Cavs 07-08 Season Thread

[billmac91]

Lebron fouls out with 3 minutes left in the game up only 2 or 3 points and the Cavs hold on for the win. Wally really picked them up in the 4th with some big shots. Andy had a big game and 7 guys with double figures in all. Boobie still trying to knock the rust off. Pavs and Jones look like they might be out of the rotation for now.
The 4th spot is close to being locked up, but they only have 1 easy win the rest of the season, not counting the two against the Bulls.

I'm about as pessimistic as I've been all season.

I'll be happy with a first round series win. After that, it will probably get pretty ugly.

Injuries or not, this team just isn't playing very well, and the playoffs is a risky time to hope everything gels.

I think Washington is capable of giving us everything we can handle. Assuming we get by them, it takes a minor miracle to do anything else.

 

[crazybuckfan40]

Lebron fouls out with 3 minutes left in the game up only 2 or 3 points and the Cavs hold on for the win. Wally really picked them up in the 4th with some big shots. Andy had a big game and 7 guys with double figures in all. Boobie still trying to knock the rust off. Pavs and Jones look like they might be out of the rotation for now.
The 4th spot is close to being locked up, but they only have 1 easy win the rest of the season, not counting the two against the Bulls.

Solid win, finally got one on the road...The refs really had it out for LBJ tonight, but I give him credit for keeping his cool and then cheering his team on from the bench...

Really not sure what is going on with Sasha and DJ...I don't know that I agree with them just sitting and not playing, unless something happened that we don't know about...DJ was shooting the ball lights out and a big asset to us thru the season, and Sasha can bring things to the table to offset Devin Brown...And it is nice to see Boobie out there, even tho he is still favoring the ankle...

I do believe that we will lock up the 4 spot...And I really hope that Washington doesn't end up in the 5 spot...That would give us a first round against Toronto or Philly...

 

[osugrad21]

ABJ

Cavs gut it out after LeBron fouls out

CHARLOTTE, N.C.: If nothing else, Cavaliers fans could take solace in the fact Wednesday night's 118-114 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats proved to be a team effort.
It had to be.
Seven Cavaliers, including LeBron James, scored in double figures, and he did so despite spending much of the game in foul trouble. He eventually fouled out for the first time this season with 3:56 left to play.
James said fouling out frustrated him, because he didn't want to handicap his team.
''I think there were a few questionable (fouls),'' he said. ''I know how to keep myself out of foul trouble for the most part. In my career I've done a great job of that. It happens. We won the ballgame. That's the only thing that matters.''



Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

CPD

Cavaliers overcome a foul mood



Thursday, April 03, 2008 Mary Schmitt Boyer

Plain Dealer Reporter
Charlotte, N.C.- All things being equal, the Cavaliers would prefer to have LeBron James on the floor with a game on the line and the clock running down.
But with James on the bench after fouling out with 3:56 remaining in Wednesday night's game against the Charlotte Bobcats, the Cavs took turns making big plays down the stretch of their 118-114 victory in Charlotte Bobcats Arena.
"I don't like sitting on the bench and not being out there with my teammates," said James, who still led the Cavs with 29 points. "I think we made a big step forward the way the guys kept their composure and won a big game."

Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Wally Szczerbiak hit clutch shots. Devin Brown made big free throws. Anderson Varejao kept banging the boards and Daniel Gibson came up with a key steal as the Cavs snapped their six-game losing streak on the road and improved to 42-33 overall.
"It was good to see our guys not panic and continue to play basketball when LeBron James picked up his sixth foul," Cavs coach Mike Brown said. "I got good performances from a ton of people. We got help from different guys at different times during the course of the game."




Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

CPD

Just for the record, Cavs hurt LeBron



Thursday, April 03, 2008 Bud Shaw

Plain Dealer Columnist
o much to talk about in Cleveland sports, and for once no leather couch and ink blot test required.
LeBron James is the NBA's best player, but MVP is a different criteria. Better arguments support Chris Paul, Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant.
The quality of a team's season can't be ignored. Paul's team leads the Western Conference, where the Cavaliers would be scuffling to make the playoffs.

James has needed to play even better because of injuries and the adjustments to the trade deadline deal. But the team's record conspires to hurt his case.
Paul simply is playing the best for the best team in the best conference. Garnett completely changed the mentality and hopes of a franchise overnight. Garnett has Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, but he's the reason the Celtics own the league's top record.
Bryant is James on a team that's had a more impressive season than the Cavaliers despite taking its own injury hit.
Browns General Manager Phil Savage admitted in showering Derek Anderson with even more money than expected that he responded to the threat that the Dallas Cowboys would make a play for Anderson, then trade him to Miami.




Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

CPD

LeBron James' supporting cast holds on for Cavs down the stretch
[FONT=Verdana,Times New Roman,arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Superstar fouls out vs. Bobcats[/FONT]
Thursday, April 3, 2008
BY MIKE CRANSTON
AP SPORTS WRITER

CHARLOTTE, N.C. A night of frustration for LeBron James might have helped the Cleveland Cavaliers' playoff preparation.

With James watching helplessly from the bench after fouling out for only the third time in his career, a trio of teammates made big plays in the final 4 minutes as the Cavaliers held off the Charlotte Bobcats, 118-114, on Wednesday to snap a six-game road skid.

Entering the night, James had been disqualified twice in 417 games in his five-year career. But after scoring 29 points, James was called for his sixth foul when he reached in on Charlotte's Jason Richardson at the top of his drive to the basket with Cleveland leading, 104-101, with 3:56 left.

"I don't like sitting on the bench and not being out there for my teammates," James said.

"But I think we made a big step forward."

Wally Szczerbiak, Devin Brown and Zydrunas Ilgauskas then showed the Cavs aren't completely a one-man show.

Cont...

 

[exhawg]

Solid win, finally got one on the road...The refs really had it out for LBJ tonight, but I give him credit for keeping his cool and then cheering his team on from the bench...

Really not sure what is going on with Sasha and DJ...I don't know that I agree with them just sitting and not playing, unless something happened that we don't know about...DJ was shooting the ball lights out and a big asset to us thru the season, and Sasha can bring things to the table to offset Devin Brown...And it is nice to see Boobie out there, even tho he is still favoring the ankle...

I do believe that we will lock up the 4 spot...And I really hope that Washington doesn't end up in the 5 spot...That would give us a first round against Toronto or Philly...

Washington's schedule is much more difficult than Toronto's and I would much rather play the Raptors in the first round. I really want everyone to get healthy.

 

[osugrad21]

Dispatch

Cavaliers 118Bobcats 114
LeBron cries foul after Cavs' win

Thursday, April 3, 2008 3:14 AM
By George M. Thomas


AKRON BEACON JOURNAL

Chuck BurtonAssociated Press
LeBron James, being hammered by the Bobcats' Gerald Wallace, fouled out for the first time this season but still scored 29.


CHARLOTTE -- If nothing else, Cleveland Cavaliers fans could take solace in the fact last night's 118-114 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats proved to be a team effort. It had to be.
Seven Cavaliers, including LeBron James with 29 points, scored in double figures, and he did so despite spending much of the game in foul trouble. He eventually fouled out for the first time this season with 3:56 left.



Cont...

 

[exhawg]

Funny that the Bulls have 5 guys that started the season on the Cavs roster and the Cavs only have 2 more than that.

 

[exhawg]

With my eyes I see 3 Lebron's on the floor for the Cavs. Big (Devin Brown), Bigger (Lebron), and Biggest (Wallace). Why did I buy an HDTV again? I need to go get my glasses. :p

 

[billmac91]

such a mediocre team right now.

I realize they're sitting pretty comfortably in the 4 spot, but play like it means something.

Tonight was an embarassment.

 

[osugrad21]

ABJ

Cavaliers forget to finish Bulls rally from 17 points behind in second half, win
By Brian Windhorst
Beacon Journal sportswriter

Published on Friday, Apr 04, 2008
CLEVELAND: This has been a two steps forward, one step back sort of season for the Cavaliers.
Thursday's events fit right into that file, a night after breaking their road losing streak with a quality win in Charlotte without LeBron James for the stretch run, the Cavs came home and coughed up a 17-point lead in a 101-98 loss to the woeful Chicago Bulls.
A victory would've put a headlock on the No. 4 seed and homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Instead the Cavs' first game with their entire set of rotation players turned into a classic bad loss and another injury reared its head. James battled back spasms for much of the second half, which seemed to zap his effectiveness in the stretch run.
That and a healthy heaping of payback from old friend Larry Hughes, who had, perhaps, his best game with the Bulls in his old home arena even as the crowd booed nearly his every move.


Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

CPD

HUGHES, CHICAGO BULLY PAST CAVALIERS



A pointless ending



Friday, April 04, 2008 Branson Wright

Plain Dealer Reporter
There is no joy in losses, and the Cavaliers' sad ef fort in their lat est defeat was one of the worst in a regular season that is about to close. After what transpired at The Q on national television Thursday night, the final six games could not end soon enough.
The Cavs' sluggish defense and a stale offense in the fourth quarter allowed the Chicago Bulls to rally and hand the Cavs a 101-98 loss.
The Cavs still have a grip on their No. 4 spot in the upcoming playoffs, but they only lead by three games over the Washington Wizards, Toronto Raptors and the Philadelphia 76ers.

A few more losses like Thursday night will not only drop the Cavs into the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference, but it also would slow down any momentum this team desperately needs heading into the playoffs. It is time for the Cavs to get things in order, but the loss to the Bulls slowed down the process and frustrated coach Mike Brown.
"We were up 17 points late, and we had plenty of opportunities to put the game away," Brown said. "Chicago is a hard-playing team, and they're not going to give up whether it's at home or on the road."
Many fans wish Larry Hughes would have given up. Hughes, a former Cavs guard, ignited the Bulls with 15 of his 25 points in the third quarter. Hughes also had eight rebounds and nine assists.


Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

CPD

Cavs' troubles don't lie with coach Brown


Friday, April 04, 2008
The Cavaliers have set their player rotation - finally.
Now, they have to start to perform like a playoff team. They need to come up with something more than those LeBron James Clear-Out-And-Pray plays at the end of games.
They need to defend better, as was evident in their 101-98 loss to Chicago Thursday at Quicken Loans Arena. The Bulls shot 53 percent and the Cavs blew a 17-point lead. And there were lots of problems with that 13-point fourth quarter, too.

The good news is coach Mike Brown has come to the realization that Sasha Pavlovic can't be a starter this season, and Wally Szczerbiak needs regular court time off the bench to contribute.
Pavlovic is shooting 36 percent, 30 percent on 3's. His season has been marred by missing trainingcamp in a needless contract dispute - followed by being out two more months with a foot injury.
He came back in March, and was put back in the starting lineup over Devin Brown, who clearly had been the more productive player.




Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

CPD

CAVALIERS INSIDER



It's been awhile, but Ben is back



Friday, April 04, 2008 Branson Wright

Plain Dealer Reporter
Ben Wallace returned to action on Thursday night. Wallace had missed four of the Cavs' past five games due to lower back spasms.
Last week, coach Mike Brown said he would make the decision on when to play Wallace. That time came on Thursday.
"Coach took all of the pressure away from me and the doctors," Wallace said. "Now it's on coach. I'm OK with that."

Turn two:
The start of the baseball season reminded Wallace of one of his first loves - baseball. Wallace was a second baseman in high school. Wallace, who is 6-9, was one of the tallest at a position usually suited for shorter players.
"They told me I was too big, so I had to prove them wrong," Wallace said. "I played well, but as I got older, guys started throwing a little bit harder, and I couldn't except the fact that I was sitting duck just waiting for someone to bust me in the head with that ball. After my junior year, I decided that was enough."




Cont...