SB Nation - Anthony Parker

Game #28 - Cleveland Cavaliers at Dallas Mavericks

John Bena (aka CavsBlogger) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:54:10 -0000

2009/2010 NBA Regular Season
	VS
19-8		20-7
December 20, 2009
Quicken Loans Arena
7:30 PM et
Radio - WTAM 1100 / TV - FSOhio HD; ESPN
Probable starters:
Jason Kidd	PG	Mo Williams
Jose Barea	SG	Anthony Parker
Shawn Marion	SF	LeBron James
Tim Thomas	PF	J.J. Hickson
Erick Dampier	C	Shaquille O'Neal

No Dirk for Dallas so no problem for the Cavaliers? Hard to say, but what is certain is the necessity for the Cavaliers to start this tough road trip on a positive note.

Injury news - The Cavaliers are healthy

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Cavaliers vs Mavericks coverage; Cavaliers vs Mavericks preview; Mavs Moneyball

Game 22: Cleveland at Oklahoma City

daddydai — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 17:39:41 -0000

More photos » by Joe Murphy - NBAE/Getty Images

Browse more photos »

This also counts as an open thread, so feel free to post your thoughts during the game here.

Time: 6:00 PM Central Standard Time

Place: The Ford Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

TV: Fox Sports Oklahoma

Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1)

Enemy Blog(s): Fear the Sword

Backstory: But first a disclaimer.

When it comes to Thunder basketball, I am an eternal optimist. Positive thought equals positive results, right? So being unbiased is a rough task for me. After the Thunder defeated the Orlando Magic, I feel OKC proved that they can beat any team. So let's continue with the task at hand.

The Cavs added Shaq to their roster in order to "Bring the King a ring". With the extra strength inside somehow the Cavs have already tallied up seven losses. Not to mention losses to teams that the Thunder have already defeated (Washington & Memphis). So should we be encouraged? I'd say yes. Plus we all know that KD and the boys like to step up to the top teams in the league.

Of course Cleveland has plenty of bigs that can contend with our paltry front court. So expect Krispy to jump start his jump shot in hopes to pull the Shaq away from the basket. Cleveland also has a nice outside game that OKC has to be aware of. Expect some nice cuts to the basket by Williams and Lebron. In order for the Thunder to pull this one off shots have to fall and rebounds must be collected.

Since, I'm always bouncing about the internet here are a few more thoughts about the game:

Cavs Hit the Road, Travel to OKC | King James Gospel | A Cleveland Cavs Blog
Cleveland’s starting shooting guard Anthony Parker played basketball in Israel for Macabbi Tel Aviv before entering the NBA and is very accustomed to the celebrations of Hanukkah. And AP comes out hot right from the opening tip. Parker picks up four of LeBron’s seven first quarter assists and pours in 12 early points to lead the Cavs to an early 14 point lead. Cleveland withstands a late second quarter run by the Thunder and goes into the locker room with an eight point advantage, 54 – 46.

The King takes matters into his own hands to start the third quarter and pours in 8 consecutive points and finished the quarter with a game-high 27. After sitting the first six minutes of the fourth quarter, James checks back in with his team

clinging to a four point lead. Kevin Durant tries to steal the King’s throne but LeBron matches him point-for-point. Jeff Green cans two from long distance in the last two minutes and the Cavs trail by 2 with 11 seconds.

LeBron takes the inbound pass from Delonte West and dribbles to his right. Anderson Varejao levels Green on a screen but LeBron runs out of room at the foul line. He swings out to Mo who feeds Parker with a touch pass in the corner. And Anthony Parker celebrates day three of Hanukkah with a game winning tre. Cavs win 103-102.

Cavaliers-Thunder Preview - STATS Senior Writer - NBA - Sporting News
The Thunder are three games over .500 for the first time since 2004-05, when the team was based in Seattle and finished 52-30. Oklahoma City, the second-youngest team in the NBA, has reached 12 wins after needing 50 games to accomplish that feat last season. "They have a very, very good young (group) of basketball players that love to play the game of basketball," James said. "We are looking forward to the challenge. It is going to be a good road test for us against a young, explosive team in their home building, and we have to come out with the same fire we did in the second half (Friday)."

Star Power: Comparisons grow between Kevin Durant and LeBron James | NewsOK.com
At first glance, it’s easy to think LeBron James and Kevin Durant aren’t in the same league. Simply suggesting the two players are seemed silly this summer when the connection first gained steam. Durant’s Thunder was coming off a shameful 23-win season. James’ Cavs, meanwhile, were fresh off yet another deep playoff run. But the comparison now seems credible as the two meet for the first time this season tonight inside the Ford Center. Durant, in his third season, is blossoming into the star many projected him to become and has his Thunder off to a surprising 12-9 start. Durant also ranks fourth in the league in scoring, sitting .1 point ahead of James.

Cavs (16-7)	Matchups	Thunder (12-9)
Mo Williams Some people call me Maurice	Point Guard Tonight's point guard match up will be overlooked since we will have a superstar match up on our hands. Williams is 44% from beyond the arc. Westbrook shoots 66% from three-land while facing Cleveland. One important note, Mo often leaves the ball handling responsibility to LeBron. Slight Advantage: Thunder	Russell Westbrook The Constant Evolver

Anthony Parker Not Tony	Shooting Guard Parker is a legitimate threat with the 3-ball. He has shot over 50% this season. Thabo can contain Parker, but Thabo will likely be spending time helping guard LeBron. Just how much time Thabo spends with James will determine the result of this match up. Advantage: Thunder	Thabo Sefolosha Swiss Army Defender

Bron Bron The King	Small Forward Here it is! The match up we all waited for. The summer long discussions of who is better will be re-sparked if KD can hold his own against Cleveland's Dancing Queen. Unfortunately LeBron is much quicker and stronger than Durant. Advantage: Cavs	Kevin Durant The Kid

J.J. Hickson Ze Son of Hick	Power Forward Hickson's rebounding average is only 3.8 rebounds per game. Green should us this to his advantage, even though Green isn't a rebounding machine himself. Who ever wins this match up will decide the game. Advantage: Thunder	Jeff Green Green Energy

Shaquille O'Neil The Big Question	Center So the Vanilla Gorilla poked Shaq in the eye, and the Big Whateva is listed as questionable. Either way, I don't see Krstic winning against anyone from the Cav's front court. Perhaps Thomas will get minutes tonight? Advantage: Cavs	Nenad Krstic Mr. Comb Over

Anderson Varejao Curly Fries	Bench & Role Players Serge Ibaka and Nick Collison will face off against Curly Fries and Nosferatu (better known as Varejao and Ilgauskas). While Lucky Harden and Shaun Livingston will compete against the really athletic Jamario Moon and gun-toting Delonte West. If Harden's shots fall we will be fine, otherwise I'm expecting Moon to defy gravity. Advantage: Cavs	James Harden Wonder Beard

Mike Brown Former COY	Coach I could be completely wrong, but I believe LeBron won Brown's coach of the year. Brooks on the other hand has done a great job harnessing the Thunder. Oh yeah, don't forget the Thunder also have Mo Cheeks and Ron Adams helping from the bench. Advantage: Thunder	Scott Brooks Next COY
	images via yahoo.com

	Other Factors
	Injuries Shaq might be out with a poked eye. Daniel Gibson injured his finger in Battier's jersey the other night. Of course Leon Powe, Kyle Weaver, and Kevin Ollie are out of commission for awhile.
	Intangibles If the Thunder keep this game close, LeBron will likely wear himself out. Can Sefolosha's defense and Collison's rebounding keep this game close? Will Westbrook maintain his composure?
	Prediction Expected a very energetic game from both teams. In the long run the Cavs will dominate the game with dribble penetration, while the Thunder will rely on mid-range shooting. Prediction: Cavs 98 - Thunder 93

Poll

Who will win tonight's game?

Oklahoma City Thunder

16 votes

Cleveland Cavaliers

13 votes

29 votes | Poll has closed

Game Preview - Phoenix Suns vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

Mike Lisboa — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:11:43 -0000

Amar'e Stoudemire must start AND FINISH with his gorilla game for the Suns to have a chance in Cleveland tonight. (Photo by Max Simbron)

View full size photo »

Hopefully the Suns can make like Alando Tucker and wash the icky residue of last night's loss to the Knicks off their hands before mixing it up with the Cavaliers in Cleveland tonight.

The Suns head into Cleveland 2-1 with a chance at salvaging a winning record on this eastern road swing before coming home to face the Kings on Saturday. Last night the Suns came out flat on both ends of the court and despite rallying to get within 6, never recovered offensively or defensively.

So, which Suns team will show up tonight? The 14-3 power rankings darlings or that group of zombies that took the court in New York last night.

The Cavaliers come into tonight's game riding a 4 game winning streak, including a 16-point thumping of the Mavericks on Saturday. That's right: Saturday. In addition to being at home, Lebron and company have 3 days of rest. For their part, after taking most of yesterday's game off, the Suns should be plenty rested as well *rimshot*.

Match-ups

Guards

At the point, we have Steve Nash going up against Mo Williams. On paper, this would seem to be a clear advantage for the Suns, but last season Mo torched the Suns for 30 points in their meeting in Phoenix and 44 in Cleveland (Nash missed this game with an injury). Off the bench, it's Daniel Gibson vs. Goran Dragic. While Boobie is capable of getting hot, in 8 games this year, he's only averaging 6.8 point per game. If Dragic can bounce back from a terrible performance in New York, they should basically cancel each other out.

I thought it was the 30-somethings that were supposed to struggle with back-to-backs? Jason Richardson has been a key ingredient to the Suns potent offense this year, averaging 17.4 points per game, good for 2nd on the team behind Amare Stoudemire. However on the 2nd night of back-to-backs, all of J-Rich's offensive numbers have taken a hit: -7.7% on FG%, -4.9% on 3PT%, -32.1% on FT% (yipes!), and -6.1 PPG. There's no reason he shouldn't reverse that trend against Anthony Parker (and you thought the Suns had cornered the market on lesser siblings! He has to play in the shadow of his sister Candace.) and he'll have to if the Suns want to win this one.

Off the bench at the 2, it will be interesting to see who the Suns go with in Barbosa's absence. After pouring it in (14 points on 4-7 shooting), Alando Tucker may have earned some increased minutes. Equally mysterious is who the Cavs will bring off their bench behind Parker. After seeing limited use thus far this season due to personal and health reasons, Delonte West played a season-high 29 minutes against the Mavs, scoring 10 points and grabbing 10 boards.

Forwards

Grant Hill will have his hands full with LeBron James. If he and Jared Dudley can combine to keep LBJ around his averages, the Suns will probably consider that a success. I don't think anyone has any illusions of stopping him.

Off the bench, Jamario Moon is something of a Matrix-Lite, so he and Jared Dudley will engage in some kind of sideshow hustle competition.

At power forward, the Suns have what should be their clearest advantage, offensively at least. Amare Stoudemire needs to bring his vaunted Gorilla Game to exploit Cleveland's tandem of Anderson Varejao and J.J. Hickson. If he can stay out of foul trouble, look for Amare to log heavy minutes and heap piles of offensive abuse on the Cavs while not having to worry too much about being challenged on the other end. Except for rebounds.

Center

Here's where line-up and strategy will come into some serious play. It's entirely possible the Cavs elect to send Varejao and Hickson out on Frye at the perimeter, keeping Shaquille O'Neal and Zydrunas Ilgauskas in the lane to defend Amare on the pick and roll. If that's the case, look for Amare to log heavy minutes and heap piles of offensive abuse on the Cavs. (See what I did there?)

Defensively, Channing Frye doesn't have the bulk to keep up with Shaq in the post and the Cavs will probably go to this mis-match early and often, much like the Lakers did with Andrew Bynum earlier in the season against the Suns.

Robin Lopez will probably get some early minutes on the defensive end to see if he can help stop the bleeding in the paint against the much larger Shaq. Robin vs. Shaq has the potential to be explosive as Robin looks to heap some punishment on the The Big Mentor who rode his Fuzzy-head pretty hard last season.

Of course, that's just wishful thinking. Shaq will destroy Robin given the chance.

Predictions

Offensively, the Suns will look to spread the floor against the Cavs using their dead-eye shooting (which hopefully they bring with them tonight) to exploit the lack of speed of the Cavs big men. If his shot his falling, Channing Frye could have a career night. Similarly, if the Cavaliers lumbering bigs stay at home on Stoudemire, he and Nash should have a field day running the pick and roll till the cows come home.

Defensively, the Suns will have to find a way to limit Cleveland's opportunities in the paint AND contain the speedy Williams AND contain LeBron James. If the Lopez and Frye struggle with Shaq, look for Jarron Collins to come in and provide 6 additional fouls against O'Neal. I'm pretty sure Robin will use his up fairly quickly.

In a perfect world, the Suns draw the Cavaliers into an up-tempo shoot-out, regain their accuracy and out-run the Cavs. For their part, Cleveland and their 8th ranked defense (100.6 points per 100 possessions) will look to keep things slow as molasses (7th slowest pace in the NBA), bogging the Suns down in a half-court game. Look for them to pound it inside and run plenty of isolations for LeBron James. Like, 70 of them.

While I think the Suns will come out more focused than they did last night in New York, I don't see them winning this game. They'll keep it close in the first half, but their porous defense will be their undoing as the game wears on.

Final score 105-93, Cavs.

Suns vs Cavaliers coverage

Suns vs Cavaliers preview

Fear The Sword

K-Mart for Shaq: Would you make this deal?...

Andrew Feinstein — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:58:16 -0000

The Cavaliers need an athletic, quick, tough power forward. The Nuggets need cap relief. If the Cavaliers offered Shaquille O'Neal to the Nuggets for Kenyon Martin, should the Nuggets make that deal? It deserves some serious consideration...

How many more games do the Cleveland Cavaliers need to play before realizing that the acquisition of Shaquille O'Neal has been an utter failure? As noted in last week's Stiff List, without O'Neal the Cavs are 5-1. With him, 7-4 (including losses to the Raptors, Bulls at home and the Bobcats).

But that record doesn't tell the whole story.

Watch any Cavs game with Shaq on the floor, and it becomes immediately evident that he clogs up the middle, slows the game to a halt and, even worse, contributes next to nothing defensively. Moreover, not only weren't the Cavs hurting at center to begin with, but the center they had/have - Zydrunas Ilgauskas - may have been/may be the perfect center to play alongside LeBron James. After all, the Big Z can hit a long jump shot from anywhere on the floor, forcing opposing defensive big men to play him outside while leaving the lane wide open for an LBJ dunk or drive-and-dish to an open teammate.

(On a side note, I found myself in an elevator once with the Big Z at the historic Boston Harbor Hotel in downtown Boston. At a legitimate 7'3", the poor guy had to completely bend his head and arch his back down to fit into the tiny elevator. Nice guy, though!)

If you watched the Cavs play last season, their biggest problem wasn't at center but rather, power forward. Anderson Varejao is a nice change-of-pace, wreaking havoc, flopping pest for 20 or so backup minutes, but you don't want him as your featured power forward late in games (remember his shot attempts against the Spurs in the 2007 NBA Finals? Ghastly!). The Cavs are in dire need of a power forward who brings Varejao's defensive toughness and peskiness, but can also finish on a fast break and will get out of LBJ's way on the offensive side of the floor. The Nuggets just so happen to have such a player in Kenyon Martin.

Having spent over six seasons learning how to play alongside Carmelo Anthony, K-Mart would be a great fit for Cleveland. With K-Mart on board at the four spot, the Cavs could move the Big Z back to being starting center and fill out their lineup with LBJ at small forward while their backcourt combo of Mo Williams at point guard and Anthony Parker at shooting guard stays in-tact. As another plus, rather than having Big Z eat up meaningful bench minutes the Cavs bench would be comprised entirely of their "energy foursome" of Delonte West (when he's on his meds), Varejao, Daniel Gibson and Jamario Moon. Now that's a team that can contend with Orlando and Boston in a conference final.

And while K-Mart's salary (more on that momentarily) might be tough to swallow for Cleveland, it will feel a lot better if K-Mart helps get LBJ back to the NBA Finals meaning LBJ will be more apt to stay in Cleveland. (And yes, I know I predicted that LBJ might go to the Nets to be coach by George Karl just a few days ago. While I believe LBJ will stay in Cleveland - and why would those Chinese investors pony up to own the Cavs if LBJ is walking? - I also believe if he goes anywhere, it's to the Nets.)

By now you're probably thinking: you haven't said one good thing about Shaq, so why the @#$% would the Nuggets do this deal?

For the Nuggets, it's all about economics. Shaq's $20 million salary comes off the books at the end of this season, whereas K-Mart's is still owed $16.5 million next season. (It should be noted that the money due to K-Mart next season is a "player's option," but I have a sneaky suspicion he'll be exercising it. Thank you, Kiki Vandeweghe. K-Mart's contract is the gift that keeps on giving.) Also, K-Mart's $15.4 million salary this season is close enough to Shaq's $20 million that the Nuggets would only have to use a little trade exception money to make the numbers work.

Before you accuse me of asking the Nuggets to throw away this season just to get K-Mart's salary off the books, consider this: next season, Melo, Chauncey Billups, K-Mart, Nene and J.R. Smith's salaries combined will be $64.2 million - expected to be near the luxury tax line in 2010. Throw in Chris Andersen's $4 million due for next season and the Nuggets are guaranteed to be at or over the tax line paying the salaries of just six players. Last I checked, that's less than half of a 13-man NBA roster.

If this deal actually happened (and remember, I've suggested crazier deals before...like the time I proposed trading Allen Iverson to Detroit for Billups and Antonio McDyess way before it actually went down), what would it mean for this season? How would it affect the Nuggets on the floor?

In theory Shaq would give us the center we desperately desire, enabling Nene to dominate at power forward (Nene's more natual position). In theory Shaq would give the Nuggets much needed size to go up against the bigger Western Conference teams. And in theory Shaq would be so amped up to get revenge against his former team, the Lakers, that he'd give the Nuggets a much needed ally in their war with L.A. with one more burst of energy for the remainder of the season and into the playoffs before riding off into the sunset. And lest we forget, good Shaq or bad Shaq, he puts asses in the seats (admit it, you'd watch every game with Shaq in a Nuggets powder blue and gold jersey).

But these are the same arguments that recently duped Phoenix and Cleveland into acquiring Shaq. And watching the 37-year-old center "play" these last few weeks, I can't with a straight face say that he'd be good for the Nuggets on the floor. Shaq would undoubtedly clog up the lane for Melo and Nene and slow down the Nuggets overall pace, which is what makes the Nuggets so deadly in the first place...especially at Pepsi Center. It shouldn't be a surprise that a Suns team sans Shaq is back to running teams off the floor en route to a top two record in the Western Conference right now.

Furthermore, in spite of the inexcusably unacceptable loss to the Timberwolves on Sunday night and another bad loss to the Clippers a few weeks ago, at 13-5 the Nuggets have tied their best start in franchise history and have a good thing going. The players seem to genuinely like each other, seem to listen to head coach George Karl (at least a majority of the time) and it feels like they haven't even played that well yet. (They also haven't played that many good teams yet...it has to be said.) As-is, we're looking at back-to-back-to-back 50-win seasons and another shot at the conference finals, if not more if the Nuggets catch a few breaks.

That said, if we - and/or Nuggets management - truly believe that this incarnation of the Nuggets, constructed as-is, can beat the Lakers and march into the NBA Finals then I say fine; let's see how the season plays out and hope for the best. Maybe Kobe Bryant or Pau Gasol will get injured. Maybe the Lakers will get shorter. Who knows.

But if we - and/or Nuggets management - think that another Western Conference Finals appearance is the best this team can do, why not bring in Shaq and unburden ourselves of K-Mart's contract? At the very least, the Nuggets would remain a top five team in the West, would be fascinating to watch, would make any Nuggets/Lakers games and a possible playoff series an instant ESPN Classic and, most importantly, would free the Nuggets up financially to be a player in the 2010 free agent sweepstakes. As of today, the only free agents the Nuggets will be able to afford next summer will be from the D-League.

K-Mart for Shaq? Would you make this deal?

Like I said at the top of this column, it deserves some serious consideration.

Shaquille O'Neal photo courtesy of Getty Images: Isaac Baldizon

Kenyon Martin photo courtesy of AP Photos: David Zalubowski

Daily Links 11/17

FLCeltsFan — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:53:10 -0000

Herald Green place limits on Paul Pierce
Allen Iverson, Memphis divorce
Globe Celtics hoping league rescinds technicals
Report: Deal could net Nocioni for Celtics
Johnson, Hawks stay in flight
Rivers looks inward for answers to Celtics’ woes lately

CelticsBlog    Big Baby Still Shrinking, Working
Speaking of Slumps, How About Rasheed Wallace?
The Latest Nocioni Rumor
Loy's Place     Random Thoughts on Rumors and CSI
How to Watch Sports    Chairmen of the Boards: A Look at the Power Forward Position
ESPN     Pierce limited in practice due to knee sprain
Possible deal would send Nocioni to Boston
The next big trade? Here's a three-team possibility
Stephen Jackson as a Bobcat: Crazier things have worked
NBA Basketball Power Rankings
Celtics.com    Celtics Host Stay in School Assembly with Students at Timilty Middle School
USI Open Practice - Nov. 16, 2009
CBS Sports     Power Rankings: Celtics, Lakers make grade when rivals don't upgrade
Red's Army   Doc Regrets Playing Pierce vs Indiana
Your Morning Dump... featuring more Nocioni trade rumors
How about we create the "Joey Crawford" rule?
New shirt: Quisy Does It
Green Street     Open practice, open questions
Paul Pierce - The Truth Strikes Again Video Recap
Report: C’s considering Nocioni in three-way
Comcast SportsNet    Free throws proving costly for Rondo
Mike & Tommy's Mailbag: November 16, 2009
Nocioni a Celtic? Highly unlikely
Celtics Hub Nobody Does Hyperbolic Self-Pity Like Boston* Fans
On Iverson: You Win, Dad
Notebook: Nocioni Talks Start, Defense Slips
North Station Sports     NSS Week Three Recap
Allen Iverson a Boston Celtics?
Chance to Party with Paul Pierce after the Orlando Magic Game!
Celtics Town It isn't the Celtics, but Bill Belichick made the right decision
NBA parity: Wasn't the NBA supposed to be top-heavy this season?
Fernsten's Follies     Larry v. Magic: Game 2
Lex Nihil Novi    Faker Fans Already Worried about June (83-84)
Sound Familiar?
C's Make It 9 in a Row (83-84)
Don't Worry, It's Not 1987 or 1988 Yet
CelticsLife     Checking the Stats
Yes? No? Maybe So?
KG is the Anti A.I.
Thanks Steve Blake, for Ruining My Night
Gino's Jungle     Rome Wasn't Built In A Day - House Isn't Either
Allen Iverson a Boston Celtic?
Gino's Starting Five
Sporting News   Iverson Could Resurface With Contender
Power Poll: Supposed Superteams Aren
Bsketbawful     Worst of the Night November 16
Tom's Bombs of Thought    The Transformation of Rasheed Wallace
Nashflqoq     The cost of Phoenix’s penny-pinching: No Fernandez, Johnson, Rondo, or Robinson for post-Nash era
Philly Burbs    Source: Nothing to Dalembert trade rumor
Inside the Hall    The Morning After: Hey, That’s Doc Rivers!
WEEI    Respect Is Hard to Come By For Celtics
NECN    Confident Red Claws are ready to play | NECN
My Fox Boston    Paul Pierce hosts charity bowling event
Milford Daily News    Megliola: Celts must stop 'fense sitting
Yahoo    SL: Dirk's 'lucky' bounce; Brown says he can handle Jackson
Iverson hopes to resume NBA career
Star Tribune    Big Al is back, 'ready to play'
Paul Pierce.net    Paul Pierce | Celtics Look to Rebound
Off the Record    Rondo earning his money at the stripe
Orlando Sentinel    The Cleveland Cavaliers ascend to the top spot; Magic drop to 6th by
Warriors Run Down   Stephen Jackson traded to Bobcats
Metro    Celtics’ Allen no 1-trick pony in backcourt
Chicago Tribune   Mark Heisler's NBA rankings
Cavalier Attitude   Week Three Power Rankings — 11/17
Dimemag    Monsters vs. ATLiens
5 NBA Players No One is Talking About
NY Post    Surprise! NBA's turned upside down
Patriot Ledger     Celtics hit first bump in the road early this season
Cleveland.com   Cleveland Cavaliers' record rising as Anthony Parker's long-range shot keeps falling
Charlotte Bobcats traded for Stephen Jackson, so how close were the Cavs?
Ohio.com    Cavs' Parker starting to find his role
Hoopsworld    NBA Power Rankings
NESN    Larry Bird: Celtics' New Big Three Has What it Takes to Make History
Doc Rivers: Paul Pierce 'Shouldn't Have Played' Against Pacers
Boston Sports Fans Endure Worst Weekend in Memory
NY Daily News     New York Knicks to meet with Allen Iverson after former guard parts ways with Memphis Grizzlies
USA Today    Warriors guard Watson tests positive for swine flu
Athlon Sports     NBA Power Rankings
AJC    Whaddya know?
NBA.com     Hawks have a chance to morph from nuisance into threat
Beacon Blog    Beacon Sports: Look for drama, upsets in new NBA season
Fox Sports    Jennings' rise among NBA's early surprises
Bleacher Report    Allen Iverson Can Be Like Shaquille O'Neal Or Kevin Garnett
New York City Point Guards in the NBA: Looking Back Through History
Pivot Points: Lakers, Celtics Facing Questions in Wake of Two-Game Skids
Dueling Couches     What's Wrong With The Celtics?
CBS Sports     New York-area hoops crumbling, brick by brick
Hardwood Paroxysm   Lion Face/Lemon Face 11.16.09: So about the weekend…
Fan Huddle    The Good, The Bad, The Boys in Green
Knicks Fan    Perspective: Celtics Fans Hated Rivers Before They Liked Him…
Bsketbawful     Worst of the Night November 16
Tom's Bombs of Thought    The Transformation of Rasheed Wallace
Nashflqoq     The cost of Phoenix’s penny-pinching: No Fernandez, Johnson, Rondo, or Robinson for post-Nash era
Philly Burbs    Source: Nothing to Dalembert trade rumor
Inside the Hall    The Morning After: Hey, That’s Doc Rivers!
WEEI    Respect Is Hard to Come By For Celtics
NECN    Confident Red Claws are ready to play | NECN
My Fox Boston    Paul Pierce hosts charity bowling event
Milford Daily News    Megliola: Celts must stop 'fense sitting
Yahoo    SL: Dirk's 'lucky' bounce; Brown says he can handle Jackson
Iverson hopes to resume NBA career
Star Tribune    Big Al is back, 'ready to play'
Paul Pierce.net    Paul Pierce | Celtics Look to Rebound
Off the Record    Rondo earning his money at the stripe
Orlando Sentinel    The Cleveland Cavaliers ascend to the top spot; Magic drop to 6th by
Warriors Run Down   Stephen Jackson traded to Bobcats
Metro    Celtics’ Allen no 1-trick pony in backcourt
Chicago Tribune   Mark Heisler's NBA rankings
Cavalier Attitude   Week Three Power Rankings — 11/17
Dimemag    Monsters vs. ATLiens
5 NBA Players No One is Talking About
NY Post    Surprise! NBA's turned upside down
Patriot Ledger     Celtics hit first bump in the road early this season
Cleveland.com   Cleveland Cavaliers' record rising as Anthony Parker's long-range shot keeps falling
Charlotte Bobcats traded for Stephen Jackson, so how close were the Cavs?
Ohio.com    Cavs' Parker starting to find his role
Hoopsworld    NBA Power Rankings
NESN    Larry Bird: Celtics' New Big Three Has What it Takes to Make History
Doc Rivers: Paul Pierce 'Shouldn't Have Played' Against Pacers
Boston Sports Fans Endure Worst Weekend in Memory
NY Daily News     New York Knicks to meet with Allen Iverson after former guard parts ways with Memphis Grizzlies
USA Today    Warriors guard Watson tests positive for swine flu
Athlon Sports     NBA Power Rankings
AJC    Whaddya know?
NBA.com     Hawks have a chance to morph from nuisance into threat
Beacon Blog    Beacon Sports: Look for drama, upsets in new NBA season
Fox Sports    Jennings' rise among NBA's early surprises
Bleacher Report    Allen Iverson Can Be Like Shaquille O'Neal Or Kevin Garnett
New York City Point Guards in the NBA: Looking Back Through History
Pivot Points: Lakers, Celtics Facing Questions in Wake of Two-Game Skids
Dueling Couches     What's Wrong With The Celtics?
CBS Sports     New York-area hoops crumbling, brick by brick
Hardwood Paroxysm   Lion Face/Lemon Face 11.16.09: So about the weekend…
Fan Huddle    The Good, The Bad, The Boys in Green
Knicks Fan    Perspective: Celtics Fans Hated Rivers Before They Liked Him…
Business Pundit     The 25 Highest Paid Sports Coaches in the World

Cavs toy with Knicks 100-91

John Bena (aka CavsBlogger) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:48:28 -0000

More photos » by Kathy Kmonicek - AP

about 1 month ago: Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James (23) moves the ball around New York Knicks' Jared Jeffries (20) during the first period of an NBA basketball game Friday, Nov. 6, 2009, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek)

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LeBron James travels to Madison Square Garden just once this season. Ever the showman, LeBron wanted to make sure he gave the fans of the home-town Knicks something to remember - and something to hope for. James was nearly flawless - as were his Cavaliers teammates - in a 40-point first quarter pacing the Cavaliers to a 100-91 beating of the New York Knicks.

James 19 point start to the game was filled with everything that makes LeBron so special - drives to the basket, long-range jumpshots, no-look passes and lock down defense. The Cavs shot over 75% for the quarter and the games was never really in doubt again. James finished with 33 on 12-17 shooting. He added 8 rebounds and 9 assists as well.

Mike Brown, in an effort to revitalize the Cavaliers bench, started J.J. Hickson alongside Shaq. Hickson played just 6 minutes, however, scoring 6 points. By having Anderson Varejao coming off the bench, the Cavaliers were able to maintain their energy level. In fact, Delonte West, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Varejao all came in at teh same time around the 6-minute mark of the first quarter. All 5 started for the Cavaliers in 2008-09 and it was amazing how quickly the team seemed to pick up right where it left off.

The rest of the game was filled with bad defense, poor shot selection and seemed to be a complete version of how NOT to play basketball.

Anthony Parker played closer to what he should - 22 minutes - splitting time evenly with Delonte West. While West scored just 3 points, and Parker 7, the true difference between the two is in the +/-. In a game the Cavaliers led by double-digits almost the entire way, Parker managed to break even. West was a solid +18. Figure that one out.

It was also nice to see the return of Z. Gone was the twin-tower experiment - at least for one game - and this allowed Z to find a comfort zone, especially offensively. After going 0-9 last night against the Bulls, Z bounced back with a 9 point, 11 rebound game - his finest of the season in my opinion.

For the Knicks it was the same ole' same ole. I still can see now justifyable reason LeBron would want to play for the Knicks. If winning is all that matters, as LeBron says it is, then the Knicks would be last on my list.

David Lee was high-man for New York scoring 21 points with 6 rebounds. Old friend Larry Hughes finished with 18 while Danilo Gallinari added 17.

A win is a win and this game falls right into that. The Cavaliers now get a few days off to get some of these issues handled. They had better, because a trip through Florida awaits, with Orlando on Wednesday and Miami on Thursday.

GO CAVS!

Cavaliers vs Knicks coverage , Cavaliers vs Knicks preview , Posting and Toasting

Briefing: For a Quarter and a Half, Life Was Beautiful

JakeTheSnake — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:09:48 -0000

More photos » by Tony Dejak - AP

about 1 month ago: Washington Wizards' Caron Butler (3) jumps toward the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers' Zydrunas Ilgauskas (11), of Lithuania, in the first quarter in an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

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Game Hub | Boxscore | Game Flow

If you're looking for a sign that the Wizards can be really special, just take a look at how Washington was able to build an 18 point lead early in 2nd quarter. Gilbert and Caron were torching Cleveland and everyone was crashing the glass for Washington. Problem was, no one else got into a rhythm and once Cleveland found a way to limit The Big 2, Washington just didn't have a back-up plan.

Guys like Randy Foye and Andray Blatche, who have both been big in both of Washington's wins, just didn't have it tonight. Neither one was awful by any means, but without Antawn Jamison in the lineup, the Wizards needed more from them to beat a team as good as the Cavs.

Certainly, Foye and Blatche don't deserve all or even most of the blame for last night's loss. None of the bigs could stay out of foul trouble, Mike Miller was efficient, but efficiency only goes so far when you only take three shots, and DeShawn Stevenson was a total non-factor: missing all of his field goal attempts, only grabbing 2 rebounds and getting no assists in 17 minutes of burn. There is still plenty of room for improvement, but as we saw for about 15-20 minutes last night, this team has the capability to be a very, very good team at times and they can get better as the season moves along.

James, Cavaliers outmuscle Wizards - Mike Jones, Washington Times

The good was that for a half, the Wizards managed to hang with the Cavaliers and even build a double-digit game while holding LeBron James and Shaquille O'Neal in check. The bad was that when the Cavaliers started pounding the ball inside, Washington couldn't match Cleveland's physicality and instead found its big men mired in foul trouble. And without Antawn Jamison, a slightly subpar Caron Butler and Gilbert Arenas weren't enough. The bad was also a 102-90 Cleveland victory, which marked the Wizards' fifth straight regular-season loss at Quicken Loans Arena dating back to Feb. 24, 2006.

Cavs' vision finally becomes clear - Patrick McManamon, Akron Beacon Journal

O'Neal said he takes it personally — ''Totally . . . totally'' — every time he's not double-covered, and he should score every time if he's not. ''If not, get rid of me,'' he said. The Wizards kept avoiding the double-team, and O'Neal made them pay. In this kind of game, against this kind of team, it worked.

Cavaliers 102, Wizards 90: Not a rivalry - Craig Stouffer, Washington Examiner

It isn't a rivalry when the Wizards can't stop the 3-pointer. (Augh! The blinding glare of last season!) Cleveland was 42.6 percent from behind the arc. Without Anthony Parker's bricks (1 for 6), they were 50 percent, led by Gibson (4 for 5, 14 points) and Mo Williams (3 for 4, 15 points). Remember last week, when Washington held Dallas and Atlanta to 22.2 and 25 percent, respectively? By the way, the Wizards themselves were 28.6 (4 for 14) from three.

Cavaliers 102, Wizards 90 [UPDATED] - Michael Lee, Wizards Insider

Coach Flip Saunders told his team after the game that they have to learn to play the game for 48 minutes, not eight or 15. It's a tired cliché, but the Wizards are learning the hard way so far. Good teams always find a way to respond, especially at home. If you look at the Cavaliers, Lakers, Celtics and Spurs, they are really tough outs. They keep scrapping and clawing and even if you beat them, you feel worn down afterward.

Last Night's Action: I'm Sorry, So Sorry - Aaron Morrissey, DCist

Washington had a 14 point lead after the first, and pushed that lead to 16 after a 22-5 run. Caron Butler was outplaying LeBron, getting into double figures in the first ten minutes. And the Wiz were shooting lights out -- 55 percent in the first twelve minutes. But then, it all came tumbling down. The Cavs turned up the defensive intensity, a light turned on for Shaq (21 and 8), and they hit nine threes in a dominant second-half performance. Washington, meanwhile, looked completely lost, forcing jumpers and botching offensive plays, leading to quite the top-heavy boxscore.

LeBron, Shaq lead Cavs over Wizards - Tom Withers, AP

The Wizards had no answer for O’Neal and the Cavs used it to their advantage. They slowed the game down and pounded the ball inside to their big man, forcing JaVale McGee(notes), Andray Blatche(notes) and Brendan Haywood(notes) to hack or pay. McGee picked up four fouls in less than 10 minutes.

Losing to the Lebronnettes sucks - William Yoder, Agent Dagger

Leading the way for the Wizards was Arenas and Butler who scored 22 each. Off the bench Blatche and Foye both had arguably their worst games as they each scored seven. It’s no coincidence that Washington is 2-0 when the pair each score at least 15 and 0-2 when they don’t. Neither Blatche or Foye shot particularly poorly, both were 3-7 from the field. It just seemed like the pair couldn’t get in the flow of the offense. It seemed that outside of the first quarter, the Wizards were settling for chucking three’s or driving to to the basket with their head down…there was no opportunity for these two to get involved.

Cleveland 102, Washington 90 - Mike Jones, Outlet

We played really well and then there's no question when our bigs got in foul trouble the momentum changed from the standpoint that we couldn't be aggressive around the basket. We couldn't do some of the things we were doing offensively. We just weren't as aggressive and it was tough to get the mojo back," Flip Saunders said. "What happened was we had bigs that were setting good screens and doing things. When the bigs got in foul trouble it was tough to get some of those and we didn't have as much inside presence at that point. So they could lock down more on the perimeter." That would explain why Caron Butler and Gilbert Arenas (after scoring 13 and 10 points, respectively) in the first quarter managed just four points apiece in the second quarter. No strong picks coming from their big men and they were forced to create for themselves even more.

Wizards (2-1) at Cavaliers (2-2) - Michael Lee, Wizards Insider

Before the game, LeBron James said he was thrilled to see Gilbert Arenas playing at a high level again. Arenas entered the game ranked fourth in the league in scoring at 28 points per game. James worked out in Chicago with Arenas for a few days this summer and said in August that he was about 90-95 percent of what he once was. "I'm a big fan of Gil and the way he plays the game," James said. "To see him back healthy is good for the game. It's good for the NBA. It's good for the city of Washington."

Cavs 102 Wizards 90: A Turning Point? - Rick, WaitingForNextYear

Could this be a turning point? Sure it could. The Cavs could point to this game down the road as the game that solidified this group as a team. When they all bought into the team philosophy and clamped down at the defensive end leading to an easier time on offense. Only time will tell, and the first chance they get to keep it going is Thursday night against the Bulls.

Windhorst Beat Blog: Why LeBron was smiling - Brian Windhorst, The Plain Deale

I've been very hard on Gibson in the blog over the last year for his defense, with good reason. After this game, however, I must give him his due. He played excellent D on Gilbert Arenas in the second half and truly worked hard to get in good position and took a couple of charges. Then he shot well again, making 4-of-5 3-pointers. As I've written and said so many times, if Boobie shoots well he's an asset. If he defends he can be a valuable player, we'll see if he keeps it up.

Ride the big guy: Shaquille O'Neal steadies Cavaliers after sluggish start to 102-90 win over Wizards - Mary Schmitt Boyer, The Plain Dealer

Before the game, James told reporters how the Cavs had been improving, starting off with a sense of urgency. Then they came out and rolled over, falling behind after the first quarter, 31-17. They shot 33 percent and allowed the Wizards to shoot 55 percent. The only noteworthy development was an on-court engagement during one of the timeouts. Even Washington's Caron Butler hugged the happy couple. Oh, yes. There also was a video tribute to Cavs fan Marge Garson, celebrating her 101st birthday at the game. She showed more moves than the Cavs in that first quarter.

Recap: Cavs 102, Wizards 90 (Or, patience beats anger) - John Krolik, Cavs the Blog

Should I even say anything about Wizards fans? I mean, more than a third of the Wizards’ points tonight came from the free throw line, and the FT attempts were 41-27 in favor of the Wizards. But on every Wizards blog, all the Wizards fans want to talk about are how the refs fixed the game. Reading these comments, you’d think Mo distracted the refs as Shaq and LeBron beat up Caron without being tagged in. This is a hard game to officiate. If you’re biased towards a team, you’re going to find a number of "bad"calls in every game. Fred and AC sure thought there were some bad calls that went in favor of the Wizards tonight. Let’s all of us maybe get a smidgen of perspective on how objective we are when it comes to evaluating calls. Wizards fans, if you want a rivalry with the Cavs, have a rivalry with the Cavs. Right now, it feels like the Cavs are the middleman in your rivalry with the referees. I get the anxieties, and apologize for game 3 in 2006, but it’s drifting into self-parody. I’d really like to start talking about things like basketball.

Best of Twitterville

Twitter / Dan Steinberg
There might never be a better Halloween costume idea than Abe Lincoln with a DeShawn Stevenson neck tat http://twitpic.com/o7khs

Twitter / Kevin Reiss
I've paid so little attention to the NBA the last few years that I had no idea Al Roker coaches the Cavaliers.

Twitter / Zach Harper
Andray Blatche, you've had a great start to the season. But for god's sake find a guard on the break.

Twitter / The BF gang
So many ticky-tack fouls. So many real fouls.

Twitter / Mike Jones
Wiz look deflated. Butler's gassed and on bench. Arenas hasn't had impact since the 1st qtr, and Haywood, Blatche tentative w foul woes.

Twitter / Michael Lee
Flip bats away LeBron's pass and forces a turnover. If his team isn't going to play D, at least Flip will.

Twitter / Chase Hughes
Ironically, Andray Blatche only had 7 points tonight.

Twitter / Wizards Extreme
What the hell is with the confetti in game 4 of an NBA season? Stay classy Cleveland

Twitter / Jack Kogod
We're going to lose games like that on the road without Antawn. I can accept that. Cleveland played well. #F*ckingRefsTookOutOurBigs

Twitter / Truth_About_It
Wiz lose 102-90. Bad refs (sorta), but can't blame them at all. Wiz beat themselves. But need short memory, play D-Wade in DC tomorrow.

Twitter / wizznutzz
We all been watching scrolling stats on @Yahoosports rather than game. It is mesmerizing emptiness, like LeBron's soul. http://is.gd/4Mt9K

Bad Ball

Stop-n-Pop — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:21:54 -0000

More photos » by Jim Mone - AP

about 1 month ago: Minnesota Timberwolves' Corey Brewer scores as Cleveland Cavaliers' Mo Williams looks on in the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Oct. 30, 2009 in Minneapolis. Brewer scored 11 points in the Timberwolves' 104-87 loss to the Cavaliers. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

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Near the bottom of last night's comments a few important things were pointed out:

Anthony Parker

has 6 points from 2/7 shooting and was +23

That statistic has very definite limitations.

Judd: "...I've since watched some Steven Seagal movies and I realise that pressure points are no laughing matter.".

by Auswolf on Oct 31, 2009 12:08 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

...

Hey, everyone:

This was a game against one of the top 3 teams in the league, 0-2 start be damned.

I think we would all benefit by making literally no — not a single one ~~- definitive statements about the team after this game. Of course Flynn was going to have a terrible +/~~. Of course we were going to look bad. Do not worry about it. Hold your judgements for when we get blown out by a bad team.

Thank you, and good night.

by LoveTo on Oct 31, 2009 12:53 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

There are going to be a few things that we all need to keep in mind when discussing the Wolves this season:

They are going to put up some crooked stat lines.
+/- is going to be even more flawed than usual as a stand-alone stat used to gauge individual game performances. The Wolves are going to take it in the chin this year on more than a few occasions. That doesn't mean that individual players won't play well within any given blow-out (Brewer played decent during last night's atrocity). It also doesn't account for the roles that certain players inhabit (Ramon Sessions as a backup point; Sasha Pavlovic as a defender off the bench) or the fact that the team's two best players are either inactive or playing at 70%. +/- is a nice part of the equation but it will need to be downgraded this year as the Wolves, as a whole, are going to be going through some bumps and bruises beyond what was expected last year when they had the ability to trot out a relatively respectable and experienced lineup of Sebastian Telfair, Randy Foye, Mike Miller, Kevin Love, and Al Jefferson. Also, we're really, really, really early in the season and until we see how some of these lineups look over the course of 10-15 games, +/- is going to have some pretty hefty limitations and should be used in conjunction with other observations/stats. For instance, Jonny Flynn ended last night's game with a -23 in 25 minutes. This is a bad, bad number but it could mean that he was on the court with the team's most ineffective front court (Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, and Damien Wilkins) and LeBron James for a long period of time. It could also mean that Jonny Flynn is not an NBA point at the moment and while he can score until the cows come home, he has some fairly big issues facilitating the offense. Or, it could be a combo of the two factors. Either way, simply citing +/- isn't going to cut it with this team right now.
Al Jefferson is not anywhere near 100%. Yes, it looks like he has no business being in the new offense and he is the last person on earth you want directing traffic out of the high post, but a serious injury is still a serious injury and the Jefferson Discount should be taken into account when discussing his overall worth to the squad.

I'm sure we can come up with a few more gentle nudges for game discussion but these are the ones that have quickly risen to the top in the first two games of the season.

Enough about the Wolves for a second. The most notable thing about last night's game, for me, was the composition of the Cavs. This team is not as good as it was last year and it is not a championship contender. The most glaring issue that they have is that even with LeBron on the squad, they are the most unathletic non-Wolves starting-5 team I have seen in a long, long time. Shaq and Ilgauskus may be the slowest and most earth-bound frontcourt duo in the league and their non-LeBron wings stand around the three point line and do not crash the boards. This team will be taken apart by any other squad with two players who are both athletic and above 6'10" Witness Toronto, Orlando, and Boston. Witness the change in the game when Ryan Hollins entered the contest. Hell, even Nathan Jawai was able to change the pace of the game for a few moments. This team will always have a decent shot at winning any single game because of LeBron James (who I firmly believe is the best player in the world). However, any team that is thinking about giving 80-90 minutes of court time to a Shaq, Varejao, Ilgauskus front court trio doesn't have the top end to compete with the Bostons, Orlandos, and yes, even the Torontos of the world over a 7 game series. They don't need a Steven Jackson; they needed a Rasheed Wallace or a Marcin Gortat. Mike Brown will eventually take the heat for what happens to this squad but it's the damn Dukie who did the damage.

Let's wrap this up with a few bullet points:

There is no reason on God's green earth to front or double Shaq at this point in his career. This didn't stop Al Jefferson from trying the former and Damien Wilkins from attempting the latter (off of LeBron James, no less). Make them go over the top and if they beat you with Boobie Gibson, so be it.
The FSN game was apparently brought to us by Bret Michael's November appearances at Grand Casino.
The Wolves' starting front court (Jefferson, Gomes, and Wilkins) went 0-for-their-starting-stint. The first front court bucket was made by Ryan Hollins. Sasha Pavlovic was the next front court player to score followed by the White Hole himself, Oleksiy Pecherov. The starting FC ended the game on 9-28 shooting. This comes on the heels of their 9-30 effort against the Nets.
My first Wolves prediction of the year: Ryan Gomes plays himself out of his team option at the end of the year. David Kahn isn't going to pick up a $4.2 million tab on a guy who can't really play the 3 or the 4 in a year where guys like Josh Childress, Hakim Warrick, and Travis Outlaw could be on the open market.
Speaking of options, today is the day for the White Hole and Corey Brewer. Will their options be picked up by the team? I think Brewer gets his but my money is against Pech. Putting the last two points together, ESPN currently has the Wolves with between $8.9 and $12.5 million in 2010 cap space. This is with a cap projected between $50 and $53.6 million. According to the definitive Hoopus cap page, the Wolves are on the books for roughly $37.5 in pre draft pick 2010 salaries. If they decline the options on Pech and Gomes, they can reduce that number by roughly $6.5 million. In other words, by not picking up Pech and Gomes, the Wolves can be sitting at $31 mil at the start of the 2010 free agent without taking into consideration slotted 1st round draft picks. Could the Wolves be in the Mark Stein ballpark after it's all said and done with? Yes, but they also could be at the top of the heap with about $15-18 mil to spend even after all the draft picks are signed. We think Stein and ESPN underestimate the amount that the Wolves could have to spend at the end of the year, especially if Pech and Gomes are voted off the island.
How sad is it that we're already talking offseason cap space and draft picks? Yes, it will be a long year. An entertaining one at times, but a long one nonetheless.
There was a play in the 2nd half that really illustrated just how not-there Big Al is at times. The Wolves were about to enter the bonus when the Cavs got a fast break opportunity. Instead of making his way down the court to contest the shot, Al fouled the Cavs player at half court, conceding the foul and the trip to the line. If you are willing to give the foul and the trip to the line because of the bonus, why not contest the shot?
To say one good thing about Al, he did blow by Shaq on one play like Shaq was a 37 year old 360 lbs oaf....oh wait.
Corey Brewer played solid defense on LeBron when he wasn't spending time on the dangerous Anthony Parker. I know that LeBron can get his against anyone in the league but it would have been nice to see Brewer get a bigger crack against the guy.

Well, that about does it for the game wrap. What did you notice about the game? What guidelines will you have for critiquing the team's performances? Do you think Pecherov's option gets picked up? What about Gomes at the end of the year?

Until later.

Struggles Continue - Raptors dump Cavaliers to 0-2

John Bena (aka CavsBlogger) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 02:03:07 -0000

More photos » by Frank Gunn - AP

about 1 month ago: Toronto Raptors forward Chris Bosh rebounds against Cleveland Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas during the first half of an NBA baskeball game in Toronto on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Frank Gunn)

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The Cavaliers are going to win a lot of games this season. It might not be 66(remember they started 1-2 last season) but there will be plenty to cheer. In the mean time, as this Cavaliers crew figures out how to play with each other, there are going to be some growing pains. Tonight was one of those.

Looking tired at times, disinterested at others, the Cavaliers dropped to 0-2, losing to the Raptors in Toronto's opener 101-91. For the Cavs the issues through the first two games are too numerous to talk about, but I'll try.

LeBron - Can't really say anything bad about the MVP. 38 points last night, a Triple-Double tonight(23-12-11). He can't do it all but the Cavaliers are forcing him to.

Shaq - The Cavaliers slow start has little to do with Shaq - other than his inability to hit easy shots. That is what Shaq was brought here for. Tonight Shaq missed no fewer than 6 shots inside of 5 feet. That can't happen - especially against a team like the Raptors that lack a true center. If Shaq plays that way he simply isn't helping the Cavaliers.

Anderson Varejao - I'm sure Anderson Varejao worked on his offense during the offseason, but early in the game, when Toronto jumped on the Cavs with a 15-6 start, Andy took shots on 4 straight possessions. To be honest, Varejao should be the 5th option on offense. If he is taking shots(of the fade-away variety) then he isn't in position to do what he does best - hustle for rebounds and get back on defense.

Mo Williams- Williams simply hasn't shown up yet this season. Perhaps it is all the new faces - not knowing how Shaq wants to set a pick, or where Anthony Parker is on the floor - but there really isn't an excuse.

Anthony Parker - Parker wasn't brought in to play 35-40 minutes a night. That is asking him to do way too much. Parker played 40 minutes last night and close to 40 tonight. Of course, much of that has to do with Delonte West's continued absence, the other the fact that Cleveland is getting nothing from the bench.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas - Big Z is suffering the most from Shaq's arrival. Whether it is struggling coming off the bench or something else, Z looks lost on the floor.

Defensively the Cavaliers are really struggling. They are getting burned on pick and rolls and allowing way too many easy baskets. I mean, seriously, Andrea Bargnani scores 28 points? In all, the Raptor front-court outscored the Cavs 'bigs' 49-14.

Let's face it, its tough to put yourself in an 18-point hole at halftime and expect to win. Still, the Cavaliers had tied the game, late in the 3rd, and was in position to get a win. I don't want to hear about new players - Toronto has 9 new players on it's roster and threw over 100 on the board against the Cavs. It goes deeper than that.

Perhaps it was the flu-bug that went through the team during Training Camp, maybe the injuries to Mo, and others. Of course, the uncertainty surrounding Delonte can't be helping.

Whatever the case, the Cavaliers will get it figured out. They have too....Right?

3 In the Key: Toronto Raptors Game Day Preview vs. Cavaliers

RaptorsHQ - Howland — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:00:26 -0000

More photos » by LM OTERO - AP

The Raps have quite a duo to deal with opening night. Who do you double team or in the case of Lebron, triple team? (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

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With the regular season upon us it’s time for the first preview of the season. In game number 1 the Raps face a Cleveland Cavaliers team with some very familiar faces including Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon. Oh, and let’s not forget the Cavs also acquired some guy named Shaq in the off-season.

Tonight at the ACC the Raptors 2009-2010 regular season will get under way.

It should be a rocking good time and if you have a ticket feel fortunate. Last time I checked the cheapest ticket on Stubhub was $85 and that’s for a single in row 16 of the upper deck. Not surprisingly it’s a hot ticket, in particular with Lebron and Shaq in town.

Make no mistake about it, even though the Cavs will be playing for the second time in two nights, this is going to be a mighty challenge for the new look Raps. It is also going to be a pretty good indication of where this team is after the month long preseason.

It’s hard to say what we are in for or what we should expect from the Raps tonight. Coach Triano played with a variety of different lineups during the preseason and by his own admission, was not running a lot of the offensive sets that the team intends to run from this point forward.

Tonight we will get our first real flavor of this season’s squad (shy Reggie Evans, who on a night like tonight where the team faces a rather massive front court will be greatly missed).

I will be focused, in particular on the new guys. It will be particularly interesting to watch the former Raptors in action. Both Parker and Moon were were heavy minute/rotation players while in Toronto. With the Cavs? Not so much. Parker, although starting is not being asked to do more than he is capable of and Moon is the 8th or 9th guy. This was far from being the case when these guys were in TO. Actually, wouldn't Parker and Moon be considered key guys if they were still here? I think so and that's pretty telling.

On the Raps side of things my eyes will be squarely on Hedo Turkoglu. Given his skill sets it will be interesting to see just how much Hedo handles the rock, how much he is involved in a pick and roll and more importantly how the Raps plan on masking his defensive flaws against Lebron.

It’s hard not to be excited about Raps ball being back. Unfortunately the home opener is against a team whose name is in the championship mix and just got beat on their own home court. I don't think anyone expects to see the Cavs start the season 0-2. Nevertheless, what’s it going to take for the Raps to secure an unlikely W?

The Crowd: The crowd is going to have to play the role of sixth man this evening. There will be a few key points in tonight’s game which will dictate the outcome and the fans have to rise to the occasion and give this team a lift. Under no circumstances, no matter what the expectations, can the fans turn on the team should things not start to go the Raps way. If the Raps have any chance to win they will need to feed off the energy of the crowd as the Cavs start to feel the effects of playing the first back-to-back of the season. If the crowd was going to really get revved up tonight hopefully it will be when the bench players get into the mix. It was clear that the Cavs bench is a work in progress and the Raps need to take advantage at that moment.

Gang Rebounding: Shaquille O’Neal, Anderson Varejao and Zydrunas Ilglauskas combined make for a sizable front court and when put alongside the likes of Lebron James one that should, on most occasions, destroy their opponent on the glass. These are the types of teams that the Raps will struggle with. I have little doubt that the Raps are going to get beat on the glass and therefore the question is whether they can keep the rebounding differential at a respectable number. Giving the Cavs extra opportunities is a recipe for suffering the first loss of the season. I noted on a number of occasions through the preseason that the only players willing to crash the boards on a regular basis were Reggie Evans and Sonny Weems as the rest of the team just seemed satisfied hanging out on the perimeter or making their way back down the court. With Evans still on the shelf and Weems on the inactive list, someone is going to have to step-up and make a difference on the glass. I am just not sure who, if anyone, will.

Withstand the Punishment: By all accounts King James feels like he has improved his game over the summer. That is a scary thought. Arguably the most dominant and explosive player in the game it’s almost impossible to imagine Lebron being any better than he has been over the course of the past two seasons. The Raps will get their first taste of Lebron this evening and it’s going to take a serious effort to prevent him from completely dominating this game. Lebron is going to punish this Raps team, the question really is whether the Raps can somehow withstand it. Defensive rotations are going to be absolutely key in this game. No-one on the Raps can come anywhere near defending the King so expect numerous double teams. That of course means someone is going to be left open. If the Raps are not quick to adjust and rotate then it could make for a long night. We have all seen Parker nail the three and he, along with Mo Williams and others could have a field day from beyond the arc should the Raps be even a half a step slow.

It’s going to be a test and the first of many over the course of the next month. Hopefully this team can start off on the right foot.

Go Raps!

SB Nation - Anthony Parker

Game #28 - Cleveland Cavaliers at Dallas Mavericks

Game 22: Cleveland at Oklahoma City

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Small Forward

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Center

Bench & Role Players

Coach

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Who will win tonight's game?

Oklahoma City Thunder

Cleveland Cavaliers

Game Preview - Phoenix Suns vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

K-Mart for Shaq: Would you make this deal?...

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Briefing: For a Quarter and a Half, Life Was Beautiful

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Bad Ball

Anthony Parker

Hey, everyone:

Struggles Continue - Raptors dump Cavaliers to 0-2

3 In the Key: Toronto Raptors Game Day Preview vs. Cavaliers