• New here? Register here now for access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Plus, stay connected and follow BP on Instagram @buckeyeplanet and Facebook.

Cavs 07-08 Season Thread

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Sort by date Sort by votes
espn.com

nba_g_pierce_james_580.jpg
Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images
LeBron James goes after a Paul Pierce shot during Cleveland's 92-87 loss in Boston that featured the unprecedented ejection of Cavs coach Mike Brown. The two East contenders split their season series.
1

These Rough Rivals Could Settle Matters In Playoffs


By Brian Windhorst
Special to ESPN.com
(Archive)



BOSTON -- The Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers wrapped up their regular-season series Wednesday in an uneasy draw.
Ostensibly, they both left the court at the TD Banknorth Garden thinking about themselves more than each other, the Celtics clutching a 92-87 victory in a game that was not as close as the final score. The two Eastern Conference powers split four games head-to-head this season, Boston winning once when Cleveland was without LeBron James and the Cavs taking one when the Celtics were without Kevin Garnett. Nobody lost at home.
In reality, though, it's been one long saber-rattling session. As of this moment, Cavs vs. Celtics would be a second-round matchup in the playoffs and a potentially testy one.

Continued......
Click to expand...
 
Upvote 0
ABJ

Cavaliers seeking smooth sailing With influx of new players, adjustment period will take time
By Brian Windhorst
Beacon Journal sportswriter

Published on Friday, Feb 29, 2008
CLEVELAND: There were fresh faces on the court, the fans were excited, and there was a blowout Cavaliers win.
The game Sunday after the 11-player trade? Well, yes. But that's not all. Same thing happened in early December when LeBron James and Larry Hughes returned from injury and Anderson Varejao made his debut after a contract holdout. The emotions flowed and the Cavs smashed the Indiana Pacers in a rowdy home game at Quicken Loans Arena.
Then they went out and lost four of their next six games and not exactly against the cream of the crop in the NBA. The reason was that once the emotion of the players returning died down, the Cavs and coach Mike Brown were faced with a difficult transition period of integrating them.
The circumstances are different now, but the Cavs might be in the middle of another one. After the Cavs drilled the Memphis Grizzlies with new arrivals Ben Wallace, Wally Szczerbiak, Joe Smith and Delonte West, they've had back-to-back subpar performances in road losses to the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics.


Cont...
 
Upvote 0
ABJ

Nation gets look at Cavs Gladiators broadcasts will include Dixon
Published on Friday, Feb 29, 2008



The new and (many fans hope) improved Cavaliers will be introduced to a national audience at 1 p.m. Sunday when ABC (WEWS Channel 5 locally) airs their game against the Chicago Bulls from Quicken Loans Arena.
Although it has been only a week since General Manager Danny Ferry engineered the blockbuster deal that brought Ben Wallace, Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak and Joe Smith to Cleveland, former NBA coach Hubie Brown likes what the Cavaliers have done.
Brown, who will call Sunday's game with Mike Tirico, said the Cavs looked to be addressing roster problemsin their quest to get back to the NBA Finals, a feat accomplished last year in what many viewed as a fluke. He said the team's inconsistency this season mirrored the inconsistency of Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden on the court.
''You have to protect yourself because Donyell Marshall wasn't playing as well as you thought (he would) and Larry Hughes was disgruntled and not playing well for you either,'' Brown said of the trade. ''Your whole thing was the injuries. If you're honest about it, you're not higher (in the standings) because of the lateness of (Sasha) Pavlovic and (Anderson) Varejao, then the injuries to Varejao and Pavlovic, and now the injury to (Daniel) Gibson and then the sporadic play of Larry Hughes.''


Cont...
 
Upvote 0
CPD

CAVALIERS



Cleveland Cavaliers follow model of Celtics



Friday, February 29, 2008 Mary Schmitt Boyer

Plain Dealer Reporter
Boston coach Doc Rivers considers the Celtics trendsetters.
After all, he pointed out before the Celtics beat the visiting Cavaliers on Wednesday night, the Celtics were the first team to make a big splash in the trade market, obtaining All-Stars Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in separate deals last summer.
"I like to think we started it in the summer and everyone followed suit," Rivers said with a grin.
@StoryAd
Rivers said he can't ever remember a time when more trades took place than the flurry that preceded last week's trading deadline. They involved big-name players, not reserves to fill out rosters or even up salary numbers. Pau Gasol went from Memphis to the Los Angeles Lakers. Shaquille O'Neal went from Miami to Phoenix. Jason Kidd went from New Jersey to Dallas. And that doesn't even count the whopping 11-player deal the Cavs pulled off with Chicago and Seattle.




Cont...
 
Upvote 0
CPD

CAVALIERS INSIDER
Cleveland Cavaliers coach Brown admires Celtics defense


Friday, February 29, 2008Mary Schmitt Boyer
Plain Dealer Reporter
The Boston Celtics already are the best defensive team in the NBA, holding opponents to 42.4 percent shooting. But even their best defense had to be tweaked to try and stop LeBron James, who'd averaged 35.4 points on 51.2 percent shooting with 7.1 rebounds and 7.4 assists in his past nine games against the Celtics. Perhaps not surprisingly, Cleveland was 8-1 in those games.
"We get mesmerized with him," Boston coach Doc Rivers said before Wednesday's game. "I told our guys, 'If we're going to overhelp [on defense], let's see if we can actually stop the guy.' "
James, bothered by a sprained right ankle, still had 26 points with eight rebounds and four assists in Wednesday's 92-87 loss. But he made just 7 of 24 shots overall, 4-of-15 in the second half, with three turnovers.
@StoryAd
"We don't change our defense very often, but we decided to just trap him every time off pick-and-rolls," Rivers said. "I thought that was good for us . . . make LeBron find people. Now, he did - they just didn't make shots."




Cont...
 
Upvote 0
ABJ

Cavaliers starting to show promise
Newcomers blend in as two-game skid ends
By Brian Windhorst
Beacon Journal sportswriter

Published on Saturday, Mar 01, 2008

CLEVELAND: It is taking time, but the Cavaliers are starting to come around.
They made some strides Friday, getting an expected 92-84 victory over a meek Minnesota Timberwolves team. In some ways, it was harder than it should've been. Yet in others, the Cavs showed some growth in breaking their two-game losing streak.
It was a four-point game with just five minutes to play, not what is expected for a home game against a team that's more than 30 games below .500. There were some issues that got the Cavs (33-26) to that juncture, but it was also an opportunity.

Continued.......
Click to expand...
 
Upvote 0
ABJ

Cavaliers notebook
Cavs staying pat with roster
Two spots remain but it doesn't look like they will be filled this week
By Brian Windhorst
Beacon Journal sportswriter

Published on Saturday, Mar 01, 2008


CLEVELAND: The Cavaliers have had enough roster upheaval for now.
An assured playoff team with potentially two roster spots to use, the Cavs would figure to be a destination for the handful of players who were waived within the past week. Today is the NBA deadline to be waived and still be eligible to sign and play with a team in the playoffs.
Team sources indicate the Cavs might stay on the sidelines when it comes to the waiver wire, however. Especially as they struggle to integrate the new players from last week's trade.

Continued......
Click to expand...
 
Upvote 0
Dispatch

James puts ankle concerns to rest

Saturday, March 1, 2008 3:21 AM



Associated Press

CLEVELAND -- LeBron James had no trouble with an aching ankle last night.
Listed as a game-time decision, James had 30 points and 13 assists to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 92-84 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The NBA's leading scorer suffered a sprained right ankle Wednesday in a loss to Boston. But he showed no effects from the injury against the Timberwolves. He had six dunks, keyed several fast breaks and fell two rebounds short of his seventh triple-double of the season.
"LeBron was terrific," Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said.

Continued......
Click to expand...
 
Upvote 0
CPD

Cavs pick up D, W

Posted by [URL="http://blog.cleveland.com/sports/about.html"]Branson Wright[/URL] February 29, 2008 23:21PM

Categories: Cavaliers
The Cavaliers' defensive intensity rose late in the fourth quarter of Friday night's game with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and that made the difference.
"That's what our team is based on, said the Cavs' LeBron James. It's very difficult to score on us in the paint. The paint is crowded, and if the guards get into the lane, our bigs are going to step up and help."


Help indeed.
A defensive turnaround in the second half fueled a Cavs rally late in the fourth quarter, and that led to a 92-84 victory over the Timberwolves at The Q.

Continued.....
Click to expand...
 
Upvote 0
Canton

Cavaliers notebook: West still is learning
Saturday, March 1, 2008
BY Chris Beaven
Repository staff writer

CLEVELAND One week into being the Cavaliers' starting point guard, Delonte West isn't about to say he's 100 percent comfortable.

But he's getting closer.

"I'm still working on understanding all the terminology," the fourth-year pro said. "I wouldn't say it's second nature yet."

West entered Friday after scoring a season-high 20 points in Cleveland's previous game, a loss at Boston. He hit 8-of-13 shots after shooting 5-for-20 in his first two games as a Cavalier after they acquired him in a Feb. 21 trade.

Continued.....
Click to expand...
 
Upvote 0
CPD

CAVALIERS INSIDER
New Cleveland Cavaliers players adjust to play names; Dominique Wilkins amazed by LeBron James


Saturday, March 01, 2008 Branson Wright
Plain Dealer Reporter
The worst thing about joining a new team is learning the new plays and developing some type of chemistry.
That's been the case for the new Cavaliers, acquired in an 11-player, three-team deal last week. One of the challenges involves the extended names of coach Mike Brown's plays.
For example, Brown has four or five names for one play instead of one or two. That's been a big adjustment for Joe Smith. This is his seventh team and the most complex names for plays.

Continued.......
Click to expand...
 
Upvote 0
ABJ

Hughes, Wallace could be fair swap
Players drew frustration from fans; trade gave them second chance
Published on Sunday, Mar 02, 2008


INDEPENDENCE: Larry Hughes is expected to start for the Chicago Bulls at Quicken Loans Arena this afternoon, where there's a good chance he will be booed by a significant percentage of the expected sellout crowd.
It shouldn't be all that surprising. There were times this season when he was a member of the Cavaliers that he was booed at home when fans weren't thrilled with his shot selection. The frustration with Hughes and the fanbase festered for several seasons, which is no secret.

Continued.......
Click to expand...
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top