“Looks Like I Picked the Wrong Week to Quit Sniffing Glue”: Jackets Edge Penguins in Shoot Out
March 13, 2009NFL Draft Rumors: What the Mocks are Saying
March 13, 2009
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(Cavs 119 – Suns 111 box)
Lebron James scored a triple-double hat trick. Three games in a row with a triple double. Is that good? Just asking. The Cavs’ MVP candidate played just over 43 minutes to amass 34 points, 13 assists, and 10 rebounds to go along with his 3 steals and 3 blocked shots. Speaking of blocked shots, one of them turned into a career highlight for Lebron and a lowlight for Jason Richardson. More on that later.
Mo Williams might as well be the “Scottie Pippen” that everyone always talked about Lebron needing. Mo played huge, as he has all year long in scoring 30 points on 10 of 23 shooting. That included 6 of 10 from three. It may take the league the rest of this season and the playoffs to realize what we know having watched every Cavs game this season. Mo Williams is a capable second fiddle to Lebron James. His defense has been better than advertised and his scoring has been even better than I thought it would be.
When the trade occurred I was cautious with my expectations. I told my friends to be careful. I told them that we couldn’t just plug in his averages in scoring (17.2 ppg,) assists (6.4 apg,) and rebounds (3.5 rpg) into the Cavs’ box score. And I was wrong. As a Cavalier he is averaging 18.1 ppg, 4 apg and 3.3 rpg. The biggest difference in his stats lines from this year and last year? Do you think Mo Williams is getting open looks from behind the three point line? Mo is shooting 43.8% from three versus 38.5% a year ago. On top of that, he is shooting more threes per game.
Back to the game yesterday. The Cavs really put the game away starting with Lebron’s most amazing block to date on Jason Richardson. Of course, J-Rich didn’t exactly think it was a clean play as he was going up to dunk the ball and tie the game at 97.
“Clearly a foul, I don’t care how you look at it,” Richardson said. “It’s still a foul and that’s bad and that a guys going up like that, especially trying to do something to get the fans going, to get hammered like that and there’s no call at all, that’s terrible.”
Come on. Everyone together now. Awwwwwww. Poor poor Jason. Did you get yourself embarrassed by trying to show-boat on your lil dunky wunky? It must have been the refs fault.
After that play, Sasha Pavlovich dropped a three making the score 100 to 95 when it would have been tied up if Richardson had taken care of his business. Then Richardson got a tech which Mo promptly drained. Speaking of Sasha, the good version showed up to play yesterday scoring 16 points. Nice to see someone from the bench step up. The Cavs haven’t done it in an orthodox manner, but they are now 2-0 on the road trip with another game tonight against Sacramento.
Tune into WFNY later for Rock’s preview of the action.
19 Comments
The hilarious part of the “Bright Side of the Sun” article you linked to in the post below discussed the J-Rich stylings in these terms:
> Yes. It was a foul. No, it did not deserve to be called a foul. There is a rarely known portion of the NBA rule book (Chapter 4, section 17, para 7(r)) which states:
When the player in possession of the ball with a clear and unobstructed path to the basket chooses to make an ass of himself, his team and the sport of professional basketball by spinning, windmilling, through the legging or otherwise showing up the other team then any physical contact made by a defensive player who shall have shown a high degree of hustle and effort and heart to have not given up (sometimes referred to as bailed) on the play shall not be deemed a foul. Ever.
Great game by the Cavs but I’m not totally pleased due to the terrible interior defense. The Suns scored, like, 60+ points in the paint.
Also, does anyone else think that Steve Nash’s shovel-lay-up shot looks like travelling?
Come on. Don’t you know? Lebron is the only guy who travels in the NBA. Not Dwyane Wade. Not Steve Nash. Not Allen Iverson. Only Lebron James. Duh.
Not as of next season… Apparently, they’re revisiting the rule.
Via Fear the Sword, we have a Cavs’ soreness/injury update following the punishing game against the Suns. Add a broken nose to Z.
I have never liked the way Shaq plays and I was happy to see him get a charging call for thrusting his shoulder into Z’s face so as to back Z up into the paint.
D-West’s back and LeBron’s leg are also questionable for tonight…
It’s going to be the Mo Williams show tonight.
Overcame the Shaqtus. I think I retweeted “Mo just said squish” three or four times, when he was bombing in the first half.
Cavs win!
i wouldve given anything to have heard “GET THAT WEAK STUFF (brief pause) OUTTA HERE”
“Mo Williams is a capable second fiddle to Lebron James. His defense has been better than advertised”
Except for last night. His defense was awful. Of course, he was not alone.
a Suns blogger had a great take on that block:
Unfortunately, King James has his wheels in overdrive too and comes from behind to foul block the shot. The Cavs comes back hit a three, go up by five.
Boom. Game Roasted.
Yes. It was a foul. No, it did not deserve to be called a foul. There is a rarely known portion of the NBA rule book (Chapter 4, section 17, para 7(r)) which states:
When the player in possession of the ball with a clear and unobstructed path to the basket chooses to make an ass of himself, his team and the sport of professional basketball by spinning, windmilling, through the legging or otherwise showing up the other team then any physical contact made by a defensive player who shall have shown a high degree of hustle and effort and heart to have not given up (sometimes referred to as bailed) on the play shall not be deemed a foul. Ever.
Jason Richardson, understandably wasn’t familiar with this little known exception to the rules.
Hilarious Phil. I wish that really were in the rules.
Oops! I commented the following to the wrong article a little while ago:
Something is more than a little wrong with Daniel Gibson. I didn’t see the second half, but in the first half he just watched a loose ball at his feet and really didn’t want to (or could not) make any effort to get it. Either his bad toe is totally messing him up or he has “first-year-of-my-contractitis.” Either way, though, he’s a turnover waiting to happen when he’s ball handling, he’s lost his shot, and the coach needs to just sit him for a while as soon as Delonte is back up to speed. Notwithstanding his late make against the Clippers, he’s a liabilty on the floor right now. They need to give his minutes to Kinsey or somebody until he gets his head/toe straight.
Craig, I was also taking a wait-and-see approach with Mo. He killed us with his jump shots in one of the Cavs’ road wins last year, but the Milwaukee writers were painting him as somewhat selfish and divisive to the team. Here, I don’t see that at all. He’s clearly a leader-type, but the NBA’s alpha male (to borrow Brian Windhorst’s phrase) has such a strong ego – in a good way – that LeBron seems to really enjoy the help he’s getting from Mo. He’s simply not a good defender but think of how many wide, wide open shots we have watched clank off the rim in the last few years. What a rogue’s gallery: Donyell, E-Snow, Newble … oh, the horror.
Scott: fortunately for the 2008-2009 Cavaliers, it’s the Mo Williams show every night.
It is crazy how this team just manages to get wins in the craziest of situations. The Lakers just pulled off an impressive streak with wins in Houston and San Antonio, meaning the Cavaliers are in must-win mode for the rest of the week in order to make up the half-game they are currently behind.
Sacramento and New York are decent match-ups, but then the St. Patrick’s Day showdown in Cleveland with the Magic will be intense. It will be a huge rematch for the Cavs and if they can pull that one off, they will be in good shape for these other upcoming difficult home games:
Thu, Mar 19 vs. Portland
Sat, Mar 21 vs. Atlanta
Sun, Mar 29 vs. Dallas
Tue, Mar 31 vs. Detroit
Sun, Apr 5 vs. San Antonio
Sun, Apr 12 vs. Boston
well, obviously there is a foul on the block by James, but the effort is superb. Even if the foul was called it would hav been a geat action i think.
J-Rich raction is just….childish though. If i didnt know the exact context i would have thought those words came outta 14year-old. With such attitue no wonder why the suns stink!
Dude, if it was Lebron trying to dunk that, he’d hold his face for a half hour and Richardson would have gotten a flagrant two. Just saying.
LEBRON WAS ON FIRE$$$$$$