NBA: Cavaliers Central

2008-11-26T13:23:00.001-05:00

Tonight looks like an easy win for the Cavs against the OKC Thunder. Take a look at the probable starters!

2008-10-30T13:42:00.001-04:00

Get out there and vote next Tuesday, November 4th, Cavs!

2008-10-16T15:54:00.001-04:00

Probable starters and injury report for tonight's game here.

We Love LeBron

2008-07-24T12:41:00.000-04:00

I get so sick of turning on the news and hearing how some athlete was involved in another shooting or dog beating or whatever. So I love guys like LeBron who realize that part of their job is being a hero off the court.

He just received the NBA Community Assist Award for June, and he deserves it. Most recently he raised $200,000 for three local non-profits, and he did it by getting kids involved in a bike-a-thon. So he’s getting kids active and outside on top of being charitable. Very nice!

Take it easy on Bourbon Street, will ya guys?

2008-02-20T11:58:00.003-05:00

Found this article suggesting that perhaps the Cavs' loss to the Rockets was due to a hangover from the All-Star weekend in New Orleans. I suppose if you're going to lose, better to have a reason that involved a good time the weekend before.

A history of the Cleveland Cavaliers

2007-07-26T14:36:00.001-04:00

I love wikipedia! Was just reading about the Cavaliers' history from beginning to recent butt-kicked-by-the-Spurs end, and it's a good read. Looks like we're the Cinderellas of the NBA!

Cavs lead Nets 2-0

2007-05-10T18:32:00.000-04:00

The Cavaliers lead the New Jersey Nets 2-0 in their playoff series. In other news LeBron James was picked for the All-NBA Second Team, where he shares the honor with Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady, Chris Bosh, and Gilbert Arenas.

Noooo!

2007-03-23T09:33:00.000-04:00

Stop the carnage! The Cavs can't keep on losing . . . unless they keep playing like they did on Wednesday. Of course it was the Mavs so I guess that's okay ... NOT! Good effort LeBron.

2007-01-16T17:11:00.000-05:00

LeBron James fires up fans with appearance at Edmundson Pavilion.

FREE GAS COURTESY OF LARRY HUGHES

2006-12-20T13:01:00.002-05:00

The Cleveland Cavaliers Larry Hughes and his wife, Carrie donated their time and money this last Tuesday to pump gas at the Shell gas station on Carnegie Ave. They pumped twenty dollars worth of gas into the first 100 cars that pulled into the station. Hughes said he knows that money is stretched thin this time of the year so he and his wife figured a free tank of gas would be a nice present. Boy, would I have been surprised to see him there. Maybe I could have got a game ticket instead of the gas. Who knows?

FREE GAS COURTESY OF LARRY HUGHES

2006-12-20T13:01:00.001-05:00

FREE GAS COURTESY OF LARRY HUGHES

2006-12-20T13:01:00.000-05:00

ANDERSON VAREJAO WIG NIGHT

2006-12-13T12:37:00.000-05:00

Tonight is the second annual "Wild Thing" Wig Night giveaway. Yeah, everyone with a ticket will receive a wild wig that resembles the Cleveland Cavaliers Anderson Varejao's crazy hair. Apparently last year's Wig Night was the most popular promotional giveaway of the entire season. Everybody have fun with that big hair.

ANDERSON VAREJAO: THE CHARGING CAVALIER

2006-12-05T14:35:00.000-05:00

Anderson Varejao has generated about 18 offensive fouls this season. That's in only 17 games. Pretty impressive! He has increased his offensive foul rate to about every 20 minutes he's playing. Since he is not the best shot blocker, this is the best way to create turnovers. Hopefully, he can keep it up all season long. Go Clevland Cavaliers!

BRAD DAUGHERTY BOBBLEHEAD

2006-11-30T17:28:00.000-05:00

The Cleveland Cavaliers' Brad Daugherty will have a bobblehead released in his honor in early December. Apparently, they are going to give away the bobbleheads on December 6th when the Cavaliers play the Toronto Raptors. His bobblehead will be dressed in his 1986 draft day suit and cap, holding his Cavaliers jersey. Tickets are still available online for the game.

LeBron Vaulting to the Top

2006-10-28T16:20:00.000-04:00

LeBron James and the Cavaliers didn’t have quite the magical postseason that the Heat did last year. That’s why he’s only (!) #3 on the new NBA Player Power list that SI.com is publishing to parallel their Team Power rankings. Even the guy writing the comments (Kelly Dwyer) says, “It won’t be long before LBJ vaults to the top spot on this list.” I agree.

Cute picture of LeBron

2006-10-17T13:19:00.000-04:00

Cavaliers fans, ESPN's website has a picture of LeBron James that we probably wouldn't see during the regular season:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/
teams/photo?photoId=1329417&team=cle

I like it because LeBron is just relaxing and laughing. Just plain having fun. (Which he very likely wouldn't have been doing if the Washington Wizards' 93-89 win really meant anything. ) Sports photos usually feature all this fierce intensity. But it's also cool to see a big ol' grin.

Toy Ball

2006-10-11T11:29:00.000-04:00

With the pre-season ready to start it sounds like the NBA will be using a new ball. Not that I know what a real NBA ball feels like, but Shaq from Miami Heat says it feels like a toy ball. This may be a big adjustment, but I know that the Cavaliers can handle it.

community service

2006-10-02T19:18:00.000-04:00

In a show of community involvement, the Cavs cut the ribbon for a new Reading and Learning Center at the Entrepreneurship Preparatory School, a new charter school in the Glenville neighborhood. The center is the fourth of its kind to be sponsored by the Cavaliers and features a technology lab and library with 28 computers, a projection system, and 500 new books. In a speech at the new center, Campy Russell issued a challenge to students at the school to be passionate, inquisitive, and committed to achieving their goals.

An Historical Series In Progress

2006-06-12T17:05:00.000-04:00

Well the Detroit Pistons were taken out of the Playoffs by the Miami Heat who are now facing the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals. After two losses in a row to start the series I am not sure the Heat have it in them to go all the way. The Mavericks appear to be the better team by a long shot. Shaquille O’Neal scored just 5 points in game 2 of the Finals and stayed on the bench for most of the second half. The Heat did not look like the same team that won the Eastern Conference Finals but hopefully some rest and a home crowd will do them some good. With the Cleveland Cavaliers out of the running I don’t really care who wins especially since both teams have never gotten this far in their entire histories.

Cavs fall to Detroit

2006-05-24T17:12:00.000-04:00

Man, what can I say? Thanks to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a spectacular season and a great effort in the post season. I got pretty excited when we won three in a row but I knew if I got my hopes up I would get let down. I don’t feel that way though. Sure, I wish we were still in it, but we had a great season and LeBron proved he could carry this team pretty far. Maybe we will acquire some good players in the off season come back stronger than ever in the fall. Thanks LeBron! Thanks Cavs!

Feeling a bit edgy.

2006-05-15T20:40:00.000-04:00

I know I haven’t written a lot since the playoffs started but I have been scared to jinx things. But it is time now I think. The Cleveland Cavaliers play the Detroit Pistons in game 4 tonight and I truly believe we have the drive and ambition to pull out a win after Saturday’s victory. Go LeBron and Go Cavs! Oh I am so nervous with anticipation.

Cavaliers cast a spell on the Wizards of Washington.

2006-04-24T19:27:00.000-04:00

The Cleveland Cavaliers took game one of their playoff series against the Washington Wizards on Saturday. LeBron James was a master on the court racking up a triple-double and wowing the crowd. The Cavaliers held the Wizards to 86 points and scored 97 in the process. James was out in front with 32 points, 11 boards and 11 assists. Go Cavs!

Will LeBron James stick with the Cavs?

2006-04-03T00:06:00.000-04:00

The Cleveland Cavaliers pulled off a win over the Dallas Mavericks with stellar numbers and a 107-94 final score. LeBron James, the orange ball master, scored 46 points with style and grace. I can’t believe that it was only 3 months ago that I was worried we were headed for a losing season. I am glad we turned it around but I am wondering if we are going to be able to keep LeBron on this team for very long. He is certainly the backbone of the Cavaliers but he is a superstar. We all know superstars tend to gravitate towards other superstars and this team is lacking in that area.

LeBron Finds Damon for the Win

2006-03-10T13:52:00.000-05:00

The combo of LeBron James and Damon Jones led the Cleveland Cavaliers to a win over the Toronto Raptors. They were tearing up the court in the fourth quarter and in the final seconds LeBron dished out to Jones and he scored just as the final buzzer sounded. This was satisfying for me because I was finally seeing LeBron James get some help from his teammates

James Keeping Cavaliers Above Water

2006-02-10T18:52:00.000-05:00

LeBron James has been our leading scorer all season and once again flexed his muscles scoring 35 points in the Cleveland Cavaliers win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. We are headed to Washington where we look to grab out third straight win with LeBron at the helm.

Cavs resurrection may be too little, too late.

2006-01-30T11:36:00.000-05:00

While I am a Cleveland Cavaliers fan I am far more interested in talking about Super Bowl fashion. The Seattle Seahawks uniforms are pleasing to the eye and give me hope that the NFL will some day modernize to a better look and coordinated colors. If these guys are making millions of dollars they shouldn’t be decked out in the high school-style black and gold garb the Pittsburgh Steelers wear. Boring.

A Little Football News

2006-01-22T00:38:00.000-05:00

This Cleveland Cavaliers fan can’t focus on basketball during the NFL Playoffs. I was shocked when the Pittsburgh Steelers upset the Indianapolis Colts and just as surprised to see the Seattle Seahawks advance this far. I am hoping for a Panthers versus Broncos Super Bowl.

Cavs Struggle to Stay on Top

2006-01-14T19:57:00.000-05:00

The Cavs are on their way to Phoenix tonight to battle the Suns. They have lost two games in a row to the Lakers and the New York Knicks. LeBron James had 35 points against the Knicks yet we lost 84-92. In our game against the Lakers, Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 29 point yet the Cleveland Cavaliers lost to them 98-99. Both were low scoring games and prime examples of our defensive breakdown this season and our spotty win/loss record.. Ilgauskas is really the only player besides LeBron James who is producing on a regular basis for the Cavaliers team. .

Houston Takes Tired Cavaliers

2006-01-07T20:21:00.000-05:00

The Cleveland Cavaliers came back from 17 points down in the fourth quarter only to lose their fifth game in a row against the Houston Rockets. LeBron James was outscored and outmaneuvered on the court and the rest of the team looked tired for the first three quarters. We did not look like a team who could get up the energy to score 17 points in a matter of minutes and almost tie the game. Tracy McGrady was the most forceful and driven member of the Houston team and he pretty much walked all over us and broke through our defense with ease.

Nets Break Cavaliers Winning Streak

2005-12-29T18:42:00.000-05:00

The Cleveland Cavaliers are on their way home to meet the Pistons at Gund Arena. We came off a six game winning streak to lose to the Nets 91-96. LeBron got his 31 points and has consistently been scoring that way but again when we lose it looks like he is alone out there. He is the most reliable and strongest player on the team. Much like Kobe to the Lakers, James caries us through all our tough match ups on his own. He even had eight assists. The next highest scorer for the Cleveland Cavaliers was Ilgauskas. We led in points in the paint but the Nets defense won by blocking shots and pulling down the rebounds.

LeBron and the Cavs Beat Bulls

2005-12-23T20:23:00.000-05:00

The Cleveland Cavaliers pulled out a stellar win over the Chicago Bulls 108-100. In the third period it felt like the game had shifted in the favor of the Bulls, but the Cavaliers pushed back and increased their speed and rebounding and won the game. Damon Jones came off the bench and put down four of his five three point shots in the fourth. LeBron James was responsible for a good part of our scoring in the first three quarters and had Zydrunas Ilgauskas at his side helping out immensely. James had six assists as well and Ilgauskas was waiting under the net for what seemed every rebound of the game.

LeBron Alone on the Court

2005-12-15T19:47:00.000-05:00

Once again LeBron James looked like he was alone on the court on Tuesday against the Hawks. It seems like LeBron is the only one playing offense on the Cleveland Cavaliers team. James scored 39 points on the Hawks, yet the Cavaliers still lost. LeBron had a record 52 points against Milwaukee and we lost that one 106-111. We never got closer than 5 points down for three quarters against a Hawks team we could have beat with our eyes closed a four weeks ago. This is hard to watch because a month ago it looked like we couldn’t lose. LeBron James is putting up the points but he has no support from the rest of the team. We aren’t winning because we are not playing aggressively.

LeBron is not an Island

2005-12-08T20:01:00.000-05:00

The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the San Antonio Spurs last night and did it well. LeBron James once again had 30 points and led this team to victory with precision and skill. He can’t do this alone anymore, though. Considering the last few losses, it looks like LeBron James is alone on the court with no one to help him. Alan Henderson contributes and we were winning for a while. But we have been in a slump lately and it can’t be ignored. We lost to the Clippers whom we had just beaten a week before. LeBron can turn this team around but he needs the other players to play confident.

LeBron Honored by NBA

2005-12-02T12:40:00.000-05:00

The Cleveland Cavaliers are benefiting from the exceptional play of LeBron James. They have won ten games in the last month and LeBron James has averaged almost thirty points and six rebounds in each game. He always racks up the assists and steals as well and has become the leader of the Cavaliers offense and defense this season. He is even being named as the Player of the Month for the NBA’s Eastern Conference. This award is one he has won twice before but he is the first Cleveland player to be honored this way. Hands down LeBon James is easily the best player on this Cavaliers team and one who will lead us to great heights before this season is over.

Pacers Stop James Cold

2005-11-25T13:38:00.000-05:00

The Cleveland Cavaliers saw the end of an eight game winning streak this week. They had a hard first quarter against the Indiana Pacers on Thanksgiving. They just couldn’t get it together after that. The Cavaliers didn’t look like the team we saw just one game ago. LeBron James put forth a mediocre effort with five steals, 19 points and 10 rebounds. Ron Artest played a superior defense against LeBron James and dominated him so fully in the first half that James scored only four points. What happened to the team who won the last eight games? Are they ready for the Timberwolves?

Five Over Twenty and Looking Good

2005-11-15T15:04:00.000-05:00

The Cleveland Cavaliers took their fourth straight win over Orlando on Sunday. Lebron James was the star once again with 26 points and Larry Hughes was even more inspiring with nine boards and seven assists. Stealing the ball four times and blocking one shot Larry Hughes was a force to be reckoned with and Orlando didn’t have an answer. With 14 steals it was the Cavaliers defense that came out and gave these players the opportunities they capitalized on. I’m thinking 5-2 is a good record to have going into the game with Eddie Jordan’s Washington Wizards. Who knows what will happen when we see Orlando again this week.

Brown Town

2005-06-06T17:36:00.000-04:00

For the 2006 season the Cleveland Cavaliers new Head Coach will be Mike Brown, but will Mike Brown really be in charge. It is also said that Larry Brown will take over all basket operations next year for the Cavs. With Larry Brown at holding the reigns, don’t be surprised he decides to take over coaching duties as well.

Think About it

2005-05-30T13:32:00.000-04:00

A new debate has aroused my thoughts, a debate that will probably continue for ages to come. The question being; who is better Shaquille O’Neal or Wilt Chamberlin? Now before anyone decides to answer this question, one should take time to think about it.

To think about all the factors that comes into play.

For one I am not a big fan of Shaq (not that it is relavent in this debate) but the man is very good at what he does and will some day join Wilt in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

But consider it was two different eras and two different styles. It is almost like comparing Joe Montana to Brett Favre, both great players but two different eras.

So what do you all think?

Why

2005-05-24T18:34:00.000-04:00

Did you all hear about the Official site of the Cleveland Cavaliers starting their on blog for the team? What kind of crap is that? I just don’t feel that professional teams need to do this, they get enough attention as it through the media.

I feel this really takes away from the fan. The whole of point of the blogs are to inform from a fans point of view. To give the little people a voice to say something about their team. I just don’t like this idea one bit. What do you all think out there?

Job Opening

2005-05-19T19:26:00.000-04:00

The Cleveland Cavaliers are still in search for some one to take over the reins as coach and General Manager. Rumor had it that Chuck Daly and Kiki Vandeweghe were the front runners to fill the void at the coach/GM spot.

But I wouldn’t count on either of those men getting the job. Sources said that Daly had already turned down a contract offer from the Cavaliers a month ago. And as for Vandeweghe, he seems pretty content over in Denver, Colorado. I don’t think he would be leaving his young talented team there.

The 4 Horsemen

2005-05-11T19:29:00.000-04:00

As business would have it LeBron James has decided he no longer needs agent Aaron Goodwin. The two had a 2 year business relationship where Goodwin got James one of the most lucrative contracts for a 20 year old. Goodwin was able to land a 90 million dollar deal with Nike.

Then after that, Goodwin continued with several other multimillion deals that included the likes of Upper Deck and Coca Cola.

With Goodwin out of the picture James turned over the management duties to long time friend, Maverick Carter, who used to be a former teammate on LeBron’s high school team. It seems James has faith in his long term friends. As life would have it, James has Randy Mihms and Rich Paul along side new agent Maverick Carter; all who are best friends, working as in managerial positions and act as his representatives.

They call themselves the ‘Four Horsemen’.

King James Must Rule With a Tighter Fist

2005-04-27T19:12:00.000-04:00

by Sean Deveney/Sporting news, from foxsports.com

Write this down. Take it to Vegas, take it to some offshore Internet casino, and take it to Knee-breaking Ned, your local bookie: The Cavaliers will make the playoffs next year.

Barring some freakish injury, things cannot get any worse in Cleveland. After a 31-21 start this season, the Cavaliers spiraled out of control, finished 11-19, forked over their playoff spot and left just about everyone involved with the franchise wearing the scarlet "C" (as in choke).

General Manager Jim Paxson and Coach Paul Silas got the tangible brunt of blame -- both were fired. New owner Dan Gilbert already has alienated many fans with his knee-jerk reactions. Among the players, center Zydrunas Ilgauskas did nothing to warrant the big-time contract he will seek in the free-agent market this summer, and point guard Jeff McInnis' attitude and lax defense sent his free-agent stock plummeting.

Oh, and whatever happened to Jiri Welsch, Lucious Harris and Sasha Pavlovic?

The only Cavaliers employee who has escaped the mudslinging is the savior of Cleveland basketball, the mahatma of the Midwest, LeBron James. That's because he is coming off a terrific season in which he averaged 27.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.2 assists and because his triple double in the Cavs' finale nearly nudged Cleveland into the playoffs. It's also because folks in Cleveland do not want to offend James -- he can become a free agent in two years, and no one wants to run the risk of upsetting him.

But someone should. As terrific as James was this season, he is the Cavaliers' franchise player, and when the franchise fails, the leader must accept some blame. Sure, he is 20 years old, and sure, he just finished only his second NBA season. But James bears some responsibility for what happens to his team, for better and worse. The triple double was nice, but how about the six turnovers he committed in a key loss to New Jersey? Or the crushing home loss to the Knicks, in which James shot 2-for-8 with three turnovers as the Cavs blew a four-point lead in the fourth quarter?

Making the playoffs in the East is not a terribly difficult thing to do -- James should have found a way to get it done. As one opposing east assistant coach points out, "LeBron seemed to not trust his teammates more as the year went on, and their offense kind of stopped. It became LeBron on isolation, again and again, and that wasn't really enough."

Kevin Loughery, who coached the Bulls during Michael Jordan's rookie year, sees a major difference between the young Jordan and the young James.

"LeBron James is a great player," Loughery says. "But I don't think Michael Jordan would let his team lose the games that the Cavaliers lost late in the year the way LeBron has. I think, obviously, there are some problems in that locker room, and it could be jealousy around LeBron. "We had that when Michael was a rookie. He was not easy on his teammates, even in his first year. He would practice hard, he would go all-out all the time, and some guys did not like that. Not all of his teammates liked Michael, but he did not care. They respected him. He would not allow his team to lose games if he could control it. I don't see that in LeBron yet."

Someone in Cleveland needs to say that to James, whether it's the new owner, the new coach, the new general manager or one of the many new players the Cavaliers will add this summer. Don't let James escape blame. Appeal to his competitive instincts. Let the pain of what happened at the end of this season drive him over the summer. Let him stop caring about what his teammate’s think, the way Jordan did.

Too many people in Cleveland seem to operate in fear of offending James, but the team can't make its decisions based on paranoia over whether James wants to stay with the Cavaliers. James has said he does not want to leave. Besides, the way James' contract is structured, he will be a free agent after 2007, but he will be restricted, meaning the Cavaliers will be able to match any offer and keep him.

James is good enough to lead the Cavaliers to the postseason single-handedly. He will do that next year. But only if someone in Cleveland has the guts to point the finger at him.

If Cavs flounder, James just might fish for a Trade

2005-04-12T18:10:00.000-04:00

This is a very good aticale I feel it does a great job explaining the situation with Sir LeBron James.

by Jemele Hill, from the Orlando Sentinel.com

Every franchise comes to a point where it's two doors they can take.

Behind door No. 1 is a brilliant move that sets the organization up to win for decades. The other door dooms it to eternal failure.

The Cleveland Cavaliers, who came to Orlando on Monday night and beat the Magic, have come to these two doors. Behind door No. 1 is LeBron James. That means whatever is behind the other door is irrelevant.

The Cavaliers are on the verge of fouling up things with James, who in two years has become one of the five best players in the league and is already so much of a pop culture icon he made Time magazine's 100 most influential people list this week.

James' camp has reportedly informed the Cavs their star isn't too happy with the team's nosedive since new owner Dan Gilbert went Daniel Snyder -- what is it with owners named Dan? -- and fired coach Paul Silas. If things don't get better and the Cavs aren't serious about winning, James will supposedly force a trade.

James, of course, is playing the dutiful star, but the trade rumors were taken so seriously Las Vegas put out odds on when he'll be traded.

If Gilbert loses James, automatically rank it as the third-dumbest franchise move in pro basketball history. No. 1 belongs to the Magic for losing Shaquille O'Neal and No. 2 belongs to the Los Angeles Lakers for trading him.

James' discourse with the Cavs is completely understandably. Cleveland went from being a strong No. 3 seed in the playoff race to a bad episode of Young and the Restless.

If James had to decide today about his future with the Cavs, he'd be gone. This discombobulated team is hanging on to a playoff berth by its fingertips. Why would James tolerate playoff-less seasons in Cleveland when he could go to a major market and become an even bigger star than he already is?

Shaking things up is one thing, but pushing James away is just plain dumb on Gilbert's part. It's not like James is crying about more shots or money. He just wants to win. If Gilbert trades James, he might as well dump the $375 million he invested into a Great Lake.

To King James' credit, he's shown incredible restraint during this mess, even though he's earned the right to be publicly upset.

"I just try to keep positive," James said. "Stay level-headed. A lot of things have been going on, but I have to be here for my teammates. You can't show them you're frustrated, especially because I'm the leader of this team."

James hates being compared to Michael Jordan, but he's as image-conscious as Jordan was. At 20, James knows petulancy -- even in the name of winning --- can be misconstrued. James doesn't want a copy of Kobe Bryant's "Ruining A Team for Dummies," or Magic Johnson's "How to Lose A Coach in Ten Days."

James is wisely watching the Cavs every move. He has all the leverage in this situation because Gilbert doesn't want to be the owner who chased away the guy who might finish his career as the best to ever play the game.

"The fans of Cleveland have nothing to worry about right now," James said. "I'm happy being in Cleveland."

So Cleveland is officially on the clock, giving Gilbert two years to pull things together. If Jim Paxson is fired as most expect, Gilbert better hire a general manager that is serious about building a champion. Next, lure Flip Saunders or Phil Jackson to coach -- no matter the cost. Finally, shut up and watch James fill the trophy case and his wallet.

That's the right door to go through.

Guard scores 37 points in rout

2005-04-04T19:05:00.000-04:00

by (AP), from ESPN.com

LeBron James kept his cool when his teammates lost theirs.

James scored 37 points and Zydrunas Ilgausks added 21 to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers past the Dallas Mavericks 100-80 Sunday despite the ejection of two players.

The Cavaliers, who led by 20 points in the second quarter, looked like they would implode late in the third quarter when Robert Traylor and Drew Gooden were tossed for arguing Traylor's foul on Jerry Stackhouse. Traylor threw his arm band into the crowd, and Gooden followed by whipping his head band into the seats.

"LeBron came up right after that and said 'I've got it," Cavaliers coach Brendan Malone said. "When you have a player of his caliber saying 'I've got it,' you got it."

James played every minute for the fourth time in nine games, including two that went to overtime, and is averaging nearly 32 points a game over that span.

"No matter how many minutes I play, I'm so determined to get to the playoffs right now that I can't afford to get tired," said James, who added 10 rebounds and seven assists.
The win keeps the Cavaliers (38-34) tied with Indiana for the sixth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, and snapped their string of eight straight losses to Dallas.

Following the ejections, Stackhouse hit four straight free throws to tie the game at 56. Michael Finley added a 3-pointer on the next possession to give the Mavericks their first lead.

But Finley was flagged with a technical after getting in an official's face over his foul on a 3-point attempt by James, who made all four free throws to make it 60-59 at the end of the period.

Asked if that was the pivotal play in the game, Mavericks coach Avery Johnson responded: "What's the next question?"

The four-point play sparked the crowd and the Cavaliers. Ilgauskas scored eight of the next 11 points on a 13-2 run to open the fourth quarter, making it 69-61 and securing the lead for good.

"'Z' was struggling until the fourth quarter and then he came alive," Malone said.Ilgauskas scored 15 of his points in the second half, and had 16 rebounds. Anderson Varejao stepped up in Gooden's absence, scoring nine with eight rebounds.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 21 points and Stackhouse added 16. The loss ended the Mavericks' four-game winning streak...

And One...

2005-03-29T13:49:00.000-05:00

"You could see it in his eyes. The thing that disappoints me is we just took a back seat. We didn't challenge him or their whole team. We took a step backwards instead of matching their intensity."

These are the words of Hornets coach Byron Scott referring to, none other than, LeBron James. Scott was describing the tone of the game when the Cleveland Cavaliers topped off the New Orleans Hornets last night 109 to 108 in overtime by overcoming a 17 point spread in the 3rd quarter.

Leading the way for the Cavs was their court general James. James put up 44 points by the end of regulation. But the most impressive thing was that LeBron made all his shots in the 4 quarter. I mean everything was going in. This man was not meant to miss that night. He pushed his team with a 25-7 run in the 4th to help change the swing of the game.

Lakers-Cavaliers Preview

2005-02-13T17:29:00.001-05:00

from Foxsports.com

STANDINGS:
Lakers - 3rd place, 12{ GB, Pacific Division.
Cavaliers - 2nd place, 1{ GB, Central Division.

PROBABLE STARTERS:
Lakers - F Jumaine Jones, F Odom, C Chris Mihm, G Chucky Atkins, G Butler.
Cavaliers - F James, F Drew Gooden, C Ilgauskas, G Jeff McInnis, G Ira Newble.

TEAM LEADERS:
Lakers - Bryant, 27.5 ppg and 6.6 apg; Odom, 10.3 rpg.
Cavaliers - James, 25.3 ppg and 7.7 apg; Gooden, 9.7 rpg.

SEASON SERIES:
Lakers, 1-0.

LAST MEETING:
Jan. 13; Lakers, 98-94. At Los Angeles, Odom scored 24 points and Butler added 22 for the Lakers. James scored a game-high 28 points for the Cavs.

ROAD/HOME RECORDS:
Lakers - 8-13 on the road
Cavaliers - 18-5 at home.

INJURIES:
Lakers - G Bryant (ankle); C Vlade Divac (back); F Devean George (ankle).
Cavaliers - F Anderson Varejao (leg); G Luke Jackson (back); F Dajuan Wagner (colitis).

The Return

2005-02-02T16:31:00.000-05:00

In LeBron James’ homecoming, from a two game absences due to a sprained left ankle, he had 28 points and 7 assists with 5 rebounds. The comeback wasn’t perfect though. His first shot of the game was an uncharacteristic air ball followed by 3 missed 3-pointers.

Ouch!

In the end the Cavaliers lost the game in the final seconds to the Orlando Magic 105-102 on Tuesday night. Don’t fret Cavalier fans, because we are still only half a game behind Detroit in the Eastern Central standings.

Still at the top

2005-01-23T13:49:00.000-05:00

From sports.yahoo.com:

LeBron James usually claims he doesn't care about his numbers. Not this time: He couldn't deny a bit of excitement about the double digits all over his stat line these days.

James had his second triple-double in three games, getting 28 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in the Cleveland Cavaliers' 105-87 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night.

Just three nights after becoming the youngest player in NBA history with a triple-double, James duplicated the feat in an easy win over the Warriors. Though he claimed not to know his exact totals in the final minutes, the Cavs all knew: They celebrated when Zydrunas Ilgauskas hit a 3-pointer on a final assist from James with 29 seconds left.

``I told you, I'm rolling now,'' the 20-year-old James said. ``I said that once I got the first (triple-double), I'm rolling. If I can get a triple-double in wins like this, I will love it.''

Over his last six games, James is averaging nearly 28 points, nine rebounds and 8.5 assists per game.

``It's not a goal of mine to average a triple-double, but that was my New Year's resolution,'' James said, jokingly referring to a promise he made on television recently. ``I'll keep trying to play well and keep getting wins. ... It's hard to average a triple-double, but I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing, and I'll come close to it, though.''

James still is four weeks younger than Lamar Odom was when he became the youngest player to get a triple-double in 1999. James got his first in Portland three days earlier, with 27 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in a loss.

``He took over, which he's capable of doing, and everybody else just followed,'' Cleveland coach Paul Silas said. ``Every night, his production is going to be there, and you can just write it down.''

James appeared frustrated at several points in Oakland, throwing his clear protective mask back to the bench after one turnover. He even got a technical foul from referee Steve Javie for protesting a reversed call in the third quarter.

But James took control in the fourth for the first-place Cavs and sent the Warriors to their 11th loss in 12 games.

``I love making my teammates happy,'' James said. ``If you ask any of my teammates now, they're happy.''

Eric Snow had season highs of 16 points and 12 assists in his first start of the season in place of Jeff McInnis, who sat out to rest his sprained left foot in the finale of Cleveland's six-game West Coast road trip.

James keyed a 15-3 run in the fourth quarter with eight straight points -- including a vicious dunk on a cross-court pass from Snow with 6:53 left.

Jason Richardson scored 22 points for the Warriors, who were dismal in front of just their second sellout crowd of the season. Richardson did a decent job defending James -- but even a decent job can't stop James from affecting the game in countless ways.

``The guy is unbelievable,'' Richardson said. ``He scores, he rebounds, he passes the ball well. I played against him last year, and I watch him on TV, and he gets better every game. ... He picks and chooses his times. He knows that early in the game, teams are going to double- and triple-team him. He just waits until it's the right time to take over.''

The Cavs won three of six on their road trip, and Silas called it a big success. Cleveland stayed in first place in the Central Division during the trip, increasing the lead to 1 1/2 games when Detroit lost to Chicago earlier Saturday.

Drew Gooden and Ilgauskas had 18 points apiece for the Cavaliers, who led for all but the first 2 1/2 minutes.

The Warriors played without Speedy Claxton and Cliff Robinson when both were scratched from the lineup shortly before tipoff. Claxton couldn't run well on his bruised right thigh, and Robinson has stiffness in his lower back.

Those injuries, combined with an obvious mental letdown after Friday night's narrow loss to the Lakers, combined to produce an unimpressive performance.

``I don't think we really had the energy tonight, and the ball started going down for the Cavs,'' Warriors coach Mike Montgomery said. ``We just couldn't get anything going. We started getting frustrated and taking more 3's, and we didn't move the ball as much as we like to.''

James' dominance is growing each game, and his Triple-Double after Triple-Double has amazed the whole country. Keep up the good work Cavs and James!

James steps up

2005-01-11T19:13:00.000-05:00

From sports.yahoo.com:

This morning the Cavaliers' public relations department will submit the team's nomination for NBA Player of the Week to the league office in New York.

Forget that it's moot -- the Indiana Pacers' Jermaine O'Neal is probably a lock. But who would you nominate after the team's three victories last week?

LeBron James? Perhaps Jeff McInnis? Remember Zydrunas Ilgauskas' 28 points against the Atlanta Hawks?

After careful review of the statistics, though, the most prudent just might be... Lucious Harris. And after him, the wise might list Anderson Varejao and Eric Snow next. To be politically correct, all of the Cavaliers' reserves might just try for the honor collectively.

No doubt the Cavaliers' starters have carried the freight this season, perhaps even playing too much. James, Ilgauskas, McInnis and Drew Gooden are all on pace to get career-high minutes. But lately the scales have been balancing, and it is leading to some of the finest basketball the team has played this season.

"I have to say I'm more comfortable with the rotation right now," Cavaliers coach Paul Silas said. "It's been coming."

Buoyed by their thrashing of the New York Knicks on Saturday, the Cavaliers' reserves have enjoyed their most prolific period of the season over the past three games, all decisive victories because of them.

The reserves are directly altering the course of the games, whether scoring or just on the defensive end, as a whole unit or partial one.

Start nowhere else than with Harris. The veteran shooting guard averaged 8 points in the past three games. So why should he be a Player of the Week candidate?

With him on the floor -- 51 minutes in the three games -- the Cavaliers have outscored the opposition by 62 points. That's no typo, just the sort of valuable plus/minus statistic that excites coaches.

"We're just trying to do what the starters have been doing all season," Harris said. "Get after it on the defensive end, try to talk and get each other's backs."

Varejao has 33 rebounds in 66 minutes over the past three, which has helped the Cavaliers outscore the other team by 44 points with him on the floor.

A classic example of this value was Wednesday against the Hawks. Varejao played the game's final 13 minutes and didn't score a point, but shut down Hawks star Antoine Walker, holding him scoreless. With the Brazilian rookie in, it went from a tie game to a 16-point blowout victory.

It was with Harris, Snow and Robert Traylor on the floor last Monday in Charlotte that the Cavaliers erased an early seven-point deficit to take a commanding halftime lead.

Snow (+35), Traylor (+27) and Sasha Pavlovic (+11) all have impressive plus/minus ratings over the past three games. In fact, after the Cavaliers went 3-5 with Traylor on the injured list with a broken finger, they've gone 5-1 since his return.

Surely James and his fellow starters can claim equally good numbers and take much more credit, but the shoring up of the once-questionable bench has positively affected the entire team's outlook.

This current streak has been gaining momentum for several weeks as Silas has been gaining more faith in playing his reserves. All involved are hoping the consistency strengthens as the season progresses.

"What we've had is we've had a consistent group. We've stuck with nine or 10 guys," Snow said. "When you know you're getting in every night and you know what you are expected to bring to the table, you get more confident and more comfortable."

Dribbles

Before Saturday's game, the Cavaliers activated center Scott Williams from the injured list and placed DeSagana Diop on it with a sore elbow... Fans at Gund Arena got free chalupas from Taco Bell 12 times when the team scored more than 100 points last season. The Cavaliers already have done it 11 times in 16 games this season.... The Cavaliers netted their 20th win of the season Saturday. Last season, they didn't get their 20th victory until Feb. 9... Dajuan Wagner has had a horrible bout of intestinal flu that's kept him out for five days.

LeBron James has really stepped up to the leadership positions after these last couple of games. He just turned 20, yet he has led a professional team to the top of the division. Zydrunas Ilgauskas,avg:16 ppg and 2 bpg, also hasn't been shy to strut his stuff. He has also been playing an important role in the Cav's record along with Jeff McInnis and Drew Gooden. Lets keep up the good work Cavaliers and stay at the top for the rest of season.

Cavaliers Drop Heartbreaker

2004-12-24T15:49:00.000-05:00

from the official site of teh Cleveland Cavaliers

LeBron James made 1-of-2 from the foul line with 43.6 seconds left to knot the score at 90-all, but New Jersey hit a last-second shot to hand Cleveland a 92-90 loss on Wednesday. James matched his number with 23 points, while Jeff McInnis followed up with 17. Drew Gooden bounced back from a scoreless first half to add 14 and 11 rebounds. Ira Newble also chipped in with 14 points for the Cavaliers, who take on the Hornets on December 26 at the Gund.

Portland (10-10) at Cleveland (13-8)

2004-12-15T19:48:00.000-05:00

from NBA.com

The Portland Trail Blazers continue a six-game road trip Wednesday with a visit to the Central Division-leading Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Trail Blazers began the trip off on a sour note, dropping a 100-89 decision to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday - their fourth straight road loss.

Darius Miles came off the bench to score 17 points, but Portland was outrebounded, 51-39, and failed to reach the 90-point mark for the seventh time in 10 games.

Just 3-7 on the road, the Trail Blazers must now face a Cavaliers squad that has won eight in a row at Gund Arena, with only three by fewer than 11 points.

Cleveland wrapped up a three-game road trip with a 92-86 win at Memphis on Monday - a game that showcased all the skills of superstar LeBron James.

James scored 31 points on 14-of-22 shooting, dished out eight assists and made a career-high seven steals. The Cavaliers stepped up defensively in the fourth quarter, holding the Grizzlies to just 13 points to salvage the final game of the road trip.

Portland has won five of the last six meetings.

Knicks Return Home; Stop Cavs

2004-11-23T17:14:00.000-05:00

from NBA.com

Seemingly every time the Cleveland Cavaliers pulled within two points of the New York Knicks in the fourth quarter, Jamal Crawford or Kurt Thomas answered.

Crawford scored 13 of his 24 points and Thomas eight of his 16 in the fourth quarter as the Knicks held off the Cavaliers, 98-88.

Cleveland had won six in a row by an average of 15.6 points but could not stop Crawford and Thomas from putting them further behind in this one.

Tim Thomas' 3-pointer gave New York a 57-42 lead just under two minutes into the second half, but Cleveland pulled within 73-71 entering the fourth quarter.

The Knicks and Cavs alternated baskets four times to begin the period, with Cleveland pulling within 81-79 on a runner by Jeff McInnis with 8:42 left. But Kurt Thomas, who also grabbed 12 rebounds, hit back-to-back jumpers to trigger 15-4 run, which ended on his jump hook with 3:27 to play that made it 96-83.

Crawford had seven points during the burst, making a 13-point jumper, a deep 3-pointer and a pair of free throws.

"When you get rolling like that, you think shot a little more," Crawford said. "You don't think shot every single time, but your teammates are doing a great job finding you. It makes my job easier."

"The thing I tried to do with Jamal was to put him in an area where I knew he could score and use his quickness," Knicks coach Lenny Wilkens said.

Coming off a pair of close games - a win in Houston and a loss in Dallas - that gave them a renewed sense of confidence, the Knicks didn't panic when the Cavaliers had chances to take the lead.

"I think we've gotten better and better against adversity," said Crawford, who made 9-of-19 shots. "We're getting better and more trusting of each other. It's going to take a little time for us to jell and now you're starting to see it."

"We can definitely get better," Kurt Thomas said. "We are definitely covering for each other. We are definitely starting to develop trust for each other and it is starting to show over the last four games."

Stephon Marbury contributed 12 points and 10 assists for the Knicks, who shot a season-best 53 percent (40-of-75). He also had three assists during the game-turning run.

"Whoever is hot is supposed to get the ball," Marbury said. "If we are not getting him the ball, we are doing ourselves a disservice."

Drew Gooden scored a season-high 25 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for Cleveland, which shot 47 percent (37-of-78).

Cleveland's LeBron James collected 13 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds but shot just 5-of-15. He scored only two points in the first half while blanketed by Tim Thomas and was held scoreless in the fourth quarter by Penny Hardaway.

"We had great awareness where LeBron was," Crawford said. "Guys who played him, played him tough and knew where the help was coming from. We just made it tough on him."

James failed to score 20 points for just the second time in 10 games this season.

"We couldn't get into a groove as a unit," said James, whose team played Saturday at home against Charlotte. "We were tired in shootaround this morning."

The Knicks also snapped a five-game losing streak vs. the Cavaliers and tied a season best for points allowed.

A Rivalry is Born?

2004-11-01T16:26:00.000-05:00

From NBA.com

This year, the Cavaliers franchise celebrates its 35th year in the league. But throughout those 35 years, besides the Larry O’Brien Trophy, the Wine and Gold has lacked one key element: a rival.

Everyone loves a rivalry. Whether it’s OSU v. Michigan, Browns v. Steelers or Seinfeld v. Newman, it’s great to have a clearly defined nemesis -- if you have to have one. The Cavaliers haven’t had a consistent rival in the past 35 years. But last night’s loogey might have changed all that.

On Monday night in Columbus, after an epic third-quarter duel with LeBron James, Boston forward Paul Pierce spat at the Cavaliers’ bench after barking at them to sit down.

LeBron had just gone airborne for a massive dunk after picking Pierce’s pocket on the other end. [As much as NBA players want to love LBJ, it still gets under their skin when the young buck uses his superior skills against them.

Pierce’s frustration literally spilled out onto the court on Monday night. It was the frustration of losing to the Cavaliers for the second time in three days. It was the frustration of the new kid on the block bullying the bully and the frustration of seeing his team’s descent as the Wine and Gold is movin’ on up.

LeBron James said it himself last night about the budding rivalry: “I love playing Boston. I guess we got a rival now!”

It all started last season when Ricky Davis was traded to the Celtics in December. On his way out, he took some parting shots at the squad and the city. On February 9, Ricky D returned to the Gund just in time to see the Cavaliers snap the Celtics 13-game win streak over Cleveland with a 97-89 win.

Later last season, the Celtics edged the Cavaliers for the final playoff spot, even though the Wine and Gold won their final three ballgames and Boston dropped nine of their last ten to back into the postseason. Neither team is counting on a similar scenario this year.

On a personal level, I couldn’t be happier. There are certain teams that I love to hate and the Boston Celtics are one of them. In fact, they’re number one. It’s nothing personal. I love Doc Rivers and I’m sure most of the actual Celtics themselves are good enough guys. But just thinking about Larry Bird getting the continuation call in the ’84 playoffs, or Red Auerbach smugly lighting up that big old victory cigar or Bill Walton waving his towel in those extra-small shorts makes my blood boil.

As a kid, you either pulled for Boston or the Lakers. Boston was Bird, McHale and the Chief. They were the Man. They were the Machine. The Lakers were Showtime, baby! It was Magic, Kareem, Coop and Jamal “Silk” Wilkes.

Those Celtics are long gone but the lore is still there. Monday night’s mayhem re-kindled my dislike for the men in green and may have introduced an entirely new generation of Celtic-haters to the fold. Either way, it’s good to have a rival. And it’s so much better when it’s the Celtics.

Welcome!

2004-08-19T17:23:00.000-04:00

Thanks for dropping by my new Cavs blog! It'll be up and running with content shortly, so stay tuned!