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

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Lebron with 41 for the third time in 4 games. Williams seemed to shoot a little better today than he had in the past couple games. Boobie is having a hard time finding his shot, but it looks like West stole his mojo anyway.
If they can get this Andy they need to make sure they resign him after the season. I just hope he realizes that things wouldn't be as easy if he didn't have Lebron giving him perfect pick and rolls.
Not the best game tonight, but they won and I was never worried about the outcome. This is very different than in the past. The next 5 games are going to show what this team is made of. 2 good teams from the west, at the Nets, and at the Pistons. If they can run the win streak to 9 the rest of the NBA better start to worry.
 
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in a game where cleveland really didn't have it, outside of lebron, they still won fairly easily. that's a good sign.

boobie's still struggling with his shot, and wally is a big defensive liability that stil hasn't shown the shooter's stroke he's supposed to have. if those are the biggest problems this team has, they will go far.
 
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This is a warning to the rest of the league, if LeBron can shoot half as well as he did tonight he will be impossible to guard or even contain. The good thing is that all signs point to him doing so. He got off to a slow start this season, but he really never got into rythym until the Dallas game. In his first 8 games he has scored: 22, 22, 15, 29, 41, 27, 41, 41. Also I believe he has also worked on his shooting form and it usually takes a handful of games to be 100% comfortable with one's shot, as well as the fact that he has now been hitting FTs consistantly, which are directly related to the form on his jumpshot.

This team still has not even got close to reaching it's potential. Mo won't be completly comfortable with his new role with the Cavs until about 20 games into the season. Boobie hasn't been hitting, but everybody knows that he will find his touch most likely sooner rather than later. Wally is not looking real comfortable and his shot isn't falling yet either, the Cavs were 3-20 tonight from 3. Also, by the end of the season I expect to see Hickson getting about 10 -15 minutes and contributing at least 7 points and 4 boards in his limited minutes. I still believe that Wally will be traded, because if the Cavs don't trade him he walks and the Cavs get nothing in return, because they are so far over the cap already, and since his contract does expire after this season it is attractive to rebuilding teams and they will be willing to give up quality talent in favor of rebuilding for the future.

I am now officially a Mike Brown supporter, although I have not been a fan of him before, due to the lack of offense. The intensity this team plays with is increddible. The offense this year is looking really good and there are wrinkles that can be added later on this season to continue to improve it. Also, the way this team rebounds and plays deffense has been really impressive. He has finally got an NBA caliber roster and has shown that he can be sucessful in using it.
 
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What a game... Putting the Cavs backs against the wall and still responding. The Bucks started to drop the long range jumpers and the Cavs were on their heels a bit. Thanks to the AMAZING two handed throwdown by Varajao and LeBron's hot streak the Cavs came out of this one with a win. They were out rebounded and, in some parts, out played... This defense is absolutely amazing.
 
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ABJ
LeBron helps Cavaliers bag Bucks CLEVELAND: Last season, the Cavaliers had trouble hunting down the Milwaukee Bucks and nothing has changed in a year.
The Bucks overhauled their organization, bringing in new coach Scott Skiles.
They brought in reasonably fresh faces, including Richard Jefferson, and one of their best players, point guard Mo Williams, now plays for the Cavs.
In his first game against his former team, Williams made just 3-of-11 shots from the floor but was 9-of-10 at the foul line for 16 points.
Yet, the Bucks continue to push the Cavaliers, who had to work hard for a 99-93 win at Quicken Loans Arena on Tuesday night.
It took another 41-point performance by LeBron James, the third 41-point game for James in the past four games. James made 16-of-24 shots.
''I'll take a win.'' Cavs coach Mike Brown said. ''I'll always take a win. But we still need to get better and tonight shows it.''
The game opened promisingly enough, with the Cavs going on a 13-4 run. The
lead grew to as many as 10 points in the first quarter but the Bucks cut it to five by the end of the quarter.
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ABJ

Cavs start strong against division rivals Coach Brown says all games the same; LeBron says some mean more than others
By George M. Thomas
Beacon Journal sports writer

Published on Wednesday, Nov 12, 2008
The Cavaliers played their fourth division game Tuesday when they hosted the Milwaukee Bucks at Quicken Loans Arena.
Wins against division opponents represent one of the tiebreakers for positioning in the NBA playoffs, but Coach Mike Brown likes to maintain perspective when it comes to those games.
As anyone who follows the Cavs knows, Brown is as clich as clich gets with respect to taking each game one at a time. Division games are no different.
That's what he told the Cavs before a win over the Chicago Bulls last Saturday.
''Some people think division games are more important than other games,'' he said. ''I guess I can buy that in one way to a certain degree. Whether it was division, nondivision, nonconference, it was our most important game because it was our next one and that's what we have to be conscious of. Let's attack who our next opponent is and try to get that win and in the meantime, let's get better.''
He understands why some would pay attention to that number of wins.
''At the end of the day, if tonight we played the Clippers and lost, it would still be a loss,'' Brown said. ''Having said that, some of my coaches do and some of my players do and that's fine.''
LeBron James is one of those who remains cognizant of division opponents.
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Canton

LeBron scores 41 as Cavaliers will way to victory
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
BY MIKE POPOVICH
[email protected]

CLEVELAND The reigning NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week may be looking to repeat.

What's really important about the big night LeBron James had Tuesday is that it gave the Cavaliers a shot in the arm they badly needed against the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks.

James scored 24 of his game-high 41 points in the second half to help the Cavs pull away to a 99-93 win over the Bucks at The Q. The 41 points matches a season high he established twice in the previous six days. He also has scored at least 20 points in the second half of his last four games.

The Bucks were without star guard Michael Redd (ankle sprain), but they were no pushover at all. They came back from an 11-point third-quarter deficit and led by as many as 3. They stayed within striking distance after the Cavs forged ahead.

But a 6-0 run by James helped seal the Bucks' fate with just over three minutes left.

"We really had to will this win because we didn't play our best game," James said. "I feel it out there every game because I play hard and try to win every game."

Wally Szczerbiak's two missed free throws with 5:09 left gave the Bucks a chance to cut into an 88-83 Cavs lead. James prevented them from getting any closer.

He picked off Richard Jefferson near midcourt and stormed in for a one-handed slam dunk. He buried a 20-footer over Jefferson on the Cavs' next possession. A minute later he drove in for his final points of the night and a 94-83 lead.
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CPD

LeBron James' 41 points powers Cavs to fifth consecutive win

by Brian Windhorst/Plain Dealer Reporter Tuesday November 11, 2008, 11:37 PM


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John Kuntz/The Plain DealerLeBron James drives past Richard Jefferson in the second quarter of the Cavs' 99-93 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. For the third time in the past four games James finished with 41 points.
LeBron James is making 41 pretty fashionable. The issue for the Cavaliers is they all seem willing to be chic. Well, perhaps it isn't a major issue considering the club pieced together its fifth consecutive win Tuesday night, beating the Milwaukee Bucks, 99-93.
Nonetheless, it was not a satisfying victory because James again had to do more than a superstar's share of the heavy lifting. He delivered another huge performance, scoring 41 points for the third time in the past four games and this time doing it with a dizzying array of long-range jumpers.
Yet on a Cavs (6-2) team that has supreme expectations of itself, the mood was appropriately far from chipper. Relying on James to bail the team out time and time again is not a reliable recipe as Cavs teams of the past have learned.
"I'll always take a win, but I think we still need to get better and [this game] shows it," Cavs Coach Mike Brown said. "The group is excited about the win, I don't want to downplay that, but we have to keep building good habits because we're not just doing this for the short term."


In the short term James has been phenomenal and from a pure offensive perspective, this might have been his best night yet. He got his 41 points on just 24 shots, making 16 of them. He had a couple layups and dunks -- including one with just under five minutes left on a fast break in which he took flight just a step inside the foul line -- but mostly he burned the Bucks (3-5) by hitting 20- to 22-foot jumpers.

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CPD

Cavaliers Insider: Cavs face uphill climb in pursuit of McDyess

by Brian Windhorst/Plain Dealer Reporter Tuesday November 11, 2008, 8:19 PM


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Duane Burleson/Associated PressEarly indictations have the recently traded Antonio McDyess heading back to the Pistons. The Cavs have 30 days to make a pitch to the free-agent and an impression in the standings.
When it comes to the pursuit of Antonio McDyess, time might be about the only thing on the Cavaliers' side. Numerous league sources -- from executives to agents to fellow players -- all say the same thing, the suddenly most-coveted free agent is likely headed back to the Detroit Pistons. But under league rules that cannot happen until Dec. 7, 30 days after the Pistons' trade with the Denver Nuggets that involved McDyess became official.
In the meantime, the Cavs are going to get a chance to make their pitch. According to a league source, the Cavs were in touch with McDyess soon after his buyout became finalized Monday.
But their efforts will have to be in the standings, not just the balance sheet. Just offering the veteran forward the most money, which they may be able to do, isn't likely going to be the difference.
Continuing their good start and solidifying first place in the Central Division over the next few weeks, which may be possible as the Pistons embark on a West Coast trip, may be valuable. McDyess badly wants to be on a championship contender.
Other than that, McDyess is staying mum on his plans.
"We don't have a game plan yet, that's something we'll discuss in the next few days," McDyess' agent, Andy Miller, said Tuesday.
Publicly, McDyess will likely entertain offers no matter what. The NBA frowns on pre-arranged deals, though they happen all the time. Last season the league killed a trade when Jerry Stackhouse publicly said he'd get a buyout and return to the Dallas Mavericks if he was traded to the New Jersey Nets.

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CPD

Brian Windhorst's Cavaliers Blog: When LeBron plays great, it covers many sins

by Brian Windhorst Tuesday November 11, 2008, 6:53 PM


Cavs 99, Bucks 93
? When I was at the 2006 FIBA World Championships in Japan, I overheard a NBA player tell a foreign reporter how the American media always looks for the negative no matter what. I wanted to say: "Well, only the good ones!" But the guy was not wrong, often there is an effort by us beat writer-types to point out shortcomings. My round-about point here is that as I was watching the Cavs finish off the Bucks and was thinking I was not impressed at all with the way they've played over the last three games even though they've won them. Especially how they have played offense in the fourth quarters, which sure looks like the old days even though LeBron has been bailing them out. I was sure I was going to write how they played bad and won and was thinking I'd be labeled a "hater." Then I get to the Cavs locker room and they all felt the same way. Which, I believe, is a sign of a good team.
? Over the last three games the Cavs have been out-rebounded, their assists have gone down, LeBron's minutes have gone way up, and they have been winning because they've played middle-of-the-road teams and LeBron's been great. But everyone knows, including LeBron, they are not going to keep winning if they rely on him to hit oddles of jumpers. When they started this winning streak in Dallas they were playing with much more passion and focus. And that's how they will have to play against Denver, who owns them, and Utah the rest of this week.
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Not a good night for Boobie or Wally. They missed all 11 of their shots and didn't contribute a thing. I guess it's a testament to the teams depth that 3 rotation players score o points and the team still gets the win.

Perhaps it's time to decrease Wallys minutes and give more to Andy and maybe even a few to JJ. I'd rather not see LBJ get those minutes up over 40. Even though Mo didn't shoot well, the team just plays different not that he's on it.

Andy's play on both ends has been very good so far. 13 and 10 last night, we'd gladly take that every night. Even his free throw shooting has been good, as has the team as a whole.

Denver and Utah will be good tests.
 
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