Category: Cleveland Cavaliers (Page 33 of 88)

Wizards coach Eddie Jordan is whining and complaining that LeBron James gets all the calls. He specifically cited LeBron’s game winning basket, claiming that LeBron traveled, though he conveniently didn’t say anything about that calls that went against the Cavs. Bryan Windhorst sets him straight:

The Wizards were on the positive end of several questionable calls Friday, including a blocking foul on James with 23 seconds left in which Arenas ran over him outside the no-charge zone and got the call. Meanwhile, on the James basket in question, replays indicated he seemed to be fouled by Ruffin, but no call was made.

Time to shut these guys up with another win on Sunday.

In a pivotal Game 3 in Washington, LeBron almost single-handedly guided the Cavaliers to victory in a down-to-the-wire 97-96 thriller. LB, who finished with 41, drove to the basket in the final seconds and muscled one in to give the Cavaliers the lead. With nearly five seconds remaining, Gilbert Arenas had a good look at a three but couldn’t knock it down. The Cavs fell behind in the first half but with the help of Larry Hughes and some good defense in the third quarter, they were able to climb back in the game. Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 15 points and 8 rebounds but fouled out in the fourth.

In his first career road playoff game, LeBron took it as just another game and was as impressive as ever.

“I said I wouldn’t have two bad games in a row,” said James, who had 10 turnovers and shot 7-for-25 in the Game 2 loss. “I watched Game 2 over and over, and I saw the adjustment they made on me from Game 1 to Game 2. Me being the player I am, I had to counterattack, and I was able to do that.”

With the win, we go up 2-1 in the series and regain home-court advantage. For us to win the series and possibly advance further in the playoffs, however, we need more production out of those players not named LeBron. Specifically, Marshall tonight contributed only four points in 29 minutes.

The Washington Wizards evened up the series Tuesday night, beating the Cavaliers 89-84 at the Q. LeBron James, following his superb triple-double performance the other day, scored 26 but also turned the ball over 10 times. The Cavaliers opened up a large lead to start the game but then the Wizards got hot to make it close at the end of the first quarter. Drew Gooden, on 11-12 shooting, finished with 24 points and 16 rebounds. Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison each scored 21 and Gilbert Arenas added 30 for the Wizards.

You have to give the Wizards credit, they limited James as best they could and prevented him from driving the lane. This loss puts the Cavaliers in a difficult position because now they have essentially lost the home-court advantage. Mike Brown, LeBron, and the rest of the squad are going to have to somehow figure out how to solve Washington’s defensive formations. It also didn’t help that LeBron had four fouls going into the fourth quarter. That obviously seemed to limit his aggressiveness on both sides of the court.

“They had a great scheme by playing me 1-on-1,” said James, whose 10 turnovers were a team playoff record. “I missed a lot of shots, layups that I usually make. They did a great job. I didn’t come to play.”

Brian Windhorst of the Beacon Journal has written a cool article on ESPN.com detailing Lebron’s evolution as a player, debut by debut.

In his first career playoff game, LeBron delivered a performance to remember, scoring 32 points while becoming the third player in NBA history to get a triple-double in his playoff debut. The Cavaliers returned to the postseason in style, beating the Wizards 97-86 in Game 1. They got some strong contributions from Eric Snow and Donyell Marshall. Snow finished with 14 points, matching a season high and Marshall dropped 19. The Cavs played some stellar half-court defense as the Wizards shot only 3 of 22 from three-point range.

“I had no idea that (James) had a triple-double,” Cleveland coach Mike Brown said. “He never ceases to amaze me. The things that he does offensively just blow you away.”

The city had been without a playoff appearance by the Cavs for eight years and the fans displayed their excitement. The atmosphere at the Q was electric as the sellout crowd waved white rally towels throughout the game and several times breaking out the M-V-P chant. LeBron’s first postseason game was one for the ages as Cavs fans were witnesses to something special Saturday afternoon.