While We’re Waiting… NBA Power Rankings, Brian Orakpo’s Pro Day, and a Pavano Sighting
March 26, 2009“Hines Ward” Rule Added to NFL
March 26, 2009Cavaliers 98, New Jersey 87 (Box)
The Cavs came out energized, and in a playful mood for this one. From the pregame warm-ups when LeBron stopped by for an impromptu interview with Fred and AC, to the team picture intro with everyone holding up a ‘we’re number one’ finger. The Cavs were definitely loose for this one.
And while there isn’t anything really wrong with that, it did seem like the team lost focus after the early lead was established. The Nets chipped away, aided by some turnovers and lackluster movement in the third quarter. Eventually the Cavs found themselves tied at 72 with a team that they should have out away earlier.
That’s when James got that “Eye of the Tiger” look, scoring eight and dishing out three assists down the stretch to put this one away. I think we forget sometimes how fortunate we are to have an athlete that can do that.
I watched the end of the Boston/Orlando game afterward. As much as any team would love to have a Dwight Howard (24 points, 21 boards and 4 blocks) the fact is he isn’t a guy that can take over a game in crunch time. Someone has to get him the ball, and if you double him, he is going to have to pass out of it. Not so with LeBron. He can create his own shot from anywhere on the floor. Go ahead and try to double him. He will split the defense or find the open man. Orlando was fortunate to win that one with as bad a shooting performance as they got from Hedo. Now Paul Pierce may be able to take a game on his shoulders every once in a while, but not with the consistency that we see from LeBron.
Sixteen points a piece came out of Mo Williams, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Anderson Varejao. Talk about a supporting cast. Delonte West poured in 13, and almost double-doubled with nine rebounds. Andy paced the boards with 11 and Big Z came up with three blocked shots. Overall, the team won the rebound battle (49-32), dished out more assists (25-22), and blocked more than twice as many shots (7-3). And you can’t go wrong with an 89 percent night from the line as a collective unit.
As an aside, Browns defensive tackle Shaun Rogers was courtside for the festivities and received quite an ovation from the fans. Let’s hope that 40,000 proud can help mend what was once a pretty distressed situation. But I digress.
So we now bask in the Cavaliers’ best record…ever. Perhaps we celebrate with a new shirt, as the 1991-92 version has now been topped? Or perhaps we take the advice set forth when the Cavaliers locked up the Central division not all that long ago and wait things out until the ultimate goal is reached.
We watch the magic number for Eastern Conference home court advantage shrink to six. We wonder what Mike Brown will do when Ben Wallace and Wally come back healthy. How will he find enough minutes to go around? A good problem to have. We hope that the team stays loose, but hungry.
23 Comments
the pre-game “photo ops” still havent gotten old with me.
As helpful as the return of Big Ben and Wally will be, I’m looking at Boston and thinking when they have KG they will be better. I know, it’s everyone’s excuse in Boston, but it’s true.
What scares the hell out of me is Orlando playing this well without J. Nelson. I know Rafer Alston is playing much better than anyone thought he would, but Nelson is much, much better. He can flat out play. If he gets to be fully healthy by playoff time, I don’t like the thought of staring Nelson, Howard, and R. Lewis down. I know home court is extremely important, but those teams getting those players back from injury will be huge for them.
haha, start with delonte and go clockwise… its like a color spectrum from light to dark
I was kind of amused by the annoyed look on Lebron’s face as he took off his warmups to get back in the game. Never was the outcome of this game in doubt, in my mind at least.
I still can’t shake the nagging displeasure that our bench is giving us nothing consistently. Boobie looks dreadful, to the point where he only took a few shots in 22 minutes last night.
Also, watching the Cavs on the YES Network is gut-wrenching.
@ Jason- remember, Anderson Varejao IS a bench player when we are full strength.
@Mendy – LMAO! Good Call!
I really like the pre-game photo-op. It shows a unity in the team that we haven’t seen in the past. It reminds me a little of all the stuff baseball players do after they hit a homerun and get back to the dugout. They’ve got 100 different handshakes for each player. I’m on board. Maybe after we win the title Z, Wally, Andy, Ben, and Sasha will join in too.
@ Rick & Jason – I’m not so sure I’d keep Andy in that roll. I think he’s played very well this year starting for injured players. I think a good chemistry has developed, especially with him and Lebron. Maybe we have Ben come off the bench when he’s healthy? Or would you rather have the spark Andy gives on offense coming off the bench as opposed to Ben’s defense? Am I just being jaded because Andy’s my favorite player?
@ Jay – if you read Windhorst’s inside piece today, he suggests that’s what Brown will do, at least initially. I personally would have Andy coming off the bench because he provides some offense out there when Z sits down, whereas Wallace isn’t going to give that to you. In any event, Andy will be the one on the floor during the stretch runs.
Hats off to Mike Brown for keeping this team focused over the grind of an entire season. Can’t remember another Cavs team that didn’t take periodic nights off. Lenny Wilkins’s talented teams were infamous for that and making excuses. This team always wakes up in the 4th quarter, and is just mentally tough. Brown is not the best “x and o” man in the league, and has the best player, but he has settled on a successful philosophy, he’s been consistent in demanding they follow it, and he seems to wear well with the players over the long haul. Shoot, he even has Mo Williams stopping his matador routine and thinking about defense, at least in the 4th quarter.
What other coach would anyone rather have right now?
I was trying to remember some of Lenny Wilkins’s starting small forwards. The immortal Mike Sanders and Winston Bennett come to mind. Anyone else remember?
Speaking of the Lenny Wilkens’ Cavs, apparently Brad Daugherty said on the radio that their Cavs teams would beat today’s Cavs. He said they would “pick-n-roll Z to death” and “put Hot Rod and his length on LeBron”. Uh, Brad, you guys couldn’t beat Jordan and you wouldn’t be able to beat LeBron. Nobody on that team could guard him, Mo would have a field day with Price defending him, and Z would have a ton of offensive boards because Daugherty was a terrible rebounder for his size.
@Boomhauer :
I loved Hot Rod but LeBron would blow by him so fast he’d look like the guy sitting in the chair in the old magazine ad for Pioneer speakers.
@ Boom- That would be a fun post! I give the edge to Z in that match-up. Brad was a finesse player, the kind Z would have a field day against. No way Hot Rod can defend LeBron, and I think you are selling Mark Price a little short. I would have Delonte guard Price half the time, no reason to worry about Ehlo driving past Mo. Nance would be a match-up problem I think. The end result though is that the current team’s bench is waaayyyy more talented and deep than the previous record holder’s. Sorry Brad.
Best Record
Best Player
Largest Win Percentage
Talking up other teams is simply being pessimistic and setting yourself up to say “I knew this would happen”, especially Boston and Orlando. El Oh El.
And btw Brad, Lenny used the all defense/no offense guys like Mike Sanders to stop the opposition’s stud small forwards like Dominique, Bird, et al. No way he’d have Hot Rod try to meet LeBron with the ball near the three point line. Brad’s just doing that”in my day, young fella..” routine.
did Gerald Wilkins get here in time to start for Lenny?
@ Jay “Also, watching the Cavs on the YES Network is gut-wrenching.”
agreed. however it couldve been worse, it couldve been MSG where they’ll say “the world’s most famous arena” at least 3 times every 5 minutes.
@AMC: Yeah, but don’t forget the offensive continuity you’d have out there with Joe Smith. I think he’s been shaking the rust off lately. Bringing in Smith and Wallace for Andy and Z would ensure having that offense-defense balance, in my opinion.
@ mgbode: Nice, Gerald Wilkins was one starting small. In ’92-’93, he started 35 games for Lenny here. It was Lenny’s last season here, Wilkins’s first.
The other starting small forwards from the Lenny/Daugherty era trying to guard LeBron would have been Phil Hubbard, Tyrone Corbin, Mike Sanders over most of those years, and of course the immortal Chucky Brown for parts of two separate seasons. Corbin and Sanders were decent defenders, but certainly not Ron Artest or Bruce Bowen. Point is, Daugherty is just hallucinating.
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That picture is hilarious.. Does anybody know where I can find the picture of the pre game thing the Cavs do where Delonte jumped into one of the assistant coaches arms like a baby. I saw it on sportscenter and have been looking for it ever since.
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