Cavs at Mavs
Posted December 27th, 2007 by Brian Windhorst
Pregame
Starting lineups
Cavs: Larry Hughes, Sasha Pavlovic, LeBron James, Drew Gooden, Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Mavs: Devin Harris, Eddie Jones, Josh Howard, Dirk Nowitzki, Erick Dampier
–The Mavs didn’t land in Dallas after last night’s loss in Utah until after 2 a.m. So the Cavs have an advantage there for a change. Not that it will make that much difference, but it could. By the way, the Mavs were using their Boeing 767 on that trip not their Boeing 757. They’ve got to be the only pro sports team with two jumbo jets. Most NBA teams rent 737s or 727s.
–LeBron has always had good scoring games against the Mavs and he’ll need another one tonight if the Cavs have any chance. In the opener he got shut down by Jones and Trenton Hassell, we’ll see if he’s in the mood to make up for that tonight.
Big key will be how the Cavs play defense, of course. There are matchup issues everywhere, starting with Harris and Jason Terry. If the Cavs can keep them out of the lane, it will be a good start.
–Keep an eye on Howard, if he gets 20 points, the Mavs usually win.
–Had a conversation before the game with Ira Newble about the Benazir Bhutto killing. No Cav follows international politics like Ira.
Halftime — Cavs 47, Mavs 38
–The Cavs shot 25 percent in the second quarter, 33 percent in the half, and they are ahead by nine at the half. How? Defense and attacking offense. The Cavs teamwork on defense has carried over from Miami. They are doing a good job on their men and rotating well. Especially on Dirk, who is just 1-of-8. Drew Gooden has not let Dirk get past him and forced Dirk to take tough jumpers. He can make those, but he’s not right now. Maybe the Mavs have some dead legs, too.
–LeBron missed five free throws in the first half, but he really went to the basket. All the Cavs did, they got 28 free throws in the first half, which has helped them deal with the bad shooting. This is an ugly game, but it is the style they can win. They have had success running the pick-and-roll inside.
–The Cavs have had big leads in this building before and blown them. Of course, we all know they are not good to start third quarters. Plus Avery Johnson is probably firing his team up right now. The first few minutes of the second half will tell a lot. The Cavs will need some more offense in the second half no matter what.
Postgame — Cavs 88, Mavs 81
Stars
LeBron James, 24 points, eight rebounds, seven assists
Larry Hughes, 17 points, nine rebounds
Zydrunas Ilgauskas, 18 points, 11 rebounds
Dirk Nowitzki, 19 points, 20 rebounds
Josh Howard, 19 points, seven rebounds
–The Cavs have been too inconsistent to take too much from any one game, but this victory illustrates that they still have a spark when they get going. They have a win over Boston, who has just three losses, and now a win in Dallas, where they’ve lost just three times. The bad blowout losses to the Knicks and Warriors have muddied the water, but the Cavs actually have won 4 of 6 and played strong defense in three of their last four games. Huge stat of the night: Mavs got just 20 points in the paint.
–There was no doubt the Mavs were affected by being on the back-to-back. They missed some shots they normally make. But that’s the NBA. Credit must be given to the Cavs, who got several big baskets from Hughes, Devin Brown and Daniel Gibson to maintain the lead. They took control in the second quarter and never gave it up, that’s impressive in this building.
–The halfcourt offense was ugly at times. They were double-teaming LeBron off the picks and he didn’t handle it well at times, making some bad passes. Not to mention Z missed a handful of wide open jumpers, though he made up for it somewhat with his offensive rebounding. Erick Dampier, by the way, had two rebounds and one point tonight. Z was not that good and he had 18 and 11. Yet I still get e-mails ripping the big guy.
–Drew Gooden is a good job of forcing Dirk to settle for jumpers. That is his greatest weakness, when he doesn’t attack the basket. He’s got a great long range game, but when that’s all he uses he is one dimensional. Also, LeBron made a great defensive play late in the game by coming over to double Dirk from the backside as he tried to get a jumper off. It forced a turnover.
–LeBron’s dunk at the end of the game was classic. The guys in the TNT trunk were running it over and over from every angle after the game. He went right on Howard, crossed over to the left behind his back. He pushed the ball in front of him to split Howard and Dirk, who was coming to help. Then he finished on Stackhouse’s head. He also traveled because he switched pivot feet, but that’s never getting called there. That’s a star making a play and for LeBron to do it by going to the hoop is a good sign.
–Enough complaining about the refs. This was a bad crew. But there were a bunch of non-calls on the Cavs in the first half. It is funny to watch Mark Cuban during the game. When he thinks there is a bad call, he’ll signal to the scoreboard operator that he wants a replay on the screen.
Quotes
Mike Brown: “The more we embrace our identity, the more confidence we’ll gain.”
LeBron on the dunk: “I just wanted to be aggressive and finish out the game.”
Avery Johnson: “Whatever the schedule says, we are expected to come out and play with energy.”
December 27th, 2007 at 11:42 pm
HORRIBLE F***IN’ call on LBJ for his fifth…did you see how the ref wouldn’t even LOOK at LBJ after that call? he KNEW he couldn’t see the play from his angle and blew the call as soon as he blew the whistle…jeebus, the officiating is just awful in this league….
December 27th, 2007 at 11:54 pm
btw, notice how after cuban bitched to the refs and TNT during halftime, the calls suddenly went ALL the mavs way? this despite the fact that cavs LIVED in the lane all game. i guess windhorst was right, “calls do even out.” i don’t think that’s what he meant, however…
December 27th, 2007 at 11:55 pm
Great win tonight. I think our defensive intensity is coming back. . .
December 28th, 2007 at 12:02 am
THE WORST call was the one in which the Mavs had a 2 on 1 fast break against LeBron. LBJ was just getting out of the way of the layup and he got called for a foul.
December 28th, 2007 at 12:04 am
LeBron postertized Stackhouse on that last dunk, sweet. Nice game by Larry, I know a lot of folks are down on him, but he is our best perimeter defender and needs to be on the floor. Sasha on the other hand has no business getting the minutes he is getting. He is like a deer in headlights. I really don’t know what Brown sees in him - he can’t shoot, can’t spread the floor, can’t pass, can’t defend, and is a turnover machine.
The Mavs looked really bad, as did Miami, maybe it’s not a coincidence and the Cavs actually have some of their defensive mojo back. Lets hope.
December 28th, 2007 at 12:39 am
A great win for the Cavaliers. If Hughes can play decent (not spectacular) they are a different team. However, they need to get more shots for Gibson!
December 28th, 2007 at 2:03 am
I love reading the silly sound byte portions of these postgame blog posts even more than I enjoy reading Windy’s Z-Worship. “The more we embrace our identity, the more confidence we’ll gain.” I apologize, Mike, but frankly, you lost me after the word “The.” At times he reminds of Rod Brookin, a scholar who played basketball at the University of Pittsburgh in the late 80s. During his senior year he said, “I’m going to graduate on time, no matter how long it takes.”
By the way, are we ever going to read the words from any of Damon Jones’ juicy Christmas songs, or what? Don’t tease the reading populace.
December 28th, 2007 at 2:23 am
Stop hating on me. I had decent game tonight. We beat Hornets next.
December 28th, 2007 at 3:12 am
Sasha is in need of a couple of DNP-CD.
I’m not sure why Devin Brown doesn’t get more opportunities. It seems like he is contributing when he is on the floor.
Alan, nothing juicy about the Chrristmas songs. He is just dreaming of a trade.
Speaking of trades, need more rumors surrounding the Cavs. Come on Brian. I thought beat reporters were supposed to be leaking this stuff for the front offices to get things moving!
December 28th, 2007 at 5:18 am
I agree with Brian that we focus too much on what our center can’t do instead of focusing on what he does do. Compared with Dalembert, Nene, and Dampier’s salary, Z is a steal.
December 28th, 2007 at 5:31 am
larry shoots 40% and we are ecstatic about his play. hell he is garbage, but from what i have seen lately, i think il settle for 40%
December 28th, 2007 at 7:21 am
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December 28th, 2007 at 8:15 am
Cavs get a big win over a top team, and our wonderful Alan T still only has negative things to say LOL. That dude cracks me up. Waste of space.
December 28th, 2007 at 9:18 am
Yes, Z kept Dampier from reaching his 4.5 pt. per game average.
When the Cavs get outscored in the paint, we read how the guards can’t keep anyone in front of them. Last night, Terry and Harris went something like 5 for 20 with six assists. These were the key matchup issues before the game, according to BW’s rundown.
It was also interesting to see the graphic showing the Cavs playing pretty decent perimeter defense this year.
December 28th, 2007 at 10:29 am
Thoughts on a good Cavs win in Dallas:
- Somebody explain how this team has wins against Dallas and Boston, but losses to the Knicks and Sixers.
- I’ll give Mike Brown credit and believe that the gameplan was to make the Mavericks shoot as many jump shots as possible by staying in front of the guy with the ball at all costs. The Mavericks didn’t seem to have the legs to make shots, and the strategy paid off. I’d like to see more gamplan adjustments based on the strengths and weaknesses of the other team.
- Without question the guards played better defensively last night. They slowed down the penetration, which slowed down the easy buckets in the paint. Great effort defensively.
- Looking at the Cavs side of the box score, I have no idea how they won this game. But looking at the Mavericks side, I see 6-17 shooting for Dirk, 2-8 for Devin Harris, 3-8 for Jerry Stackhouse, and 3-12 for Jason Terry, including 1-6 from 3. That’s a combined 14-45 (31%).
- What did the perimeter defense statistic show? I’d be surprised if they could determine how good (bad) the Cavs’ perimeter defenders are at keeping guys from going past them.
- That being said, the play where Hughes stayed in front of Devin Harris all the way to the hoop then blocked his shot was impressive. Harris is one of the fastest guys in the league, and he was unable to turn the corner on Hughes.
- Devin Brown plays much better in an energy off the bench role than as a starter. 20 minutes seems just about perfect for him.
- Don’t look now, but LeBron’s 1-4 from 3pt range last night dropped him to 29% for the season. It’s getting to the point where his 3s are a detriment to the offense, especially since they are rarely the result of a kickout, and are almost always contested.
Go Cavs. A win over the Hornets would definitely be a strong finish to the season.
Mike C.
December 28th, 2007 at 11:14 am
We can bitch and moan about this starting 5 all day but they do win games. I like what Boobie, Devin and AV bring off the bench too.
December 28th, 2007 at 11:47 am
Agree Mike about Lebron’s 3’s. He’s got to stop shooting them so much. He has regressed from the three point line. But do find it odd, that after this game, that is the only thing you chose to comment on him about. He was aggressive tonight for the most part. Grabbed some boards and actually dished out 7 assists to a terrible shooting team. Took a few bad jumpers, but then again, who didn’t. I think you nitpick a little too much when it comes to the best player in the league. Just enjoy.
December 28th, 2007 at 12:06 pm
I’m not sure what the perimeter defense stats mean. They could mean that the guards and wings are supposed to rely on a lot of help–go out and guard, rather than concentrate on stopping penetration.
Maybe that’s a bad strategy or maybe it works when the big fellows are moving well.
December 28th, 2007 at 12:37 pm
I’m sorry for multiple posts, but did anyone else find the sudden jocularity of LeBron and Coach Brown on the TNT broadcast a little curious?
They both made a point to razz Craig Sager about his cranberry-colored shoes before halftime, which seemed out of the ordinary and almost forced. Maybe they’re consciously trying to loosen up a bit and put the ugly past months behind.
December 28th, 2007 at 1:47 pm
If you’re still bashing Z you have no credibility regarding basketball.
December 28th, 2007 at 3:01 pm
Good point, Michele. Gibson, AV and Devin off the bench has made a big difference. Also, I think a stable starting five has helped us turn the corner…
December 28th, 2007 at 3:13 pm
Who’s “bashing” Z? He’s a pretty ordinary center being paid way too much and for way too long. Still 2 3/4 seasons left. In the meantime, to the team’s detriment, Brown is forced to give him way too many minutes, when it’s become obvious the guy is most effective in short spurts, maybe playing about 22 minutes a game. People bashing the guy should be bashing Ferry for not being intelligent enough to do a sign and trade. Ilgauskas was just in the right place at the right time. Every Christmas is the Ilgauskas household is a Ferry Christmas. I’ve often wondered if Paxson had been given another year, where Ilgauskas would now be. Maybe still in Cleveland, who knows.
And larry d. is right, that TNT stuff about a pair of wacky seemed pretty forced. It conjured up images of Michael Reghi practicing hollering of his old Chris Berman-like catchphrases in his hotel room. Nothing spontaneous about it.
Also, I know Damon Jones is worthless, but he was worthless on the day he was signed. But he’s always been a major source of amusement to Windy. Please (I did say “please”) start printing interviews with the guy. Or, at the very least, some very extended direct quotes. Everything that comes out of his mouth these days is guaranteed gold. What are Ferry and Brown going to do to Jones if he opens up to the press? Bench him?
December 28th, 2007 at 4:24 pm
Yo Alan, how worthless was DJ when he hit a couple of those key 3 pointers in the playoffs last year? You focus too much on the negative dude. I have no idea why DJ doesn’t get more playing time here when guys like Sasha are playing so horribly. Only thing I can figure is coach Brown doesn’t like him or something.
December 28th, 2007 at 4:57 pm
does anyone miss more open 15 footers than laura hughes?
December 28th, 2007 at 5:44 pm
A lot of Lebron’s 3’s come out of necessity. He has to shoot a lot of them contested with the shot clock running down and at the end of quarters and the game, so i think his 29% shooting from there is a little misleading.
And honestly, how is Lebron ever going to shoot a three off a kickout when he’s the only one who can get into the paint and pass?
If Mike Brown work the two man game between Lebron and his big men into the game plan, Lebron would get a lot more open shots and the big men would get a lot more good looks close to the basket. It’s great when he does it with Ilgauskas because Ilgauskas generally demands a double team when he gets good position.
I’m kind of tired of people bringing up stuff from last year to defend guys this year. It’s great that Jones hit a couple threes, but he and a lot of other guys that did good things last year need to go because this team needs to be revamped in order to build a championship team.
December 28th, 2007 at 6:48 pm
Who cares what a guy who never plays has to say about anything? Here’s what he’s saying, alan……he’s pissed off about his minutes being cut for no apparent reason, and he wants to go back and play for the Heat again. Happy? You;ve been crying for weeks about not getting Damon Jones quotes….give it a rest. Jesus.
Lets talk about players who actually play. Here’s a question for anyone other than Alan because I don’t care what he has to say about it: Is there anything to this Hughes, Pavs, LBJ, Gooden, Z starting lineup? This team went on a tear last year once they started using this lineup. The team defense seems to be much better when Gibson comes off the bench. Is this really the best starting lineup for this team, despite how terrible and inconsistent Hughes is?
December 28th, 2007 at 6:59 pm
I think Hughes gives full effort out on the court, so I don’t think he should be booed. He has trouble recognizing when he should be aggressive or passive in the half court offense but his d is spot on. He gets into trouble when he tries to play through strains & sprains, usually they become more serious injuries. That might have something to do with off season conditioning and/or mental approach. The front office needs to use better logic to get the most out of Hughes.
Every time Damon Jones gets subbed into the game the song ‘Kryptonite-Purple Ribbon All-Stars’ starts playing in my mind. That is to never forget Shaq played his worst basketball when Jones was his teammate/best friend. The way Riley ran him out of South Beach pretty much confirmed that. D. Jones is the worst kind of cancer to the success of any organization, the personable, likeable, joking type of cancer. Jones can only hit open threes which is a skill, but then embrace the role player label. Be ready to go into a game at any moment to support the cause. I respect Newble for creating awareness to the genocide in the Sudan but the same goes for him. This is how the cancer spreads.
Isn’t saying a point guard in today’s nba is a good help defender equivalent to saying a beauty contestant has a good personality? Jones shot selection is questionable which causes easy transition baskets for opponents. Gibson is a much more complete player and his shot selection makes him the better shooter.
Z is a warrior and this team would benefit if he was more vocal. But I do think Varejao should start over him. I like the idea of playing Z more in the 2nd/3rd quarter. My opinion is that Hughes & Z don’t play well together on the court. I think their playing time together should be limited.
December 28th, 2007 at 8:05 pm
Spencer, I agree about James taking a good number of end of shot clock desperation threes, but he does (too often, imo) take too many 3’s when not needed. It’s no big deal to me, but, imo, it is a reality. I’m not one of those “just drive to the hoop and dunk over everyone Lebron” fans, but he could work sometimes to get a closer jumper. Again, no big deal as he is so far and away the biggest reason they went to the finals and, imo, the best player in the NBA. But no one is perfect.
December 29th, 2007 at 12:29 am
Recknut, what’s wrong with printing an interview and/or extended quotes from Damon Jones? Sure, he’s grossly overpaid and he sucks the big one. But who cares? It would be a very entertaining read. Reading local Cavs coverage is like reading a newspaper in the former Soviet Union, given that Gilbert and Ferry are the true publishers behind the Iron Curtain.
Besides, the NBA is really about delivering entertainment, and I can’t imagine that an unedited Jones print interview would be anything less than entertaining. What would they do to Jones, fine him five dollars and tell him he’s not going to get any playing time? Seems to me he’s already not getting any playing time, and they’ve probably already fined him five dollars. Why do I have to click an out-of-town site to read Ira Winderman’s piece in a Miami newspaper in order to read something said by Damon Jones? Does that make any sense to you? I was under the impression that Damon Jones is employed by the Cleveland Cavaliers and also resides in the area. Hey, I’ll bet he even owns a cell phone! Even this is far more revealing about a local player’s feelings than the stuff we’ve been (not) reading:
http://broadband.nba.com/cc/playa.php?content=video&url=http://boss.streamos.com/wmedia/nba/nbacom/nbatv/wesley_david_070608.asx&video=&nbasite=nba
December 29th, 2007 at 10:34 am
Wow….you’ve got a little thing for Damon Jones, don’t you?
“Besides, the NBA is really about delivering entertainment”. And here I thought it was about basketball, and players who actually get on the court and contribute. While you want to follow a soap opera, I only care about the team. I want to know what’s going on with people who contribute.
December 29th, 2007 at 6:59 pm
boy it would be really ashame if the cavs beat the hornets, because the more the cavs win the more satisfied danny becomes with the team and he is convince that he do not need to make a move. I was really wishing that the mavs would win that game. Hey the hornets are hot, lead by one of the best pt guards in the game, maybe it would give the front office the glimpes of a true pt guard.
December 29th, 2007 at 8:08 pm
Recknut, if you think the NBA is all about basketball and players who get on the court and contribute, then perhaps you should ask Windy why he is one of the 57 writers in the Professional Basketball Writers Association who casts his votes for a coach and five players, votes that are based on the players’ accessibility and ability to provide informative and interesting quotes. “Basketball” and “players who get on the court and contribute” is irrelevant when they vote.
I think the average guy would be very interested to read lengthy quotes from both Damon Jones and Ira Newble as to their recent egregious insubordination, albeit Mike Brown did disrespect both of them in a major way, and no doubt his disrespect was both intentional and vindictive.
Come to think of it, dating back to the first season he became a beat writer, who are the coaches and players who’ve received Windy’s PBWA All-Interview Team votes? Windy? Any Cavaliers on your ballots?
December 29th, 2007 at 8:51 pm
Wow, Billy is even worse than Alan….at least Alan has never flat out admitted that he’s rooting against the Cavs. Way to go Billy….fan of the year.
As for you, Tucker….what does the PBWA have to do with anything? The NBA would be able to exist without them. But I understand, Alan….the Cavs win a couple games and all of the sudden you decide to start ripping BW for not interviewing Damon freaking Jones. Classic. Try Days of Our Lives if you want drama and bickering. If you want to focus on the actual game, then you can watch the NBA and read BW’s posts.
December 29th, 2007 at 10:50 pm
I wouldn’t give a damn if they were winning or losing games. If there’s cancer, whether it’s in Roster Player 1 or in Roster Player 15, I want to read about it, and I want to what the doctors are doing about it instead of having the press paying little to no attention to it. Call it the National Enquirer if you want, that’s your own opinion. But it’s a lot more interesting than the daily baloney ordered up by the Cavs PR office. Like the day they told all the beat writers to write a feature about that Nichols fellow. Wow, that was some pretty insightful stuff.
Damon Jones and Ira Newble recently told Mike Brown to stick it where the sun don’t shine. If this was New York, you don’t think the press wouldn’t be all over that? There would be quotes and opinions out the wazoo. Instead, everybody and the press will follow marching orders. After all, “it’s being handled internally.”
Reading local Cavs coverage often has the feel of eating a Happy Meal. Only it’s not as filling and folks have a lot less gas.
December 29th, 2007 at 11:08 pm
Yeah, if only the Cleveland press was like New York’s……..riiiiiight. That New York media does their teams a world of good. I love tabloid style journalism…..*sarcasm*
December 29th, 2007 at 11:54 pm
Recknut, I was unaware that it was the media’s role and the media’s job to do their own teams a world of good. My mistake, I did not realize Terry Pluto was continuing to post in these parts, I thought he took his homer act to the PD.
December 30th, 2007 at 11:34 am
The media following the company line doesn’t do the Cavs much good in any case, if you’re talking about on the court performance. Front offices and coaches need to have their feet to the fire every once in a while.
I don’t care what Damon and Ira have to say, really, but it is pretty odd that you’ve got to look to out of town papers to read about it. It has a bearing on the state of the team, so it’s newsworthy.
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