Photo: Joshua Gunter/Cleveland.com

Twenty-four minutes in, the Cavaliers were engaged in a dogfight with just a one-point lead at halftime. But, they tightened up their defense, committed zero turnovers the rest of the way, got significant contributions from their bench, and broke out the dance moves as they essentially put the Bulls away early in the fourth quarter.

Bandaged Bulls: Chicago was without backup point Kirk Hinrich and starting power forward Tyrus Thomas. Rookie Taj Gibson, who started the last time these two played as Thomas was returning from injury, got the start once again. Aaron Gray, whose participation was in doubt, got some playing time in the fourth quarter.

KYP: Know your personnel: Early on, both teams were shooting the ball very well, but it was the way the Cavaliers were guarding the Bulls that was aiding the hot start. Taj Gibson, who loves to shoot jump shots, was given the chance to do exactly that. Taj drained four of his five shot attempts as Hickson seemed content with giving him a cushion. The Bulls guards, Derrick Rose and John Salmons, are great at creating off the dribble, and the Cavaliers allowed them to slice into the paint early on. Salmons did more of the scoring, and Rose did more damage dishing. Rose shot just 3-of-10 in the first half, but he did hand out six assists, while Salmons led the Bulls in the first half with 12 points.

Photo: Joshua Gunter/Cleveland.com

93 percent.

It is the percentage of games that Zydrunas Ilgauskas has played since his fifth foot operation in the 2001-2002 season, which was preceded by a start to his career where he saw action in only 26 percent of the team's games. Since those sometimes overcast days for Ilgauskas, he's made two All-Star teams, four playoff appearances, and one NBA Finals trip. He's also becoming the franchise's all-time leader in rebounds and blocked shots. Tonight, the 7'3" center added two more accomplishments in an all-too-improbable career resurrection. This was Z's night, but mixed in with that was one of the Cavaliers' best performances all season against a thus-far dynamic Phoenix Suns team. The Cavaliers had seven score in double figures and all ten rotation players contribute in a big way in their 17-point victory that was never in doubt after the first quarter.

Take a bow, Big Fella: With 3:50 to go in the first quarter, Mike Brown did the right thing. He sent Zydrunas Ilgauskas into the game and let him accomplish what should have been done four nights ago against Dallas. Ilgauskas moved past general manager Danny Ferry for sole possession of the all-time Cavalier games played mark with his 724th appearance in wine and gold (or, on this night, blue and orange). The Q gave him a standing ovation, and it continued until Z hit his first bucket and for each one thereafter. Z didn't disappoint either; in fact, he led the team with his 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting and with his 11th and 12th points passed Mr. Cavalier Austin Carr for 3rd on the all-time Cavalier scoring list. Big Z stands just 15-20 games away from passing the man he was brought in to replace for second in scoring, Brad Daugherty. For as concerned as Brown was with Z matching up against Dallas, the man in the middle did just fine against an even tougher matchup in Phoenix and covering Amar'e Stoudemire or Channing Frye. In fact, the blue and orange went on a 21-4 run when Z checked in initially, and the Cavaliers were +9 for the 20 minutes he played. Sure, he's old, he's slow, he can't jump, and he's in the twilight of his career. But, he's also experienced, skilled, as motivated as ever, a great teammate, a Cavalier icon, and he's willing to do what it takes to help this team win. I challenge you to a) find a better backup center in the NBA and b) find a man more deserving of a ring. Here's hoping you get what you deserve, big guy. As for tonight, in a microcosm of your Cavalier career, it was a steady, consistent job well done.

Photo: Tony Dejak/AP

Many Cavalier fans expected to celebrate a milestone tonight, but matchup circumstances caused that to be delayed. Not one to often disappoint the home crowd, however, the Cavaliers gave the 20,562 a win that was marked by a Delonte West cameo, lots of small ball against the small Mavs, plenty of Shaq touches, and some incredibly efficient shooting against one of the best in the West.

DNP-CD for Z?: That's right, Cavalier fans. Danny Ferry gets to enjoy a few more days in the record books alongside Zydrunas Ilgauskas because the 7'3" center recorded his first DNP-CD or "did not play - coach's decision" in a long time. If someone gets back to me on the last time it happened, I'll give you some recognition in the next Cavalier article. I'm mildly ticked at Mike Brown, especially considering how much time FSN Ohio devoted to this milestone feat in their pregame show. I understand that it wasn't a good matchup for Z with Drew Gooden being the biggest guy out there, but he could've found 5-6 minutes at some point in the late first or early second quarter to get him in. For heaven's sake, Shaq isn't any faster. If you think he breaks the record Wednesday, you could be mistaken. The Phoenix Suns aren't any better of a matchup for Ilgauskas or the Cavaliers' big unit. With about three minutes left and the outcome not in doubt, you could have ran Z out there as well, just like they did with Jawad Williams and Darnell Jackson. I realize that Z was probably a) rusty b) stiff and c) not worried about it, but it's just unfortunate that on the night the odometer was supposed to roll over, it didn't happen. Here's hoping Z gets it done on Wednesday.

Photo: Chuck Burton/AP

It must've been something in Dan Gilbert's wife's turkey, stuffing, or cranberry sauce in Detroit. Whatever it was, it left the Cavaliers wearing cement sneakers most of the evening as they tryptophaned their way through a first half where Gerald Wallace, Stephen Jackson, and the Bobcat bench looked like they skipped Thanksgiving dinner altogether. The Cavaliers trailed by as much as 24 in the third quarter before waking up and cutting the defecit to just five in the final minute with fourth quarter lockdown stops. But, their own fourth quarter cold streak did them in as they fell seven points short in Time Warner Cable Arena tonight.

Shaq in action: After missing six straight games, Shaquille O'Neal returned to the starting center role. It was apparent early that the Cavaliers had a tough time getting O'Neal readjusted. In Shaq's last two games against Orlando and Miami, the Cavaliers were finally starting to get things figured out with Shaq. Those six games he missed have regressed things back to the early season struggles. In the second half, Shaq got more touches and a little bit more rhythm, but he missed a few easy buckets and his effect at the defensive end was not great. O'Neal finished with 11 points and 8 rebounds on 5-of-11 shooting in 30 minutes. I feel Mike Brown played O'Neal a little bit too much tonight, especially in the fourth quarter, but Brown continues to tinker with his rotations, particularly in crunch time. It's obvious in his nine man rotation (which does not include Delonte West), Jamario Moon and Anderson Varejao are the main options off the bench and Daniel Gibson and Zydrunas Ilgauskas are the second-tier subs.

Photo: Duane Burleson/AP

In the holiday spirit, the Cavaliers took it easy on their former brethren, Pistons coach John Kuester and starting center Ben Wallace, who dealt with a shorthanded squad in tonight's matchup in the Palace. Cleveland led by as much as 19, but a fourth quarter push fueled by the Detroit backcourt and Cleveland's offensive stagnation cut the lead to just five in the final minutes. It took some LeBron heroics to seal things for the good guys as the Cavaliers won their sixth in a row in Detroit.

Not the Pistons you remember: Flashback to last year's playoff series and a starting lineup for the Pistons of Rodney Stuckey, Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Antonio McDyess, and Rasheed Wallace. That's right, just one of them was in the starting lineup tonight. McDyess and Wallace have departed to San Antonio and Boston respectively, and Hamilton and Prince were both missing tonight due to injury. Speaking of injuries, Shaquille O'Neal was cleared by team doctors, but Mike Brown chose to hold him out for the sixth straight game with the hope that he can go Friday in Charlotte.

Catching up with old friends: There was a lot of turnover in Detroit this past offseason, and some of that affected the wine and gold. Cavalier offensive coordinator/guru John Kuester is now the Pistons head man, and reserve Cavalier power forward Ben Wallace is now starting Pistons center Ben Wallace in a Back to the Future role with the team where he won a title. It was interesting to see how Kuester's offense has carried over to the Pistons. Granted, he doesn't have anywhere close to his full arsenal right now, but the Pistons were able to get some pretty good shots in this game late. As for Big Ben, he chimed in to the tune of 8 points and 9 rebounds in almost 31 minutes. He even made 4-of-6 free throws, including back-to-back swishes. I was a fan of Wallace's work in his first tour of duty in Detroit, enjoyed his time here in Cleveland, and I still respect the guy who is starting at center in the NBA at age 35. I wish nothing but the best for two former Cavaliers... unless we're playing them of course and as long as we beat them out for the Central Division crown.

Photo: Chuck Crow/Cleveland.com

On back-to-back nights, it took a high-scoring performance from LeBron James and a lockdown on defense in the fourth quarter to lift the Cavaliers to victory. Once again, the defensive lockdown began when James took his rest to start the fourth. On this night, it was Jamario Moon who led the charge, guarding Andre Iguodala, as the Cavaliers got balanced scoring to notch win number ten.

Shaqlessness continues: No surprise here, Shaq missed game number five in a row, but with three days off, the hope is that he can practice with the team and play on Wednesday in Detroit. For the Sixers, they were without forward Marreese Speights and sharpshooter Jason Kapono, their lone true three point shooting threat. The Sixers are in fact one of the worst three point shooting teams in the league, and they made just 5-of-19 attempts.

MileZtone: Zydrunas Ilgauskas moved into second place on the all-time games played list for the Cavaliers. Z passed Bingo Smith with his 721st game played, and he now stands just two games behind Danny Ferry for the franchise record. Z rebounded for a strong performance after mighty struggles recently, especially Friday night. Z finished with 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting, adding 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks in 34 minutes. I get worried with Z playing that many minutes, so let's hope Shaq is not far from return.

 
Photo: AP/Darron Cummings

I could only imagine how ticked off Mike Brown had to be after watching the first 24 minutes of basketball tonight. His team had a five point lead heading into the break, but had given up a whopping 61 points, not defending one bit along the way. After a 17-2 Indiana run to start the half, the team seemed to get the message. The Cavaliers gave up just 17 points in the final 17:41 of the game, LeBron hit the fourth quarter takeover button, and the wine and gold notched their ninth win of the season.

Wild Thing back in action: Anderson Varejao returned after missing two straight games with a hip contusion. Varejao had an immediate impact, with 10 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal. His defensive effort was fantastic in 28 minutes tonight, and he cut to the basket at exactly the right time as always. Shaquille O'Neal missed his fourth straight game with a shoulder strain, and he'll likely be out tomorrow night as well. Delonte West was active, but he did not play. For the Pacers, Troy Murphy returned to action.

Matchup issues: With Murphy out of the starting lineup, the Pacers have been playing small, with the 6'8" Danny Granger playing power forward and the 6'6" Dahntay Jones playing the small forward spot to go with a T.J. Ford-Brandon Rush backcourt. This caused problems for the Cavaliers on defense as James guarded Granger and J.J. Hickson had to cover Dahntay Jones. Before anyone could blink, Granger had a quick dozen, most of them due to Hickson giving him a cushion to shoot from the outside.

Photo: Harry E. Walker/MCT

Despite a fantastic hot-shooting start for the Cavaliers and a 41-24 lead almost halfway through the second quarter, the team had no staying power as the rival Wizards used Antawn Jamison's season debut and his team-high 31 points to blast the Cavaliers away with a fourth quarter surge and a 17-point victory in probably the Cavaliers' second most dreaded trip of the year, to the Verizon Center.

M.I.A. in DC: For the second straight contest, the wine and gold were without their original starting frontcourt of Anderson Varejao and Shaquille O'Neal. Darnell Jackson saw heavy action for the second straight game as a result, but the Cavaliers were aided once again by Delonte West's presence for the second straight night. One Wizard who the Cavaliers wish had stayed M.I.A. for another game is Antawn Jamison, who saw his first action of the season tonight. Randy Foye and Jamario Moon each gave it a go with ankle injuries, although Foye just played 4 minutes.

Photo: John Kuntz/Cleveland.com

The Cavaliers opened a 4 games in 5 nights stretch by hosting the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night. The Cavaliers facing a lesser opponent had a chance to put this game away early and get some rest, but the Warriors took advantage of the Cavs' turnovers and kept this game competitive until the last minute. Both the Cavaliers and the Warriors were short handed, but that is an understatement for the Warriors. Golden State dressed only 8 players and only 7 were available for action. All 7 Warriors finished in double figures and pushed the Cavaliers to the brink, but it seemed as if the Cavs were toying with the Warriors the entire game. In the end, LeBron, Hickson and Williams were too much for the Warriors, and the Cavaliers beat the depleted Warriors 114 to 108.

Crowded Injury List - The Warriors were without Ronny Turiaf, Kelenna Azubuike, Andrins Beidris, C.J. Watson all due to injury, and Raja Bell only dressed so the Warriors could fulfill the mandatory 8 players dressed rule. The Cavaliers were also down a couple players as starting center, Shaquille O'Neal continued to sit out due to a sore shoulder, and Anderson Varejao also missed Tuesday's game due to a hip contusion. O'Neal will miss Wednesday's game as he did not even make the trip to Washington, and Andy is considered doubtful at the moment.

Warriors Come Out to Play - Despite having only 7 active bodies, Golden State started this game ready to play. The Warriors made their first five shots and held a 10-4 lead over Cleveland. While going 5-for-5 to start out the game, the Warriors also got baskets from four different starters. Curry, Ellis, Moore and Radmanovic all hit jump shots in the first two and a half minutes.

Photo: John Kuntz/Cleveland.com

For most of the game, LeBron James was content with sitting in the passenger seat of the Cavaliers offense. However, with traffic getting heavy in the fourth quarter, King James took charge, jumping back into the driver's seat and giving his short-handed team the late push over the short-handed Utah Jazz at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavaliers improve to 7-3, they have won 7 of 8, and their win streak stands at four.

Parking the Diesel: The Cavalier coaching staff chose to sit Shaquille O'Neal for the first time this season. The official reason was a shoulder strain, but it was most likely a precautionary measure to ensure O'Neal's long-lasting health. The Cavaliers have had a fair share of back-to-backs already, and O'Neal has never been one to hit the 80 game benchmark anyway. Besides, the Cavaliers have one of the most capable backup centers in the league in Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who got the start in Shaq's place. In increasingly less breaking news, Delonte West missed his third straight game. The Jazz were shorthanded as well, with Deron Williams missing the game due to a personal matter. In all, the Jazz dressed just nine and played eight.