Posted on Wednesday 22 February 2006 by John Blake @ 12:04 am
The Cavaliers put forth a strong performance in their first game back from the break, beating the Orlando Magic 105-92 Tuesday night at the Q. The loss extends the Magic’s losing streak to seven games and 11 of 12. The Cavaliers displayed a collective effort offensively with three players scoring more than 20 points. Fresh off his spectacular MVP weekend, LeBron James led the charge with 26 points and 9 assists. Zydrunas Ilgauskas was not far behind, adding 24 points and 13 rebounds. Sasha Pavlovic, who has had some up and down games since replacing Larry Hughes in the starting lineup, finally broke out, scoring a career-high 21.
Being a big Pavlovic fan myself, it was great to see him play like he did tonight. He has the ability to shoot the three and with his size and athleticism, he can get the basket and score. While it is highly unlikely that he’ll average 20 points for the remainder of the season, hopefully this game will help build his confidence. We’re going to need him in the last 29 games to help take some of the pressure off LeBron, especially if Ferry doesn’t make a move.
Pavlovic is very important to this team’s success. I don’t think they can count on having Hughes back at any point this year, even the playoffs. If he comes back, bonus, but for now, you’ve got to start looking at Pavlovic for more offensively.
I’d put Damon Jones in the same boat but, apparently, that’d be asking for too much from the “league’s best shooter”.
Sasha is the key. This team is very athletic, so his skills can compliment the others well. I’d be thrilled to see him average 10-12 points per game, with the occasional outburst like last night.