Category: Cleveland Cavaliers (Page 35 of 88)

. . . but he has some serious praise for LeBron as well, who he puts at #2:

The intriguing subplot: LeBron is figuring out how to take over down the stretch, personified by what happened on Saturday in New Jersey (17 in the final quarter). At least once a game, he does something so explosive, so athletic, so incredible, you can’t even believe it happened. The last time I remember feeling this way about a professional athlete was Bo Jackson, who wasn’t just great … he stood out. I attended a spring training game once when Bo scored from third base on a 180-foot pop fly — standing up. It was awesome to watch.

Well, LeBron reminds me of Bo. On those plays when he says, “Screw it, I’m scoring” and heads toward the basket like a runaway freight train. He’s like a young Barkley crossed with a young Shawn Kemp crossed with young Magic, but with a little Bo thrown in. Out of anyone in the league, he’s the only player who can cripple the other team with one monster play.

That’s the first time I’ve heard the Bo Jackson reference, bit Simmons makes a great point.

LeBron’s sprained ankle forced him to sit out his first game of the season but the Cavaliers, with the help of a late fourth quarter surge, topped the Knicks Thursday night 91-87. Larry Hughes may have finally found his rhythm, scoring 26 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. In his sixth game back from injury, Hughes provided the offensive spark in the second half and made several key plays down the stretch. Ilgauskas and Marshall each added 17 points.

“It took awhile,” Marshall said. “It feels good to come back, not just without LeBron. We don’t want to go stumbling into the playoffs, but playing good ball like we have most of the year.”

Somebody had to step up in LeBron’s absence and it’s great to see Larry get back on track. He struggled in the first half but took control in the fourth when the Cavs needed a push. Larry is still fighting to find his shot but as long as he continues to take the ball to the hole and play solid defense he will be fine.

The Detroit Pistons showed why they are the best team in the East, laying an old-fashioned beatdown Wednesday night, defeating the Cavs 96-73. Cleveland couldn’t do much right on either end of the floor and the Pistons were getting whatever shot they wanted. In part to some poor shooting, the Cavs only scored 29 first half points and could never recover. To make matters worse, LeBron James sprained his ankle in the second half and had to undergo X-rays after the game. He is listed as day-to-day.

“It’s sprained pretty good, but nothing serious,” said James, who had 22 points on 8-of-18 shooting. “You never really know until the next day, but I’ve had them before, and this is nothing that bad.”

Let’s hope LeBron knows his body and it isn’t too serious.

In Marc Stein’s latest power rankings, the Cavaliers moved into the top five, sandwiched in between the Spurs and Suns.

“Yet there’s no denying that LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers, who halted New Jersey’s 14-game win streak Saturday and have a 10-1 record since March 14, deserve their promotion into the top five of ESPN.com’s NBA Power Rankings. It remains to be seen if James’ inexperienced gang is ready to win a playoff series, but the Cavs’ surge — coupled with the return of Larry Hughes — edges them past the Suns and Heat to account for one significant shift in the upper reaches of the rankings.”

With Miami struggling as of late and the Cavs proving they can beat New Jersey, home or away, a strong case can be made that Cleveland could be the second best team in the East going into the playoffs.

He did it again. With the game tied and the Cavaliers needing a bucket, LeBron delivered a jumper from outside the key in the closing seconds to win it, 103-101. After a rather lackadaisical first half, the Cavs fought back in the third quarter, outscoring the Hornets by 17. Flip Murray scored 25 in the game and Donyell Marshall was strong off the bench, finishing with 16. The Cavaliers displayed one of their best three-point shooting performances of the season, connecting on 11 of 18. I think Mike Brown can echo what just about every other Cavs fan is thinking about LBJ.

“He is absolutely amazing,” Brown said. “He is the MVP in my opinion.”

Before the Cavs ran the final play, LeBron had a little smile on his face on the bench and as he was walking onto the court. It’s almost as if he knew he was going to come through and win it. LeBron’s getting more and more comfortable at the end of games and has all the confidence in the world at this point.