Cavs 88, Blazers 80

–This was a playoff-type game, at least an Eastern Conference playoff game. The Blazers were swarming on LeBron James and he was setting teammates up. At the defensive end, the Blazers were pretty much running the same play over and over by setting up LaMarcus Aldridge in the mid-post and working everything off him. The Cavs started trapping him down the stretch and then had some really good defensive rotations to challenge shots.
–The Cavs only had one turnover in the second half and held Portland to just 37 points. They gave up 15 offensive rebounds but just nine second-chance points, so they were able to survive that. Overall, that is an efficient effort at both ends, even if the game was quite ugly.
–LeBron said after the game that he didn’t think he played well, even though he had a triple-double. He didn’t shoot well, that is true, but I thought his overall game was pretty good. He was really able to make the right pass most of the time, especially in crunch time. If his teammates were able to hit some shots, he would’ve easily had 15 assists. It was the fewest points he’s scored in 22 games, but the most assists he’s had in five games. That is how he will have to play many times in the playoffs.
–I spoke with Ben Wallace after the game. He missed the second half with back spasms, which explains why he looked so flat-footed in the first half to me. He said it has been bothering him for a couple days, he sat out practice yesterday. He’s hoping it will loosen up over the next couple days, he is trying to treat it but it isn’t getting better right now. It is remarkable the Cavs were able to do what they did with their top two bigs out, Andy Varejao and Joe Smith combined for 34 points and 14 rebounds. That is quality depth.
–I thought Devin Brown did a pretty good job fighting Brandon Roy. He got inside a few times, but for the most part he kept him outside and made him take jumpers. Roy didn’t seem that active, even in the fourth when the Blazers wanted to go to him more.
–Damon Jones wore a camouflage hoodie to the game tonight and on the back the word “Handsome” was spelled out in sequins. Last year he wore around a winter coat that had “Damon Jones” on the back. Just in case “Jones” wasn’t enough. The license plate on one of his Mercedes is 4Point6, the amount of time that was left on the clock when he hit that series-winning shot against the Wizards two years ago. By the way, the get ready to say goodbye to the MoHawk, he says he’s shaving it off after the road games at Washington and New Jersey.

Recap:

Pregame

Starting lineups

Blazers: Steve Blake, Brandon Roy, Martell Webster, LaMarcus Aldridge, Joel Przybilla
Cavs: Delonte West, Devin Brown, LeBron James, Ben Wallace, Anderson Varejao

Officials
Tom Washington, Sean Corbin, Mark Lindsay

–The Blazers have fallen on hard times, or some would say, gotten back to reality, since the Cavs last saw them. They have won two straight but have really struggled on offense. They play much more like an Eastern Conference team, they grind out games and play pretty good defense. They are not a great rebounding team but they do block a lot of shots.
–A key matchup with be Aldridge on Wallace. Ben should be able to clear him off the boards with his size, but LaMarcus likes to go out and shoot in the mid-range and Ben doesn’t like to go out there much. Both Przybilla and Aldridge are good offensive rebounds, though. Portland can get hot shooting from the outside and the Cavs have been a little lazy in their rotations of late.
–The Cavs may have some matchup issues with Brandon Roy. LeBron may guard him late but during the game Devin Brown and Wally Szczerbiak will probably get the assignment. Could be a tough one for both, Roy is a great young player.
–LeBron has been hot and he’s way too physical for anyone the Blazers have to defend him. If his shot is falling, it could be another 40-point night.

Halftime — Blazers 43, Cavs 39

–It is a significant miracle the Cavs are down just four points in this game. They have been completely outplayed and out hustled. Their effort around the glass reminds me of last week in Chicago, they are being very lethargic and just getting beat. The Blazers haven’t take much advantage, they are not playing all that well either.
–This is, by far, the worst Ben Wallace has looked in a Cavs uniform. Aldridge has 17 points, mostly on him, because he’s just been quicker and more athletic. Ben has five rebounds but three of them came flat-footed, which he mostly is in this game. He is a step slower, which we’ve seen for several weeks now, but his effort level also seems off and that he can control. Mike Brown had to pull him in the first quarter he was getting beat so bad to rebounds and in defensive spots. He’s also 0-of-4 from the field and hasn’t taken a shot from more than two feet away. That, though, is just him. He never shots more than a few feet from the basket and he’s still shooting less than 40 percent. Joe Smith made an instant impact when he came in the game because he presents an offensive threat. If Mike Brown wanted to put his best team on the floor, he’d put Smith in to start the second half and then bring Wallace or Varejao off the bench.
–Devin Brown is really playing at a high level right now. There is no way this guy should lose playing time when Sasha Pavlovic comes back, which could be next week. When the Cavs are at their worst, he is working on defense and attempting to drive the ball and create on offense.
–LeBron is playing a solid game, though he has just nine points. He’s got four rebounds and five assists. He hasn’t had much space to operate because the Blazers are swarming him and who can blame them when Anderson Varejao, Ben Wallace and Dwayne Jones are on the floor. He’s taken just nine shots and at least three or four have been total forces.
–Brandon Roy hasn’t done much at all in the half, which should worry the Cavs.

Postgame

Stars
LeBron, 24 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists
Varejao, 16 points, nine rebounds
Smith, 16 points, five rebounds
Aldridge, 25 points, 10 rebounds

Quotes:
Mike Brown: “This has to be up there as one of the top performances defensively since we made the trade.”
LeBron: “I didn’t feel like I played particularly well, but we got the win. If you didn’t play well and you have a triple-double, then something is wrong. I found other ways to control the game in the fourth quarter.”

Cavs 103, Pacers 95

–LeBron James played a much better game overall today than in Chicago and either rest, pride or a combination of both made a difference for Anderson Varejao. LeBron was focused much more than on scoring, although he did have 38, and Andy may have played his best game of the season. His legs looked much fresher and he was more focused.
–LeBron made a couple of huge 3-pointers in the fourth to hold off the Pacers, who made almost everything in the second half after missing everything in the first. I am a little skeptical that he’s going to the 3 too often late in games. But I suppose the whole point of him improving his shooting was to punish teams for going under on pick-and-rolls to deny drives. As long as he mixes it up, it could be effective. He’s still having the worst 3-point shooting season since he was a rookie. Though he’s putting up 30-point games like they are nothing.
–Part of the reason LeBron’s scoring so much lately is because with Zydrunas Ilgauskas out there is no quality second option. Andy is putting up huge numbers of shots, which is no good, Wally Szczerbiak is shooting 32 percent since he came to the Cavs and he’s taken the second-most shots in the last eight games, and Ben Wallace is an offensive black hole. Plus Daniel Gibson being out removes a quality option as well. Him scoring this much is fun to watch, but it makes the Cavs easier to deal with against good teams. So that will have to change at some point. Today the Cavs went through horrible scoring droughts
–The defense is still somewhat of a concern, the rotations are slow to the jump shooters. Mike Brown believes he needs to spend more time on defense in practice, he has been working on teaching the plays.
–Wally Szczerbiak is still pressing, you can just see it. He’s shooting just 32 percent since he got here. He did some good things down the stretch, but he’s in a slump.
–Some people have asked for injury updates. I talked to Zydrunas Ilgauskas today, he said he got a shot in his lower back, where he has an enflamed disc. He couldn’t get out of his car a week ago. He is doing better, but will probably out a week more at least. Daniel Gibson said he could probably do some stand-still shooting but is nowhere close to being back. Sasha Pavlovic is starting to do some running but is weeks, not days, away.

Pregame

Starting lineups

Pacers: Travis Deiner, Mike Dunleavy, Danny Granger, Troy Murphy, Jeff Foster
Cavs: Delonte West, Devin Brown, LeBron James, Ben Wallace, Anderson Varejao

Officials
Jack Nies, Bennie Adams, David Jones

–The snow and roads getting in where awful. They are only playing this game because both teams were able to make it to the arena. There will maybe only be 7,000-8,000 people here, maybe less.
–The Cavs will be tested by the Pacers’ style of play. They want to play fast and loose, which is what the Cavs got suckered into by New York and Chicago. That is not they way they play, even when LeBron is going off.
–Murphy is going to be a challenge for Wallace to guard. He stands on the perimeter, Ben hasn’t shown that he wants to go out there.

Halftime — Cavs 51, Pacers 37

–A rugged game so far, not a lot of quality play. If you are blacked out, don’t worry about it. The Pacers can’t buy a shot and the Cavs are playing disorganized offense. In the first quarter they really did a good job sharing the ball and moving and they scored 34 points. In the second, especially with LeBron sitting for six minutes, they couldn’t get into their plays. The Cavs went 5-of-24 shooting in the second quarter and are still up 14 points, which means they are pretty lucky.
–Without Zydrunas Ilgauskas, the offense really looks different. When the hub in the post becomes Anderson Varejao, who is playing much better today, it just changes everything. The opponents don’t have to bring double teams and it prevents anything outside from opening up. At least more plays are being run for Joe Smith, who is not the best post scorer.
–The Pacers foul more than just about anybody in the NBA, I think they are second in free throws allowed. One good thing the Cavs have done is drive the ball, especially LeBron, to invite fouls. Devin Brown has also done a nice job. The more they drive, the more they will find success against the Pacers.
–Ben Wallace played without his headband for a long time in the second quarter and actually played very well without it. Now he has put it back on. For what it is worth.

Postgame

Stars
LeBron, 38 points, 11 rebounds
Andy Varejao, 15 points, 16 rebounds, six assists, four steals
Joe Smith, 12 points, eight rebounds
Troy Murphy, 17 points, seven rebounds
Danny Granger, 19 points

Quotes
Jim O’Brien: ” “LeBron is a tough guard for anybody, he’s the best offensive player in the world. When he’s making 3-point shots like that, he’s virtually unstoppable.”
LeBron: “I’m going to take them, if teams are going to keep going under my pick and rolls. I know that I can shoot the ball well from the outside and at one point teams will realize that also.”

Bulls 107, Cavs 96

–This game went south in a hurry for the Cavs and it was plain as day to see why. They played like a bad team plays in the second half, settling for chucking up jumpers on the offensive end and only playing half-hearted defense the other way. It was much like the way they won in New York last night, which is not their style of play. And the Pacers, who they play next, will want to run with them, too. This is a bit of a challenge to overcome.
–LeBron had 39 points and he made a lot of crazy shots and that’s fine, that’s what he does. But he started playing street ball in the second half and that is not his way and it was surprising. All you have to do is look at one thing, his assists. Make that assist. He had one, by far his lowest of the season. He is more than entitled to take jumpers, but when he’s forcing shots and just taking jumpers you know he’s off. A couple of times he went 1-on-3 in the second half. That is not playing to his standard. Maybe he was tired, maybe he was still thinking like it was outscore those Knicks at the Garden, but he was not himself. No doubt. He knows it, too. He said the collision with Kirk Hinrich in the first half hurt his elbow, which had been bothering him. But that hasn’t nothing to do with it in my opinion.
–Now, the Bulls deserve credit because they made some shots, which was bound to happen. Also, Joakim Noah wanted it more than anyone. He may respect Ben Wallace, but he also wants to prove he’s better and he’s probably sick of being compared to Anderson Varejao. So kicked both their butts for good measure. To me, Anderson is really still feeling that ankle. He can’t jump. That is a major injury and it will take him awhile to get back and it is showing. Noah is one thing, but Aaron Gray outplayed him tonight. Wallace did OK, but Noah got him over and over too.
–Zydrunas Ilgauskas’ absence really showed up tonight. Not just with the rebounding issues, but also on offense. When he gets a putback or scores from the post he steadies things. Even when he misses from the post, it rarely leads to a run out at the other end. Since Ilgauskas has been out the Cavs have had streaks of 1-of-15 shooting and, tonight, 1-of-13. He is the Cavs second-best player and missing him is going to sting and tonight it did. Also, after watching Wallace play for six games now, I think he is probably going to be at his best when he is alongside Z. For many reasons, but mostly because it gives him some more freedom. Overall, though, I have not been impressed so far.
–Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West’s absence from the team has shown up the last two nights, both haven’t been very good. West was been nonexistent. Maybe they are also coming down from a bit of an energy high after the trade.

Recap:

Pregame

Starting lineups

Cavs: Delonte West, Devin Brown, LeBron James, Ben Wallace, Anderson Varejao
Bulls: Kirk Hinrich, Larry Hughes, Luol Deng, Drew Gooden, Joakim Noah

–Tyrus Thomas is suspended so Gooden will play a bunch. He has been playing pretty well. The Bulls interior will be a challenge for the Cavs, although not like the Knicks. Varejao doesn’t look right to me and Noah, Gooden and Thomas gave him and Wallace all they could handle last weekend. I think Wallace has trouble at this point with active players based on what I have seen and right now Andy can’t jump on that bad ankle. He’s also wearing a wrap on his left knee. The Bulls activity will get them second shots.
–The Cavs defense last night was poor, especially with dribble penetration. The Bulls are a drive-and-kick team, though they are very much a jump shot heavy team. West did a good job on Hinrich and Deng wasn’t able to get his mid-range shots on Sunday, but West was not good on defense last night and now the Bulls are at home.
–The Cavs schedule in regards to back-to-backs has been brutal, and having the early start (6 p.m.) local after flying in from New York overnight did them no favors. We’ll see if there are carryovers.

Halftime — Cavs 51, Bulls 47

–LeBron has 26 points and has made shots at the buzzer of the first quarter and second quarter. He’s 10-of-15. The guy is the two-time defending player of the month and he’s just now getting warmed up. Stay tuned.
–The Cavs are getting handled on the boards. They tightened it up in the second quarter but the Bulls have 14 second chance points, which is why they are in the game despite shooting just 33 percent. Noah has 11 rebounds and he’s eating up Varejao and Wallace. Now that is hard to say because Ben had seven rebounds and Andy has nine, but they are getting beat by Noah.
–It has been fun to watch the little stuff. Krik Hinrich and Wally Szczerbiak have been battling away from the ball, at one point Kirk threw Wally down. Then there’s the Larry Hughes/LeBron matchup. When Larry gives up a hoop, you can just see how he wants to go down and get a shot. With LeBron, Larry picked his pocket and then LeBron caught him from behind and blocked his shot. A rivalry is being developed here.
–As I said Sunday at the half, you must figure that the Bulls will get hot from the outside at some point. They will make a run. Will the Cavs take care of allowing the easy putbacks and transition points to deal with it? We’ll see. Then again, maybe LeBron will score 50 again and it won’t matter.

Postgame

Stars
Joakim Noah, 13 points, 20 rebounds
Ben Gordon, 23 points, six rebounds
Luol Deng, 23 points, eight rebounds
LeBron James, 39 points

Quotes
Mike Brown: “We didn’t box out, we just sort of went to the glass. And (Noah) is so long and active and athletic that he just jumped over us.”
Noah: “I was just on tonight. I just try to do what I can do to help our team win.”
LeBron: “We need to get back to focusing on defense, we’ve played pretty good basketball and we don’t want this one loss to deter it.”

Cavs 119, Knicks 105

–We’re not going to talk about the Cavs tonight, this one is about LeBron. This is one of those historic nights that will always be remembered by New York basketball fans, which means something because it is the capital of the sport. LeBron gets 50 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds and four steals at Madison Square Garden. He hits four 3-pointers in the last four minutes, an adoring, and I mean adoring fan charges the Cavs’ huddle just to shake James’ hand in the final seconds, he gets a standing ovation from the crowd. Here is what he said afterward when I asked him where this ranks in his career:

“This ranks real high right now. I’ve dreamed about playing well in this building. To get a standing ovation in the greatest basketball arena in the world, it is one of the best things that has ever happened to me.”

–It has happened in other places, but the way the crowd just totally turned itself over to James was remarkable. A few years ago in Salt Lake City, the crowd got ripped by the local media when they cheered when James reached 50 points. Last year in Minneapolis, he had a huge game and the crowd cheered for him in the fourth quarter, which was my indication that they needed to blow that team up. Because this is the Garden, though, it is special. I am no big fan of New York, but there is no denying the significance. Down the stretch the crowd tensed whenever he got the ball and watched the scoreboard, which was wrong the entire fourth quarter because he had two too many points. Quite a moment.
–I was just a few feet away when the fan came out of the stands. He was wearing a LeBron jersey and his eyes were just so wide. He was obviously in awe. Now, it is not good that a kid was able to get all the way across the court and into the Cavs huddle before being caught, but he never appeared to be a danger. The way LeBron embraced him, I thought for a moment that they knew each other. Here’s what he said about it:

“That was a great feeling, he told me he loved the way I played. I respect him and his pride.” Not endorsed by the NBA, I imagine.

–On a personal note, I feel like I will be telling this story for years. I was inches from giving up at Hopkins airport today and going home after I tried to get to all four New York area airports all day and didn’t look like I was going to make it. I landed at 6 p.m. at Newark and took a harrowing cab ride to make it here in time. The lesson is this: you never know when you are going to see LeBron do something special. It may happen in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals, it may happen in the Garden, it may happen Saturday night against the Pacers.

Recap:

Pregame

Starters

Cavs: Delonte West, Devin Brown, LeBron James, Ben Wallace, Anderson Varejao
Knicks: Nate Robinson, Jamal Crawford, Quentin Richardson, Malik Rose, Eddy Curry

–I just got to the Garden less than 30 minutes before tip, it has been a terrible travel day for me. It was not Continental Airlines finest hour and it had nothing to do with the weather. So I’m a little behind and a little stressed.
–West made it back from a family funeral and Wally Szczerbiak has rejoined the team. Mike Brown missed shootaround today with the flu, but he’s going to coach tonight. Also, Zach Randolph is back for the Knicks after missing a few games with a bad foot.
–Warning for the fainthearted, LeBron is wearing his Yankee shoes tonight. No comments please.
–There’s a huge buzz here because Stephon Marbury showed up when there’s been a big drama about how Isiah Thomas had told him to stay away, etc., etc. Just more Knicks nonsense going on, but that is what all the NYC media is all over.
–The Cavs never seem to play well at the Garden. Right now the Knicks have basically quit on the season but that may not mean anything. They are very strong in the post and David Lee has run circles around the Cavs in the past. That could be a key point tonight with Zydrunas Ilgauskas out with a back strain.

Halftime — Cavs 58, Knicks 54

–LeBron has been very good in the first half, not just because of his power dunk and the 40-footer he made at the half (the longest make of his career, I think EDIT: Yes, thanks from the comments, he did make an 80-footer last season), but because he’s killed the Knicks double teams with great passes. But this is not unusual.
–The Cavs are been killed on the interior by the Knicks as I mentioned in the pregame. Eddy Curry’s power and David Lee, a late addition to the starting lineup, are overmatching them. Anderson Varejao’s ankle still isn’t right and it show in his reactions to loose balls. Ben Wallace is not quick enough to deal with Lee right now either. Acutally, Joe Smith was great in his time, he had seven rebounds in 10 minutes. The Knicks have 30 points in the paint and are shooing 54 percent, if that keeps up the Cavs will lose. I’d suggest to Mike Brown to use Dwayne Jones, because at least he’d bang with Curry. Play him with Smith to avoid offensive lapses.
–As I wrote about in the paper today, Devin Brown has been playing well since the trade. He played very well in the first half with 12 points. However, he is not a jump shooter and he seems to be taking more than he should. He is much better driving and finishing, the guy makes lots of junk shots around the rim.

Postgame

Star
LeBron, 50 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds

Quotes
LeBron on whether he has ever thought about playing for the Knicks: “No, that might be worse than that fan running out on the court.”
LeBron on whether he’s ever thought of leaving the Cavs: “You don’t think about it, I am in a great situation. I am home, my family gets to see me play, the organization has been nothing up great to me I have no reason to think about going anywhere else at this point.”

Cavs 95, Bulls 86

–Here is what Larry Hughes said to me and Lisa Salters from ABC before the game. Lisa couldn’t believe it and made sure he knew what he was saying. Here it is:

“I play to enjoy myself, some people take this the wrong way, but winning a championship is not what I base everything on. I was given an opportunity to play basketball, travel around and have fun doing it and that’s what I want to do. I wouldn’t take being unhappy and not being myself and winning.
I would rather enjoy myself with 18,000-20,000 people watching the game and the people sending fan mail and those things and be happy…I didn’t come here to play the point guard, that’s just it. I came here to run the wing, just like he was running the other wing. I was asked to sacrifice for the team to win and for everybody, I guess, get paid. That is what was told to me and I wasn’t happy with that.”

I do understand that Larry did make sacrifices when he played for the Cavs. I do understand that he was not playing in a system that thrilled him. But I cannot believe he is saying he would rather have fun — read: getting to run around the way he wants and take lots and lots of shots — than win. I thought winning is fun, sitting at home at watching the playoffs is no fun according to most NBA players I’ve known. I can see not playing at all, just sitting on the bench. But if you are a big part of a winning team, I thought that was desirable. Very few players in this league get everything they want, most of the time you have to settle. As long as Larry was being paid what he was being paid, I’d think some settling would’ve been acceptable. That’s the other thing, the comment about just winning and getting paid. Larry earned $4 million in bonuses over the last two years because the Cavs hit win targets in his contract. The more the team won, the more he did get paid. That said, in the playoff run last season, even before he got hurt, I didn’t get the sense that he was happy. I never saw that joy from him, so I think this is probably more than just lip service, I think he really means it.

So I suppose today was interesting for Larry. He got 20 shots, he got 23 points, he got shut down in the stretch run by LeBron and then had to watch as LeBron carried the Cavs to a win. Under his terms, I suppose it was a happy afternoon. Plus he said he got to see his pet bulldogs, which he said was the only thing he missed in Cleveland.

–The Cavs offense continues to be a sloppy mess. Not just because nobody knows where they are supposed to be at times, but because the player groupings aren’t always right. Mike Brown just wanted to talk about defense after the game and that is his way, he thinks that the Bulls went on an 18-3 run to take the lead in because the transition defense was poor. He’s not wrong, but I look at the Cavs going 1-of-15 from the field and taking a bunch of bad shots. Anderson Varejao and Ben Wallace playing together, it has to be done now that it appears Zydrunas Ilgauskas is going to be out for a week or more with a bad back, but it drains the options. I think Joe Smith has to play a bit more and he’s got to have plays run for him to keep the defense honest. The Cavs didn’t remember they had him until the fourth quarter. Also, I think the small lineup with Varejao, James, Devin Brown, Damon Jones and now Wally Szczberiak should be used more, Mike seems to forget that change up.
–That said, the Cavs did spread it out in the fourth and that got Smith and Wally involved and they delivered. But LeBron’s play down the stretch was impressive as always. Especially the way he drove and dunked to put the Cavs up four points. The ball hit the deck so hard after he slammed it through, it bounced more than 20 feet from the basket.
–After the game, LeBron got drug tested for the fourth time this season. Several other Cavs said they have only been tested twice so far and not in months. They don’t let you take a shower before you get tested and LeBron was gulping down water so he could get it over with. In the NBA they have random testing after games, you never know when it is coming.

Recap:

Pregame

Starting lineups

Bulls: Kirk Hinrich, Larry Hughes, Luol Deng, Drew Gooden, Joakim Noah
Cavs: Delonte West, Devin Brown, LeBron James, Ben Wallace, Anderson Varejao

Officials
Joe DeRosa, Eric Lewis, Bill Spooner

–Zydrunas Ilguaskas is at home with a back strain. The Cavs are not saying how long he may be out.
–Bulls coach Jim Boylan has made adjustments to his norma starting lineup to put Hughes and Gooden in there so obvious reasons. When they were announced Larry was booed but got some cheers, Gooden got all cheers. That figures.
–Wally Szczerbiak made it back from New York to play in the game. His son was born yesterday.
–Larry said before the game that being happy was more important to him than being on a winning team. More on that later.
–The Bulls are a jump shot team, where Larry fits in, and they are very streaky. Keeping them from getting easy baskets on their drive-and-kicks will be important if the Cavs want to win. They are also not a team that does well in close games, which would be the Cavs advantage later.
–With Varejao and Wallace playing together so much, it will be interesting to see how the Cavs operate on offense. It seems easy to press and trap James, which teams are figuring out.

Halftime — Cavs 42, Bulls 39

–This is a putrid display of offensive basketball. All the Bulls do is chuck it and the Cavs are a total mess on offense. They have no idea where they are supposed to be, everyone is looking at each other like they don’t know who is moving where. If not for LeBron, who had 23 points, not just junking it and shooting the Cavs would be in terrible shape.
–Not having Ilgauskas takes away a focal point on offense, it is easy to dump it into him and then set things up from there. But when LeBron is out of the game with no Ilgauskas, it looks terrible. Why there are no plays run for Joe Smith in that position, I have no idea. If there were strides made on offense against Minnesota, there’s been a step back today.
–So far this has been Delonte West’s worst game with the team, he’s not in rhythm and he’s not pushing the ball effectively. He’s running the court but seems to be out of position or at least his teammates have been.
–Larry Hughes got six shots up in his first six minutes on the floor. That fits in nicely with the Bulls mentality. Krik Hinrich looks to create for others and, actually, Drew Gooden has made some nice interior passes, but it seems the Bulls mostly seem to just want to shoot jumpers. The next pass Ben Gordon makes to set up a teammate will be the first today and all Andres Nocioni, who was one of my favorite Bulls, is just hoisting 3-pointers. He took one in transition that was contested with no other Bulls down the floor. Now, that’s not how the Argentineans play, I know that.
–Can you tell I’m sickened by the offense I’ve seen in this half?

Postgame

Stars
LeBron, 37 points, six rebounds, six assists
Szczerbiak, 17 points
Hughes, 23 points, five rebounds

Quotes:
LeBron: “I just live for the fourth quarter. When the games are close, that’s when I like to do work. I know how to turn it on and turn it off. It’s just a comfort level I’m in right now that’s at an all-time high.”
Gooden: “Trying to stop LeBron, I kind of got the other end of the stick. You know how it goes.”