Dear Cavs Court Readers,

I will be extremely busy over the next couple weeks working on new projects for In-Focus Training & Seminars, as well as taking time here and there to migrate the contents of this site over to a new location.

During this time, I ask that you be patient with regards to news updates, and especially email follow ups.  I receive a bunch of email from here, my personal address, as well as, my business address.  Though pretty good at times…I am far from being anywhere close to what Leo likes to call an ”Email Ninja,” particularly during chaotic bursts like this when I’m juggling 4 or more hefty projects, and 1 always fun and interesting ongoing project called, “Time For My Fiance.” 

To get the latest on what’s going on with the Cavs, check out Brian Windhorst’s blog, as he always has a steady dose of Cavalier-related news and game reviews.  Also, don’t forget to pick up a copy of ”The Franchise,” which Brian co-wrote with Terry Pluto.  If you’re still craving more…my friend, Carolyn Hastings, also runs a fantastic Cavs blog over at And One, or you can always stick around here and skim through a couple of the past posts til I get back (the popular ones to the right are a good place to start).

I apologize for the inconvenience, and I promise to provide you with more information at a later time, including a link to the new place.

Thanks,

~Dee

New York Fansite to Lure Lebron James

When you think you’ve seen it all…Trust me, you haven’t. 

In an effort to to lure Lebron James to opt out of his contract in 2010 and come to the New York Knicks, a fan has created a site requesting donations for the cause.  The money is said to be placed in an account and will be used to purchase a welcome gift basket for James, including his own suite at Yankee Stadium, a Ferrari, and additional salary. 

SIMPLY PATHETIC! 

I will be laughing my butt off when James re-signs with the Cavs and those fools who thought they were paying into a so-called “campaign” to get Lebron, waste their money to a fake New York fan site owner.

Lebron James Becomes Cavs All Time Leading Scorer in Win Against Toronto

Friday, March 21, 2008, in a 90-83 win against the Toronto Raptors, James hit a layup to surpass Brad Daugherty as the Cavs leading scorer in franchise history.  This accomplishment came in the 1st quarter of play on a driving layup pass Anthony Parker, giving him his 10,391 career point.

Mike Brown took a quick time-out to let Lebron soak in the emotions of the moment, as fans paid tribute to the Cavs new all-time leading scorer with a standing ovation and screams that rang throughout Quicken Loans Arena. 

Gloria James came out on the floor after the game to congratulate her son and give him a kiss for a job well done.

“I think I made my mom proud,” James said after the game.

James finished the night with 29 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists.

Here’s a nice video recap of the game.

Cavaliers vs. Raptors Tonight!

The Cavs take on Toronto tonight as the Raptors look to tie the season series at 2-2 on our homecourt. 

The Cavs are coming off a win on Wednesday against the Pistons, looking to get better in each game of this home-stretch towards the post season, and working to maintain the 4th seed in the East to have homecourt advantage in the 1st round of the playoffs (potentially against these same Raptors).

For a couple great pre-game analyses, check out the Preview by Rock over at Waiting For Next Year, the Raptors Q&A Session hosted by Carolyn of And One, and the Preview by Sam over at Raptors Talk.  Then tune in at 7:30pm ET (Locally – FSN Ohio, Nationally – NBA League Pass).   If you can’t watch it on TV, you can stream it live here. 

Just Like Ole Times, Baby!

Coming off a loss to Orlando on Monday, the Cavs came into the Q and handled business against their long-time rivals, the Detroit Pistons.  They played killer instinct defense and held the Pistons to only 73 points in the game, the fewest they’ve allowed all season.

Here’s the rundown:

• Ben Wallace joked with his former teammates before the game, but frustrated them during it.  He held Rasheed Wallace to 1/7 from the field in the first half and 6/17 for the game.  He blocked shots, altered shots, and even hit few baskets (including a put back jumper to beat the buzzer at the end of the 2nd quarter). 

• Mike Brown’s rotations looked fairly solid.  He gave the Pistons a steady dose of big men off the bench, and subbed quickly off mismatches. 
• The team went on a 9-0 run to end the 2nd quarter, and went into the half up by 7 (45-38).
• Andy Varejao provided good energy off the bench, and pulled in 6 points and 6 boards.
• Lebron was just that…Lebron.  He was 11/19 from the field and 6/7 from the freethrow line, pulling in 30 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists.
• The Cavs had a field day in the 4th quarter, shooting 68% from the field.  Lebron hit 11 of his 30 points in that quarter, going 4-5 from the floor.
• Zydrunas Ilgauskas got off to a good start and finished with 20 points and 8 boards.
• The Cavs held the Pistons to only 39% shooting from the field.  What a difference from the Pistons game the night before against Denver where they shot 60%.
• Wally Szczerbiak, who has been struggling to find his shot since the trade, pulled in a solid 10 points on 4/7 shooting. 
• The Cavs got a 89-73 win, tied the season series at one a piece, and extended their home-winning streak to 8.

Next Up:  The Toronto Raptors on Friday, March 21st. 

Detroit Pistons Coming to the Q!

The Cavs take on the Detroit Pistons tonight.  Check out the the Game Preview over at ESPN.com, and tune-in tonight at 8:00pm ET (Locally – FSN Ohio / Nationally – ESPN).  If you can’t watch it, you can stream the game live through your computer.

The Home-Stretch Starts Tonight for the Cavs

With players getting healthy and the newbies continuing to get settled in, the Cavs are getting closer to being in full force for the playoffs. 

Anderson Varejo returned on February 26th, after missing 13 games with a sprained left ankle.  Sasha Pavlovic made his return on March 12th against the New Jersey Nets, after being out 7 weeks with a sprained left foot.  Zydrunas Ilgauskas came back this past Sunday, March 16th, after suffering a lower back injury, and missing the most games this season of his 7-season career.  Ben Wallace is back after being out a couple days due to back spasms suffered in the March 10th game against Portland. 

Since Eric Snow, the Cavs veteran point guard, will be out for the remainder of the season with a left knee injury, the only return the Cavs are awaiting is that of their 3-point marksman, Prince Gibson.  His return is slated for a week or so.  This is a good sign for the Cavs as they enter the home-stretch heading into the playoffs.

Tonight the Cavs play the, now ranked #3, Orlando Magic.  They will face the team again in April.  Wednesday, they play the Detroit Pistons, whom they will see 2 more times before the season ends - one of those being the Cavs season finale.

During this stretch, the Wine and Gold will also play the Toronto Raptors once and the Philadelphia 76ers twice, either of whom they may meet in the 1st round of the playoffs.

Right now the team is sitting on a 38-29 record, with 15 games left in the season.  In order to continue their 2-year, 50-game winning streak, they would have to win 12 of those 15 games. Can they do this? 

Well…anything is possible when you have the guy with the number 2 followed by the number 3 on his jersey.  However, I would much rather see the team focus on fine tuning their offense, getting everyone adjusted to Mike Browns defensive scheme, and simply playing these last few games with passion and intensity, than worrying about a 50-win season stat. 

None of that really matters once you hit the playoffs anyway.  I don’t care if you do win 50+ games during the regular season.  If you get knocked out in the first round of the playoffs, trust me…that record will mean nothing to the team, the organization, the fans, or anyone else for that matter. 

So, the playful regular season ends here, and the real playoff preparation begins now.  It is during these final games of the season that a team must prove whether or not they are playoff worthy, and if they have what it takes to contend for an NBA title. 

Not that all games must be won (though that would be nice and a guaranteed momentum-booster), but every game must definitely be a fight and a draw for fresh blood.  With that said, lets see how the Cavs step up.

Cavs Close Out the Bobcats at the Q

This game was highlighted by the return of the Cavs center, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who had missed 7 games due to an inflamed disk in his lower back.  With him being a central piece to the Cavs inside-outside game, it was good to see Big Z back in stride, and starting back where he finished off before the injury.  He had 16 points and 9 boards.

The Cavs got off to a good start in the game – moving on offense and being aggressive on defense.  They ended the 1st quarter up by 8 (27-19).

In the 2nd quarter, the Cavs seemed to get laxed.  Mike Brown was not happy with the Cavs style of play, particularly on the defensive end, and called a couple of quick timeouts early in the 2nd quarter to send a message to the team that he would not tolerate the defensive mishaps. 

The Cavs began to play better on defense, but by the 4th quarter (with a little over a minute to play), the Bobcats had pulled the game to within 1 (91-92).  Their comeback was initiated by the 3-point shooting of guard, Jason Richardson, who pulled in 33 points.

Delonte West would hit a jumper off a quick drive to the free throw line to push the lead to 3 (94-91).

Then off a reverse lay up missed by Richardson at the other end, Ben Wallace grabbed the rebound (his 15th and final board of the game).  James drove the lane for a lay up to make it a 5 point, 2 possession lead (96-91) with 10 seconds on the clock. 

James pulled in 33 points, 10 assists, and 7 boards, as the Cavs held on for a 98-91 victory at the Q.

2007-2008 “Predict the Score” Contest – Entry #5

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New Jersey Nets – March 12, 2008

Email Your Final Score Predictions!

Entries will be accepted until 8:00 am Eastern Time on March 12, 2008.

BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR ENTRY:

CHECK OUT THE OFFICIAL RULES, ENTRY GUIDELINES, AND CASH PRIZE!

Contest Updates:

Total Submissions To Date: 56

Total Drawing Entries To Date: 1

Drawing Entry Names: Josh Davis – Canton, OH

Cavs Pull in 36 in a Loss Against Chicago

Uggh!  What a disgusting game to watch as a Cavs fan, and worse that it was broadcasted on a national station like TNT. 

The Cavs did absolutely nothing except rack up in the ”lack of” department on this one.  So, here you go:

  1. Lack of enthusiasm.
  2. Lack of energy.
  3. Lack of putting a body on Luol Deng who scored 23 points.
  4. Lack of teamwork.
  5. Lack of penetration by Lebron.
  6. Lack of maintaining defensive assignments.
  7. Lack of boxing out.
  8. Lack of rebounding.
  9. Lack of allowing D.West to play his role as a point guard.
10. Lack of made put backs on 2nd and 3rd opportunities.
11. Lack of ball movement on offense.
12. Lack of ball protection on offense.
13. Lack of making easy lay ups.
14. Lack of coaching by Mike Brown.
15. Lack of having Drew Gooden.  I miss you! 
16. Lack of urgency.
17. Lack of effort.
18. Lack of taking good shots.
19. Lack of B.Wallace being aggressive in the city where he got booed. 
20. Lack of time outs to stop (or at least temporarily disrupt) momentum.
21. Lack of utilizing proper player rotations.
22. Lack of everything by A. Varejao.
23. Lack of good decision making.
24. Lack of playing Joe Smith more.
25. Lack of having Larry Hughes.  I miss you too!
26. Lack of you being able to take a joke ^^.
27. Lack of fouling players to prevent easy lay-ins.
28. Lack of leadership.
29. Lack of running Ben Gordon off the 3 point line…he also had 23. 
30. Lack of a good solid follow up to the win the day before.
31. Lack of fast-break opportunities.
32. Lack of keeping Joakim Noah off the boards.
33. Lack of assists by Lebron – he only had 1.
34. Lack of unpredictability on the offensive end.
35. Lack of aggressiveness on the defensive end.
36. Lack of (you fill in the blank), cause we lacked in almost every area.

And yes, James did score 39 points.  But that was negated by his, and his teammates, long list of “lack ofs” the entire game.

I hate to be so critical, but that game really pissed me off.  So, if you need an official game review or recap, try this one, this one, or this one.  Guess I can at least give you the final score…96-107 (L)

Lebron Sets the Garden on Fire, and Receives a Standing “O”

The game started as usual for the Cavs, with Lebron looking to pass and get his teammates involved.  On his first shot attempt of the quarter, he drained a baseline jumper off a quick dribble.  Taking only 2 other shots, he would end the quarter with 2 points, shooting 1/3 from the field.

With the 1st quarter in the books, and his teammates warmed up, James would go on to score 18 points in the 2nd quarter and 17 points in the 3rd. 

It was in the 4th quarter, however, that he would take over the game…Not with his spectacular dunks in the open court, not with his power-house drives pass 2 and 3 defenders, not from the free throw line.  No.  He would take over the game from behind the arc.

With under 4:30 left on the clock and the Knicks up 99-98,  James turned to the sidelines and mouthed 50 to Spike Lee, who was sitting courtside at the game (as usual), and began his attack from long-range. 

He hit 2 consecutive 3-pointers to pull the Cavs up 105-98.  Then came another with a little over 2 minutes to play to put the Cavs on top 110-99.  Seemingly, to make good on his promise to Spike, James shot 1 more dagger into the heart of the Knicks, wrapping up his relentless 3-point attack.

James ended the game with 50 points (including four 3-pointers in the 4th quarter), 10 assists, and 8 rebounds.  He shot 16-30 from the field, in his second 50-point game of the season.

The fans loved it!  In a packed house at the Garden, he received a standing “O” and a “MVP” chant as he left the game with under 1 minute left. 

One fan, wearing a #23 Cavaliers jersey, ran out of the stands towards the Cleveland bench and said a few words to James, before being quickly turned away and arrested.  James simply turned and smiled.

He had this to say after the game:

“It was a great feeling. You get a fan to come down there to express the way he feels about you … told me I was his favorite player, that never happens,” James said. “I respect him, I respect his pride and for him to come out there and tell me something like that face to face, it’s like the (most) unbelievable thing that ever happened to me.”

When asked whether or not he was afraid when he saw the fan coming towards him, James said,

“I’m 6-9 and 260…I’m all right.”

Damon Jones pulled in 15 points, and Devin Brown rounded out the Cavs leading scorers with 14 points.

With Big Z, Sasha, and Gibson still out, the Cavs pulled out another win.  But having a player like Lebron James definitely eases the shock of losing players to injuries, as he can, and will, bear the load.

The Knicks fell short in their 4th game in a row, while the Cavs increased their record to 4-2 since the trade, and get their 3rd straight win.

_________________________________________________

2007-2008 Regular Season: Cavaliers vs. Knicks
Date: Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Arena: Madison Square Garden
Starters: D. West, D. Brown, L. James, B. Wallace, A. Varejao
Final: 119-105 (W)

The Cavs Take on the New York Knicks Tonight

After reuniting with Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden before the game on Sunday, completely running over Deng, and finishing off the night with a win against Chicago, Lebron James and the Cavs are ready for their next challenge.

Who’s up?  The New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.  Check out the Game Preview over at Waiting For Next Year, and tune in tonight at 7:30pm ET (Locally – FSN Ohio, Nationally – NBA League Pass).   If you can’t watch it on TV, you can stream it live through your computer.

The Franchise – Lebron James and the Remaking of the Cleveland Cavaliers

Gray & Company recently contacted me regarding one of their latest published books, entitled: “The Franchise – Lebron James and the Remaking of the Cleveland Cavaliers” by Terry Pluto and Brian Windhorst.

“When the Cleveland Cavaliers drew the top pick in the 2003 NBA draft, an entire city buzzed with excitement. After all, how often does a LeBron James come along? Especially for Cleveland, a midmarket Rust Belt city without a sports championship in forty years. Especially for the Cavaliers, a long-struggling team that had never reached the NBA finals.

Now, it seems everyone has something riding on LeBron—billionaire team owner Dan Gilbert looking for a return on his investment . . . teammates eager for a championship ring . . . the league in need of the next Michael Jordan to promote . . . the shoe company with its multimillion-dollar endorsement deal . . . even popcorn vendors in the stands of Quicken Loans Arena and servers waiting restaurant tables in a downtown that now booms every game night.

Award-winning sports journalists Terry Pluto and Brian Windhorst take an in-depth look at how a team and a city are being rebuilt around LeBron James.”

From the sounds of it, this book will be an interesting read.  The company has offered to send me a copy, and I looking forward to delving into it as soon as I get a chance.  If time permits, I’ll do a quick review of the book once I’m finished…Stay tuned.

For more information, and to purchase your copy of the book, visit their website.

Lebron James Awarded Player of the Month

Lebron James and Kobe Bryant were named Eastern and Western Conference Player of the Month, respectively, for games played in the month of February. 

In 14 games of play, James averaged 30.2 points, 8.9 rebounds, 8.5 assists (leading all Eastern Conference players), and posted nine double-doubles.  He also won the award in the month of January, averaging 32.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 6.4 assists.

Over a 3 game span from Feb. 19-22, James pulled in at least 25 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists in each game.  He joined Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson as the only three players to ever reach those levels in all three categories in three consecutive games.

And if that were not enough, on February 27th, James scored 26 points against Boston and became the youngest player in the history of the game to reach 10,000 points.

What an amazing talent we have before us.  Cavs fan or not, you should be enjoying this piece of history that is being carved out right in front of your very eyes.