Bleacher Report - Articles by Eric Moon

Cleveland-Houston: Cavaliers Still Undefeated at Home, Soar Over Rockets 99-90

Eric Moon — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 20:16:18 -0500

The Cleveland Cavaliers (24-4) continue to remain unbeaten at home beating the Houston Rockets (19-10) 99-90 at Quicken Loans Arena on Tuesday nite.

The Cavs now 14-0 at home are the first team to accomplish this feat since the 1995-96 season when the Chicago Bulls and the Orlando Magic won 37 and 33 games straight respectively.

Tonight's game had the feel of a playoff intensity, two teams similar in style battled hard for 48 minutes of action at the Q.

Houston coming into tonight's game had won 11 straight road games against Eastern Conference teams dating back to last year. Something had to give.

"I told Ben Wallace that today was a heavyweight fight," said LeBron James. "When you go against Houston, you know it's going to be a physical game. The addition of Ron Artest makes them really physical. I had to bring my 'A' game, especially on the defensive end. I knew I was going to have to guard multiple guys because you do anything for the team and I was able to accomplish that."

And physical it was, the two teams tussled with one-another in the first half fighting for position. Pushing, shoving, throwing elbows and a couple of technical fouls (Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Yao Ming) fought to a tie at 47 at the break.

In the second half King James turned the heat up scoring 15 of his game high 27 points in the third quarter, two on a beautiful feed from Mo Williams for the alley-oop dunk as James was cutting from the baseline soaring in the air crushing the rim.

James also had game highs in rebounds (nine), steals (three), and turnovers with seven.

Williams chipped in with 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting, scoring 10 of them in the final period. Daniel Gibson hit two crucial three-pointers in the final period and added six rebounds in the game finishing with 11 points along with Big Z.

The Cavs made a mini run pushing their largest lead of the game to 14 at 84-70 on a Williams lay-up. But the Rockets fought back able to cut the lead to one at 86-85 on free throws from Yao.

The play of the game came with 1:05 left in the game Houston down seven, Yao took the entry pass from Rafer Alston and appeared to have an easy deuce, but LeBron came creeping over from the weak-side pinning the 7-6 center’s shot on the glass sending the sold-out Q into a frenzy.

"I think that was his best block of the year," said Williams. "He's had a lot of them, but that's amazing. That's a big guy. Going up, he's so close to the rim and you have to jump so quick to get it. I think that, in my opinion, that was the best block of the year."

Ron Artest would put the final stamp on the game with a technical foul in the final seconds of the game for shoving James down to the floor.

Houston was led by Alston with 20 points followed by Yao with 19, 13-of-13 from the charity stripe. Tracy McGrady had a rough nite scoring only four points on just 2-of-7 shooting in 30 minutes.

"Those four games in five nights caught up to me," said McGrady. "I couldn't get it going, one of those nights where I'm not 100 percent. Feeling good on five days rest instead of one and to try to come out here and play against a great team like this on the fourth night, I was feeling pretty tight."

He also added, "I just didn't have the lift. That's why I really wasn't as aggressive as I normally am because I just didn't have it."

This was a game the Cavaliers needed to play against another championship caliber team to prove to the league and themselves they are no fluke.

"From a physical nature and a mental toughness standpoint, yes, it was a taxing game for both teams. It was good to see our team respond the right way,"said coach Mike Brown.

The Cavs have won 23 of the last 25 games after starting the season 1-2.

They also have won nine straight games against the Western Conference.

The Cavs are now off until Thursday nite when the Washington Wizards invade the Q.

Cleveland-Denver: Cavs Find Gold In Denver, Beat Nuggets 105-88

Eric Moon — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 19:12:50 -0500

LeBron James now owns a little bragging rights over his close friend Carmelo Anthony, as the Cleveland Cavaliers sweep the series against the Denver Nuggets, beating them 105-88 at the Pepsi Center in Denver on Friday night.

"We see each other so much in the offseason that we don't want to hear the trash talking," James said. "So we play hard against each other. If you were just watching the game you would never think we were friends. I got him this time. I got him this year."

It was a good road test for the Cavaliers as there are many doubters out there not believing in the Cavs claiming they have a soft schedule. Bottom line to that is you beat the teams your suppose to and the difference this year is the Cavs are actually doing that.

Cleveland (22-4) is definitely a championship caliber team and has opened the eyes of the naysayers. The Cavs have now have won 21 out of the last 23 games.

"I think this is a statement game. We wanted to make that statement," James said. "We knew we were coming into a hostile environment, a team that had been playing just as hot as us, just as hot as Boston and just as hot as the Lakers. We made a statement and came in here and took care of business."

King James has shown the world why his team is worthy of the recognition. He doesn't have to do it all by himself, he has the help of his friends. The Cavs welcomed back the man in the middle Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who was out for three games with an ankle sprain.

Big Z hitting two-of-three from three-point land finished with 23 points and six rebounds, while Delonte West added 22, both season-highs. With the rotation head coach Mike Brown has it allows him to put shooters on the floor to open up lanes for James to operate and that the King did.

James finished with a game high 33 on 13-of-20 shooting and added 10 rebounds and eight assist. Anthony was held to 13 points on just five-of-14 shooting, also fouled out in 29 minutes of action. Chauncey Billups led the Nuggets with 16.

Denver (17-9) has lost back-to-back games for the first time since the trade that sent Allen Iverson to Detroit for Billups.

The Cavs came out like a team on a mission, missing their first three shots the Cavs started blazing the nets hitting on the next 15-of-17 shots to take a 37-21 lead after a period of play.

The largest lead of the game was 22 for the Cavs at 54-32 on a West jump shot. Denver was able to go on a mini run to cut the lead to 64-53 at the half.

The Cavs defense pestered and flustered the Nuggets in the second half holding them scoreless over a five-minute stretch and they finished with only 12 points in the quarter.

"To hold this team in this building to 88 points on 43 percent shooting is phenomenal," said coach Brown. "I have to give my entire team credit for doing that. Especially that third quarter. I think the last 10 1/2 minutes they scored eight points. That's unheard of."

The Cavs now will finish up the four-game road trip on Sunday facing the Oklahoma City Thunder (3-24). Then will come home to face Houston on Tuesday and Washington on Thursday followed by a home-and-home against Miami.

Cleveland-Philadelphia: Cavs Streak Hits 11, Clamp Down 76ers, 88-72

Eric Moon — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 17:06:07 -0500

Cleveland Cavaliers tie a franchise record with 11 wins in a row the longest streak since 1993-'94 season, as their defense suffocates Philly whipping them 88-72 in a wigged out night at Quicken Loans Arena.

Cleveland now 2-0 in wig nights, as tonight was Ben Wallace fro night at the Q. The team chemistry was definitely on display as all the players came out with the wigs on during pregame warmups.

Philly scored 25 points in the first quarter and only 47 the rest of the game, as the Cavs' defense continues to shine as the staple of this team.

“The first quarter they did a good job of getting out and getting transition buckets,” said LeBron James. “That’s one thing you have to key on when you play Philadelphia. They try to speed the game up and try to get easy lay-ups and get easy buckets. Once we decided to commit to getting back, we completely shut them down.”

The 'Sixers jumped out to a 21-13 lead on the Cavs led by Willie Green scoring 11 of his team high 19 points in the quarter. The Cavs then clamped down on the defensive end and fought to tie the score at 25 after one quarter of play.

The Cavaliers didn’t shoot the ball well tonight, only 41 percent, but managed a 12-2 spurt to close the half leading 52-39.

James scored 16 of his game-high 28 points in the first half. Anderson Varejao making his first start of the season filling in for the injured Zydrunas Ilgauskas sitting out with a sprained ankle scored 13 of his 17 points at the break.

The third quarter was the LeBron and Delonte West show, as they scored all of the Cavs 17 points in the quarter.

The Cavs never looked back as they were able to extend their lead to 18 at 86-68 holding Philly scoreless in the fourth quarter over a five minute stretch.

West finished with 16 points and Mo Williams added 14. King James also had seven rebounds, seven assists, and three blocks.

The victory extended their home record to 13-0, the only undefeated team on their court. Also what’s impressive is the Cavs (20-3) now have won 19 out of their last 20 games. One bad fourth quarter in Detroit and we could be talking a 20-game streak.

The seven-game lead the Cavs have in the Central Division is the largest lead in franchise history.

“We should be proud of this,” said James. “But there’s a lot of work still to do. It’s a long season. We have to continue to get better and continue to work.”

Elton Brand of the 'Sixers (9-14) was held to 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting also had 11 boards. Andre Iguodala chipped in 16. Guard Lou Williams missed the game with the flu.

Besides Ilgauskas the Cavs were also missing the services of guard Daniel Gibson out for two weeks with a sprained toe.

The Cavaliers now head on the road for the next four games starting in Atlanta on Saturday seeking for a franchise record 12th win in a row.

Manning the Middle: Cleveland Cavaliers Center of Attention Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Eric Moon — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 20:19:42 -0500

“He’s the big man in the middle from Lithuania No.11 Zzzzzzzz!!!!!! Zydrunas Ilgauskas” says Ahmaad, the On-court Host/Hype Man for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Affectionately known as Big Z, he is well known for his practical jokes in the locker room and is loved by his teammates and fans, standing 7-foot-3 260lbs has been the center of attention for the last 12 years for the Cavalier organization.

Basketball wasn’t the only sport he played, as a youngster Z loved to play soccer and volleyball. But after a growth spurt he decided to concentrate on basketball. Believe it or not Z started out as a point guard.

Ilgauskas started playing professional basketball for the Atletas Basketball club in Kaunas, Lithuania. He tried to enter into the 1995 NBA draft but broke his right foot and had to withdraw.

Z came back strong and reapplied for early entry for the 1996 draft. Then general manager Wayne Embry pulled the trigger and drafted Big Z with the 20th pick in the first round. Z however broke his right foot again and missed his rookie year.

He was able to come back the following season and was named to the All-Rookie first team in 1997-98 also was the MVP of the Rookie Challenge game. The next few years tested Z’s will as he had broke his left foot a couple of times causing him to ponder retirement at the age of 25.

But Z stood tall through the face of adversity, had his fifth surgery in six years, endured grueling months of therapy and in 2001 was able to get back on the court and show the organization that he wasn’t a first round bust that some tried to label him.

All the hard work paid off as he was named to the All-Star game in 2003 and 2005 by the Eastern Conference coaches. In 2007, had another solid season helping his team reach the NBA Finals for the first time in the franchise’s 37-year history.

Off to a solid start this season, Big Z’s stat line reads 15 points 7.7 rebounds 1.3 blocks in 26.1 minutes a night on 53 percent shooting from the field and 84 percent from the free throw stripe. Also he has added the three-point shot to his arsenal hitting on 4-of-10 attempts this season.

Big Z has been playing some of the best ball in his career thanks in part to LeBron James and also Mo Williams. The Cavs are focusing more this year establishing him in the paint. Also he is able to pick and pop to hit the 18-footer.

Able to hit the open shot on a consistent basis forces centers to cover him. By doing that it creates spacing on the floor for LeBron or Mo to penetrate into the paint for an easier shot.

Big Z’s health is definitely a key if the Cavaliers are to capture a championship. No other big on the Cavs front-line commands the respect that Z does from the other team. He’s not afraid to mix it up in the middle with the likes of Rasheed Wallace of Detroit or Kendrick Perkins of Boston.

Also the addition of Ben Wallace has helped Z clog the middle on the defensive end of the floor. As a result the Cavs are ranked fifth in the league with 6.2 blocks per game.

Big Z just recently became the franchise leader in rebounds passing Brad Daughtery’s mark of 5,227. He also recently stands third in games played 664 passing John “Hot Rod” Williams. Most likely before the season is over he will pass Williams for the all-time lead in block shots as well.

Z has stated thanks to LeBron he has enjoyed playing ball now more than ever in his career and doesn’t know where he would be without him here. I’m sure the feeling is mutual as when the Cavs captured the Eastern Conference Championship in '07 King James sought out Big Z first to give him a hug for all he has endured.

Big Z is a key cog in the success of the Cavaliers this season. Such a key that members in the organization is already making room for No.11 to hang in the rafters of the Q.

Cleveland-Toronto: Nine Is Fine, Cavs Torch Raptors 114-94

Eric Moon — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 21:15:23 -0500

It was a record setting night at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland as the Cavaliers extended their winning streak to nine torching the Raptors 114-94 setting a NBA record nine straight wins by 12 or more points.

“It’s absolutely special. In this league it’s very competitive and I know I’ve been through my fair share of games in this league and it’s tough to win (by double digits). To do it nine straight times on the road and at home, it’s great," said LeBron James.

Cleveland has now improved their record to 18-3 winning 17 of their last 18 games and 12-0 on their home court.

The Cavaliers wasted no time jumping on the Raptors as two quick steals by the Cavs led to a couple of monster dunks by King James to start the dunk-fest he had on the night.

The second steal was by LeBron making him the all-time steals leader in team history No. 735 formerly held by Mark Price.

The Cavaliers defense remained solid holding the Raptors to 33 percent shooting in the opening quarter led 29-19.

In the second period the Cavs built a 19 point lead but lost their focus for a bit getting three technical fouls called against them (assistant coach Mike Malone, Ben Wallace and James) and allowed the Raptors to climb back in the game on a 16-6 spurt to cut the lead to 51-42.

With 2:01 left in the quarter Zydrunas Ilgauskas became the all-time rebounding leader in team history snatching No. 5,228 passing Brad Daugherty for the record.

“It felt great,” smiled Z. “It was everything I anticipated. It’s been a long road, but I enjoyed it and I cherish it. After I’m done playing, it’ll be one of the top moments that I’ll remember from my career here.”

King James ended the quarter in spectacular fashion hitting a three-point shot from about 30 feet to give the Cavs a 59-51 lead at the half. Bron scored 20 of his 31 points in the first half.

In the second half the Cavs came out on fire going on a 23-4 run in the quarter. This is what championship caliber teams do regroup make the necessary adjustments and take over games.

“We handled it like a championship team. We came in, we watched film and we talked about it. (We said) ‘Let’s be quiet and let our defense do the talking.’ You saw it, we went on that 23-4 run.” Mo Williams on starting the second half.

After that the Cavs were on cruise control and once again were able to rest most of the starter's in the fourth quarter. For LeBron this is the sixth time in the last eight games during the current streak that he has been able to rest in the final period.

Wally Szczerbiak had 16 points, Big Z finished with 13. Williams also had 13 points and nine assist on the night.

Once again the Cavs stifling "D" controlled an all-star holding Chris Bosh to just nine points on 4-of-11 shooting. The Raptors were led by Joey Graham's 17 points and Jose Calderon had 14.

Coach Mike Brown was quite pleased with his team on the night, “Two guys, Delonte West and Mo, did a terrific job of moving the ball around the team. For those two guys to have 17 assists between the two of them and one turnover is a phenomenal floor game. Those two guys were really special tonight.

I thought earlier in the game, in the second quarter, we got distracted by the referees a little bit. As a group, one of the things I talk to our guys about is having a bunker mentality. What I mean by that is, we can’t worry about any outside distractions.

The only thing we need to worry about is us as individuals and us as a team. When we got distracted by the officials, it kind of took us away from what our objective was for a little bit. The exciting part about it is our group as a whole bounced back; I didn’t even have to say anything to them. They just police themselves and come out playing the right way in the second half.”

Next up for the Cavs is two games against the Philadelphia 76ers starting Wednesday in Philly then the two teams will fly back to Cleveland to play on Friday at the Q.

Cavaliers-Bobcats: Cavs Tame 'Cats, 94-74

Eric Moon — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 06:25:42 -0500

The Cleveland Cavaliers (17-3) continue their dominance beating up on the Charlotte Bobcats (7-13) 94-74 at Time Warner Cable Arena.

The blowout extended the Cavs win streak to eight for the second time in 20 games this young season.

This game was over from the tip. The Cavs started the game with a 7-0 spurt and before you knew it—Bam!! It was 30-14 by the end of the quarter.

Defense continues to be the staple of this team holding the Bobcats to 19 percent shooting in the first quarter and six of their ten blocks came in the quarter.

LeBron James' prowess on the defensive side continues to show. A night after holding Indiana's Danny Granger to four points, James helped limit Charlotte's second-leading scorer, Gerald Wallace, to one point on 0-of-6 shooting.

"I took the challenge once again, like I did last night with Danny,'' James said. "My teammates helped me out. It wasn't just me.''

Jason Richardson the Bobcats leading scorer was also held in check scoring just nine on the night.

"Every time you drive to the basket, all five guys are there,'' said Richardson. "We've got to play like that. Every time we came down the lane, there were no easy baskets. It was either a block or they put us to the line with a foul that was hard.''

Wallace, Emeka Okafor, and Sean May combined to shoot 2-for-14 in the first half as Cleveland built a 55-35 lead on James' flurry of nine points in the final 2:20.

Unlike last night James had no trouble scoring with 20 of his 25 points scored by halftime. Daniel Gibson added 22 points and five assist for Cleveland.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who had 11 rebounds and five of Cleveland's 10 blocks, sat out the final period to remain four rebounds shy of supplanting Brad Daugherty (5,227) as Cleveland's career leader.

James also sat out the final period tying Mark Price for the franchise record of 734 steals in a career.

James wanted both marks set at home Tuesday night—and another record-tying rout made it possible.

The Cavs have won eight straight games - all by at least 12 points - to tie an NBA record, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

"We take pride on trying to build big leads,'' James said."We're not going out there trying to blow everyone out, we're just getting big leads and keeping them."

"Teams are having a hard time scoring on us, on the road and at home,'' Ilgauskas said. "Get a lot of steals, contest all the shots, limit them to one shot and off to the races. We've been playing good basketball.''

D.J. Augustin led the Bobcats with 17 points, Raymond Felton added 15.

The loss was a setback for the Bobcats, who had won four of six under coach Larry Brown before dropping a close game in Milwaukee Friday.

Next up for the Cavaliers is a home game Tuesday with Toronto. James and Ilgauskas will be closing in on records as the Raptors face the task of trying to derail the early-season juggernaut.

Cavaliers-Pacers: Block Party Continues Cavs Steam Roll Pacers 97-73

Eric Moon — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 19:11:06 -0500

With thousands of Cleveland fans wearing curly, red-headed wigs.Anderson Varejao didn't miss a shot and scored 17 points in the first half as the defensive-minded Cavaliers(16-3), despite getting a season-low 11 points from LeBron James, won their seventh straight defeating Indiana 97-73 on Friday night at Quicken Loans Arena.

James took it upon himself to concentrate on other phases of his game including shutting down Pacers leading scorer Danny Granger by holding him to just four points in 32 minutes on just 2-of-7 shot attempts on the night.

"He's the key to their team and they aren't going to be as good if he's not on,'' said James. "I just took it upon myself to lock in on him and let my team on the other end take care of the offense. It was all about defense. We have enough guys who can score.''

A perfect 11-0 at home, Cleveland has won 15 of 16 since starting this season 1-2.

Cleveland started the game by going 5-of-6 shooting from the field then went ice cold finishing the quarter on 3-of-17 shooting but managed to lead 21-20 at the end of the first period.

But the Pacers, who gave Cleveland its closest home game - a four-point loss on Nov. 7 when Granger scored 33 - couldn't stay with the Cavs.

Varejao got hot, he scored 13 points on 6-of-6 shooting - all jumpers - in the second quarter when Cleveland outscored the Pacers 31-18 to open a 14-point halftime lead.

The Cavs in the second half continued their defensive prowess by holding the Pacers to 16 points in the third quarter. After that the frustration started to set in with the Pacers.

With 4:26 remaining in the ball game, the Cavs leading 88-65 Granger shows James just how frustrated he was.

Beaten by James on a drive, Granger reached from behind and grabbed the right arm of King James having no part of being another poster child and pulled him down hard onto the court.

James didn't appreciate the rough treatment. The two exchanged a shove and Zydrunas Ilgauskas came to James' defense and got into it with Indiana's Troy Murphy, who also had Cleveland's Ben Wallace in his face.

James, Granger, Ilgauskas and Murphy were all given technicals.

After the referees separated Indiana and Cleveland's heated players, Cavaliers guard Mo Williams stood and stared at the Pacers. With his teammates surrounding him, Williams smiled and slowly shook his head from side to side.

"We're not backing down from anybody,'' Williams said. "We are going to protect our home.''

And protect they did. Williams and Ilgauskas finished with 17 apiece and Delonte West and Daniel Gibson had 14 points each.

James was just 4-of-12 from the field for 11 points. He also had 11 assists and eight rebounds in 38 minutes.

Murphy scored 15 points, and Stephen Graham added 14 for the Pacers, who earlier this week handed the Los Angeles Lakers just their second loss, beating them 118-117 when Murphy tipped in a miss at the buzzer.

The loss dropped the Pacers record to 7-12, and are nine games behind the Central Division lead by the Cavs.

The Cavs are doing it with a nasty, suffocating defense anchored by LeBron's three blocks shots on the night. Big's Ben and Z added two blocks a piece, and ten total as a team on the night.

"Defense,'' James said, "is our staple.''

We'll see if the Cavs can continue the party has they head to Charlotte to face the 7-12 Bobcats Saturday night.

LeBron James Named NBA's Eastern Conference Player of the Month

Eric Moon — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 09:58:52 -0500

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James was named today as the NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Month presented by KIA for games played in the month of November.

In 15 games during the month, James averaged 28.6 points on .497 shooting, 7.1 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game. James has now won the award eight times in his career: for the first time this season, two times during 2007-08, once in 2006-07, twice in 2005-06, and twice during the 2004-05 campaign.

During November, James ranked second in the NBA in points per game (28.6) and ranked sixth in assists (6.2) and steals (2.1) among Eastern Conference players. James led his team to a 13-2 record during the month, which tied for the most wins in a month in franchise history and was their best November record ever.

James also won Eastern Conference Player of the Week twice during the month (for weeks ending Nov. 9 and 16).

With his second steal at Dallas on Nov. 3, he became the youngest player (23 years, 308 days) and fastest (395 games) to reach the following milestones in five statistical categories: 10,000 points, 2,500 rebounds, 2,500 assists, 700 steals, and 300 blocks.

During the month of November, James scored 41 points three times and became the first player since Michael Jordan in 1991 to reach the 40-point mark at least three times in his team’s first eight games of a season.

James scored 41 points twice against Chicago (Nov. 5 and Nov. 8), becoming the first player to have consecutive games with 40 or more points versus Chicago since Rick Barry (1974-9175). He has now scored 30 or more points against the Bulls in seven straight games.

He joins Nate Archibald (nine games from 3/10/72-10/10/73), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (eight games from 2/13/71-2/20/72), and Oscar Robertson (seven games from 12/2/67-11/9/68) as the only players to accomplish that feat.

In the Cavs’ next game on Nov. 11, he scored 41 points versus Milwaukee on 16-24 shooting (.667) and added six assists and three steals.

With James’ 13th point in the first quarter at New Jersey on Nov. 18, he became the youngest player in NBA history (23 years, 324 days) to score 11,000 points, surpassing Kobe Bryant who reached the plateau at 25 years, 99 days.

Cleveland Cavaliers Continue Their Dominance, Beat Bucks 97-85

Eric Moon — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 05:47:55 -0500

The Cleveland Cavaliers just completed four games in a five-night stretch as they defeated the Milwaukee Bucks, 97-85 at the Bradley Center.

It was a game of returns, you might say, as former Buck Mo Williams returned to play against the team for the first time since the offseason trade.

Also, there was a Redd sighting as Michael Redd saw his first action in 14 games since being sidelined from an ankle injury.

The game was a sluggish one. The teams managed to score just 36 points after the first quarter of play.

A beautiful block by LeBron James in the second period sparked a dull game. He timed his leap perfectly and sent a Ramon Sessions layup attempt into the stands wowing the crowd.

The Cavs shot a season low 41.5 percent from the field, but never trailed in the game. They out-hustled the Bucks, dominating them on the boards 53-38. They also had 22 second chance points with 19 offensive boards to Milwaukee’s seven.

This game shows the Cavaliers improvement from the past. In previous seasons, they would have found a way to gift wrap the victory to the Bucks. James decided to take matters into his own hands, scoring 11 straight for the Cavs late in the fourth to seal the deal.

The Bucks never led in the game and the Cavs used a 13-3 spurt to take a 54-38 lead the largest margin of the game. The Bucks responded by outscoring the Cavs 29-15 to pull within two at 69-67.

Milwaukee cut the lead to two again on a Luke Ridnour three-pointer to make it 79-77, then Cleveland’s Sasha Pavlovic answered with a three of his own, making the score 82-77.

After that, King James took control. James finished with 32 points and shot 12-of-27 from the field.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas added a season best 23 points and 17 rebounds. Williams had 13 points in his return, and the Cavaliers have now won 13 out of the last 14 games.

The Bucks were led by Redd with 20 points followed by Richard Jefferson who added 19 and Sessions with 16. The last place Bucks have now lost four games in a row.

The Cavaliers return home and won’t play again until Wednesday when the New York Knicks invade Quicken Loans Arena. Let’s see if the Wine and Gold can remain undefeated on their court.

Washington Redskins: Defense Is the Key to Success

Eric Moon — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 11:01:17 -0500

The Washington Redskins (7-4) are fighting to keep their playoff hopes alive with five remaining games left in the season. What has been their biggest reason for success thus far this season one may ask?

Many would answer undoubtedly Clinton Portis, the league's leading rusher with over 1200 yards in eleven games this year and playing through many nagging injuries. But the play of the offense has sputtered throughout this year leaving a lot to be desired at times, with many shaking their heads wondering why is this team being too conservative?

So if not Clinton Portis then who, or what, has been the keys for success this year?

It has been the play of the defensive unit that has kept the Skins playoff hopes afloat. The defense is ranked third overall giving up a mere 272.0 yards a game. Against the rush, the Skins are yielding only 89.3 yards a game and 182.7 passing.

This is outstanding for a team that doesn’t get much hype for their defensive prowess like other teams. Reason being, no defensive player is ranked high in the stats that everyone looks at. Demetric Evans leads the Skins with only four sacks and the rookie Chris Horton has three interceptions to lead the squad. Not gaudy numbers by a long shot.

So what is it that makes the defense so special? Just those statistics along will make you say wow, how is it that the “D” playing so well does not have players up in the statistical categories?

Defensive coordinator Greg Blache has the team playing outstanding as a unit even with the nagging injuries the team has been plagued with. Jason Taylor, Shawn Springs, Marcus Washington, just to name a few, have missed significant time this year. But the depth on the team has been able to keep the Skins hopes alive.

H.B. Blades, Anthony Montgomery, Fred Smoot, DeAngelo Hall, and Evans all have filled in at different times to help keep the glue together on the defense. In order for this team to make the playoffs, this collective effort has to continue starting this Sunday when the Giants (10-1) invade FedEx field.

This will not be an easy task as Eli Manning has the G-Men clicking on all phases of the game. The D-line must come up big if the Skins are to win this game. They must hold Earth, Wind and Fire (Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward, Ahmad Bradshaw), the leagues best rushing attack at 164.9 yards a game, in check and force Manning to get rid of the ball early.

Following the Giants, the Skins have to go on the road to face an opportunistic defense in the Ravens, another team with playoff aspirations. If the defense can outshine Baltimore’s the Skins should be able to prevail in the game.

Afterwards, they face a Bengal team that is wishing the season was over. Then return home to face an Eagles team that is trying to salvage a sub par season followed by a season finale on the road against the 49ers. The team should finish 4-1 and make the playoffs.

If Taylor and Springs can get healthy it will help the team tremendously. The secondary will be that much stronger. Taylor’s presence will help the D-line with pressure on opposing teams’ quarterbacks. The outcome should be a happy one for Skins fans. Only time will tell if this becomes reality.

Cavaliers-Hawks: Wine and Gold Still in Control As Cavs Clip the Hawks

Eric Moon — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 21:42:04 -0500

The Cleveland Cavaliers remain the NBA’s only undefeated team on their home court (7-0) with a 110-96 thrashing of the Atlanta Hawks at Quicken Loans Arena on Saturday night to move their record to 10-3 on the young season.

The Cavs jumped out early, scoring the first 11 points of the game and never looked back. After the Hawks finally scored a bucket the Cavs came right back with Zydrunas Ilgauskas feeding LeBron James with a nice bounce pass around the defender who found Ben Wallace for the dunk.

And before you knew it, by the end of the quarter the Cavs held the Hawks to just 12 points in the first period playing stifling defense lead 49-32 at the half.

The Cavaliers had four players scoring eight points or more in the first half. Reading this, it would be safe to assume King James was one of them right? Wrong, this is a different basketball team in Cleveland.

With the new editions to go along with James he is able to rest more and pick his spots when he’s ready to dictate and take over games. And he decided to do that in the second half scoring 19 of his 24 points in the second half.

King James delivered a couple of jaw dropping rim shaking dunks to send the Cavaliers bench and fans into a frenzy, once taking on two Hawk defenders, James drove down the lane against Al Horford and Solomon Jones and crushed a dunk with his left hand, posterizing the two teammates as if they were little boys playing a man’s game.

Another one came later that period when James blew past Maurice Evans faking a pass behind his back went up and smashed the ball through the hoop, sending Evans ducking for cover trying to avoid a fat head shot.

The Cavaliers biggest lead of the night was 28 at 68-40 but the Hawks manage to wilt it down to 11 with the gritty play of backups Evans and Acie Law, who finished with 21 points and 20 on the night. Joe Johnson the Hawks leading scorer was held to just four points on 1-of-8 shooting.

The Cavs had great balance tonight with Mo Williams 23 points, Delonte West 19, and Big Z finished with 17. James also had eight assist and seven boards. The Cavs continue to shoot the ball well, shooting 51 percent from the field 41-of-81 and 91 percent from the foul line 21-of-23 on the night.

Another all around solid effort from the Cavs, who are now faced with a four games in five nights stretch.

Starting on Tuesday, they will play the New York Knicks, who everyone outside of Cleveland thinks the King will take up residency with in 2010, followed by games against Oklahoma City Thunder, Golden State Warriors, and the Milwaukee Bucks.

The scary part about this start by Cleveland is that their not even playing their best basketball yet according to LeBron, and yet they are ranked fourth in the league, averaging 101.2 points a game and ranked sixth in defense giving up only 93.0

Cavalier fans hope the team keeps winning in the fashion that they are doing and the King will be raising banners at the Q and not in other places that he is rumored to be heading to.

Redskins: Change Needed in Washington

Eric Moon — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:29:12 -0500

The Washington Redskins (6-4) are pondering many questions as they prepare to face the Seattle Seahawks (2-8) this Sunday at Quest Field.

How could such a promising start to the season turn south? Where did it all go wrong? Who’s to blame? How do we get back on track?

After a bad start to the season against the Giants, the Skins were able to reel off four wins in a row, including impressive victories over the Cowboys and Eagles.

Then things took a turn for the worst. What happened? Week six happened.

The Rams entered FedexField at the time searching for their first victory of the season. The Skins believed they could just show up on the field and would get the victory. Safe to say that didn’t happen.

Facing a 1st-and-10 at the Rams’ 16-yard line, Campbell's pass was batted in the air, and Pete Kendall grabbed it. Instead of going down, Kendall proceeded to do his Clinton Portis imitation and tried to run with the ball only to cough it up. The Rams recovered and returned the fumble 75 yards for a touchdown.

Big momentum change; instead of the Redskins going into halftime with a 14-3 or 10-3 lead they trailed, 10-7. A team they no doubt should have dominated the entire game was now in a fight and eventually lost the game 19-17 on a 49-yard field goal as time expired.

Next up was Cleveland and Detroit. Both games were winnable and they managed to win each, but for whatever reason these were games where Zorn decided to be extra conservative with the offense. Not allowing Campbell to throw downfield, Zorn relied on big games from Portis to pull them through. And that he did; Portis was named NFC Offensive Player of the Month for October.

All was well in D.C. with the Skins sitting at 6-2, a game behind the Giants for the NFC East lead. At the time you may have thought so, but the Skins went into their next game in primetime on Monday night against the top-ranked defensive team in the league, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Just what the doctor ordered for a reeling offense.

The Redskin attack totaled just 221 yards and was only 3-of-15 on third down conversions. Campbell was intercepted twice. Portis was held in check all game, rushing for only 51 yards on the night. The Washington defense played their hearts out, sacking Steelers quarterbacks five times, only to have D.C’s own Byron Leftwich lead the Black and Gold to a 23-6 victory.

Coming off a much needed bye week, you would have hoped the Redskins battered and bruised forms had healed up a bit and were now ready to take on the much hated Cowboys in their second meeting of the season.

A beat-up Dallas team entered FedExField needing a win desperately, and they showed they wanted it more, beating the Redskins 14-10.

Once again, Zorn being Zorn showed no imagination on offense. Washington didn't stretch the Dallas defense all night, content to just dink and dunk their way down the field, allowing the Dallas defense to stack the box all night.

Memo to Jim Zorn:

Slants and screens won’t work if you don’t loosen up the defense. Throw the ball down-field for crying out loud. Three times you enter Dallas’ territory and come away with zero points? That is ridiculous!!!!!

You had the crowd into it from the start with the celebration of Art Monk and Darrell Green being elected in the Hall of Fame. You take that momentum and wasted it.

In the last five games the Skins are averaging 14.4 points a game. That’s not enough to get the job done if you consider yourself a playoff caliber team.

What must be done to get things back on track? For one, coach Zorn has to reestablish the passing attack and get the ball downfield. The offensive line must protect better, as age is starting to show, especially in the game against the Steelers. Campbell must read the defenses quicker and get rid of the ball faster.

Even though the Skins' defense has played well this season, there is still a need to get pass rushes going. The Skins are not getting enough pressure on opposing team quarterbacks, sacking them a total of 15 times all season. The corners need to stop playing so soft on defense. Too many times have I witnessed the corners playing too deep, allowing the receivers to kill them with slants and screen plays.

Change is definitely needed in Washington. Change in the offensive style of play, change in attitude from players (especially the o-line) to dominate the line of scrimmage, change in all the coaches’ attitudes to get this team focused and back on track.

The Redskins are now in a must win mode for the rest of the year if they want to make a run for the Lombardi Trophy in February.

Starting this Sunday in Seattle the Redskins must play with a sense of urgency. It’s time to change your attitudes fellas. IT’S TIME TO MAN UP!!!!!!

"The Wine and Gold Are On A Roll" The NBA's Hottest Team

Eric Moon — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 07:52:43 -0500

It’s just three weeks into the young season with the Cleveland Cavaliers sitting in first place at 8-2 in the Central Division. I know it’s early but the Eastern Conference better beware the Cavaliers not the Pistons are there.

Why all the fuss you may ask when they don’t have the best record in the conference? It’s the Celtics with the half game lead over them. Detroit and Orlando are only a game behind. Why all the hoopla?

The C’s are playing good ball with Paul Pierce making clutch baskets time after time. Pistons are still learning how to play with their newly acquired superstar guard Allen Iverson. Orlando has won three games in a row to take the division lead in the Southeast. What’s so special about the Cavs?

Well one reason is of course number 23, LeBron James. Playing phenomenal ball and really haven’t had to break a sweat, he still is averaging 29 points 8 rebounds 7 assist in 37 minutes a night. James has been quoted as saying he has more space on the floor to operate than at any time in his career with the cast he has around him now. No longer can teams double and triple team him on the King’s court. If they choose to he can pick and pop with Big Z for the open 18 footer. Swing the ball across court to find an open West in the corner.

The best part of it all he doesn’t have to dominate the ball any longer. With the addition of Mo Williams, the King has entrusted him to run the offense which allows James to play more off the ball which spells doom for the opposing team. “Pick your poison”, the King declares to his opponents. “Stop me, and all the King’s men will find away to get the job done like Mo, Boobie, and Anderson Varejao has done this season.

Leave me and I’ll destroy you with a drive or alley hoop in your face” LeBron says with a devilish smile. “Wham with the right hand” Joe Tait Cavs radio announcer proclaims to the listening audience.

Danny Ferry has made a drastic change to this team who was just two years removed from playing in the Finals against the San Antonio Spurs. Only five guys remain on the roster from that year (not including Eric Snow who is injured and will retire after his injury settlement is resolved).

Ferry has rolled his sleeves up, transformed this team over by making the Cavs a more physical team with the addition of Ben Wallace. The Cavs are more athletic with the additions of Williams and West, more efficient shooting team with Wally Szczerbiak along with Gibson spreading the floor.

Coach Mike Brown has picked up the dice, shook them in his hands, “Yeeeeessss, seven” he says referring to the Cavs current win streak. Who would have believed it, the Cleveland Cavaliers actually has an offensive attack that doesn’t include James dribbling down the shot clock while his other four teammates are standing in awe as he takes on the opponents by himself.

Gone are the days of one on five plays on the court. “We are a diverse team now we can play half court, or run within our system” James says, “as long as we take care of our top priority which is defense first. This is by far the deepest team I’ve played with since coming to the league.”

Mike Brown has put together different rotations that have the wine and gold on a roll. The Cavs winners of seven games in a row and are the hottest team in the NBA, now are taking their act out on the road for the next two games against New Jersey and Detroit. The NBA had better beware the Cleveland Cavaliers are here to stay.

Early Season Notebook Scribbles on the Cleveland Cavaliers

Eric Moon — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 17:40:57 -0500

Hey Cavaliers fans just some observations after the first couple of weeks of the 82-game grind before the real season begins (playoff time that is) for those who are fortunate to make it.

The starting line-up that head coach Mike Brown is using seems to be playing really well together. He’s going with Mo Williams and Delonte West in the backcourt, LeBron James and Ben Wallace as his forwards, and Big Z manning the middle.

Off the bench Coach Brown has been using the combination of Daniel (Boobie) Gibson, Anderson (The Wild Thing) Varejao and Wally Szczerbiak getting the majority of the remaining minutes.

I must admit I was not a fan of starting West at the off-guard spot, I thought the Cavaliers would be better off starting Wally or Sasha Pavlovic at that spot with West coming off the bench. But Delonte has been a pleasant surprise thus far. West is averaging 33 minutes a night, 10.1 ppg 3.6 rpg 2.0 apg per game and playing solid defense.

Mo Williams the Cavaliers big addition in the off season is still feeling his way in the offense averaging 14.1 ppg and 4.9 apg in 34 minutes a game. He also is still getting use to the style of defense that Coach Brown likes to play.

Big Ben has shown flashes of his defensive prowess that earned him two-time Defensive Player of the Year. Coach Brown has been monitoring his minutes properly in my opinion averaging 22.7 a night to keep him fresh for later in the season.

The player who is benefiting the most from the Mo Williams trade is Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Big Z in 28.4 minutes a night is averaging 15.6 ppg 6.7 boards. The Cavs are actually establishing him more in the post, as well as using him in the pick-and-pop with Williams.

Also figuring to benefit from the trade is King James. In just 36 minutes a night (Bron is usually over 40) the King’s stat line is 28.1 ppg 8.9 rpg 7.0 apg a game, not bad for a person still feeling out his personnel on the floor and fresh off of earning Eastern Conference Player of the Week torching the Chicago Bulls twice for 41 pts in a game.

The bench has provided a big lift when needed, Gibson, Varejao, and Szczerbiak is averaging almost 25 points a night from the trio, playing solid defense and giving the Cavs good energy off the bench.

The bench as a unit has been tremendous, never before in the LeBron James era have I seen the bench play as well as they have and also cheering the way they have for the guys that’s on the floor showing great team chemistry.

So far Mike Brown has pushed all the right buttons with the different rotations he’s been using, resting Williams early and bringing him back when James takes his rest keeping a solid scorer on the floor at all times. Then going with the quick line-up of James or Szczerbiak, playing the power forward spot along with Boobie and Mo as the guards and The Wild Thing in the middle, giving the Cavs a nice change of pace.

Usually the Cavs start slow, but at 5-2 and leading the Central Division they have been playing solid basketball here in the early going of the season. Last year, I believe they probably would have lost more games than they have won, but the attitude on the team is much better and they have more of a business like approach to the games.

The Cavs are winning the battle in the 1^st and 4^thquarters of games scoring 99.5 ppg(ranked 8^thin the league) and on the defensive end giving up 93 ppg (also ranked 8^th in the league) showing that they are starting and finishing games strong. But must correct the sluggish 3^rd quarter blues that’s been a thorn in the teams side for whatever reason over the past few years.

With Detroit pulling off a major trade in bringing in Allen Iverson, the Cavs need to continue to play well and separate themselves from their rivals while they learn how to incorporate Iverson into their style of play. Putting away the teams they suppose to beat and not letting any games slip away by taking the lesser teams for granted.

We’ll see if their stellar play continues on this home stand against Milwaukee, Denver, and Utah then back on the road against New Jersey and Detroit before coming back home to play Atlanta. By continuing to produce victories in the win column, the Cavs will be on track towards the road to a championship.

The Redskins Sign DeAngelo Hall for remainder of season

Eric Moon — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 08:48:11 -0500

The Washington Redskins has signed cornerback DeAngelo Hall to a one year deal for reportedly $492,000 for the remainder of the season. Hall who was released by the Oakland Raiders earlier this week collected $8 million of his seven year $72 million dollar contract he signed in the off season.

In just eight games for the Raiders Hall had 3 interceptions, 48 tackles, and was credited with a half sack. So why did the Raiders give up on Hall? The Raiders wanted to restructure Hall’s contract and once he declined, he was notified of his release.

Also, even with the three INT’s, the Raiders felt as though Hall was beaten way too any times, giving up more yards thrown his way then any defender in the league according to data compiled by STATS LLC.

What do the Redskins see in Hall one may ask? With the signing of Hall it gives the Redskins added depth at corner which is sorely needed with Shawn Springs calf injury, Fred Smoot’s groin, and Carlos Rogers also playing through a calf injury.

The former pro-bowler was once heralded as one of the best corners in the league is still young at the age of 24 (will be 25 on November 19). Born and raised in Virginia coming home to play for his hometown team should be extra motivation to prove Al Davis and the Raiders what a mistake it was to give up on him.

Hall has been known to be a disruptive force at times while playing for the Atlanta Falcons thus the reason for them trading him to the Raiders. But with the veteran leadership the Redskins have and the learning experience he has gone through in his career, I believe he’s matured enough to know and realizes he has a chance to win a championship.

He was quoted at saying it was a blessing to be released by the Raiders, it’s not all about the money anymore it’s about winning the ultimate prize and that’s music to Redskins fans ears.

How much of an effect will he have with the Redskins?

Only time will tell if this works out, but for now on paper it’s a sound investment. The Redskins might have gotten a used diamond and perhaps just need to dust, adjust the prongs and buff it out.

It would be a wonderful thing if he can return to pro bowl status.

Who Will Prevail As Champs of the NFC East?

Eric Moon — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 18:17:29 -0400

The NFC East is shaping up to be an interesting fight, entering the second half of the season. The Giants are leading the division by a half game over the Redskins, followed by the Cowboys a game-and-a-half behind, with the Eagles bringing up the rear, two games behind the leader. All teams are above .500.

Without a doubt this is one of the toughest divisions in football. Just who will prevail as the division champion? Let’s take a look and breakdown the rest of the schedules for these teams.

Our first look will be at the defending Super Bowl Champions, the New York Giants. The Giants have the tougher schedule remaining, with five division games still to play. The combined record of all the teams left is 41-26, with five tough road games against the division foes and also the Cardinals and Vikings. Home games left are Cowboys, Ravens, Eagles, and Panthers.

While losing a lot of key members from their Super Bowl run last year, the Giants are still one of the top defensive teams in the league. Being ranked third in total defense (fifth in passing, seventh in rushing) is a strong testament to the fine job Steve Spagnuolo has done in plugging in players in his scheme, with Justin Tuck leading the charge.

On the other side of the ball, the Giants offense also is ranked third in the league (13th in passing, first in rushing). Despite the tired antics of Plaxico Burress and a few brain farts from Eli Manning, the Giants are relying heavily on the running game to get them through.

But in order for them to win the division, Plax will have to rid himself of his "it’s all about me" attitude and get in tune with the team to win this year. Look for them to fall a little short, but good enough to get a wild-card spot.

Next we have the world’s favorites at the beginning of the year to win it all, the Dallas Cowboys. Teams remaining on their schedule include road games at all the division foes and a trip to Pittsburgh. Home games are 49ers, Seahawks, Giants, and the Ravens. Teams combined record is 35-23. Offense is ranked sixthin the league (eighth in passing, 10th in rushing).

The media darlings are in a bit of turmoil. Tony Romo is out for a couple more weeks. Jason Witten has an injury to his ribs, and Terrell Owens is not pleased with his team's play, to put it mildly. Injuries to the receiving crew forced Jerry Jones to trade for the other Roy Williams from the Lions.

The defense ranks 10th (14th in passing, 11th in rushing) and also has been hit with the injury bug. A rash of injuries and a suspension of Adam (Pacman) Jones have forced Head Coach Wade Phillips to play his young corners more than he would have liked to. DeMarcus Ware, Jay Ratliff, and Zach Thomas are leading the charge on the defense.

All eyes will be on this team to see how they cope with the different dilemmas that are in front of them. Wade Phillips has to find a way to get Marion Barber more touches and keep his star receiver T.O. happy. Don’t be surprised if you see this team in the basement at the end of the season.

Up next is the Philadelphia Eagles. On their docket they have five road games against the Giants, Redskins, Seahawks, Bengals, and Ravens. Home games against Giants, Cardinals, Browns, and Cowboys. Teams combined record is 36-30.

The Eagles' offense is ranked eighthin the league (fourth in passing, 23rd in rushing). Led by Donovan McNabb, the offense is high powered, with Brian Westbrook and rookie sensation DeSean Jackson motoring through the defenses.

The defense, ranked seventh in the NFL (12th in passing, ninth in rushing), is being led by Brian Dawkins, Asante Samuels, and Stewart Bradley. The defense has been playing solidly the first half of the season.

If they can keep McNabb and Westbrook healthy, the Eagles will put up a dog fight for the division title but will come up short.

Finally, we have the Washington Redskins, led by first-year coach Jim Zorn, with road games in Seattle, Baltimore, Cincinnati, and San Francisco. Home games are all division foes and Pittsburgh. Teams combined record remaining is 28-31.

The offense, ranked seventh in the league (18th in passing, second in rushing), is being lead by the NFL’s leading rusher, Clinton Portis, Santana Moss, and Jason Campbell. The defense, ranked sixth in the league (11th in passing, fifth in rushing), is being lead by London Fletcher, Andre Carter, and Carlos Rogers.

If Campbell can continue to manage the offense like he has the first part of the season, and the defense continue to hold its own, the sky is the limit for these Redskins. The hardest part of the schedule is complete. They just need to stay focused one game at a time. And if that happens, we will be hearing more chants of “hip hip hooray" and “Hail to the Redskins” throughout the rest of the season.

Who will prevail in the stout NFC East? You better believe it will be the Burgundy and Gold, whom most people picked to finish last in the division, who will prevail in the East.

Hail to the Redskins!!

Questions Surround the Cavaliers This Season

Eric Moon — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 11:03:48 -0400

Coach Mike Brown enters his fourth season as the head coach of the Cavaliers with a few questions that need to be addressed. The first order of business is the backcourt, after the trade in the offseason, in which the Cavaliers acquired Mo Williams from the Milwaukee Bucks. That move stabilized the point guard situation and now Brown needs to find a backcourt running mate to go alongside him. Candidates to choose from will be Sasha Pavlovic, Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West, Tarence Kinsey, and Daniel Gibson.

Pavlovic has the most athleticism of the group, but is found sometimes going through the motions on the court. Wally is the pure shooter of the group, but at age 31, it will be hard for him to keep up with the quicker and younger guards in the league. If coach Brown decides to go with a smaller line up, West could be his guy. Gibson and Kinsey will definitely come off the bench, with Gibson getting the majority of the minutes.

At the forward position, you know of a guy by the name of LeBron James. The question is will the coach be able to rest him enough so he will not be worn down by the time the playoffs role around. The power forward spot belongs to Ben Wallace as long as his back stays healthy, with Anderson Varejao the first to come off the bench with his high energy. He is a guy you love to have on your team and hate if he is the opponent.

Also in the mix will be rookies J.J. Hickson and Darnell Jackson, vying for playing time. At the center spot, Big Z is entering his 11th season in the league. Every year, the question is asked will his brittle feet hold up for another year as well as back problems that he’s been having lately. Backing him up will be the veteran Lorenzen Wright, who brings some added muscle to the position.

With all that being said, does this roster have enough to get to the Finals? Many experts think not, but I believe so. Danny Ferry, the GM, has done an outstanding job in getting rid of bad contracts such as Hughes, Marshall, and Jones. He also did a good job making this team younger and more athletic with the likes of Williams, Hickson, Jackson, and resigning West and Gibson. Yes, you have Szczerbiak, Wallace, and Z up in age in their 30’s, but you still have a nucleus of James, Williams, Gibson, and the rest of the crew at the average age of 24.

Mike Brown definitely has the pieces and parts in place to make a championship run this year, and a trump card up Ferry’s sleeve with Szczerbiak and Snow’s contract to use as trade bait if need be. All in all, barring injuries, I believe the Cavaliers have the best chance to unseat the defending champion Celtics this season.

Look for a more up tempo team with a smaller line up with Williams, West, and Gibson on the floor at the same time in stretches with James playing power forward and probably Varejao at center. It will give the opponents fits to defend. I am looking forward to a very exciting season from the Cavaliers and possibly we’ll be celebrating a parade in June down Euclid Ave.