Cavs 08-09 Season - Central Div Champs (official thread)

[billmac91]

it helps that we are playing the Bobcats, but this #2 lineup is significantly better than last years...especially at the beginning of the year when we were running:

Eric Snow
Damon Jones
Ira Newble
Donyell Marshall
whoever that center was

Varejao
Hickson
Sasha
Boobie
with Mo running the show looked nice...

 

[crazybuckfan40]

IF we can get the play out of Big Ben we have been getting I will be just fine with him...

Love the play from Boobie tonight...He is set to have a big year...

We look to be playing better with LBJ off the floor in the first couple games...I think they have their legs and he doesn't have them yet...I think Mike Brown and LBJ are kinda milking the thing of LBJ not getting lots of minutes, which I have no problem with, but I just think at times you can give LBJ a break until things turn then you gotta get him back in there...Don't wait for a certain timeout or time he has set in his mind...

 

[billmac91]

I don't see the downside to starting Boobie next to Mo. He played almost the entire game anyways. His defense is comparable to Delonte's. If Boobie continues to play as well has he did against Boston and tonight, I say throw him in the starting 5.

 

[buckeyemania11]

good game by boobie

nice to see Hickson get in there too

 

[BuckeyeMafia]

Boobie must've been hotttt. 4-6 from 3 point land? Damn son.

 

[Brutus1]

His defense is comparable to Delonte's. /QUOTE]

Not yet. I thing he needs to get stronger. He's still lacking against stronger guards.

He was lights out on the offensive end.

Ben Wallace had his best game as a Cav (10 boards and 5 blocks), by far. I think the big 'fro game him some strenght. If he jumps and moves this season like he did tonight it will be a big help.

Browns rotation was much better tonight. The minutes distribution looked good too. Wally needs about 6-8 minutes and Hickson got 10. That seems about right except JJ may only get 6-8 per night.

I'd like to see Z slide out and take more 15-16 footers. He's deadly from that range.

 

[buckeyemania11]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bW7Dtr_owUI]YouTube - Cavs J.J. Hickson Two-Hand Jams On Emeka Okafor[/ame]

 

[osugrad21]

ABJ

Cavaliers declaw Bobcats Gibson scores 20 points in first half of home opener
By George M. Thomas
Beacon Journal sports writer

Published on Friday, Oct 31, 2008
CLEVELAND: With 20 first-half points from Daniel Gibson, the Cavaliers defeated the Charlotte Bobcats 96-79 at Quicken Loans Arena on Thursday.
The Cavaliers (1-1) took the lead on two LeBron James free throws with 4:04 left in the first quarter and looked as if they would coast to a win.
Gibson was key to what eventually grew into a 17-point halftime lead. By then he hit 8-of-10 shots, including 3-of-4 from the 3-point arc. Overall, he connected on 10-of-14 in the game and scored 25 points.
''Tonight I was the guy that they found open and I got a couple to go,'' Gibson said.
Gibson wasn't alone in his exploits. Coach Mike Brown must've been beaming from the sideline as his team smothered the Bobcats' defense, forcing them to shoot just 34 percent from the field and blocking 11 shots overall.
Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

CPD

LeBron James, Gibson, lead Cavaliers to 96-79 win over Charlotte

by Brian Windhorst/Plain Dealer Reporter Thursday October 30, 2008, 11:44 PM

Roadell Hickman/The Plain DealerD.J. Augustin is overmatched as he tries to guard Lebron James in the 4th quarter of the Cavaliers opener against the Bobcats. James finished with 22 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.
History shows that on most nights, LeBron James is going to play at a high level.
It also shows that on most nights, the Cavaliers are going to play reasonably high-level defense.
It is still the discovery period, but when the Cavs' newly-formed backcourt collectively brings it too, they are going to be a hard team to beat.
So not surprising Thursday when those three ingredients came together it proved to create a formidable force as the Cavs blew out the Charlotte Bobcats, 96-79, in the home opener at The Q.
There are big plans in the works for Mo Williams, Delonte West and Daniel Gibson and performances like this are why. Not every game is going to be like this one, look back to Tuesday's effort in Boston when none of them played well as Exhibit A, but the difference when the Cavs get production from the backcourt is dynamic.

Williams was comfortably running the offense and finding spaces on the floor to get his shot off. Gibson was operating crisply away from the ball to get open looks. And West effectively played defense and started fast breaks. It was all too much for the Bobcats to handle, an issue the Cavs dream many opponents will face during the course of the season.

Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

CPD

Terry Pluto: Cleveland Cavaliers' team play is a fresh start

by Terry Pluto/Plain Dealer Columnist Thursday October 30, 2008, 11:21 PM


Now this is how the Cavaliers need to play every night, especially at home and especially against a losing team such as Charlotte.
Win big, win it early and make it look easy.
That's what the Cavs did in their 96-79 victory in the home opener Thursday night at The Q.
Start with the fact that the Cavs ran. In fact:
? They ran set plays in which more than a few players moved at the same time.
? They ran fast breaks in which players actually passed the ball up the court.
? They ran up a 19-10 advantage when LeBron James rested in the third quarter.
? They ran like a team that knows the 27-14 home record of last season is not good enough, and that's important.
If the Cavs are to achieve a very realistic goal of 50 victories and gain some type of home-court advantage in the playoffs -- they need at least 30 home victories.
Five times the Cavs have won at least 50 games, and they never won fewer than 30 at home. In their three best seasons of 57 (twice) and 53 victories, their worst home record was 35-6.
Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

CPD

Cavaliers Insider: Wally Szczerbiak to spend more time at power forward

by Brian Windhorst/Plain Dealer Reporter Thursday October 30, 2008, 8:46 PM

Roadell Hickman/The Plain DealerWally Szczerbiak, power forward? The sharp-shooting guard will see more time at the position this season.
For years Wally Szczerbiak's uncle, a dentist, has pleaded with him to wear a mouthpiece during games. This season he is, but not because the advice finally sunk in.
Szczerbiak is finding himself in a whole different set of battles than at virtually any other time in his 10-year career. For the first time since he was a star at Miami University, Szczerbiak is spending time defending power forwards as the Cavaliers implement new, smaller lineups.
That means he's often required to tussle with bigger players in the post and absorb elbows and other beatings. Which made protecting his mouth a higher priority than when he was working on the perimeter.
"Wally isn't quite LeBron [James] size, but he is a big strong guy," Cavs coach Mike Brown said. "He is better suited at times to guard some of the big guys underneath than chasing around smaller guys outside."

Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

CPD

Brian Windhorst's Cavaliers Blog: When the guards get going, so do the Cavs

by Brian Windhorst Thursday October 30, 2008, 6:44 PM


Cavs 96, Bobcats 79
? What's the difference in the game at Boston and the easy win over Charlotte? Well, other than one is the defending champion and the other hasn't yet won a fake or real game yet this season? How about these numbers: 8-of-22, 7 assists, 5 turnovers vs. 20-of-36, 11 assists, 4 turnovers. That is the difference in output between Mo Williams, Delonte West and Daniel Gibson in the two games. I know Gibson had 25 points, one off a career high, but I believe the collective numbers from this game could easily be close to the average output of that trio on a nightly basis. If so, the Cavs have a good chance to hit the expectations this season.
? LeBron played just 30 minutes tonight and the Cavs were +9 without him on the floor, another reason why getting production from the guards is vital. The less pressure on him, the larger the margin of error. In fact, no Cav played more than 31 minutes in this one. Yes it was a blowout and the benches cleared late but it also demostrated the kind of depth the Cavs have.

? So tonight Gibson made shots and in Boston he didn't. That is one way to look at it. Another is that he was more effective tonight playing off the ball instead of on it. In the second quarter, when he scored most of his points, he played shooting guard and Williams was at point. As a result the Cavs were able to run plays to get him free away from the ball and he was able to slip in behind the defense and wait for a pass. This is a switch from the preseason and Tuesday when he played a lot of point guard. Yes, he's improved his ability to drive and score but I just think he is more effective and comfortable setting up away from the ball than creating his own shot and trying to run the offense. He can play there in spurts, but he's a scorer first. Having Mo play when LeBron is sitting makes sense but so does putting Gibson in the best position to succeed.
Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

Canton

Big team effort lifts Cavaliers to win in home opener
Friday, October 31, 2008
BY MIKE POPOVICH
[email protected]

Cavs at Hornets

Saturday, 8 p.m., New Orleans Arena

TV Fox Sports Ohio

CLEVELAND Any doubt about the Cavaliers having their deepest team in years may already be moot. All you have to do is look at how they took out Charlotte in Thursday's home opener.

LeBron James didn't have to beat the Bobcats by himself. Daniel Gibson came off the bench and had a game reminiscent of his heroics in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals two seasons ago.

Coach Mike Brown had the confidence to rest James a little earlier in the third quarter, even when Charlotte was roaring back. By the time the All-Star forward was back in the game, Mo Williams had the Cavs well on their way to a 96-79 win in front of a sellout crowd at The Q.

James finished with 22 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Finishing off a triple-double was hardly important when he came out with 3:04 left and the game well in hand.

Gibson hit four 3-pointers and scored a game-high 25 points in just under 31 minutes off the bench. Williams finished with 17 points and seven assists in his Cleveland regular season debut. Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored 11 points. Ben Wallace had a team-high 10 rebounds and five blocks.

"We had a lot of guys contribute tonight and I got a lot of rest," said James, who played just over 30 minutes. "Coach believes in our roster and I believe in our roster."

Cont...

 

[exhawg]

It seems like Mike Brown got the point that Lebron or Mo need to be on the floor at any one time. I wouldn't mind seeing West replaced by Pavs or Boobie in the starting lineup. I don't like the rotation when they take out Mo and West and put in Boobie and Pavs with Lebron. West is the second best PG and needs to be on the floor when Mo is out. How happy is everyone with Ben Wallace rather than Hughes now? I still can't believe that the Bulls made that trade just to get rid of Ben. Maybe he's just a better fit in Cleveland. Hope they can take the next step tomorrow against the Hornets.

 

[tsteele316]

pavlovic is going to be traded along with wally when the time comes and I couldn't be happier. he's the drew gooden of SG's. He's not a smart player whatsoever.

aside from that, the only real issue thus far has been lackluster play in the 3rd quarter, which has been a constant under mike brown for 2 years.