Cavs rising to challenge
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
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[FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]BY Mike Popovich REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER [/FONT]
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AP David J. Phillip ON THE MOVE LeBron James and the Cavaliers can clinch a playoff spot with a sixth straight victory tonight.
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CLEVELAND - The Cavaliers saw a 22-point lead vanish the last time they faced the Dallas Mavericks. Since then, the Cavs have become the aggressor during crunch time.
Head Coach Mike Brown’s team will carry a five-game winning streak into tonight’s rematch with the Mavericks at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavs have not lost since March 14, a 91-87 defeat at Dallas.
The Cavaliers led, 53-34, at halftime and were on their way to ending a five-game losing streak at Dallas. But the Mavericks, in contention for the NBA’s best record, held Cleveland to just 8 third-quarter points and took the lead.
“When they faced adversity and things weren’t going well, they stepped it up,” Cavs guard Eric Snow said. “We didn’t meet that. That game more than anything was about stepping up to the challenge.”
The Cavs have faced and met many challenges during their winning streak. Four of the five victories easily could have become losses.
A recap:
n Flip Murray’s 14 fourth-quarter points help the Cavs rally from a 15-point deficit and beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 96-95, on March 19. Murray hits the winning free throw with 3.4 seconds left and finishes with 21 points.
n Murray hits a game-tying 3-pointer with four-tenths of a second left in regulation, and LeBron James hits a game-winning jumper with nine-tenths of a second left in overtime in a 120-118 victory over Charlotte on March 22. In his 227th pro contest, James hits a last-second shot to win a game for the first time. In overtime, he finishes 3-of-3 from the field and 4-of-4 from the line, while handing out two assists .
n Cleveland comes back from a 9-point second-half deficit and beats Boston, 94-82, on Friday. James scores 19 of his game-high 36 points in the fourth quarter when the Cavaliers outscore the Celtics, 36-23.
n The Cavs rally from a 13-point second-half deficit and beat Houston, 104-102, in overtime on Sunday. James’ 3-point play on Cleveland’s final possession of regulation forces the extra period. He scores 13 points, grabs two rebounds and hands out three assists during the game’s final 17 minutes.
“Lately, these guys have shown they’re not afraid, and their confidence is high no matter if they’re up or down,” Brown said. “They know they’re going to give themselves an opportunity to win if they keep executing on both ends of the floor.”
JONES’ RESURGENCE
Point guard Damon Jones played his best game of the year Sunday. He hit 8-of-10 field goals — including 5-of-6 3-pointers — scored a season-high 22 points, handed out four assists and tied a season high with four rebounds.
Jones, who was in a shooting slump during the middle third of the season, has hit nine of his last 12 3-point attempts. Brown saw another successful part of his game late in the third quarter when the Cavaliers went on a 15-5 run.
“In six of our last eight possessions, we got the ball in the paint and scored a layup or kicked it to somebody from a wide open jumper,” Brown said. “Damon Jones initiated two of those with drives.
INJURY UPDATES
Guard Larry Hughes, who has been out almost three months because of a fractured middle finger on his right hand, has been cleared to resume basketball-related activities.
Hughes had his finger examined Tuesday at the Curtis National Hand Center in Baltimore. The exam confirmed the finger is still healing.
Doctors have not cleared Hughes to resume regular practice. The recovery time of eight to 10 weeks issued Feb. 14 remains in place.
The Cavs also said guard Luke Jackson’s broken left wrist is healing as expected and desired. His recovery timeline of seven to eight weeks issued Feb. 9 remains in place. Jackson will have his wrist re-examined Friday.
Reach Repository sports writer Mike Popovich at (330) 580-8341 or e-mail:
[email protected]
Mavericks at Cavs
7 p.m. today at Quicken Loans Arena
TV: FSN OHIO
RADIO: WHBC-AM 1480, WQKT-FM 104.5 Cavs’ magic number drops to 1 to clinch a playoff spot as Chicago loses to Orlando.
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