Cavs 91, 76ers 88

–Strong second half performance by the Cavs in this one. Philly played well in this one and it was a fair playoff-type game. The Cavs defense in the second half was much improved. The Cavs went to a smaller and quicker lineup at times and it seemed to slow down the break. They held Philly to 38 percent shooting in the second half, mostly because they made them play halfcourt basketball.
–LeBron woke up big time in the second half. More than his late-game heroics — and his layup at the end was ill-advised and yet incredible all at once — was the way he changed his strategy. He went down into the post and made the Sixers defend him down there, which threw off their defensive floor balance. He also penetrated looking to pass, which is different than what he did in Detroit. As a result, the ball moved much, much better. This is growth from a previous game and credit is due for that.
–This was a good game for Delonte West, we’ll see if it lasts. He made four 3-pointers which made the Sixers pay for their help on James. He’s not going to do that every night. He also was pretty strong on defense. Andre Miller is very skilled, but he is not a super-quick guard like Mo Williams and that is such a better matchup for the Cavs. Yes, Miller had a good game, but he didn’t change the game. Delonte had three blocks and two steals, his activity on the defensive end helped start breaks.
–West’s 3s were important because the Cavs had no shooters in there late. Damon Jones is on the outs again, which I think is a mistake. The man has defensive issues but he is a really good shooter. And Daniel Gibson was in the back after tweaking his left ankle again. Devin Brown, who did a Sasha impression by going 3-of-12 shooting in the start, and Delonte are not exactly floor-stretchers.
–I spoke with Daniel after the game. He tweaked it his left ankle in the third quarter, but there is no new injury. He is just going to continue to fight soreness in there over the next couple weeks. That is a serious injury.
–I thought Andre Iguodala’s shot was in at the buzzer, it looked good from my vantage point. Had it gone, it would’ve been the sixth time the Cavs have given up a buzzer-beater to win or force overtime this season. Remember Raymond Felton and Rudy Gay nailing shots to force OT back in January.
–While I am sure everyone would like to see Washington in the playoffs for rivalry purposes, I think the Cavs actually match up better with the 76ers. Unlike Washington and also Toronto, Philly doesn’t have reliable outside shooters or an ultra-quick guard. Philly will give the Cavs problems with their tempo at times, but when slowed down in a playoff setting I think they Cavs would have a great edge. Plus Philly is untested in the postseason. I am not sure they have anyone on their roster who has won a playoff series, at least nobody in the rotation. Oh wait, Reggie Evans when he was with Seattle. Even still, you get my point.

Recap:

Pregame

Starting lineups

76ers: Andre Miller, Willie Green, Andre Iguodala, Reggie Evans, Sam Dalembert
Cavs: Delonte West, Devin Brown, LeBron James, Anderson Varejao, Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Officials
Ken Mauer, John Goble, Luis Grillo

–Ben Wallace has been cleared to play but Mike Brown has decided to sit him until further notice. This has to be the right decision. How many times can the man come up lame before he just has to shut it down.
–Devin Brown has replaced Sasha Pavlovic in the starting lineup. I would not be surprised if Sasha doesn’t play very much at all tonight. He gave Sasha a very long leash and he has not played well at all except for a game or two. He has been lazy on defense at times and he hasn’t been able to make an outside shot. It has been a long time coming. Devin has played very well for the last six weeks and he deserves it even though he is not a great shooter.
–The 76ers are a run and gun team, they are great on the fast break and overall are a hustle team. To beat them you must be careful on taking too many jumpers that cause long rebounds and punish them on the offensive boards because they take off. If the Cavs don’t respect this, they will get beat.

Halftime — 76ers 48, Cavs 43

–After going 4-of-17 last night, LeBron is 3-of-7 this half. He is facing a smaller defender and settling and playing without much energy. It is possible that he is just tired and no one would blame him. But in a game like this, the Cavs of course need his activity to have a chance.
–The 76ers have 14 fastbreak points and 26 points in the paint. That means they are getting all the easy shots they want. I know this is not a good matchup for the Cavs, but they are not the Memphis Grizzlies, they have to start controlling the game better.
–Sasha and Damon Jones have not played in the game. It seems Mike Brown is starting to narrow his rotation. Damon has value and should be playing some, West played 20 minutes and that is probably too much. Though he does have eight assists, he has been good in transition. As for Sasha, he hasn’t earned time right now.
–Joe Smith has three shots and he is keeping the Cavs in the game, he needs to get more chances on offense. I have been pushing for this for quite some time now.

Postgame

Stars
LeBron, 26 points, nine rebounds, nine assists
West, 18 points, 11 assists
Miller, 16 points, nine assists
Andre Iguodala, 19 points

Quotes
West: “I think three days off definitely got my legs back under me. I found myself back to pushing the ball.”
Mike Brown on Iguodala’s near miss at the end: “We’ve been snakebitten a little bit. Part of me thought it could’ve gone in.”

Pistons 85, Cavs 71

–Cavs qualified for the playoffs tonight, thanks to New Jersey’s loss to Phoenix, which is the limited good news for the team. The way they are handled in this one actually may end up being good for them. It is a reality check and a reminder of where they need to get better. Also, it shows how much work they have to do, although I am not sure there is time. The Pistons were upset with the way they played in Cleveland last week and so they pushed back. Now we’ll see what the Cavs do.
–This is the second time in the last month I have felt the Cavs got shoved around and knocked off their game by pure physical play. The other time was in Boston, when the Celtics play the same roughhouse stuff. Not a coincidence when you look at the standings. The Pistons were way more aggressive on the defensive end and it took the Cavs out of their game. They responded by complaining about calls. Sure there were some missed calls, but why would the officials respect the way they were playing? Want to know the last time Mike Brown got a technical? In Boston. Again, not a coincidence.
–Based on my conversations with players and coaches, I think of one the reasons the Cavs and LeBron couldn’t answer the move to put Rip Hamilton on him was due to the limited plays they have installed on offense. I am told they are not yet ready to operate with LeBron in the post because they aren’t crisp with how to handle the double teams. These are the penalites you pay when you make an 11-player deal this late in the season. Not everyone is up to speed, things have been forgotten, things are in disarray. I supposed they’ll have to be more ready when they play the Pistons again on the final night of the season. Although, that game will probably be meaningless to Detroit.
–That said, there must be better work by the players and coaching staff to help LeBron out. He was being swallowed up by the Pistons and it didn’t seem to me like much was being done about it. He settled for jumpers, too much, but he never had much space and there didn’t look like many antidotes were being tried.
–The only guy who seemed to play aggressively tonight was Devin Brown. He attacked the glass, moved on offensive and took mostly smart shots. He had 11 points and two assists.
–The injury to Ben Wallace is a blow. The Cavs wanted to rest him, but I don’t think that is why he was hurt. When he was in the air Antonio McDyess smashed his shoulder and bad his back twisted quickly. At this point, I think you’ll see the Cavs try to shut him down for another long stretch. He’s left three games with pain now, that conclusion must be reached.
–Daniel Gibson looked very rusty in his 20 minutes. I don’t think he trusts that ankle yet, several times he swallowed shots because he didn’t seem like he wanted to draw his leg up underneath him. When you miss a quarter of the season, things like this happen.

Recap, if you must:

Pregame

Starting lineups
Cavs: Delonte West, Sasha Pavlovic, LeBron James, Ben Wallace, Zydrunas Ilgauskas
EDIT: West was a late scratch for Damon Jones.
Pistons: Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Antonio McDyess, Rasheed Wallace

–All the “questionable” guys were cleared. West hasn’t practiced for two days and I think the Cavs wanted to rest Big Ben over the weekend, but he seemed to win out. Daniel Gibson is back as well. That is the first time since Anderson Varejao got hurt in January in L.A. and the first time since the trade the Cavs’ full rotation has been available. We’ll see how it plays out. EDIT: This is no longer true, see the note above.
–The Cavs’ lead on the No. 4 spot in the East has shrunk to two games, which makes this weekend semi-important. Plus playing the Pistons is always a big deal. There is no excuse for a focus issue here, which has been the case on the road for the Cavs for the last month. Plus, they ‘ve had two days off so there is no rest issue.
–In my mind, West is better equipped to guard a guy like Billups than guys like Chris Paul and Mo Williams. He did a good job last week in Cleveland and that is a key matchup. Also, let’s see how much the Pistons test Big Ben with Sheed as they did last week. I have no faith in anyone, though, who can cover Hamilton and the Pistons seemed to forget this in the second half last time. Bet they don’t this time.

Halftime — Pistons 49, Cavs 33

–They have are being handled by a much more aggressive and physical Pistons team. This is especially true at the defensive end, where the Pistons are pushing the Cavs around. This is why the Cavs aren’t getting any calls, because they have not earned them. In a switch, Flip Saunders has put Rip Hamilton on LeBron instead of Prince. The reason, I believe, is because Rip is better at keeping LeBron in front of him. Otherwise, the Cavs are allowing themselves to be pushed around. Not unlike how the Celtics pushed them around in Boston a few weeks ago.
That said, LeBron is 3-of-11 and Z is 3-of-11. Those are bad performances.
–The Pistons are shooting the ball pretty well tonight, which means they are going to look good. They have gotten quite a few points in transition, but in the halfcourt they have taken mostly mid-range jumpers. I believe this is the Pistons biggest downfall, they shoot too many jumpers. I expect them to level off a bit on them in the second half, but if they keep getting to run offense before the Cavs are set then it will be a blowout. The Cavs have to be more effective on the offensive end.
–Ben Wallace has looked good at times now that he is back, he has four rebounds and two blocks and is 3-of-3 shooting. He is one guy who is bringing it physcially, which isn’t a surprise.
–Damon Jones is a liability at the Pistons at the defensive end at times, him running the point against this team isn’t a great matchup. But he does have four assists, he’s tried to run the offense and get the Cavs into things. For what it is worth.

Postgame

Stars
Tayshaun Prince, 12 points, seven rebounds, five assists
Antonio McDyess, 14 points, 10 rebounds

Quotes:
LeBron: “”It was complete dominatation. They knocked us out of our sets. Rip has guarded me before, he is good but he knew he had guys behind him.”
Mike Brown: “They came out and got up into us, they were very physical from the opening tip. You have to make sure you are punching along with them or the result will be the same.”

Hornets 100, Cavs 99

–Not to repeat what I wrote in the paper, but many times I come on here and tell you the last shot didn’t really decide a game, it was just the final line in a book, etc. Tonight the final play perfectly summed up the game. Chris Paul got into the middle and knew exactly where his teammate was going to be. And that teammate was perfectly positioned to execute something he is good at, a mid-range shot. Considering this was what Paul did the entire game, this was the cherry at the end. From the Cavs’ perspective, if you froze things with 2.5 seconds left you would have Paul in the air with three Cavs around him and nobody in his sight. Then he makes a great play. Tip your hat, ladies and gents. He did it all night. 20 assists and one turnover and, folks, the one turnover was sorta fake. It was when LeBron tied him up and there was a jump ball.
–Technically, Joe Smith messed up on the last play, he was supposed to stay attached to West because the Cavs wanted to use LeBron’s length on Paul and not give him an open man to pass to. The problem was there was a screen and Smith figured he better pick him up or Paul may get a layup. Normally in this situation, Anderson Varejao would be there and the Cavs would execute a switch on a screen because they believe Andy is quick enough to defend a guard. But Mike Brown, I believe, was still upset at Varejao for letting Tyson Chandler get a putback dunk on him with 47 seconds left and he was done with him.
–The two lowest scoring games in the last 40 LeBron has had have been against the Hornets, 21 points both times. I believe their traps and double teams are very sound, but I still think LeBron was very passive at times. He was better at moving the ball in the second half, but I believe this was a game when he went with the flow too much. But as I said at halftime, the Cavs offense was still strong. They shot 50 percent and had 56 points in the paint. That’s a win more than 90 percent of the time. The Hornets are freaking good.
–That said, LeBron’s final shot was excellent. He saw the double team was set up for him to go left for whatever reason and he went right to get around it. Then when he saw Tyson Chandler commit to James’ right, he switched hands and went around him to the left. Super high-quality effort. Plus he was right to try to leave a little time in case of a miss, the game was not tied.
–LeBron got all fiery at some of his teammates at times for leaving guys like Peja Stojakovic and Jannero Pargo open. But the way the Hornets play and the way the Cavs help on defense, it is so tough to stay attached at times. Besides, LeBron himself shaded towards Chandler to defend the lob and left Peja more than once. Listen, this is going to be an awfully tough team to beat four out of seven times especially if they have homecourt throughout the playoffs.
–I believe, and I have for about two weeks now, that the Cavs will finish with 45 or 46 wins. This will probably get them the No. 4 seed and many of you will be disappointed. It was certainly a disappointing regular season. Especially after they got it going in January before all the injuries started to bite. But you must consider this: this was the third game they lost at the buzzer this season (Deron Williams in Utah, Michael Redd in Milwaukee); they were 0-6 without LeBron, who missed the most games of his career; Z missed the most games in seven seasons, 17 of 21 back-to-backs had the second night on the road. I’d say winning 4-5 fewer games than last season is explained right there. Not that I am giving them a pass.

Recap:

Pregame

Starting lineups

Hornets: Chris Paul, Morris Peterson, Tyson Chandler, David West, Paul Stojakovic
Cavs: Delonte West, Sasha Pavlovic, LeBron James, Anderson Varejao, Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Officials
Joe DeRosa, Michael Smith, Eli Roe

–Ben Wallace and Daniel Gibson are sitting this one out. With Wallace, the Cavs are trying to give him the week off to try and get his back as healthy as possible. With Gibson, it sounds like the training staff just said no. He said he wanted to play yesterday, although now he’s toeing the company line. I guess it’ll be Saturday for his return.
–The Cavs are getting the Hornets on a back-to-back, but that won’t make the matchups any easier. There’s nobody in the league that can stay in front of Paul and the way the Cavs play defense when a PG gets to the middle it’s over. Especially one with Paul’s passing skills. Supreme test for the Cavs defense.
–Drew Gooden got embarrassed by David West the last time these teams played. We’ll see how Andy and Joe Smith do. He’s got a good mid-range game and can score from the block, it makes him a challenge to guard.
–Let’s see how the Cavs come out after a couple of hard practices. They’ve been a different team at home, but this will be one of the toughest challenges they’ve had in awhile.

Halftime — Hornets 56, Cavs 50

–For those of you who get tired of watching the Cavs offense, pay attention to the Hornets. Now, obviously Paul sets all of it up and without him it may not work. But when the Hornets run a play, they set a pick and then give Paul three options. There’s a guy rolling to the hole, usually Tyson Chandler, there’s a guy who sets up for a mid-range shot, and a guy that goes to the 3-point line. The spacing is perfect and so when Paul get space and draws in the defense, he gets to pick the correct man. And if you stay home, he’ll just shoot. A great machine that has parts that work. Very impressive.
–All that said, I’m not sure the Cavs can stop it and I know Delonte West cannot stop him. About the only chance the Cavs have is if the shooters miss more. With their style of shrink the floor defense, I don’t think they are equipped to handle it. We’ll see, but the Hornets I think just played average and are on pace for 112 points.
–New Orleans is choosing to blitz the pick-and-rolls with LeBron, which means they are double teaming him. Neither he nor his teammates are handling this very well. The proper way is to isolate the pick and punish the defense for leaving the other man. But the Cavs spacing has been off when LeBron’s had the ball. That is why he wasn’t very effective. He just had one assist, usually when teams play him this way he piles them up. But overall, the Cavs have done well on offense thanks mostly to Z.
–David West has 14 points in the first half, showing his value. But he has zero rebounds and Anderson Varejao has seven including five offensive, which has helped the Cavs to 12 second chance points. So is West playing well? Um, kinda.

Postgame

Stars
CP3, 15 points, 20 assist
Peja, 25 points
Z, 29 points, 15 rebounds
LeBron, 21 points, eight assists

Quotes
LeBron: “That’s why (Paul) is the best point guard in the league. He’s got eyes in the back of his head.”
Paul: “I call David West the “17-foot assassin.” I knew he would be somewhere behind me, so when I saw him I was like thank goodness.”

Bucks 108, Cavs 98

–If the Cavs played the Bucks, say, 15 times a season and not four, Larry Harris might be up for Executive of the Year instead of being out of a job. The Cavs can’t cover Mo Williams or Michael Redd the way they play against them and I’ve seen four or five different guys try at this point. The Bucks averaged about 107 points against the Cavs this season and that is simply never going to work. Williams averaged 26 points and 10 assists, Redd averaged 25 points and made a 30-footer to beat them.
–Despite the matchup issues, the Cavs played lethargically all night. LeBron took a bunch of jumpers and whined about non-calls when he went to the basket. He rebounded well, but this was not his best effort. It is a matter of not bringing it against every opponent.
–It did not help the Cavs that the officials were not allowing any touching on penetration. Sasha Pavlovic was not permitted to breath on Redd. So that makes them tough to guard, but the game was called the same way at both ends. Bucks shot 52 percent, Cavs shot 37. It was amazing it was only a 10-point game.
–Before Anderson Varejao wanted to prove he was a scorer he led the team in field goal percentage. Now, he routinely misses handfuls of shots in a row. He should have a rule. Any time he dribbles, he is not permitted to shoot. Catch-and-shoots or layups only.
–That’s five straight losses on the road, though four of them were on the second night of back-to-backs. Still, at some point, the Cavs are going to have to win on the road in the playoffs.

Recap:

Pregame

Starting lineups

Cavs: Delonte West, Sasha Pavlovic, LeBron James, Anderson Varejao, Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Bucks: Mo Williams, Michael Redd, Desmond Mason, Charlie Villanueva, Andrew Bogut

Officials
Matt Boland, Scott Foster, Courtney Kirkland

–Another case of the Cavs being disadvantaged on rest. They are playing their fourth game of the week and are on a road back-to-back while the Bucks have had four days off. It seemed to me in the locker room before the game that the team seemed tired. The Bucks like to score, so we’ll see if it is a factor.
–Last time the Cavs were here, Williams ate up West in his second game as a Cav. Turnovers and transition defense hurt the Cavs in that game, even though it was Redd that made a 3 at the buzzer to win the game. The Bucks will try the same tactic tonight, we’ll see how the Cavs adjust.
–Ben Wallace is out with a bad back. He had an MRI today that didn’t show any damage. Varejao will start in his place. That may not be a terrible thing, he can guard Villanueva a little better maybe. Joe Smith should get extended minutes off the bench as well.
–With Wisconsin and Marquette playing in the NCAA Tournament today, I don’t think many here in Milwaukee are too interested in this game.

Halftime — Cavs 46, Bucks 46

–Interesting first half to this game. In the first quarter the Cavs looked dead flat, couldn’t begin to deal with the Bucks in transition and gave up 65 percent shooting while making 6-of-24 themselves. Consider this nightmare stat: the Bucks had 24 points in the paint in the first quarter. In the second, the Cavs didn’t allow Milwaukee to get a single fastbreak point and slowing the game down benefitted them greatly as they were able to make a comeback. The Bucks were just 7-of-21 when they had to play halfcourt basketball. The Cavs also had 16 points in the paint in the second quarter, the Bucks had six.
–The bench deserves the credit so far. Damon Jones did a great job settling the team down, Devin Brown led some fastbreaks, Joe Smith was very aggressive around the hoop and Wally Szczerbiak took advantage of his size by getting some post baskets. Wally also had three assists in the second quarter.
–LeBron looked really tired at the outset and started 4-of-12 from the floor. Mike Brown gave him some extra rest before putting him back in, letting him sit for seven minutes in the second quarter. Zydrunas Ilgauskas, though, is looking pretty loose even though he’s not been great on back-to-backs with his back issue.
–The warning in this one would be that Michael Redd has just four shots and four points so far and it surely seems like Mo Williams can turn it on against the Cavs whenever he wants.

Postgame

Stars
Mo Williams, 29 points, 13 assists
Michael Redd, 21 points
LeBron, 29 points, 11 rebounds

Quotes
LeBron: “When these guys get it going it doesn’t matter what you do. They’ve been in a zone against us.”
West: “(Williams) is a very gifted ball-handler and has great quickness. So you have to respect his drive, but he’s got a great pull up game. When he’s at his best, he is tough.”

Sorry to disappoint loyal blog fans, but I will not be blogging the game live tonight. I will not be in town for the game, instead I skipped out to see my alma mater, Kent State, lay an egg in the NCAA Tournament. Still a great season for the Golden Flashes. I will be rejoining the Cavs tomorrow night in Milwaukee.

In other news, I reported today that Ira Newble will be signing soon with the Lakers after getting an offer from the Cavs to come back. I believe Ira is just signing a 10-day deal, but I think this probably closes the door on him playing in Cleveland again. It may not have been a major addition and Ira probably would’ve been on the inactive list most nights. However, he was a guy who could have maybe played a bit role because he would’ve been an insurance policy and someone who could play situational defense in a pinch.

EDIT: I just learned that Ira signed with the Lakers for the rest of the regular season. So it really is a non-issue.

Enjoy LeBron James breaking the Cavs’ scoring record.

Cavs 89, Pistons 73

–Excellent overall performance by the Cavs. The defense was very solid and the matchups actually worked in the Cavs favor, which I was not sure about. By relying on Ben Wallace and Anderson Varejao to play Rasheed Wallace 1-on-1, the rest of the Cavs were able to stick to their men outside and mostly give up contested jumpers.
–There is no doubt in my mind, however, the back-to-back was hitting the Pistons. Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton didn’t even shoot in the fourth quarter and you could see them all melt a little down the stretch. It has been rare this season for the Cavs to have the rest in their advantage and they took advantage. Nonetheless, the Pistons’ magic number to win the Central Division would’ve been 1 had they won tonight and the Cavs didn’t let it happen on their floor and that sends a message.
–LeBron’s confidence against the Pistons is quite high, which is a departure from last season at at times. He seems like he’s easily able to get them back on their heels and it used to be the other way around. Not saying they can’t shut him down like they used to, but I think the mental advantage has flopped. It started with that overtime win in the regular season at the Palace last year when LeBron had 41 points. He found out he could apply pressure and get results and he carried it right over into the playoffs.
–There are two more meetings between these teams this season and I am just waiting for an Anderson Varejao-Rasheed Wallace throw down. They were on each other tonight and in each other’s faces. It was the first meeting for them since the playoffs, Andy was holding out in the previous matchup. They are throwing elbows and talking trash. Totally fun to watch. But once again it seemed like it was Rasheed who got out of his game, he just tossed up 3-pointers in the fourth. Which is what you want him to do.
–Let’s see if the Cavs can keep up this defense, they have been so inconsistent I just cannot say they have turned a corner. Toronto will be a good test on Friday in that regard. On offense, when Wally Szczerbiak makes shots like he did tonight and Zydrunas Ilgauskas is involved things brighten. We’ll see if any of it gels, thought.
–So DeShawn Stevenson is at it again. After the Wizards beat the Magic in Orlando tonight, Stevenson was feeling his manhood again and said he was hoping to play the Cavs in the playoffs and he wants to get Soulja Boy into the act. Here is what he said:

“I hope we play Cleveland. I’m going to get Soulja Boy courtside seats and have him wear a DeShawn Stevenson jersey. Maybe (James) can have Jay-Z there since LeBron’s all on his (shorts) anyway. And tell LeBron to cut that beard off and stop copying me.”

Apparently this all goes deeper. LeBron said something to Drew Gooden, one of Stevenson’s boys, about Stevenson once and Gooden passed it along (I don’t think this makes Drew a favorite in the LeBron world, either).

“We’re all in the same profession,” Stevenson said. “We don’t need to talk bad about one another. So, that’s how it happened. I was ticked off and that’s why I said something to him at tip-off. So, it goes back further than people think.”

All of this and more from the Washington Post’s Ivan Carter on his blog.

Recap:

Pregame

Starting lineups

Pistons: Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Antonio McDyess, Rasheed Wallace
Cavs: Delonte West, Sasha Pavlovic, LeBron James, Ben Wallace, Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Officials
Greg Williard, Tony Brown, Bill Kennedy

–This will be interesting to see where the Cavs are. They are a good home team and a good defensive home team and the Pistons are on a back-to-back. The Pistons are a good road team.
–There is a lot of focus on Wallace playing his old team, but that is really old hat. More important is how the Cavs defend the Pistons’ perimeter. Also, the matchup of the reserve big men should be interesting.
–Keep an eye on how the Pistons play LeBron and how the Cavs react. They have put a big point on moving the ball more when LeBron is kept on the outside and doubled by the Pistons.

Halftime — Cavs 45, Pistons 38

–The difference in this game seems to be the little spurt at the end of the half when the Pistons went really cold from the floor and the Cavs got hot. But otherwise, it has been what you’d expect, a tight and physical game. The Cavs have done a good job of trying to get inside with drives and passes into the post. They have 20 points in the paint, which is good against the Pistons.
–The Pistons are using their standard LeBron defense. They are leaving Prince on him 1-on-1 and then playing a mini-zone behind him with two players moving. He’s had success driving and kicking, he’s got four assists. He needs to keep moving and so do the other players, because when stagnant this defense is very effective. He has no problem getting past Prince and then the issue is whether he can beat the second man or find the hole in the defense.
–Detroit is something like 30-1 when they score 100 points and about .500 when they don’t so this pace favors the Cavs. Just keeping the game close and giving LeBron a chance to win it is a good idea.
–The Pistons obviously think when Ben Wallace is guarding Rasheed it is an advantage, because they kept going to him on the block over and over. He made one shot and drew one foul, but Ben battled him OK and Sheed is just 1-of-7. I don’t think that’s a great matchup because Sheed can shoot over Ben, but it was an interesting battle to watch.
–Two things from this half: 1. Rip Hamilton can get an open jumper against the Cavs any time he wants. 2. Anderson Varejao is yet to make a good decision.
–LeBron has been guarding Billups a little bit, this is an interesting idea because in the past Billups has struggled against bigger/taller defenders like Larry Hughes.
–The Cavs kept their turnovers down but that is always a concern as is their offense stagnating and having to take bad shots at the end of the shot clock. Keep and eye on these factors in the second half. Also, you have to assume Detroit will shoot a little better from the outside.

Postgame

Stars
LeBron, 30 points, seven rebounds, six assists
Ilgauskas, 20 points, eight rebounds
Hamilton, 14 points, seven assists

Quotes:
LeBron: “It’s not a statement game, it’s just a regular season game and another game for us to get better.We took more than one step forward tonight, we took five steps, especially on the defense end.”
Mike Brown: “I thought our guys came into the game with the right mindset. We put together a complete game on the defensive side of the floor.”

Magic 104, Cavs 90

–Classic victory for the Magic. This is how they beat people, they get hot from the outside and it makes them very, very hard to guard. They torched the Cavs defense in the second half and shot 50 percent to score 64 points. I didn’t think the Cavs played poorly on defense either, it is hard to defend 6-foot-10 3-point shooters. Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis went 7-of-7 from 3-point range in the third quarter and it changed the game. The Cavs had to adjust their coverage and then Dwight Howard bombed them for 10 points in the fourth.
–When the Magic hit 3s, they are hard to beat. I don’t think taking 30 of them every night or giving up 100 points a game works in the playoffs. But I could be proven wrong. The Cavs are a shrink the floor defensive team and so are the other good defensive teams in the NBA and it is very hard to play help defense on the inside when you have to close out to 6-10 guys shooting 3-pointers. Then they come off the bench with Brian Cook and Pat Garrity, two more very long shooters. Ben Wallace can’t guard some of these stretch fours.
–That said, I don’t think Mike Brown did very well in the fourth quarter. The game was right there and he deploys Joe Smith on Howard? No, that doesn’t work and he got burned by it. Then after LeBron got to the basket three times in a row and cut it to five, Stan Van Gundy called timeout and changed his pick-and-roll coverage to blitz James. Mike didn’t put in his shooting lineup and the offense went dead. Not his best effort there.
–Zydrunas Ilgauskas paid on the back-to-back tonight, he went 2-of-10. Wallace didn’t have a rebound after the first quarter. The Cavs had at least eight unforced turnovers. These are issues you deal with on back-to-backs and the Cavs have had a lot of those lately.
–I think you can concede the No. 3 seed to Orlando, the Cavs are down 6.5 games and aren’t going to get the tiebreaker.
–Just before the second half started, LeBron came over an introduced himself to Tiger Woods, who was sitting in the front row. Turns out it was the first time they’ve met, which is amazing considering they are both Nike guys and Tiger spends a week in Akron every summer for the Bridgestone Invitational. Tiger smiled, said hello and said he’d call LeBron. Afterwards we did not ask LeBron to put meeting him in hip hop terms.

Recap:

Pregame

Starting lineups
Cavs: Delonte West, Sasha Pavlovic, LeBron James, Ben Wallace, Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Magic: Jameer Nelson, Maurice Evans, Hedo Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis, Dwight Howard

Officials
Monty McCutchen, Joe Crawford, Olandis Poole

–The Cavs are behind the 8-ball on rest again, the Magic were off yesterday and the Cavs played and flew two hours down here after the game. Also, it is yet to be seen how the ailing backs of Wallace and Ilgauskas will react on a back-to-back. Advantage Magic.
–A challenge in this one will be how Wallace deals with Lewis, who stays out by the 3-point line. In fact, the Magic like to penetrate and kick out to 3-point shooters when they are not pounding the ball into Howard and the Cavs will have to be crisp in rotations.
–Wally Szczerbiak’s minutes have been dwindling over the last three games. Mike Brown said before the game he hasn’t been pleased with Wally’s “technical defense.” That may be true, but hitting a few jumpers would be nice, too.
–Tiger Woods is supposed to be in the building tonight if you like to know that kind of stuff. No word on Soulja Boy.

Halftime — Cavs 45, Magic 40

–All things considered, Cavs played pretty well in the first half. They really fought Dwight Howard, sometimes triple-teaming him and he still has 12 points. They are scrambling when they can on defense but sometimes just living with the Magic’s 3-pointers and so far they are just 5-of-17. In my opinion, this is the Magic’s weakness. They often just hoist up those 3s but when they got hot they’ll kill you. I just don’t think that’s a great strategy in the playoffs.
–The Cavs had 14 fastbreak points in the first half, a clear difference in the game. They have trouble getting into the paint when Howard is in the game so getting easy baskets is important.
–Rashard Lewis had three fouls and no points in the first half, Hedo Turkoglu went just 1-of-7. You have to figure one or both of those guys will heat up.
–LeBron didn’t seem to be to into this game at the start, but his energy really picked up in the second quarter. He’s on pace to get near another triple double and has 14 points on just six official shots.

Postgame

Stars
Howard, 23 points, 13 rebounds
Lewis, 21 points
Turkoglu, 18 points
LeBron, 30 points, nine rebounds, six assists

Quotes
LeBron: “That’s a team that shoots the ball extremely well. They are making threes and we’re trying to make twos, we didn’t recover from it. It is tough to try to contain Dwight on the inside and contain their shooters on the outside.”
Brown: “Giving up 64 points in a half on the road…it’s going to be tough for us to get a win.”

Cavs 98, Bobcats 91

–This was a case study in how the Cavs hope to play in the playoffs. The idea is for Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Ben Wallace to help each other out at both ends. It worked well for tonight, just the fourth time they have played together and the healthiest they have both been in awhile. With Z playing well on offense, he was able to punish the Bobcats for shading toward LeBron James. LeBron had 10 assists and five of them went to Z. Also, with Z attracting more attention as he goes for offensive boards, Wallace had more space to work and he got six of them. On defense, the help defense in the interior was good, especially with Wallace. He came from the weak side a lot, which helped him get 15 rebounds overall.
–The Cavs nearly got bit with Jason Richardson getting hot from the outside. If you remember, he had a 19-point quarter against the Cavs earlier this season. He had 14 in the fourth and several came over the hands of Devin Brown, whom I thought was playing good defense. In fact, other than a spurt or two, the Cavs played reasonable defense all night. But I also thought the Cavs offense got stagnant in the fourth, an old problem. LeBron got into a stretch where he was just tossing up shots, he went 2-of-8 in the fourth.
–After the game, we got to ask LeBron about DeShawn Stevenson’s comment from Thursday for the first time. If you are behind on this one, Stevenson told the Washington Post that James was “overrated” after he shut him down in the last minute of Thursday’s loss to the Wizards. Now, James had time to come up with something because we first asked before the game and he said he’d answer after it afterward. Here is what LeBron said:

“With DeShawn Stevenson it is kind of funny. It’s almost like Jay-Z saying something bad about Soulja Boy. There’s no comparison. Enough said.”

Ahem, this was supposed to be a slap and it is mildly funny. But even if you understand the Hip Hop references here, it’s not a fitting retort. I suppose that will have to come on the court at some point. LeBron is Jay-Z in this scenario and he is saying, as Jay-Z, he wouldn’t say something about a guy like Soulja Boy, who I guess LeBron is implying is second-rate. It would’ve been so much funnier if LeBron had said Vanilla Ice or Milli Vanilli. Am I dating myself? But it doesn’t much hold water since Soulja Boy’s song is played at every arena and LeBron himself has danced to the song on the bench during games. Two things I think come out of this: Stevenson laughs and Soulja Boy himself may be a little upset.

Recap:

Pregame

Starting lineups

Bobcats: Raymond Felton, Matt Carroll, Jason Richardson, Emeka Okafor, Nazr Mohammed
Cavs: Delonte West, Sasha Pavlovic, LeBron James, Ben Wallace, LeBron James EDIT: I mean, Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

Officials
Steve Javie, Tony Brothers, Pat Fraher

–Z is back after missing six games dealing with a bulging disc in his back. Supposedly, he will play his regular minutes. But Z is a rhythm player and has been throughout his career, so he may show some rust in this one.
–This is a good matchup to see how the Wallace/Z combination fare. Okafor will stay near the basket and be a prime part of the offense. It will be interesting to see how they help each other out.
–Watch out for Earl Boykins trying to prove a point to the Cavs today. He’ll be a tough cover for West or Damon Jones and I expect him to get up plenty of shots.
–The Bobcats have been playing pretty well of late, although they are simply a terrible road team. Richardson has been playing very well and Felton always seems to give the Cavs problems with his driving ability.

Halftime — Cavs 47, Bobcats 40

–You can already tell the major difference Zydrunas Ilgauskas makes for this team. Although it wasn’t a great offensive half, Z’s 10 points are a factor as are his three offensive rebounds. LeBron has six assists already and several are just playing the two-man game with Ilgauskas. It opens up the offensive options.
–The Cavs also did a nice job of playing defense in the second quarter after a rough start. They are allowing a little too much penetration, but they toughened up after Mike Brown called two timeouts to try and snap them into shape. Those defense lulls continue to be a major issue with his new version of the team.
–I am keeping a little ledger in my head of Wally Szczerbiak and Sasha. There is a competition between these two to win minutes when Daniel Gibson gets back. So far in this one, neither have done much at all.
–Notice the Cavs went to Joe Smith a lot more in the post in the first half. They liked the matchup I am sure, but I just think more plays need to be run for him in general and not just kick outs for 18 footers. The guy is the best scoring option in the post after Z.

Postgame

Stars
LeBron, 33 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds
Z, 16 points, nine rebounds
Wallace, 15 rebounds
Richardson, 33 points

Quotes:
LeBron on Z: “It’s a treat for me to get him back and for all the rest of our bigs. They know they can open it up with Z being out there.”
Wallace: ” “I don’t know if a lot of people know but once your back starts acting up and it is not loose and right, it causes your whole body to pretty much shut down. It’s a little bit looser and I’m trying to feel my way through it.”

Wizards 101, Cavs 99

–Cavs lost this game in the third quarter when they allowed 70 percent shooting and 34 points. Let’s get that out of the way first. The Cavs do not play evenly on defense and recently they have had huge periods where they get lazy. I am not sure exactly where the blame goes here, but they will continue to have losses until they learn that lesson. They are not good enough on offense to give up 30-point quarters, especially on the road.
–As for LeBron James deciding to go for a 3-pointer on the last shot. No, it wasn’t the best idea, especially waiting until the buzzer so there could be not chance at an offensive rebound. But there’s no doubt he was tired after playing 46 minutes last night and almost 44 tonight. The Cavs had expended so much energy trying to catch up. He said after the game he didn’t want to play overtime, I don’t blame him. He tried to be a hero and he missed. In other circumstances it may be an issue. But he didn’t even go to the basket in the fourth quarter much, which I think had to do with fatigue, too. He had seven turnovers, also something you don’t see from him much. That didn’t decide the game.
–DeShawn Stevenson did do a good job in the fourth quarter guarding LeBron. In fact, the Wizards did a nice job pressuring him on pick-and-rolls and not letting him get a head of steam to the basket in the second half. But Stevenson took personally. He missed the final shot in Cleveland when the Cavs beat Washington last month and he was trying to atone. He was carrying on with LeBron and Damon Jones all night. In the first half, Damon made a 3-pointer and waved his hand in front of his face to mock what Stevenson does when he makes 3s. Stevenson didn’t like that and in the second half when he made a couple 3s he looked over at Damon and mocked his “three on a platter” and how Damon sometimes slaps his butt when he hits shots. Damon just stood up and glared at him.
–But the stuff with LeBron was more personal. He told Michael Lee of the Washington Post after the game that LeBron was talking trash to him and that he wanted to get under LeBron’s skin. Then he said: “LeBron is overrated” and made sure the quote was attributed to him. When LeBron is tired after playing 90 minutes in 24 hours, he isn’t the same player, I agree. Stevenson did a good job in the fourth, so props to him. Yet poking one of the best players in the league just isn’t a good idea. LeBron has proven to be tough on people who challenge him. Especially considering Stevenson shot 19 percent in the playoff series with the Cavs last season. Too bad the Cavs don’t play the Wizards again this year, it would be interesting to see LeBron’s response.
–Ben Wallace played much better tonight. The time off did wonders and he was a real factor defensively down the stretch defending the basket. He was much more active overall. That is a major positive the Cavs can take out of this game. If he plays like that more often, he’ll be valuable in the playoffs.
–Wally Szczerbiak played just 12 minutes tonight and went 2-of-9. Last night he played lots of minutes but didn’t get many shots and it looked like he was getting frozen out a bit. I think the fact that he takes so many shots gets on some of his teammates nerves, especially since he’s making less than 30 percent of them right now. If Sasha Pavlovic gets some traction, and tonight he played pretty well, Wally might force some hard choices with playing time if he doesn’t heat up.
–Anderson Varejao had 10 rebounds in the first half, two in the second. He got tired, too. When one team is on a back-to-back and the other isn’t, it makes a difference. Still, third quarter cost the game.
–32 3-pointers attempted tonight, way too many. Again, I think a product of a tired LeBron and not having Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

Pregame

Starting lineups

Cavs: Delonte West, Sasha Pavlovic, LeBron James, Ben Wallace, Anderson Varejao
Wizards: Antonio Daniels, DeShawn Stevenson, Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison, Brendan Haywood

Officials
Scott Foster, James Capers, Eric Lewis

–Ben Wallace is in uniform and it looks like he’s going to give it a try. Keep an eye on how he jumps, his lift has been affected by the back spasms. If he struggles early, the Mike Brown may sit him down.
–Brown is sticking with Sasha in the starting lineup, we’ll see if he gets any more rhythm tonight. It is expected for it to take him several games, but I still wonder if he came back too soon. I guess we’ll see.
–Caron Butler is back after missing 16 games with a hip injury and tonight is his birthday. He could be a difference maker. Though, I expect him to be rusty as well. There are few tougher players in the league than this guy.
–The Cavs signed Lance Allred to a 10-day contract. He is a big man who played at Weber State. He’s a good rebounder and has some range, but he’s an insurance policy with Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Wallace hurting more than anything. He is active tonight, though.
–The Wizards love to score and run, we’ll see if the Cavs feel like play defense tonight. It’s anyone’s guess.

Halftime — Cavs 54, Wizards 46

–The Cavs got hot from the field at the end of the half, which helped them get separation. But the real difference was their defense. After allowing the Wizards to shoot 55 percent in the first quarter the Cavs held them to 8-of-24 in the second. Mostly because they were pretty physical around the basket. The referees seem to be letting lots go and the Cavs have been taking advantage.
–Caron Butler isn’t showing much rust, but he is taking a lot of shots. He is such a tough cover, the Cavs had Wally Szczerbiak on him for a few minutes in the second quarter and that just didn’t work. We’ll see how LeBron does on him down the stretch.
–Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic and Anderson Varejao are all much improved from their last games. Ben looks to be moving much better, although Jamison is a tough cover. Varejao has 10 rebounds already and his really throwing his weight around the basket. Sasha just had his best half of the season, but remember he is a streaky outside shooter.
–The Cavs one issue is they have been heavy on 3-point shooting, going 8-of-14. That is a great number and and four guys have made 3s, but if they do it too much they will get in trouble. They have just nine assists on 20 baskets, which shows a bit of 1-on-1 play.
–I am not sure why LeBron and DeShawn Stevenson have been talking trash. Stevenson really has no grounds to say anything on any level to LeBron. But they have had several exchanges and LeBron has been animated about it, especially during one timeout at the end of the first quarter. In the past, jawing with LeBron has not worked out for the other party. I wasn’t aware of any issue between these two.
–The crowd here is really, really into this game. There have been playoff crowds here not as active as this crowd, it has been a surprise to me.

Nets 104, Cavs 99

–I’m not going to spend a lot of time tonight because the wireless at the Izod Center is a huge joke. Like most things with the Nets and the Meadowlands complex, it is sub-standard.
–The Cavs lost this game in the first quarter. They had a chance to survive it, but they lost that at the start of the third quarter when they gave up a 10-2 run. All the stuff that happened in the fourth — the comeback that fell short — is window dressing. The Cavs went to their small lineup and played junk ball and it worked in the short term. At the end, everybody got tired and there were silly mistakes that finished them. But that’s what happens when you get down 19, you have to be perfect to come back. Sometimes it’s not too late, tonight it was. When they finish with 46 or 47 wins this will be one of the games where they lost a chance at 50.
–This is the 15th different starting lineup the Cavs have used this season, there are going to be consequences when that happens. Joe Smith and Delonte West have never played with Sasha Pavlovic. It showed, they covered the pick-and-roll and and rotated like they were running in sand. Anderson Varejao was simply terrible on defense in the first half and LeBron got caught on rotations. After the first quarter, the Cavs held the Nets to 41 percent shooting. But the first quarter counts, too.
–I personally question whether Sasha is really ready. He’s only had a couple practices, it’s a very serious injury and he missed more than a quarter of the season. That is a lot to overcome, I think you may need more than two days of contact.
–Let me say, the Nets played great, especially with their ball movement early. But down the stretch, they reverted to form. They are not a good team, though you saw Devin Harris’ value late. He was 1-of-22 on 3-pointers on their five-game road trip so you knew he was probably due to make a couple.
–Devin Brown and Damon Jones played excellent tonight. Devin shut down Vince Carter and Damon really held his own at the defensive end. He got beat a couple of times by Devin Brown, but you have to expect that. These two guys work hard, really are committed to running the offense, and are veterans. No way they should lose playing time, though they shouldn’t play this much. Also, Wally Szczerbiak played well tonight. He missed some open jumpers, but he’s been doing that. He had five assists and was good on defense when he was in there. Based on the way Sasha, Delonte and Joe Smith played, Wally was good tonight.
–LeBron’s attack to this game was top notch, he was relentless in going to the basket and it got him 21 free throws. He made just one 3-pointer and had 42 points, usually he’s got to be hot from the outside to go for 40.
–The Cavs and especially LeBron, who played a whopping 46 minutes tonight, expended a lot of energy in this loss. It’ll probably show up tomorrow.
–After the game in the locker room, Austin Carr when up and congratulated LeBron on passing him for second place on the Cavs scoring list. By next week, LeBron will probably pass Brad Daugherty to become the all-time leader. LeBron was very gracious and pleased that A.C. would come and personally give him the best wishes. LeBron’s sense of history is remarkable, he really is a student of the game and, unlike some young players, he goes out of his way to pay respect to the elders. That’s not a stroke job either, I’ve seen him do it many times and it is sincere on his behalf.

Recap:

Pregame

Starting linueps

Cavs: Delonte West, Sasha Pavlovic, LeBron James, Joe Smith, Anderson Varejao
Nets: Devin Harris, Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson, Nenad Kristic, Josh Boone

Officials
Dick Bavetta, Violet Palmer, Gary Zielinski…..I think this is just the first or second time the Cavs have had Bavetta this season. He likes to call charges.

–Yes, that is Sasha Pavlovic in the starting lineup. While this may seem crazy, taking a guy who hasn’t played in 23 games and sticking him right in the fire, this actually sticks to Mike Brown form. With the exception of when LeBron came off the bench to protect Varejao from getting booed in December, Mike wants to know right away whether a guy is on his game or not. Which is why we’ve seen guys go from the inactive list to the starting lineup in the past. Of course, don’t tell that to Devin Brown, who had been playing great and is now coming off the bench.
–Second thing with the starters is that Ben Wallace is out with back pain. The injury report says he has back spasms, I think Mike slipped before the game and said he had a back strain. Maybe this is the same thing, but I think there is a difference. Anyway, the team sounded optimistic Ben would play yesterday and now they sound pessimistic about tomorrow in D.C. For what it is worth. Joe Smith is in there, which is the dynamic I think the Cavs need. A scorer and a defender in the post. Be it a Wallace/Zydrunas Ilgauskas pairing or Smith/Varejao or whatever. Either way, Dwayne Jones is going to have to play some minutes tonight and LeBron will have to play some at power forward I suspect.
–The Nets are just back from a West Coast trip in which they went 0-5. They have been really struggling to score since trading Jason Kidd and Harris can’t seem to buy a shot. But the Cavs have not played well here in the regular season over the last couple years. They are 0-2 against the Nets this season.

Halftime — Nets 58, Cavs 47

–The Cavs were very lethargic at the outset of this game, a rather cocky attitude that they thought they were going to just show up an win. The Nets did make 14 of their 16 shots and they made a lot of jumpers, too. But most of those baskets came around the basket as Anderson Varejao especially was terrible. The Nets have 30 points in the paint at half, which is the real reason why they are ahead.
–There was a bit of a comeback in the second quarter when the Cavs were more active and not some defensive stops. But they again got a little loose late with the defense. The Nets are not a good offensive team and they will miss lots of jumpers if you give them the chance. But they have 19 assists in the half because they are just throwing it in the paint and getting hoops.
–That said, the Cavs offensive has been pretty strong. They had assists on their first 13 baskets and there’s lots of driving to get fouls, especially from LeBron, who is being very aggressive on that end of the floor. If that continues they will have a chance to win this game, but it will be predicated on whether they can get stops.
–Sasha played six very average minutes before being pulled, missing two wide open jumpers. Maybe as a result both Devin Brown and Wally Szczerbiak played well of the bench. Sasha’s leash will probably shorter in the second half.