Cavs Hold Off Knicks, 98-93

After clinching first place in the Central Division during their recent road trip, the Cavaliers returned home on Sunday to defeat the New York Knicks, 98-93. The Knicks are just 1 1/2 games behind Chicago for the final playoff spot and they have been fighting to get in. 

"We're in a great position to make it," said Al Harrington. "We have 16 games to go. We're playing a lot better. I think we really believe now we can do this."

Harrington, who was netting jumpers from all over the court an hour prior to tip-off, finished with a team-high 26 points and 9 rebounds. Nate Robinson started in place of injured point guard Chris Duhon and he added 20 points and 7 assists including a powerful put-back dunk late in the first quarter. 

The Knicks' hard play throughout the game wasn't enough to get past the Eastern Conference's first place team. New York led 25-24 after the first quarter and trailed by seven points at halftime. They eventually tied the game up at 79 with just over seven minutes left, but the Cavs outscored them 19-14 the rest of the way. 

The Cavs have been very successful closing out games this season. They are an NBA-best 42-3 when leading after 3 quarters and they are beating the teams that they are expected to beat. They are 30-3 against opponents that have a winning percentage of under .500. That is very impressive considering previous years when the team would find themselves playing down to their opponents' level. 

Mo Williams once again lit up the scoreboard by dropping 23 points, grabbing 7 rebounds and dishing out 5 assists. He was also 5-5 from behind the arc. Throughout the month of March he is averaging 21.9 points per game and is shooting an unbelievable 60 percent from three point range. 

Although Williams was the leading scorer, LeBron James still continued to get his numbers and he finished with 19 points, 10 assists and 8 rebounds. He barely missed what would have been his fourth triple-double in five games. But more importantly, the Cavs got the win and are now tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for the league's best record, 53-13.  

The Cavs' upcoming schedule is favorable as they play seven of their next eight games at the Q, where they hold a 29-1 record. They currently hold a 3 1/2 game lead over Boston in their fight for home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. Los Angeles's schedule is almost the exact opposite from Cleveland's. The Lakers will play seven of their next nine games on the road, including the Atlanta Hawks and the Detroit Pistons. 

Another Eastern powerhouse, the Orlando Magic (49-17), will travel to the Q on Tuesday night and the Cavs will certainly have their hands full with Dwight Howard. A win would give them a five game separation from Orlando.