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

[JXC]

I couldn't disagree more. You trade now, make the team better. Dump Wally's contract and get a better team that will have chemesty by the playoffs. The longer the Cavs wait the worse. A trade needs to be done. We are close, but we are still not quite at the level of the Lakers or the Celtics. We are close...but we have a chance with a good trade here to get better.

 

[crazybuckfan40]

West has been a very good defender this year, at the 2g...LBJ can lock down Kobe or Pierce when need be...You might have to see Wally against the Lakers more to defend Radmonvich if LBJ would have to slide over on Kobe, but West has been playing good defense, and the team has a whole plays great team defense...

 

[tsteele316]

I couldn't disagree more. You trade now, make the team better. Dump Wally's contract and get a better team that will have chemesty by the playoffs. The longer the Cavs wait the worse. A trade needs to be done. We are close, but we are still not quite at the level of the Lakers or the Celtics. We are close...but we have a chance with a good trade here to get better.

two things:

1. when you have the best player in the NBA, once the playoffs start, its' a whole different story. cleveland could beat boston or LA in a 7 game series.

2. it's not like bringing in 4 new guys 3 of which were starters like last year. chemistry issues shouldn't be a factor.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

Cavaliers 117 Thunder 82
James gets breather as Cavs rout Thunder

Thursday, November 27, 2008 3:25 AM



Associated Press
CLEVELAND -- On a night LeBron James matched his career low in minutes played, the Cavaliers made history.
Even with James playing just 17 minutes, Cleveland rolled to an 117-82 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder last night as the Cavs raised their record to 12-3, the best start in franchise history.
"Right now, we're playing the best basketball we've played in a long time," James said.
The Cavs are playing so well they can roll to a win when James, who scored 14 points, spends most of the game on the bench.
"It's always good to get rest," James said. "You know how long the season is."

Continued..............

 

[stowfan]

Box score for your review, Hickson had a great night with 4 blocks along with everything else.

cleveland.com

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

Good vibes return in Wally World

by [email protected] Thursday November 27, 2008, 9:09 PM

The Cavaliers' Wally Szczerbiak has begun to find his stroke more consistently this year coming off the bench.

Tonight: vs. Golden State


Last season, Wally Szczerbiak had a bit of a rough time with his transition to the Cavaliers when he came in a midseason trade.
It's easy to just label it that way without knowing much of a circumstances, as if every trade is the same. But for Szczerbiak, it was more than just being asked to move more than 2,000 miles from Seattle to Cleveland quickly.
It was the third time he'd been traded in two years, this after spending seven years in Minnesota where he was a popular All-Star and had signed a huge contract. Then there was his family; when he was traded, his wife was expecting their third child any day. He left the Cavs to be with her when the baby was born but couldn't stay, leaving his family in a transitional time.

Continued............

 

[exhawg]

It seems like teams have made a decision to give the Cavs (other than Lebron) open layups on fast breaks rather than trying to stop the guy with the ball and letting him pass to Lebron for a monster dunk. It's almost like they know they're going to get scored on so there's no reason to get the crowd up.

Slow start today, but the Cavs made up a 10 point deficit during the 1st quarter and took the lead by halftime. Golden State is what the Knicks wish they were. These up and down teams have a lot of flash, but they're never going to win the NBA. Hopefully Lebron realizes this. Defense wins championships. 7 second shot clocks are fun for Larry Hughes.

 

[exhawg]

Looks like another 4th quarter with the starters on the bench. This is the 3rd of the 4 in 5 nights, but Lebron has only played 2 games worth of ball so far. They should be plenty fresh tomorrow against the short handed Bucks who are getting beat at the Pistons tonight.

 

[exhawg]

IMO the biggest sign that the Cavs are light years ahead of what they have been in the past is that Pavlovic has gone from being a starter on the team that went to the Finals to a scrub at the end of the bench.

 

[Napoleonbuck]

Agreed with the Pavlovic comment.

Most telling statistic they showed during the game was that Lebron is 39th in the league in minutes per game. That brought a bigger smile to my face than any offensive statistic ever could.

With that said, watching the Cavs regular rotation play offense is amazing. It's reminded how great individuals look even greater when put into a system that maximizes their skills. Now that Lebron can dish to good shooters, and has players that know how to run a fast break(West especially), he's been playing phenomenally.

 

[buckeyemania11]

they are on a roll right now

they take it to the road tommorow @ Milwaukee, hopefully they can keep it up

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

Cavaliers overpower Warriors for victory

by Brian Windhorst/Plain Dealer Reporter Friday November 28, 2008, 11:46 PM

Roadell Hickman/The Plain Dealer
The Cavaliers' LeBron James slams home two points against the Golden State Warriors in the second quarter on Friday night at The Q.

http://stats.cleveland.com/nba/preview.asp?g=2008112915&home=15&vis=5
The Cavaliers' mantra for this early part of the season is to build good habits.
Here's one they seem to be developing nicely: blowing teams out.
Chalk up another one after Friday night, when the Cavs whipped the Golden State Warriors, 112-97, to improve to 9-0 at The Q, tying a franchise record for home wins to start a season.
True, the Cavs' four victories during this latest winning streak have come against teams with a combined .355 winning percentage. But also true the Cavs are beating them by an average of 20 points, flexing their muscles in a soft part of the schedule.

Continued...............

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

Terry Pluto: Cleveland Cavaliers are for real

by Terry Pluto/Plain Dealer Reporter Friday November 28, 2008, 11:35 PM


While most Cleveland sports fans agonize and obsess over a 4-7 football team with no realistic chance at the playoffs, there also is a basketball team in town.
A very, very good pro basketball team.
Not just a team with LeBron James, who may be the best player in the league. This is a real team with pieces that fit, a team that actually can score and defend. It's a team that is now 13-3 and 9-0 at home after Friday's 112-97 victory over the Golden State Warriors at Quicken Loans Arena.
Yes, the Cavaliers are a legitimate powerhouse in the Eastern Conference, capable of making a run at the team record 57 regular season victories and diving deep into the playoffs, scaring every opponent along the way.

Continued..................

 

[exhawg]

Looks like Redd came back to showcase himself for the Cavs. j/k This game isn't going as well as the past few, but the Cavs are still comfortably ahead at the half. Looks like Brown is much tighter with the bench in close games. No JJ or Pavs yet.

 

[aurorabuckeye13]

Sasha Pavlovic out of nowhere... he's reverted back to the Sasha of 2 years ago. He has locked down Redd since he got in, and he's hit 2 clutch threes at the end of the third quarter and one right now in the 4th to answer a Bucks 3. If we see this Sasha on a consistent basis, the Cavs will become even more dangerous.