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Cavs Regular Season

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ABJ

3/7/06

Snow is answer at point

Veteran fills point guard spot with strong play

By Brian Windhorst

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->CLEVELAND - Before last month's trading deadline, the Cavaliers were on the market for a point guard.
In many ways it has been a position of need ever since Andre Miller was traded away four years ago, with a handful of players -- from Milt Palacio to Mateen Cleaves to Jeff McInnis -- running things.
This season, Cavs coach Mike Brown has even resorted to playing LeBron James long spurts at point guard down the stretch of games with varying success and failure.
The reality is veteran Eric Snow is in the chair and the Cavs and Brown are starting to realize they need to attempt to maximize his talents and stop looking elsewhere for the time being.
At least that has been the plan the past two games as Brown has put the ball in Snow's hands in the fourth quarter.
Averaging less than 30 minutes per game this year, Snow has played 36 and 40 minutes in the past two games, both victories over the Chicago Bulls. In those two games he's averaged 9.5 points on 50 percent shooting and has piled up 15 assists and just two turnovers as the Cavs' offense has been effective enough in the fourth quarters to clinch the victories.
Whether this strategy will last or remain worthwhile is yet to be seen, but it has cured some of the ills that plagued the Cavs during the recent five-game losing streak.
``One of the things I've needed to do playing LeBron so many minutes is take the ball out of his hands a little down the stretch,'' Brown said after practice Tuesday. ``Eric has been great getting us into the right spot offensively. Defensively he's been making winning plays and a guy like Eric is going to be hard to keep off the floor.''
It has become clear that Brown often coaches on feel. Monday night was a prime example. After a smaller, quicker lineup went on a huge run to take the lead for good, he sat center Zydrunas Ilgauskas for the entire fourth quarter.
Snow knows that delivering in his recent extended minutes doesn't guarantee they will continue. But he's hopeful the trend of letting him set up James and others in the fourth quarter continues.
``I think we need to be in a position where LeBron is still you're No. 1 guy and you have to get him the ball in places where he's most effective,'' Snow said. ``I think there are times when he can bring it up and parts when he gets winded or they change their defense it is better for other people to handle the ball.''
Brown has sometimes been reluctant to play Snow because of his offensive limitations, a common cry from some fans as well. But as the past two games illustrate, when the system is working Snow can be efficient.
``There's more to the offensive side than just making a shot. You don't have to score a great deal of points to be effective,'' Snow said. ``You have guys in this league where the box score doesn't tell the whole story and I've always considered myself one of those guys.''
Jones ill, Marty recalled
Damon Jones missed practice Tuesday with flu-like symptoms. The team is listing him as questionable for tomorrow's game against the Toronto Raptors. Also, the Cavs recalled rookie Martynas Andriuskevicius from the Arkansas RimRockers of the NBDL on Tuesday. In his second stint in the D-League this season, Andriuskevicius averaged 2.7 points and 2.7 rebounds in just 10.7 minutes per game. In his seven games with the RimRockers, he's averaged 6.7 points and 3.6 rebounds.
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Canton

3/7/06

Raptors (21-38) at Cavaliers (34-26)

Tuesday, March 7, 2006


<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>

7 tonight, Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland
TV FSN Ohio
RADIO WAKR-AM 1590, WTAM-AM 1100,
WJER-AM 1450

FAST BREAKS The Cavaliers have won four of their last five games against Toronto and two in a row at home. ... LeBron James scored 27 points, Donyell Marshall finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Drew Gooden added 12 points and 10 rebounds in Cleveland’s 105-93 win at Toronto on Nov. 7. Chris Bosh led the Raptors with 26 points and 12 rebounds. ... Cavs point guard Eric Snow has 15 assists and just two turnovers in the last two games. ... The Cavaliers are 24-9 when they out-rebound opponents and 5-1 when they have at least 25 assists in a game. ... Wednesday’s game starts a four-game road trip for Cleveland. — MIKE POPOVICH
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
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I'm guessing Gooden's price just went up due to the last Bulls game.. He really played exceptionally well... defense and rebounding.. I wouldn't be surprised if the Bulls made a run for him this summer... and if the Cavs want him back, his price tag just went up
 
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NJ-Buckeye said:
I'm guessing Gooden's price just went up due to the last Bulls game.. He really played exceptionally well... defense and rebounding.. I wouldn't be surprised if the Bulls made a run for him this summer... and if the Cavs want him back, his price tag just went up
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If that's the case hopefully the Bulls would be up for a sign and trade for one of their PG's. Thanks to the soft cap the Cavs can match any offer Gooden gets so they could probably force a sign and trade if someone really wants Drew.
 
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Well, we are starting off as well as we normally do.

Bosh is 7/7 on field goal attempts. Mat Bonner is one of the hottest shooters in the league, but hes still wide open for a 3 ball every play. Marshall is his normal offensive self, he cant hit a 3, and he makes as many lay-ups as my 90-year old social studies teacher.

Did anyone else see that article where Marshall said he thinks hes been playing good defense? I about choked on my orange juice when I read that.
 
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Nice finish to the first half. on a 19-6 run.

We are up 6 at half.

We are actually playing good offense tonite, while it be against the Raptors, we are actually moving without the ball and not just letting LBJ seetle for a J.

We just need to pick it up on the defensive end, even know Toronto started out making everything they put up.
 
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exhawg said:
If that's the case hopefully the Bulls would be up for a sign and trade for one of their PG's. Thanks to the soft cap the Cavs can match any offer Gooden gets so they could probably force a sign and trade if someone really wants Drew.
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Their only pg that would help us is Hinrich. Gordons a sg and Duhon is a question mark . I've heard Duhon is a decent defender. I'd take only Hinrich for Gooden.

I'll say it: great game by Snow tonight. He hit most of his shots and was an assist machine.

Pretty good game by Murray, too. He's night and day when he drives as opposed to when he shoots the j. 4-5 on layups, 2-2 on dunks and 4-11 on jumpers. He looks very good when he drives to the hoop, just don't stop to shoot on your way there.
 
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Brutus1 said:
Their only pg that would help us is Hinrich. Gordons a sg and Duhon is a question mark . I've heard Duhon is a decent defender. I'd take only Hinrich for Gooden.

I'll say it: great game by Snow tonight. He hit most of his shots and was an assist machine.

Pretty good game by Murray, too. He's night and day when he drives as opposed to when he shoots the j. 4-5 on layups, 2-2 on dunks and 4-11 on jumpers. He looks very good when he drives to the hoop, just don't stop to shoot on your way there.
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If Murray and Snow can play every night like they did tonight the Cavs will be hard to stop. Murray definitely isn't giving his detractors any ammunition to use against him. He has been good at everything since he's been with the Cavs except for the fact that he shoot too many 3's. His ability to go to the hoop has been missed since Hughes went down. I would like to see Pavlovic get more minutes. He has shot well in the 30 seconds that he has played the past couple games. I just don't know who you take minutes away from. Tonight Lebron and Murray played over 40 minutes and Snow had his best game on 36 minutes. Jones only played 12. They probably need to rest Lebron and Murray a little more and give Pavlovic the minutes, but that is hard to do when it seems like the opponent goes on a run every time Lebron sits. Look for Marshall to have a decent night tomorrow. He tends to shoot well in Toronto.
 
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