Voorhees. No matter what, it just won't seem to die. Old wounds never really heal for us in Cleveland and I'd like to think that Boozer will never truly be forgiven for what he did to this franchise, short of a far-fetched scenario like him rejoining that Cavs and helping to win a title.

I know it's childish and petty to still hold such a grudge more than five years after the man took the money and ran to Utah. I know the Cavs have moved on and had great success without Boozer here. But I can't help thinking what could have been had Boozer decided to stay here. He was loved by fans for his blue collar work ethic he displayed as a second-round pick. He was pretty much the lone bright spot in the pre-LeBron season of 2002-03 when the Cavs mustered just 17 wins (yes, I'm denying that the Ricky Davis era ever happened). Then we saw a resurgence and a reason for hope again the next season when the team climbed to 35 wins and it looked like LeBron and Boozer could be the NBA's next great young star pairing. But Boozer wouldn't let that happen.

I hope those of you that will also be in attendance tomorrow night at the Q will join me in giving Boozer a warm Cleveland welcome. Don't let him forget what he did to this frachise. He stabbed a blind guy in the back. He turned his back on a city that embraced him and a chance to team up with a once-in-a-lifetime star. All for some more money and a mountain view. To that I say "BOOOOOOOOO" and I will say it loud and often, every time time he puts his money-grubbing hands on the ball tomorrow night. This is Cleveland and we hold grudges. Besides, it makes an otherwise ho-hum November game in a long 82-game season a little more fun, right?

Switching gears

Before tomorrow night's interesting barometer game between the Cavs and Magic in Orlando, I'm gonna switch gears for a second and talk Browns. It's a subject I've avoided like the plague this season, frankly because there never seems to be anything good to talk about and attempting to just turns me into a negative Browns basher. I've been cynical of the ManKok regime since day one, and it seemed further justified when Kokinis was let go last week. Now we've seen various reports this week ranging from Mangini's head also being on the chopping block, Mike Holmgren sightings in Berea, and even Bill Parcells himself looking for another franchise to re-shape. Wow. Sometimes the Browns make my head want to explode.

Have we been wrong about this guy?

I honestly have no idea what's going to happen regarding the next GM/coach/football czar. But I do know this - after reading this one-one-one interview today between CBS's Clark Judge and Eric Mangini, I actually have some optimism about the much-maligned head coach and his philosophy for this franchise. I feel for what he is going through this year. Maybe I read this on the wrong day and I'm feeling just a little too compassionate. But maybe we were wrong about this guy. Maybe we shouldn't be so knee-jerk about the dismal season we're forced to endure. Maybe it's time to exercise a little patience and try to breathe some stability back into this volatile organization. Maybe he deserves the chance to turn this thing around. Just do me a favor - if you still consider yourself a Browns fan, read that interview. I'll open up the comments section below to get your thoughts.

Complete lack of effort

What else can you say about last night's one-point loss to the Bulls? Forget the foul/no foul argument on the last play... forget the fact that the Cavs missed 8 free throws... even forget the fact that Z and Mo combined to shoot 4-for-22 from the field. All those things aside, the Cavs still should have won that game going away. It should have never come down to that final possession. It was as if the team felt they could just show up on the court and the Bulls would roll over for them. And that method of thinking has already earned them as many home losses through 6 games as they had all of last season.

I'm still not hitting the panic button yet, but I'm inching closer to it. Something is off. The effort isn't there and that is disturbing. This is far too talented a group of players to keep playing like this. Last night should be a wake-up call. It's time for this team to stop patting themselves on the back for 66 wins last year. If they don't show up ready to play tonight in New York then I will be panicking. I'm already annoyed enough with the media circus that will be there to cover LeBron's only trip to NYC this year. Let's go guys - get it together.

I just want one of your 27

When it's been 16,384 days since any of your favorite teams have won a championship and you've only existed for 12,368 days, you tend to build up a lot of venom towards other franchises. There is an ebb and flow to that hatred usually based on how much success these other franchises experience, or what they have done to your teams directly. So forgive me if I don't rejoice at the thought of the Yankees collecting their 27th world championship last night. The thought of it actually makes me want to vomit.

I'm not sure why I even bothered to watch the end of the game last night - I guess because I like seeing the moment when a team reaches its ultimate goal. But watching the celebration of the Yankees and their arrogant fans - who had been expecting that moment since missing the playoffs last season... the whole seen was just nauseating. Again, I'll sit here and hope for a lockout someday when the owners get the balls to fix this sport. Until then we can hope for the little guys with the script I on their caps to overcome all odds and win it all... a scenario that seems completely unlikely in my lifetime given the way the sport is currently constructed. Ugh.


And on a night when the Cavs didn't play I was also following the scores around the NBA, hoping for a few other teams I dislike to chalk one up in the loss column. No such luck - the Lakers, Celtics, and Magic all prevailed last night. I hate sports nights like that, hoping for the failures of other teams for my own satisfaction and they all end up winning. I much prefer just watching my team win - like tonight when the Cavs hit the court at the Q again to take on the Bulls. I guess at least LeBron can happy that his Yankees won. And should we be happy for CC? I guess so, but then it reminds me of how ordinary he pitched in 2007 when we absolutely needed him. Just give me one title in my lifetime. Just one. Please.

Update: This guy gives a better view of the state of baseball than I ever could. Great read > http://www.bugsandcranks.com/davidchalk/baseball/yes-im-really-retiring/.

Quality win

The first quarter of Tuesday night's game vs. the Wizards was not a thing of beauty. The Cavs found themselves down 31-17, missing 10 of their last 11 shots in the opening period. Washington was running all over the place, putting on an offensive clinic against a team that prides itself on playing defense first. Good thing a basketball game is not decided by just one quarter alone.

The Cavaliers decided to show up for the final three quarters and easily dusted off their wanna-be rivals from the nation's capital 102-90 (highlights) for their third straight win. They erased what had balloned to an18-point deficit early in the 2nd quarter by outscoring the Wiz 85-59 down the stretch. And they finally did it with the big man heavily involved. Shaq ended up with 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field and 7-of-10 from the line. This was the Shaq I'd been waiting to see - taking advantage of his size and not rushing his shots. He was consistent on both ends of the floor and punished the Wizards front court from the 2nd quarter on. The Cavs also shot 11-of-26 from beyond the arc, led by Mo (3/4) and Boobie (4/5).

Shaq was too much for the Wiz on Tuesday night

Aside from overcoming the early large deficit, the thing that impressed me most about this win was the fact that the Wizards went to the line 14 more times than the Cavs (41 attempts to 27) and outrebounded the Cavs (48 to 42), yet the wine and gold still seemed to cruise to victory. The team is still not firing on all cylinders, but Tuesday night's final three quarters were by far the best they've looked thus far in this young season. Things are starting to finally click and that could mean the victories will start piling up, much like after last year's slow start. And after the remaining games this week (CHI and @NY) the schedule gets a little more dicey (@ORL, @MIA, UTA). Let's hope what we saw after yesterday's first quarter jump starts this team to a nice long stretch of dominant play.

Delonte Update: Apparently the DA assigned to Delonte's case is going for additional weapons charges. This may end up getting even worse then we originally thought. I consider myself an anti-gun person and even I hope they take into consideration Delonte's mental state at the time this all went down. And that's not the Cavs fan in me talking, that's the human side of me that has experience dealing with someone with bipolar disorder. Someone in a manic state, likely where Delonte's head was when this occurred, just can't think clearly or rationally. He deserves to be punished for his dangerous actions, but jail time will not help at all. Just my two cents.

More weirdness in Berea

Just another day in the life of the Browns: George Kokinis fired as GM just eight games into his first season after being hand-picked to be the man by head coach Eric Mangini. Then finally some good news to report, as old friend Ernie Accorsi seemed to be in as the new GM! But of course that was way too good to be true, and those reports proved to be false. Accorsi emphatically stated, "I am not taking any GM job anywhere. Period." I'd probably proclaim the same if my name was attached (even if only a rumor) to the Browns too.

What next for the orange and brown? Owner Randy Lerner will apparently meet today with two fans who came up with the idea of the kickoff protest for the MNF game vs. the Ravens. Honestly, doesn't Lerner have bigger things on his plate right now? The silliness around this organization keeps growing by the day. At least we won't be forced to watch them play again this weekend, although I did see the bye week is favored by 6.5 on Sunday. Sounds like a safe cover to me. Go Cavs.

One week in

OK, so it's been nearly a week since the Cavs started their season. It's been sort of a roller coaster with the opening losses to the Celtics and Raptors, the ensuing panic from everyone in northeast Ohio, and then the nice bounce back wins against the Timberwolves and Bobcats. The team now sits at 2-2, the identical record of last year's squad through the season's first four games.

While there were some alarming things that took place in the first two games (complete defensive collapses at times, suspect shot selection, turnovers, tentative play), I'm willing to chalk that up to early season kinks due to a lack of preseason preparation. The good news is that LeBron is still LeBron, Mo seems to be back on track offensively (20 and 24 points his last two games), Anthony Parker appears to be settling into his role, and Andy hasn't let the contract get to his head and still exhibits all-out hustle. Oh, and DELONTE IS BACK!!! I can't express how great it was to see him return to the floor on Saturday night and put together a very solid game on both ends of the floor. The Cavs are just an entirely different team with Red in the mix. Who knows how long things can last with him in such a fragile mental state, but here's to hoping for the best.

Delonte returned to the court on Halloween night

I'm still anxious to see how Shaq and Z are going to mesh. It's been mildly shocking to see how willing Mike Brown has been to play the plodding twin towers on the court together at the same time. He's apparently still tinkering with his big man rotation, brought on by the fact that JJ Hickson still cannot be counted on for big minutes. Shaq definitely brings a defensive presence that the team has never had with Z. But I prefer Z's spot up shots from mid-range as opposed to Shaq's backboard-rattling shots from six feet that have almost no chance of going in. Hopefully it's just a case of Shaq trying to do too much for his new team and rushing things a bit. But I've been a little put off by his close-range misses when he has great position under the basket, where he is almost unguardable. And of course his free throw shooting will be a concern as long as he is still playing in the NBA.

Overall there is no reason to panic after the slow start. We as Cavs fans need to remember that this is still very much a work in progress. And we need to look for this team to peak in March/April/May/June, not October/November. Another tricky week lies ahead with the Wizards and the Bulls visiting the Q on Tuesday and Thursday, followed by the media circus event of LeBron and the Cavs visiting NYC on Friday night. I'm taking everything one game at a time.

Random Browns Note: This is seriously worse than 1999. How has it gotten this bad? Now we have Randy Lerner finally showing some emotion? Whether his frustration is genuine or PR-related, the fact remains that Lerner has allowed all this to come to pass. This is exactly why I refused to pony up for season tix again this season. There will surely be many more once-loyal fans that will give up on financing this mess going into next season. Hopefully all the empty orange seats will finally send a message that we are tired of this. This bye week couldn't have come fast enough. It almost makes me wonder why I wanted the Browns back in the league so badly when we didn't have them around. Is this what we were waiting for?

I'm back baby

In the words of the immortal Frank Costanza, "I'm back babyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!" But what could rouse me from my self-imposed Cleveland sports silence? Summer '09 has been somewhat like a purgatory for me... major happenings like Eric Wedge getting the axe, Braylon Edwards heading to NYC, Brady Quinn putting his house up for sale, Delonte West going all Desperado on us... even the LeBron corn maze... none of them could bring me to post here. I was in a waiting period. Stuck between the sickeningly empty feeling of letdown in June and filling the time watching (or trying not to watch) the mess that is/was this year's version of the Browns and Indians. Just waiting for the NBA season to start and our beloved Cavaliers to get their revenge on the Magic and the rest of the league. And finally the wait is almost over. Only 12 more days until Game #1 and there's an excitement in the air.

So did anyone else out there catch last night's preseason game vs. the Wizards? To my delight, I was able to watch it even though it wasn't on FSN. NBAHD (recently added to my cable lineup) had the game in crystal clear HD.... only problem was that it was the Comcast Washington broadcast. So instead of my favorite Cavaliers homers calling the game I was stuck with the Wizards' awful version - Steve Buckhantz and Phil Chenier. Words cannot describe how awful this duo is. Buckhantz acted like it was a playoff game and neglected to point out that in the 2nd half the Wizards starters were mostly going against a lineup of which 80% won't even make the final Cavs roster (I'm talking about you Andre Barrett, Russell Robinson, Rob Kurz, and Luke Nevill). And at one point Chenier actually said that we gave up a lot of vital pieces to obtain Shaq. He uttered something about us now missing Sasha, Big Ben, Lorenzen Wright, and Joe Smith, all of whom were starters and huge contributors(???). Wow. And these guys are paid to do this.

All I can say is that the regular season can't get here fast enough. Watching DeShawn Stevenson do the ridiculous hand wave in front of his face got me fired up and ready to blog again. Watching Gilbert Arenas hobble around on one leg has me already excited for another first round sweep. And watching Brendan Haywood injured on the Wizards' bench just made me feel good. The Wiz are to the Cavs what the Browns probably are to the Steelers. An annoying "rival" that makes a meaningless mid-season beatdown seem a little more fun because of the endless yapping from them, despite the utter domination you have over them. Can't wait to play these guys again on November 3rd. I only wish I had the Comcast Washington feed for that one.

My impressions from the bit I saw of the Cavs regular rotational players:

• Shaq looks really good. Having a true low-post big man is such a sight for sore eyes. He will put up the same solid numbers and strong play that he did for Phoenix, but for us as Cavs fans it will seem like so much more because we haven't seen it in so long.
• And forget about this popular notion that seems to be coming from everywhere that Shaq will "clog the lane" for LeBron. Not sure where that started but all Shaq will do is command a double-team and open things up a little for LeBron and a lot for our perimeter shooters.
• Andy is going to get a lot of easy baskets this year, even more so than in the past. Shaq will find him cutting under the hoop for many easy hoops. You can etch that one in stone.
• Anthony Parker is a player. We're gonna love watching this guy shoot that corner three this year. And I like how he approaches things on the defensive side. He's not afraid to body anyone up.
  
• Jamario Moon is a streaky shooter but can hit from the outside. I just don't want him falling in love with that shot, because he will get a lot of easy looks inside - especially in transition - when playing with LBJ.
• Z is Z. I'm so happy for him that he's finally a father. And I'm happy he is accepting his role off the bench. He should be fresher this season and will be his same consistent self. He and Shaq will both provide each other with lots of rest. Forget all the talk about them both being older players... both will be consistent major contributors.
  
• Boobie still looks like Boobie to me... an uncomfortable 2-guard being forced to play point guard in Mo and Delonte's absence. I'm starting to really agree with Brian Windhorst's uneasy feelings about our point guard depth. Although that won't really derail anything during the regular season, if unresolved it could present some problems come playoff-time.
  
• J.J. Hickson still seems wildly inconsistent to me. Maybe I just caught him on a bad night, but he looked out of control when he was in there. Not that it isn't to be expected given his age and lack of experience... but I think a lot of people have outrageously high hopes for him this year. I'm curbing my enthusiasm a bit.
• Finally, Jawad Williams will definitely make the team. His 21 points last night sealed the deal. And I'm secretly pulling for Coby Karl to get that final spot, unless a veteran PG is signed. And these guys will get some playing time this year because I'm anticipating a lot of lopsided Cavalier wins. More to come as we get closer to 10/27... in the meantime, try not to look directly at the carnage on Sunday when the Browns pay a visit to Pittsburgh. It probably won't be pretty.