How about some love for Larry
Posted November 14th, 2005 by Brian Windhorst
I’m not sure how closely many of you watched it because the Browns were on at the same time, but the Cavs win over Orlando really showcased some things about this team.
As I touched on in the article linked above, the most impressive thing about the win was LeBron James didn’t have to do it all. In fact, not only didn’t he touch the ball on Donyell Marshall’s 3-pointer to tie the game at the end of regulation, he didn’t touch the ball on the Cavs first five possessions in overtime. The Cavs scored on all six of those possessions, which won them the game.
Rather, it was Larry Hughes who ran things. In overtime, Eric Snow brought the ball down, he’d pitch it to Hughes on the left wing, who ran the exact same play over and over while LeBron stood in the corner. Last year this team couldn’t seem to score a point in clutch time unless LeBron did it, and often he couldn’t.
Donyell has been getting a lot of attention and rightfully so in the early going, but I’ve been telling people that Hughes has been way better than his stats. He had 22 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and four steals in Orlando, his best statistical night of the year. But his role was equally important last week in the blowout over the Grizzlies. When LeBron went to the bench in that game with foul trouble in the second quarter, Hughes basically took over the game.
I don’t get to hear the call-in shows when I’m on the road, but I really haven’t heard a lot of credit being given to Hughes by the fans thus far and that’s an injustice I’m trying to fix. I don’t care what the stats say, he’s playing like an All-Star right now.
Other things rattling in my head include, but are not limited to…
- I have decided to see every movie that Peter Sarsgaard appears in. I’m just a big fan and I don’t care what you think about it. From Boys Don’t Cry to Shattered Glass to Garden State. Ok, so Flightplan was a setback, but I’m amped to see Jarhead.
- I see a lot of movies on the road and in Orlando I saw Pride and Prejudice. Ok, ok, my girlfriend was on the trip and she wanted to see it. But it was pretty good if you like English humor. It was no Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, mind you.
- The favorite TV show among Cavs? Well Sasha Pavlovic likes S&M Tonight - that’s stands for Serbia and Montenegro you sickos. Just kidding. Actually, Alan Henderson and Drew Gooden are always bantering about Curb Your Enthusiasm, and I too am a huge fan. But the writers on Desperate Housewives have to be the best in the biz.
- Classic moment in the locker room the other day. In his new style with the dress code, LeBron is all about the Jay-Z preppie look, especially with large collection of argyle socks to match his outfits. After a game, Luke Jackson, who James constantly is joking with, looked over at his footwear and said: "I like those socks, man, I wear those when I play golf. What are they called again? Oh, gargoyles, right?"
November 14th, 2005 at 11:49 pm
I’m stoked…any team that can score on 6 of its first 5 possessions is going to win a lot of games!
November 15th, 2005 at 5:54 am
Very excited about this Cavs team, but I also realize it’s a long season.
Garden State is one of the best movies to come out in the last 5 years.
November 15th, 2005 at 7:06 am
I read that the cavs owner is interested in replacing the blue seats with wine seats. I also noticed that the O-rena (magic’s gym) is equipped with all red seats. Perhaps a trade between venues is in order.
November 15th, 2005 at 7:06 am
I read that the cavs owner is interested in replacing the blue seats with wine seats. I also noticed that the O-rena (magic’s gym) is equipped with all red seats. Perhaps a trade between venues is in order.
November 15th, 2005 at 7:22 am
Jeff, many of the red seats are already in, but I have just forwarded your note to Danny Ferry. Seriously.
November 15th, 2005 at 7:28 am
Oh, and DMoney, last fourth quarter possession plus first five OT possessions equals six where I come from. But thanks for reading and bonus points for sarcasm, always welcomed here.
November 15th, 2005 at 8:32 am
Sasha’s favorite tv show title iss hilarious!! Hes a great player when hes on, but otherwise he needs some improvement.. what do u think?
Also, how is Andy AVrejao doing? I miss his hustle! Whne is he coming back??
November 15th, 2005 at 10:13 am
I was at the game in Orlando and it was hilarious how quickly that place emptied out after Lebron had his layup +1 in OT. It went from about 16k to about 2k in a flash.
FWIW, I’m gonna miss the blue seats, I always thought they looked snappy, oh well.
November 15th, 2005 at 12:10 pm
Hey, Sasha’s Secret Lover:
You’d better be a serious groupie, because you’re gonna be doin’ some serious travelin’ when Newble gets back on the court. Ah, the genius of Paxson’s fabulous 85-year free agent contracts. The Lakers need some outside shooting, maybe Ferry can pawn Sasha to the West Coast. It’s a well-known fact that Serbs love triangles and Colonel Sanders goatees, so he should fit right in. You’d have some palm trees to gaze at. Sure beats listening to the crickets and petting the dust bunnies at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
November 15th, 2005 at 8:32 pm
I don’t know, I can’t help wincing as Hughes chucks up missed shot after missed shot. With so many other more accurate offensive threats on this team it’s got to be a waste for that to happen.
November 15th, 2005 at 11:38 pm
How do u think the power forward situtation will look when AV comes back… could we have 4 rebounders in the top 30?
And did anyone see diop’s game over in dallas… 16 rebounds and 6 blocks! wow.
November 16th, 2005 at 8:59 am
I think it’s funny how Reghi laments the lack of Ira Newble in the line-up. I mean, God bless him, but the guy’s just not good. Saying someone’s a “defensive stopper” is a euphemism for “can’t hit a jumper.”
November 16th, 2005 at 9:33 am
Roger, of course you’re correct. Reghi is a homer’s homer. I’m sure he’s a real nice guy and everything, and he obviously puts attention into that cute little hanky in the jacket pocket so he looks good when he’s on camera, but as a play-by-play man, he’s a bombastic shill. That ridiculous nonsense concerning Newble is the equivalent of the intentionally blind Jack Corrigan drooling over Phil Hubbard.
November 18th, 2005 at 7:07 am
Alan, Alan, Alan…
Now, let’s give Phil Hubbard some due - for a couple of seasons, all we had was Phil Hubbard and the most hideous horizontal stripings of wine & gold. Who did you think Corrigan was going to pump up? Geoff Huston? Ben Poquette?
Why don’t you try a little Joe Tait & mute Mr. Reghi?
I’d also like to respond to the poster who asked about Diop. I’d like to know what Cuban gave that man for breakfast……
November 18th, 2005 at 11:40 am
Heath, I’m glad you brought up the “mute Reghi” option…It’s not a viable option. As I am a balding old-timer, I do not understand modern day digital stuff. But for whatever reason, there is a delay between radio broadcasts and TV broadcasts. So while Reghi is screaming something absurd to call attention to himself (”Flight 23, take off and landing in midtown Manhattan” comes to mind), Tait is describing something that’s already happened. Or hasn’t happened yet. Can’t remember which. Whatever. So I’m stuck in a time warp straight out of Star Trek. Maybe it doesn’t happen with you, but on my cable system and on my cable box, that’s what I’m dealing with. So I can either turn off the TV sound, I can completely shut off the TV and simply listen to the radio, or I can simply grit what’s left of my teeth and deal with Reghi’s self-serving bombast and all its Star Spangled Chris Bermanish glory.
The home games are simply EXCRUCIATING for television viewing. It is simply not possible for any man over the age of 40 to survive the aural assault of a Michael Reghi television broadcast combined with the audio backround provided by the relentless earth-shaking explosions let loose by the sonic platoons in the Dan Gilbert Normandy Invasion Experience. Given the option, I’d rather put a bag of Milkbones and a fresh chocolate cheesecake in my underwear, and then let loose a starving pit bull and Star Jones before she had her stomach stapled.
By the way, I got a great big smile out of your Ben Poquette reference. Good job!
November 19th, 2005 at 3:32 am
Brian, it’s sad that alan tucker writes more than you. To alan tucker… you you write write too too much much
:) (although you are the only person who contributes to this this blog)
November 19th, 2005 at 3:36 pm
Phi, I can’t help it. Brian brings out the best in me. Or maybe it’s the worst. All I know is Brian’s writing is a helluva lot more informative, stylish and entertaining than the majority of the Beacon Journal’s past Cavs beat writers from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. Most of the Plain Dealer’s, too. If some of the other guys had posted a blog, I couldn’t have posted a comment because I would have been far too busy drooling while passed out snoring on my keyboard.