SB Nation - Cleveland Cavaliers

Suns Lose Edge, Focus, Discipline and Game to Cavs

Phoenix Stan — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 06:23:41 -0000

Amare Stoudemire and the Phoenix Suns were confused by their own lack of confidence and aggression against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs snapped the Suns 10 game home winning streak with a fourth quarter 17-1 run. (Photo by Max Simbron)

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It will be easy to point to the 17-1 run the Cavs went on starting at the 6:51 mark of the fourth quarter and say the Suns lost the game there. But that's not what happened. The Suns lost this game when they walked on the floor not fully believing they could beat LeBron and the Cavs.

There was a distinct lack of focus and confidence throughout the entire game. In the first half it manifested itself in turnovers (10 of them leading to 16 points for the Cavs). In the second half it was turnovers (9 for 14 points) and poor shooting. And poor defense. And too much energy paid to the officials' calls or non-calls.

"I thought we lacked a little bit of confidence at times," said Nash who went on to add, "Overall we didn't have a real winning mentality tonight. I thought we were hesitant and a little doubtful rather than bold and aggressive and determined."

That's an understatement.

This was a very disappointing loss and the Suns only have to look in the mirror to find the culprit. I've made a lot of excuses for this team from the road heavy schedule, injuries, the occasional bad call but there is no excuse for tonight other than the obvious.

The Cavs are a far better team than the Suns right now and everyone in that locker room knew it. Instead of "We believe" this game was about "We hope". That's not a recipe for success.

It is still a long season. They still have another game in less than 48 hours but we all saw it and it's going to take a lot of good wins to earn back the faith that this team is anywhere close to being considered not just a contender but a truly viable playoff team.

The excuses varied depending on who you asked:

"I thought overall, although they shot a high percentage, that we did a pretty good job defensively for the most part," said Gentry who laid the majority of the blame at the feet of the turnovers.

"I think Cleveland did a good job. What they did was they went small. They put LeBron at the four...," said Dudley who went on to talk about how difficult it was for Nash to shoot over a big or to find the wings open.

"They came out and played well and did what they had to do and beat us pretty bad," said Hill.

Nash had a different answer. He didn't think the Cavs lineups had anything to do with it. He didn't think he and his teammates let the referees impact their mental focus. It was just about a "lack of confidence and decisiveness" - two words which are becoming this season's "lack of energy" go to explanation for anything bad.

At first Steve tried to stick with the line that they did a decent job in the half court defensively stressing that the turnovers and fast break points were the real downfall. But then he thought better of that, "To be honest, we did have a bunch of break downs in the half court."

He credited 50 of the Cavs 109 points from the combination of turnovers and half court defensive break downs.

So where did those break downs come from?

Showing hard and consistently on the high pick and roll didn't help. We saw the same thing against the Spurs. Good teams, and say what you want about the Cavs "LeBron on 5 offense" but they are a good team, are able to take advantage of that. They slipped the pick and roll and with Verajao in the game they were able to take advantage of that as the Suns rotation was confused and tentative.

"We gave up a lot half court on simple back cuts that we've got to be able to defend," Gentry said about the Suns porous defensive effort. While the Cavs were giving up nothing easy and closing out on shooters as if they were the rested team, the Suns visibly deflated in the final minutes and basically rolled over and played dead. That's never how you want to finish a game.

Amare, aside from hitting open jump shots against Shaq's sagging defense, was a non-factor. He played a very poor game showing a distinct lack of poise and/or leadership. He was also noticeably absent from the locker room media availability as well, leaving Hill and Nash to face the music. That's never a good sign.

This game isn't the end of anything. The Suns still have a very favorable schedule starting in January and the team is still able to beat lesser teams but without a huge step forward over the next few months the Suns are (to paraphrase Denny Green) who we thought they were.

If you let your expectations get to high, this will serve as your reality check. If you expected disaster from this year's Suns you still have reason to be impressed. In the mean time, there are plenty of teams that wish they were as good as the Phoenix Suns and fortunately, we get to play a lot of them in the coming weeks and months. Fun times indeed.

Game Notes Record In Real Time:

1st Quarter

Amare tests the jump shot early. Missed. LeBron jump shot. Money
Shaq is not going to come out and guard Amare. Nor can he run the floor with him. Amare dunk after a made basket
JRich had his teeth rattled running into Shaq at full speed. At least he knocked Shaq down as well
JJ Hickson switched on to Nash? Steve goes right at him and easily gets past hiim
Crowd goes nuts for LeBron dunk on the break. You suck Phoenix
Amare with 10 quick points against Shaq and draws offensive foul against him
Suns sloppy. 4 turnovers lead to 2 Bron jams that got the crowd buzzing. Amare used to get opposing crowds buzzing....those were the days
Suns offense doing it's thing. Great side for things to come. 27 points w/ 2 minutes to go in qtr
30-29. Suns shooting 61% behind Amare's 5-7, 10 points. Suns also lead rebounding 10-8
Without 6 turnovers, Suns are up 8 or 10 points

2nd Quarter

Grant Hill in the open court. So smoooooth
Lou hit a jump shot!!! !!!!! !!!!!!!!!
Dragic with the Nash-like move to drive baseline and sidearm a pass to an open Dudley for three
Suns making silly mistakes. Bad passes. Bad fouls. Not playing smart
Lou + Varejao equals much hustle hair. Almost too much to take in
Suns fans booing Shaq when he checks in or touches ball. Why?
Dragic just left LeBron in his wake and on the deck after LeBron switched onto him!!!! Hell Yes!!!
Gentry is PISSED. Another turnover. That's 9 total. That one on Dragic
Nash got long rest. Came back in 5:27 in the 2nd
Delonte West playing well. 9 points in 10 minutes
Crowd goes NUTS for travel call on LeBron
Suns getting lost on defense with too many heads turned watching LeBron play basketball
Amare with 3rd foul with 2:25 to go in half. Not a Max night despite hitting some open shots early
Frye took that hit from Shaq like a man
Frye goes out with this 3rd foul as well. Robin in. Lou and Robin on the floor together. Suns better get stops b/c those guys ain't scoring
Gentry and LeBron jawing after James gets his 1st foul at the end of the half
I take back what a said about Anthony being a lesser player than Candace. Hits a face up three on Lou
Cavs up 59-53

3rd Quarter

Energy a bit flat to start 3rd. Maybe they have no asses left after Gentry chewed them off. 10 1st half turnover give the Cavs 16 points. Not going to work
Nash PISSED after non-call on layup attempt versus Shaq. Nash made it btw throwing it over his head while facing the other way. Oh, Steve
Like a little green Canadian, Nash hulks up and drops like 7 quick points
James barrels into lane after dribbling air out of ball and runs over Frye. No call. Of course
Suns can't buy a three. 4-13 (30%)
Cavs playing hard and tough D. Can they keep it up? (that's what she said)
So much for Lou coming back this year as a better shooter
LeBron PISSED now after picking up an offensive foul. Stands and watches Lou go right around him afraid to pick up 4th
Poor shooting 3rd quarter but Suns still only down 7. 75-82

4th Quarter

Suns now shooting 27% from three
Frye hammers Verajao HARD in the face. That easily could have been a flagrant. Torched him w/ the elbow
Going to take a serious come back to win this one. Suns only down 7 but getting beat thoroughly
Too much energy expended on refs
Suns can't get stops. Can't hit shots. Cavs closing out hard and making their looks
Dudley playing well. Pump fakes a three and drives for an open lay up. Mike Brown calls a timely timeout. Cavs up 92-86 but momentum might have been shifting back
Mo Williams torching Suns yet again. 23 points
Suns D is horrible. HORRIBLE
Down 11. Crowd doesn't believe. Suns playing like they don't believe. Gonna take a Nashicle
Amare misses a zero footer. Grabs the miss. Goes up. Verajao gets a clean block and Amare loses his shit and picks up the dumb T. Not a smart game for Ax
Suns in free fall as LeBron starts lighting it up to close game. Cavs up 103-86. Fans streaming for the exits with no tacos in sight. 4:18 to go
Amare's trying to foul out
Epic collapse. Weak effort. Suns down 105-86 with 2:30
Garbage time with 2:00 minutes to go. ugh

Cavaliers vs Suns boxscore

Post game audio:

Revenge of Shaqtus - Cavaliers dominate Suns, sweep season series

John Bena (aka CavsBlogger) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 04:51:50 -0000

More photos » by Matt York - AP

about 6 hours ago: Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James (23) dunks over Phoenix Suns' Amar'e Stoudemire (1) and Channing Frye during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game Monday, Dec. 21, 2009, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

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Shaquille O'Neal was the scape goat in Phoenix. It was O'Neal that cramped the Suns style, O'Neal that kept Steve Nash from running and gunning, kept the Suns from making the playoffs in 2009. All that could be true, and the Suns hot start seems to be proof positive. Against O'Neal's new team, however, nothing could be further from the truth.

The Shaqtus scored just 3 points, but for the second time in 3 weeks, the Cavaliers pulled away from the Suns, winning big 109-91. It was similar to the 107-90 win the Cavaliers enjoyed at The Q in early December. It was the Cavaliers 2nd straight win in Phoenix - breaking the Suns' 19-game home winning streak.

I was pretty harsh on the Cavaliers last night after their lackluster effort in Dallas. Tonight is the reason. How can the Cavaliers look so bad, so disinterested one night only to come out on fire the next. It starts with LeBron James. James is the emotional leader, and when he brings it, the Cavs bring it. After scoring just 2 points in the 4th quarter last night, LeBron was ready right from the start.

James scored 10 points in the first 4 minutes, a variety of layups and power dunks that seemed to get him, and the team going. It was an example of LeBron at his best - using his penetration game to get his outside game going. Again, the team followed. LeBron led all scores with 29 points.

The Cavs didn't attempt a 3-point shot until midway through the 2nd quarter. They attacked the basket and kept the Suns on their toes. Phoenix doesn't want to play defense - they want you to hoise jumpers and get into a run-and-gun game. The Cavs weren't tempted tonight, thus won going away.

A tip of the cap to the Cavaliers perimeter defense. After allowing the Suns to shoot 3-6 from deep in the 1st quarter, the Suns managed only 1-13 the rest of the way. Steve Nash started the game with 8 points and 6 assists - but finished with just 4 more assists the final 3 quarters. In other words, the Cavaliers forced the Suns to play the way Cleveland wanted the game to go.

Delonte west was huge once again - 12 points/6 assists in 23 minutes - and once again proved that the Cavaliers most effective lineup has West at the point, with Mo Williams(24-6-5) playing off the ball. If West continues to improve, on and off the court, the Cavs could quickly regain their 66-win form.

A night after the 4-starters not named LeBron combined to score 29 points, Williams, Shaq, J.J. Hickson and Anthony Parker scored 44 points. The bench chipped in 36 points.

It was a solid win, and proved the Cavaliers really hate to lose. After playing very poorly last night, the Cavaliers responded and beat a very good team, who had been dominating on their home floor.

Up next, the Sacramento Kings - all they did was beat the Bulls after being down 35 points in the 3rd Quarter - on Wednesday Night.

Preview: Suns vs Cavs

Phoenix Stan — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:14:24 -0000

LeBron James played 43 minutes last night in the Cavs loss to the Mavs. He had an "off" night "only" putting up 23 points, 6 assists and 3 rebounds. I really wish the Cavs would have beaten the Mavs and not just for the whole Western Conference rivals thing. Now they are going to come to Phoenix tonight pissed-off and looking to "right the ship".

For fans of the game that should make for a more interesting and exciting contest. For fans of the Suns it's just one more reason to be mad at Dallas.

When the Suns last played the Cavs in early December the defensive game plan was "all eyes on LeBron" which meant everyone else went ballistic and torched Phoenix. It will be interesting to see which way Gentry goes tonight.

Against Howard the Suns brought help and sent him to the line which resulted in 38 three point attempts for the Magic. Fortunately, they were cold and the Suns won. Against the Spurs, the Suns went the other way and stayed home on the shooters and left Duncan on an island and he went off for 34 points. The Suns won that game too.

So which way would you go? Do you leave poor Grant and Jared to deal with LeBron 1:1 and try and tire him out as the game goes on or do you bring help and hope the rest of the Cavs on the road aren't shooting the ball well?

I think I lean towards staying home and limiting LeBron's assists even if that means he drops 25 in the first half. Make him play, and as much as you can, earn those points and then hopefully he tires late in the game so if you do have to bring help his mates aren't in any kind of rhythm.

More importantly will be the Suns offense against the Cavs defense that is 6th in the league in DRtg (103.3) and 2nd in opponents' FG% (.433).

At practice Sunday, Grant Hill and Coach Gentry both stressed the need for the Suns to play up tempo "Suns basketball". With Shaq on the floor (he played 17 horrible minutes in Dallas last night) it is even more important.

As we've seen over the past few weeks, there's really no team that can stop the Suns when they are moving the ball, moving off the ball and playing fast and with confidence. At home, Phoenix is shooting a torrid 47.5% from three and scoring almost 13 more points per game.

With a day off yesterday and the focus the team will have for this game, I am liking our chances for a nice Monday night ending.

Game and Other Links:

Cavaliers vs Suns coverage
Cavaliers vs Suns preview
Fear The Sword
azcentral.com blogs - Coro's Suns dish - PaulCoro - Suns haven't lost at home since...
The team most qualified to snap the Suns' 19-game home winning streak just might be the last team to beat the Suns at US Airways Center. You remember, right? March 12. Suns pull within two, 97-95. Richardson is alone and goes for the 360-degree dunk. James chases him down and blocks (fouls) it. Sasha Pavlovic hits a 3-pointer, one of Cleveland's 17, at the other end and the Suns wind up losing. James' 34 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds in that game was good for his first win in Phoenix.
The Official Phoenix Suns Blog " Blog Archive " Day in the Life of a GM: At the Office
The league has done a good job of giving teams the ability to communicate with them directly when it comes to the officiating. We frequently use a website where you can link up and send a disputed play into the league office, and they always send us a response immediately. Between issues like that or conversations with agents or other general managers, there’s a ton of correspondence in this job. I’m on the phone and on my computer all day.
Is Barbosa's injury a blessing in disguise?| Valley of the Suns
It is easy to play the "what if" game, but given Barbosa hadn’t gone down with the ankle injury, the Dallas game, Denver game and Portland game could have all easily been victories. But as Nash said, Dragic has been given more time to flourish and has done exactly that.
KTAR.com - Suns improving with each game
Stoudemire said after a long offseason that included very little basketball, his timing was a little off. "At the start of the season my timing was somewhat off, when the ball goes up I was always a second late or a step late on the boards," he said, "but I think just playing and getting experience back on the basketball court my timing is slowly coming back and I can start to anticipate where the ball is going to be."
Cavaliers Preview Game #29: Cavs at Suns | WaitingForNextYear
It would be nice to be heading into this game with some confidence after taking care of business in Dallas, but as is routinely the case with this years team, they got lazy and careless on offense and let a chance to get a big road win slip away. So now, with an insanely difficult matchup in Los Angeles on Christmas Day looming on the horizon (not to mention a game against the Kings, who are excellent at home), the Cavaliers instead face a must win game if they want any chance of salvaging their pride on this road trip.

Game Recap: Dirk-less Mavs Blow Past Cavaliers 102-95

zdgmans — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 03:33:52 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

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Can the Dallas Mavericks actually be called "the Mavericks" without Dirk Nowitzki manning the four? The 19-7 Mavericks are coming off of a heartbreaking overtime loss to the Houston Rockets hoping to start another winning streak. The 20-7 Cleveland Cavaliers come in looking to extend their five-game winning streak by taking advantage of a Mavericks squad missing its star player.

Does the underdog have his day?

Game as a Whole:

Tim Thomas led the Mavericks to a resounding win against Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight. The Mavericks tonight have proven, somewhat, that they are officially one of the deepest teams in the NBA, as it is never easy to replace your franchise player and pull out a win at the same time (against the East elite no less).

There were points where the game could have easily gone Cleveland’s way, however the

Mavericks seemed to have a response to everything the Cavaliers tried to execute. Defense was the Mavericks bread and butter tonight. Not only did they hold Lebron James to just 23 points (on 19 shots) they allowed only one other Cavalier to hit double figures (Anthony Parker with 12).

When the defense is as active as it was tonight and the Mavericks are attacking the paint, they look like one of the deadliest teams in the NBA.

Let’s look at the quarters…

1st Quarter:

The Lebron powder ritual delays the game for at least three minutes while they clean up the floor.
Tim Thomas misses a short jump shot and Dampier gets an offensive rebound. Not a good sign when Dampier misses the put back.
Jose Juan Barea, seems to like to start off with a three pointer almost every night. He makes it.
10:07, Barea hits Marion for a fast break layup. Unsure whether the Mavericks should try to run tonight when Shaq is on the floor.
9:03, Erick Dampier is playing Shaq well in the first few minutes (forces a travel). Lets see which big man gets in foul trouble first.
8:24, Another fast break basket (this time Tim Thomas) after a defensive stop.
7:24, How do you fall for a pump fake from J.J. Hickson? Don’t jump to block the shot, stay on the ground.
7:11, Marion misses a mid-range jump shot. Has Marion made anything more than 15 feet away from the basket this year?
6:27, Tim Thomas hits a three pointer. He needs to have a big game tonight.
6:05, Gooden makes a great decision by putting the ball on the floor and attacking Shaq (2^nd foul).
5:30, Cleveland defensive breakdown leaves Gooden with an open baseline jumper. Gooden is moving well without the ball.
4:50, Howard nice defensive play to keep the ball out of Lebron’s hands. Turnover leads to a Jason Kidd three (no toe on the line).
4:05, Howard rolls perfectly to the basket and hits a layup off of a Kidd assist.
3:29, Gooden hits a put back. The offensive tempo of the game is really fast right now.
Josh Howard and Shawn Marion are a great tag team against Lebron.
2:08, back-to-back traveling violations by the Cavaliers. Mavericks haven’t capitalized.
1:38, Terry hits a mid range jumper. Most of his shots haven’t been falling these past few weeks. Need scoring from Terry tonight.
:50.7, Thomas puts the Mavericks up by two with free throws. Grabs a rebound on the defensive end.
Shoot out in the first quarter is over. Cavaliers up one.

2nd Quarter:

11:40, Josh Howard hits a running banker (and 1). He converts the three-point play to give the Mavericks the 2-point lead.
11:02, Terry is on the line for two shots. The Dallas bench already has 15 points.
10:38, nice save by Barea to put the ball back into play. Josh Howard makes an ugly play toward the basket (running one hander) but it turns into a score on a broken play (Drew Gooden with the tip in).
9:51 Six-point lead for the Mavericks. The Mavericks are attacking Cleveland off the dribble and drawing fouls. Drew Gooden is on fire, hits a hook shot to give him 10 points.
8:37, Barea throws a lead pass that leads to a turnover. Dirk says "nice pass" from the bench. Dirk needs to do color commentary more.
8:00, Jason Terry is doing a pretty good job staying in front of Delonte West. He isn’t necessarily stopping him but at least he is slowing him down.
7:05, Cleveland goes on a run as the Mavericks get complacent shooting jump shots and not attacking the rim.
6:24, Shawn Marion draws a shooting foul. Lebron picks up a foul almost immediately after coming off the bench.
6:01, Jason Kidd with an 18 footer.
5:46, Jason Terry takes it to the basket for a scoop. Mavericks are now attacking the basket again, thank you very much.
4:37, Josh Howard baseline teardrop gives the Mavericks a two-point lead.
4:08, Kidd takes it to the basket and gets fouled. It’s weird/nice to see Kidd taking it to the basket tonight as well.
3:20, Shawn Marion hits Eric Dampier with a nasty assist. Dampier shot fake to dunk. That was a beautiful play.
2:49, I don’t know what Jason Terry was thinking when he decided to try and dunk on Andersen Varejao in the paint but it pays off with a trip to the line.
2:09, Varejao is confused and thinks he is shooting free throws (no such luck).
1:40, Tim Thomas with the up and under. Mavericks are still attacking the basket.
Mavericks lead by two going into the half (Lebron misses a three off the front of the rim to end the quarter).

3rd Quarter:

11:48, Illegal defense (technical foul on Shaq). Didn’t know Tim Thomas would be shooting the free throw (he misses).
11:38, Tim Thomas makes up for the missed free throw with a 13-footer jumper.
11:18, Jump ball as the ball gets wedged between the rim and backboard. I think possession should go to the other team.
10:54, Barea gets a fast break layup after a nice block from Marion.
9:57, Dampier gets another lob at the rim (his second tonight) but misses the shot. Takes his third foul at the other end.
9:29, Three-pointer from Tim Thomas. He has really stepped up tonight in the absence of Dirk.
8:47, Barea goes around the "Big Slowness" and hits Dampier rolling to the basket. Run that play again out of the time out, Carlisle.
8:09, Tim Thomas is streaky and currently on fire. Look for the ball to continue to go to him.
6:42, 18 points for Tim Thomas. That knee injury is a thing of the past.
5:23, Bad choice from Jason Kidd on the three. Mavericks are currently only up by three.
3:22, Jason Terry jumper to give the Mavericks a four point lead.
2:49, Marion hits a runner in the lane with the assist from Kidd.
2:00, Marion goes with the exact same runner in the same spot except Jason Terry assists.
Josh Howard has been relatively quiet tonight. Defense has not been too bad.
:12.1, Terry hits a contested jump shot at the elbow. Lebron James picks up an offensive foul on the other end.
They review the play and put time back on the clock, the Mavericks just let it run out.

4th Quarter:

11:25, Jason Terry seems to have found his shot again (makes a runner).
10:54, Terry hits Gooden with an assist for a nice layup.
10:17, Skip pass to Josh Howard who hits a three. The Mavericks are still keeping the scoring up but the defense has fallen off a bit.
9:27, Splendid block by Gooden on Lebron, leads to a basket on the other end by Howard.
8:27, Lebron picks up his third foul catching Tim Thomas in the act of shooting with the shot clock running out. Thanks for bailing the Mavericks out, Lebron.
8:10, Mavericks only up by three. Need to get back in the paint.
7:20, Tim Thomas has cooled off. He has missed three consecutive three pointers.
6:30, Josh Howard takes himself out of the game after missing a short shot and almost getting his own rebound.
5:52, Dampier with the up and under. Glad to see him exploit that mismatch.
5:12, Tim Thomas gets fouled going to the rim. That is much better than him taking another three.
4:46, Great defensive stop by the Mavericks leads to a Marion post score on the other end. The Mavericks are closing the quarter out strong.
3:56, Jason Kidd might have just hit a dagger three. However, the game is never truly over if you have Lebron.
2:35, Jason Terry hits a big three as well.
1:49, It always shows you how hard your team wants to win the game when one of your top players goes to the floor for a ball. Jason Terry tries to get the jump ball call on Moe Williams.
1:14, What a pass from Tim Thomas to Marion in the lane! Marion extends the lead to three possessions with a layup.
:10.8, Terry isn’t making his jumpshots but he gets a contested scoop shot in the lane.
Mavericks win 102-95.

Some Choice Statistics:

The first time Eric Dampier has ever been ejected in his NBA career came in the Mavericks loss to the Houston Rockets on Friday.
Jason Kidd this year is the only player in the NBA with a rebound/assist double-double. Pretty amazing that he rebounds so well for a guard.
Tim Thomas has only missed one free throw this year. He is 17 of 18 from the line.

Closing Thoughts:

Six players in double figures and 38 points in the paint is usually going to put your team in a good position to win a ball game. The Mavericks should look to consistently attack the paint and not fall in love with the jump shot on consecutive possessions to keep their offensive efficiency up.

Cavaliers sleepwalk in 102-95 loss to Mavericks in Dallas

John Bena (aka CavsBlogger) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 03:07:18 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

1 day ago: Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James, second from left, goes up for a shot against Dallas Mavericks defenders Josh Howard (5), Drew Gooden (90) and Tim Thomas (7) in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Dec. 20, 2009, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

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The NBA is a long season - filled with ups and downs. It's hard for a team to bring the same level of energy and effort every night for 82 games. For the Cavaliers that has been a struggle all season - at home and on the road - consistent effort. It happened again as the Wine and Gold, seemingly in a game-long fog, fell to the Dallas Mavericks 102-95. Perhaps even more perplexing was the Cavaliers inability to take advantage of a Dallas team missing their best player - Dirk Nowitzki - who missed the game with a gash on his elbow.

For the Cavs, it was a bit of the same. In ending their 5-game losing streak, the Cavaliers were out-shot 48%-46%. The Cavaliers did take 6 more free throws(26-20), but shot 77% while the Mavericks shot 95%. Lastly, the Cavaliers wasted a great effort by their bench. Delonte West, Anderson Varejao, Daniel Gibson and Zydrunas Ilgauskas combined to score 41 points, a good night for the Cavaliers most nights, only to see the Mavericks bench score 45 points.

Most disappointing was the complete lack of production from Shaquille O'Neal. In over 17 minutes, O'Neal scored 5 points on 1-7 shooting. LeBron James had an off-night shooting the ball, scoring 25 points on just 9-23. He was held without a rebound in the 1st half and totaled just 3 rebounds in the game.

As for the rest of the starters, J.J. Hickson scored 4 points and Mo Williams added 8. When 4 of your starting 5 scores just 29 points, you are not going to win many games, tonight is no exception.

No time to worry about it, as the Cavs get right back on the court tomorrow night in Phoenix. With a Christmas trip to see Kobe and the Lakers on the horizon, the Wine and Gold needs to get its head right, and fast!

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

The bad losses start adding up... (Nuggets/Grizzlies recap)

Andrew Feinstein — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:11:41 -0000

The Nuggets are off to one of their best starts in NBA franchise history. But you wouldn't know it by watching their last two games...

All of the NBA's elite teams would be in serious trouble if their top players/alpha dogs went down due to injury. If the Lakers lost Kobe Bryant, they'd be finished. The Spurs sans Tim Duncan? Season over. The Cavaliers minus LeBron? Roll out the white flags. The Mavericks Dirk-less? Ditto.

But while I'd include our Nuggets among the NBA's elite, one thing seems to separate us from the rest of the pack: without one of our top four or five players in the game, the Nuggets stink. Ever since the Nuggets finished a respectable 5-2 out of the gate sans J.R. Smith (arguably the Nuggets fourth or fifth-best player), they can't win a game when one of their top-five guys goes down. Especially one of their two defensive stalwarts, Kenyon Martin and Chauncey Billups. And today's matinee loss at Memphis (even though the Nuggets had a full day of rest prior) was further proof of this.

In three games without K-Mart and now two games without Billups, the Nuggets are 0-5. Comparatively, the Lakers were 8-3 when their second-best player, Pau Gasol, opened the season in a suit and loafers. The Spurs managed to go 2-2 without the services of star guard Tony Parker. While Rashard Lewis served a drug suspension, the Magic finished 7-3. Since Greg Oden went down with a season-ending injury, the Blazers have hung in at 3-4. And minus Josh Howard, the Mavericks are 13-6 on the season. Even the Jazz managed to play .500 basketball in the two games Deron Williams, their best player, missed.

And yet the Nuggets can't seem to reel off victories unless all five star players - Carmelo Anthony, Billups, J.R., K-Mart and Nene - are on the floor. If the Nuggets couldn't beat the hapless Pistons, Bobcats and (admittedly improved) Grizzlies while missing one of their top-five guys, I cringe to think what happens when the Nuggets face a real NBA team without one of their best players on the floor.

Let's call the Nuggets inability to put a game together without both Billups and K-Mart in the game "Problem #1." And we'll call their woeful rebounding and porous interior defense "Problem #2." The Grizzlies put in 27 second-chance points and grabbed 18 more rebounds than the Nuggets today. Last time I checked, that's not Chauncey's department in the first place.

The two problems point to one glaring need: the Nuggets need an extra big man. Marc Gasol may not be walking through the door in a Nuggets uniform anytime soon, but any competent big will do at this point. Perhaps we should convert my summer wish list for a big man into a Christmas wish list...

Stiffs of the Game

-J.R. Smith, Ty Lawson and Kenyon Martin: J.R. built off his great game at New Orleans by shooting 12 shots and making just two of them. He also had three careless turnovers and no assists. Meanwhile, Lawson rewarded Nuggets head coach George Karl for anointing him as starting point guard by dishing out just two assists and missing all three of his shot attempts. And K-Mart was assigned to guard Zach Randolph who...

Non-Stiff of the Game

-Zach Randolph: ...lit up K-Mart and the Nuggets for 32 points and a stunningly high 24 rebounds (nine offensive). Z-Bo was so dominant over K-Mart that K-Mart's +/- at game's end was -20. Ewww. Last time I checked, Randolph is out of shape and can't jump. So how the @#$% did he grab 24 rebounds? (In fairness to K-Mart, a current NBA assistant coach once told me that no one is smarter at using his body to score and grab caroms than Randolph.)

Opposition's Recap: Straight Outta Vancouver

Photo courtesy of AP Photos: Nikki Boertman

Practice Report: Phoenix vs. LeBron (and update on Earl Clark)

Phoenix Stan — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 21:43:53 -0000

Suns youngsters Earl Clark and Goran Dragic are headed in opposite directions. Dragic continues to improve and grow in confidence while Clark is struggling to learn two positions and is growing more tentative each time he steps on the court. (Photo by Max Simbron)

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LeBron James is coming to town for the seventh time in his career. He's lost here on 5 of his first 6 tries but in the process has averaged 29.5 points so it is hard put that record on his (massive) shoulders.

Asked about the Cavs and LeBron's lack of recent success here in Phoenix, Coach Gentry said, "Let's hope that trend continues."

But that came after many minutes of talking about how great of a player he is individually and how much better this Cavs team is with the addition of Jamario Moon and Anthony Parker (who is shooting 50% from three on 86 attempts), "Obviously, you are not going to stop LeBron. You have to try and slow him down some and not turn the ball over because once they get in the open court it's almost impossible to stop them."

The Cavs are playing in Dallas tonight on NBA TV so hopefully they will come to town a bit tired. That may bode well for Channing Frye who will have the assignment of covering Shaq.

Grant Hill compared his task of guarding LeBron with Channing's battle with The Big Shaqtus, "LeBron may hurt you but he's not going to physically hurt you. Shaq may decide he wants to take a cheap foul."

Get some rest Channing. The Big Punisher is coming back to town and game tonight in Dallas or not, he's going to be up for playing in Phoenix.

Clark Update

Since starting the season on opening night with a 20 minute, 5 rebound, 6 point performance against the Clippers, Earl Clark has been on a downward trend with both his performance and opportunities. The only exception came in 18 minutes of a blowout game in Minnesota where he was 6/6 and had a career high 14 points.

For the season he's averaging only 3.1 points and 1.4 rebounds per game and is shooting just over 40%. In his limited minutes of court time he seems to be getting even more tentative and less confident as the season moves on.

I asked Suns assistant coach Igor Kokoskov about Clark's recently play, "Quick reminder for everybody, this is his rookie season. Transition, learning about everything. Little adjustment is, he's got to be as a rookie a couple of things you can control. You can control your preparation. Which means keep yourself in shape. You have to know your plays and don't be in foul trouble."

Kokoskov went on to say that Clark is still thinking too much and struggling with learning both the small forward and power forward position but Igor feels he's making progress and is headed in the right direction.

I specifically asked if Clark was putting in the time and effort to get better, "You have to give him credit. He's coming before practice. He's shooting a lot of shots. On days off he's putting some extra work in. It's a process. We knew it wasn't going to be easy. "

Clark was not on the floor after practice today but Tucker and Griffin were working on catch and shoot situations with the assistant coaches and Dragic stayed to work on some things with his personal coach from Serbia. Lou also stayed late working on free throws.

With Dragic we've seen how much confidence the kid is playing with but he's also now having more fun. I remember asking specifically about this in Vegas during Summer League after the first game where he looked absolutely miserable.

Now, he's a almost a different person. Joking around more and even giving Grant Hill a hard time about something silly. After his extra workout session today, Dragic was sitting on the chairs along the wall in the practice court when a ball rolled over. He picked it up and launched it. Swish. So, of course he had to try again. Swish. Twice in a row.

Then I got out my cell phone to film his next attempt and he joked about putting it on You Tube. Of course, he missed the next few but you can get the idea from this clip.

Recap: Cavaliers 85, Bucks 83 (With Special Bonuses!)

Mitchell_M — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 17:59:31 -0000

More photos » by Mark Duncan - AP

3 days ago: Milwaukee Bucks' Brandon Jennings (3) runs into Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James (23) on a drive to the basket in the third quarter of an NBA basketball game Friday, Dec. 18, 2009, in Cleveland. Jennings scored 18 points in a 85-82 loss to Cleveland. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

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Greetings, Bucks fans. Frank and Alex are both unavailable for the Bucks-Cavaliers recap, so you guys get me. Sorry.

Box Score

The last time ESPN showed the Bucks, the team saw by the nation (and myself) was a young team both struggling without Andrew Bogut as a centerpiece and unable to keep up with Oklahoma City's rampant athleticism. It was a disappointing showing, even bordering on embarassing. But the Bucks aren't that team, and ESPN is giving them another chance to show what they really are.

Unfortunately, they drew LeBron James and the Cavs, meaning the road to redemption on national television is that much harder. But who's to say they won't do it? After all, the Bucks have some advantages in this game (weird, right?), and it always helps to have a defensive stopper with the ability to cover James one-on-one. Perhaps they can do the inconceivable and topple the Cavaliers? I sure hope so, and I certainly think they can.

(Note: For those of you wondering why I'm talking in the future tense, or why I haven't mentioned the result of the game, it's because I didn't watch it live. I DVR'd the game and watched it after getting home from work at 9 AM. Third shift sucks that way.)

This recap will be a little different than those before it. We'll still have Three Bucks, Three Numbers, and the Good and Bad, but we'll have some bonus triplets after the jump, plus some actual game analysis peppered in. Think of it as a retroactive live-blog.

On to the game (most of you have already seen)!

Three Things I Noticed Before Tip-Off

Hubie Brown and Dave Pasch were just a tad friendlier to the Cavs. Sure, they're a perennial powerhouse and led by the premier player of his generation, but do we have to make it sound like that much of a mismatch?

These teams aren't really all that different. Think about it; they both are defensive teams that keep the game's score low and can light it up from deep, they both have two big foreign guys that play defense, take charges, and rebound, and they're both led by players that arrived somewhat unexpectedly (Cleveland with the surprising #1 draft pick despite the odds, Milwaukee with 9 other teams passing on Jennings (and his impromptu entrance after being picked at #10)). It's almost like the Bucks are a poor man's Cavaliers, but then you remember that the Cavs are from Cleveland, which is a poor man's everything.

Brandon Jennings' hair makes him look even more like Allen Iverson. The corn rows aren't quite as long as A.I's yet, but give it time. I'd be frightened if his assist (6.0 apg) and three-point numbers (44%(!)) were as Iverson-like as he looks. Have I gushed about how much of a man-crush I have on BJ yet? I'll wait 'til the game starts to go full steam ahead, but let's just say he's already become my favorite NBA player.

Three First Half Observations

A Great Start. A 17-7 start before Cleveland takes its first timeout is absolutely led by Young Money (3 points, 6 assists). He would have had 7 dimes had Ersan not had his fast-break layup blocked by Shaq. I saw some good shooting, great passing, and above-average defense during this run; this is the team that the Bucks are trying to be. But they have to do it for all 48 minutes, not just the first 6:23. Which is exactly when Cleveland closed the gap and forced Milwaukee out of its game.

Jennings had a pretty good first half altogether with 8 points and 6 assists, plus he was the only Buck really willing to attack the paint. When he gets older/stronger, he'll actually finish those trips to the rack (2/9 in the first half).

The Daniel Gibson "Foul". I didn't want to waste one of my three points on one play, but this infuriated me. Gibson drove hard, froze Kurt Thomas with a ball fake, and went up for the layup. Thomas' foot was very close to the one Boobie took off on, so much so that Gibson's reaction resulting in his right foot taking out his left, thus sending him to the floor. He made the shot nonetheless, and it was a great play with an outstanding effort to make the basket. Then came the whistle, and Boobie took the line for the and-one.

BUT THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO CONTACT. NONE WHATSOEVER. Just because a player trips over his own feet while shooting and a defender just happens to be near him (BUT NOT TOUCHING HIM AT ALL) doesn't mean he should get a freebie. Now, I reffed college intramurals, so I know how calls can be almost impossible to truly see at certain speeds, angles, and whatnot, and that's magnified 1000x in the NBA, but c'mon. Then, of course, Hubie Brown went on a long diatribe about how you don't foul a player when you get out of position and give him the and-one, unless you foul his arms to prevent the layup attempt, blah blah blah, completely discounting the fact that it was a phantom call. Gah, basketball can be infuriating sometimes.

To prove my point, Boobie missed the free throw. Ball don't lie.

Bogut + foul trouble = complete inability to protect the paint. Andy's three quick fouls (one of which was legit, one was iffy, and one was downright ticky-tack) limited him to less than 6 minutes in the half and opened up the lane faster than you can say "massive free throw discrepancy". Oh, and there was a massive free throw discrepancy (CLE - 21 attempts, MIL - 5 attempts). Part of this was too much jump shooting by Milwaukee, part of it was bad calls here and there, but most of it was missing Bogut.

Three Second Half Observations

When Cleveland asserts itself, they're impressive. The Bucks have enough good shooters to out-gun teams that get caught up in a scorefest. Good teams avoid playing to their opponents strength. Cleveland is a good team, which is why they forced the issue inside while Milwaukee was content to stay along the perimeter. Of course, they're often better than good, considering they've got a bunch of shooters to go with their strong post presence.

LeBron's post defense. There was one sequence at the 3:30 mark in the 3rd quarter where Hakim Warrick tried posting James up...and Bron-Bron didn't go anywhere. Warrick actually lost the ball because he simply couldn't move James off the spot. The look (I thought I saw) on his face was half surprise, half amazement.

The last 4:35. Milwaukee was getting handled, but managed to stick around long enough to gain possession with 9.7 seconds left and a chance to force overtime with a three pointer. More on this later.

Three Bucks

Brandon Jennings. Jennings reversed his historical trends by starting off hot and cooling off near the end. However, his 18 point, 8 assist night was punctuated by his 7-7 performance from the free throw line. Attacking the basket is something Jennings will have to learn how to do, which will hopefully cut down on the 5-21 shooting nights.

Ersan Ilyasova. Ersan only got 31 minutes, but he generally made good things happen during those minutes. He tied Jennings' 18 points and was +6 in point differential, but his defense, rebounding, and relentless motor was the defining characteristic of the Bucks relatively competent outing and ultimately kept them in the game.

Charlie Bell. Charlie didn't do that much (16 points, 1 rebound), but he was serviceable on offense and as-good-as-the-situation-allowed on defense. If only Skiles would stop putting him on taller players. The dude's only 6'3", asking him to cover the likes of Kobe (6'6") and LeBron (6'8") is downright silly.

Three Numbers

.269. If you're a jump shooting team, make sure that you make more than just barely over a quarter of your three point shots. I know Cleveland has a superb defense, but anytime you take that many threes (22 attempts), try to make more than 27% (7 makes). I wouldn't harp on this so much if I didn't see at least three airballs (Bell, Ilyasova, and Jennings) over the course of the game.

17:09. Bogut played significantly more in the second half, but he was so timid after racking up three first half fouls that it was largely ineffective. He still managed 8 rebounds and 2 blocks, but when you're the only low-post threat on a team that needs a credible low-post threat, you need to bring it against an old Shaquille O'Neal and an older Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

-17. Free throw differential. And that's just attempts: the Bucks were -13 in terms of makes. 'Nuff said.

Three Good

The last 4:35. I said I'd come back to this. The fourth quarter was a statistical win for the Bucks (21-14), but from the start until the 4:36 mark, they let the Cavs do whatever they wanted. That's how Cleveland opened up a big lead and ultimately gave Milwaukee the W. But let's look at the results of Cleveland's possession during this timeframe:

Turnover
Missed jumper
Block
Missed jumper
Missed 3-pointer
Shot clock violation (off of a Cleveland offensive rebound)
Missed 3-pointer
Turnover

If you're going to go for the ugly win, stretches like this are exactly what you need on defense. A Bucks win would have certainly been ugly, and it's a shame they couldn't make it happen, but with the game on the line, they managed to pick themselves back up and turn it back into a competition with an elite Eastern Conference team.

Jennings' shot defense. Maybe it's because I'm a fellow skinny PG, but when I see Brandon bust his hump getting a hand in the shooter's face, it makes me happy. He won't be able to outmuscle anybody, but he can make shooters miss through sheer annoyance. I chalk it up to good coaching (thanks, Kelvin Sampson!).

This point is less about Jennings' use of the lost art of "hand-in-face" and more about his exceptional effort. He plays like a guy who flat-out loves the sport, and if he works in practice as hard as he does in games (which I hear he does), he's going to be huge.

Determination, swagger, and stick-to-it-iveness. Results aside, the most important thing about this game is that the Bucks showed a national audience that they can hang with the Eastern Conference elite. They play feisty defense, unselfish offense, and once they become more seasoned, they will be able to hang with any team on any night, if they aren't already. Shoot, they took the Blazers and Lakers to overtime and played a tight game against the Cavs. That's one very good team and two elite teams.

Most importantly, they didn't fold. Down 10 going into the fourth and 13 with six minutes left, they could have just let Cleveland keep hammering them, but they didn't go away. They held the Cavs scoreless in the final 4:35 and pulled to within three. That says something to me. Maybe the casual fan won't see it, but I can see it. This team is actually going to become something.

Three Bad

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute's foot. While it may be healed, it clearly isn't 100% yet. Whenever Luc was matched up on LeBron James, good things happened. Whenever Bell, Delfino, or someone else was matched up on James, bad things happened very quickly. I cannot keep track of how many times I saw someone other than the Prince defending King James and immediately thought "This cannot end well."

Quite simply, if Milwaukee wants to be a serious team, they need Luc to lock down the other team's best non-center. I don't care if his range is minimal, his shot mechanics are off, and his post game is weak: when he's locking someone down, they become a non-factor.

Addiction to jump shots. The Bucks are a jump shooting team. We know that. But unless they're willing to at least entertain the notion of driving to the basket, they won't become anything special. I know that the makeup of the team lends itself to a jump shot oriented offense (Jennings, Ridnour, Redd, Ilyasova, Delfino, even Thomas and Gadzuric), and some of those guys can drive to the hoop, but they have to want to. Right now, Jennings and Warrick are the only players who want to earn free throws. Two of twelve isn't nearly enough to create balance on offense, and no offensive balance leads to sub-par seasons and early playoff exits.

Fouling. Too much by Milwaukee (22), not enough by Cleveland (16). There's no easier way to break it down. Physical defense is great as long as it isn't sloppy, and it was terribly sloppy this time.

Three Wishes (a.k.a. What I Want To See Happen No Later Than All-Star Weekend)

An increase in plays ran for Luc Richard Mbah a Moute resulting in a corner-3 attempt. I know I just decried the Era of the Jumper in Milwaukee, but Luc needs more minutes, and the only way he can do that is if he makes himself useful on offense. What better way to do that than harness the power of the corner-3, following the footsteps of longtime defensive ace Bruce Bowen? And what better time to do that than during a season where the team is overachieving and searching for offensive identity?

Redd inserted as a permanent 6th man. No, he's not effective yet. He's still recovering from that ACL tear, and he's going to be playing his way back into shape. The sooner we accept it, the sooner we can accept his new role as a bench scorer. A second string Big Three of Ridnour, Redd, and Warrick can be potent if all three figure out their best roles. Speaking of Ridnour...

Ridnour signed to a reasonable extension. Frank explored the anomaly that is Frodo's scorching start to 2009, and I tend to agree with the consensus that it's likely just a prolonged hot streak. But regarding the question of what to actually do with him? I'm all for keeping him.

Look, Brandon's the man, but I doubt if Iverson's doppleganger will emulate the 47 minute outings put forth by his predecessor. Jennings should play at a high level for as long as he's able, and I see that level being sustainable for no more than 35 minutes a night. If you have a chance to lock in a backup who can take the majority of the remaining minutes and still play effectively and meshes well with the starter in certain situations, take it! Unless Ridnour's agent is looking for ridiculous Danny G money, I say sign Frodo for as much Shire-money as he wants (but as little as it takes).

* * *

Thanks for having me, guys. See you next time I manage to catch the Bucks on national TV and both Frank and Alex are unable to do the recap. If that doesn't happen (which it probably won't), I'll see you in the comments.

Potent Quotables - Cavaliers 85 - Bucks 82

John Bena (aka CavsBlogger) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 05:36:11 -0000

More photos » by Mark Duncan - AP

3 days ago: Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James (23) backs in against Milwaukee Bucks' Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, from Cameroon, in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game Friday, Dec. 18, 2009, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

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HEAD COACH MIKE BROWN

(On tonight’s game): "Tonight, we won with our identity. There was a stretch for almost six minutes where we scored two points and defensively, we were good. I thought we did a terrific job of communicating on that end of the floor. We did a good job of helping one another on that end of the floor and our trust was extremely high and that was the separation in the ballgame. That’s what allowed us to hang on for the win."

(On the bench’s play): "I thought off the bench, Anderson and Delonte were terrific. Delonte played hardnosed defense and came up with 50-50 balls on defense. He brought a lot of toughness to this team tonight and then he attacked the rim great. You hope a guy like Anderson, who only had six points and seven rebounds, gets some mention for one of the All-Defensive Teams, and you hope he gets mentioned for Sixth Man of the Year because what he brings to the table for us is extremely invaluable. It’s off the charts. It can’t be measured in stats. You look at that last play; the smartest play he could have done was to chuck that ball to the other end of the floor to let the time run off and he did it. You have to have intelligence to think that quickly in that position with that amount of time left."

(On tonight’s defense): "When we have that type of focus, that type of energy, with the communication we had, our guys can be pretty good. Our guys really locked in for that third quarter coming out of the lockkeroom and got it done defensively. I’m happy about the effort on the defensive end, because we have enough guys who can put the ball in the hole."

LEBRON JAMES

(On winning the game at the defensive end): "The one thing we did is we flied around. Big time. Guys got beat off the dribble and we were able to help. We just contested everything. We had a couple shot clock violations, a couple blocks…like I said, the one thing you can’t control is when you are making shots. We couldn’t make shots, but you can control defense and that’s how we won the game."

(On Andy tapping the ball away at the end): "That was a really, really smart play and it just took all the time off the clock. It was a really smart play."

(On the defensive game plan on the last possession): "Just to not allow them to get an easy look. In any pick and roll situation, we were going to switch everything. Brandon Jennings tried to fake us out with a fake DHO, (Dribble Handoff), but our guards stayed on him and they got a good contest."

(On the defensive effort in the second half): "That is what our staple is. I have been saying it for the last week or two. We figured out how we are going to win ballgames and that was a good case of it tonight."

(On looking forward to the West Coast trip): "It is a business trip. I am looking forward to it. There are some really good teams we are going to play. All four teams are really good. We are looking forward to the challenge. It will be a good test for us."

Shaquille O'Neal

(On the Cavs’ defensive effort to finish the game): "The last six minutes we really couldn’t score a bucket, but our defense carried us. It was really a good test for us, (the Bucks are) a dangerous team with a lot of shooters. Tonight, everybody scrambled at every position and like I said, the last six minutes our defense carried us."

(On stopping Brandon Jennings tonight): "He went 5-21 (shooting). He had a lot of hands in his face. Either we did a good job or he had an off night, I’m not sure. He’s a fabulous player and he reminds me of a young Nick Van Exel and I wish him well."

(On the upcoming road trip): "It is a difficult trip coming up. It is a good test for us. You know that every time that we get into focus mode, we play pretty well. LeBron said it earlier, I said it earlier - it’s a business trip. We are going to a lot of nice cities, but we are going to be locked in as soon as we get on the plane tomorrow."

(On if the Cavs’ recent play worries him): "I’ve been in (the league) for 17 years and I’ve gone to the big dance in many different ways. It doesn’t matter how you get there. A lot of teams play perfect in the beginning and mess up at the end. We are learning. We have been put through a lot of tests and it is going to test out our mental toughness, and it’s going to be good for us."

MO WILLIAMS

(On forcing Brandon Jennings into shooting a low percentage tonight): "That was my goal coming into the game. I know that the kid is aggressive; I know that he is pretty quick and crafty with the ball. I know that he uses a lot of screens and I know I had to be extra aggressive with him, fighting over those screens and try to mix it up with him a little bit. Go under. Go over. (Try to) not give him the same look all night. My bigs did a good job of helping me also. When Shaq was in the game, he dropped, sat back and didn’t give him an angle to the basket. When Andy and JJ were in the game, those guys showed and slowed him down a little bit and let me square him up. It was total team defense. Obviously, I had to come mentally prepared to guard him."

(On being satisfied with the team’s 20-7 record): "Obviously, there have been a couple losses that we felt like we let slip away, but we are a team in training. We are a team learning how to win and learning each other. I’ll take those early losses. I think we are learning each other more and more, each and every game. Obviously, you always feel like you get better. I think we are on the right path."